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“Nice to meet you. I am Dylan, serving as the temporary captain of the Monleop Knight Order. I heard that the young lady bestowed a great favor upon us. Please take your time and enjoy.”
“Ung.”
My voice trembled slightly, but I succeeded in pretending not to know Dylan.
After that, other knights came one after another to greet me.
The content was slightly different each time, but the main point was thanks for yielding the bead of the great beast Ark.
At first, I was very nervous, but as time passed, I gradually adapted.
Moreover, the knights praised me so highly that I felt like I was truly a great being.
“If it weren’t for the young lady, the Duke’s achievement would have been buried as is.”
“How did you think of bringing the bead from underwater……. You are truly amazing. Even as an adult, I couldn’t have done that.”
The successive praises were embarrassing yet pleasing. With her cheeks slightly reddened, Asil shrugged her shoulders.
Because of that, she didn’t hear the knights whispering behind her back while looking at her.
‘It’s the first time seeing her today, but why does she seem so familiar? Doesn’t it feel like we’ve seen her somewhere?’
‘I somehow feel like I need to prepare cat toys.’
‘Huh? I had the exact same thought.’
The knights’ strange gazes touched the back of Asil’s head.
And that was the same for Elcai, who was observing Asil from a distance.
‘Why does she seem so familiar.’
Ailpecia hated cumbersome things, so she absolutely detested banquets.
However, today she attended to see what kind of child Arcian Erzebet was.
But.
‘She seems like someone I’ve seen a lot somewhere.’
She, who didn’t engage in any social activities, had no occasion to come into contact with a child.
But what was this intimate feeling.
Upon thinking carefully, she resembled the family’s divine beast Asil to a tee. Not only the hair color and eye color, but also the aura she gave off.
If placed side by side, one would believe they were the same being.
Elcai looked around.
‘Come to think of it, why hasn’t that child come?’
Since she likes jewels, I thought she would naturally come to the banquet, but for some reason, her figure was nowhere to be seen.
‘Lately, she seems to be sleeping a lot. I wonder if she’s unwell or something.’
Normally, with her blunt personality, she would have quickly lost interest.
But not today.
He was very concerned that she didn’t show up even at the banquet she liked so much.
‘I should tell her to come out and refresh his mood.’
He soon headed to the divine beast’s room.
* * *
After roughly finishing greetings with the knights, Edenber appeared. He was dressed appropriately as the host of the banquet.
It wasn’t the first time seeing Edenber like this, but since the place was what it was, Asil felt unnecessarily more tense and swallowed dryly.
Meanwhile, Edenber, upon seeing that Asil really came, had a slightly surprised face.
He glanced toward the direction of the divine beast’s room, then as if nothing happened, he straightened his expression and greeted Asil with the courtesy of a host.
“Thank you for coming. May the glory of the moonlight be with the young lady.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
Asil also greeted back as if nothing was wrong.
In the meantime, the music signaling the start of the banquet played.
Based on the experience of attending Eokaste’s banquet, Asil realized that most of the attendees had arrived.
But why…….
‘Why aren’t they here?’
Lilibet and Briden, the two’s figures were not visible.
He said he would explain today what it means that they are preparing to run away.
Could it be that the bad Duke Skaya is harassing them again?
With an unnecessarily anxious mind, Asil slightly furrowed her brows.
Seeing such Asil, Edenber asked.
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“Oppa and Lady Skaya aren’t here.”
“……Oppa?”
Edenber’s expression hardened.
“Who are you…… referring to?”
“Prince Skaya.”
“……May I ask why Prince Skaya is Oppa?”
“The Prince told me to call him Oppa.”
Edenber’s face became stiffer than ever before.
But Asil, busy thinking about Lilibet and Briden, didn’t notice.
It was then that the doorkeeper’s cry was heard.
“Her Imperial Highness, the Princess Ailpesia Lu Aliophe, arrives!”
Asil turned her head that way.
The girl she saw at the hunting festival was entering with twin siblings she was seeing for the first time.
The banquet attendees hurriedly paid their respects.
“We greet Her Imperial Highness!”
“We greet Her Imperial Highness!”
Edenber’s face hardened this time in a different sense.
Because the 4th Princess Ailpesia was absolutely not a welcome guest.
Before the uninvited guest approached others, he stepped forward first.
“What brings you here?”
“What do you mean what brings me, of course, I came to attend the banquet hosted by the Duke.”
Ailpesia smiled softly.
Unlike the flashy Eokaste, she had a sorrowful appearance reminiscent of a single lily.
However, her words and actions were not so.
“A little later, the little Duke Karon will come and explain, but Lady Lilibet and Prince Briden won’t be able to come here. The result came out today that they are the culprits who raised the great beast Ark.”
Ailpesia turned to the youngest attendee, Asil, and smiled brightly.
“The crime of daring to increase the size of the great beast Ark, I wanted to order their eyes to be plucked out, but my brother dissuaded me. Saying that even if they are illegitimate, they are children of a ducal family.”
‘Pluck out their eyes?’
Shocked by the startling words, Asil gaped her mouth open.
This wasn’t just ferocious; it was unnecessarily cruel.
And unnecessary cruelty was considered the worst even among the beastmen who worshipped strength.
‘Bad human!’
Asil glared at her sharply.
When dealing with this human, Asil too should go all out ferociously!
Unaware of that gaze, Ailpesia placed her hand on her cheek, pretending to be worried.
“How can you have such a soft heart……. I’m always worried.”
But that was brief; upon spotting someone, her expression brightened.
“Ah, Count Feyrent!”
“Yes?”
Count Feyrent, who was with his three sons, responded.
And at the following words, he widened his eyes in surprise.
“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince has found the twin children that the Count mentioned. Come here, children.”
At Ailpesia’s gesture, the waiting twin siblings hesitantly came forward.
The twins, both in age and appearance, strangely reminded one of Briden and Lilibet.
Ailpesia, smiling at the Count, held out a half pendant.
“This is what the children had.”
“……!”
Count Feyrent’s pupils dilated once more.
Since all attendees knew the
circumstances of the Feyrent County, tension filled the banquet hall.
The Count took out his own pendant and matched it with the one Ailpesia had.
Then, it fit perfectly without a single error.
The Count’s hand, holding the finally united pendant, trembled finely.
“This is…….”
“How is it? Are they the children you were looking for?”
Ailpesia’s lips curved into a victorious smile as she said that.
However, the returning answer was completely different from what she expected.
“……No.”
“Pardon?”
“These children are not the ones I was looking for.”
Ailpesia was genuinely flustered.
Why? The pendants matched each other!
With eyes full of strange disappointment, the Count stared at Ailpesia.
“Is it true that His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince found these children?”
“Y-yes, but…….”
“I see. This humble servant is not feeling well, so I will take my leave now.”
He returned the pendant and briskly left the banquet hall.
Vasiyan and Lane, flustered no less than Ailpesia, followed after him.
With the sudden situation, the banquet hall became quiet.
In the midst of everyone holding their breath, Ailpesia, left alone, blankly stared at his retreating figure.
Why on earth, how?
What did he see to realize they were fake?
No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t figure it out at all.
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By Anna 💓
