Episode #12 Another Invitation

The night came, and the sky turned black. As Jed moved away from the banquet hall, the dazzling golden light gradually faded from view.

Jed immediately found Lucifella.

Her walking must have been swift, as she was already walking down the corridor. As Jed looked at her back, he frowned at his strange feeling about the way she walked.

The dress obscured her steps, but somehow they were unnatural. Jed didn’t notice her when she was walking earlier, but her fast walking was oddly masculine. But again, it wasn’t a strange gait. He concluded that was probably her characteristic.

Jed caught up with her at his quick pace. He didn’t run because it might seem that he wanted her and was chasing after her.

“What, why did you follow me?”

“… … What accusation would I have to hear about sending my fiancée alone?”

In response, she smirked and walked away again. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be telling him not to follow her.

Wait a minute. Fortunate? He didn’t know why he was thinking that right now.

Jed shook his head as if it was absurd.

After catching up with Lucifella, Jed walked with her along the corridor. Lucifella closed her mouth as if she didn’t want to talk to him much. She didn’t even glance at him.

However, Jed was able to look at Lucifella freely with peace of mind from the corner of his eyes. Her appearance alone was striking. If his father had chosen his fiancée for her looks, he could understand why she became his fiancée.

She had sleek hair as black as night, skin as white as milk, and fine features with delicate lines. A thin but soft neckline and exposed collarbone made her look elegant. Her appearance was something a lot of men would lose their minds over.

However, for Jed, her eyes, to be precise the twinkling of her eyes, strangely caught his attention more than anything. While dancing, her eyes were clearly bright and twinkling. Now her eyes were reflecting the aloofness of moonlight. Although it was not the first meeting with Lucifella, she seemed different. Whether because their relationship was tied with the engagement or one incident, there was a different aura about her. Her star-studded eyes are like, yeah, like.....

Then, Jed suddenly woke up to the sound of a distant voice. Then his face frowned. It was the voice of Duke Ruirk!

The bastard Ruirk said he was working to guard the palace tonight. His area must have been here. Jed didn’t want to ruin his mood that had been good so far.

“Heard something?”

Suddenly she stopped her steps. It was clear to Jed where the voice was coming from, and for some reason, Lucifella took interest. Of course, Jed would have no idea that Lucifella would recognize Khalid Ruirk’s voice.

“It’s not something My Lady needs to care about. Let’s go.”

“No, I think I heard a voice. Whose voice was it?”

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

Jed pulled her arm gently. The two did not feel awkward because the physical touch happened so naturally. Lucifella’s curiosity did not subside, and she kept trying to look back. It was a bit tenacious, but Jed didn’t feel the need to satisfy that bastard’s curiosity.

To think about Lucifella meeting and greeting that bastard automatically made him feel rotten.

“Who is it?”

“Its an Imperial Palace dog.”

Jed spoke as if spitting after grinding his teeth. For him, he had unwittingly expressed his intense disgust. He wasn’t his nature to speak badly of others to a stranger, but he showed his distaste in front of her for some reason.

“Imperial Palace dog?”

Despite the insulting and vulgar expression, Lucifella asked again without being surprised. She didn’t even frown at it.

When he talked that way, except with his subordinates or aides, others had an uncomfortable expression on their face, but Lucifella’s attitude showed that it didn’t matter. Jed was somewhat satisfied with that part.

However, Lucifella was thinking a different thing.

‘The dog of the Imperial Palace. If that’s the case, isn’t this guy the same? What is this violent hatred?’

It must be the same as she would be a bitch of Yansgar, it was funny to say that a dog was a dog, but she was sensible enough not to say such a thing.

“Anyways, please remember that you are engaged to me. I hate him very, very, very, very much. If there is one person in the Yansgar Empire that I hate the most, it is him.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t even want to repeat his name.”

She didn’t want to get on Jed’s nerve since he had offered to tidy up the loose ends after she kicked the Crown Prince’s dick, so she meekly nodded her head at Jed’s intense eyes. She vowed that she would get that name later at her free will.

As she grabbed her skirt and went down the steps of the Imperial Palace, she almost fell, tripping over her long dress.

Seeing this, Jed held out his hand. Lucifella glanced at his hand, yet as if to flaunt him, she rolled up the hem of her dress and went down gently again.

Just as she thought to herself that she did not need a man’s help, she again stumbled on her foot. There was no sense of balance in this body!

Jed sighed and quickly grabbed her arm to support her. At his touch, Lucifella felt massive goosebumps. She thought about pulling her hand away, but her body staggered again.

She was sure it would be unsightly if she fell there. She had to swallow her pride and forced herself to lean on Jed’s arm. As they struggled for Lucifella to stand straight, the two naturally held hands.

When they went down the stairs, the waiting attendants disappeared to call Duke Aydin’s carriage, and they were alone.

Silence fell between Lucifella and Jed. Jed felt no need to say anything, and Lucifella was immersed in her thoughts about the voice she had just heard before, a familiar voice from afar. Then she realized that she was still holding her hand with Jed.

