Chapter Forty-Two: Regina’s ‘Friend’.
1433 Words
After paying my respects to the Emperor and Queen, both of whom eyed me slyly, I walked over to the glamorous pink champagne tower sitting on a table at the end of the ballroom wall.
The fragrance in the area was that of delicate grapes. The frost on each neatly arranged glass assured me of the refreshing qualities of the harboured contents.
I reached for a glass holding peach liquid that fizzed and popped loudly despite being left exposed.
The scent of alcohol was distant, but it brought on a gnawing thought.
‘When I get pregnant, I probably won’t drink anymore.’
‘When I-?’
F*ck! Since when was I comfortable with the idea of birthing, only to abandon?
A repeat of what happened to Aran and me.
How can I do that?
‘There will be another way; there has to be another way!’
I thought, clenching the stem of the flute in hand tighter.
But…
‘Will I lead another life again when this ends? Return to the Marquis’s side only to be denounced publicly once more?’
‘Wait, wasn’t there a save reward thingy?’
‘How does it work?’
‘Do I just think, ‘save’ and it-,’
**DING**
{The host has saved the current progress}
{Congratulations! A new checkpoint has been created}
‘Waa…! Would you look at that? I am practically a natural!’
Still, that is it? A message from the system that ignored all else around me?
No steam pooling from my body or burning sensation.
Just a quick, ‘saved’, and that’s that?
‘Hmm…’
‘Will…will the system reward me with death if I pursue a certain route?’
I pressed the glass to my lips, ready to pursue the line of thought when I stilled.
For a moment, it escaped me that this was not a dingy conventional pub but the palace. A palace where several have died of poisoning.
The only issue is; if I returned the glass flute, I could be accused of tampering with its contents.
I don’t foresee myself holding a glass just for fun. I have enough problems holding my bag.
‘Haah…troublesome.’
‘I wonder if I can pass by a good pub on the way home.’
I walked to the lonely corner of the room where a large potted plant stood proud.
I emptied my glasses’ contents in its pot!
‘I thank you for the nutrients, but take me outside! It is raining!! I love the rain!!’
The plant whined.
“That will be considered theft.”
‘You can understand me!?’
I did not reply; from my experience, houseplants were the chattiest of them all.
‘You can’t understand me, cant you?’
I placed the empty glass on the nearby table.
‘Hey! I know you can understand me; just answer.’
‘Yeah…no…’
“When I saw you walking towards the plant, I thought that I found a fellow kindred spirit. One who likes plants and their quiet.”
A sweet but baritone voice spoke to my turned back.
“Not one who uses them as garbage pits as the height of their evening.”
He continued as I turned to face my assailant.
‘Ba- ba- ba-burn!’
The noisy plant cheered.
‘Wow, now I definitely will not be making conversation with it.’
Finor Sylra.
I can never get over his beauty.
A high nose, pink lips, vibrant turquoise eyes glimmering under the bright yellow ball lighting. Finor had such a dignified and graceful appearance that he was never criticised no matter how much jewellery he wore.
His beauty was near effeminate, but his body told another story.
He was not bulky but well-toned; his toga-looking outfit clarified that.
A descendant of a high elf with fairytale deceiving beauty.
That is Finor.
I took a deep breath and steadied my posture, but something gnawed me about his aura.
It felt untamed and poorly managed. I could feel the bareness of his mana, which, in highly trained people, was considered taboo.
Most properly trained simply hid their mana or used it to impose threateningly on another, not…this…cavalier show of power because inherently it is just a mana leakage.
‘Is this on purpose, to lower my guard, or are you weaker than in my previous life?’
‘…yet another thing that is none of my business.’
“I greet the prince of the north, Prince Fino-.”
“Arusei.”
He drawled my name on his lips.
“Countess Evergreen is heavily preferred if a rapport is to be established.”
“Aha…a new name and…attitude.”
‘Did I…did I bully him in school or something?’
Still, he wasn’t finished talking.
The sneer on his face grew.
“A new title as well. I bet you feel that this entitles you to forget the dealings of your past!”
‘The dealings of my what now?’
‘Seriously, Finor, did I bully you?’
“Does the past need to be held accountable? Why not live in the present?”
I asked, hoping we could start as we are now rather than dig into the matter that caused his stern attitude towards me. We were academic rivals in my past, so it shouldn’t be hard!
“Exactly what someone so irresponsible would say!”
His lips turned in deeper disapproval.
As though I were a stain he wished to wipe away.
‘Wait a minute! You sort of liked me before!! What is this?’
“Prince Aran, have I offended you in some way?”
His mouth curved in both disgust and disbelief at my words, then he neared me.
He took the portion of my hair that fell forward, and in an odd twist, he placed it on his nose and inhaled deeply.
‘What the-!’
Despite the mixed-signal, his eyes still held their fury.
“I know what you did to Regina.”
He whispered harshly.
“To...Lady Alpensa?”
“How dare you abuse maids before her! How dare you make her feel powerless when you are the lesser one! Did you not understand how fragile she was at the time, you vile woman!”
“Wha- wait a minute!”
I pulled my hair from his hold then took a step back; his beauty was too intoxicating up close, especially if he decided to pair it with absurd nonsense.
“I never pegged you as the type of person to make assumptions based on hearsay.”
“Hearsay! The lady told me this herself!”
‘Son of a bitc-,’
“So you mean to tell me, Lady Alpensa, confided in you that I abuse maids before her as a pastime activity? There was no foreplay to the information or context that would-”
“Look, I don’t care which title you own, however, if you ever-!”
He disregarded my words, grabbed my hand, and proceeded with his forming threat.
“So much as breathe the same air as her! I will-,”
‘How funny.’
“You will defend the honour of an engaged woman? Where will her man be then?”
His eyes narrowed at my words, but I was far from done.
“With your current basic prowess in mana control, pray tell, Prince, exactly how you intend to start a war you cannot win by your own merit!”
His hold on my arm grew tighter the more his pupils danced frantically in anger.
I placed my hand on his, then leaned in.
“Let go, your highness, before I am trialled for harming a defenceless royal.”
His grip lessened.
I could tell my words hit home in the way his expression sobered.
As I recall, his mother, Duchess Liodguda Sylra, was not one to favour the weak. According to the game, that was why his mana was greater than Étienne’s
‘Why is Étienne the more powerful one now?’
The light in the hall dimmed, and a spotlight was turned towards the stairs.
Finor dropped his hand and turned his gaze fully to the main characters of the ball as though he were entrapped in a trance.
His hand slowly reached for his chest, then he let out a soft sigh.
‘You have got to be kidding me!?’
“Announcing the arrival of his highness, the fourth prince of Norvig, Prince Étienne Norvig Yarez and his bride to be, Lady Regina Lione Alpensa.”
The band’s music turned slow and romantic, and the beautiful, blushing, picture-perfect couple slowly moved down the steps through the musical notes played.
‘I can leave now, right?’
- Writer
