Chapter 18: The Beginning of a Magnificent Night
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Setting aside Duke Premirer's reluctant expression when he received his outfit, and ignoring the resentful face of Caesar who looked like a man abandoned by his wife every time he saw Emilia in the palace, under the eager arrangements of Queen Sophia, the night of Emilia's grand debut had finally arrived.
Unlike Milim's coming-of-age ceremony, the number of nobles attending Emilia's debut was overwhelmingly greater. The carriages entering the capital were too many to count.
Unlike Milim, who had renounced her inheritance early to strengthen Caesar's position, Emilia was a true heir, her influence far surpassed Milim's.
The nobles came not merely to celebrate, but to evaluate her. Instead of believing rumors, they wanted to see with their own eyes what kind of person this long-forgotten princess truly was.
In truth, there were many who did not wish to support Caesar, mostly those who had once allied with the late Empress Liliane, or noble houses whose heirs were mages from the Magician Tower.
Emperor Arthur's harsh policies toward mages had created countless potential political rivals for Caesar.
But all that idle chatter before the banquet could be set aside.
Moon Palace.
Emilia's jet-black hair, smooth as silk, shimmered gently as it was brushed. Helena stood beside her, her eyes glistening with emotion.
Once, Helena had been Liliane's closest handmaiden. When Liliane died, she was quietly sent away from Moon Palace to avoid being caught in the storm of revenge and purges that followed.
Now, standing before Emilia, Helena felt as though the Last Empress herself had been reborn.
When Emilia restrained her sharp, intimidating aura and sat quietly on her chair to let the maids do her makeup, Helena saw an illusion of Liliane sitting there and turning her head to smile softly at her.
"Helena?"
Hearing no response for a long time, Emilia turned curiously, only to see the older woman's eyes red with tears.
"Crying again? Honestly…"
Emilia sighed in amusement.
Helena was wonderful, but far too sentimental at times.
"It's nothing, Your Highness…" Helena smiled faintly and handed the gown in her hands to another maid.
"Let's make our princess the most beautiful woman tonight!"
Music filled the grand hall. Caesar entered, escorting Milim by the arm.
The nobles' gazes shifted subtly toward the pair, not with the same admiration or caution as before, but with sharp calculation.
They were measuring Caesar, wondering whether he still had the strength to remain the number one heir to the throne.
Milim, dressed in a soft pink gown, was seething with barely restrained anger. Her lips pressed tight, her fists clenched.
"Milim… if you don't want to be here, we can leave," Caesar said worriedly.
"No! I won't let them mock us!"
Milim glared at a group of noble ladies gossiping in the corner. She knew perfectly well they were whispering behind her and Caesar's backs, and she wanted nothing more than to rip those smug mouths apart.
"I told you from the start, these nobles can't be trusted! Give them enough profit, and they'll sell us out in a heartbeat," Milim muttered under her breath.
Most nobles only befriended her to curry favor with Caesar. But now, with Emilia's return, Milim's influence had waned drastically.
Only within the Holy Temple of the God of Light did she still hold some semblance of prestige.
Caesar had noticed Milim visiting the temple more often lately. Rumor even had it that she'd grown close to a common-born priestess, newly appointed as the Saintess.
"Don't get too involved with the priests," Caesar warned. "The divine and royal powers must stay balanced. We shouldn't grow too close to the temple."
Though the Velarent dynasty's reputation was built on the belief that the royal bloodline was blessed by the God of Light, no royal had ever truly become a priest.
History had proven that kingdoms ruled by the church's hand were destined for ruin.
Milim wanted to argue back, but hesitated.
Lately, she had realized how deeply the temple's teachings had seeped into her thoughts. Once, she would have agreed with Caesar without question.
But then she remembered Ria, the dear friend she had recently made there and fell silent.
At that moment, the music shifted, and all eyes turned toward the grand entrance.
Everyone was eager to see who would accompany Princess Emilia tonight.
Originally, it should have been Crown Prince Caesar, but since he had entered with Princess Milim, curiosity filled the hall.
If not the prince, then who could possibly be worthy to stand beside the reborn princess?
And when a tall, elegant, and all-too-familiar figure appeared beside Emilia, the nobles couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
A perfectly matched pair, handsome, poised, regal.
The one escorting Princess Emilia tonight was none other than Duke Lukas Von Premirer.
In the glittering hall that evening, there was no doubt, they were the most dazzling couple of them all.