Chapter 23

Chapter : 23

Meanwhile, even as she looked at herself in the mirror, Navier wavered again and again, wondering whether this was truly the right choice.

She had already agonized over it countless times and reached a conclusion for the sake of today, and yet her resolve shook once more.

Even the figure reflected in the mirror looked awkward to her.

Her makeup was lighter than usual, stripped of its usual color, the jewelry she always wore had been set aside, and even her dress was plain.

Could she really go to the ballroom looking like this? Would it not be a breach of etiquette?

Because this was merely one of the many dances the Academy held without even a clear host, she kept searching for excuses that would let her avoid going altogether.

No, clothes and jewelry did not matter.

The real problem was the thick book in her hands.

The cover read Imperial Studies. Even a true emperor would probably not carry a book like this into a ball. With that useless thought, she tried to calm her pounding heart.

I’m doing it. I said I would do it, so I’m doing it. I said I would, so I will.

Clutching Imperial Studies tightly in her hand, Navier walked boldly toward the ballroom.

“Lady Navier? Hello. Today as well…”

The young lady who greeted her trailed off.

Ordinarily, she would have offered some ornamental compliment, but she had realized at once that something about Navier was strange.

More precisely, the gap between Navier’s usual appearance and her current one was enormous.

Navier had always chased trends before anyone else, always obsessed over things that were splendid and refined above all others.

And yet, for some unknown reason, she looked plainer than any other young lady attending the ball.

“Yes, hello.”

It was a familiar face.

Navier knew that she ought to greet her warmly and address her by name. She knew she ought to let the other girl know that she remembered her name.

That was what she had always been taught. That was courtesy, etiquette, the basis of all human relationships.

But her mind was running so tautly that it overrode all of that. Heat rushed through her, making proper judgment impossible.

Navier quickened her pace and entered the ballroom.

At the same time, her eyes darted around, counting how many of the attendees were people she already knew by face.

There were many. At least half were familiar, and nearly half of those were people she had spoken to before. In a sense, that was only natural. This was a gathering place for those at the Academy who cared more for society than study. Most of them were bound to know one another.

Lady Navier, what happened to you?

Indeed. You look different from usual. And what is that book in your hand?

Those phantom voices echoed in Navier’s ears.

Wanting to cover her ears against them, she strode into a far corner of the ballroom.

There, she sat in one of the chairs at a prepared table and opened the book. To quiet her frantically racing thoughts, she forced her eyes to follow the letters on the page.

Raphael had said it over and over.

If reading here looked like an act, then it would all be meaningless. So she had no choice but to concentrate on the book.

“He who conquers fear conquers the world.”

It was a famous saying left behind by a certain king.

She had no desire to conquer the world, but she did agree that fear had to be overcome.

Yes.

That was right.

Today was an enormously important day. In one sense, it might become the most precious day of her life so far, perhaps even of the life she had yet to live.

Could she really let a day like this be ruined over something as trivial as the eyes of others?

Be bold.

Conquer fear.

She opened the book and straightened her posture.

She shut out the music flowing through the hall and the dancers moving in time to it. In her senses, nothing remained of the ball except herself and the book. Navier immersed herself in it.

And at that very moment, the Crown Prince appeared.

Golden hair, red eyes, towering height, a handsome face. The man destined to become the ruler of the Empire.

Everyone’s eyes and attention converged upon him.

But Navier did not lose even a grain of concentration.

She devoured her book.

---

Kartea Savi Iniespi was the Crown Prince of the Ruin Empire.

He was the emperor’s only son. Excluding the emperor himself, he was the most precious being among the countless humans who lived upon this vast land.

Naturally so. The Ruin Empire ruled the continent, and the only places beyond its reach were barren wastelands where human beings could not live. Any person still drawing breath owed loyalty to the Empire.

Crown Prince.

That word meant the future emperor. It meant the one destined to become the head of the great Ruin Empire. That was Kartea’s fate.

He was the man who would one day stand atop the highest place in the greatest nation.

And that meant the woman who stood beside him would become the mistress of the Empire.

The mistress of the Empire. It was a place coveted by half the Empire’s population.

On top of that, Kartea had inherited the blood of the Gold Dragon so strongly that even his appearance proclaimed it.

His tall stature, his deep golden hair that shone as though wrought of light itself, and his jewel-like eyes drew admiration from any who saw him.

In short, he was the spouse everyone yearned for. He possessed everything the opposite sex could desire. Finding a more perfect marriage partner in the present age was impossible. That was the common judgment of the world.

That was why Kartea had avoided places like balls and the social world even after he came of age. He found them tiresome. The pitiful approaches of those who wanted somehow to force a conversation upon him, and the commotion they caused merely to catch his eye for a moment, all looked animal-like to him. He despised them.

So there was no way he could have foreseen something like this today.

Who is that? The face is familiar. I’ve definitely seen her somewhere before.

A plain dress. Makeup too light for the occasion.

At a glance, she looked almost barefaced. And yet, despite that, she was more beautiful than the other young ladies around her, all of whom had arrayed themselves like warriors going into battle.

