Princess Shu

Leo’s hand stopped, he raised his eyes slower than Valia reflexively turned her head. A reddish-blonde hair caught his eyes right away–along with the eyes that looked just like his own. Schuden strode along and grabbed Valia’s soft hand before Leo could. 

Schuden felt a small sense of satisfaction and shifted his gaze to Leo. The smile he had towards Valia had long since faded.

“Have you not been told to follow Gel’s etiquette when you’re in Gel, Viscount Leo Canute?”

Two pairs of red eyes collided in the air.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

“Hmm, the etiquette of Gel? Now that I think of it, I do remember hearing something like that.”

Leo responded naturally and withdrew his stretched-out hand. Though he was left hanging, there was no sign of embarrassment, because something more important than that had appeared in front of him. More precisely, it occurred at an unexpected time.

“Thank you for reminding me, soon-to-be Marquess.”

Leo casually continued his sentence before correcting Schuden’s title half a beat later.

“Oh, are you Marquess Garth now?”

He slowly scanned Schuden as he purposefully uttered that last sentence. The reddish dark blonde was still the same but his ambiance was quite different from when he was young. Leo thought he also must have changed as much as him, a lot of time had passed after all…

‘Eight years or so.’

Maybe it was more than that. Schuden’s gaze moved slightly. Perhaps something had happened in the meantime, but Leo’s purple eyes turned red. He was indeed his half-brother whom he had not seen in a long time.

However, Schuden could not feel any sense of warm familial love in Leo’s eyes, though he did not even expect that in the first place. Rather, Schuden was more familiar with those eyes, a sharp gaze that hated and antagonized him.

After Schuden was conferred as the heir to the House of Garth, those eyes were the first thing he got used to. He killed countless people on the battlefield. Schuden was expressionless even though he was covered in hot blood, and the curse that was poured on him was similar. There were so many people who continued to swear while their hearts were pierced and their skulls were shattered. It was already several years ago that he lost interest at the word ‘devilish murderer.’

Of course, Leo’s expression was a little different from those on the battlefield. His expression was similar in a way of looking at an enemy to be killed. But dig a little deeper, and a deep kin-esque hatred was revealed. This was because Leo was his one and only kin in this vast continent. They were born to the same mother and were dragged like beasts to the same man.

That essence did not change. It was the same even if Schuden became Marquess Garth. He had spent more time on the battlefield than in high society in the first place. He was better at detecting murderous intent towards him more than anyone else. And the one who tried to bite off his neck this time was of his own kin.

As if a wild beast was growling, the red eyes that looked at Leo darkened.

“…Schu?”

The dark glare suddenly disappeared. Leo squinted his eyes slightly at the unexpected change.

“What’s wrong?”

Schuden immediately shifted his gaze to the source of the voice. The silvery-gray eyes that read the wild atmosphere were showing a cautious look. Schuden tried to say, ‘Nothing much,’ as usual, but he hesitated. The problem was that there was a guy with clear murderous intent right in front of him. If possible, Schuden did not want to let Leo hear his wife’s voice.   

“Marquess and Marchioness Garth.”

The attendant, who had been standing restless by Valia’s side, took the opportunity to quickly open his mouth.

“In a little while, it will be time for His Imperial Majesty to enter the banquet hall. How about slowly entering the grand banquet hall…”

There was an exaggeration in the attendant’s words. Schuden did not leave Valia for long, even if they went back to the grand banquet hall right now, the Emperor would not enter until 30 minutes later. The attendant had just sensed the unusual atmosphere of the two men and tried to separate them. 

Schuden nodded silently.

“We shall not go in any later than His Imperial Majesty does. Let’s go to the hall, my dear.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Valia answered calmly and bowed slightly toward Leo. Leo’s gaze that had been fixed on Schuden until then went to her. Unexpectedly, he also nodded to her according to etiquette.

“Valia.”

“Yes?”

“About that guy earlier…”

“That guy?”

Oops.

Schuden accidentally used the name he had only used in his mind.

“I mean, Viscount Canute.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Did he say anything to you?”

“He didn’t say much. He said he was happy to meet me and suddenly reached out his hand… By the way, when the attendant first introduced me as ‘Marchioness Garth,’ he just kept staring at me.”

As expected.

Leo was a war hero of the Eastern Kingdoms Union. Schuden had heard that he had not worked as a skilled mercenary or knight, he served as a commander of the army. It was a position that required not only force but also strategy.

‘He was just making an excuse when he said he wasn’t familiar with Gel’s etiquette.’

Leo asked Valia to shake hands simply because she was Marchioness Garth. To be exact, it was because she was Schuden’s wife. Schuden felt a small pulse jumping in his hand, the soft beat could easily be cut off with just a little bit of force. The thought that his feeble wife was alone in front of his brother who proclaimed to want to pluck his heart made Schuden shudder.

