CHAPTER 70……………….
It wasn’t as though the Emperor had been waiting behind the curtain from the very start of the banquet.
When Hylia first asked him to lend her Artanus Hall, she added one more request:
“If it becomes certain that I have Your Majesty’s recognition, please grace the banquet with your presence.”
“And who decides that?”
“There will be proof so undeniable that no one could raise an objection.”
Hylia had smiled then, brimming with confidence.
And that smile—the Emperor knew it well.
It was the smile of his late wife.
“You really are such a coward, you know.”
“Roxeline, I…”
“If not for me, who else would ever take in such a timid man?”
Because of that memory, the Emperor granted conditional permission.
“If you can show proof so absolute that no one could ever deny it, then I will come.”
And Hylia truly had done it.
Well after the banquet at Artanus Hall had begun, the Emperor, resting in his chambers, had witnessed the phenomenon—
The Dragon’s Eclipse.
Of course, he did not truly believe Artanus himself had blessed Hylia.
But still, she had predicted an event not even the Imperial family or the Mage Tower had foreseen.
She had seized it, securing her position and authority so firmly that none could shake it.
‘With this level of ability and daring, she’s more than qualified to be Crown Princess.’
And beyond that—
‘This girl might truly keep the bold promises she makes.’
He remembered her words:
“I know better than anyone, Your Majesty, how desperately you wish to save your son.”
“Please give me one chance. I will prove that I can save your precious child.”
For the first time in years, Emperor Walter Istrid felt hope stir within him.
So when he heard Hylia’s voice beyond the curtain, he truly smiled.
“To the great representative of Artanus, lord of the earth, sole master of the Istrid Empire—I pay my respects.”
He gave a nod to the chamberlain waiting at his side.
At once, the curtain was drawn back, revealing the crowded expanse of Artanus Hall.
Never since his own coronation had the hall been filled with so many people.
At the banquet’s beginning, only the western nobles had been present.
If it had remained that way, he could not have said Hylia had met his condition.
‘That would have been nothing more than a half-banquet.’
It would not have been worthy of Artanus Hall.
But now, the hall held not only the western nobles, but also many from the central and other regions of the Empire.
No one could call this gathering partial or lacking.
Even the woman currently seated as Empress had never achieved such a thing.
The Emperor ignored the nobles bowing in unison.
His gaze was fixed only on the one who had created this scene.
He rose from the throne and descended the steps himself.
Then, standing before Hylia and Arpad as they kept their heads bowed, he spoke.
“Raise your head, Crown Prince. And you…”
His crimson eyes fell upon the one wearing the tiara of moon and stars.
At last, the word left his lips—
“…Crown Princess.”
From that moment on, no one could ever again claim Hylia had not been acknowledged as such.
In answer, Hylia rose slowly with Arpad’s escort.
On her rosy lips bloomed the same confident smile she had worn a month ago when she had made her bold declaration.
She replied brightly:
“Your Majesty’s presence is the greatest honor. I am deeply grateful.”
The Emperor chuckled softly, turning to see his son smiling in earnest for the first time in ages.
And he declared publicly:
“You are fortunate in your wife, Arpad.”
Arpad’s brow twitched, but he didn’t openly contradict him.
“…Yes, Father.”
Those who knew the usual atmosphere between father and son were stunned by this gentle exchange.
Though, of course, Hylia quietly sighed.
She jabbed Arpad in the side and scolded him with her eyes.
‘Really, even in a moment like this you have to be so stiff?’
Arpad looked away, feigning indifference.
‘This man, honestly!’
Just then, the Emperor spoke to her, stopping her from poking Arpad again.
“Calling me ‘Your Majesty’—that feels a little too stiff.”
“…Pardon?”
The Emperor chuckled warmly and patted Hylia’s shoulder.
“Didn’t you call me something else at the last banquet?”
What was he talking about?
Hylia blinked in surprise, then realization struck.
‘Wait—he means that thing I said to provoke the Empress?’
It seemed almost unbelievable.
So, awkwardly, she tried:
“Fa… Father?”
A gentle smile spread across the Emperor’s face.
“…Yes. I like the sound of that.”
For a brief moment, Arpad’s expression nearly broke apart—but few noticed.
Everyone else was too stunned.
‘Heavens! The Emperor himself?!’
‘Did I hear that right?’
‘Impossible!’
At that moment, the Grand Duchess Axion seized the opportunity.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Princess. The wedding banquet is now a reception of congratulations. It is proper that you receive the greetings of all present.”
The Emperor added supportively:
“The Grand Duchess is right.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
To the shock of all, the Grand Duchess—who had avoided even glimpsing the Emperor’s face since the late Empress’s funeral—spoke to him gently, without rancor.
This too left the nobles reeling.
‘Those two? Impossible!’
‘Did the sun rise twice in the west today?’
‘There’s only one explanation for such a sudden change…’
All eyes turned in awe toward Lady Delphine—no, not Lady, but the Crown Princess, a title none could deny now.
‘Since her arrival, miracles have followed one after another!’
And today, everyone present had witnessed it—
the golden dragon’s form that eclipsed the sun.
How could anyone refuse to acknowledge her?
Beginning with the Grand Duchess, all in the hall bent their knees and bowed their heads.
In a thunderous chorus, as if spoken with a single voice:
“We pay our respects to the Crown Princess!”
Hylia lifted her chin, back straight, and received their homage.
To be honest, she was moved to tears.
When the Emperor first called her “Crown Princess.”
When everyone in the hall bowed to her as one.
A thrilling sense of accomplishment swept over her, and something hot welled in her chest.
And in that moment, what rose in her mind was not only the struggle of the past month.
But also her three regressions.
The brutal, wretched deaths.
The horrifying experiences.
Each time, she had come close to being Crown Princess, but never truly attained the position.
But now—now she was acknowledged as Crown Princess beyond all denial.
The suffering of three lives could not be wholly repaid with this.
But it felt, just a little, as though some of it had been.
As she raised her head, her eyes met the only person besides the Emperor and Arpad who had not bowed.
‘Evangeline.’
No—more precisely, the soul possessing her, whose true name she did not know.
The girl stared at her, dazed.
And Hylia gave her the brightest smile in the world.
At the same time, she moved her lips silently.
She knew, with certainty, that Evangeline—the possessor—understood what she said.
‘Look forward to it. This is only the beginning.’
Evangeline’s shoulders seemed to flinch.
Still kneeling on the floor, Lady Filerne trembled.
‘W-what do I do? What am I supposed to do? At this rate, I’m finished…’
Just then, Hylia herself approached.
“You told quite an amusing story earlier, didn’t you, Lady Filerne?”
Lady Filerne raised her pale face.
“Y-Your Highness?”
“About how I was jealous of someone, and what I supposedly did? Repeat it for me.”
Hylia’s smile—bright as a flower—was terrifying beyond words.
