Chapter 11
Chapter 11: The Man Named Balak Utar
Despite Vinea’s arrival, no one dared to approach her. She was a foreign woman who had become the Empress of Tessibania just over a fortnight ago. The marriage, shrouded in a mix of welcome and hatred, deals and silence, was expected to keep her subdued for a while. Yet, her first official act was to attend a banquet for merchants—a bold move.
In the tense atmosphere, the first to step forward was Marquis Vintero, the host of the banquet. As the head of the Treasury, he was known for his amiable demeanor, though it was said that beneath it lay the cunning of a decades-old serpent. Approaching Vinea, he greeted her skillfully.
“Greetings to the glory of Tessibania. I am Marche Vintero, leading the Marquisate, paying my respects to the Empress.”
“This is the first time we meet in a private setting. Pleased to meet you, Marquis Vintero.”
“I received notice, but I did not expect you to visit in person. It is a great honor for our family.”
His question was polite yet pointed, inquiring why the Empress would attend a banquet no royal had ever visited before.
To end the seventy-seven cycles of regression, or to meet a man who had been her lover in the thirty-second, thirty-third, and thirty-fourth cycles—whatever truth she revealed, she would be deemed insane. So, Vinea offered a suitable reason.
“Isn’t this an important banquet, being held for the first time in ten years since the war? His Majesty, though unable to attend, is very interested. As am I.”
The Marquis nodded.
“I hope this banquet will help the Empire’s commerce flourish again. Your attention would greatly benefit us. Thank you.”
“Indeed.”
With the Marquis bowing and stepping back, the tense atmosphere eased slightly.
Amidst the outpouring of attention, Vinea felt an especially intense and blatant gaze. Ignoring it, she walked towards a man.
The man, busy examining documents amidst the guests, was startled by the sudden appearance of the Empress and quickly bowed.
“Gr-Greetings to the glory of Tessibania! I am Akta Bardag, a new recruit in the Treasury, paying my respects!”
His forehead almost touched the ground, an obvious sign of inexperience with high-ranking officials.
“I have seen you in the palace. You’ve worked hard.”
Although it wasn’t in this life, Vinea swallowed her thoughts.
“N-No, not at all! It is my duty for the Empire!” Akta replied, adjusting his glasses perched on his nose.
Despite his naïve demeanor, he was capable enough to be recognized and promoted to a high position within six months. Though, he had also died a couple of times before achieving promotion due to Tatar’s swordplay.
Shaking off unnecessary memories, Vinea smiled at the nervous man.
Even though it wasn’t easy to ignore the burning gaze from a slanting direction, Vinea remained composed, focusing on Akta.
However, Akta’s face didn’t look good. The more he talked to Vinea, the drier his mouth became.
Attending the Merchant Guild’s banquet for the first time with his superior, and daring to converse with the Empress herself, left him dazed. Moreover, a man was glaring at him as if he wanted to devour him. It felt like standing before a predator.
‘Does the Empress truly not feel that gaze?’ Akta’s weak mental state couldn’t hold any longer, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Anyone could see his pale face, prompting Vinea to pause the conversation.
“You don’t seem well.”
“Wh-What? No, I am fine! It is an honor! If you have any orders, please—!”
“It seems I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
“N-No, not at all!”
Now he didn’t even know what he was saying. Babbling, Akta finally surrendered to the overwhelming glare.
“I’m s-sorry. I am not feeling well, I must—!”
“Yes, it would be best if you took a rest.”
Bowing at a right angle, Akta fled the scene. Vinea lightly lifted a wine glass with a gesture.
Apologetic as she was for the Treasury’s low-ranking official, he happened to be closest to her purpose.
Left alone, the gazes on her became even more blatant.
This should be enough. Wetting her lips with the bitter wine, Vinea set down the glass and moved.
Though no footsteps followed, the feeling of someone’s gaze lingered persistently. Engaging in meaningless pleasantries with the attending nobles, she felt that gaze on her every moment until the short banquet concluded.
* * *
The tedious banquet was finally drawing to a close. After her exchange with Marquis Vintero, Vinea was the first to leave the hall, heading towards a small garden located to the left of the Marquis’s mansion entrance.
Since the garden was fully opened for the banquet, it was bustling with people. Couples, one after another, were busy finding secluded spots.
The reason Vinea dismissed her guards and walked alone to this place was clear.
“―Excuse me.”
A heavy cigar scent brushed past her nose. The smoke came from exotic leaves not easily found in the Tessibania Empire.
As she lifted her head, a large shadow from a man standing with his back to the moon covered her body.
The man’s eyes, glowing red under the moonlight, twisted mischievously as if determined to captivate his target. They were red eyes, reminiscent of a man who was free but somehow dangerous.
