Chapter 25. Invitation to dance

A beautiful melody poured from the brightly lit ballroom. Standing at the end of the long corridor, Remesis could see all those dazzling smiles through the door. Although she still felt somewhat uncomfortable, she nevertheless continued to trudge forward without hesitation.

As soon as the girl entered the hall, all eyes were on her. Exclamations and sighs were heard from everywhere at the same time. It seemed incredible to the aristocrats that the once 'cursed loser princess' and 'wife of the Northern Devil' had arrived at the ball.

The sudden appearance of Lord North's consort was indeed an extraordinary sight. It was the moment when the rumour that had been spreading for so long about an imminent coup in the country gained momentum, and the surrounding nobles exchanged silent glances with each other.

'Oh oh oh.'

People had already started whispering, wondering what the price of this visit was. The nobles were betting on whether the emperor's face would be earthy or green, exchanging questioning glances.

The dignified figure of the emperor meanwhile turned pale as soon as he turned his head and saw Remesis.

While the people around them did not stop whispering, the princess of the north eventually walked right up to the emperor's podium. Remesis Rania Ashelot greeted the emperor with a characteristic gesture. Everyone held their breath and looked up at the podium.

— Long live Your Majesty, Supreme and Blessed Emperor of Nadal.

Remesis nonchalantly bowed her knee. Since the members of the imperial family could greet the emperor more freely, she didn't need to kneel completely when she was the consort of the eldest princess.

'.....'

The pause after those words didn't last long.

— ...Princess Rania, you can stand up, ' the emperor finally said.

— Yes.

The atmosphere was becoming more and more tense. It felt as if there was nothing left to breathe.

His narrow golden eyes met Remesis's blue eyes. A whirlwind of all sorts of emotions, including shock and consternation, swirled in those old eyes. It was indeed a middle-aged man who looked something like a fox. Strangely enough, even though they were related and very similar in appearance, to Remesis, this man was completely different from her wife.

— This is only the second time I've seen you so close. How are you doing?

Remesis nodded at the emperor's question.

— Thank you for your concern. I am in perfect health. I am honoured to attend this foundation day banquet today.

The emperor was struggling to show his dignity, which was about to fall.

— I am very unfortunate that due to external circumstances we have become estranged from each other, but I have always been well aware that our bond as family members is still strong.

— I am honoured to hear your majesty say that.

The emperor looked at Remesis with a warm smile like that of a normal, good-natured middle-aged man. The girl also smiled at him like a beloved elder daughter-in-law. This scene of perfect family 'idyll' was eventually interrupted by a sudden intrusion.

— I apologise. What is the princess of the north doing here uninvited?

The Empress cut the Emperor's words short. She deliberately emphasised the girl's status. This was part of an action to suppress the spirit in front of the monarch family. The nobles at this moment looked at Remesis' face without realising it. Her beautiful face didn't move at all.

Even when Remesis bowed and stood up, her eyes did not fall to the floor, but were fixed on the emperor's face. The man who had tried to kill her not so long ago was now pretending not to know what the matter was about. All she could think about was how long the man would be able to play out this act.

She then shifted her gaze to the empress. As expected, the empress was staring intently at Remesis. The gazes of the two high ranking women met in mid-air. The only thing they exchanged was hatred and indifference, so the atmosphere naturally became violent. The empress had no special meaning to Remesis other than the fact that she was her wife's so-called stepmother.

At this moment, Remesis reflexively raised her eyes and saw another person standing on a pedestal next to the emperor and empress. It was only for a moment, but a look of surprise ran through her gaze. It was the same girl with red hair that Remesis had accidentally met in the Emperor's garden a few days ago. She hadn't expected to meet this girl again, much less in the spot she was standing in.

No long deliberation was required.

The Emperor is always accompanied by his heir when meeting with his great lords as well as attending such social events. Since aside from Asil, the current Crown Princess was his only officially adopted child, there was no doubt as to her status. In other words, the stranger that the princess of the north had initially mistaken for an ordinary noble lady turned out to be the Crown Princess.

Remesis was briefly stunned. Moreover, the image of Aveline Nevita Ashelot ended up being quite different from her initial perceptions. She had thought it would be a princess spoilt by her position. And that was why the scene she had inadvertently caught during her walk had a hard time settling in her mind.

'.....'

Remesis silently glanced at the heir to the throne, and the latter soon caught her gaze and flinched. The girl blinked rapidly without even realising it. That was because this encounter was a big surprise to both of them.

However, it was only a very brief moment. And in the next moment, Remesis' gaze returned to the emperor and empress.

After receiving the claim against her, the girl paused for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.

