Chapter 7

Adelaide was a princess from the moment she was born. With people always around to manage her every move, it was true that she didn't have to worry about many things. However, there were certain matters that did concern her. Yet, isn't it often the case that what one loses feels more significant than what one gains? The dress she was to wear at the banquet was dazzlingly beautiful, but the length and the fit were much too small for Adelaide's figure.

"Enough. Take it off."

At her cold words, the maids quickly removed the dress.

"I am truly sorry, Your Majesty. It seems the measurements we received from Gottrop did not match those of Echmont. We made the dress based on the measurements from Gottrop..."

However, the dress was not just a little too small; it was impossibly small. Moreover,

"Then how did the measurements for the wedding dress match?"

"The dressmakers for the two dresses were different... I am sorry, Your Majesty."

Adelaide leaned back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. Arguing with the maids would only make her more agitated.

"Have it altered to fit. I will wait."

"But, the banquet starts in—"

"It's fine if I enter a little late. Have it altered."

At the queen's firm command, the maids exchanged glances and hesitated. However, they didn't seem willing to follow her order. Adelaide's patience was starting to wear thin.

"Why, is it difficult?"

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. It's easy to make a large dress smaller, but it's difficult to make a small dress larger. It will definitely take longer than the end of the banquet."

Adelaide clenched her jaw.

'Adelaide, you always fight against monsters and towers, so you think the battles within the palace are trivial, don't you?'

Suddenly, her mother's words came to mind.

'I have never taken a break from war. Don't let your guard down in Echmont.'

She fell silent for a moment, organizing her thoughts. She could wear the dress from Gottrop, but the banquet she was attending was her own wedding banquet. It would be inappropriate to wear a Gottrop-style dress at such an occasion.

"So, I have only two choices with this dress."

"..."

"Either I don't attend the wedding banquet, or I force myself into this ill-fitting dress. Correct?"

At her cold words, the maids could only bow their heads. Adelaide straightened her back, squared her shoulders, and asked a different question.

"Did Dian Poitiers prepare my wedding?"

At this question, the maids held their breath and looked at the queen.

"The Emperor allowed it."

"..."

Unable to answer properly for fear of causing trouble, the maids' hesitant attitude revealed the answer to Adelaide. She smiled. Her golden eyes narrowed, and her red lips curved into a chilling smile that sent shivers down the spines of the maids, who involuntarily swallowed hard.

"Bring the wedding dress and the crown I wore at the wedding."

"Excuse me, but that dress has already been worn..."

"It doesn't matter."

A skilled craftsman does not blame his tools, and a renowned swordsman does not blame his sword. It seemed that some people wanted to gain the upper hand through a mere dress or the Emperor's favor.

'What do they think of the witch of Gottrop?'

Adelaide's eyes glinted threateningly. ＊ ＊ ＊ In the main hall of the Echmont Royal Palace, the grand banquet celebrating the Emperor's marriage began in the early evening. The banquet hall was bustling with palace staff serving food and the nobles who had attended. The atmosphere of the banquet grew lively as the night fell, but the main guests, the Emperor and Empress, had not yet appeared.

'The Empress won't show up. She can't wear a Gottrop dress, and the dress is too small for her to wear. Oh, does she even have a wedding dress?'

Dian was busy greeting people and moving around the banquet hall with the Duke of Despoina.

"The Duke of Despoina's help was invaluable in decorating this hall."

"Without our palace master's discerning eye, it would have been impossible, hehehe."

The Duke of Despoina praised Dian as 'palace master,' and the nobles laughed sociably.

"Where did you source such exquisite crystals, Palace Master?"

"Oh, it's not my discerning eye, but the Duke's."

Dian smiled and chatted with the noblewomen. Everyone knew the purpose of the banquet, but no one asked, "Why aren't His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress here?"

"Oh my! Palace Master, is this necklace from the new collection at the atelier?"

A noblewoman pointed to Dian's neck in exaggerated surprise, and others quickly joined in praising her necklace.

"Goodness, I heard the new collection was so beautiful! I went to see it, but when I heard that the Palace Master had bought everything, I left with a heavy heart."

"Me too. Me too. Oh, and these earrings are part of the set."

At this point, they began to speak more privately, praising Dian.

"Ah... and I heard that His Majesty spent the first night of the marriage in the Ivory Palace..."

"I heard that too. Oh, what a love. I envy you, Palace Master."

"Don't say that. I... feel so guilty towards Her Majesty the Empress. I told her to come... I'm afraid she might misunderstand me. So, please don't say such things."

The noblewomen wanted to be close to Dian. Even if they couldn't be close, they at least wanted her favor. Because,

"Oh, Palace Master. Actually, our territory's harvest this year is not as good as usual... If possible, could you reduce the taxes a bit..."

"Palace Master, a tower has recently descended near our territory. Could you send some Strikers?"

The noblewomen, who had been sweating profusely in front of Dian, continued to flatter her, make eye contact, smile, and make requests. It was thrilling. Dian smiled gently and nodded.

"I will certainly speak to His Majesty about it."

"Thank you, really thank you, Palace Master."

At that moment, Renox, who was standing next to Dian, interjected with a sneer.

"Our palace master is so humble. The Emperor still delegates the management of the palace to the Palace Master. In fact, isn't the Palace Master's authority greater than that of the Empress..."

