EWGEW 11

Chapter 11

The elegant white walls seemed to symbolize the majesty of the Imperial Family. Even the beautiful ornamental trees planted along the path leading to the banquet hall were the result of painstaking work by the imperial gardeners.

Then again, what in the Imperial Palace wasn’t a work of art?

Even the birds flying through the air and the fish swimming in the lake were all rare and precious breeds.

If even the things outside the banquet hall were like that, what would the inside be like?

‘Wow. Amazing.’

Camilla looked around the banquet hall without showing any expression of surprise, wearing a faint smile.

An elegant light flowed from the large chandelier hanging in the center of the banquet hall’s ceiling, adding an air of refinement to the room. The red carpet spread widely across the floor also added to its grandeur. Everything inside the banquet hall looked perfect.

Perhaps it was because of the status of those attending today.

Everything was splendid.

This ball was exclusively for the central nobility, specifically the meritorious families—the families that inherited abilities. It was a ball hosted by the Imperial Family for underage nobles and young nobles who had not yet received their titles.

According to Maya, Camilla had turned twenty-three this year.

It was the final year in which she could receive official recognition of her title from the Imperial Family.

If she failed to awaken her ability by this year, Camilla’s position could become precarious. Of course, possessing an ability did not necessarily mean one would inherit a title, but without an ability, Camilla’s political position was far weaker than Yuslia’s, despite them being in ostensibly equal positions.

She was supposed to receive that recognition sometime after the ball, when she formally met the Emperor. Therefore, as the heir of House Elkasist, Camilla had been invited to this banquet, which only the children of the most prestigious noble families could attend.

For the final time this year.

As Camilla looked at the scene inside the banquet hall, she handed the invitation she had brought to an attendant. The attendant bowed his head and quickly scanned the invitation before straightening his back and calling out toward the inside of the banquet hall.

“Lady Camilla Elkasist is entering!”

The attendant standing by the door stepped aside and bowed deeply to Camilla.

“I hope you have a pleasant time, Lady Elkasist.”

“Thank you.”

Camilla gave a slight nod before stepping into the banquet hall.

Click, click.

The sound of her high heels striking the marble floor echoed through the hall.

At the attendant’s announcement, the people gathered in small groups throughout the banquet hall turned their heads toward the entrance. Camilla smiled leisurely as she received their gazes.

Her deep violet hair naturally swayed around her waist. Falling in waves like a cascading waterfall, her glossy hair possessed a mysterious hue.

The powder sprinkled over her hair caught the light from the chandelier and sparkled. Perhaps because of that, Camilla’s hair looked even fuller and more mysterious than usual.

But more than anything, what caught everyone’s attention was her outfit.

Camilla was wearing a black dress with minimal decoration. It was a color that could easily have looked somewhat dull.

‘My lady….’

Maya’s expression had stiffened slightly when Camilla chose this dress, but Camilla had been firm.

Naturally, she had not been able to bring her clothes along when she moved into Madam Desti’s residence.

However, while having new clothes made, Camilla had been able to roughly infer from the catalog how the original Camilla used to dress.

‘Good grief. Why is every single outfit covered in frills?’

Light pink, white, sky blue, pale yellow—

The catalog was filled with clothes in delicate pastel colors, all covered in frills.

The clothes themselves weren’t bad.

The problem was that every single one of them was unbearably cute.

‘Isn’t Camilla twenty-three?’

She had heard that Camilla had turned twenty-three this year. Of course, there would be no problem if such clothes suited her, but Camilla did not suit them.

Camilla had slightly upturned eyes, a sharp nose that extended elegantly, and full lips with a subtle sensuality to them. In short, she had the impression of a charismatic, sophisticated woman.

‘Those cute, frilly clothes obviously wouldn’t suit her at all.’

Furthermore, although Camilla’s shoulders were slender and sharp, she had a glamorous figure overall. It would have been much more attractive to expose her shoulders and wear something that emphasized her body line. Wearing something with so many frills around the upper body would only make her look bulky.

That was why Camilla had chosen this dress.

The elegant black dress made of velvet perfectly emphasized Camilla’s figure. Her narrow waist and the skirt that flared out widely below her hips accentuated her curves even more perfectly than usual.

It was also an off-the-shoulder dress that completely exposed her shoulders, making her slender shoulder line stand out.

The expressions of the nobles looking at Camilla were gentle, but they could not hide the surprise mixed into their gazes.

Unlike in the past, when her makeup had been designed solely to give her a gentle appearance, this time she had emphasized her sharp eyes to the fullest.

She had also not muted the color of her full lips excessively, instead giving them just enough color to make them look lively and healthy.

“Lady Camilla?”

At the sudden voice calling her name, Camilla turned her head.

When she looked to the side, she saw a young lady with striking red hair staring at her with wide, surprised eyes.

Looking at her and the people around her, Camilla lifted the corners of her lips.

‘Just as I thought.’

Her pink lips curved gracefully.

