Chapter 59
The next day, late in the afternoon.
In front of the Rohain viscount’s estate, Felix—who kept nervously checking his wristwatch—stood beside Tezet, who wore formal attire with his hair neatly slicked back.
“It seems the lady is running late. I’ll just go inside and ask her once mor—”
Felix, fidgeting alone, tried to step into the mansion but froze under Tezet’s cold, cutting gaze.
Even though they needed to leave immediately to barely make it to the imperial palace on time, Elses’s leisurely pace—and Tezet’s calm acceptance of it—were driving Felix crazy.
‘If we’re late, His Highness the Crown Prince will hate us for it…! I just want to live a long, peaceful life.’
Just as Felix silently pleaded toward the mansion in Elses’s direction, as if she’d heard him, the door opened—and Elses stepped out.
For a brief moment, Felix forgot his impatience.
She wore a dress she normally avoided and had her hair beautifully braided to one side. The sight of her, so elegantly put together, was breathtaking.
‘If you cropped out the background, her and His Grace look like they were made for each other…’
Snapping himself out of his daze, Felix quickly hurried to instruct the coachman to prepare for departure.
Elses approached Tezet, who was waiting by the carriage, and apologized.
“I’m sorry. You’ve been waiting long, haven’t you?”
Tezet just stared at her without replying.
“It’ll be close—we should hurry.”
As Elses hastily stepped onto the carriage footboard, her high heels wobbled and she stumbled.
In that instant, Tezet’s large hand caught hers firmly.
“Oh, thank you.”
With his escort, Elses climbed into the carriage, and Tezet followed after her.
Soon after, the carriage began to move.
While fixing her slightly disheveled outfit and adjusting the brooch infused with Luti’s blessing, Elses felt a gaze on her and looked up.
Their eyes met—Tezet was staring right at her.
Elses waited, wondering what he was going to say, but he simply continued to look at her silently.
Eventually, she spoke first.
“What is it?”
“You’re beautiful.”
His blunt and unfiltered words made her pause.
‘That came out of nowhere.’
The sincerity in his unwavering gaze told her he meant it.
From anyone else, it might’ve sounded like a polite attempt to flatter, but from him, there was no calculation—just a pure, honest impression.
That was why his words sometimes hurt people… and sometimes made them fall for him.
Elses smiled brightly and replied, “You look handsome today, too, Your Grace.”
Then she lightly patted the seat beside her.
Tezet looked at her with a questioning expression.
“Remember, today we’re supposed to be an engaged couple. Lovers don’t sit across from each other like strangers.”
She already had a good guess as to why Tezet was taking her to the imperial banquet.
With a confident wink, she added, “If we’re going to put on an act, let’s make it convincing.”
There’s no way I’m handing over the man I raised so carefully to that Crown Prince brat.
Tezet quietly stared at the spirited woman beside him, then obediently moved to sit next to her.
The warmth and weight of another person’s arm brushing against his was foreign to him.
No one had ever come close before.
Before becoming a duke, people had shunned him as a filthy bastard. After becoming one, they feared him as a heartless monster devoid of human emotion.
Except for Luel—and the woman beside him now.
But this unfamiliar warmth didn’t feel unpleasant.
No, he didn’t want it to go away.
He gazed at the spot where their arms touched, at the soft strands of her platinum hair spilling over his sleeve, and slowly lifted his eyes.
In his serene green pupils, the image of her looking out the window was reflected like a painting.
A little later, the carriage arrived at the imperial palace.
It was exactly six o’clock—the banquet’s starting time. Perhaps because of that, the entrance was empty except for the carriage of the House of Rittenhaus.
After undergoing a brief inspection, the two of them entered the grand banquet hall.
‘So bright…’
Under the dazzling chandeliers, a crowd of elegantly dressed nobles mingled in clusters.
As they chatted in small groups, every head turned toward Tezet and Elses.
The young Duke of Rittenhaus—national hero, the man who killed his own father and brother to inherit the title and now steadily built his power.
And the daughter of a minor viscount, the woman who became his fiancée and the “Cinderella” who caught his eye.
