Chapter 28:

Chapter 28:

Chapter 28: A Frenzied Party (4)

Count Devar was notorious for being a gossipmonger.

If one wonders what that means, imagine sharing a secret with a close friend at night, like still sleeping with a doll. If by the next day, everyone knows about it, then one of their friends was most likely the gossipmonger.

Lately, Count Devar had been particularly infatuated with one individual.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

Ascal Debrue.

If one asked who was the most famous person in the empire these days, nine out of ten people would mention his name.

The one outlier was probably just mad.

"Would you like some snacks, my lord?"

"No, I'm good."

The Count was busy. He had to observe every move Ascal made. Watching this rising star was a treat in itself. Either soaring high, piercing the heavens, or plummeting to the ground.

'Which one will you be, Ascal Debrue?'

The Count took a sip of his wine. From a distance, he could see Ascal greeting the highest-ranking noble, the Duke.

'Hmm. If the Duke ignores him, then there's nothing worth discussing.'

Next to approach was Prince Kain.

'So, the rumors about the Prince taking an interest in him were true...'

At the party, Ascal had received acknowledgment from the two most powerful figures.

Everyone seemed preoccupied with their own affairs, but there was an underlying tension, with many covertly observing Ascal.

Nobles wanting to connect with him, ladies hoping for a night's flirtation or maybe more.

It was a silent battle of wits.

And the one to break the ice was the Second Princess, Serena Barba.

'Ah! Princess Serena makes the first move.'

Many feared or were wary of Princess Serena, but Count Devar liked her.

Because she was always assertive. From a spectator's standpoint, she was the kind one couldn't dislike.

-Whispers.

Soft murmurs echoed through the party hall. Even without listening closely, it was evident they were discussing about Serena.

Yet, Serena approached Ascal without hesitation.

Would you honor me with a dance?

Holding the hem of her dress, she elegantly curtsied.

It was a textbook-perfect dance invitation.

It would be hard for any man to decline such a request.

'Truly, they say the brave win the beauty, but this time it seems to be the other way around.'

I apologize. My legs troubling me. Excuse me.

'?'

But an unexpected twist occurred.

Leaving those words behind, Ascal vanished on the spot.

The Princess was left alone on the dance floor, her face frozen in disbelief.

"Peanuts, give me some peanuts!"

Count Devar grabbed some peanuts offered by a servant and hurriedly popped them into his mouth.

-Crunch, crunch.

It was a scene too precious to just watch with a bare mouth.

Ascal was proving to be more entertaining than he had imagined.

****

The Duke's mansion was even grander than one could imagine.

It wasn't just a place to eat and sleep, but served various purposes.

For instance, hosting grand parties.

Or having a clueless empire official wander indefinitely within its walls.

"Where could she be... Sushia..."

It was exasperating.

Every person he met would say things like, "Oh, nice to meet you. I'm so-and-so. If you have time, shall we discuss the continent's current state?" or "The moon is beautiful tonight. They say even the moon has a partner; I wonder where mine is?" Politely declining each time was exhausting.

Nevertheless, Ascal had done his minimum duty.

Now, all he wanted was to meet Sushia, claim a resounding victory in their cookie contest, return home, wipe his feet, and get a good night's rest.

However, Ascal's hopes did not come to fruition.

"We meet again, Ascal."

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince."

However, Ascal, busy wiping his hand, missed Count Teheran's words.Kain was taken aback.

'I need to... find Sushia quickly...'

This was his limit.

He felt like he was dying from exhaustion.He had searched every nook and cranny of the first floor, but given that there was no sign of Sushia, she was most likely on the second floor.

As Ascal began to ascend the stairs, the surroundings became quiet.

Unlike the first floor, which served as a party hall, the second felt more like a living space.

'This feels a bit intrusive.'

At that moment, hushed voices filtered through a slightly ajar door.

- "The current situation is..."

- "So, how is the plan progressing?"

It was the voice of a middle-aged man and a young woman. He unintentionally overheard their conversation.

Just as Ascal was about to head back down, he bumped into the person he was looking for.

"Oh, Director-nim. What brings you here?"

It was Sushia. Normally she was a thorn in his side, but right now, he was genuinely relieved to see her.

"I've finally found you. Did you actually make those cookies?"

"Of... of course. You'll be in for a surprise when you try them."

Sushia was about to say something when...

The door opened.

Emerging from it was a stunningly beautiful woman with platinum-blonde hair and sapphire-colored eyes.

She wore a dress adorned with a golden brooch a symbol reserved only for the royal family.

Almost reflexively, a name came to Ascal's mind.

"Lia?"

The woman, about to leave, turned her head to glance back at him.

Her gaze was intensely cold.

"It seems you've mistaken me for someone else, haven't you?"

"Your Royal Highness... the Princess!"

Sushia gave a slight nod and, pinching Ascal's thigh, she whispered,

"What are you doing? Apologize quickly."

Without hesitation, Ascal bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

"It's alright. Everyone makes mistakes."

With that, the Third Princess Yulia left the scene.

For some reason, her departing steps seemed unusually brisk.

"......"

Ascal pondered deeply.

It felt as if he had experienced something like this before.

It was reminiscent of when he was in elementary school and mistakenly called his teacher 'mom'.

The embarrassment felt eerily similar to that incident.

So embarrassing.

But why didn't Sushia recognize Lia? Was her eyesight poor? Well, in this era, glasses were rare, so that could be the case.

****

"Haa... Haa..."

Yulia moved quickly.

Once she reached a secluded spot, she buried her face in her hands.

'Did he recognize me?'

The person she had just encountered was Ascal Debrue.

Her superior, who didn't know that she was the Third Princess...

...Someone precious to her.

Yulia struggled to calm her racing heart.

But it wasn't easy.

If he found out that she was Yulia, the Third Princess of the Empire, what would happen?

Would she still be able to stay by his side?

And if not?

The mere thought was terrifying.

[TN: You can support the translation and read 3 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: /OracleTls]