“If you see Viscount Canute in the future…”

Shall I tell her to avoid him? Or shall I tell her to run away?

If he could, Schuden wanted to tell Valia not to come to the palace while Leo was staying in the Imperial Palace. But Schuden compromised somewhat.

“Don’t talk for too long with him.”

“Yes, I won’t.”

Without any further questions, Valia nodded her head. It could be inferred that Leo and Schuden were not on good terms only with what had happened. Valia, who had heard Leo Canute’s name briefly in the past, did not even want to have a long conversation with him.

“Schu, after His Imperial Majesty enters…”

“Yes, Valia.”

“I want to be with Marchioness Joan.”

“Only with her?”

“The tea party members too. Everyone is nice so don’t worry.”

“Are you going to stay until late?”

“No. I want to go home before the evening party starts. Would that be okay?”

“As you wish, my dear. I’ll pick you up on time.”

The couple talked about where they would be located in the grand banquet hall. Valia smiled and Schuden stared into the silvery-gray eyes that were brimming with smiles.

Even if the attendant had come up with an excuse shoddier than before, Schuden would have followed suit. Because Valia was with him now. He never wanted to reveal his true nature to this woman alone. It felt like she would never look him in the eye again when she learned about his terrible true nature of taking many lives and being full of sin.  

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After the Eastern delegation entered, the banquet had officially begun. The Emperor personally entered the banquet hall to congratulate the delegation’s visit.

“As the master of the Gel Empire, I gladly welcome the visit of the Eastern Union delegation.”

“Much obliged, Your Imperial Majesty.” 

“Aren’t we close because we’re adjacent to the border? Make yourselves at home.”

“His Royal Majesty will be pleased with your words, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Despite Leo being the representative of the delegation, he did not come this far to do something like that. So it was another Eastern noble who spoke to The Emperor. After the Emperor had returned to his palace, Leo followed suit and left early.

Nevertheless, the grand banquet hall was bustling with activity. Even without Leo, there were many important nobles in the Eastern Kingdom delegation. Opportunities to build ties with nobles from other countries were rare. Besides, the Imperial household of Gel and the main figures of the Empire also participated in the banquet. The huge hall was crowded with numerous nobles and the attendants skillfully carried glasses between them.

Hundreds of nobles attended but some of them were clearly drawing more attention than others. Marchioness Garth, Valia, was of course one of them.

Since it was impossible for a married couple to be together all day at an Imperial banquet, Valia was currently with Diana and other acquainted tea party members. As soon as she exchanged simple greetings with the members, the nobles gathered and drew a small circle among them.

“I have heard a lot about you, Marchioness Garth.”

“I wanted to tell you that your wedding dress was dazzling the other day, but the dress you’re wearing today is even more beautiful. So I don’t know what to say first.”

“Are these gloves made of lace? It’s really unique and beautiful.”

“I have heard about it. It’s the lace of the Fleur boutique, it’s on the rise these days, isn’t it?”

While expressing sweet words with their mouths, the nobles were constantly judging Valia with their eyes. That was how high society worked. As this banquet was no different than her debutante, Valia’s first impression would depend on how she behaved today.

“Thank you for your kind words. The designer prefers novel designs.”

Valia did not mean to be arrogant but there was no reason to look trivial. Using her past experiences as a guide, Valia smiled moderately and answered calmly. Some nobles were secretly expecting her to make a slip of the tongue and were disappointed inside after they heard her speak.

“You’re here, Marchioness Joan.”

Suddenly, a haughty voice intervened. It was not common for a lady to walk all the way to the center of the circle and pretend to know someone. Diana’s eyes widened as soon as she recognized the lady. Soon, Diana greeted the lady elegantly.

“It’s been a long time, Young Lady Billiam. I heard that you had returned to the capital but I didn’t know that you would be attending the banquet today.”

“The grand banquet hall is so spacious after all. I’m glad you look healthy, Marchioness Joan. By the way…”

Young Lady Billiam glanced at Valia.

“I heard Marchioness Garth is at this banquet. Where is she?”

It was such a transparent question. The small circle made by the noblewomen and young ladies was centered on Valia and Diana. Young ladies of high-ranking nobles were active in high society from a young age.

Moreover, she was a daughter of a Duke. it was easier than breathing for her to guess who Marchioness Garth was.

She was feigning ignorance on purpose. It was common territoriality in high society, and was also popularly used as forestallment. Of course, Valia was not unfamiliar with this behavior of Young Lady Billiam’s. She had often seen her in the past while working as an escort lady-in-waiting.