Chapter 4

“Princess! Don’t lose consciousness! Please, please look at me!”

The moment Erenia’s eyes met Seirn’s, the final moments of her previous life flashed through her mind.

The sight of his crimson eyes, which had always been cold, trembling with desperation.

Perhaps it was because she remembered his agonized cries so vividly that a dull ache spread through her chest.

Unlike then, Seirn’s gaze was dry and composed now, but his eyes were unmistakably fixed on Erenia.

It was as though only the two of them existed in the noisy banquet hall.

Neither of them took their eyes off the other across the dance floor.

Erenia soon gathered her emotions.

She still did not know why he had tried so desperately to save her.

But one thing was certain.

If the Grand Duke wants me this time as well, I can give him what he wants and use him in return.

That’s all there is to it.

No.

Even if Seirn had no interest in her, she would have to somehow make him want her.

Just then—

Seirn took a step forward, as though he intended to approach Erenia.

But at that very moment—

“His Majesty Emperor Maximilian, the great sun of the Empire, is entering!”

Of all times.

The Master of Ceremonies announced the Emperor’s arrival.

Erenia immediately lined up with the nobles and prepared to pay her respects to the Emperor.

Of course, meeting Seirn was important.

But Emperor Maximilian, the current Emperor of the Empire and Erenia’s biological father, was also another target of her revenge.

She had no intention of merely watching from the sidelines until the day he died.

Before his death, she intended to accelerate the Empire’s downfall as much as possible so that he would have ample opportunity to witness the miserable destruction of the Empire he had been so obsessed with.

If she needed to hide her claws until the right moment arrived, then for now, she was willing to lower herself.

“Eternal glory to Haiyen. We pay our respects to His Majesty the Emperor, the great sun of the Empire.”

Emperor Maximilian looked upon the sight of everyone bowing their heads before him with satisfaction.

Before long, however, his gaze settled on Erenia, standing in the middle of the banquet hall.

How irritating.

Unlike Joanna, who had inherited Maximilian’s ash-blonde hair, Erenia possessed flawless platinum-blonde hair like that of Haiyen’s First Emperor.

The Emperor was maddeningly irritated by Erenia, who proudly displayed the symbol of a legitimacy that even he himself did not possess.

Fearing that she might threaten his authority, he had framed her mother and maternal family for treason, stripping away their political foundation and keeping Erenia firmly under his control like a trophy.

Yet that platinum-blonde hair and turquoise eyes only became more vivid with every passing year, as though deliberately flaunting themselves before him.

For some reason, she’s even more unbearable to look at today.

Erenia’s unusually different appearance made him feel an unpleasant sense of alertness.

But he could not show his displeasure here, not when he had invited envoys from other nations to display the grandeur of Haiyen.

Besides, the Devil of Troka is here today.

The Troka Empire had been founded more than a hundred years before the Haiyen Empire.

It was an empire that rivaled Haiyen in power and had effectively reigned as the dominant power on the Solend Continent for generations.

And today’s banquet was being attended by the head of the Grand Duke Devlin family—the strongest sword of the Troka Empire.

There could not be even the slightest weakness.

So, pretending that nothing was wrong, Maximilian headed toward the place where Erenia, Joanna, and Lucius stood together.

“My beloved princess, Joanna. I sincerely congratulate you on your engagement.”

He deliberately excluded Erenia, showering Joanna with all his attention in full view of everyone.

“Thank you for your blessing, Your Majesty!”

Joanna answered with a bright smile.

She truly was a lovely child.

The second princess, born to an Empress from a lowly baronial family, she was so insignificant that she would never dare dream of reaching for the throne.

She possessed neither the distinctive physical traits of the Haiyen Imperial Family nor the aura of a ruler.

She was simply a lovable girl.

That was precisely why Maximilian favored her even more.

Unlike Erenia, who was threatening in so many ways.

“Sir Lucius. Our Joanna is my only treasure, so make sure she lives happily for the rest of her life.”

Once again, the Emperor completely ignored Erenia.

“I shall obey your command, Your Majesty.”

As Maximilian nodded in satisfaction at Lucius’s answer, he secretly glanced at Erenia to observe her reaction.

Normally, when the Emperor deliberately excluded her like this, Erenia would become restless and anxiously watch his every expression.

