CH 4

*TL/N: I accidentally missed the chancellor’s name, his name is Yvetan Leinberon

“How am I going to convince him…….”

Her mutter drew the attention of a colleague next to her, she turned to face her.

“Huh?”

“This place is so luxurious.”

Eden smiled immediately and turned to face her colleague, who nodded in agreement.

“Right? As expected of the Imperial Palace!”

Eden nodded, and her colleague’s eyes returned to the magnificent banquet hall.

Then, she saw another familiar face. 

Her gaze turned to a blonde-haired man next to Yvetan.

‘Karon…!’

Her eyes, which had located the second target, were filled with delight.

Karon Citriel.

That was the name of the dashing gentleman with the same eye color as his hair.

The commander of the Holy Knights of Hesmoro, and the empire’s most formidable swordmaster.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Karon’s sword was responsible for the death of half of the monsters that attempted to infiltrate the Empire.

‘Wow……’

Eden was astonished to see his appearance. 

It was as if an angel had descended upon the earth.

His blonde hair, golden eyes, and beauty were as if he was an angel himself.

As the holy knight, Karon looked much more approachable than Yvetan. 

However, Eden knew he wasn’t an easy man either.

“…….”

Eden averted her gaze quietly. But she couldn’t find any more familiar faces. 

Eden eventually saw a silver-haired man sitting in the corner, observing him while he spins his drink in his hand.

“……”

Eden’s eyes grew even more when she saw Zephyr.

Zephyr Uren.

He’s the Archduke of Uren, his family is one of the founders of the country and owner power comparable to that of the imperial family. They always had power even during turbulent times.

‘He might be the most powerful person after the emperor. Zephyr is the most important figure among my targets.’

Bringing him over to her side could be the quickest path to the throne. 

However, she already knew the difficulty of this game, nothing is going to be easy.

“Ha…”

Eden’s face gradually became paler. The thrill of seeing those attractive people for the first time has long ago worn off.

It was a game, but at the same time it was real to her, and at least it was real to them too. 

When she actually faced these people who had been game characters before, she didn’t feel it was a game.

‘I couldn’t even clear the game I was playing for a long time, can I really convince them all and use them…?’

Eden, who had been gloomy, soon realized that she had forgotten something very important and lifted her head.

“Asmun.”

At that moment, everyone in the banquet hall was staring at the enormous door that had just been opened.

The bustling banquet hall became silent in an instant as someone appeared.

Eden too, opened her eyes wide when she saw the man walking slowly towards the center. Eden’s heart sank seeing him.

“……”

Her gaze was fixed on a man who walked calmly amid the suffocating silence. 

When Eden realized who was coming, she didn’t even have time to blink.

That man had black hair and red eyes that appeared to engulf everything in a sea of flames.

Everything about him was cold, down to the expression on his face.

The only person who can bring her back home is him. He is her first and most important mission.

He’s the third Prince, Asmun Deckland.

Everyone looked at Asmun and started to gossip a little. It wasn’t just because he was late; it was for another reason.

‘It smells like blood……’

Eden furrowed her eyebrows involuntarily. It seemed like every time Asmun moved, a fishy stench emitted from his cloak, which fluttered lightly with his footsteps.

“Asmun Deckland greets Your Majesty the Emperor. Please pardon my tardiness..”

When Asmun arrived in front of the emperor, he lowered his head and apologized in a courteous manner.

The emperor stared at him with a dissatisfied expression on his face, and he responded by clicking his tongue.

“How come you’re late on such an important day?”

“The carriage broke down on the way.”

Asmun calmly said. But Eden knew it was a lie. Asmun was attacked on the way. Of course, it was because of the first prince Kiris.

Eden’s heart started to race.

‘Assaulting Asmun at the Founding Day Banquet’ was a quest that popped up for her who chose the first prince. It wasn’t an attempt to kill Asmun, but it was intended to keep him out of the Emperor’s eyes.

“Okay, you can go.”

