It seemed her siblings had not yet arrived.
Gareth, the Empire’s Crown Prince and her half-brother, was always either standing at the very center of the banquet hall or seated like a king in the elevated seats on the second floor overlooking the entire hall.
And beside him would stand Aila, graceful and elegant beyond compare.
‘Though perhaps tonight, no one will be seeing Aila Roem Gwirta at all.’
A quiet giggle escaped Talia as she lifted a silver goblet from a small round table.
The memory of Aila collapsing in the middle of the banquet hall with a deathly pale face surfaced in her mind, and cruel satisfaction bloomed in her chest.
The sight of her vomiting wine across the marble floor had looked almost as though she were coughing up her own heart.
If only I could truly make that happen.
Talia scraped the sharpened edge of her nail across the surface of the goblet with a shrill screech.
As she watched her half-sister convulsing on the floor, she had prayed over and over in her heart.
Die just like that, Aila. Please. Never open your eyes again.
“Your Highness.”
Lost in her dark thoughts, Talia turned at the voice that suddenly sounded close beside her.
A man dressed impeccably in a deep green formal suit stood there with one hand over his chest.
His face looked familiar.
Only after a moment did she remember that he was someone who frequently attended the banquets hosted by her mother.
She could not recall his name.
She only vaguely remembered Senevier calling him Count Serian.
“It has been a long time, Your Highness. You grow more beautiful with every passing day.”
The man bent and kissed the back of her hand while gazing at her with open admiration.
The sensation felt disgustingly similar to something damp and crawling brushing against her skin.
Still, Talia forced a faint smile onto her lips.
“Did my mother ask you to keep me company?”
“Her Majesty the Empress worries for Your Highness more than anyone.”
The man indirectly confirmed it.
“But even if Her Majesty had not requested it, I would not have been able to resist speaking to you. Just look around.”
He leaned close to her ear as though sharing some grand secret.
“Every man in this hall is staring at you. Like me, they all wish to approach you, kiss this beautiful hand, and shower you with praise. They merely swallow those desires because they do not wish to fall out of favor with His Highness the ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Crown Prince.”
“And you don’t care?”
“I lost his favor long ago.”
A sly smile spread across his lips.
“So in the end, being assigned the honor of attending Your Highness tonight turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”
Talia disliked men who clung to her while showing more interest than necessary.
No—she despised them.
Still, having a suitable shield seemed preferable to enduring hundreds of piercing stares alone.
With the air of someone granting charity, Talia accepted his escort.
“And what did Mother say? Did she ask you to rescue her poor eldest daughter wandering around like a black sheep?”
“Her Majesty instructed me to ensure that Your Highness enjoys the banquet to the fullest.”
Talia suppressed a scoff.
Leading her toward the stage set before the balcony, the man continued,
“And she ordered me to make certain Your Highness shines brighter than anyone else in the hall.”
The people dancing to the melodies of lyres, lutes, and organs awkwardly stepped aside, throwing sharp looks in their direction.
But the count ignored them completely and bowed to Talia with exaggerated elegance.
“Would you grant me the honor of dancing with you, Your Highness?”
Talia looked uneasily at the slender hand he offered her, smooth and untouched by labor.
She had no desire whatsoever to touch some man she barely knew.
But the sharp glances and whispering voices around her stirred her defiance.
They all want me to disappear from this place.
Or else sit quietly in some corner as though I don’t exist.
But I refuse.
Talia took the man’s hand.
As though he had been waiting for it, he slipped an arm around her waist and skillfully guided her across the floor.
Even Talia, who detested physical contact with others, could not help admiring his exceptional skill.
Count Serian moved flawlessly in time with the music and possessed the remarkable talent of making his partner shine.
Talia had always loved dancing.
Yet never before had her movements felt as graceful as they did now.
And apparently she was not the only one who felt that way.
As the count spun her effortlessly around the floor, Talia glanced beyond his shoulder.
Hundreds of eyes moved in unison, following her every motion.
No one could tear their gaze away from the imperial bastard they had always looked down upon.
A triumphant feeling swelled inside her.
Even before, whenever she appeared at official events, people would secretly watch her every move while pretending not to.
But that had only been an expression of contempt and vigilance.
Tonight was different.
They were looking at her the same way they looked at her mother.
She could feel fear and fascination tangling around her body like intertwined threads.
For a fleeting moment, she felt as though she had become Senevier herself.
The most dangerous, powerful, and beautiful being in the world.
But the sweetness of victory lasted only an instant.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
The true stars of the banquet had arrived.
“His Highness Gareth Roem Gwirta, the Empire’s glorious Crown Prince, and Her Highness Aila Roem Gwirta, the Empire’s First Imperial Princess, have arrived!”
Along with the chamberlain’s booming announcement, the two royals passed through the entrance of the banquet hall with majestic steps and descended the marble staircase.
In that instant, Talia was pushed entirely out of everyone’s attention.
Count Serian smiled bitterly and guided her toward the terrace where food and wine had been prepared.
“A pity to have such an enjoyable moment interrupted.”
The count spoke lightly, clearly trying to ease her hardened expression, but not a single word properly entered her ears.
Talia stared at Aila in her pure white dress with blazing eyes.
It was as though the woman had completely forgotten the humiliation she had suffered before everyone only weeks ago.
Seeing her standing elegantly beside her brother with that lovely smiling face made rage boil in Talia’s stomach.
Obsessively, Talia studied every inch of them—their dark black hair, emerald eyes, and faces carved as flawlessly as ivory statues.
They overflowed with the dignity and nobility befitting true royalty.
It was something neither Senevier nor Talia herself could ever possess, no matter how desperately they struggled.
Senevier was a serpent who had dragged the young emperor—once praised as a holy sovereign—into the mire of filthy adultery.
And she herself was merely filth born from that serpent’s womb.
Even if Senevier bore the Emperor dozens more sons, that truth would never change.
Quietly glaring at her half-siblings surrounded by fervent admiration, Talia turned toward a nearby table of wine glasses.
Then she noticed several people, who had been gazing at the Crown Prince and Princess with envy, glancing toward her while exchanging subtle looks with one another.
Every nerve in her body tightened sharply.
She wanted to gouge out every last one of their eyes.
Don’t compare me to them.
Suppressing the urge to scream those words aloud, she desperately maintained an indifferent expression when the man beside her whispered thoughtlessly into her ear,
“It seems Their Highnesses intend to ignore your presence. What will you do? Shall you approach them first and offer your greetings?”
She shot him a poisonous glare.
The corners of his lips lifted with amusement.
“Isn’t that why you came here in the first place?”
Talia bit down on her lip.
He was right.
She had come to ruin her siblings’ evening.
To create a hideous discord within the celebration where all the world gathered to congratulate them.
And Senevier likely desired the same thing.
At last steeling herself, Talia tightened her grip around the wine glass and turned toward her half-siblings.
Then she strode confidently through the crowd.
At that moment, Varkas Laedgo Siorcan appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall.
Talia stopped moving entirely.
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs as though she had been ambushed without warning.