She had found two of the people she had been looking for at once.

How lucky.

“It’s been a long time, Lady Lesilia.”

At that, Lesilia also smiled, her eyes curving gently. A warm light spread across her face.

Lesilia Belvrinsk.

A promising member of House Belvrinsk who had awakened her ability at a young age.

In the original novel, she was one of Yuslia’s strongest allies. When Yuslia suffered because she had no ability, the person who became her solid backing was none other than Lesilia Belvrinsk.

Lesilia had become fascinated with Yuslia when Yuslia officially became the heir to the count’s title and began participating in high society.

Yuslia had naturally been ostracized by noble society.

‘Of course she was.’

How unpleasant must Yuslia have appeared in the eyes of the nobles, especially the proud central nobility?

An ungrateful bastard who had not even awakened an ability yet, but dared to try to take the Elkasist Count’s title.

In fact, being the Count’s illegitimate daughter would have been fortunate.

She might not even have inherited the Count’s blood at all, yet she dared to aim for a position among the central nobility.

The person who became Yuslia’s shield at that time was Lesilia.

Lesilia hated being ostracized simply because someone did not possess an ability.

She had both the power to act as Yuslia’s shield and the ability to protect that power.

Even though she herself was barely aware of it.

“Your style has changed so much that I almost didn’t recognize you, Lady Camilla. If it weren’t for the color of your hair, I really might not have recognized you.”

“That’s right. Lady Camilla, you really look even more radiant than before.”

“It suits you very well.”

When Lesilia spoke to Camilla, the young ladies and young men around Lesilia naturally added one comment after another.

They were friendly words.

But it seemed less like they were actually close to Camilla and more like they were laughing and chatting because Lesilia, who possessed the greatest influence in high society, had spoken to her.

“By the way, I heard that you weren’t feeling well, Lady Camilla…. I was worried because I hadn’t seen you for so long.”

“This is the year you receive your title, isn’t it? I wasn’t able to prepare a gift because I hadn’t seen you all this time.”

The young ladies spoke as though they were concerned, each of them covering her mouth with the fan she had brought.

The young men understood what they were implying and merely exchanged knowing glances with one another.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

Seeing their behavior, Camilla smiled brightly.

Did they think she couldn’t recognize the thorns hidden beneath those gentle words disguised as concern?

Twenty-three years old.

Even though she had inherited the bloodline of an ability, there had never been a noble in the history of the Empire who had awakened an ability after passing the age of twenty-three.

That was why twenty-three was the age at which the Imperial Family officially recognized a noble’s title.

Failing to awaken an ability was essentially the beginning of an endless fall.

The heirs of ability-bearing families could remain in their positions as successors only if they inherited the ability.

Under the current circumstances, where Camilla was known to have failed to awaken her ability, their words were no different from subtly exposing her weakness.

Ordinarily, nobles considered it rude to question someone at this stage of their life about such a matter, especially someone who had yet to awaken their ability.

But it was not yet time for Camilla to immediately strike back at such petty attacks.

Camilla slightly restrained her rising smile and simply kept a gentle smile on her lips.

Perhaps because she noticed the situation, Lesilia’s expression stiffened slightly.

Just then, one young man who somehow seemed out of place among the group slightly frowned and spoke.

“Lady Camilla? Hmm, I’m afraid I’ve never heard of her before.”

“…Ah, Sir, you only recently came up to the central region, so that’s understandable.”

Lesilia looked at the young man and smiled brightly, seemingly trying to change the atmosphere.

Then she looked at Camilla and winked.

“Lady Camilla, this is Sir Dailan. He is the eldest son of House Pevelock. He came here after awakening his ability this time. And Young Master Pevelock, this is Lady Camilla, the legitimate daughter of House Elkasist.”

“Oh, her.”

Dailan twisted his lips.

Camilla Elkasist.

The incompetent woman who had been lucky enough to be born into House Elkasist, yet supposedly showed not even the slightest aptitude for an ability.

He had also heard that she had been unable to leave the estate because she was ill, but what other reason could there have been for someone well past the age of adulthood to remain shut inside the estate?

‘Obviously.’

She had failed to awaken her ability.

Dailan’s eyes sharpened.

If even he, a noble from the frontier territories, had been able to awaken his ability and rise to the central region, then shouldn’t even a central noble who failed to awaken an ability be sent down?

There was no reason to curry favor with someone who would soon be beneath him.

And if the legitimate daughter of House Elkasist was as foolish and stupid as the rumors claimed, all the more so.

“I haven’t heard that the young lady has awakened her ability….”

Dailan let his words trail off, but everyone present understood what he meant.

When no one opposed him, he casually threw out another remark as though driving a final nail into the coffin.

“Then why have you come here?”

Dailan’s eyes were cold.

The message in his gaze was unmistakable.

‘Why have you come here when you’re an unwelcome guest who shouldn’t have been invited?’

It was unmistakable mockery and hostility.