Chapter 83
I didn’t even need to look to know the surroundings had frozen stiff, as though struck by Kaisis’s ability.
Because I was frozen too.
‘What the hell did he just say?’
It wasn’t literally a scene like that, but watching the emperor and this man called Serwin bristle at each other with me in the middle—it honestly felt like I was watching a live broadcast of some morning soap opera.
My heart was pounding, curious what the next plot twist would be.
‘If only I weren’t the main character in this drama, I could’ve really enjoyed it. With popcorn and soda, at that.’
“Like I said before…”
Narrowing my eyes, I glanced down at the beautiful blossoms of ice spreading beneath the emperor’s feet.
‘Weren’t you trying to show only your best side to the delegation?’
Right. Our emperor’s temper is as foul as they come, and he doesn’t bother to hide it—even abroad.
“Ariel, Duke of Aster, is one of the people I trust most. I cannot simply overlook the Cardinal’s insolence.”
That was a statement from the emperor himself.
The faces of the priests standing behind the delegation’s two leaders hardened.
This situation could easily spiral into an international dispute if left unchecked.
And yet, I couldn’t quite figure out why the emperor was getting so worked up.
Because we’d agreed to look friendly for a while?
Or because he wanted to use this as a chance to undermine the delegation’s influence?
‘Whatever it is, enough already.’
I was about to step in.
But, of course, Serwin—irritating from start to finish—spoke first.
“So. Are you saying, Your Majesty, that I am unfit to be the duke’s dance partner?”
“You could put it that way.”
At Kaisis’s words, Serwin’s smile deepened.
Funny how someone could smile and still look so damn unpleasant.
He must have as nasty a personality as Kaisis.
How on earth did someone like that become a cardinal?
“Oh, I see. I hadn’t realized His Majesty and the duke were that close. That’s rather… different from the rumors I’ve heard.”
Silence fell.
Then the nobles began murmuring in shock at the cardinal’s brazen words.
My head throbbed, and I pressed my temple.
The emperor had just declared he was on good terms with me, and Serwin had essentially sneered, ‘That’s not what the rumors say.’
A sidelong glance showed Hanuel looking pale as death, as if he might faint—proof this wasn’t some staged act between him and Serwin.
At that moment, Kaisis laughed softly.
The faint, wind-like laugh, paired with ice shards splintering outward like cracks, was beautiful but anything but pleasant.
‘You maniac, that’s enough. If you snap, who’s going to take responsibility?’
I instinctively checked whether Kaisis’s “levels” had spiked.
Would I need to rush in and “guide” him tonight?
Sadly, his levels weren’t stable.
He looked like a man desperately suppressing explosive anger—far too much so.
Why was he so hypersensitive whenever someone made cutting remarks aimed at me? It felt… strange.
Still smiling faintly, Kaisis spoke.
“If the duke’s first dance partner were to be chosen here, it would certainly not be the Cardinal.”
“And who would it be, then?”
Kaisis’s gaze fell on me.
I froze like a statue. Goosebumps prickled down my spine.
The way his blue eyes curved—like a warning of impending disaster—was terrifying.
He held my gaze as I shook my head. Then he opened his mouth.
“The partner would be—”
No way. Even if this was all an act, you’re not about to say it should be you. Right? Please, no.
My heart thudded.
“…My younger brother. He holds his teacher in the highest regard. So if the duke’s first dance partner must be chosen, then surely the best choice is my brother—the prince and her beloved student.”
The balloon of tension deflated with a pitiful hiss.
‘Why does this bastard always drag poor Luisias into it at times like this?’
The two cardinals’ gazes shifted to the boy plastered to my side.
Luisias hunched his shoulders miserably.
I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“That’s enough.”
Hiding none of my frostiness, I gently pushed Luisias behind me and stepped forward.
Don’t bully my kid, you damned adults.
“I don’t recall ever saying I would dance with anyone. And if I do, the choice of partner is mine.”
With icy eyes, I swept my gaze across the emperor and both cardinals.
The nobles, who had been buzzing with whispers, all clamped their mouths shut and shifted their eyes nervously.
Yes, that’s right. Turns out they are scared of Hilaria.
With that sharp retort, I reached down and seized the emperor’s ice blossoms, which had already climbed to my knees.
And crack!
I shattered them.
“No one here has the right to decide that partner but me.”
The stunned stares all around were deeply satisfying.
After all, the emperor’s ice couldn’t be broken so easily without his consent—not even if it were a deadly spear. And I’d just smashed it casually.
‘Go me!’
I should’ve kept a cool face, but I almost couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from twitching upward.
Apparently, even a half-baked archmage like me could pull this off now.
“Am I wrong?”
* * *
So unbearably cute.
Seeing Hilaria’s eyes sparkle with smugness after shattering his ice—Kaisis felt the icy rage filling him vanish in an instant.
‘Is this possessiveness?’
Just a moment ago, he had nearly forgotten where they were and who he was facing.
When one of the cardinals dared grip the duke’s hand and spew such insolence—
‘How dare he.’
The disgust had been indescribable.
Had he lost the last shred of restraint, the ice spreading across the floor might have become a spear piercing the cardinal’s arm.
Astonished at his own volatile emotions, Kaisis steadied himself by gazing at the woman who soothed his nature as if honing a blade of ice.
Cold, imperious face.
Beautiful features.
Even her frosty glare.
‘She looks like the same Duke Ariel as ever…’
And yet something about her now made him want to laugh.
The sharp warning in her eyes—enough already—was almost amusing.
The fury that had threatened to erupt simply vanished.
When she nibbled food with tiny bites.
When she pretended to dislike flowers but twitched her lips at their fragrance.
And now, when only he could read her inner thoughts.
‘Even if it’s just obsession with her guide, I don’t care.’
Either way, there was no way he’d let another man hold her hand and toy with her.
So, he decided to shift the atmosphere.
“Today, with honored guests in attendance, I have something to announce.”
As he projected his voice, the nobles—who had grown lax—straightened their backs.
“I have found my Guide.”
The hall froze at his bombshell statement.
Hilaria’s sigh rang loud and clear in the silence.
Suppressing a grin, Kaisis narrowed his eyes at the foreign delegation, who seemed particularly fixated on his words.
If traitors were hidden among them, they would latch onto this topic more than any other.
‘If someone seeks to control the Gate and topple the Empire, then the emperor’s partner—the true Guide—would be the ultimate weakness they’d want to seize.’
‘Whether she realizes it or not, the fact that the Guide is Hilaria makes me feel more secure than anything.’
He continued.
“But their whereabouts are unknown.”
Nobles looked baffled, their faces full of questions.
“I search for them desperately. Neither my mages nor my knights have been able to find them yet. There are only two known clues.”
Shock rippled through the hall—followed swiftly by greed.
“Fiery red hair.”
At the first clue, every eye turned in astonishment toward Duke Ariel.
