09. Imperial Banquet (3)

The resolution from earlier had disappeared, and my thoughts were once again in turmoil.

Being with him, just being with him, and holding his hand were two entirely different matters.

Holding hands with Kaelen was more than I could handle.

So, letting go of his hand now was the right thing to do.

If I were to let go of his hand at this point, the social scene would undoubtedly be filled with discussions about Kaelen and me by tomorrow. And that wouldn’t just be an insult to me but also an affront to Kaelen, and I had to prevent that from happening in the first place.

‘For the sake of his future, I need to avoid such gossip as much as possible, but this time, it’s inevitable.’

I am still Kaelen’s fiancée, after all. It was embarrassing and awkward, but I wanted to present myself as a fitting fiancée for Kaelen. So, I stiffened my neck to ensure my head didn’t hang low and tried to maintain a dignified attitude.

Unintentionally, I also exerted some force in the hand I was holding with Kaelen. His voice came softly from near my ear.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes… I’m fine.”

I raised my head, smiled at him, and together with Kaelen, we walked further into the banquet hall.

“Oh, Duke Laverion. Have you arrived?”

A man who had been conversing with others called out to Kaelen and approached us.

In addition, many people were lingering around Kaelen, trying to seize opportunities. I remained at Kaelen’s side, occasionally exchanging greetings with people, but I didn’t engage in any deep conversations.

As the somewhat uncomfortable situation continued, the banquet hall’s doors swung open, and the loud voice of the herald filled the hall.

“His Imperial Majesty Benetict Royden, the radiant sun of the Royden Empire, and Her Imperial Majesty Monica Royden, the noble moon, the Empress, have arrived. Please show the proper respect to Their Imperial Majesties.”

The Emperor and Empress, bedecked in all sorts of shining regalia, entered the hall, followed by members of the imperial family, including the Crown Prince. As they approached, the nobles in attendance simultaneously bowed their heads.

The hand I was naturally holding with Kaelen, while also bowing my head in unison, was released.

Somehow, a slight sense of regret and relief washed over me.

“Please, everyone, raise your heads.”

At the Emperor’s words, everyone lifted their heads and gazed at the platform where the nobility stood.

At the top of the platform, the Emperor and Empress sat side by side. One tier below them was the Crown Prince, and another tier below were the princes and princesses. And today’s guest of honor, the youngest prince, was sleeping soundly in the nanny’s arms.

I cautiously glanced at the Emperor and Empress again.

The age gap between the two of them was quite noticeable. This was because the current Empress was the Emperor’s new wife, having married him after the previous Empress had suffered from a long illness and passed away.

Furthermore, the current Empress had given birth to her first child with the Emperor, the youngest prince, who was the center of attention today.

“I want to express my gratitude to all of you who have joined this banquet celebrating the birth of our youngest prince.”

As the Emperor delivered a lengthy speech, I pretended to focus on it while discreetly scanning the surroundings.

I was looking to see if I recognized anyone in the crowd.

However, the banquet hall was vast, and there were too many people, making it difficult to find familiar faces.

‘I’ll have to look for them again later when I have the chance.’

To minimize the attention from others, I needed to stay separate from Kaelen. And to naturally distance myself from him, I had to meet other people.

“Please, enjoy the banquet that the Imperial Family has prepared for you.”

Amid my thoughts, the Emperor’s speech ended. Simultaneously, skilled musicians began playing, and beautiful melodies filled the banquet hall.

Nobles gathered to converse, much like earlier.

Of course, those who had gathered around Kaelen were surreptitiously keeping an eye on him again.

I, too, was watching them, but my intentions were the same as theirs. They simply wanted to be close to Kaelen, whereas I wanted to avoid unnecessary attention and misconceptions in this gathering.

But fortunately, before I had to take any action, the right moment arrived.

“Duke Laverion, His Majesty the Emperor wishes to see you.”

A man who appeared to be the Emperor’s herald approached Kaelen and spoke politely.

Upon the herald’s words, the nobles couldn’t conceal their disappointed expressions.

On the other hand, I let out a sigh of relief and seized the opportunity without hesitation.

“Please, go ahead, Your Grace. I’ll be fine on my own. I have friends here, after all.”

In response to my words, Kaelen furrowed his left eyebrow slightly, as if not entirely pleased.

His indifference bothered me, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to escape the attention of many people.

“Duke Laverion.”

Even with the Emperor’s message, Kaelen didn’t budge, and the herald urged him nervously.

“Let’s go together.”

“No, I’m sure there’s something the Emperor wants to discuss with you since he’s calling only you.”

I raised my head slightly in response to his suggestion.

To avoid hurting his feelings further with my refusal, I mentioned the Emperor and added a reason.

“You are right. Her Majesty the Empress also asked for Duke Laverion to come.”

With the added weight of the herald supporting my words, Kaelen didn’t insist any further.

“Where will you be?”

“Hmm? Oh, I’ll stay here.”

I casually replied, implying that I would remain at the banquet.

“Alright then. Please take care.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

As Kaelen slowly turned away from me and walked toward where the Emperor was, a contented smile involuntarily formed on my face.

“Good.”

With Kaelen gone, the nobles who had gathered around us dispersed in an instant.

Having overcome the first challenge, I raised a refreshing drink that was conveniently placed beside me to quench my thirst.

The beverage flowed down my dry throat, offering a moment of relief.

Thanks to this, I realized just how tense I had been while standing next to Kaelen moments ago.

Fortunately, my heart, which had been racing, was gradually returning to its usual pace.

Not knowing when Kaelen would return, I quickly scanned the banquet hall to find people I knew.

But then, I noticed a man with a familiar yet oddly unfamiliar face walking toward me.

“Helena!”

The man called me with a cheerful voice.

“…Lucas?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

He looked slightly different from when we graduated from the academy. It had been so long since we last met that I couldn’t say for sure, but he seemed taller and more robust than before.

“Is it really you, Lucas?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Why, have I changed a lot?”

“Not a little, but quite a lot.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Lucas answered with a somewhat embarrassed but amused smile.

“I went away for a while to undergo knight training.”

“Training?”

“Yeah, I’m thinking of applying to the Imperial Guard this time.”

“Oh, come to think of it, Lucas, you were quite talented in swordsmanship, right?”

“You remember that?”

“Hmm? Of course, I remember.”

“Herena…”

Lucas stared at me with a rather touched expression.

Is it really that touching to remember that?

Lucas’s talent in swordsmanship was well-known to anyone attending the academy. Although he had a somewhat embarrassing incident with Adelia in the past, Lucas Aker was one of the prominent figures at the academy, just like Kaelen.

Moreover, as is the case with noble families in the empire, the Aker family, like the Laverion family here Kaelen belonged, had produced many war heroes who had led the country to victory.

Of course, they might not be as powerful as the Laverion family, which held the title of Duke, but still.

“Are you okay?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

In response to Lucas’s unexpected words, I asked with a puzzled look.

“Me… do I look okay?”

“Oh… um, yeah, you look good.”

“Really? Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a relief.”

I wasn’t sure what he was relieved about, but Lucas brightened up with a big smile in response to my words.

“But this time, it seems Adelia didn’t come with you to the banquet, right?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, Adelia didn’t come today.”

Despite the passing of a long time, Lucas still seemed unable to let go of his feelings for Adelia.

Could it be that he didn’t know about her marriage?

It seemed highly unlikely.

Adelia’s and Calyx’s marriage had caused quite a stir throughout the capital, as it was the union of two noble families. Oh, he mentioned knight training.

Perhaps he had been away for training and hadn’t heard the news yet.

Carefully, I decided to open my mouth to inform him about Adelia’s marriage.