Chapter 8

As the banquet was in full swing, members of the major noble houses began to arrive.

Among them was Eanne Ruxelo Bethel, the duchess of House Bethel. Her bright blonde hair was styled in an elegant updo, while her blue eyes sparkled with the same intellect as her son Caisar’s.

Duchess Bethel sighed deeply to herself. She was sandwiched between the two most humorless Bethels in the world: her husband and her son. Even worse, she would soon be subjected to meaningless gossip and ill-humored laughter from the attendees gathered in this banquet hall, all in a performance to get closer to her.

I’m so sick of it, she thought. Her annoyance was doubled as she had just experienced a streak of inspiration in her work. Her fingertips still bore traces of paint she hadn’t been able to fully scrub off.

Eanne Bethel was infamous for her lack of participation in any social gatherings. She only showed her face at royal banquets, which she could not dare to refuse despite her social status. With tonight’s rare appearance, the eyes of those itching to get close to her gleamed in anticipation.

Duchess Bethel was disgusted by their near-obsessive craving for power. Her eyes swept the banquet hall as she contemplated the dreadful evening ahead, finally landing on a woman standing alone in a corner.

It was impossible not to notice such a figure. Even from afar and in the midst of a chaotic banquet hall, the woman’s beauty separated her from the crowd. She stood alone. Her cropped haircut was refreshing, as was her look of weariness toward the bustling scene surrounding her.

There’s someone else like me here, Eanne thought.

At the same moment, Caisar’s gaze landed on the princess. His eyes widened in shock.

Melody looked like a completely different person. He couldn’t be sure if the feeling owed to the tameness of her normally unruly hair or the fact she was wearing a dress instead of her usual trousers. Even seeing it with his own eyes, the change was hard to believe.

As he studied her, a chorus of trumpets sounded to announce the arrival of Emperor Urubasi.

The emperor stepped into the banquet hall dressed in full regalia. On his right stood the evening’s guest of honor—Princess Rose Corbella, looking angelic. On his left stood Crown Prince Nigel.

The nobles filling the hall naturally parted to create a path for the imperial family. The emperor began to majestically walk forward while the two empresses and the rest of their children followed behind elegantly.

Melody observed from a distance and put down the plate from which she had been nibbling.

She had never been a part of the imperial procession. Of course, she could have easily joined if she had wanted to. She had pushed her way into court official meetings before, so pushing her way into a procession would be a piece of cake. However, she hated the thought of enduring the criticism that came along with parading around with her family.

It had been the same for her mother when she was alive. Gabrielle had held no official royal title, she had always simply been called Lady Gabrielle.

Ugh... And this was supposed to be a good day, Melody grumbled to herself.

Feeling her mood dip, she stood abruptly. Now that the guest of honor had arrived, the banquet would really get underway. She had made her appearance, so it was time to slip away.

She discreetly looked around the room for a viable escape route as the emperor and the imperial family exchanged greetings with the Bethels.

The emperor laughed as he spoke to Duchess Bethel. “I appreciate you joining us for this event, Duchess. There’s a rumor that you attend only the banquets I host.”

“I do apologize for the rumors, Your Majesty. Truly, I am grateful for the invitation. It is my honor to attend, especially considering we’re here to celebrate Princess Rose’s future.” Eanne gave a polite smile.

The emperor looked to Caisar. The captain was tall, handsome, and diligent in his work. He had no interest in women, gambling, or violence—making him a perfect fit for a son-in-law in many regards. The emperor was quite taken with him, albeit disappointed by his recent excessive enthusiasm for palace security. The blame for that didn’t solely fall on him, however.

“I sleep very comfortably at night now that Captain Caisar is overseeing both the Imperial Guard and the security of the capital. How did you raise such an exemplary son?”

“We’re grateful Your Majesty thinks so highly of our son. But he pales in comparison to Your Royal Highnesses,” the Duchess replied.

“I do envy you, Lady Bethel. Oh, if only I had another son... I’d wish he was just like Captain Caisar,” Roche said warmly as she wrapped her arm around Daisy’s. Daisy was the Golden Palace’s beautiful golden flower, with dazzling blond hair and unique golden eyes. “Don’t you agree, Daisy?”

Daisy’s golden eyes glimmered as she glanced shyly at Caisar. She blushed and nodded slightly. She looked absolutely adorable.

Roche continued with a smile. “Our Daisy has always been so shy and feminine. I hope you understand.”