— I had no intention of disregarding the rules of the palace. But as a member of the imperial family, don't I have the right to attend this banquet?

'Imperial family member?' Has anyone thought of her as such all these years? Even though the marriage between Duke Carter's daughter and the eldest princess had been arranged, no one had mentioned the girl as such during all these years. The same was true for Asil, who was directly the daughter of the Emperor.

The Empress was briefly lost after her words, but then came to her senses almost immediately. She spoke with no small amount of arrogance:

— Even if you are an imperial descendant, you still have a duty before you to give advance notice of your visit. Do you know the etiquette of meeting His Majesty the Emperor?

The nobles watched this scene performed by the royal family with interest. The words exchanged between the Empress, the Emperor and the Princess of the North were neutral, and no one seemed embarrassed and it seemed to be meaningful small talk. But in reality, there was no 'small talk' here.

— I'm sorry. It's possible that through my own ignorance, I may indeed have disregarded imperial etiquette. However, since this is my first time attending such a banquet, may I ask for your indulgence this time?

After saying that, the eyes looking at the empress were so calm and cold that it embarrassed her. There was not the slightest remorse in them. Julia Ravelia Ashelot blinked for a moment, and then anger rapidly began to boil up within her.

'How outrageous!'

The woman raged at this hypocritical and extremely ignorant response. The fact that she wasn't kicked out of here immediately was the greatest favour the imperial family could send. But what was her rude attitude?

Nevertheless, the emperor looked at Remesis and nodded his head. Thereby giving her his tacit permission. The empress trembled with anger, but in such a situation with so many people watching them, there was nothing she could do.

At this moment, the corners of Remesis's mouth lifted slightly.

— Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty.

The girl smiled and stepped back, heading back to the banquet hall. At the same time, the Empress watched her back as if intent on burning a hole in it.

Remesis headed to the furthest part of the hall. The girl could feel the stares staring at her from all around the banquet hall. Although she had originally wanted to stay in the shadows, it was hardly possible.

Due to the sudden appearance of the princess of the north, everyone in the hall looked stunned, but none of the aristocrats approached her. Instead, they just discussed behind her back as if they were afraid of the possible repercussions.

She is Lord North's consort who is as ruthless as the devil himself. The possible outcomes of the event could be quite unfortunate, so hardly anyone would dare to be disrespectful in front of the princess.

Meanwhile, Remesis approached a table laden with champagne. Remesis, who had just taken a sip of champagne, calmly looked around. At the same time, for some reason, an unsettling feeling stirred in her heart. It was as if something was going to happen this evening, but the girl couldn't even guess what it was.

At the other end of the banquet hall, she spotted Duke Carter, who was standing and chatting with other high-ranking aristocrats. Next to him, as was his custom, was Michelle. Separate from them, Livius, who was also surrounded by a flock of aristocrats, also came into Remesis' field of vision. For a moment, as their gazes crossed in mid-air, Remesis subtly shook her head and smiled at him.

'.....'

The duke's second son hesitated and nodded back at her.

Remesis intended to just have a quiet moment. At some point in the previously exciting atmosphere of the hall, a waltz played. As the Crown Princess danced with her partner, the nobles one by one began to walk out into the centre of the hall in smooth movements. The scene of colourful dresses fluttering around the hall was like a feast of flowers.

Having not received an invitation to dance, Remesis continued to stand at her table, feeling little regret for her loneliness. It was enough for her to simply observe the spectacle from the sidelines. While the girl was watching the ball, immersed in this atmosphere, she didn't even realise that at this moment, the gazes of two people were focused on her.

'Should I ask my sister to dance...?'

Livius Carter, nervously bit his lip. This thought continued to spin incessantly in his head while he hesitated to take any active action. Several lovely ladies had approached him in the meantime, wanting an offer to dance with the Carter family's son, but Livius had turned them all down. Instead, his attention was focused only on his sister.

Liana Daehsin, who had arrived at the imperial banquet along with Katrina, was also in indecision. The fact that her wife was present at this banquet prevented her from even making an attempt to make a move towards Remesis. And at the same time... This sight also prevented the young head from calmly watching as the lady had no choice but to stand alone and unable to receive an invitation to dance. From the outside, the princess of the north seemed like a complete outsider at this ball.

At this point of highest tension on both sides, at some point, the young people simultaneously decided that they could not continue to stand aside.

Livius had already taken a step forward, with the intention of approaching his sister and asking her to dance with him. The Supreme Astrologer's successor at this moment also continued to tensely watch Remesis.

However...

— Wife! — This exclamation suddenly came from the other end of the banquet hall and stunned everyone present.