~Chapter 03~
Lost in thought, I soon found myself arriving at the head table in the banquet hall.
The Emperor sat down first, and I took my seat beside him, looking straight ahead.
But then I noticed something strange—Empress Consort Aria, who should have been seated right next to me (though technically one step lower), wasn’t sitting in her assigned spot. Instead, she was looking at the Emperor with teary eyes.
I almost laughed out loud.
It was obvious why Aria was acting like that—she seemed upset that, as the Empress Consort, she couldn’t sit beside us at the same level.
But no matter if she was also part of the imperial family, there was still a clear hierarchy. Even the Emperor couldn’t just change that because she looked at him hopefully.
Or… could he?
‘No way…’
Surely not.
But my doubts were shattered when the Emperor suddenly stood up.
“Empress Consort, come over here.”
He pointed to the seat right beside him and called Aria over.
Her face instantly lit up, and she rushed to the Emperor’s side.
“Your Majesty,” she said sweetly, clinging to his arm.
And just like that, the Emperor ordered the seating to be changed—now Aria sat on his left, and I was placed on his right.
“Your Majesty, isn’t it against imperial law for the Empress Consort to sit alongside both Your Majesties?”
A man who looked quite elderly stepped forward and spoke up, breaking the silence that had filled the hall.
“Duke Buster,” the Emperor said, his once-gentle voice toward Aria turning cold as ice.
“Are you saying what I’m doing is wrong?”
“That’s not what I meant…” The old man’s voice shrank under the Emperor’s sharp, chilly tone.
“Do the rest of you also think I’m wrong?” The Emperor’s gaze swept over the nobles in the room one by one.
No one dared to open their mouth under his threatening stare.
“The Empress Consort is carrying my child. You understand what that means, don’t you? This child will one day be Emperor.”
“But still… Her Majesty the Empress—”
It was clear that Duke Buster was loyal and upright—otherwise, he wouldn’t risk speaking up to the Emperor at all.
“Empress, do you also think I’m wrong?”
Of course you’re wrong, I thought.
But unlike Duke Buster, I had no intention of arguing with the Emperor over this ridiculous situation. I had no reason to protect this position, and I planned to give it up soon anyway. Why waste my breath?
“I’m fine with it,” I said.
“What? Did you just say you’re fine with it?”
The Emperor looked genuinely surprised. The original Veronica would have sided with the Duke and opposed him.
“Yes. I will follow Your Majesty’s wishes.” I gave him my warmest smile.
“Then there’s no problem, right, Duke Buster?”
“Ah… Yes, Your Majesty. Forgive me.”
With the Duke’s apology, the matter was dropped.
“Let the banquet continue,” the Emperor commanded.
Music filled the hall, and the banquet went on.
Many people came to greet me, and I kept my face neutral as I exchanged meaningless small talk with them.
Boring. So, so boring.
I turned my head without thinking.
Unlike me, who had lost interest, the Emperor and Aria seemed to be enjoying themselves—smiling and talking as if no one else existed.
‘Maybe I should just leave.’
I figured I’d done my part here and was about to tell the Emperor when—
“Your Ma—”
“Oh my! Brother Noah!”
A high-pitched voice rang out before mine, drawing everyone’s attention.
I turned toward the source—Aria had left her seat and was walking quickly toward someone.
Wait. Noah?
The moment I heard that name, my eyes snapped to where she was headed.
And there he was—a man whose looks surpassed everything I had ever imagined.
That’s… Noah?
That’s really my beloved Noah Everdane?
Oh my god…
I almost swore out loud from the shock but managed to swallow it. I just stared at him in disbelief.
Wow…
How could a person look like that?
Handsome? That word wasn’t enough—his looks were beyond perfection.
Oops. I must have been staring too much, because his eyes moved and locked onto mine.
Then… he smiled—bright, dazzling—and bowed his head slightly.
“Noah Everdane of the Everdane family greets the sun of the Brienne Empire, His Majesty Emperor Lloyd Brienne, and the moon of the Brienne Empire, Her Majesty Empress Veronica Brienne.”
God… even his voice was amazing—deep, calm, and perfect for him.
“…Who did you say you were?”
The enchanting moment shattered when the Emperor’s rough, unpleasant voice came from beside me.
I glanced at him—his face was filled with obvious displeasure.
But Noah had clearly stated his name during his greeting. Was the Emperor pretending not to know him?
“Noah Everdane,” Noah repeated, smiling faintly.
“Everdane? Everdane…”
Does he seriously not know?
The Emperor looked as if he was trying to recall the name.
Well, it was true that he couldn’t know every single family in the empire. The Everdane family wasn’t based in the capital, nor had they produced any particularly famous figures—yet.
But it was still strange. How could he know the Harrington family (Aria’s family) but not Everdane, which was closely tied to them?
“The Everdane family—”
“Your Majesty,” Aria interrupted sweetly. “The Everdane family doesn’t have a noble title yet, but they have long had close ties with my Harrington family.”
“With your family?”
At her words, the Emperor’s face twisted for a moment before returning to a blank expression, likely aware of the people watching.
Seeing him still pretend not to know, I quietly watched them both, saying nothing.