But today, she looked perfectly calm, as though she did not care in the slightest.

Perhaps that was why the Emperor added words he normally would not have said.

“As I commanded, it seems the First Princess has finally learned her place today as well.”

He wanted to give everyone the impression that he had Erenia completely under control.

But—

“I merely dressed with the dignity befitting the Imperial Family and the status of the Empire, Your Majesty.”

An entirely unexpected answer came from Erenia.

The Erenia who had previously been too frightened of falling out of favor to even answer a question properly had boldly talked back.

And there was not even the slightest tremor in her voice or eyes.

The Emperor’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.

Erenia’s unusual behavior was more than enough to leave Emperor Maximilian frozen.

“Of course, all of this is thanks to the grace of our great Emperor, Your Majesty.”

Yet because the Emperor was conscious of the eyes watching them, he could neither reprimand Erenia nor react harshly to her.

He had no choice but to let the matter pass and maintain the atmosphere.

At least today, with the eyes of foreign nations particularly focused on him, he could not afford otherwise.

“…It is quite unusual for Grand Duke Devlin to visit in person, isn’t it?”

The banquet officially began with a dance performed by the evening’s main couple, Joanna and Lucius, after which the nobles conversed about various subjects.

Some gathered in small groups and strolled through the vast gardens.

As time passed, those who had been discussing Erenia’s transformation gradually began whispering about Seirn, who had rarely appeared outside the territory of the Grand Duke.

“I’ve also heard that he came looking for a bride.”

“Well, considering his status and appearance, he would be the finest husband anyone could ask for.”

“And what good would that do? No matter how long he lives, he won’t make it past thirty-five because of that curse.”

The noblewomen were right.

The Grand Duke Devlin family, one of the founding families of the Troka Empire, possessed tremendous power passed down through generations, which had earned them immense prestige and wealth.

However, without exception, the heads of the family had died young, never living past the age of thirty-five.

Because of this, their power was sometimes called the “Devil’s Blessing.”

“Still, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. Living as nothing more than a nominal wife, then becoming a widow and enjoying all that wealth and prestige afterward doesn’t sound like such a bad arrangement.”

“True. I suppose that must be the reason the position has remained vacant.”

But there was another, more serious reason why the position of Grand Duchess Devlin had been particularly avoided since Seirn’s generation.

The magical power of the Grand Duke Devlin family had been revealed to be the sole cause of the previous Grand Duchess’s death.

Seirn’s mother had been young and perfectly healthy.

Yet she had gradually withered away day by day before eventually passing away.

The incident had been terrifying enough to plunge everyone into fear.

“I heard that, if you’re unlucky, merely staying beside him can shorten a perfectly healthy person’s lifespan. How horrifying.”

“Exactly. Even if it varies depending on one’s constitution, no one knows whether they’ll be the unlucky case. Who would willingly take that position?”

The noblewomen spoke quietly among themselves, but their conversation was still loud enough for Erenia, who was resting quietly behind the hedge beside them, to hear every word.

What if this reaches the Grand Duke’s ears?

Even if everyone knew about it, openly gossiping about such a thing was another matter entirely.

Well, if they scare people away like this, it only makes things easier for me.

The position beside Seirn that everyone avoided.

That was exactly what Erenia wanted.

There’s no guarantee that I won’t become one of those unlucky cases.

But I don’t care.

She had already died once.

And in this life, she was prepared to throw everything away for revenge.

At this rate, the banquet will be over soon.

I don’t know when I’ll have another chance to meet him after tonight.

Should I just take the initiative and approach him?

Just as Erenia firmly made up her mind and turned back toward the banquet hall—

“Ugh!”

She collided with someone.

The other person’s body was so solid that Erenia bounced backward and lost her balance.

The moment Erenia desperately tried to regain her footing—

Thump.

Someone’s strong arm wrapped around her waist.

“Thank you—”

Erenia looked up to see who had caught her, intending to express her gratitude.

And involuntarily, she drew in a sharp breath.

Because the person standing before her was none other than the Grand Duke Devlin, Seirn—the man who had been occupying her thoughts all this time.

And unlike when they had first encountered each other in the banquet hall, he was staring at her with an intensely angry expression.

“You.”

His crimson eyes burned with such intense desire that he looked like a predator growling at its prey.

“What exactly are you?”