Chapter 25
As expected, the nobles were frantic because they couldn’t greet us. Thanks to that, I had to be as busy welcoming people as I was during the wedding banquet.
Even amid the chaos, I felt a sense of nostalgia.
In the past, I would be a step away, watching people gather around Reus, or I would be in a similar position as him, serving as nothing more than a topic of gossip.
But after signing the contract with Reus, everything changed.
Those who would normally show disdain were now smiling warmly, and everyone seemed desperate for just a glance.
“Viscount, how have you been?”
The woman standing before me with orange hair.
She was the one who used to bet large sums of money, claiming, “Loelle Ivelle is a poor woman who will be abandoned before marriage,” while betting that Cassien would cheat.
“You look so beautiful today, as always.”
“Are you planning to attend the salon that’s opening soon? If you attend, Viscount, it will surely make the event more enjoyable, just like before.”
This woman, wearing the same light blue dress as me, would always go on and on about her fiancé’s perfection right in front of me. And the one with the green eyes would invite me to the salon just to enjoy seeing me being ignored.
And this woman, who looked so innocent while smiling…
“Viscount, it’s been so long.”
It was Verodica , the one who had last had an affair with Cassien , and the one who had tormented Iris terribly in the original story.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t forget about Cassien , nor was I still attached to him. But that didn’t erase the fact that Verodica had deceived me.
‘It was something I already knew…’
It was a little surprising to see her appear unchanged, without a hint of embarrassment.
“Viscount? Is something wrong? You look a little pale…”
Verodica, full of concern, grabbed both my hands.
What kind of reaction should I have? I was at a loss when, just then, the melody of the orchestra slowly grew louder, turning into a lively tune.
At the same time, the door of the Britian Palace opened, and a woman could be seen walking toward the banquet hall. Anyone who didn’t recognize her would surely be clueless about her identity.
The Empress’s daughter, Iris Aren Ashelit, who had suddenly appeared in the imperial palace.
The innocent girl whose only asset was the Emperor’s favor. Watching Iris made the nobles whisper to each other, but for me, it meant something entirely different.
This was the first time I was seeing Iris in person since being born into this world. The protagonist of this world. Although I had never encountered her before, her title alone had always occupied a corner of my life.
As the gentle breeze blew, Iris’s golden hair fluttered beautifully. I stared at her absentmindedly.
Her posture, perfect and unwavering, radiated the dignity of royalty, while her reddish eyes held a chastity rare for someone her age, and her every step exuded an atmosphere that made her untouchable.
Even if someone tried to belittle her, Iris, by her very existence, was the protagonist of this world.
Even the nobles, who had secretly gossiped about Iris, could not take their eyes off the new princess at this moment.
But there was another person whose impression of Iris differed from others.
I glanced at Reus’s expression. As expected, he seemed completely uninterested in the new princess’s arrival.
‘What an oddly steadfast man, in places I never expected.’
I genuinely wondered if anything in this world could ever grab Reus’s attention other than rebellion.
As Iris ascended the stage in the middle of the banquet hall, the shimmering lake beneath her, reflecting the evening light, made her seem even more noble.
Just as the orchestra’s music changed, the nobles, who had been silent, slowly regained their voices.
“I would have probably asked to shorten the banquet, considering the situation. Is it bold or foolish?”
“True. She’s been outside the imperial palace her whole life. Who would recognize her as the princess now?”
“Sadly, it seems she takes after her mother, the third empress, who can’t even grasp her own position.”
“She grew up outside, so we should be understanding about her lack of knowledge, right?”
The daughters of powerful families within the Empress’s faction laughed, and the other nobles in the hall reacted similarly. Their attitudes of disdain were glaringly obvious.
Considering Iris’s background, the nobles’ reactions at the banquet might have been expected.
Iris was a legitimate princess of the imperial bloodline, but she was also the first child born and raised outside the imperial palace by her mother, the third empress, Abinoa.
The daughter of a powerless empress born outside the palace.
That alone made Iris’s status as a princess questionable, and she had lived outside the palace until she became an adult because of her mother.
Abinoa had been forced to live outside due to the relentless bullying of the Empress, and her life had been in danger, so it had been a last resort.
But to the nobles, Iris was nothing more than a fragile, useless baron’s daughter unworthy of sitting as an empress.
What would they think of her daughter?
“She hasn’t even properly learned the court etiquette, yet she’s walking around acting like she’s a princess.”
“Unbelievable behavior. Doesn’t she realize she’s just a hollow princess? She’s even foolish enough to believe in it…”
“Well, she’s at least a little better than her mother, isn’t she?”
Up until this point, everything was following the original storyline perfectly. From my perspective, I thought the story might drastically change from here, but…
‘Nothing has changed at all.’
It seemed that my choices, as an extra, had not caused any changes in Iris’s fate.
I had always wanted to stick to the original, but today, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by that fact.
‘If things continue like this, that incident will happen…’
If that incident happened today, it wouldn’t just involve Iris as the protagonist.
I quickly looked around and locked eyes with a man. The person I had been desperately searching for… Cassien.
I couldn’t keep my expression in check and frowned.
‘How long has he been watching me?’
It looked as if Cassien had been watching only me ever since he entered the banquet hall.
I had heard that after the wedding, Cassien had severed all ties with the Ivelle family.
‘But why…?’
Just then, a man’s upper body entered my field of vision, and Cassien disappeared. The owner of the fine clothes was Reus.
“Loelle.”
As I raised my head, Reus placed his large hand under my chin. Then, he gently rubbed my cheek with his thumb.
His slow touch, with just a bit of pressure, felt like a silent warning. Reus leaned close to my ear and whispered slowly.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten your place.”
“There was no condition to avoid looking at others, but today, with so many eyes on us, let’s stay focused on me.”
I nodded slightly, and the warmth that started with his thumb slowly faded. Although his hand had already left, I felt an odd sense of embarrassment and found myself absentmindedly touching my dress.
At that moment, Reus’s assistant, Dwyn, hurried over to us.
“Your Highness, excuse me for a moment…”
Reus, listening quietly to Dwyn, narrowed his eyes slightly. But as always, any emotion that rose on his face quickly disappeared.
Reus turned his gaze back to me.
“I think I need to step away for a bit…”
There was a brief pause, as if he wanted to say more. Somehow, I felt as though his gaze was that of someone watching a child left at the water’s edge.
‘Does that mean he’s uneasy about leaving me alone?’
It seemed to be a reaction to the brief exchange of glances between Cassien and me earlier.
I wanted to explain that there was no lingering attachment, but doing so would require too many explanations.
I felt a bit wronged, but all I could do was silently keep my mouth shut.
As if he had read my unease about him not trusting me, Reus gave Dwyn an order not to leave my side and disappeared.
I felt strange, like I had become the woman who distracted her husband shortly after marriage… Or rather, like I had been treated just like Cassien.
‘It’s not about attachment, it’s because of Iris…’
Still, in the end, it wasn’t a bad choice.
Whether it was because of Dwyn or the nobles’ attention, I wasn’t sure, but Cassien didn’t come near me.
‘But why does he keep staring at me?’
It was bad enough that the main couple still hadn’t gotten together, but Cassien persistent gaze wouldn’t leave me.
The pressure of his gaze was so overwhelming that I asked Dwyn to help me move to a quieter place away from everyone’s eyes.
Just as I was heading toward a small resting area behind the trees…
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a hand holding a cup reached out, and dark red wine splashed onto my dress.
