12. The Rough Emperor, the Anxious Grand Duke, and the Nobles Who Are Watching Them (5)

Translated by: ???

“… The young lady?”

William nodded lightly and handed his outer garment to Cedric. Accepting the clothes, the aide asked what he had been curious about all along.

“What on earth were you two doing there? Why did you go there again? Haven’t I explicitly told you not to go near the annex?”

“I got momentarily confused. I thought it was just a normal walking route.”

“Leaving my post in the middle of it was my mistake.”

“As for what we did… Let’s keep it a secret for now.”

“Your Highness.”

“…Perhaps she might be someone who knows ?me?.”

As William murmured in a low voice, Cedric was startled as if pricked by a needle, and he quickly looked around. Although only his people were present in the lounge, the topic William brought up was something that should not be known unless they were very close confidants.

“Let’s discuss that later.”

“Alright.”

William also quickly changed the subject with an ‘ah, right’ expression. He chose another topic related to Eve.

“Oh. What about the additional investigation I ordered regarding Evelyn Vermell?”

“There isn’t much difference from the previous report I submitted. It said she grew up in an orphanage run by the church and was taken in by the Count’s family when she was around twelve years old. After that, she was raised in the Count’s country house. It’s said that she occasionally came to the capital, but even those visits were within short periods, about ten days.”

“Hmm.”

“But there’s one additional discovery.”

“What is it?”

“According to the investigator’s information, although it’s already over 20 years ago when Lady Rosalyn rose to fame, there are people who claim that the child she gave birth to was a boy.”

“Who are they?”

“At that time, the child was adopted by a midwife. However, besides the midwife’s testimony, there is no additional evidence. Moreover, we cannot confirm whether the midwife actually received Lady Rosalyn’s real child.”

“Just a verbal claim.”

Sitting on the plush single couch in the lounge, William buried his body deeply and with a tired expression, he blinked slowly before speaking slowly.

“For now, let’s thoroughly verify it.”

“Understood.”

?

To put it bluntly, the banquet was a complete disaster. Of course, it wasn’t Eve’s fault. If we must compare, Eve was like a shrimp with a burst back in a fight with a whale.

‘Fuck…’

Just before the meal, Eve’s mood wasn’t bad. The fine champagne, with tiny bubbles rising like beads, was a vintage so expensive that it was worthy of being served at a royal banquet, and it delighted Eve’s palate with its exquisite taste.

After tasting the drink that suited her palate, Eve’s eyes sparkled as she whispered to Alberic, ?Do you know the name of this champagne??, although she only received a mocking laugh in response, saying that there was no way her allowance would cover it, but it didn’t bother her much.

Even when the whatchamacallher esteemed daughter of a Count, who discreetly kept an eye on Eve, stepped up and criticized her unfeminine attire, it wasn’t really that bad. In fact, Eve managed to elegantly retort, ?Oh, excuse me, excuse me. You all are guardians of noble tradition, and I am just a loach — a loach that popped up from somewhere and muddies the water.? She skillfully delivered her words with a mischievous smile, successfully crumpling the delicate face of the esteemed daughter of a Count, who was dressed in a pale pink silk dress.

The problem started after the Archduke and members of the royal family entered. From the moment of their arrival, William discreetly glanced at Eve, drawing the attention of the nobles around him. Once seated, he openly and briefly looked in Eve’s direction. In truth, compared to what happened later, this wasn’t a big deal.

Before Alberic’s whispered question could be answered, the Emperor and his entourage arrived in the hall. All the nobles stood up to greet the Emperor, and shortly after, Crown Prince Edward and his half-siblings entered the hall, announced by the attendant’s voice.

Along the wide and open path, the innermost section of the banquet hall was gradually filled with the seated members of the imperial family. At the center of the table, the Emperor took his place on the main seat. On his right, Crown Prince Edward and the Second Prince sat, while on his left, Lady Elizabeth and the youngest Princess occupied their respective seats.

