TYND 69

Chapter 69

A soldier who glanced toward where the Grand General was looking noticed his collar was crooked and hurriedly straightened his uniform. The tense soldiers resumed their march, and Walter turned back to look at Zen and said:

“I don’t want Your Majesty to be put in an awkward position because of me, so I’ll just observe today. By the way, did you notice anything unusual about the ambassadors?”

“Unusual… Ah, I was surprised that Dopein even sent an ambassador.”

“Dopein?”

It hadn’t been long since the war with Antevasilla, so things must have been chaotic. Yet they still attended?

Zen seemed to notice Walter’s curiosity and added, “I guess they have some leeway.”

“They brought two ambassadors and about twenty guards each. We expected them to be too busy cleaning up after the war, but apparently, we misjudged. I hear the Empire helped them, so it seems they’re doing quite well.”

“What kind of people were the Empire’s ambassadors?”

At the ceremonial question, Zen wrinkled his nose and let out a soft exclamation:

“I was surprised at how young they were.”

“Young?”

“Yes. Even at the oldest estimate, they looked around twenty-seven. And judging by the number of guards—probably around fifty—it seemed they came from a noble family.”

Young and with a large escort… noble family, perhaps…?

Walter narrowed his brows slowly as he pieced it together.

The coronation might be important to them, but from a foreign country’s perspective, it’s hardly a significant event. And yet, they sent a single ambassador with over fifty guards. Even for someone from a prominent family, this seemed excessive.

“And the ambassador was extremely handsome. The female soldiers who conducted the body search turned red and whispered among themselves for a long time. They commented that his hair was soft like spring sunlight and his eyes were as clear as lakes, just like the Grand General’s…”

“Zen.”

Walter cut him off with a stern expression.

His usually relaxed brows drew sharply together. Staring at Zen with a grimace, he opened his lips but closed them again. A sudden hypothesis pierced his mind like a chill.

Hair like spring sunlight, clear eyes. A young, strikingly handsome man from a prestigious family.

If he had the status and refinement to be appointed as an ambassador for such a diplomatic occasion, and could bring fifty guards without raising eyebrows…

As far as Walter knew, only one person in the Empire fit that description.

Before Zen could even reach out, Walter spun around and dashed toward the banquet hall.

The heat in the crowd was thicker than the warmth from the chandeliers. Amid the excitement and tension, Lucy sat with a doll-like smile, greeting the guests.

Ambassadors from various countries approached politely, bowing their heads. Men with black skin, men with yellow skin, men in long robes, women in tight pants.

People who seemed similar yet were entirely different continued their greetings in clumsy common language.

“As the envoy of the Kingdom of Bulirin, it is an honor to be invited to such a prestigious occasion…”

“On behalf of Zeren, I offer blessings for Your Majesty’s future…”

“The chief of Pomnos presents a prayer for Your Majesty’s well-being…”

Countless people entered Lucy’s sight, delivered their congratulations, and withdrew with a smile.

Endless congratulatory messages and gifts flowed in, and Lucy worked hard to recall cultural specifics and relevant information about each person to deliver witty and fitting remarks. She praised the gifts appropriately, adding suitable comments, and gradually the thirty or so ambassadors stepped back.

Lucy smiled brightly at Rafi, who wore a colorful vest, and expressed her gratitude.

“Thanks to the wine you brought, the event was a great success. Please convey my regards to your chief as well.”

The envoy from Odernos withdrew with a joyful expression. Lucy set the gift aside and let out a light sigh.

She couldn’t relax yet.

The most important guest had yet to arrive.

“Next is the Empire?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lucy relaxed her facial muscles slightly and smiled again. She fiddled with the lace on her sleeve and signaled for the next guests to enter.

The door opened, and dozens of people wearing luxurious silk hoods stood before Lucy with their hands pressed together.

One particularly large man gestured for those around him to step back, and the people in line retreated one step at a time. The one at the center appeared to be the ambassador from the Empire.

Lucy drew a slightly deeper smile to hide her true thoughts.

As she awaited the envoy’s greeting with a composed demeanor, her eyes widened the moment he pulled back his hood.

“Your first time seeing me, Your Majesty.”

The man swept his pressed hair back and smiled.

His slightly drooping eyes and shy glance downward, the innocent smile that seemed almost naïve—unchanged from before.

A striking face Lucy could never forget, forever lodged in her thoughts and tormenting her.

“The ambassador from the Empire, Alejandro Viante de Mon Terra.”

Her rival, her enemy, and her former husband.

“…Alex.”

It took her a long moment to realize the whispered name had come from her own lips. Lucy stared at Alejandro as if mesmerized.

Over the gentle smile, remnants of past malice slowly overlapped. The moment she faced him, memories she had long tried to forget roared through her mind:

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty! Please save me! I’ll do anything! Don’t kill me… ugh!”

The sting of stakes piercing her palms.

“They’ve tormented me enough! That should have been enough! Why… why my mother, my mother…! Aaah… mother! Mother…!”

Her mother’s body strewn across the stone floor.

“Please… don’t just be satisfied with one eye… no more, no more…”

Her blurred eyes meeting another version of herself.

“Please… I won’t resent you. Just let me die here…!”

The countless hands that made her writhe in shame.

The metallic taste of blood in her mouth. The damp prison and its stench of filth.

The wriggling feel of insects under her teeth, the skeletal fingers probing the floor for prey…

All the memories she had buried in the deepest recesses, sealed under the rocks of oblivion, surfaced at once simply because she faced his face.

Among the mud of her mind, one clear question emerged:

Why is he here?

Looking back, Lucy had always encountered Alex in the same circumstances.

The audience hall in the palace. She first met him in the presence of the Emperor and discussed marriage arrangements. Small details like conversation and attire changed each time, but the overall situation never did.

Thus, before meeting him, she could always brace herself and control her anger.

But today, of all days, she never expected to see him in this situation.

“Damn it.”

Lucy had to suppress the urge to throw anything at him.

She wanted to kill him.

If only she could slash that face, stab him hundreds of times, spit on him…

Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him…

Right now.

She wanted to twist his neck.

Her nails dug painfully into her palms, and the metallic taste in her mouth spread.

Desperately suppressing her fading reason, Lucy forced a weak smile.

“The noble blood of the Empire… has come… all the way here.”

Alejandro smiled warmly and bowed in acknowledgment.

His hair flowed gently as he moved, the hood fell, and the exquisitely tailored ceremonial robe was revealed.

To anyone else, it might have seemed enchanting, born to captivate—but to Lucy, it looked like nothing more than overly deliberate performance art.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Alejandro placed a hand over his chest and spoke in a dignified tone:

“Your Majesty’s wisdom and prudence are renowned even in the Empire. Moreover, I wished to meet the lord personally chosen by General Hivberg. That is why I took it upon myself to visit as ambassador.”

“…An honor. So, what are your impressions of seeing me in person?”

“Even before meeting, I predicted you would be respectable, but in reality, my emotions are stronger. I did not expect you to be so graceful and charming.”

Lucy clenched her expression, swallowing a bitter sigh.

She couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or speaking sincerely.