It seemed her siblings had not yet arrived.
Gareth, the Empire’s Crown Prince and her half-brother, was always either standing at the very center of the banquet hall or seated like a king in the elevated seats on the second floor overlooking the entire hall.
And beside him would stand Aila, graceful and elegant beyond compare.
‘Though perhaps tonight, no one will be seeing Aila Roem Gwirta at all.’
A quiet giggle escaped Talia as she lifted a silver goblet from a small round table.
The memory of Aila collapsing in the middle of the banquet hall with a deathly pale face surfaced in her mind, and cruel satisfaction bloomed in her chest.
The sight of her vomiting wine across the marble floor had looked almost as though she were coughing up her own heart.
If only I could truly make that happen.
Talia scraped the sharpened edge of her nail across the surface of the goblet with a shrill screech.
As she watched her half-sister convulsing on the floor, she had prayed over and over in her heart.
Die just like that, Aila. Please. Never open your eyes again.
“Your Highness.”
Lost in her dark thoughts, Talia turned at the voice that suddenly sounded close beside her.
A man dressed impeccably in a deep green formal suit stood there with one hand over his chest.
His face looked familiar.
Only after a moment did she remember that he was someone who frequently attended the banquets hosted by her mother.
She could not recall his name.
She only vaguely remembered Senevier calling him Count Serian.
“It has been a long time, Your Highness. You grow more beautiful with every passing day.”
The man bent and kissed the back of her hand while gazing at her with open admiration.
The sensation felt disgustingly similar to something damp and crawling brushing against her skin.
Still, Talia forced a faint smile onto her lips.
“Did my mother ask you to keep me company?”
“Her Majesty the Empress worries for Your Highness more than anyone.”
The man indirectly confirmed it.
“But even if Her Majesty had not requested it, I would not have been able to resist speaking to you. Just look around.”
He leaned close to her ear as though sharing some grand secret.
“Every man in this hall is staring at you. Like me, they all wish to approach you, kiss this beautiful hand, and shower you with praise. They merely swallow those desires because they do not wish to fall out of favor with His Highness the ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Crown Prince.”
“And you don’t care?”
“I lost his favor long ago.”
A sly smile spread across his lips.
“So in the end, being assigned the honor of attending Your Highness tonight turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”
Talia disliked men who clung to her while showing more interest than necessary.
No—she despised them.
Still, having a suitable shield seemed preferable to enduring hundreds of piercing stares alone.
With the air of someone granting charity, Talia accepted his escort.
“And what did Mother say? Did she ask you to rescue her poor eldest daughter wandering around like a black sheep?”
“Her Majesty instructed me to ensure that Your Highness enjoys the banquet to the fullest.”
Talia suppressed a scoff.
Leading her toward the stage set before the balcony, the man continued,
“And she ordered me to make certain Your Highness shines brighter than anyone else in the hall.”
The people dancing to the melodies of lyres, lutes, and organs awkwardly stepped aside, throwing sharp looks in their direction.
But the count ignored them completely and bowed to Talia with exaggerated elegance.
“Would you grant me the honor of dancing with you, Your Highness?”
Talia looked uneasily at the slender hand he offered her, smooth and untouched by labor.
She had no desire whatsoever to touch some man she barely knew.
But the sharp glances and whispering voices around her stirred her defiance.
They all want me to disappear from this place.
Or else sit quietly in some corner as though I don’t exist.
But I refuse.