Contrary to the rumors of his madness, the Emperor calmly delivered the toast to mark the beginning of the banquet. His deep, composed voice sounded so sane that Eve momentarily doubted if the character setting she knew about the Emperor was incorrect.

However, that suspicion was unfounded.

Crash!

A dreadful noise echoed through the banquet hall, and heavy silence fell among the guests. Down the stoic face of Edward, a trail of deep red wine slid, leaving a long trace as it dripped. The wine pooled beneath his chin, staining his red attire, creating a deep, dark stain that seemed impossible to remove.

“How dare you!”

Despite the Emperor’s wrathful voice, Edward blinked calmly without offering any retort. A red droplet, suspended on his long eyelashes, quivered in response to his slight movement before finally falling down.

“For just a chick.”

In an instant, all eyes turned toward Eve. She tried to ignore the piercing gazes landing on her cheeks and quickly stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth. The rich flavor, seemingly laden with layers of butter, tickled her nostrils, but unfortunately, the uncomfortable seat made it difficult for Eve to distinguish if she was savoring a succulent steak bursting with juices or swallowing grains of sand.

‘These lunatics. If they want to fight, they should fight among themselves. Why are they looking at me? What did I do? They’re complete maniacs, aren’t they?’

The reason why the well-aged red wine was poured on top of Edward’s head was nothing significant.

Edward, who keenly noticed William’s continued attention towards Eve, smoothly smiled and made a territorial gesture, saying, ?It seems like you had quite an enjoyable time at the back garden with my person.? This subtle territorial display led to a war of nerves between the two men.

She could understand Edward, who knew the previous ?Eve?, but it was incomprehensible why Archduke William responded sensitively to his words. Eve involuntarily got involved in the war of nerves between the two men.

The seat of the Vermell was fairly close to the head of the table, thanks to the influence of the Crown Prince, who valued Alberic, and the achievements of the ancestors of the family. This meant that the nobles who sat around her could soon tell who the two men, who were having a sharp conversation wrapped in beautiful words, were looking at in between.

As the conversation between the two men seemed to lengthen, the Emperor, suddenly furious, impulsively poured the expensive, rich wine from the glass he held onto the head of his eldest son.

It was an excessively sensitive reaction, enough to be considered unreasonable. The nobles around slowly set down their cutlery onto their plates. There were not many who could continue their meal in this situation.

“Please, stop. It’s not something you should meddle with, Brother.”

And then, to make matters worse, William’s voice intervened, trying to placate the Emperor’s harsh words, but it ignited the bomb.

In an instant, everyone in the banquet hall gasped, holding their breath.

‘Hey! You’re crazy, hey! That’s a total minefield! Oh no, that lunatic is ruining the story! Argh!’

It wasn’t just Eve who was taken aback and bit her tongue in surprise at the unexpected words of the Archduke. Even Alberic, who casually sliced a piece of mullet while the Emperor poured wine to the master he served, set down his fork and knife, and froze up in tension.

“Who?”

After a long while, a sinister voice emerged from the deranged Emperor’s mouth, as if scraping the depths of hell. The old man gritted his teeth and spoke one word at a time.

“Who is your brother?”

Even Edward, who maintained a pristine expression like a statue despite the insulting words from his father and being baptized with wine, seemed slightly taken aback as he narrowed his eyes and glanced in William’s direction.

The man who had realized that he had pressed the detonation button of a nuclear bomb with his own hands shut his lips. William’s expressionless face appeared cold and indifferent, as if even the Emperor’s anger was trivial to him.

“I asked why! I asked why I am your brother! Why!”

The flames, which were calmly growing, suddenly roared fiercely. The Emperor’s rage erupted uncontrollably like a volcanic eruption. The sound of dishes breaking, glass shattering, and silver cutlery clattering on the marble floor echoed non-stop.

“Your, Your Majesty! Please con…”

“Your Majesty…!”

With faces pale and shocked, everyone watched the old Emperor’s rampage in silence. Just then, Lady Elizabeth, who held immense power, calmly stood up. Following her lead, Princess Amelia also finished her meal and got up from her seat as if prompted by Lady Elizabeth.