Chapter 19 : Imperial Formal Social Society

The Imperial Court’s Formal Social Gathering.

Held once a year at the start of the year, this gathering was a mandatory event for every noble and royal who had come of age.

And since my officially announced period of confinement had come to an end, I couldn’t avoid it either.

Gone were my usual comfortable black robes and red mask — instead, I was dressed in opulent and extravagant noble attire for the first time in a long while.

It felt cumbersome.

But the most uncomfortable thing…Was the presence of hundreds of people gathered in this hall.

The gazes of those who saw me as the greatest disgrace of the Empire.

From behind the closed doors, I could already hear the noise — the mingling voices and the sound of instruments being played.

As I lingered outside, reluctant to enter, the two palace maids standing guard at the entrance offered me a gentle smile.

“We’ll wait until you’re ready.”

It seemed they didn’t recognize me — perhaps my face had changed a bit after six years of growing up.

Would they still be smiling if they knew who I was?

Probably not.

Sigh.

As I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself, a father and daughter approached and stopped nearby.

“Ahem! I am Count Taris Glacia.”

“I am Elena Glacia.”

The Count removed his hat and offered a slight bow, while the young woman lifted her crimson rose-colored dress ever so slightly, curtsying with grace.

Her eyes, once so bright and lively, had somehow grown dull and emotionless.

“Ah…! Please, go ahead and enter first. I’ll join in a little later.”

Proper etiquette would have been to return their greeting — but the man simply turned and hurried away without so much as an acknowledgment.

The Count clicked his tongue, glaring after the retreating figure.

“Tsk. Such lack of basic manners! He must come from some insignificant family.”

But then…Elena’s lifeless eyes suddenly lit up, regaining their characteristic brightness.

“Sage…? Could it be…?”

The voice she had longed to hear for the past month.

That man’s voice sounded just like his.

And as the dark-haired figure walked away, his back naturally overlapped with the memory of the Sage’s.

“Don’t forget to keep your temper in check this time. Everyone’s watching.”

“I know how to handle myself, Father.”

“If only you’d always act that way. You take after your mother — you look good like this.”

“When you see her today, why don’t you try making peace?”

“Ahem…! I’ll deal with that in my own way!”

The two were undoubtedly father and daughter — their resemblance unmistakable.

“We’re ready to enter. Please open the doors.”

The two palace maids slowly pushed open the massive doors of the hall, announcing the pair’s entrance.

“Presenting Count Glacia and Lady Elena Glacia!”

The conversations scattered throughout the hall quickly shifted at the sound of her name.

“Oh…”

“Is that… her?”

“She really does live up to the rumors.”

“I saw her once before — even more stunning in person.”

“The nickname ‘White Snowflower’ really suits her.”

After her appearance at the Glacia territory’s social gathering, Elena had earned that nickname — a tribute to her pale beauty, her silver hair, and her distinctive, snow-white features.

“I heard she flatly rejected the ‘Moonlight’s Darcin’.”

“That Darcin?”

“They say she has quite the sharp tongue.”

“Well, isn’t it natural for a beautiful flower to have its thorns?”

As the pair walked along the central carpet, young nobles began to flock toward them.

“I’ll leave you to it. Make sure to seize a good opportunity if you spot a suitable family.”

Count Glacia tactfully stepped aside, giving the crowd of eager young nobles the opening they had been waiting for.

Like beasts who had caught the scent of prey, they quickly closed in around Elena, each one trying to make an impression.

“It’s an honor to meet you, my lady.”

“They call you the most beautiful woman in the northwest — I see now those words weren’t exaggerated.”

“If anything, those words fall short. Ha ha ha!”

“I’ve heard the story of how you put that arrogant Luna Mic noble in his place.”

“After hearing that tale, I couldn’t wait to meet you in person.”

“With such exceptional beauty and such a noble spirit, the Glacia territory must truly be blessed.”

The story of how Elena Glacia utterly humiliated Darkin Lunamic at the Glacia territory’s social gathering had apparently spread throughout the entire empire.

Even though unfamiliar noblemen eagerly approached her, chattering away, Elena wasn’t swayed in the slightest.

Her mind was occupied by thoughts of just one person.

“Sage… Is it really you…? But… you said you weren’t a noble…”

She smiled and responded politely, but her thoughts were far away.

The young nobles vying for her attention were oblivious, desperate just for the chance to exchange a few words with her.

From a distance, Darkin Lunamic and his father, Marquess Lunamic, watched the scene unfold.

“Darkin. This is your chance. You must approach her first. Forget the past and cast aside any personal feelings. Step forward with confidence and show everyone here the depth of your heart.”

“Yes, Father.”

Darkin added a silent vow to himself.

“Of course. I will make that flower mine — no matter what it takes.”

After the great battle against the demonic beasts at the Sage’s castle, Darkin had secretly reported something to the Imperial Princess late one night.

He claimed that Elena Glacia was colluding with the traitorous Sage.

It was his way of getting revenge — he had never forgotten the humiliation he suffered at the Glacia territory’s social event, and his obsession with Elena had only grown stronger since then.

But the Imperial Princess had dismissed his accusation.

After all, his testimony was the only evidence he had.

And, as the Princess pointed out, the Sage had more than enough power to protect himself — there was no logical reason for him to conspire with a lord’s proxy.

Darkin couldn’t argue with that reasoning.

It made perfect sense.

The Sage had tossed around Luciphra, a high-ranking general, like a ragdoll.

And his master, a woman of terrifying power, had wiped out the entire Third Elite Army of the Demon King — tens of thousands of soldiers — in less than thirty seconds.

Even so, Darkin refused to give up.