It was only the second time the two had appeared together publicly, the first being at the funeral of Viscount Rohain. Their presence instantly became the focus of the room.
Among the guests was Lady Brandy, daughter of a marquis, who had held a grudge against Elses since the Lorut Count’s banquet.
When their eyes met, Brandy quickly turned her head away.
The other nobles, cowed by Tezet’s overwhelming aura, hesitated to approach and instead whispered among themselves.
“The Duke of Rittenhaus is here. And next to him… that must be his fiancée?”
“Yes, I think I’ve seen that face before.”
“It’s their first time attending together, isn’t it?”
Just then, as one of the nobles who always tried to curry favor with Tezet started toward him—
“His Highness the Crown Prince is entering!”
From the grand staircase leading to the second floor, the Crown Prince Cedric appeared, accompanied by his younger sister, Princess Linael.
‘So the Emperor’s condition really must be bad.’
If the Emperor failed to appear at such an important event, it meant the nobles could speculate about a power shift in the royal court—a sign that his health had seriously declined.
Cedric, attending in his father’s stead, began his speech.
“Today marks the anniversary of the day the Empire’s five heroes saved our realm from the Demon God. On this meaningful day, I extend His Majesty’s gratitude to all who’ve come to celebrate this great victory.”
Listening to Cedric’s speech, Elses inwardly scoffed.
A celebration for the heroes who saved the world—and only one of those heroes was actually present.
It was nothing but pomp and empty ceremony, whether led by the Emperor in the past or by the Crown Prince now.
“Though the atmosphere in the capital has been unsettled of late, rest assured that every measure is being taken to restore order. For tonight, please enjoy yourselves without worry.”
Then Cedric’s gaze landed on Elses.
Rather than avoiding his eyes, Elses smiled sweetly and tightened her hold on Tezet’s arm.
After the speech ended and the banquet officially began, a palace attendant approached them.
“His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to see you both.”
They followed the attendant to where Cedric awaited.
Up close for the first time, Elses was startled when she saw his crimson eyes.
They reminded her of that masked man.
‘Not just the color… there’s something strangely similar about him…’
Shaking the thought away, Elses curtsied gracefully beside Tezet.
“It is an honor to meet the Empire’s shining stars, Your Highnesses.”
She lifted her skirt slightly and bent her knees in proper etiquette.
Even without formal noble training, she had seen enough to imitate the gesture convincingly.
Cedric regarded her with intrigued amusement.
“I’m glad to finally meet you, Lady Rohain. The Duke has kept you so well hidden that I wondered just how stunning you must be… and indeed—you are. No wonder the Duke found my sister lacking.”
Elses’s brow twitched slightly.
‘Did this jerk just insult his own sister while judging my looks on our first meeting? What a creep.’
Still, she glanced at the meek-looking Princess Linael beside him and forced a polite smile.
“With the Empire’s greatest beauty as your sister, Your Highness flatters me too much. I’m honored by your kind words.”
Cedric gave her a curious look, then extended his hand.
“It seems the Duke has much to learn from you. I look forward to getting along well.”
Elses looked at his hand reluctantly.
When a nobleman kissed the back of a lady’s hand, it was meant to express admiration and respect—a gesture of formality.
She wasn’t thrilled about it, but refusing the Crown Prince wasn’t an option.
Just as she was about to place her hand atop his, Tezet’s hand covered hers firmly.
“Your Highness, it seems many are waiting for you.”
Indeed, a small crowd of nobles was already hovering nearby, eager for their turn to greet the prince.
“We’ll return to our seats.”
Tezet led Elses away.
Cedric, half-listening to the nobles now flocking to him, watched them retreat.
‘So his declaration of love wasn’t a lie after all.’
Even when Elses spoke with others, Tezet’s eyes remained fixed only on her.
‘I wonder what it would be like… if a woman like that were to die.’
Especially if she died by the schemes of her former comrade—the rival he wanted to surpass.
As he watched Elses standing beside Tezet, Cedric’s lips curved into a faint, crooked smile.
“This should be fun.”
So I hope you’ll come too, Lassiel Celeste.
As he took a slow sip of his drink, the blood-red light in Cedric’s eyes gleamed sharply.