“Can you let go of my hand now?”

Now that people weren’t watching, there was no need to be overly affectionate. She had something to be grateful for, so she had been quietly following him, but that was to end here.

She hated that the engagement forced her to be so close to him physically like a real lover. At her cold attitude, Jed raised one of his eyebrows and looked at Lucifella.

The atmosphere, which had softened a little, was tense again. The reason Lucifella remained quiet was simple.

This was an imperial ball that limited her behavior, where she had to dance with him, and he said he would take care of her incident with the Crown Prince.

‘But he shouldn’t mistake this as my affection. Anyways, he is the same as other men fussing over a pretty girl.’

Lucifella had no intention of being friends with this guy. Jed also grinned as if he read her mind and smirked as if it was ridiculous.

Lucifella looked at Jed’s face and thought.

If she weren’t forcibly invited to the banquet like this in the future, she would hardly have a chance to meet this man again. Of course, no one would be asking her either.

When the carriage arrived in front of them, Lucifella got into the carriage without Jed’s help. She then sighed as she leaned back on the seat. When she looked out the window, she saw the figure of Jed.

Jed was looking at her, too, and their eyes met. After she settled into the carriage, she began to look at him properly through the window.

His tall height and good-looking face caught her eye. He had a chin with a strong masculine line and a sharp, clear nose as if carved into a sculpture. His red-brown eyes were still sharp and intense. His dark bronze hair shone in the light.

“He is handsome.”

It was a feeling that Lucifella uttered involuntarily.

***

Immediately after returning from the harvest banquet, Lucifella took off her stuffy dress and took a rest. In the past, she must have gotten ill for a few days after the banquet because the medicine was immediately served, and one of the maids gently massaged her legs.

As sleep heavily crept on her, her thoughts floated.

When she went to the Imperial Palace, memories of Lucifella suddenly came to mind, and the emotions of Lucifella began to surface. She harbored a pity for the Duke that Estelle would never have, and she walked towards the common room, which Estelle would never have known. She then met the horrible Crown Prince, and she had the worst experience Estelle had ever had.

Somehow, she felt a strong sense of rejection. It was annoying because the memories and emotions that were not hers kept popping up. Her memories and emotions belong only to her, yet why do the other person’s memories keep invading her at will?

Because of that discomfort, Lucifella lay in her bed with her eyes half-closed, but she could not sleep.

Nevertheless, the following day, when the Duke kissed her on the forehead, she was forced to wake up startled, screaming silently.

Definitely, it was an affectionate morning greeting between father and daughter, but it was still very awkward to receive a kiss from a stranger that her body coiled up. But, oddly enough, it wasn’t too bad of a feeling.

“Did you sleep well?”

“When did you come in?”

“I came in a little late. Sorry for letting you go first.”

“It’s okay.”

Then her maid brought a wet towel. The Duke took it and wiped her face himself.

Damn, I can do this on my own, too.

But the Duke seemed wanting to do it, so she let him do it.

The Duke’s hand was very soft. With that, Lucifella could hardly believe that the Duke had left her among the people yesterday.

“Looking at this, I think you are still a child.”

“… … ?”

“You have become an adult already. You are starting to look like Luana and me.”

‘Who is Luana?’ As Lucifella recalled her name to herself, the word ‘mother’ came to mind.

Again, she remembered something she didn’t know as Estelle. Her mood worsened, but Lucifella tried to pretend it was nothing and turned her gaze to the Duke.

The bitter emotion on Duke’s face surprised Lucifella. The feelings that parents felt when they saw their grown-up child was something Estelle could not comprehend at all.

The family she saw up close, Khalid’s father and son, wasn’t like this.

Family was a very strange concept. Comparing with the Duke’s fatherhood, she wondered if she was strange with the Gabrine family or if this Duke was unique.

“I heard that the Duke of Heint escorted you off yesterday. It seems that the Duke of Heint is being nice to you. I was worried at first, but I’m delighted.”

At the Duke’s words, Lucifella smiled. He’d faint if she said that from their first meeting, she had asked him to divorce her as soon as they got married.

No, even more so once he finds out that there’s no Lucifella, but a strange Ersha’s knight in her.

The towel wiping her face disappeared, and Lucifella and the Duke faced each other and laughed. Strangely, that smile spread warmth in her heart.

“I want to be with you all day today. Do you want to go shopping?”

Lucifella shook her head. She was really in bad shape, so she thought she should take a rest. Still, the Duke’s proposal made her happy. He must have been aware that she was frustrated while she was taking the etiquette classes.

“Father, you need to rest, too.”

At that, Duke opened his eyes wide and then smiled.

“You have matured. All grown up.”

Duke stroked Lucifella’s hair. Like that, they were spending time together eating a small breakfast and drinking tea when a maid brought a letter to Lucifella and handed it to her. Lucifella was astonished to learn that it was from the Emperor.

- Unfortunately, I didn’t get to have a word with you last night.