To publicly rebuke a poor prince is like spitting in the face of the emperor himself. Rather than scolding him, the emperor just clicked his tongue, and he was free to go. Asmun bent his head and turned around.

Eden struggled to come closer a little further and looked at Asmun with all her might. Indeed, he boasted an attractive appearance like the illustrations.

His black hair and red eyes complement each other. His expressionless but somewhat rebellious face and sharp facial features were enough to make the hearts of all the women gathered here flutter.

“……”

However, she was overwhelmed by his gloomy eyes, rather than his appearance.

Eden regretted her decision to choose Asmun, yet at the same time, she felt content and ecstatic because of his calm, unmoving gaze.

Convincing him would certainly be difficult, but it would be better once she had Asmun’s trust.

‘After looking at them, I was convinced that the first and second prince are supporting characters compared to him.’

This conclusion made her excited.

She felt something she would not have felt for the rest of her life if she hadn’t gotten into the game.

Asmun right now felt completely different from the lifeless 2D illustrations. But she knows after seeing them in real life, the main character must be Asmun.

‘I’m sorry I never picked you before.’

Eden gave her heartfelt apology to him and calmed her breathing slowly.

The banquet started again, and soon the plan of the first prince would begin.

And it really happened after a while.

“Ah!”

One of the maids who was carrying the food let out a scream.

“Ah, what should I do… I’m sorry!”

When everyone looked at the commotion, she saw Asmun covered with wine starting from his shoulder. 

The maid, who had stepped on the wrong foot, spilled the wine she had been carrying on Asmun who was standing behind her.

As things went on as expected, Eden’s face hardened.

“Oh, forgive me……”

“It’s fine.”

After a short reply, Asmun took the handkerchief handed to him by his subordinate and wiped off the wine.

The maid was nervous and ran away quickly, and when he finished wiping it, everyone lost interest and concentrated on the banquet again.

“Are you okay?”

When Asmun’s subordinates asked him, Asmun held out the handkerchief that looked like it had been stained with blood.

“Yes, except it smells bad.”

The subordinate’s face was troubled at his indifferent reply.

“Then I’ll bring new clothes…”

“No need.”

“…Alright.”

The subordinate politely took the handkerchief with both hands and stepped back again. Asmun stood and looked around as if nothing had happened.

Everyone was getting chummy with the first prince and second prince, who was most likely to become the Emperor, so they didn’t come close to Asmun. But Asmun didn’t care at all.

“……”

Eden glanced at the side where the first prince was with a nervous face. Unsurprisingly, the first prince was watching Asmun and quietly giving orders to someone.

Eden saw this and confirmed that she had put the item in her pocket because she had an intuition that it was going to happen soon.

And it didn’t take long either. The peaceful banquet hall became chaotic in an instant.

“What? Who is he?”

When a man wearing a black robe appeared from nowhere and approached the emperor, who was talking with envoys from neighboring countries, people’s eyes turned to them one by one.

After a glance, the commander of Holy Knights quickly blocked him due to his suspicious appearance.

“Who are you?”

“……”

The suspicious man did not answer, but Eden knew who he was. He was hired by the first prince. In return, he would pay off his family’s huge debt and take responsibility for their safety. He would be used and thrown away like trash today.

Eden looked at the man’s trembling shoulder and bit her lips.

“Who are you? Show me your invitation.”

When the commander drew a sword and asked the question, the man quickly pulled something out of his arms with trembling hands.

The commander’s eyes widened when he saw it, and his voice echoed in the banquet hall.

“Protect His Majesty!”

With that order, the knights quickly blocked the front of the emperor and made a shield.

The emperor, who was receiving a congratulatory gift from envoys in front of him, turned his head at the commotion.

“What is the fuss?”

All those who had been conversing were surprised to see the man holding a black marble.

As the man hesitated, the first prince narrowed his eyes, as the man glanced at him, he finally closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth.

“You… You stupid people… You will be judged by the Demon King……!”

Despite his trembling voice, everyone understood it. The eyes of those who heard the word “Demon King” grew wider.