"Making such dangerous statements."

Renox, who had been sneering, trailed off and turned his head at the low, penetrating voice. The noblewomen who had been praising Dian also turned and gasped. A stunningly handsome man with a cold expression was looking at Renox. Lionel Baldr, representing the Baldr family in place of Theseus, who had other matters to attend to, stood there. Around Lionel were several prominent middle-aged nobles. The noblewomen glanced at Lionel's face and quickly stepped back, but Renox, despite his uneasy expression, deliberately puffed out his chest. The Duke of Despoina cleared his throat and turned his head, and Dian frowned, trying to stop her brother. It was foolish to fight with Lionel Baldr in such a place. Of course, Renox's mouth was faster.

"Did I say anything false?"

At Renox's arrogant tone, Lionel retorted coldly.

"Do you even understand why this banquet is being held?"

Renox, who had been speechless for a moment, glared at Lionel's back as he passed by. He took a deep breath to vent his anger, ignoring Dian's attempt to stop him. At that moment, the bustling banquet hall rippled like a wave. Renox, who was about to vent his anger, and Dian both looked at the entrance where the commotion began. When their gazes fell on the entrance, a wave that seemed to engulf everyone in the hall surged forward and crashed. The spot where the white foam had risen was left in a profound silence.

"..."

Dian's spine tingled, and cold sweat trickled down her back. Even Renox, who had been flushed with anger, stared blankly at the Empress.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!!"

The servant stuttered as he announced the Empress's entrance.

The Empress had appeared in her wedding dress instead of the ill-fitting one. The crown on her head sparkled in the crystal light, and her golden eyes, the same color as the crown, shone brightly. Unlike the wedding, her long black hair flowed softly with each step, making her look completely different from the wedding day. The Empress was small and slender, but no one felt she was small. The nobles who saw Adelaide Ulrich Echmont all thought of a deep and intense darkness. Her golden eyes, which shone like stars in the pitch-black night sky, and her pale face, like the moonlight, were both eerie and captivating. The nobles surrounding the entrance involuntarily took a step back, and Adelaide slowly walked towards the head table. The musicians lowered their bows to watch the Empress's entrance, and even Lionel stared blankly as she passed by. A cold silence descended on the hall. Only the sound of the Empress's footsteps and the rustling of her dress filled the vast hall. Adelaide, seeing the empty throne, smiled wryly. She preferred the throne to be empty, as it suited her. She stepped onto the dais, which no one dared to ascend, as if it were natural. When she reached the throne, she slowly turned to face the crowd. She slowly and calmly scanned the room, from left to right, as if determined to look at everyone gathered there. The fact that she was wearing her wedding dress was not important. The mysterious aura she exuded captivated even the most prominent nobles. The nickname 'witch' was well-deserved. When someone swallowed hard, the sound seemed unusually loud. The Empress's red lips slowly curved into a smile, and when her golden eyes, like the moon, gently curved, gasps were heard from all around. Holding everyone's hearts in her hand, Adelaide smiled and spoke in a gentle tone.

"I'm a bit late."

Dian caught her breath and stared at the Empress. She had walked up the Emperor's steps, which no one dared to step on, and was now looking down at everyone as if it were natural. The nobles, who had been chatting in various voices, held their breath and looked up at the Empress. She shouldn't be looked at like this. Dian bit her lip hard and clenched her fists. Even in her wedding dress, the Empress did not seem out of place. The thought that she wouldn't come had been wrong. Meanwhile, Adelaide's gaze, which had been slowly scanning the room, stopped at one person.

"Duke of Despoina. How is the banquet?"

Next to him, Dian Poitiers stood, seemingly by chance.

"Your Majesty. You have arrived? I was just waiting for you."

"Is that so?"

The Empress slowly sat down. As the owner of the empty throne appeared, the orchestra began to play a grand and majestic tune. The Empress, with her arm resting casually on the armrest, looked down at the people. Despite her light smile, the nobles, without exception, watched her closely. In such an uncomfortable situation, the nobles split into two groups: those who stepped back to observe and those who tried to read the political waves while being wary of the newly arrived Empress. The two groups were already different in their gazes. This is why the head table is good. You can see people's attitudes at a glance. The first to step forward was someone familiar in Echmont. Lionel led the nobles of the Baldr family's vassal families and bowed. While they were bowing, Lionel looked at the Empress on the throne. Both her casual demeanor and her authoritative presence, which had captivated the room, suited her. As Adelaide turned her head leisurely, her eyes met Lionel's for a moment. His eyes, which looked dark and deep in the dim light, were different from those in the sunlight.

'Lionel Baldr.'

Adelaide murmured his name to herself. As the prominent nobles began to vie to greet the Empress, a scene unfolded where those who had been chatting and building camaraderie suddenly lined up to greet her. If the Empress, who had appeared in her wedding dress due to the lack of a proper dress, had greeted people with a friendly face, it would have been impossible. Dian stared blankly at the scene. The Empress did not look at her for a single moment. Her gaze had brushed past, just like it had with the passing servants, without any special attention. The feeling of being completely ignored sent a wave of humiliation through Dian. She clenched her fists tightly.

'Fine. If you won't look at me properly, I'll make you look.'

Dian ignored the long line and headed straight for the dais.