I have a lot of questions about you.

I want to see you at noon today without anyone disturbing us -.

Maybe it was because of what she did to the Crown Prince? She thought he wouldn’t talk because he would be ashamed, but did he tell on her to his father? He was worse than she thought.

Lucifella’s fingertips trembled slightly at her shock. Duke also looked at the letter and spoke with concern.

“His Majesty was looking for you, but I didn’t know he would even invite you like this.”

“Was he looking for me?”

When she asked, Duke nodded his head.

“Was he angry?”

“No, I don’t think so… … .”

‘Does he know nothing? Or was he hiding his feelings from Duke Aydin?’ It was true that this invitation felt ominous as the Emperor’s intentions were unknown.

Lucifella frowned upon seeing the Imperial Seal on the letter.

The seal of Yansgar was originally one star, but it became two stars.

Pentagon Stars and Hexagon Stars.

The single symbol that symbolized each country was combined into two meant that Ersha, which used the Five Stars as a symbol of the country, came into the hands of Yansgar.

Without realizing it, she grabbed the letter tightly.

Because of the phrase ‘without being disturbed by anyone’, Lucifella suddenly had to enter the palace alone.

The Duke said he would come with her, but she refused, thinking that the Emperor would have a good reason to see her alone.

***

Lucifella thought that she would never go to the Imperial Palace again, but life is unknown.

Following her attendant, she encountered the knights patrolling the Imperial Palace. Watching the guards of the Imperial Palace was like her occupational habit. The men were all wearing purple uniforms. During the serial killer incident, the uniform of Duke Heint was definitely wearing black. So, are those people in purple of different ranks? Maybe the knight guilds are different.

“Is there something matter, My Lady?”

“Oh, no.”

Lucifella realized that she was deep in her thoughts and shook her head at the attendant’s words.

The knights of Ersha had the same uniform color for all the knights. They only distinguished each other by the color of the shoulder epaulets and cloaks.

Then she made eye contact with the knights in purple uniforms. As Lucifella greeted them with her eyes as a courtesy, they passed her blushing and coughing.

Walking down the hallway leading to the foyer, Lucifella checked in her mind what she was going to say.

‘No’, ‘I don’t know’, ‘maybe’, ‘me?’ ‘How could anyone do such a bad thing!’ He wouldn’t if it was Estelle, but if Lucifella faked trembling with a sob of tears, the Emperor might believe her. He would believe.

Would it be better to be honest? Not properly knowing the Emperor’s personality, there was no way of knowing how to respond. In such a case, what else was better than to keep her mouth shut?

After much thought, at the end of the hallway she saw a gorgeous door. She figured it must be the door to the Throne Room.

The embossed gold star on the dark brown door at a glance showed the level of power of the Imperial Majesty of the Yansgar Empire. She gulped.

The door opened, and Lucifella, being careful of her steps, slowly stepped onto the velvet carpet. Then she paused for a moment because Ha-zohar, the five-pointed star, the symbol of Ersha, and Ha-Bahir, the six-pointed star, the symbol of Yansgar, were placed on it.

She carefully avoided Ersha’s star without stepping on it. It was hard to see that she had changed the direction of her footsteps anyway because the hem of her long dress covered it.

She did not raise her gaze, so Lucifella’s view was only of the stairs of the dais. Five steps up, the Emperor’s feet were visible between the legs of the throne.

Although Lucifella appeared in front of him, the Emperor did not say anything. After waiting for him to speak for a moment, Lucifella finally grabbed the hem of her skirt and curtsied politely in the manner of the ladies.

“Long live the Sun of Yansgar. I greet you, Your Majesty.”

The greeting she thought would never come out came smoothly.

“Look at me.”

She raised her head and looked at the Emperor. To describe the appearance of the Emperor sitting on the throne in one word - he was a strong old man.

His white hair was full, but his eyes had a formidable foresight. Indeed, he looked like the King who waged a war of conquest since he was 20 years old. He had a completely different physique from the last King of Ersha and a face with unfamiliar emotions and a sense of intimidation.

“How old were you when I first saw you?”

“I was twelve years old, Your Majesty.”

Without realizing it, she answered the question. So what? She could say she didn’t remember. Even the Emperor would not be idle enough to remember the age of a young girl.

“Yes, it was.”

What, she was right?

Then she realized that the reason she was answering correctly was that this body remembered it. Lucifella’s memory was still there.

“I still remember you hiding behind Duke Aydin, peeking at me. But now you are looking straight at me. Aren’t you afraid of me any longer?”

‘Are you not afraid of me now?’ It was an ambiguous question. He was not an easy person to deal with. After thinking hard, Lucifella secretly took a deep breath and spoke.

“Your Majesty, do you wish that I be afraid of you?”

The Emperor’s face hardened at those words.

“I asked. It is your turn to answer.”

It meant that wordplay was not allowed. The calm atmosphere was tensed momentarily. Cold sweat ran down her back under the Emperor’s pressuring gaze.