Chapter 7
The banquet hall soon became lively again.
It was almost chilling how everyone behaved as though nothing had happened in the first place.
"Come now, does Her Highness really seem like someone who would do such a thing? Besides, she's only six years old. Six!"
"Exactly! Even if someone ordered her to do it, she's too young to pull something like that off."
"Excuse me? O-ordered her? Watch what you're saying!"
"It's just an expression. Besides, think about how generously Her Majesty the Empress has treated Lady Trinia."
"That's true. Previous Empresses wouldn't even allow the Emperor's mistresses to enter official banquets."
One by one, the nobles nodded in agreement.
"She must be getting arrogant because she gave birth to a son."
"So what if she had a son? Her Highness the Imperial Princess is still here!"
"Exactly. He's merely from a side branch."
No one knew who smiled first.
Before long, nearly everyone was wearing the same thick, mocking smile.
"More importantly, I hope Her Highness is all right."
Just then, another noble entered the banquet hall, causing a stir.
"Oh my, Duke Cartes. You're late."
"My carriage broke down on the way here, so I've only just arrived."
His pale blue eyes looked like sunlight reflected across a clear sea, and his platinum-blond hair was neatly swept back.
It was Duke Cartes.
Just as the rumors claimed, he possessed snow-white skin, gentle smiling eyes, and even dimples that appeared on both cheeks whenever he smiled.
He truly looked like a beautiful god descended to earth.
Noblewomen quickly began gathering around him, each claiming a place nearby.
Their intentions were obvious.
They all wanted an excuse to speak with him.
"Greetings, Duke Cartes!"
"You must have been terribly busy lately. It's become so difficult to see you...."
"What could I possibly be busy with? I'm at the age where I should be relaxing at home and watching my son perform his little tricks."
"Oh my... What a loving father."
The ladies covered their faces with their fans and giggled.
"Now that you mention it, your young lord must have grown quite a bit."
For a brief moment, Duke Cartes's smile twisted slightly.
"Oh my. Did the young lord attend this year's Harvest Festival as well?"
The ladies' curious eyes immediately turned toward him.
After all, this was a rare chance to see the rumored illegitimate child of a duke famous for his affairs with women.
But as though he could see straight through their thoughts, Duke Cartes's expression became peculiar.
"There's no reason he wouldn't attend with me. He's simply very shy, so he's probably somewhere quiet."
"Ah... I see. Well, he's certainly at that age."
Awkward laughter filled the banquet hall.
"My, something like that happened?"
The nobles had explained the entire baby-blanket incident to Duke Cartes with enough dramatic detail to make it sound like a children's story.
Yet his reaction was disappointingly mild.
Even the nobles telling the story seemed to lose their enthusiasm and eventually began glossing over the details.
"Still, isn't Lady Trinia known to be modest and quiet? I'm not sure she has the nerve to do something like that."
The nobles, who had been preparing to leave, suddenly stared at Duke Cartes with wide eyes.
Their expressions practically screamed, Then are you saying someone ordered her to do it?
"Perhaps giving birth to a prince gave her that nerve. Parents tend to become that way, don't they?"
A low, firm voice cut through the conversation.
Heavy, confident footsteps followed.
There was no need to turn around to know who it was.
"Y-Your Highness the Grand Duke!"
There was only one man on the entire continent with jet-black curly hair and violet eyes.
Grand Duke Jeremier.
The nobles immediately began retreating with alarmed expressions.
Duke Cartes and Grand Duke Jeremier!
Those two were a combination that should never be allowed in the same room.
They had disliked each other since childhood and had openly singled each other out for arguments countless times.
Their relationship had once been so terrible that the late Emperor had deliberately seated them far apart and even ordered them not to cross paths.
"You're still remarkably skilled at gathering flowers around yourself."
A vein visibly throbbed on Duke Cartes's pale forehead.
But a moment later, his eyes curved into a pleasant smile.
"And Your Highness remains remarkably skilled at spreading ice around yourself. Even in the middle of a banquet."
The Grand Duke snorted and turned his head away, openly ignoring him.
Even after both had become fathers, their relationship remained as cold as ever.
It was truly a stubborn rivalry.
"Come to think of it, Your Highness's black hair is rather unusual as well."
The Grand Duke's steps paused.
He turned back toward Cartes.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
The Grand Duke's voice dropped dangerously low.
Cartes casually raised both hands as though to show he meant no harm.
"Take a look around. Do you see anyone else with the same hair color as Your Highness?"
The Grand Duke's dark violet eyes churned fiercely, like those of a predator.
At that, Duke Cartes finally dropped the smile he'd been wearing.
"It was merely an observation. Just for amusement."
A heavy silence engulfed the banquet hall.
Several nobles even fled the area with miserable expressions.
Then...
"My, my. I was wondering why the banquet hall had become so quiet. So it was because of you two."
The doors opened, and Emperor Francio approached with a smile.
"You're here, Your Majesty."
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
