Chapter 143 - Beatrice's Tears

"Y-you are…!"

When I saw her finger pointing at me, I remembered who she was. It was the person I had met at the temple. Judging from how wet her sleeves were, it seemed that she once again was lacking a handkerchief.

"Here," I said as I handed over mine.

Her expression twisted as she raised her voice. "Go away! I don't need this…"

At that moment, I sensed someone's presence nearby.

"Who's fighting?"

"Is the sound coming from over there?"

I sighed when I heard those voices. I didn't want to stand out, and so I decided to hurry to the lounge. "Hey, I'm going to…" I attempted to leave after making a quick decision but was grabbed by the wrist.

"Follow me," the woman said.

The thought of shaking her hand off crossed my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to act cold to someone who was crying just now. I decided that just a moment with her would be fine, as we were in a palace surrounded by security guards anyway. The only thing I had to worry about was avoiding the crown prince. With this conclusion, I followed the person whose name I didn't even know.

* * *

Even though Max had decided to saunter towards the Jubelian's location, he ended up hurriedly leaving the banquet hall. Worried, he quickly searched the garden for her, but she was nowhere to be found. He couldn't even feel her presence anywhere.

'Did she already make it to the lounge?' Max quickened his pace. He passed by one, two, three… and countless more lounges until he finally reached the one he told her about. He opened the door and his expression, which was covered by the mask, became violently distorted. 'She's not here?' Max opened the door to all the other lounges, but couldn't find Jubelian anywhere. He gradually became nervous as his insides felt like they were on fire.

"Y-Your Highness? What's the matter?" the knight taking a break in the lounge asked, startled.

Max observed his surroundings and asked, "By any chance, was there a woman who came by?"

"Not that I know of, Your Highness."

As soon as the knight finished speaking, Max left the annex. 'Where are you?' Even though the imperial palace made sure to strengthen its security during a banquet, Max couldn't help but feel uneasy now that Jubelian wasn't in front of him. 'Just where did you go?' He activated the mana inside his body and quickly searched his surroundings. Nevertheless, he couldn't see her glittering silver hair nor feel her unique, feather-like footsteps anywhere near him.

'Jubelian!' Thinking this was a waste of his time, Max hastily climbed to the top of a building to get a bird's-eye view of the palace. From the top of the tall building, he gazed down at the people below who looked as small as ants. Nevertheless, Jubelian was still nowhere to be seen. Max unknowingly clenched his fists.

The vast palace and the pathetic people who were peacefully enjoying the banquet even though she was gone bothered him. He started getting irritated and felt an urge to get rid of all of these people. Little by little, Max became filled with violent impulses. 'Should I head back to the banquet hall, kill the emperor, and have the knights search for her?'

"You contemptible wretch," an icy voice sounded from behind him at that moment.

Max's head jolted and he looked back with chaotic, bloodthirsty eyes. "You…!"

His master, Duke Floyen's frigid voice echoed in his ears at that moment. "It's ridiculous for you to say that you're going to protect my daughter with that head of yours."

* * *

The place she had led me to was a dark room located at an annex in an odd corner of the imperial palace. The dismal atmosphere of the place made it seem as if a ghost was going to appear at any moment. Although the palace allowed entrance to most places when a banquet was held, there were still some prohibited areas such as the royal family's bedrooms and the treasure trove. Such places were usually heavily guarded. Since there were no guards around this area, I wondered if it was okay to enter this place, but the atmosphere was so spooky that I didn't dare step in.

"Hey, is it okay to go in here?" I asked.

"Of course," she replied with a frown.

I let out a sigh at her confident answer. I didn't feel so good about her idea. I was tempted to leave, but the woman casually sat down on the long, shabby bed in the room. She then faced me and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing? Sit down," she subtly demanded.

Unable to leave her, I walked into the room and took a seat next to her. Her red lips parted and a cold voice came from her mouth as she glared at me. "If you tell anyone that I cried, I'll kill you. Got it?"

"Who exactly are you?" I asked back, startled by her unexpected threat.

She stared at me in an imposing manner, then huffed, "That's none of your business."

I wondered if she was talking down to me like this while knowing who I was. I sighed at her confident slander. She looked my age, which meant that there was no way she was unaware of how to behave properly. Then, a thought crossed my mind. Even in this fantasy world, no one was perfect since they were human beings. Not only were there bad eggs like me, but there were also people who suffered from mental or physical illnesses, and those who were in troubled positions due to broken families. These people were treated as a disgrace in the community and were not allowed to show their faces in high society.

However, today's banquet was mandatory and required all immediate family members of aristocrats aged 15 or older to attend. The consequences of not attending were getting on the crown prince's bad side in addition to having to pay a huge fine. This prompted all nobles who could make the trip to attend the banquet.

Given that she was crying so much earlier, I deemed that this woman was suffering from familial issues. After finally coming to a conclusion, I smiled gently and replied, "Okay, I won't tell anyone."

****

Hope you enjoyed it,

Love,

Biji ^^,

Oct.29.2023