Chapter 10
‘Behave wisely there. You’re smart, so as long as you’re wise, there won’t be any problems.’
Those were her mother’s last words. Adele recalled that voice and let out a self-mocking smile.
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Ehmont’s wedding culture also includes a banquet. However, by custom, the wedding day itself and the following day must be observed in solemnity, so a grand banquet is held on the afternoon of the third day. The imperial couple’s wedding banquet was likewise scheduled for the third day, and as a result the entire imperial palace was abuzz.
Because the banquet was an extension of the wedding ceremony, Dian Poitiers had been busy with preparations since early morning. She inspected every corner of the beautifully decorated main hall.
Adorned with dazzling crystals of many colors and flowers, the main hall was breathtaking to behold. And on the dais, in the seat of honor, places had been prepared for the Emperor and the Empress.
“Lady of the Palace, is there anything else that needs attention?”
At the maid’s respectful question, Dian shook her head.
“No.”
Something about her sharp tone made the maids exchange glances before retreating far away to wait.
Dian’s gaze was fixed on the chair where the Empress would sit.
A splendid seat made of red velvet. A place where one could sit right beside the Emperor and look down upon everyone.
Having lost her parents to the magical beasts that poured out of the Tower, she had risen to the position of a count’s daughter through her own efforts alone. Winning the Emperor’s love and even obtaining the Ivory Palace were also entirely the fruits of her own effort.
This was the Emperor’s nation. Everything here belonged to the Emperor. Therefore, aside from the Emperor himself, there should be no one higher than her, who stood backed by the Emperor’s love. Someone who had merely been born a princess by luck, without any effort, had no right to stand above her.
The Emperor had granted Dian the Ivory Palace, but he had not allowed her the position of Empress. She had carefully asked why, but he gave no answer. She tried clinging to him a little more, but the moment she mentioned the word “Empress,” his eyes turned cold, and in the end, Dian could not beg him any further.
Ever since the Empress appeared, Dian’s heart had churned with unease. She had confirmed the Emperor’s love and even ruined the Empress’s wedding ceremony, yet the anxiety still would not fade.
“No. Calm down, Dian Poitiers.”
She soothed herself, pressing down hard on her chest.
‘What makes a king a king is the gaze of those around him. Nothing more than that.’
Dian repeated the words she carried in her heart like a blade. Then she stared as if glaring at the two seats placed in the seat of honor.
Today, the Empress would not be able to sit properly in that seat.
The wedding, the first night, the first banquet—she herself, not the Empress, would be the protagonist of them all. From the very beginning, all of it had belonged to her.
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Adelaide had been an imperial princess from the moment she was born. With people always at her side to manage her every move, it was true that she had lived without worrying much about many things. The matters she did concern herself with lay elsewhere.
But isn’t it the case that what one loses always feels greater than what one gains?
The dress she was meant to wear to the banquet was dazzlingly beautiful, but its length and width were far smaller than Adelaide’s build.
“That’s enough. Take it off.”
At her icy words, the maids hurriedly removed the dress.
“We are truly sorry, Your Majesty the Empress. It seems the measurements we received from Gotthorp and those of Ehmont did not match. We made the dress based on the measurements sent from Gotthorp, but…”
However, it was far too small to be explained by a mere difference in standards. Moreover—
“Then how did the wedding dress fit properly?”
“The ateliers that made the two dresses were different… We deeply apologize, Your Majesty.”
At that, Adelaide leaned back deeply into her chair and brushed her hair back. Arguing with the maids now would only fray her nerves.
“Alter it to fit my measurements and bring it back. I’ll wait.”
“B-But, Your Majesty, until the banquet begins—”
“It doesn’t matter if I enter a little late. Alter it and bring it back.”
At the Empress’s firm order, the maids looked at one another hesitantly. Yet they did not seem inclined to carry out her command as is. Adelaide’s patience began to wear thin.
“Why? Is it difficult?”
“We are truly sorry, Your Majesty. Making a large garment smaller can be done quickly, but enlarging a small garment is difficult. It would certainly take longer than not just the start of the banquet, but even its end.”
Adelaide clenched her jaw.
