Chapter 63: CH 63

“The Emperor has arrived!”

When the Emperor revealed himself at the banquet hall, everyone stopped and bowed their heads in respect. Soon, murmurs filled the air from all directions.

“They say Lady Riett is a remarkable talent, but for the Emperor to attend a mere noblewoman’s debutante ball.”

“Haven’t you heard? They say it was because of Lady Riett that Marquis Callian fell from grace.”

“What…? Is that true? If so, then the rumor about the Emperor using this noblewoman as a pawn to make significant moves must be true.”

“Otherwise, why would he come all the way here himself?”

As always, rumors spread quickly when they are provocative.

The news that a young noblewoman had brought down the Emperor’s long-standing adversary was still a hot topic among the nobles.

The relationship between the Emperor and a young female noble, especially one who had just come of age, was an unexpected matter of interest.

The reason why the guests who came to Duke Marren’s banquet hall were overflowing with excitement was also due to this unprecedented occurrence.

The Emperor took his seat in the guest of honor section, with his knights and attendants standing in a line behind him.

When all the important figures had arrived, Duke Marren stepped onto the stage.

The music ceased, and everyone’s gaze naturally turned to Duke Marren on the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment.”

The banquet hall fell silent.

“Thank you all for coming to my daughter Riett’s debutante ball.”

Duke Marren looked warmly at Riett.

“My daughter has grown into a fine adult and wishes to serve the country as a noble member. And…”

The Duke paused for a moment. Riett, who knew what he was about to say, wanted to go and hold her father’s hand.

“I am stepping down from my position as a noble member today and, along with that, I intend to pass down the position to Riett.”

People were in an uproar.

Among the surprised crowd, the only ones maintaining a composed attitude were Duke Kreutz and the Emperor, who had known about this decision beforehand.

“In the future, I humbly request that you respect my daughter not as a noblewoman, but as the head of the Marren family.”

At Duke Marren’s shocking declaration, a hush fell over the room.

But soon, the silence was broken by applause and congratulations from all sides.

When Duke Kreutz applauded, applause and words of celebration erupted from all directions.

The Emperor stood up and approached Duke Marren, who was descending from the stage.

“You’ve worked hard all this time.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Duke Marren lowered his head.

“If it’s alright with you, may I borrow your seat for a moment?”

“By all means.”

Following Duke Marren, the Emperor, alone on the stage, loosened his collar lightly and began to speak.

“I’m sure many of you are curious as to why I have come here.”

The Emperor’s gaze swept over the nobles who filled the hall.

“I believe that curiosity has been somewhat relieved now. I would like to commend Duke Marren for his contributions to the Empire and celebrate the birth of a new head of the family.”

The Emperor looked at the young head of the Marren family.

“Along with Riett, or rather, Duchess Marren, I want to declare our shared intentions to lead this country well once again.”

By publicly declaring his support for Riett in front of many people, the Emperor made his purpose for being there clear. Although everyone had a rough idea, they wouldn’t have expected the Emperor to express his intentions so definitively.

“Congratulations on becoming the new head of the family.”

As the Emperor came down from the stage and approached Riett, he lightly patted her shoulder.

Then, he turned around and shouted.

“Now, let’s enjoy the party once again!”

* * *

The party resumed, and shortly thereafter, the emperor returned. It was not ideal for the emperor himself to stay there for too long, as well as for Riett and the Marrens, now that he had achieved his purpose.

“I wish you well in the future, Duchess Marren.”

“To capture the emperor’s heart at such a young age, you’re truly remarkable!”

“Your red hair seems incredibly special.”

Since the official party began, people flooded in and out around Riett like waves, surrounding her. It felt like heads spinning from all directions as people approached her to strike up conversations.

Fortunately, as the dance time began, the crowd dispersed to find their partners. Since it had been announced beforehand that Riett couldn’t dance due to a sprained ankle, she didn’t have to decline anyone personally.

‘Hmm.’

Leisurely observing people dancing while seated at the guest table, Riett stood up from her spot.

As the night grew colder, she wrapped herself in a shawl and went out to the terrace on the second floor, overlooking the banquet hall at a glance. Her breath dissipated repeatedly in the chilly air.

Looking down, she could see numerous people who seemed completely oblivious to the night getting darker due to the bright lights. It was quite amusing to watch the various colors of hair moving around.

Speaking of which, the hair colors in this world were so diverse. Black, red, platinum…

‘Platinum?’

At that moment, Riett’s gaze landed on a particular person. Although it was an ordinary hair color, the platinum blonde that caught Riett’s attention was unique.

The soft, sun-like gleam of the platinum hair reminded her of someone.

Among the crowd, his prominent physique almost made it certain, but his decisive face was partially obscured by his shirt collar, making it hard to see clearly.

Observing the man for a while, Riett’s eyes suddenly met his.

“…!”

The man, who locked eyes with Riett, hastily turned away. It seemed like he was about to leave his seat. Riett quickly made her way out to the terrace alone.

She tried to find the platinum-haired man amidst the crowd, but he had already vanished like a ghost.

However, Riett didn’t give up and followed the direction where he had disappeared.

A long corridor led to a warehouse.

‘There’s no exit this way. He must be hiding somewhere.’

Was he inside the warehouse? But the warehouse was securely locked.

‘Did I miss him?’

As Riett scanned her surroundings, she keenly noticed an open window. However, instead of approaching the window, she turned around.

“I guess I missed him. I should go back.”

Riett muttered to herself in a fairly loud voice.

Thunk… Thunk…

The sound of Riett’s footsteps echoed through the corridor at a steady pace.

As Riett continued walking, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Thunk… Even though Riett had stopped, the sound of footsteps behind her was heard once again.

