The Price of Saving a Vicious Beast - Chapter 43

The grand banquet hall glittered with opulence, packed wall to wall with people. Outside, snow fell in thick, heavy sheets, but inside the Great Hall, the crowd was dressed as if they had forgotten the season entirely.

“Congratulations, Count Eport. What a joyous occasion this is.”

The one who approached the Count, who stood surrounded by well-wishers, was Duke Bildem.

Though he was younger and of higher rank his tone toward the Count was impeccably courteous.

Even the Speaker of the Assembly showed him deference. It was a clear sign of how rapidly the Eport family’s standing had risen.

“Please, Your Grace, speak comfortably.”

“That would hardly be appropriate. After all, you are to become the father-in-law of the future Emperor.”

At the Duke’s remark, murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

“Quite right,” “Indeed,” voices chimed in, thick with flattery.

“But truly, I must say I was quite surprised. You might have given me at least a hint beforehand.”

The Duke let his disappointment show just enough. The Count offered an awkward smile in response. After glancing around, the Duke stepped closer and lowered his voice.

“I understand your loyalty, Count, but this is a happy occasion. You might try to look the part.”

At that, the Count’s gaze drifted unconsciously. In the distance stood Adelaide and beside her, Killian, dressed in a jet-black uniform that contrasted starkly with her white gown.

It seemed he had been watching all along. When their eyes met, Killian lifted a hand in greeting and smiled.

Perhaps because he was smiling more openly than usual, he looked—without a trace of doubt—like a newlywed groom basking in happiness.

But the mere sight of him made cold sweat break out across the Count’s back, and he quickly looked away.

If hell existed, it would be here and the devil would wear the face of Killian Nachtman.

Seeing Adelaide standing at his side, smiling emptily like a puppet with its strings cut, filled the Count with a suffocating sense of guilt.

Noticing his distress, Duke Bildem chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

“Oh, I told you to watch your expression.”

But it seemed the Count didn’t hear a word. The Duke shrugged and stepped away, raising his voice for others to hear.

“Ah, well. I must be going. Once again, my congratulations, Count Eport.”

As he left, he shook his head faintly.

“So timid… how will he manage anything of consequence?”

“He must still be overwhelmed by the burden.”

Another nobleman said, slipping in beside the Duke. The Duke clicked his tongue.

“What burden is there to feel? Others would give anything to stand where he does.”

“Well, he’s never been one for ambition, has he? Perhaps hearing that his daughter, Lady Eport, or rather the Crown Princess accepted a proposal frightened him.”

The younger noble replied with a shrug and continued casually,

“After all, what did he expect? At best, a youthful romance… something that might end as a mistress’s arrangement. Frankly, regardless of the shock of His Highness’s actions, it’s hardly an ordinary matter for a count’s daughter to become Crown Princess.”

There was no way the imperial family had been unaware of their relationship.

She had been the Crown Prince’s lover for years, yet she had never once been mentioned as a candidate for Crown Princess. The fact that she had been left in obscurity spoke volumes about the imperial will.

That was the limit.

An unofficial relationship might be tolerated, but they had no intention of placing her beside the Crown Prince in any legitimate capacity.

The Count had likely thought the same.

But Killian Nachtman had done something utterly out of character.

It may have been reckless, an impulsive act of youthful defiance, but he had claimed his lover nonetheless. And the result stood before them today.

Recalling Adelaide’s sudden appearance at the coming-of-age ball just months ago, Duke Bildem let out a dry laugh.

“I never imagined he had such unwavering devotion in him.”

Though phrased kindly, it was a thinly veiled jab at Killian’s impulsive decision.

The existence of Adelaide Eport posed more than one problem.

First and foremost, her birth. Outwardly, she was the Count’s daughter. But in the capital, there was not a single soul who didn’t know the truth of her origins.