Chapter 181
At Count Basilian’s declaration, everyone’s expressions turned peculiar.
They all wore faces that suggested the same thought.
Is that guy insane? they seemed to say.
The possibility that he was mad was certainly plausible.
The countess, once hailed as the love of the century, had died, and the adopted child he had so cherished had vanished without a trace from the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly.
In such circumstances, holed up in the gloomy eastern Black Forest, it would be stranger if he were living normally.
So when he pulled off that bizarre stunt of charging across the middle of the banquet hall, people were already whispering that the count had lost his mind. And then, out of nowhere, he shows up with some young lady, claiming she’s his daughter.
However, those who had attended the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly couldn’t be entirely sure that Kierne was crazy.
It was because of the Fairy Queen’s Crown.
The crown, scattering a subtle light along with its fresh fragrance, was the real thing—something magic couldn’t imitate.
Amid the pouring attention, Cheshire followed Kierne’s lead and offered a bright smile.
In the banquet hall, only Cheshire and Kierne were smiling.
Sereah, who had escorted them together, stood there with a rather displeased expression.
“I am Cheshire Basilian.”
With a light curtsy and greeting, the emperor, who had been staring blankly, snapped back to reality a moment late.
He echoed in a remarkably dazed voice.
“…The adopted child of the Basilian family?”
Kierne, who didn’t particularly like that title, let his expression sour.
But the emperor, forgetting even to gauge Kierne’s reaction, hastily muttered again in confusion.
“But as I recall, I heard she was very young.”
“Isn’t she a fairy?”
Kierne puffed out his chest.
He spoke without hiding his pride.
“You mustn’t think of my child by human standards.”
At the sight of him boasting about his child’s uniqueness, the emperor swallowed a short, hollow laugh with a “Huh.”
Cheshire felt a bit embarrassed.
‘What is he bragging about something like this for…’
Having grown nearly to adulthood in just over a year, by human standards, she was no different from a monster.
But since Kierne regarded it as something special and took pride in it, the people around them were unwittingly swept up in the atmosphere.
They came to accept it not as monstrous, but as a wondrous and unique trait of a fairy.
Watching Kierne skillfully steer the mood to his liking, Sereah chimed in indifferently from the side.
“The young lady is a bit unusual, indeed.”
Tossing out the words as if it were no big deal, the chaotic atmosphere seemed to settle somewhat.
But there was still an unresolved issue lingering.
The emperor, who had been scrutinizing Cheshire from head to toe, slowly narrowed his brows.
“Earlier, when the count dashed out of the banquet hall in such a frenzy, I wondered what was going on. Was it to show off your daughter?”
Pointing out Kierne’s rudeness, he added a brief remark.
“…She resembles her a great deal. Astonishingly so.”
No one was unaware of whom the emperor was referring to.
At the mention of the deceased countess, Kierne’s gaze sharpened for a fleeting moment, but he soon smiled wordlessly.
And instead of responding to the emperor’s comment, he apologized.
“I regret causing a disturbance.”
“……”
The emperor pressed his lips together firmly.
Considering the emperor’s dignity, it wouldn’t be enough to have Kierne dragged out and thrown into the underground dungeon right then and there.
Yet instead, he cautiously gauged Kierne’s mood.
“Ahem, since it’s a joyous day, I’ll let it slide for now… But later, you’ll have to provide me with a detailed explanation, Count.”
“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”
Matching the emperor’s pretense of magnanimity, Kierne replied with a beaming smile.
It was a scene that clearly showed who held the upper hand in the relationship.
To hide his own humiliation as much as possible, the emperor laughed boisterously as if nothing were amiss.
“Life sure throws all sorts of surprises.”
As the conversation with the emperor seemed to wrap up, the nobles’ eyes gleamed.
Everyone knew full well that Count Basilian had been running around everywhere searching for his lost daughter.
And now, suddenly, he appears with a fully grown child, and on her head, no less, the Fairy Queen’s Crown.
They all looked ready to burst with questions, their eyes wild with curiosity.
They were all stealthily gathering toward Kierne and Cheshire.
