IQBSA 25

Chapter 25

“Judging by their appearance, they seem to be from the Magic Tower.”

“He’s the Tower Master. I heard he came to the palace because of an emergency summon… but what’s he doing at the eve-of-the-festival?”

“Indeed, I wonder.”

Everyone who knew of Roakin was well aware of his eccentricities—he rarely socialized with others and seldom left the Magic Tower. He merely disliked getting entangled in troublesome matters, but some people would politically interpret it as him harboring resentment toward the Imperial family or secretly scheming behind their backs.

Perhaps that was why there seemed to be people eyeing the suddenly appearing Magic Tower party with suspicion.

“Who’s that woman next to the Tower Master?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her face before.”

“Why think so seriously about it? She’s probably just an attendant, nothing more.”

As the burden of stares fell on me too, my shoulders hunched even though I’d done nothing wrong.

“Serpine, don’t hide behind me. Come here.”

Roakin took my frozen hand and placed me beside him. I began to cross the golden hall alongside Roakin.

Just as we reached the center of the hall, the entrance doors slammed shut, and someone above shouted loudly.

“His Radiance, the Sun of the Empire, enters!”

The eyes in the banquet hall all turned upward at once. The Imperial family was appearing from there.

The first to reveal himself among them was the Emperor.

Wearing a gleaming golden crown and a red cloak over his golden robes, the Emperor seemed to radiate light. No matter how lavishly the other nobles adorned themselves, they couldn’t even compare to the Emperor’s presence.

Whether his robes were heavy or he was simply unsteady, the Emperor walked down the stairs with a waddling gait, and beside him was a woman supporting him as she followed.

『……Empress Dahlia.』

The villain of this novel.

My heart thumped violently at the thought of facing the antagonist who was after my life.

Behind the Imperial couple, Prince Enok followed a few steps behind like a shadow. Though he kept his distance without stepping forward, his presence was considerable, likely due to his mountain-like height.

“Ahem.”

The Emperor, who had by then taken hold of the railing, cleared his throat.

『He looks like he could collapse at any moment.』

The Emperor was not in good health.

He had been entrusting most state affairs to the Crown Prince, but then the Crown Prince had collapsed from an unknown illness.

So even though he was in no condition to appear before others, it seemed he was pushing himself a little to show that the Imperial family remained intact.

“I offer my gratitude to all of you who have traveled the long distance to be here today.”

Though not particularly loud, his heavy voice resonated lowly. It was a voice that carried the dignity of one who had reigned from the highest position all his life.

“Since we have a good day ahead, I hope you all eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves to your hearts’ content.”

With these final words, the Emperor concluded his brief opening address and raised his wine glass. Hundreds of glasses rose toward the ceiling in unison.

“For the eternal glory of the Empire!”

Despite his evident sickliness, the Emperor surveyed the assembly with piercing eyes as they cheered the toast.

It felt as though an unspoken pressure was conveyed—’I am watching, so don’t even think of any mischief.’

The Emperor brought the wine glass to his lips, forced down its contents, and handed the empty glass to an attendant.

Then he patted Prince Enok’s shoulder a couple of times and disappeared to the rear, supported by his attendants.

The Empress watched the Emperor’s retreating back with a worried gaze for a long moment before slowly turning forward.

My nervousness made me swallow hard.

Finally facing the Empress directly, I felt a little taken aback.

『She looks quite different from what I expected?』

Though you can’t judge a person entirely by appearance, isn’t there such a thing as the typical image of a villainess in novels…?

I had expected a spiteful, cold-looking impression, but Empress Dahlia was the complete opposite.

With her round, gentle-looking face and benevolent smile that reminded me of my grandmother from my previous life.

『…Her appearance is way too kind!』

Her neatly pinned-up hair was a soft brown, like coffee with plenty of milk poured in, adding to her gentle image.

It wasn’t just her appearance that differed from my expectations.

『Her hands, wandering as if lost and not knowing what to do—and those eyes shaking uncontrollably.』

The Empress, who had been extremely tense, seemed to finally calm down only when Prince Enok took her hand.

She looked like a gentle lamb, impossible to believe she was the villain who had plotted to poison the Crown Prince.

I followed the Empress with an uneasy expression as she carefully descended the stairs escorted by the Prince.

“My lady, would you care to dance with me?”

Prince Enok, who had led the Empress to the center of the dance hall, said as he knelt slightly.

In the Arkina Empire, there was an unspoken rule that the most senior person had to dance first before the party could truly begin.

But as seen earlier, the Emperor was unwell and had retired, the Crown Prince was unconscious, and the Empress’s position—that of the former Empress, the Crown Prince’s biological mother—had remained vacant since her death.

