Golden liquor poured out from the fountain installed in the middle of the banquet hall.
People laughed at the drizzles of alcohol rubbing against them and avoided the fountain. A group of young men lifted up a woman and headed to the fountain.
âWait! Wait! Are you really going to put me in there?â
âDid you not call for a bet earlier? You said you were going into the fountain.â
âI wasnât saying I was going to get drunk!â
âIf you fall into a fountain outside, you freeze to death.â
âIâm going to be drunk⌠kyaak!â
The young men threw the woman into the fountain without hesitation.
The light-colored dress sucked the liquor and turned it yellow. The woman crawled out of the fountain and threw off her shoes.
âSuck my toes!â
One of the young men knelt in front of the woman, as soon as the words were over, and laughter burst out.
No one was upset that she had ruined the alcohol. There were only victims one after another.
People laughed as if it was something really funny. Then, instead of dipping a glass in the fountain, they drank alcohol that flowed from the top.
Food was piled up everywhere.
The sound of the bandâs performance was buried in laughter and promiscuous jokes. Even though it was close to midnight, the candles were lit so brightly that it looked like broad daylight.
Thin silk draperies hung from the ceiling were lit up and shone like jewels. Young beautiful women wearing butterfly-shaped masks that cover only their eyes, holding the veil and dancing, went round and round. At first glance, the men were struggling by a glimpse of their appearance.
Among them, the most beautiful was Miraila in a golden dress.
Even if she covered half her face with a mask, her appearance was unique. The mask, decorated with gold and precious stones, was gorgeous, but the jaw line and the mouth exposed under it were much more beautiful.
Her head, raised to reveal the nape of her neck, was decorated with diamonds, shining every time she moved. It looked brighter when the light of the diamond shined on the skin, which was naturally white and lively.
Miraila was a beauty sitting on the lap of the Emperor. But the Emperor was not a power over her, for her beauty alone was enough to become the queen.
Even by a tweak of her finger, worshipers rushed in. Behind her, there were a lot of men who would throw their bodies in front of her, even if she criticized and mocked them, if they could brush their hands on Mirailaâs hand, even if it robbed them of their fortune.
âLiquor! Sweet!â
As soon as Miraila shouted in her cheerful voice, more than ten glasses of sweet rose wine and honey were served out.
An anticipation-filled gaze turned to Miraila. Because she repeated twice that she would dance with the person who brought her favorite drink.
With an arrogant gaze, Miraila looked at the glasses one by one.
And she gently found a jewel in the last cup held from behind as the owner wrapped her body.
âHo.â
The large ruby ââcontained in the white wine reflected red light, turning the glass pink. Even if the pearls were melted and made into a drink, it wouldnât have been nicer than this.
âOh, itâs difficult.â
Miraila pushed the cup with her hand. She smiled at the man standing behind it.
Of course it was the Emperor. He was wearing a white mask that covered his entire face, and his clothes were something plain and modest.
But no one else knew who he was. Who dared to wrap up Mirailaâs body so naturally?
However, Miraila, who pretended to not know him, slipped out of his arms. Itâs obvious whoâs who, but at a masquerade, itâs a law to pretend you donât know.
The Emperor followed her in a relaxed footsteps.
âWouldnât you dance with me when you get a pleasing drink?â
âI didnât take it.â
âI have to force myself to get it.â
Like a mermaid, Miraila roamed inside the banquet hall. A silk veil curled around her body like a wave of water.
The Emperor stretched out his hand as if he was anxious at her moving away in a distance to not get caught.
Miraila sneaked up on him. The Emperor laughed and flipped the wine glass over her shoulder. The ruby went into Mirailaâs clothes.
The women holding the veil covered the two with it.
Anyway, the banquet itself was created for the Emperorâs entertainment.
The Emperor held a banquet for Miraila, but all the banquets he attended became a banquet for the Emperor. Even more so if it was opened for pleasure and entertainment.
Everyone looked away from the couple without knowing.
Mirailaâs hand came out of the veil. Then she squeezed the wrist of one of the women holding the veil.
The gaze from the crowd gathered, turned to the woman and then fell again. Soon the woman was dragged into the veil.
***
Rye sat at a table on the second floor of the banquet hall, looking down at the scene.
âThis is a struggle.â
He may not be the only one who felt that way.
All the luxuries and depravities of the world were in this banquet hall.
Rye has lived a life that is not very clean. He killed, bought and sold people for money. If only his family and his colleagues were okay, the lives of other humans were casually thrown into the pit.
