~Chapter 20~
“To think I would run into you, Duke, in a place teeming with so many people. I hardly know where to put myself.”
Having chosen a “hostile relationship” tactic to seduce Peredil, I had become quite the expert in picking fights.
“I feel exactly the same. I truly don’t know where to put myself.”
Peredil, catching on to the sarcasm, replied flatly, without a trace of emotion.
Oh? Not bad at this, is he?
“I can’t help but worry, Duke, that as always, your relentless attention toward my sister might cause her trouble today.”
“If it’s that kind of worry, I’d like to say it’s unnecessary—but I doubt it’s worth saying anything when we can’t even have a proper conversation.”
“Is there anything more devoid of meaning than the conversation we’re having right now?”
“Indeed. So meaningless, in fact, there’s no point in trying to measure it.”
While hurling verbal jabs without so much as a flicker of emotion, we threw each other a crooked smirk before turning our backs and walking off.
As expected, Peredil’s noble upbringing gave him a sharp tongue.
Honestly… are we kind of good at this back-and-forth?
I’d gotten used to our bickering — even found it fun — so switching tactics now felt oddly disappointing. Still, I couldn’t stay in the role of the quarrelsome troublemaker forever. Reminding myself of the goal — to seduce Peredil — I took my seat.
As I chatted with the Earl and Countess of Woodville, who were seated with me, I heard the voice of the master of ceremonies.
“In celebration of His Majesty’s birthday, we shall now begin the congratulatory banquet.”
The banquet began with congratulatory messages from the visiting delegations of neighboring countries.
Their speeches mostly centered around blessings for the Emperor’s birth and pledges of eternal trust and alliance with the Coventin Empire.
Seated near the front in accordance with the Woodville family’s rank, I had a perfect view of Noah sitting next to the Emperor, and Luna standing beside him. The sight of them together was just heartwarming enough to make me smile.
How do their faces look so perfect next to each other? If they starred in a drama together, I’d have no regrets.
The slightly dull string of congratulatory speeches ended, and a performance followed. A tall, dignified opera singer took the stage and delivered a powerful piece about the Emperor’s virtue and the Empire’s glory.
While I was listening with my ears, my eyes were on Luna. As the music began, Noah turned to speak with her. The two of them kept smiling and talking, locked in each other’s gaze.
Luna doesn’t look even the slightest bit uncomfortable. She actually seems to be enjoying talking to Noah.
Watching them like a proud mom, I suddenly found myself wondering what Peredil would think of this scene.
Would his eyes be burning with jealousy? Or would he be watching with an icy stare?
When I turned to look where Peredil was sitting, our eyes met. Or to be more precise, his gaze had already been on me — and then mine met his.
Wait… why was he looking at me…?
Clearly just as surprised as I was, Peredil abruptly jerked his head away.
Caught off guard by the eye contact, I must’ve made a dumb face. I should’ve scowled at him immediately. Who would’ve thought he’d be looking at me?
Had I left a stronger impression on him than I expected? Honestly, I thought he’d be staring holes into Luna.
Whatever the reason, I was so thrown off that I couldn’t hear a single word of the Emperor’s speech. Not that I’d tried to listen, but still — my brain just bounced it right out.
Thankfully, it was the master of ceremonies who snapped me out of it.
“With that, the formal part of the banquet comes to an end. Please enjoy the dinner prepared in the palace gardens.”
Ah, the garden banquet. Time to get moving — this scene involves a little more action, after all.
I stepped outside and inhaled the fresh evening air, my eyes sweeping over the beautifully arranged dishes, all made by the Empire’s finest chefs.
I wanted to dig in like a beast, but I couldn’t risk getting too full before the show.
So I picked at a few things, just enough to take the edge off, while keeping an eye out for the key prop in the upcoming scene.
There it is.
Waiters holding wine glasses began circulating, handing them out one by one. Peredil had just received his — a blue glass with a large “P” etched onto it.
I received mine as well — a yellow glass marked with a “J.” So these are the house-colored wine glasses, huh?
Surely all the glasses have the same wine in them.
All except one.
Peredil’s glass was filled with wine poisoned by the old aristocratic faction, who wanted to check the Emperor’s growing power.
They were furious that the heir of the Seymour family — Peredil Seymour, son of Duke Richard Seymour, the very man who helped build the Coventin Emperor’s power — had gotten engaged to the daughter of the newly risen Marquis Bollein.
It wasn’t really about killing Peredil — more like sending a message to the Bollein Marquis. A warning. The aristocracy was fracturing.
In the original story, Luna heals Peredil right away using her divine power. With the Emperor’s approval, divine energy could be used even on someone who wasn’t royalty.
But this time, the story will play out differently.
Because the one saving him today — will be me.
Once everyone had their glasses, the Emperor finally arrived. Everyone rose to their feet.
“Please raise your glasses. His Majesty will now give the toast.”
At the master of ceremonies’ cue, everyone lifted their glasses and turned toward the Emperor.
“May the Coventin Empire continue to prosper. To eternal Coventin!”
“To eternal Coventin!”
Now!
Just as everyone echoed the toast and lifted their glasses to drink, I slammed into Peredil exactly according to the pre-planned choreography. From the collision, I fell hard to the ground — and his blue wine glass clattered across the floor.
All eyes in the banquet turned toward us.
“Satisfied?”
Peredil, pale-faced, looked down at me.
“Satisfied with what?”
As I was helped up by someone nearby, I asked him.
“You must’ve been waiting for a golden chance to make a fool out of me. Was it worth it?”
“You’re seriously suggesting I did that on purpose…?”
“Is there another explanation?”
Even the Emperor held his breath as everyone stared at us.
“That’s kind of offensive, honestly. You didn’t even hear my side and you’re just jumping to conclusions.”
“Hah! Isn’t that obvious?”
“Why is it obvious? Why are you so sure?”
As I fired back with an indignant tone, he looked utterly furious. His face was flushed, his eyes blazing, and his shoulders tense with rage.
He looked at me like he was trying to swallow me whole and shouted something that was both unexpected and completely obvious:
“Because you hate me!”
Cool, composed Peredil — losing control like this in front of all the nobles? Probably the first time. You could tell by the open mouths and wide eyes around us.
Now that he’d put on a scene, it was my turn to deliver the right response.
But shouting back at someone who just exploded with emotion would just be redundant drama. It was time to shift gears.
Without a word, I held out my hand to him.
Peredil frowned in confusion, hesitated — then placed his hand in mine.
Using the strength of that grip, I leaned in close — close enough that my lips almost touched his ear — and whispered:
“I think someone poisoned your wine.”
