The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 12 Part 6 - Harvest Festival

What he had to do was stay beside her while she wavered and become a support that would not grow tired. Since Theodore had stayed by Angelica’s side for so long, it should have been something he was confident in. But….

‘Things are different now than before we were married.’

It had been acceptable for her to receive proposals from countless men because she had been a duke’s daughter who was not engaged to anyone. Now she was the Duchess of Calix. Even if he could understand with reason that she might feel drawn to Rahil from that position, emotionally, it was disappointing.

“All right. I’ll believe you.”

Once, he had loved her honesty, the way her feelings were so clear that it almost felt as if he could hold them in his hand. Now, as she abandoned even that and lied to him, Theodore turned his back on her.

This feeling of disappointment would not last forever, but for now, he did not want to look at Angelica’s face.

***

He had no idea how he had returned to the mansion. The place he should have gone was the Mage Tower, but even in the middle of all that, Emilio thought of the Harvest Festival ball.

An invitation had been sent to him as well. The imperial family had probably sent it just to keep up appearances. They must have known there was a high chance he would be too busy with the dragon matter to attend.

‘Why on earth did I tell Angelica that? I’m insane!’

Even if she was his friend, she was still the woman he had once loved one-sidedly. On top of that, she was Rahil’s friend and a married woman. She was not someone he should have confessed this to. Especially when he himself was not even sure of his own feelings yet.

‘Do I really like the empress?’

He had impulsively rushed out to meet her, but Emilio’s feelings were still churning. Just thinking of Anais made his chest ache and filled him with pity, but it also felt different from the feelings he had once had for Angelica.

That was why Emilio did not want to return to the main palace, where his work still remained. The emperor would definitely attend the Harvest Festival ball, and there, he would be able to see Anais, the empress, as well.

If he saw her up close, he felt as if he would be able to clearly name this feeling.

Considering the emotions he felt and his relationship with Rahil, the moment he realized it, he should have fled to the Mage Tower. But he could not.

Because Anais was here. Once he thought of her as Radiel, he could not bring himself to run away. Not when he had never once been able to save her.

That damned dragon bastard had surely tormented her until the moment she died, and even after death, he had not let her go and had done something to her.

‘Rahil… saved Anais.’

He had already saved her twice. Once when Anais had fallen under the dragon’s magic and been kidnapped, and once when that creature had aimed for Anais again and hidden itself in the capital.

Rahil was someone Emilio could not dare compare himself to, but even so, he could not feel at ease. It was probably because he remembered that night.

Perhaps Anais was unhappy.

‘If, by any chance, she wants to run away from Rahil’s side….’

The thought he had once had in the past came to him again now. Instead of persuading Radiel to become a noble together with the dragon, he should have taken her and run away from that place.

Even though they had not run away, the dragon had mistaken it as them trying to run away together. No matter how much Radiel denied it, he had never believed her.

But now. This life was different. He was no longer a low-ranking mage who had been unable to refuse the orders of a mere small kingdom’s king and had crawled all the way into a dragon’s lair. He was the master of the Mage Tower.

Rahil might be stronger than him when it came to confronting someone directly with his body, but Emilio could surpass him when it came to schemes using magic. If he took Anais and ran away, Rahil would never be able to catch them.

‘So. So I’m only going to meet Anais.’

Whether she was happy. Whether she liked Rahil…. Or whether he had truly come to love her. If he could know only that, he felt as if he could escape these miserable feelings.

* * *

The ball on the day of the Harvest Festival could be called the most splendid flower of the festival. The people of the empire would naturally think of the parade, but that was how the nobles saw it. After all, they did not wander around the streets in a vulgar manner to watch the parade.

The seats for the imperial family and nobles were inside the Great Temple. They could see the parade carriages, but they could not watch them from as close a distance as the common people did. Those who did such things were usually only young people or children who loved festivals.

‘The finale of the Harvest Festival is, of course, the ball held by the imperial family.’

The noble ladies, dressed in colorful, splendid gowns and jewels, thought this as they made their way to the imperial palace. The ball personally ordered and prepared by the empress was truly on a different level.

The Harvest Festival took place once a year. Since it was an occasion to give thanks for the year’s harvest, it was customary to hold it as splendidly as possible, unless there had been a drought or some great natural disaster.

On top of that, this Harvest Festival was the first event held after the emperor’s marriage. It was the first event held after the empire had gained an empress again, so the parade and ball of this Harvest Festival would be talked about for a long time.

The ladies of each family knew this as well, so they dressed not only themselves, but also their husbands and children, as magnificently as possible before sending them to the Harvest Festival ball. After all, appearing in shabby clothes was no different from disrespecting the person hosting the ball.

It was only natural to attend an imperial ball in one’s most beautiful clothes. Whether their family was wealthy or not, everyone attended in the finest clothing their situation allowed.

They admired the decorations of the ballroom, turned their eyes to the outfits of the people attending, and busily entered the hall. For this day, the emperor had opened the Dawn Hall in the main palace, and over the past few weeks, it had been transformed into a dazzling space.

The hall was decorated with beautiful statues themed around autumn leaves, fruits, and the goddess of abundance, as well as decorations shaped after stories related to the imperial family and the Harvest Festival. People kept turning their eyes in every direction, unable to take it all in.

Since it was the Harvest Festival, red and yellow decorations naturally formed the main theme, but the occasional silver and transparent ornaments seemed to hint at the coming winter.

The central color was, of course, gold, and the empress’s dress and the emperor’s formal attire for this festival were also that same color. Because of this, the imperial family had forbidden anyone from wearing golden dresses or clothing during this Harvest Festival.

Since this was a tradition that had continued for hundreds of years, no one complained unless they were an ignorant child.