Suddenly, Empress Dahlia and Prince Enok, these two mother and son, had become the highest-ranking people here.

『So this is exactly what they wanted…』

They were planning to take control of the Imperial family together.

Even though it was all intentional, Empress Dahlia’s face flushed red with embarrassment at her son’s dance request.

“…Don’t tease your mother like this.”

The Empress lightly swatted her son’s back for his mischievous prank and accepted the dance request.

A dance between a grown son and his aging mother…

It was nothing if not a heartwarming, beautiful scene.

Everyone was watching the two with moist eyes, but I firmly shook my head.

『This is clearly high-level deception.』

So this was who Prince Enok took after—his mother.

That innocent face so unsuited to his personality, and that meticulousness to deceive others so flawlessly!

I watched the two with sharp eyes, wondering if I might spot any opening. At that moment, Roakin, who had been standing silently beside me, spoke up.

“Who are you glaring at like that?”

“G-Glaring? I was just looking because I found it fascinating that people were dancing.”

Other nobles were also beginning to pair up and dance one by one. Pretending to watch them, I darted my eyes around, and the suspicious gaze was withdrawn.

“If you say so.”

Amid the couples dancing together, only the Tower Master and I stood idly by.

It felt awkward just standing there like that, and more than anything, I was hungry and wanted to sit down.

As I headed toward the banquet table set up on one side of the hall, only a few elderly nobles—well past dancing age—were seated.

“Where are we supposed to sit?”

Just then, a man who appeared to be of high rank among the attendants approached and greeted us.

“Following the Knight Commander’s special instructions, we have prepared seats for the two of you. Please come this way, and I will guide you to your places.”

The seats the attendant guided us to were right next to the head table. Even though we’d come without notice, it seemed we received special treatment due to the Tower Master’s status.

『This is a real feast.』

As soon as we sat down, appetizing dishes were laid out in succession.

Since there were people already eating, it seemed fine to start, so I picked up my fork.

『Wow, amazing.』

The moment I put a bite of food in my mouth, it melted on my tongue. This must be what heavenly flavor tastes like.

After eating nothing but the bland Magic Tower porridge every day, finally having proper food prepared by the Imperial chefs made me feel like crying.

“Tower Master, aren’t you going to eat?”

I glanced over at Roakin and noticed his utensils were still in their original setting, as if he hadn’t taken a single bite.

“I had breakfast before coming, so I’m not that hungry.”

For the Tower Master, who rarely ate at all, having breakfast was unusual. So it seemed he had no intention of eating whatsoever.

“What a waste…”

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the untouched, appetizing steak.

My regretful gaze must have been apparent, because Roakin slid his plate toward me.

“If you think it’s a waste, then eat it yourself.”

The meat was delicious, but I’d been disappointed by how small the portion was, so I didn’t refuse and accepted it.

I was eating heartily when a dance piece ended, and the Empress began heading toward the banquet table.

『…Oh no, she’s coming this way.』

The Empress took her seat at the head of the table, right in the middle.

Though she was seated one spot away with Roakin in between, it was still not a far distance at all, and all my nerves tensed up.

I glanced at the Empress out of the corner of my eye, but whether she was pretending not to notice or what… she seemed completely unconcerned with me.

“It’s been a while since the Magic Tower has attended the eve-of-the-festival.”

“Yes.”

The Empress hesitated before speaking, but Roakin’s conversational style—cutting off the flow of dialogue—remained unchanged here as well.

The Empress, clearly flustered, changed the subject.

“Is the food to your liking?”

“My secretary is eating my portion instead, so… I’m not sure what to say. Serpine, how is it?”

“*Cough.*”

It felt like a piece of steak got stuck in my throat.

『I didn’t want to exchange words with the Empress…!』

Because Roakin had passed the answer to me, the Empress was staring at me intently, waiting for me to speak.

I grabbed the nearest glass of wine, forced the food down with difficulty, and opened my mouth.

“It’s very delicious, Your Highness.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

She smiled kindly, but I felt like the food I’d eaten would come back up. That must be because I knew the true nature of the Empress hidden behind that smile.

After the Empress arrived, I couldn’t tell whether the food was going into my nose or my mouth. Afraid of getting indigestion, I stopped eating, and Roakin asked.

“Done already?”

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

Roakin checked that more than half the steak remained and gave me a puzzled look.

『…What do you take me for!』

It’s just that people in the Magic Tower eat so little that I seem to eat relatively well by comparison—I don’t actually eat that much normally!

“Lady Serpine.”

I was wiping my mouth with a napkin, feeling wronged, when someone called my name. I turned my head to find Prince Enok standing there.

“……!”

Startled, I froze on the spot, and the Prince said to me:

“If it’s not too forward, would you care to dance with me?”