Chapter 14:
From the outside, it looked like Isaac’s eyes were dripping with affection.
But in truth, he was silently staring at Clea, displeased with her attitude.
“Oh my, the Grand Duke is so kind.”
“They say he can’t turn a blind eye to someone in need.”
“I’m so sick of wondering what new lie she used to seduce him.”
“Look, she didn’t even bring her paints today.”
The young ladies and lords gathered and chattered, drawing more people in until the gossip scene grew louder.
Clea heard every word. But she wasn’t naïve enough to shed tears over such childish gossip.
‘Whether here or there, people are all the same.’
When there’s a public enemy, everyone unites. Within that, subtle ranks form, and the one on the receiving end is always made out to be the villain.
“Why do you say nothing to them?” Isaac asked.
“If I don’t take the insults, they’ll just find someone else. I might as well take on as much of it as I can,” Clea answered nonchalantly.
Her nonchalant behavior, as if she truly didn’t care, made Isaac cross his arms.
“The sun of the Empire! His Majesty Sinold Nocturne, His Highness the Crown Prince Epiole, and Her Highness the Crown Princess Lili enter!”
At the voice announcing the royal entry, everyone fell silent and bowed.
Clea began to bow with them, but Isaac grabbed her shoulder.
“Don’t fall—just stay standing.”
“…Pardon?”
“You’re the Grand Duchess. You don’t need to bow.”
“Ah… yes…”
At Isaac’s words, she straightened up awkwardly.
In truth, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were expected to bow as a formality. But Isaac had long abandoned such tedious etiquette.
“…Why aren’t you dead?”
A whisper, so faint it could vanish, reached Clea’s ears. She whipped her head around.
It sounded like it came from behind her, but with so many people in the hall, she couldn’t tell who it was.
“What is it?” Isaac asked.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
He didn’t seem to have heard. As she shook her head, Isaac gave her a meaningful look.
“Thank you all for coming to my nephew’s celebration today,” the emperor said from the head seat, surveying the crowd.
‘The emperor’s nephew…’
She was reminded of how incredible Isaac’s position was.
In Joseon dynasty terms, he’d be royalty.
“I’m glad it will be such a lively banquet,” the emperor continued.
The speech wasn’t unlike a principal’s address at a school ceremony or a CEO’s New Year’s greeting—a boring formality that only made her legs ache.
“Enjoy yourselves, everyone.”
At last, the emperor’s words ended.
As soon as he finished, the nobles resumed chatting, and the buzzing noise filled the room again.
And Clea’s legs hurt.
‘…Is this a dream?’
She tried to steady her trembling legs, and the effort made her squint.
Even with slightly high heels, could standing really sap her stamina like this?
“Are you alright, Clea?” Isaac asked.
“…Yes.”
If she collapsed here, he’d probably forbid her from doing anything else from now on.
Clea stubbornly held her ground, hoping things wouldn’t get more humiliating.
“So when exactly do you plan to introduce her to me, Isaac?” the emperor asked.
“…Your Majesty.”
At the emperor’s voice from the head seat, Isaac turned with a tired expression.
His face showed clear annoyance and fatigue.
Probably only Isaac could treat the emperor like that.
“It’s been a while, Acting Countess Clea. Or should I call you Grand Duchess now?”
“You may call me whatever is most comfortable, Your Majesty,” Clea said, trying to keep strength in her legs.
The proper etiquette was to slightly lift the hem of her dress and bow at the waist.
But that required bending the knees and holding an awkward half-squat—no easy task.
As she slowly bent her knees, a thump sound was followed by her vision suddenly dropping.
She was now kneeling on the floor, clutching her dress hem, frozen in place.
‘Crap…’
Clea shut her eyes tight, still on her knees.
She couldn’t get up.
She wanted to rise out of sheer embarrassment, but her legs refused to move.
They had gone completely numb.
Worse yet…
The piercing stares from behind her.