Empress Matilda felt a pang of discomfort. She could barely manage to keep her face from trembling. She had originally planned to pair Caisar with her own daughter Rose after Melody was sent off in a royal marriage arrangement.

Nigel subtly steered the conversation to his own matters. “By the way, Lord Bethel, I read the report you sent. I’d like to discuss it further, perhaps tomorrow if you’re available?”

“Certainly, Your Highness. I’d be honored,” the duke replied.

Nigel then turned to Caisar and spoke in a friendly tone. “Lately I’ve been reminiscing about our training sessions. How about a spar tomorrow for old times’ sake?”

The captain bowed respectfully. “It would be an honor, Your Highness.”

“The honor is mine. Sparring with a swordmaster is quite something,” responded Nigel.

Emperor Urubasi casually surveyed the room, beaming. His eyes began to travel toward the most secluded corner of the banquet hall.

“Now’s the perfect time to leave,” Melody murmured to herself. She began to discreetly slip behind the other attendees.

Suddenly, she found herself craving her uncle’s cookies. Despite having had her fill of the banquet’s delicacies, the cookies were all she could think about. I should have brought some with me... Bummer.

All of a sudden...

“Melody!” The emperor called out to her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, unable to continue her swift escape. As she slowly turned her head, she found that everyone in the vicinity was looking in her direction.

“My daughter, where have you been? Come here.”

The eyes of the imperial family members also landed on her. The two empresses, the princes, and the princesses all gaped at her in shock.

Deimos blinked repeatedly. Wh-what happened to her?

Nigel frowned as he stared at her, while Kaisan narrowed his purple eyes. Both Rose and Daisy held their hands over their open mouths, blinking in disbelief.

It wasn’t the first time they had seen Melody dressed up, but humans are creatures of forgetfulness. A year of her outlandish behavior had made them forget that she had indeed once looked elegant and put-together. After such a long time of seeing her in nothing but messy hair and unsightly clothing, her beautiful appearance was a huge shock to the imperial family.

The nobles standing between Melody and her family parted, allowing her to pass through.

She slightly bit her lower lip. Her planned escape was ruined.

“Come here, Melody.” The emperor beckoned at her.

She took a deep breath and began to walk toward him. She held her shoulders back, taking uncommonly long strides. Her movements were regal yet smooth, like that of a large, sleek panther.

When she used to wander around in trousers, the nobles had all criticized her walk as being unruly. But now, with her wearing a well-fitted dress and traversing the floor of the banquet hall, they were all too busy staring to criticize.

Emperor Urubasi felt a pang in his chest as his daughter approached. She was so reminiscent of Gabrielle. Her piercing blue eyes and unyielding confidence pressed heavily on his heart.

Melody stopped next to Kaisan, who was standing on the edge of the royal lineup.

Her father beckoned to her again. “No, come here. Next to me.”

Melody’s eyes were full of unasked questions. Why is he doing this all of a sudden? she wondered.

The orchestra’s music softly filled the banquet hall. She felt like the eyes of everyone in the room were upon her as she slowly moved to stand at her father’s side.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and turned to look at each of the Bethels in turn. He stopped as they faced Caisar.

“This is my daughter, Melody Corbella. I believe we’ve never formally introduced her, so it would be fitting to do so now,” he announced. He looked down at Melody affectionately. “Introduce yourself to the duke and duchess.”

Melody’s mind was in turmoil. What is he thinking? She gazed up at her father with her clear blue eyes before slowly turning to the Bethels. She could feel Caisar staring directly at her.

She lifted her skirt slightly and curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Melody Corbella.”

Empress Roche’s glare was so intense that Melody felt herself crumbling to dust. Does she want to kill me? It wasn’t just Roche, however. The blend of curiosity and anger in Empress Matilda’s eyes was suffocating.

She understood why the empresses would feel the way they did. Empress Roche was probably upset at the thought of Melody stealing her potential son-in-law. Empress Matilda was likely wondering if Melody had been faking her mad behavior this entire time.

After exchanging greetings with the Bethels, Melody quietly retreated to find another secluded spot. Fortunately, the emperor didn’t call out to her again.

The delegation from the Izen Empire soon arrived. The attention and atmosphere of the banquet hall shifted to surround the Izen officials.

She silently rejoiced. Confident that her presence would now be overshadowed, she quickly made her escape.