Chapter 50: Emperor Knows?
"Stay close," Eveyr whispered in her ear, the moment they stepped past Julian.
Esme just smiled in response and walked confidently. But internally, her mind was already doing the maths. The system had restored her some vitality, but it wasn’t enough. She needed a larger buffer before the next crisis. Farming from Julian earlier had already been a good start, but she also knew she wouldn’t get such an opportunity soon.
She quickly scanned the room, her eyes moving past the nobles. Among the crowd, one face immediately caught her attention. Lord Victor was a young eastern noble whose arrogance was as famous as his handsome face. More importantly, he had spent most of his life away from the capital, hence, he wasn’t much familiar with Eveyr’s madness.
"This way," Esme said as she subtly changed their path so that they could intercept Lord Victor near the champagne fountains.
"Duchess Aldric," Victor greeted as they approached him with a bow.
When he straightened up, his eyes lingered on the plunge of her gown before meeting her gaze.
"The rumours of your beauty that reached the east were severely understated. You are a vision, Duchess."
"You flatter me, Lord Victor," Esme replied with a polite smile. "I trust the eastern provinces are faring well?"
She didn’t flirt because she knew that would only push Eveyr over the edge and trigger his rage. She kept the conversation polite, speaking only of trade, weather, and the eastern provinces. Even that was enough for Victor’s ego to mistake courtesy for interest.
Eveyr stood right behind Esme during the whole conversation. He didn’t speak or move. But the air around them became cold. The crystal glasses stacked in a pyramid began to frost. But Victor didn’t notice anything, his ego kept him talking.
[SYSTEM ALERT: TERRITORIAL THREAT DETECTED]
[Target possesses lethal jealousy]
[Reward: 300 Points]
"May I offer you a glass of champagne, Duchess?" Victor said, shivering slightly as he picked up a crystal flute and stepped forward to hand it to her.
Eveyr took the glass before it could even come close to Esme. Before Victor could say anything, the glass cracked in Eveyr’s hand. The champagne spilled over Eveyr’s hand and dripped onto the floor.
Victor went pale. His arrogant smile vanished instantly as he looked into Eveyr’s eyes.
"She does not drink champagne," Eveyr said calmly, which made his words even more terrifying.
Victor swallowed, a drop of sweat tracing down his face despite the freezing temperature.
"I... my apologies, Your Grace. I misspoke."
He bowed so hastily that he nearly tripped over his own shoes, and disappeared in the crowd. Esme smirked and took out a handkerchief from her clutch to wipe the champagne from Eveyr’s hands.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[Vitality: 55%]
The toxic game was working perfectly. But as she wiped the champagne from his knuckles, she noticed Eveyr wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the balcony above. Esme followed Eveyr’s gaze, and saw Sylas standing there, partially hidden behind the curtains.
Sylas’s entire attention was on Esme. He was examining her every move carefully.
"I am going to peel his skin from his bones," Eveyr murmured as a shadow-blade began to condense from the freezing air.
"No, you aren’t," Esme said and immediately put her hand over his, forcing him to lower his weapon. "He is the Emperor’s eyes, Eveyr. If you kill him here...in the middle of this ballroom... you’ll be declaring open war on the throne tonight. How many times do I have to tell you to think before reacting? Let me speak to him."
"You are not leaving my side," Eveyr said, his eyes burning with paranoia. "Especially not here."
"It’s a crowded ballroom, Eveyr. There are hundreds of witnesses. And you have warded me," Esme reminded him. "If he threatens me or if I am in any danger, my pulse will spike. You will feel it instantly, and then you can kill him all you want. But before that just give me five minutes to find out what Julian is plotting. Don’t forget Sylas helped us in the forest and also told us about Julian’s plan involving my family."
Reluctantly, he released her waist.
"Five minutes," Eveyr repeated. "If he stands within three feet of you, Esme, I will sever his legs."
Esme nodded and turned away walking towards Sylas. She kept her posture rigid as she slipped quietly behind the curtain and stepped into the dimly lit alcove where Sylas was standing.
"You are playing a very, very dangerous game with the monster, Duchess," Sylas said the moment he saw Esme. "Using him as an attack dog to intimidate the lesser lords. Pushing his temper for your own amusement."
"I’m just establishing boundaries, Sylas," Esme replied coldly, keeping three feet of distance from him. "We are just reminding the court who holds the real power."
She smiled wickedly.
"Now...tell me what do you want? You’ve been staring at me for a very long time?"
"To warn you," Sylas replied immediately, his tone suddenly becoming serious. "Julian is a fool playing with swords. But...but the Emperor is not. The Emperor may not be present but he knows and sees everything, Duchess. Including things that do not belong to this world."
Esme’s heart skipped a beat. A wave of pure terror rushed through her, freezing her to the spot.
Does he know? Does the Emperor know about the system??
At that very moment, her pulse spiked with fear, the blood ward on her neck began to burn. It felt as though a branding iron had just been pressed on her skin. She gasped, putting her hand on her neck.
Sylas looked down at her neck, his sharp eyes seeing the faint glow of the ward under her skin. He recognized the magic immediately.
"Ahh!" Sylas smirked. "He tied your heartbeat to his own. How romantically foolish of you both."
Before Esme could even open her mouth to answer him, the curtain ripped from its rings and the fabric was torn to shreds. Eveyr had stepped into the alcove.