Staring at these hyena-like figures, Cheshire flinched.
From a distance, Belzeon was glaring at her with menacing eyes.
“……”
She turned her head away, pretending not to notice, but the prickling gaze on her skin felt like pins and needles.
Inwardly, Cheshire broke out in a cold sweat.
‘I completely forgot.’
Distracted by Hailon and Kierne, she hadn’t informed Belzeon and the twins about the situation in advance.
Belzeon must have had a plan in place, and now she’d barged in on her own.
After hesitating, she glanced back at Belzeon discreetly.
Meeting his eyes, she smiled awkwardly.
When she grinned sheepishly, Belzeon suddenly flushed red in the cheeks.
Then he gulped down the drink in his hand.
Seeing that, Cheshire smiled a little more.
It seemed he wouldn’t be too angry after all.
“I’d like to talk more with the count, but perhaps I should yield to the others at this point.”
It was then, as the emperor let out a generous chuckle, attempting to conclude the situation.
A servant rushed over urgently and whispered into the emperor’s ear.
Upon hearing the servant’s words, the emperor’s face brightened.
“The Holy King?”
The question, deliberately loud enough to be heard, rang clearly through the banquet hall.
It meant the Holy King had conveyed his intention to attend the banquet.
“……”
Kierne exchanged a glance with Belzeon, his face expressionless.
Belzeon nodded subtly and quietly slipped out of the banquet hall.
Not long after, the sound of knights’ footsteps echoed.
The doors to the banquet hall opened, revealing figures in white uniforms.
In the palace banquet hall where weapons were forbidden, these armed individuals were the Holy Knights of Hilderd.
Accompanied by the Holy Knights and even holy priests, the Holy King appeared in attire more splendid than ever before.
The Holy King’s dazzling white ceremonial robes were the kind worn only for important rituals in Hilderd.
Draped in a blue grand cloak embroidered with intricate gold threads, he looked so regal that one might mistake it for his own birthday celebration.
Everyone in the banquet hall paid their respects to the Holy King.
The emperor hurried over with a wide grin.
“I am grateful for your gracious attendance despite the inconvenience.”
“It’s Your Majesty’s birthday, so it’s only proper that I attend.”
Unfortunately, however, the Holy King had no interest in the emperor, who wagged his tail like a puppy.
His eyes fixed directly on Cheshire.
The moment their gazes met, she realized.
The reason the Holy King, who had been dragging his feet over whether to attend the birthday banquet, had suddenly shown up was singular.
It was because Cheshire had appeared in the banquet hall.
The Holy King’s eyes gleamed with even greater greed than before.
He approached Cheshire, step by step.
Dragging his long cloak, the Holy King ignored Kierne right beside her and greeted Cheshire directly.
“The crown suits you well.”
Gazing at Cheshire adorned with the Fairy Queen’s Crown with enraptured eyes, he whispered as if they were intimately close.
“I’ve been waiting, Cheshire Basilian.”
Her chest burned hot.
It was rage surging up, knowing what he coveted.
Suppressing her emotions, Cheshire merely smiled faintly.
It was a somewhat improper act in terms of etiquette, but neither Cheshire nor Sionel cared.
“There are so many things I’ve wanted to discuss with you…”
As Sionel continued slowly, he paused abruptly.
The light filling the banquet hall wavered.
The chandeliers, the candles, and even the moonlight streaming through the windows.
In the instant everything shook, the clinking sound of chains echoed from somewhere.
Right after the Holy King’s face contorted.
Boom!
With a tremendous roar, the ceiling of the banquet hall collapsed.
Sereah swiftly cast magic to shield the emperor, Kierne, and Cheshire from the debris.
The Holy King was also protected by the Holy Knights and holy priests, while the nobles narrowly escaped to the corners.
The hazy dust slowly cleared in the cold outside wind.
What emerged beyond the dust cloud were dozens of chains plunged into the banquet hall floor.
A man with hair dyed black gazed down from midair, his blue eyes shining calmly.
Hailon spoke in a chilling voice.
“I’ve been waiting as well, Your Holiness the Holy King.”
