Chapter 69

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 69

Chapter Title: Decided from the Start

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The moment she felt Arpad flinch at her words,

Evangeline sensed victory.

'The Empress is Arpad's greatest enemy. He must have chosen Hilia from the start to take down Ludwig and deal with the Empress.'

Then, if she, his own daughter, helped him take down the Empress, there could be nothing more advantageous for Arpad.

Arpad was a man who had been Crown Prince since the moment he was born.

And he lived solely to become Emperor.

'If he has to choose between Hilia and me, of course it'll be me!'

By obtaining her, Arpad could shore up all his weaknesses.

And if he also gained the information she had on the imperial family's mania that the Empress knew about, then...

'Yes. If the heroine changes, the male lead has to change too.'

She could seize the ideal world meant for her.

Lost in her flights of fancy, Evangeline missed Arpad's reply.

"...No."

"What?"

His gaze looked down on her as if she were the most pathetic, meaningless thing in the world.

And a small whisper laced with utter disbelief.

"Why would I need something like that?"

"...!"

Arpad seized Evangeline's wrist with crushing force and yanked it away.

She didn't scream because his words shocked her more than the pain.

Not even sparing her another glance, he cast her aside.

Then Arpad unwound the cravat stained with her tears.

"I have no intention of letting anyone but my wife touch my body."

He took the fresh cravat offered by his secretary and handed it to Hilia, asking her sweetly.

"Will you tie it for me, Hilia?"

A warm, melting glow in his eyes.

That gaze belonged to one woman alone.

The two exchanged tender looks and whispers as if they were the only people left in the world.

The instant Evangeline thought their eyes had met through the gap, Hilia kissed Arpad right in front of her.

"...!"

A vicious sense of humiliation and black jealousy set Evangeline's body and soul ablaze.

As the Crown Prince couple, the stars of tonight's banquet, openly displayed their affection, hushed murmurs rippled through the crowd from all sides.

"I doubted the rumors had spread all the way to the west... but it seems they're real."

"How passionate they are."

"It's like looking at His Majesty the Emperor and the late Empress..."

"Shh. The Grand Duchess might hear you."

Amid the quiet exchanges of admiration and envy,

a commotion erupted outside the banquet hall.

"—!"

The western nobles inside exchanged puzzled glances.

And the murmurs from outside soon moved inward, resolving their confusion.

The attendants had begun announcing arrivals.

"Count Colmen and his wife and daughter, Baroness Isid, and Viscountess Crang's daughter entering."

This was just the beginning.

"Marquis Robelin's son, Viscount Canelian and his wife and daughter, and Baron Sovereign entering. And..."

These were family names unfamiliar to the western nobles.

All of them were court nobles active in the social circles centered in the capital.

They should have been attending Lady Quinibel's banquet at the Empress's palace right now.

One by one, they slunk into the hall with embarrassed faces.

"S-So this is Artanus Hall."

"My goodness, how magnificent."

"It's like a dream, being allowed inside Artanus Hall."

"Gasp! Isn't that Grand Duchess Axion over there?"

"...All the western powerhouses are here...!"

"Ahem. I've always wanted to visit once."

What they all had in common was the invitation from the Crown Prince Palace servants that Hilia had stationed outside the hall.

The western nobles raised their voices in disbelief.

"Can you believe their nerve, showing up like this out of nowhere?"

"Right? Wasn't the Empress's banquet in full swing?"

"Hmph. They must have seen it with their own eyes since the miracle of Lord Artanus blotted out the sky just moments ago!"

"True. And it was none other than our Crown Princess who received Artanus's blessing...!"

They were reveling in the benefits of aligning with the Grand Duchess.

They had sneaked into the palace in secret, transported like luggage in ships and carriages warded with magic.

Even inside the imperial palace, they had to move like thieves.

Now, the western nobles began boasting freely to the latecomers who had surrendered too late.

"The gall on their faces."

"Tell me about it."

The hall had split perfectly down the middle, as if measured with a ruler.

Arpad and Hilia, surrounded by the western nobles and the Grand Duchess.

And the central nobles, who had arrived late but numbered more, forming their own faction.

A subtle tension hung between them.

"......"

"......"

Evangeline's retainers appealed for help from the late-arriving central nobles.

Viscountess Filern was the first to speak up.

She had already openly betrayed Hilia, leaving her no other choice.

If Evangeline fell—and even if not, her own downfall was all but sealed.

'If I can bring down Hilia Delphin now, there might still be a chance!'

Sensing deep down it was impossible, Viscountess Filern still couldn't give up.

"Look at this! Isn't it suspicious that Miss Evangeline's dress is identical to that lowly maid's over there?"

"I-Is it?"

Grabbing hold of someone who looked hesitant, Viscountess Filern pressed her claim.

Still half-dazed, she pointed accusingly at Hilia.

"She threatened me! Told me to steal Miss Evangeline's dress design and make that maid wear the same one to humiliate her! Isn't that too much?"

Those who had slipped away from the Empress's palace after witnessing the dragon eclipse were no better than bats.

They couldn't miss the delicate atmosphere among Arpad, Hilia, and Evangeline.

Two people unmistakably acting like a loving couple.

And Evangeline standing alone with a dazed expression.

No one was ignorant of how the situation had unfolded.

Even seeing Viscountess Filern's desperate flailing, they backed away.

"W-Well, I'm not sure. They don't look that similar to me."

"There are plenty of green dresses, aren't there?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm wearing green myself."

They desperately avoided taking sides.

'We already showed our faces at Lady Quinibel's banquet, so we have to hedge our bets here too.'

'But what will happen? Which side do we stick to?'

As the central nobles fidgeted, glancing nervously between factions,

Hilia stepped forward.

Toward the deepest part of Artanus Hall, where the golden dragon Artanus statue loomed,

toward the throne atop the twenty-four steps, she opened her mouth.

"Your Majesty."

The passage leading to the throne was draped in silk curtains.

Gasps of shock echoed from all around.

"H-His Majesty?"

"Was he here the whole time?"

"So the rumor that the Emperor would attend was true?"

As shocked murmurs flew back and forth, Hilia pulled Arpad along to the front of the throne.

She bowed deeply at the waist and said,

"I pay my respects to the proxy of great Artanus and the sole master of the Estrid Empire on earth."

Arpad merely bowed his head politely without a word.

With that, the curtains veiling the throne swept open.

And there, upon the throne overlooked by the Artanus statue, sat its rightful owner.

"It's really His Majesty!"

"Your Imperial Majesty!"

"I pay my respects to the proxy of great Artanus!"

Following Hilia and Arpad, everyone in the banquet hall bowed in a rush.

And they all realized.

'The outcome was decided from the very beginning!'

Hilia's victory.