Chapter 10: I Stole Yooju's First Love
In the study of the palace.
The emperor, dressed comfortably, was listening to a report with his chin resting on his hand. He had been in a good mood lately, thanks to the encounter with the Lady of Pionea, which was initially proposed for political reasons. However, after a few meetings, he found himself genuinely interested in Karina herself. He appreciated that she never spoke insincerely in front of him, and he was already looking forward to their next meeting.
"First, I have dispatched Sir Raymond to the crack that appeared in the north. Given his spring attribute magic, which is the opposite of winter, I believe he will be able to resolve the issue easily."
Despite the continuous stream of explanations, Aster's expression remained indifferent. He picked up a letter that lay in front of him, a neat blue envelope with elegant handwriting, which was very much like the Lady of Pionea. The content of the letter inside was equally characteristic.
"Your Majesty, why do you look so pleased?"
Aster looked up to see his half-brother, Duke Gloucester, who had the same eye color as him. The only blood relative whose head he hadn't cut off with his sword.
"Yes, you are smiling, brother."
Aster touched his lips, feeling the corners of his mouth that had risen. He nodded, lowering his head.
"I received a rather interesting letter."
"Interesting letter, you say? It sounds like you've received a love letter."
Despite his answer, Duke Gloucester maintained his usual expression. Disappointed by the lack of reaction, Aster clicked his tongue and called for the chamberlain as he stood up.
"My concentration is slipping. Let's take a short break."
At the emperor's words, the chamberlain brought tea and cookies. A strange silence filled the air between the brothers seated at the table. Eventually, Duke Gloucester broke the silence.
"Will you introduce the lady to us at the Founding Festival?"
"Of course. She's the one I'll be asking for the first dance, so you'll meet her soon."
"Perhaps your side will soon be filled. I look forward to it."
At Andrew's words, Aster smiled slightly. Did he not know, or was he pretending not to know? Either way, it didn't matter.
"I look forward to it too."
Aster leaned back, anticipating the day.
On the day of the Founding Festival.
I had been busy since early morning, preparing to attend the banquet. While the men had already gone to the Great Hall where the event was being held, unmarried women had a different routine.
The Founding Festival banquet was one of the largest social events of the year. It was natural to put in all our effort to look our best. I was no exception.
I woke up before dawn and was washed by the maids. After a massage, I applied a softening oil to my skin and put on a dress, which took until lunchtime. It took quite a while for several maids to do my makeup and hair.
Lily said cheerfully, stepping back. I stood up and walked to the full-length mirror.
The dress, made of thin chiffon in red, was tailored to fit my body perfectly. A three-dimensional flower made of silver thread and jewels adorned the waist, where the bodice and skirt met, extending like a vine. The dress, which elegantly fell, was beautiful even to my untrained eye.
"His Majesty has good taste."
Lily murmured, looking enchanted.
"And the hair accessories were all sent by him."
My long black hair was twisted up, and a small flower made of silver and sapphire was woven into a tiara. Though simpler than the dress, the intricate craftsmanship made it look like a piece crafted by fairies.
"To crush that woman, this is the least I can do."
Lily ground her teeth, looking angry.
Until now, all the banquets had been Tatiana's stage. Since there was no empress, the first dance was always opened by the duke and duchess. I had never attended any event where they were invited because I couldn't bear to see it.
"His Majesty will surely propose to her on the spot."
"That would be a problem. There's the Wilhelm issue."
Lily firmly cut off my realistic comment.
"Don't worry about such things, miss. They cheat while worrying about such things. If you keep letting them, they'll keep climbing higher."
"I'll do as you say, Lily."
Seeing Lily's burning eyes, I smiled. Even the other maids who were helping me dress were fired up, and I had to listen to all sorts of nagging until the butler came to fetch me.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the successful Founding Festival."
The Duke of Pionea looked annoyed as he approached the emperor. Normally, Aster's temper would have made him cut off the duke's head, but their relationship wasn't that bad.
"All thanks to you, Duke."
"Indeed. More accurately, it's thanks to my daughter."
Aster looked at the duke with wide eyes. He seemed more aggressive than usual today.
"Did something upset you?"
"Upset? I just realized the eternal truth that raising children is just doing good for others."
Aster finally understood why the duke was so upset. The daughter who had promised to dance the first dance with her father had suddenly changed her mind, leaving him disappointed.
"I'm just standing here alone, you know."
The duke complained about where he would stand alone while everyone else danced and how lonely it would be. Aster, watching the duke, recalled a significant fact.
"That won't be necessary. Your ex-wife is also attending this Founding Festival."
"Is that so? Then I'll dance with Freya... Oh?"
The duke's eyes, the same color as Karina's, widened in shock. Aster felt as if he had committed a great sin.
"Y-Yes. Oh, look at the time. I need to go fetch my daughter."
The duke hurriedly crossed the Great Hall, his eyes darting around nervously. With even the duke gone, Aster sat in the seat of honor, looking around with a bored expression. The banquet felt tedious to him after his tumultuous teenage years.
'I hope the lady arrives soon.'
Aster thought of her vibrant presence. Karina, who seemed cold and sarcastic, was actually a fiery woman. Being with her felt like a strong, vivid life force, as if he were on a battlefield.
"You look pleased, Your Majesty."
Aster looked up to see a man with dark brown hair and green eyes, a gentle-looking man. It was Duke Daniel Malfierrion.
"The event went well, so there's no reason to be upset. But why does Duke Malfierrion look so unhappy?"
Daniel slumped his shoulders. He was an honest man, whose expressions were too transparent for politics. As they chatted, Aster recalled that Daniel had been Karina's first fiancé.
"Speaking of which, you were engaged to the Lady of Pionea, weren't you?"
"Ah, yes. Karin and I have been close since childhood."
Aster's eyes changed subtly. Daniel finally remembered that Karina was close to the emperor.
"Y-Yes. We're just friends. There's nothing more to it."
"You've always treated the duchess similarly, haven't you? You orbited around her, calling her a friend, even though you were engaged to the lady."
Daniel's face hardened at the emperor's accusatory tone. No one had ever blamed him for the engagement's dissolution.
'While secretly meeting other women, you ignored your fiancée and only worried about Tatiana getting caught in a scandal.'
Karina's recent words came to mind, filled with resentment for bearing the blame that should have been shared with Tatiana. Despite knowing Karina for a long time, she had never shown such feelings.
And Daniel had never worried about her.
A wave of shame washed over him. He realized that he had always hurt Karina, even as a friend.
"I... only wish for the lady's happiness."
"Be careful. I'm not as kind as she is."
Aster smiled, pulling at the corners of his mouth. It was elegant and restrained, yet somehow unsettling. Given his ruthless purges of many relatives, it might not be an ordinary warning.
Daniel felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
"I will keep that in mind."
Though he managed to respond, the atmosphere remained icy.
The icy atmosphere was broken by the approach of the duke and duchess. Daniel stiffened at the sound of Tatiana's voice, the awkwardness of their last encounter still fresh in his mind.
"Welcome. Duke, and Duchess."
"Your Majesty, you can call me Titi."
Daniel watched Tatiana flirt with the emperor, feeling particularly repulsed today.