Chapter 47
Valther Kainen observed the banquet hall from outside, studying its movements.
He was wearing a servant’s uniform, not the regal garments a proper emperor should don.
“Sire, the front entrance is this way,” the servant said nervously, eyeing him.
But Valther didn’t blink as he replied,
“Isn’t this more fun? My grandfather used to set up a small room outside the banquet hall. Even after the banquet started, he’d spend hours in that room, secretly listening through pipes connected to the hall.”
He let out a soft chuckle, his golden eyes glinting.
“He would harshly punish anyone badmouthing the emperor during the banquet.”
Harsh punishment, indeed.
Valther’s grandfather was none other than Alexander the Mad, the worst tyrant in Kainen history.
Whenever he held a banquet, blood would be spilled.
His hobby was to drink alone in a hall filled with screams and the scent of blood.
Knowing this, the servant trembled and bowed his head deeply.
Valther grabbed the back of the servant’s neck and grinned.
“Well then, shall we go in?”
With that, he slipped through the back door as if he were just another servant.
He hid behind another servant, balancing a food tray on his hand. He tossed the tray aside at a random spot, then merged into the background like wallpaper.
Even with such simple disguise, no one recognized him.
And how could they?
Those born into noble blood and privilege never feel the need to actually look at those around them. They assume the world will always be theirs.
But Valther was different. He always believed so.
He had carved out everything himself.
His father’s affection, his position in the imperial family, and even the throne—he had won them all with his own hands.
He still remembered the moment he pierced Armin Wilhelm’s shoulder with Gram.
That electrifying moment.
He squinted slightly, recalling the scent of that moment.
His vision blurred, replaced by the imagined scent of Armin’s blood tickling his nose.
Leaning the back of his head against the wall, Valther focused on the sounds from the banquet hall.
“I heard the Grand Duke Wilhelm is still drowning in alcohol?”
“You should lower your voice. There are too many ears here.”
“Let them hear. Do you know how much blood was spilled in the North because of the war he started? It’s about time he learned a lesson—not to be greedy when all he is, is a drunkard.”
Valther smirked faintly at the ladies’ voices.
The grand duke drowning in liquor.
But Valther knew Armin had always disliked alcohol.
Because their grandfather, Alexander the Mad, had enjoyed drinking, Armin said that drinking felt like swallowing blood.
So when Valther first heard the news that Armin had taken to drinking, he was skeptical.
Could it be true?
Armin Wilhelm.
His enigmatic elder brother—had he truly become drunk on alcohol… or blood?
“When the war first broke out, I thought he’d win for sure… but now I see why he lost. He was drunk the entire time.”
“There are other rumors too.”
“What kind?”
“They say he drank so much he can’t even hold a sword anymore. His hands shake.”
“No way! Armin Wilhelm is the Empire’s greatest swordmaster!”
His hand shakes while holding a sword?
Hearing that, Valther stroked his chin.
Everyone had heard the rumors, but somehow it felt new hearing it straight from the nobles’ mouths.
So this is what Armin’s reputation had become among the northern aristocrats.
When Valther pierced Armin’s shoulder, he regretted not killing him. But now, he was glad he hadn’t.
“Because now I get to watch my brother fall apart. Isn’t that right?”
He was still lost in that thought when—
“Still, you’ve got to pity the Grand Duke. Imagine marrying your brother’s woman.”
“Is it true the Grand Duchess used to be the emperor’s lover?”
“Whether she was or not, she did pretend to be his fiancée. The Marquis of Isla even tried to make his daughter the Empress. Who knows? He might’ve sent her straight into the emperor’s bed.”
The noble ladies cackled, each adding another crude comment.
Valther listened with great satisfaction.
Marrying Diana off to Armin had been an excellent decision.
Diana had become a tumor on Armin Wilhelm’s flesh.
She would constantly irritate him, and people would mock Armin because of her. Yet if he ever tried to cut her off, he’d bleed.