‘Adele. You’re always fighting magical beasts and Towers—do you think the battles inside the palace are trivial?’
Suddenly, her mother’s words came to mind.
‘I am a general who has never rested from war even once. Do not let your guard down in Ehmont.’
She fell silent for a moment, organizing her thoughts.
She could wear clothes brought from Gotthorp, but the banquet she was attending was none other than her own wedding banquet. She could not possibly wear Gotthorp-style clothing to such an occasion.
“Well then, it seems I have only two choices left with that dress.”
“……”
“Either I do not attend my own wedding banquet, or I force myself into that ill-fitting dress and go. Is that correct?”
At her cold words, the maids could not answer and merely bowed their heads. Adelaide straightened her back, squared her shoulders, and asked an entirely different question.
“Was my wedding prepared by Dian Poitiers?”
At that question, the maids froze, holding their breath as they looked at the Empress.
“The Emperor gave his permission.”
“……”
From their flustered inability to answer properly, as if afraid of being caught in the crossfire, Adelaide understood the answer without needing to hear it.
Adelaide smiled. As her golden eyes curved long and her red lips drew an arc, an eerie chill filled the air. The maids swallowed unconsciously.
“Bring me the dress and the golden crown I wore at the wedding.”
“Pardon? Your Majesty, but that dress has already been worn—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
It was said that a true craftsman does not blame his tools, and a renowned swordsman does not blame his sword. It seemed they wished to gain the upper hand with something as trivial as a dress, or with something as trivial as the Emperor’s love.
‘Who do you take the Witch of Gotthorp for?’
Adelaide’s eyes gleamed menacingly.
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The main hall of the Imperial Palace of Ehmont.
The grand banquet celebrating the Emperor’s marriage began in the early evening. The area around the banquet hall was packed with palace servants busily carrying food and nobles attending the banquet.
As the sun set, the atmosphere of the banquet grew increasingly lively—yet the very hosts of the banquet, the imperial couple, had not appeared.
‘The Empress won’t be able to show up. She can’t come wearing Gotthorp clothes, and she won’t be able to wear the dress since it’s too small. Ah—does she even have a wedding dress?’
Dian moved about the hall with Duke Desponet, exchanging greetings with people.
“The Duke of Desponet contributed greatly to decorating this banquet hall.”
“If not for our Lady of the Palace’s discerning eye, it wouldn’t have been possible at all, hahaha.”
The Duke praised Dian as the “Lady of the Palace,” laughing, and the nobles joined in with polite smiles.
“Where on earth did you procure such crystals, Lady of the Palace?”
“Oh my, it’s not my eye—it’s the Duke’s taste, really.”
Dian continued smiling as she chatted with the noblewomen. Everyone knew the true purpose of this banquet, yet no one asked, “Why haven’t His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress arrived?”
“My goodness! Lady of the Palace, isn’t that necklace from the atelier’s latest collection?”
When one noblewoman pointed at Dian’s neckline with exaggerated surprise, the others rushed to praise her necklace as well.
“I heard the new collection was stunning! I went just to have a look, but when I heard you had bought everything, Lady of the Palace, I had to leave in disappointment.”
“So did I! Oh my—those earrings are a matching set, too.”
Around then, their praise turned to more confidential matters.
“Ah… and I heard His Majesty even spent the wedding night at the Ivory Palace…”
“I heard that too. Oh, such love—how enviable, Lady of the Palace.”
“Please don’t say such things. I… feel so terribly sorry to Her Majesty the Empress. I told her so many times to leave… I’m afraid Her Majesty might misunderstand me. So please, don’t say things like that.”
The noblewomen wanted to grow close to Dian. If not close, then at least they wanted to earn her favor. Because—
“Oh, by the way, Lady of the Palace. Our domain’s harvest hasn’t been the same this year, so if possible, could you perhaps arrange some tax relief…”
“Lady of the Palace, a Tower recently descended near our lands. Might it be possible to send us some Strikers…”
Noblewomen who had been refined from birth now broke into cold sweats before Dian. They showered her with praise, sought her gaze, smiled, and made their requests.
It was exhilarating—enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