‘As expected.’

When she turned around, she saw someone standing there whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Lucas.”

As expected, the protagonist with the peculiar platinum hair was Lucas.

“Oh, you caught me.”

Contrary to his words, Lucas had a mischievous smile on his face.

“I was hanging on the window, trying to slip away secretly after seeing your face.”

Faced with the betrayer’s appearance after a long time, Riett hesitated about how to express her overwhelming emotions.

‘Should I give him a good punch?’

While she was contemplating that, Lucas spoke first.

“I just wanted to see your face without being noticed.”

Rather than uttering a curse, his face, which seemed much paler than before, captivated her attention.

“You… You’re not involved in any fights, are you?”

Lucas’s smiling face remained unchanged, but if there was something different from before, it was the subtle lack of strength he seemed to exude.

“No, it’s not that, it’s just that successor classes are hard.”

Lucas was the successor of the guild called “Broken Knife.” The problem was that he wanted to escape from that position.

He went as far as infiltrating the noble school to find the Spirit Stone.

‘But that doesn’t excuse everything.’

He had tried to use her and betray her. Just thinking about it made Riett’s fists tremble.

“Congratulations on becoming an adult, Riett.”

“I don’t want your congratulations.”

When Riett coldly replied, Lucas’ expression noticeably sank.

“It’s tough being hated by you, Riett.”

That’s why he wanted to just see her face and leave. Riett couldn’t hear Lucas’ muttering.

Without her noticing, Lucas had already positioned himself by the window, ready to slip away.

“You caught me, so I’ll disappear now.”

“Wait.”

Riett called out to Lucas. Since the graduation ceremony, she had always wanted to say something to him.

“It’s about the spirit stone you were looking for.”

When she mentioned the spirit stone, Lucas’ expression stiffened.

“It wasn’t in the school’s artifact storage.”

“What?”

“I confirmed it with my own eyes. It’s not there.”

His pupils flickered with unexpected words. It could be that he felt even more disappointment, thinking that he had been wasting his efforts all this time, or perhaps he still harbored hope that the solution hadn’t completely disappeared.

Regardless of how he took it, Riett believed that Lucas knew the truth.

“Well then, it was nice seeing you, but let’s never meet again.”

As Riett released the burden from her heart, waved goodbye, and turned to leave, she heard Lucas’ voice behind her.

“Riett.”

Riett turned around for one last look. It wasn’t a weak smile, but a bright smile like the Lucas she knew from the noble school.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

And he quickly disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

When Riett returned to the banquet hall, she realized that not much time had passed. People still seemed busy enjoying the party, dancing, and socializing.

Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten proper food for a long time. From dawn until now, she had been busy dressing up, receiving guests, and being surrounded by people, leaving no time to eat anything substantial.

She noticed a catering table in a corner of the hall. Riett approached it as if she were enchanted. Slowly, she started picking up the beautifully decorated dishes one by one and savoring them.

Most of them were desserts, but it wasn’t a time to be picky about the type of food.

‘Hmm.’

Her mother had prepared regular food instead of the usual healthy dishes. Unlike the bland food at home, these dishes were incredibly sweet and delicious.

After satisfying her hunger to some extent, Riett felt thirsty. When she turned her head, she saw a magnificent tower at the far end of the catering table. It was an elaborate structure made by delicately stacking wine glasses, resembling a work of art.

‘My mother went all out. But how am I supposed to drink it like this?’

Upon closer inspection, however, Riett noticed that the glasses were supported by plates in between, so removing the lower glasses wouldn’t cause the whole tower to collapse.

Relieved, Riett cautiously took one glass. The liquid inside shimmered in response to her movements. She scrutinized the pale yellow liquid inside the glass, unfamiliar with its color.

‘What is this?’

When she sniffed it, a sweet apple scent wafted through the air. Suspicion cleared away by the enticing aroma, Riett tilted the glass and took a sip.

“Ugh.”

Contrary to the sweet aroma, the liquid had a bitter taste. After taking a sip, Riett realized.

‘It’s alcohol.’

How long had it been since she last tasted alcohol? There was a time when she drank it to the point of passing out, but now, 20 years had passed since a drop of alcohol touched her young body.

Feeling a sense of nostalgia, Riett quickly finished the glass. Of course, this small amount was certainly not enough to have any effect.

However, that was her misconception. Riett’s body was much more sensitive to alcohol than she had thought.

One glass, two glasses, three glasses…

Even though it would have been a pleasant amount in her previous life, her head started to feel a bit dizzy. As she blinked her eyes, feeling the intoxication rise, Evan appeared.

“How much have you been drinking?”

In response to Evan’s question, Riett confidently raised three fingers.

“Three glasses?”

“Yeah… I’m an adult now, so what’s the big deal!”

Her words trailed off a bit, but it was clear that her mind was still intact.

“Evan… You should have a drink too. This is delicious…”

While she was urging Evan to drink like a company executive, she was still perfectly fine.

Evan took the glass from Riett’s hand. She thought he was going to have a sip, but instead, the glass settled on the table, not touching Evan’s lips.

“Stop drinking.”

Upon hearing those words, Riett looked at Evan with an indignant expression. How dare he take the drink away…!

Riett tried to grab the glass again, but Evan stopped her. Her movements, weighed down by the alcohol, couldn’t surpass Evan’s.

‘This is frustrating…!’

Riett slumped into the chair beside her. Evan sat down next to her.

Since she was also an adult now, it wouldn’t hurt to share a drink with her. Besides, this drink was so delicious that it would be a waste to drink it alone.

‘Yeah… I shouldn’t drink such a delicious drink all by myself…’

As Riett’s intoxication grew stronger, she thought she should show Evan how good this drink tasted.