Chapter 23
“How dare you talk back…!”
“Viscount, the carriage has arrived. Let us depart.”
At the butler’s intervention, he turned sharply, his tailcoat flaring, glared once at Evina, and walked away.
Behind the Viscount, she let out a sigh.
Inside the carriage heading to the capital, a heavy silence, like hell itself, hung in the air.
Before long, the Viscount fell asleep with his mouth hanging open unattractively, and only then did Evina let out a small sigh and admire the view outside the window.
She was curious.
Who on earth the man was.
And what exactly this chance to escape her life could be.
* * *
The New Year’s gathering was originally composed of a formal ceremony and a banquet.
During the ceremony, attendees paid their respects to the Emperor as their names were called. Once the ceremony ended, there was meant to be a celebration of everyone gathered for the first time in a year.
But ever since the Emperor and Empress’s only son, the young prince, had passed away several years ago, the Empress had been too deeply grieved to attend the banquet. So the full celebration had naturally fizzled out.
There was only one person in the Empire who could raise a toast at a New Year’s banquet that neither the Emperor nor Empress attended, but he had spent the last few years wandering battlefields, so such a thing had never happened.
Evina was deeply grateful for this.
During the wait to pay respects to the Emperor, Viscount Derise was too tense to utter a single word. And since there was no real banquet afterward, once the Viscount got drunk under the pretense of socializing, she could simply leave early and go home.
If it hadn’t been for the dress, the New Year’s gathering would have been quite bearable. But this time, even the dress wasn’t a problem, so her mind was at ease.
When they arrived at the Imperial Palace, a long line of carriages was already stretched out.
In times like these, it was customary to step out of the carriage and walk to the inner castle. Whether duke or baron, no one could beat the carriage line. That much was equal.
“…My lord.”
Evina woke the Viscount, who had been sleeping with drool running down his chin.
“My lord! We’ve arrived at the Imperial Palace. …My lord!”
Only when she raised her voice did he come to his senses, quickly wiping the drool and lifting his head.
“…Huh? We’re here?”
“Yes. Shall we walk?”
The Viscount pulled out a mirror, checked his face and attire for a moment, then warned her.
“Keep your head up and walk where people can see you. Understood?”
“…”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“…Yes, my lord.”
Inside the estate, the Viscount abused and scorned Evina, but outside, he was rather proud of her.
The golden hair and golden eyes that marked her as a direct descendant of the Siolliers, the Empire’s finest Guide family.
And the deeper the gold, the stronger the Guide’s power was said to be. Evina’s hair and eyes were a rich, honey-melted shade.
The Viscount often berated her, shouting, “Do you have any idea how much I paid to buy you?” But for a Siollier with deep golden hair and eyes like Evina’s, such a price was only natural.
Even if she was just an empty shell wrapped in a fine coating.
She smirked in self-deprecation.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get out!”
The Viscount shoved Evina’s shoulder hard from behind.
“…Ah!”
If the footman hadn’t reflexively caught her, she might have ended up in quite an unsightly heap.
“Are you alright?”
“…Thank you.”
Once she stepped aside, the Viscount adjusted his collar, took the footman’s hand, and stepped down from the carriage.
They walked a long way.
The Viscount grumbled quietly about the distance, and Evina was utterly exhausted from holding her head up as she walked.
At last, they arrived at Impetraz Hall and took their assigned seats. The Viscount exchanged nods and pleasant looks with the surrounding nobles.
The atmosphere settled, and the New Year’s ceremony officially began.
“Glory to the Empire! The radiant sun of the Empire! His Majesty Emperor Albrecht Theo Impetraz and Her Majesty Empress Elinore Lossa Impetraz!”
The doors opened.
From just below the dais to the very entrance, every noble filling the grand Impetraz Hall rose from their seats.
Hundreds gathered in this hall began to applaud, and the very space began to resonate.
Soon, the Emperor and Empress appeared.
The applause grew louder and louder.
Viscount Derise clapped fervently, as if someone were watching, and Evina slowly clapped along with him.
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