Valther was grinning smugly when—
“The Grand Duke and Duchess have arrived!”
The doorman announced loudly.
Valther turned to the entrance and saw them.
Armin Wilhelm and Diana… Wilhelm.
Contrary to Valther’s expectations, Armin didn’t look all that different from before.
Only his previously sharp gaze had softened slightly.
That small detail irked him, but then his eyes fell on Diana.
Boring Diana.
That was what he had always called her.
She was like a cake her father had handed over.
He could poke and crush her however he wanted. No one would care.
But he didn’t bother.
Because Diana was boring.
[Diana, what if I told you to come to my bedchamber tonight?]
At such a question, Diana would blush deeply and reply without hesitation—
[What should I tell my father?]
Then Valther would twirl her hair and whisper—
[Diana, what if your father refused to let you marry me?]
Diana, like a doll, would raise her eyes and answer without even blinking—
[I’ll kill him.]
Her green eyes would shine like a beast’s in the dark, focused on only one thing.
Diana was boring.
Her blind love held no interest.
Valther preferred unpredictability.
Someone like her father—who dangled the throne in front of him but never handed it over.
Someone who played with affection.
But Diana never changed.
No matter what he did, her love only grew.
But now, her eyes were fixed on another man.
“My dear.”
Her eyes sparkled with vitality.
Like a predator glowing in the night.
No way.
The moment he realized Diana was smiling at Armin Wilhelm, Valther stopped looking at Armin and focused on her.
That was who he was.
A man more interested in what he couldn’t have than what he already did.
“What would you do without me?” Diana laughed brightly.
Hearing that, Valther thought of the unanswered letters he had sent her.
He had thought of her as a leashed hunting dog.
Even if he let her loose, she’d return to him eventually.
But now, he realized that his dog had run off the hunting grounds and into someone else’s hands.
Like an eagle eyeing its prey, Valther craned his neck and stared at Diana.
Everyone around him was whispering about the Grand Duke and Duchess.
“Did you see the way the Grand Duke looked at her? He couldn’t take his eyes off his wife for a second. Look even now.”
“I think the Grand Duchess is the same. Even when they’re apart, they keep sneaking glances. So, was that social circle rumor just gossip?”
“Well, gossip is usually nonsense…”
Fools.
What once delighted Valther now irritated him.
The fawning of nobles grated on his nerves.
What do you idiots know?
Diana was mine.
A woman who would crawl to me the moment I reached out.
A woman who would be happy even if I ruined her.
That’s the kind of woman she was…
“They seem closer than expected. The Grand Duke really did well in marriage. Wasn’t the current Countess of Bickert originally supposed to marry Armin? That match fell through and caused a stir.”
As if I would ever hand her over to Armin. No way.
Valther’s eyes gleamed as he approached the woman from behind.
* * *
“Your Majesty. Thank you for honoring Wilhelm Castle with your presence.”
I looked at him, feeling the warmth of his lips still lingering on the back of my hand like a brand.
I called him Your Majesty.
I, who used to speak his name casually, now addressed him with formality and referred to Wilhelm Castle as ours.
Valther Kainen, that wretched emperor, slowly straightened his back, deliberately.
To make it look like he had just knelt before me—or under me.
I could feel the silent murmuring around us.
But I only looked into his eyes.
Those sharp, glowing eyes.
You bastard.
You’re pissed.
[Tell me, my lady. What’s the real benefit of pretending I’m not a drunk and pretending we’re affectionate? Aside from making Valther furious, I mean.]
I remembered the conversation I had with Armin.
What had I said in reply?
[That is the biggest benefit. Making him furious.]
I smiled at Valther’s angry face.
“My husband will no doubt be honored by Your Majesty’s visit as well.”
[Valther always makes mistakes when he’s angry. Do you know why he won that duel in the capital? Because he wasn’t mad. He’s confident when he feels he’s taking something himself…]
I saw him biting the inside of his cheek.
Stupid brat.
So easy to read.