“…Clea.”
Isaac’s chilling voice made her swallow reflexively.
She wanted to run.
That was all she could think about.
[The front of your shoes has been cutting off circulation for over an hour.]
[Due to your fragile body, the numbness has progressed to temporary paralysis. You will be unable to walk for the next 30 minutes.]
So that’s why her body wouldn’t move despite not being too tired. It was similar to paralysis.
Leg numbness—essentially a bad leg cramp—had become something more.
Was it even possible for a cramp to turn into paralysis?
Clea didn’t even try to get up from the floor. The murmuring grew louder around her.
“My goodness, she’s pretending to be sick in front of the emperor now…”
“She really is shameless.”
“I’m embarrassed to call her a fellow noblewoman!”
Her enhanced hearing was still working—of course.
Which meant Clea was hearing every insult loud and clear.
She slowly raised her trembling head and met Isaac’s furious gaze.
Startled, she quickly looked down again.
Then he moved.
Without hesitation, Isaac bent down and scooped her up into his arms.
“I—”
“Don’t make me angrier. Stay quiet.”
“….”
Clea buried her face in his chest.
Even when he’d asked if she was okay, she’d stubbornly said yes.
Since she’d hidden her symptoms, there was nothing she could say now.
“She doesn’t seem well. May we continue this conversation elsewhere, Your Majesty?” Isaac said.
“Of course. Would it be alright if the Crown Prince and Princess joined?”
Clea gave a weak nod.
She didn’t even have the strength to refuse.
All she wanted was to escape the storm of eyes surrounding her.
Even with her face covered, all the attention was still on her.
“My word, I knew it…”
“That damn woman lied, didn’t she?”
A faint voice from far away reached her ears. She stiffened again.
It was the same voice that had earlier asked why she was still alive.
Full of malice. Most likely, the one who had killed Clea Leno.
‘Clea Leno is dead.’
Clea sighed.
She was just inhabiting the forcibly revived corpse, brought back by the Demon King.
A body that would soon vanish.
Isaac carried her out of the banquet hall with long strides.
His pace was so fierce that even the emperor and crown prince followed behind him.
“Are you out of your mind?” he asked.
“….”
“I asked if you were okay. If you weren’t, you should’ve said so. Why bear it in silence?”
“….”
Clea said nothing, lips pressed shut.
Had he only scolded her, she might’ve been angry.
But beneath his anger lay concern.
Because she knew that, she couldn’t say anything.
The emperor and crown prince were equally stunned as they followed.
Isaac was known for keeping his distance from women.
Showing emotion like this was rare, even on the battlefield.
They had expected Clea to snap back at Isaac’s frustration.
The old Clea Leno was harsh, never one to quietly accept a scolding.
But to their surprise—
Not only Isaac, but Clea was acting strangely.
They had expected her to fight back. She didn’t. She remained silent.
“…Because he’ll just keep carrying me.”
“She’s unwell. That’s natural.”
“I thought I’d be fine.”
“You weren’t.”
Isaac’s curt reply left Clea speechless again.
Of course he was right. He usually was. Today too.
Clea had been wrong to hide it.
Isaac headed straight for the reception room.
When he glared at the guards outside, they immediately swung the doors wide open.
Regardless of the royals following, he sat Clea down on the center sofa, then knelt in front of her and pressed on her knees with his thumbs.
“Are your knees broken?”
“What kind of question is that…?”
“Any fractures?”
Isaac’s dead-serious tone made the crown prince, Epiole, let out a dry laugh.
What on earth had happened to that venomous woman?
The kind of woman who would blame her maid if she tripped due to badly made shoes.
‘What am I seeing right now?’
Epiole rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
Then he glanced at his wife, whose mouth was open in shock.
Lili also looked completely flustered.
It wasn’t until Epiole pinched his own thigh hard that he accepted this wasn’t a dream.
Though the resulting bruise would remain his own little secret.
