CH 18

When he returned to the reception hall, he saw, from a distance, the figure of Eleonora taking a bite of her custard pie after looking at it affectionately.

She was a fair and beautiful lady, completely different from the Pie he met in the Magic Forest. Even her manners were that of a lady’s. Her kind gaze as she looked at the custard pie, however, was just like the soft, green-skinned Pie.

What Alexei felt towards her was not just nostalgia. It was some kind of longing he had never experienced before. He couldn’t understand what this feeling was.

In the reception hall, he returned to, the chandelier, powered by the magic light stones from the empire, hanging from the ceiling high above illuminated the polished floor. On the floor, people were elegantly dancing the waltz in rhythm with the music from the orchestra.

Those who noticed Alexei’s entrance stopped dancing to bow, but he raised his hand signaling that it wasn’t necessary.

Watching the figures of the dancers continuing their performance relieved, Sergei spoke to Alexei.

“Your Highness, this event is a ball. How about you dance with someone?”

Hearing this suggestion, Alexei knit his eyebrows.

“You’re the one who arbitrarily decided to hold this ball. I don’t plan to dance with anyone. Wouldn’t it have been fine to find an empress without holding this ball?”

“Yes, it is as you say. A tea party would have been fine too. But the first event you hold must be a historic imperial ball.”

“Hmph. Unnecessary.”

Sergei wanted to dispel the emperor’s demon-like image, even if just by a little.

He guessed that the invited nobles seeing Alexei’s pure beauty, with a black military uniform adorning his well-trained and well-proportioned body, would be enough to achieve that effect.

Only the influential ministers and those who fought with him on the battlefield knew what Alexei looked like. However, they did not praise his beauty but his ability.

Consequently, Alexei’s good looks haven’t been of any use until now.

Sergei believed that fear alone would not be enough to create a new empire after the purge of the anti-emperor faction. In fact, Alexei is cold and ruthless. There was no reason for them not to use his beauty which could overturn this fact.

“You don’t have to dance today. But please be sure to find someone to dance with next time.”

If Alexei danced with someone with a charming smile on his face, he would seem much friendlier than he is now. Imagining this, Sergei chuckled.

“Sergei, I know what you want to do. But I don’t plan to do anything for this empire.”

These were Alexei’s true feelings. Of course, Sergei was aware of this.

Until now, Alexei only lived for revenge. But there was a long life ahead of him. Sergei wanted him to use the abilities he cultivated for revenge for the empire next.

Of course, he wanted Alexei to achieve happiness, but he was still the empire’s prime minister. He would choose the empire’s future over Alexei’s individual happiness.

“…By the way, did you send people to guard Purpleus dukedom’s Eleonora?”

The corner of Sergei’s mouth raised.

“I assigned three of your personal guards a while ago. If it’s Your Highness, you can still protect yourself even if the number of your guards were to decrease.”

Alexei quietly nodded.

The ball then became quite boisterous. Alexei was different from the demon emperor people imagined, and, maybe because of the alcohol, but he was quite relaxed.

Alexei sat down and looked at the scene. A majority of Alexei’s matchmaking partners, the young ladies from the other room, had returned to the reception hall, but Eleonora was nowhere to be seen.

“Sergei, what happened to Eleonora?”

Seeing Alexei’s concern for Eleonora, Sergei smiled in satisfaction because it was exactly as he thought.

“I will ask the guards I assigned to her.”

Sergei told the guards nearby to ask those assigned to protect Eleonora.

In the meantime, Alexei, restless and fidgeting, recrossed his legs and took a sip of wine.

After some time, the guards from earlier returned and reported to Sergei. Alexei, who was nearby, also heard.

“What? She already went home?”

To Sergei’s question, the guards nodded ad explained what happened. Hearing this, Alexei’s veins popped.

“Someone splashed wine on her and made her go home? What were the guards doing?”

“With all due respect, Your Highness. Her sister spilled wine on her, there was no crime. The guards did not think that the daughter of a duke would spill wine.”

Alexei remembered the harassment he experienced when he was young. From meaningless trifles to life-threatening ones, any kind of harassment was difficult to bear for a young child. The image of his young self overlapped with hers, and, thinking she might be crying, he felt a pain in his heart.

In the next moment, Alexei was surprised that he was worried about someone else.