Because he had seen the Sage and Elena together.

That much was undeniable.

He clung to the hope that one day, if he could catch them in the act and expose them in front of everyone, the tides would turn in his favor.

With that thought, Darkin slowly approached Elena, imagining the day when he would finally crush and possess the beautiful “White Snowflower.”

He pushed through the crowd of young nobles gathered around her, determined to stand before her.

“I hope you’ve been well.”

“Could you all step aside, please?”

Darkin’s words were drowned out by someone else’s voice.

“The Layton Marquess’ son?”

“Cedric.”

“Cedric Layton!”

“Even the Layton Ducal House has heard of the White Snowflower, it seems.”

“And the lady beside him…?”

“Is this your first time seeing Lady Herneon?”

“Hmm… This is… quite the competition.”

“Of course. If Lady Glacia is the Northwest’s greatest beauty, Lady Herneon is one of the top three beauties of the Central Region.”

The gathered nobles began whispering, comparing Elena and Herneon’s beauty.

“Where are you going, Cedric?”

Herneon, Cedric’s fiancée and the daughter of the Arwen Ducal House, grabbed his arm to stop him.

“I’m just going to say hello, just a quick greeting.”

“And why, exactly, do you need to greet her right now?”

“Oh, come on. Don’t start this again — you know I hate this kind of thing.”

Gently taking Herneon’s hand from his arm, Cedric smiled and headed toward Elena without another word.

As he moved forward, the crowd parted for him as if the sea itself was making way.

Such was the power of the Layton Ducal House — one of the empire’s three great ducal families.

It was only natural, given they held power second only to the Imperial Family.

Watching this, Herneon’s fury simmered dangerously close to boiling over.

She had been his fiancée since childhood — and yet, here he was, openly showing interest in another woman right in front of her.

He hadn’t always been this way.

The change had started six years ago.

The day Ruan Serkatia — once called the “Golden Sword of Princess Violeta Bellodenite” — fell from grace and became the empire’s greatest disgrace.

After that day, Cedric’s confidence had grown beyond recognition.

But the real problem was how that confidence flared up most prominently in front of women.

The Cedric who had once been completely devoted to her had started casting his eyes elsewhere — and she had been powerless to stop it.

For years, Cedric had lived in the shadow of Ruan Serkatia, the towering wall that had overshadowed him.

But once that wall crumbled, Cedric was finally able to bask in the full attention and admiration of the empire.

And the sweet adoration from the noble ladies in particular… That had become an irresistible allure.

“To meet the White Snowflower in person — what an honor. I am Cedric Layton of the Layton Ducal House.”

Cedric deliberately repeated his name, making sure everyone heard it loud and clear.

It was a self-important gesture — a clear display of his status.

“I heard the rumors about the Sage driving out the demonic beasts from your territory during the Imperial Princess’ recent Northern Expedition. Would you mind sharing the details of that story?”

Elena, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality at the mention of the word “Sage.”

“The… Sage?”

“The Sage… sir?”

Cedric raised an eyebrow at the honorific she’d attached to the traitor’s title.

“Ah—no, no! I misspoke! I was just nervous, and it slipped out—”

“Haha. It happens.”

Seeing Elena’s flustered reaction, Cedric smiled knowingly.

“So she’s nervous just from seeing my face? Hah.She’s cuter than I expected. Maybe this famed beauty isn’t all she’s made out to be.”

Once again, Cedric’s chronic, baseless overconfidence flared up.

He was fully convinced that the White Snowflower of the Northwest was trembling because of him.

“You were saying… about the Sage?”

“Is it true that it wasn’t the Imperial Princess, but that man who drove back the demonic beasts?”

“Well… yes, that’s true.”

“And before that, I heard the Princess’ vanguard was decimated by that Sage — is that also true?”

“…Yes, it is.”

“Then it seems the Imperial Princess accomplished nothing on this expedition, wouldn’t you agree?”

In truth, Cedric had already heard most of these details from the border counts and marquises who served as the ears of the ducal houses.

But he still pressed the matter, wanting to confirm it directly from someone who had been there.

He wanted to make sure it was clear — the Princess had achieved nothing and had suffered nothing but losses and failure.

And that failure was dangerous for the Imperial Family’s reputation, especially now when the Princess was still struggling to recover from the disgrace caused by her former fiancé’s betrayal.

The reason Cedric was so fixated on the Princess’ failure?

It was his love — and his ambition.

If he could succeed where the Princess had failed, the support of the entire empire would surely fall into his hands.

And with that reputation behind him, his ultimate goal was the still-vacant position of the Imperial Princess’ fiancé.

Though he had been engaged to Herneon since childhood, his eyes had long been set on the Princess.

He had hidden his true feelings for years, waiting for his chance.

And now, that opportunity had finally come.

After the Princess’ broken engagement, Cedric had made several attempts to present himself as a worthy partner.

But the Princess, determined to prove herself on her own, had rejected his offers of help time and time again.

With every path to growing closer blocked, Cedric had grown desperate.

He began considering every possible method to claim the position he coveted.

And then came the news of the Princess’ disastrous failure on the northern expedition.

If he could defeat the Sage — the traitor she had failed to bring down — and succeed where she had fallen short, then the empire’s support and admiration would inevitably turn to him.

He was sure that, with the weight of public opinion behind him, even the proud Princess would have no choice but to accept him.

As Cedric was busy weaving grand visions of his future, the sound of terrified maids’ voices suddenly rang through the banquet hall.

“Th-the heir of House Serkatia… Ru—Ruan…! Ruan Serkatia has arrived!”

The previously lively and bustling hall fell into an instant, stunned silence.

All eyes turned toward the entrance.