The close proximity felt familiar, though only to Vinea.
“The nights in Tessibania are too dark. They make it impossible to avoid someone standing so close.”
It was an excuse. The full moon shone brightly overhead, making it implausible that she couldn’t avoid someone right in front of her.
The man did not step back. Vinea looked up quietly at his face.
His thick features, deep-set eyes, and thinly curved lips, distinctly different from the people of Tessibania, gave off a somewhat strong impression.
The golden earrings dangling from his earlobes and the clothes revealing his clavicles hinted at his carefree nature.
A memory brushed Vinea’s ear, like a dream, of a man with red hair swaying in the wind, who, disliking confinement, would throw open the windows even in the cool autumn, whispering passionate confessions.
“…Have you finished your observation?”
The man, unable to endure the long silence, took a step back as if surrendering and shrugged his shoulders.
“If you wish to keep looking, at least tell me your name.”
At his question, Vinea finally turned her head with a nonchalant expression.
“You already know.”
“I want to hear it directly from you.”
“You speak informally.”
“Having spent my life recklessly at sea, if you desire, I can treat you with the utmost respect. Though I’m not sure how well I’ll manage.”
A man who had spent his life recklessly at sea. He always introduced himself that way.
Though he seemed to lower himself out of eagerness, in reality, he was a hunter waiting for his prey to fall into his trap by acting carelessly.
Once, she had admired this man’s cunning, but in this life, she intended to use him as a tool, not a lover.
“If you don’t know, you must learn.”
The tip of Vinea’s fan touched the man’s left shoulder.
A soft floral scent brushed past his nose. The perfume she had sprayed before arriving had subtly lingered on the fan she carried throughout the banquet.
“Your title?”
“I have none.”
At his answer, Vinea lightly pressed his shoulder with the fan.
The man’s red eyes, calm until then, wavered slightly.
Though the pressure on his shoulder was slight, the intention was clear. As he lowered his posture somewhat, the fan moved next to his right wrist.
As she lifted the slightly protruding bone, his hand naturally moved to his left chest. Then, she nudged his left arm behind his back with the fan.
The man, taken aback, let out a deflated laugh.
“Aha.”
A bitter smile spread across his face as he bowed deeply.
To think that the woman he had impulsively followed out of infatuation was the Empress of the Empire, already someone else’s woman, and now she was treating him like this.
“It seems that my lowly status and stiff neck have offended the noble Empress.”
Despite everything, his desire to see her face a little longer tonight was pathetic.
A man who had single-handedly built the most successful trading company in just four years was now tasting the bitterness after a long time.
Vinea’s fan finally reached his face. The white feather at the tip of the fan tickled his chin. With a light gesture, Vinea lifted his chin, looking into his red eyes shimmering under the moonlight.
“Your name?”
“…Balak Utar. I run the Valita Trading Company.”
“I am Vinea de Tessibania, the Empress of Tessibania. You, who wish to trade in this land, should show the appropriate respect.”
As Vinea lowered her fan, Balak finally straightened up.
Although it was a brief moment, he felt completely overwhelmed by the palpable pressure of someone who had never descended from the highest place in life.
Only after letting out a slow breath did he realize he had held his breath for a while.
From the first impression to their private conversation, nothing about her was easy for him. He tightly gripped his clammy, sweat-dampened palm.
“Thank you for the lesson.”
He knew he had to stop here. Before he got swept away by this absurdly started feeling. His trader’s instinct strongly warned him.
Taking a step back, he followed the posture he had seen earlier, bowing his head.
“For someone of my humble status, your guidance is more than I deserve. Thank you for this memorable night, Empress.”
As he bowed his head, a voice that tickled his heart descended upon him.
“That is a knight’s salute.”
“What do you mean?”
“You call yourself humble, yet that salute suits you well.”
Balak hesitated and then straightened up again. His eyes wavered, and Vinea imprinted her presence on him once more.
“If you want to be remembered by those higher than you, adopt the appropriate demeanor and posture. If you do so, this night may not be so brief.”
With those words, Vinea turned away.
His face flushed rapidly. As the head of a trading company, he was embarrassed that his longing for this night had been so easily read by his opponent.
He felt an urge to hide out of sheer embarrassment, but instead, he made another choice.
Instead of daring to grab her arm as she turned away, he spoke with a trembling voice.
“I wish to apologize for today’s rudeness, Empress.”
His voice, not hiding his regret, trembled pathetically.
Vinea paused for a moment, replying without turning around.
“Call for me if you need anything.”
With those final words, she disappeared, leaving Balak standing in place as if nailed there, watching her retreating figure.
Only when the sensation of the fan that had touched his face, shoulder, and arm had completely faded did he let out a sigh like a lament.
“…I chose the worst possible person for a first love.”
