Charlize shook her head. It was over. Everything she’d worked for, all the careful maneuvering to survive—it was all gone.
'Shit. It’s all ruined.'
Even if she spent the rest of the night taking out her anger on the Gaemang Club idiots, it wouldn't change the fact that the announcement had been made. The old Charlize’s depravity had been bad enough, but this? This was a political death sentence.
I felt a surge of nausea. Not just from the alcohol, but from the realization of what my grandfather had just done. He was going to drag Askin into the Altsbeit household, swallowing the Lemut name and territory whole.
I looked around the room. All the men who used to blush with fear when I approached were now watching me with a mix of pity and morbid curiosity. Neither Duke Altsbeit nor Loxdian seemed bothered by the chaos.
I turned on my heel and left the banquet hall. I needed to get out of there before I actually threw up.
Near the exit, there was a table decorated with elaborate ice sculptures. I was still tipsy, my coordination off, and I slammed into the table as I tried to navigate past it.
*Clang!*
The ice sculptures shattered, the pieces scattering across the floor like the shards of my own mental state. I didn't stop to look back. To the people in the hall, it probably looked like I’d just had another one of my famous tantrums.
I walked out into the cool night air, leaving the wreckage behind.
* * *
Back in the banquet hall, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the crowd as the "Poison Apple" finally made her exit.
"Is she finally gone? I thought we were all going to die today."
"Did you see that ice sculpture? Do you have any idea how much that cost?"
"My God. That young lady she hit... her family is going to lose everything after this, aren't they?"
The atmosphere began to warm up again, fueled by the gossip of Charlize’s latest outburst.
Noah watched Loxdian, who was still staring at the door where Charlize had disappeared.
"Your Majesty... should I go after her?" Noah asked. He’d seen the way she’d winced in pain before she hit the table. It was a small, human detail that didn't fit the "villainess" persona he was used to.
"No. Leave her be," Loxdian said, his voice unusually dark.
Noah was confused. Loxdian’s face was a map of conflicting emotions—joy, anxiety, and a cold, simmering rage.
"Noah, get ready. Sooner or later, Charlize will be enrolling in the Imperial family."
"Wait... what?" Noah asked, his head snapping up. He looked toward Duke Altsbeit, who was still standing on his golden pedestal, then back at the Emperor.
"Do you think she'll stay with Altsbeit after this?" Loxdian asked, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe not today. But I intend to widen that gap until there's no way for her to go back."
Noah bowed deeply. The political landscape was shifting right under their feet, and Loxdian was clearly preparing for war.
Loxdian and Duke Altsbeit’s gazes met across the hall. Loxdian gave the old man a languid, arrogant look.
'Shameless old man,' the Duke thought, clicking his tongue as he finally bowed his head first. He’d achieved his goal for the day; there was no need to stay and trade insults with the young Emperor.
* * *
"Let’s go back," the Duke ordered his aide as they walked through the dark palace corridors.
"Duke, should we send someone to find the Princess?" the aide asked cautiously. "She left alone, and I’m sure she’s... distressed."
"Leave her," the Duke replied, shaking his head. "She’ll deal with it later. Her little 'accidents' are nothing compared to the benefits this marriage will bring."
He didn't care if a few people got hurt or even died in her wake. In his mind, individual lives were irrelevant compared to the "Great Cause" of the Altsbeit family.
"But Duke... the Duke of Lemut rejected the announcement quite publicly. Are they breaking the engagement now?"
The Duke stopped walking, a smirk crossing his wrinkled face. "Do you really think I’d employ an aide who’s this stupid?"
"I apologize, sir."
"Lemut only rebelled because he thinks he’s found a way out. He must have secured a loan." The Duke’s eyes flashed in the darkness. "I already know he asked for money. I even know which family it’s coming from."
He stroked his beard, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. "Today’s objection was an insult to my granddaughter—which is an insult to the Emperor’s sister. Do you think any noble family would dare lend money to someone who has publicly disgraced a member of the Royal family?"
"I... I suppose not."
"Exactly. He won't be able to borrow a single coin now. And since he’s already declared he’ll pay me back, it’s the perfect opportunity to seize his territory when he fails. Lemut is the gateway to the Yellow Route. Once I plant the Altsbeit flag there, my power will be absolute."
The Duke turned away, a cold smile on his face. Outside, the sky had opened up, and it was pouring.
* * *
The rain was coming down in sheets, a cold, relentless deluge.
I walked through the storm, my steps heavy with rage and despair. I didn't have an umbrella, and I didn't care. The torrential rain soaked through my dress, making it weigh a ton, but it felt better than being inside that stuffy, toxic hall.
'Everything is gone. What am I supposed to do now?'
I’d been walking for a while when I saw a figure ahead of me. I recognized the silhouette instantly.
It was Askin Lemut.
I wanted to ignore him, to just keep walking and find my carriage. But the unfairness of it all was too much to bear. I didn't want this marriage any more than he did.
I reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Wait!"
Askin reacted instantly, his hand pushing me away with such force I nearly fell into the mud. He didn't look back. He just kept walking, his shoulders hunched against the rain.
"Listen to me!" I shouted over the storm.
I didn't want to be misunderstood. Not while I was in this body, not while I was being blamed for something I hadn't done.
"I didn't know! I swear, I... I really tried to stop him!"
Askin didn't even slow down. I reached out to grab him again, but he turned and shoved me away once more, his face contorted with a look of pure, unadulterated hatred.
A face soaked by the rain, and eyes that looked at me like I was the most disgusting thing on earth.