It was such a degenerate banquet hall that all the corruption he had seen and suffered up to this time felt light.
However, perhaps minute-by-minute, gold coins were disappearing in this luxurious depravity seemed like an impulse to live disappearing in the slums where he had lived.
Last night, Miraila came to visit him with a pale face.
[âIs it really true that there are no spirits in this mansion, Master?â]
[âWhat are you so afraid of?â]
Rye said, embarrassingly.
He did well as the necromancer that Artizea demanded.
He did a little too well. Miraila was thinking that he was really a psychic with great powers.
Once she started believing, the more Rye denied, the stronger Mirailaâs faith became. She called Rye a master and admired him.
Ryeâs room was also assigned in the Rosan mansion. Even though he refused a few times to no avail, Miraila asked him to stay there.
The butler who now manages the Rosan mansion was the one chosen by the Emperorâs attendant. Because Miraila believed in him, he didnât drive him out. However, the butler didnât hide the sign that he would catch the trick and play along until this scammer showed a slip.
Rye was anxious and uncomfortable. He didnât stop by as often as possible. But that didnât go so well.
He must somehow maintain Mirailaâs trust until further order.
Miraila was anxious. And he was afraid.
[âWhen my daughter was around, everything went well. Well, of course, not everything went as expected, but His Majesty didnât dislike her that much⌠I thought everything would go well if it was staying this way.â]
[âIsnât the Dowager Marchioness still the Emperorâs most beloved one?â]
[âIâm anxious. Iâm afraid Iâm going crazy. Nothing goes the way I thought.â]
Miraila said as if clinging on to him.
[âI think all that happened after my daughter left. After that, nothing good happened. Is there really no evil spirits in this mansion?â]
[âNo such thing, madam.â]
[âYou said that old spirits stay in old mansions. And if the spirits here are the souls from the Marquisate Rosan, itâs nothing strange that theyâre cursing me.â]
She had never thought about it when she had Artizea there.
There was anxiety about her beauty fading. However, the Emperor favored Lawrence, and would not abandon her, the mother of his beloved son.
It was different now. The Emperor still cared for Miraila, but the mask of family was cracked.
Lawrence frequently met and greeted the Emperor. He was called to important meetings as often as before.
However, unlike before, the three ceased to have meals together.
It was initially Lawrenceâs fault. He visited the Empressâ palace more often than visiting the Emperor with Miraila.
And now the Emperor did not bother to call Lawrence.
Miraila has lost her composure. Like her youth, she produced all sorts of splendor and tried to entertain the Emperor. The period of being a leisurely wife was over.
The Emperor also knew that she was desperate. That is why he often held banquets to comfort her and bought whatever she wanted.
But that was not enough. Ultimately, the favor must be received by Lawrence. Only then can she live with peace of mind that she will not be thrown away forever, but will Lawrence come back as her son just because he becomes Emperor?
She wasnât sure. It would be fortunate to come back after he becomes the adoptee of the Empress and becomes the crown prince. But it seemed unlikely.
Artizea left the house altogether. She left a mansion and pension, but even Miraila knew it was to cut ties without noise.
Miraila was afraid that she was left behind in the Rosan mansion.
[âStill, my daughter is the line of the Marquisâ blood. If the spirits started cursing because of her leavingâŚâ]
[âThe soul has no power to curse people, Dowager Marchioness. It is people who curse people.â]
The reason Miraila was in jeopardy was Artizea.
But Miraila wasnât smart enough to pinpoint the cause-and-effect of all that.
But she just felt that everything started to go wrong after Artizea left.
And after being stuck in the Rossan mansion, she wondered if it was because the Marquisateâs souls cursed her.
Rye came to the banquet because Miraila asked for it. If there is someone that cursed her at the venue, or if there is an evil spirit from the imperial palace, he was to let her know.
âItâs better to live, Rye.â
Rye thought so and chewed the peanuts as snacks. He drank all the luxurious spirits he would not have even smelled if it were the original standard of living.
It was when he was about to get up.
Miraila approached. Instead of soaking wet with alcohol, she wore a thick gown, and the mask changed to plain white covering the entire face.
But Rye could recognize her right away. In the first place, Miraila wasnât a figure that could cover her face so hidden.
âMaster.â
Rye didnât listen to her.
âDonât behave like you know me in a place like this.â
Rye went out in a hurry. He doesnât know if Miraila left the Emperor alone or if she left him in the arms of other women. He shouldnât have known.
This trust has really risen to a dangerous level.
Artizeaâs instructions were needed. And fortunately, she was expected to return soon.\n