Only after thinking over it for a long while, confronted by her unadorned appearance, did Kartea finally remember.

It was Navier Loveone.

The daughter of Marquis Magtamin. He had brushed past her several times before and had even spoken with her once or twice.

She didn’t look like that then.

At the time, Navier had been obsessed with preening herself and flaunting her beauty like a male peacock displaying its feathers.

But today, why? Whether it was a passing whim or her true self, she gave off an utterly different atmosphere.

Navier was sitting in a corner where others’ gazes would not fall too heavily, reading a book.

Judging by her clothes and the air she carried, she looked as though she had been dragged to the ball against her will. Her manner declared that she did not care in the slightest who might be there.

It was refreshing.

Should I ask?

Kartea found his curiosity stirred.

He had many questions. Why was she reading a book even here? Why had she attended a ball she clearly had not wanted to come to? He started to walk toward Navier.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, it’s been a long time. Do you remember me? I am—”

“I heard you never show your face at balls. What brings you here today? If it would please you, might I have this dance—”

“It is an honor to meet you. I am the son of Baron Owen, and I study business administration. There is something I wish to tell you about the corruption recently discovered in the Kuns Merchant Guild.”

Kartea’s face hardened.

The crowd that had surged toward him all at once did not seem to notice, but the displeasure on his face was genuine.

For a brief moment, he had thought perhaps there might be something fresh for him here today, but it had been a vain hope. Once again, the only people he had to deal with were creatures like these.

Fools blinded by the shell he wore, worms eager to abase themselves before rank, and hangers-on hoping for scraps to fall their way.

Every last one of them was a problem he had to handle.

He swallowed a sigh.

Yes... this is my work.

It had been decided from the day he accepted his fate as the future emperor. All he could do was endure it. One could not aspire to the throne and then refuse this much drudgery.

Instead of telling them all to disappear, he merely let his gaze move across their faces one by one. He recalled their parents and relatives. Above each head, he assigned a number and a priority.

You’re number one. You’re number two. Hm... you’re eliminated.

And in the end, he took the hand of a certain young lady and accepted her invitation to dance. Her face flushed scarlet.

After that he danced several more times, spoke of politics, and pretended an interest in family businesses he cared nothing about. That was how he spent the time.

By the time he came back to himself, the ball was nearly over, and Navier had already left the hall.

Well, if she’s here at the Academy, I’m bound to run into her eventually.

That was how Kartea soothed his regret.

At most, it had only been the curiosity of encountering something new after a long while. It was not something worth obsessing over. If she remained at the Academy, then they would meet again someday, and when that happened, he could ask whatever he wished.

---

Navier Loveone finished the book on the spot.

For hours, she turned page after page without losing her concentration. She had never known she possessed such a talent. The brain she had always thought of as dull had, for once, done its job splendidly.

When she reached the last page and closed the book, she looked around.

Just as Raphael had said, the Crown Prince had appeared at the ball. How in the world had he known that in advance? Whenever someone like the Crown Prince decided to attend a ball, rumors normally spread behind the scenes.

If even she had heard nothing, then the most natural conclusion was that the Crown Prince’s side had deliberately concealed the information. Then what about Raphael? By what method had he obtained it beforehand?

Tomorrow, I’ll definitely ask him.

And at that very moment, the full realization crashed over her that she had truly done something outrageous at the ball.

Her forehead burned. Fanning herself with her hand in an effort to cool down, she stood up.

Fortunately, because the Crown Prince had appeared at a ball for the first time in years and swept away everyone’s attention like a storm, people’s interest had not actually focused on her.

Even so, one thing was certain. Everyone had seen.

Even if no one had come directly to ask, “Why are you doing this here, Lady Navier? Don’t you realize you’re ruining the mood of the ball?” they would surely remember it.

The thought that her disgrace had been imprinted into everyone’s minds made her body tremble. She felt as though she might die of embarrassment.

“Haa...”

When she checked the clock, the ball was just about to end. Once the bell rang, everyone would exit in a crowd, and if that happened, someone would surely speak to her.

She had no confidence in chatting gracefully while still holding Imperial Studies in one hand, so she slipped out ahead of everyone else.

A few tactless young ladies tried to greet her, but she barely managed to ignore them and returned safely to her room.

The moment she came back from the ball, relief that it was finally over and exhaustion struck her all at once.

The only physical labor she had done that day was turn the pages of a book, yet mentally it had been unbearably exhausting. To think she would ever do something so outrageous.

She wanted to collapse into bed without even bothering to wash off the light powder still on her face and just forget the disgrace of the day by sinking into sleep, but instead she steeled herself and sat down at her desk.

Navier reviewed her notes once again.

The major part of the plan she had arranged with Raphael was more or less finished, but the ending had to be sealed properly as well. If she was so devoted to studying that she read a book even during a ball, but her grades turned out mediocre?

That stank to high heaven.

Anyone would think she had chosen some bizarre concept and was merely putting on an act.

So Navier studied until dawn, practically bleeding from the nose.