GIOB 41

CHAPTER 41…..

Banquet

It was a relief to hear him say he wouldn’t give up—but somehow it didn’t feel like I’d truly hurt him, no matter how I tried. Maybe it was because Maximilian always strode straight back to me, no matter how far I pushed him away.

If he was like this even when I openly disliked him… then what if I treated him kindly? What if I coaxed and soothed instead? Would he eventually lose interest? The thought was more frightening than his persistence.

Yes. Right now, I must look like the pitiful fool in a one-sided romance, and he’s the one suffering for it. And me? I’m just the heartless woman stomping all over someone’s sincerity.

I memorized his face one last time and thought, Let’s see if you can still look at me like that once you know everything.

I turned away, threw open the terrace door, and stepped back inside. Waiting for me in the hall was Haula—and, unexpectedly, Ulysses, who caught my eye. Haula’s expression was taut with unease, but the moment I approached, he seized my arm.

Without a word, he led me away, skillfully cutting through the crowd, as if determined to put as much distance between me and the terrace as possible. Ulysses watched us for a moment, then gave a polite bow and walked off. Of course—if even clingy, persistent Haula was backing off voluntarily, Ulysses had no reason to follow.

Still, a small pang of disappointment tugged at me.

Haula didn’t release me until we’d reached the far corner of the banquet hall.

“He didn’t mess with you, did he? You came back sooner than I expected.”

“It was just a silly misunderstanding.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, unconvinced.

“What on earth were you doing out there, noona? I was worried sick.”

I knew he didn’t buy that Maximilian’s familiarity with me was just some misunderstanding. Haula had a knack for seeing through people, and I didn’t like thinking how close he might be to the truth.

At least he wasn’t the type to demand every last detail. He’d grown surprisingly considerate since we first met. Leaning closer, he whispered:

“Noona, that guy’s not just some ordinary lunatic.”

“And how would you know that?”

“Instinct. His eyes are completely gone.”

So he’d seen Maximilian earlier, causing that noisy scene. But to dismiss him as a madman based on that alone seemed too shallow—especially since the rumors weren’t all bad. People called him a flirt, yes, but also a polite, kind man for someone of his rank. A gossip-hound like Haula knew this.

I tested him:

“The rumors about the Veloce heir don’t say anything like that.”

“Rumors in high society?” he scoffed. “They’re lies people tell themselves—and about themselves.”

Then his expression turned serious.

“Diol Agnes. Maximilian Veloce. What do you think I thought?”

A cold ripple passed through me. Just naming the two heirs I’d met was close enough to make me uneasy. If he guessed my true purpose—that I’d approached them for revenge—it wouldn’t change much. In fact, Haula might even help if I told him.

But I had no intention of using him, just as I’d refused Lupian’s help. The last time I’d involved Haula had been enough.

“Anyway, be careful. I’m not used to worrying this much about you—it’s making me jumpy.”

He often forgot I was a demon, or pretended to. For a moment, I considered reminding him the way I had before—by frightening him—but quickly realized it wouldn’t change a thing.

I pushed him aside, expecting him to cling again like a burr. Instead, he stayed still.

“You’re very popular tonight, noona.”

I turned, puzzled—and froze.

Three all-too-familiar faces stood before me. Diol Agnes. Michael Cyclamen. Ailhardt Snain.

My heart plummeted. These were the very men I’d hunted down one by one, for revenge—and now they were together.

I forced a faint smile, gripping my skirt to hide my trembling fingers. My instincts screamed at me to run, but my resolve to see this through held me in place.

I signaled for Haula to step away. This wasn’t his fight.

“It’s been a while since we’ve both met,” Diol said with a practiced smile.

Haula shot him a sour look, muttered a halfhearted greeting, and obediently withdrew.

“Meeting here, of all places, feels new…”

I began to reply—then stopped.

Standing quietly at Diol’s side was a woman I hadn’t noticed before, hidden by his height.

Lydia.

She smiled softly, as if amused by my reaction.

“I’m not going to eat you, Lady Cabre. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

The one I’d most wanted to see—and least wanted to face.

Keeping my expression neutral was a challenge. Once, I had thought of her as a goddess; now, as an equal, I wanted to ask her one burning question: Did you really know nothing?

Diol’s voice broke in.

“Do you remember that I promised to introduce you to Lady Cardiman? I’m a bit late, but here we are.”

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Eilie Cabre.”

I curtsied lightly, smiling with deliberate sweetness.

“You seem happier to meet her than you were to meet me,” Diol said with feigned offense.

I met his gaze with a bright smile.

“It’s an honor to meet the Empire’s flower.”

Lydia brushed back her silken hair and answered with a modest laugh.

“Please don’t call me that. The title still feels heavy.”

“If you’re not a flower, then who could be?”

“And you, Lady Cabre—you’re the most beautiful here tonight.”

We traded the kind of saccharine compliments that made my skin itch. Yet I couldn’t help feeling the unreality of it all—speaking like this with Lydia, who had once been light itself to me, unreachable and untouchable.

She stepped closer, taking my hands gently.

“The moment I heard your name from Diol, I thought—it must be fate.”

“…Pardon?”

Her eyes shone.

“You see, my dearest friend left me not long ago. Her name was Eilie, too. She was dearer to me than anyone.”

Ah.

I feigned sympathy, though my mind was a storm. She was talking about me—about the Eilie I had been.

And when she stroked my cheek and said,

“No matter what it takes, I will find the culprit behind that incident,”

—I nearly looked straight at the three heirs standing behind her.

Was she truly that oblivious? Or was she saying it for their benefit?

I couldn’t tell. I just stood there, caught between disbelief and the strange ache in my chest.