AWLITEB Chapter 20

Genos and Isabella respectfully knelt on one knee before the Emperor and Empress.

The Emperor placed his hand on Genos's shoulder; the Empress placed hers on Isabella's shoulder.

The chamberlain walked between the Emperor and Empress and knelt, raising a small jar made of pure gold above his head.

Phyke and Syellin took turns dipping their hands into the jar to scoop water mixed with flour and gold powder. Then they sprinkled it over the young lovers' heads.

Isabella felt Syellin gradually increasing the force of the hand pressing on her shoulder while sprinkling water with the other.

To avoid making a sound of pain, Isabella kept her lips tightly sealed and endured.

The nobles gathered around the four people giving and receiving the blessing watched them with reverent hands clasped together.

Ethan was among them.

Ethan glared at the backs of their heads with fire in his eyes.

Genos, who had suddenly chosen the withered Isabella over marrying Rosalie, was irritating, but if he had to pick the more absurd one, it was definitely Isabella.

Isabella was a stupid girl.

A fool who knew nothing of the world because she'd been locked in the basement for so long.

She seemed to pick up books the maids had discarded for leisure reading, but that was just meaninglessly taking in letters with nothing else to do.

Anyway, the conclusion was that Isabella was a stupid girl.

In other words, all of this must have been orchestrated by Genos.

Being stupid was related to being naive. This was especially true for Isabella.

Isabella was a stupid and naive girl.

That perverted Grand Duke Genos must have ensnared Isabella after feeling a strange attraction to her.

'Does Isabella even know what that bastard will do to her?'

No, maybe he'd used semi-coercion.

Perhaps he'd said he'd kill her if she didn't marry him. Or maybe he'd threatened to annihilate the White family.

Isabella's world was narrow and confined. The White family must be everything to her.

Who had pulled Isabella from that miserable orphanage, fed her, and dressed her in noble skin?

Anyway, he didn't want to watch that foolish Isabella caught by Grand Duke Genos.

Whatever it took, he wanted to extract Isabella from that absurd situation.

"We humbly receive Your Majesty's blessing."

Genos and Isabella spoke in calm voices.

It was the moment the blessing ceremony—the most important part of today's party—was being completed.

Syellin removed her hand from Isabella's shoulder without giving the nobles time to savor the moment. Her attitude was as if she'd touched something filthy.

'See. I knew she'd be like that.'

Ethan furrowed his brow.

Isabella, clueless and stupid, was obviously going to have a terrible time with her in-laws.

For someone of her caliber, the widower they'd chosen was perfect.

Though he had some unsavory rumors, he'd been crazy about Isabella, so at least she would have lived receiving proper treatment.

Ethan looked at Isabella and clicked his tongue inside his mouth.

Stupid thing.

The ball was winding down.

Time was growing late, and here and there people could be seen making their final rounds of farewells.

Among them, Ethan was carelessly looking around.

Genos and Isabella were nowhere to be seen.

No matter how spacious the ballroom was, it was strange that after walking around searching like this, he couldn't see even a single strand of their hair.

Ethan's eyes turned toward the ballroom entrance guarded by security.

It seemed they'd left this place.

"What are they trying to do out of people's sight?"

Ethan muttered quietly, then clenched his teeth down to the molars.

Luring a naive woman to satisfy his lust.

To think Grand Duke Genos was such a vicious bastard!

Ethan quickened his pace and went outside.

He intended to find the two before Genos could lay his filthy hands on Isabella.

At the same time, Genos and Isabella were hiding from people's eyes in a grove a short distance from the ballroom.

"Is anyone around?"

At Isabella's question, when Genos nodded, Isabella removed her glove. Three scratches from long nails were visible.

"Doesn't this seem a bit insufficient? Should I scratch more?"

As Isabella raised her nails toward her own hand, Genos caught her hand and pushed it away.

"No, that's enough."

Genos said, pulling new gloves from his pocket and handing them to Bella.

The new gloves were torn in the exact same pattern as the scratches on Isabella's hand.

Genos hid the old gloves in his pocket.

"This should have bought enough time. Let's stay nearby. So we can go back in as soon as we see the Empress leaving."

Genos bent his arm slightly toward Isabella.

Bella placed her hand on his arm and they walked together back toward the party hall.

Then.

In the distance, a man could be seen walking toward them.

When they got close enough to recognize his face, Isabella's steps stopped abruptly.

Ethan.

"Out for a walk, it seems."

At Ethan's words, Genos's face crumpled.

The warning he'd thrown inside the party hall must have been insufficient—Ethan was prancing about without knowing his place, and it was absurd.

"Ethan White."

Genos said with a sigh mixed in.

"Isn't it time for you to return home? Your mother and sister seem to have already left."

"That's precisely why I must remain."

Genos tilted his head back wearily and exhaled a long breath.

"Isabella."

Ethan stared directly at Bella and spoke.

"You know you have a reliable family to rely on, don't you?"

"..."

"You're still a child who needs others' help."

Goosebumps rose on Isabella's arms.

The most horrifying thing was that Ethan seemed to genuinely mean those words.

Ethan was truly a strange bastard.

He genuinely wanted to hurt, hit, and use violence against others, yet sometimes he genuinely cared for and loved his family.

And occasionally he wanted to give condescending help to others by flaunting his wealth.

In short, comprehensively speaking, he was insane.

'I'm better than this bastard, even if I'm only half-crazy.'

Isabella thought this, but she didn't carelessly show contempt in her eyes toward Ethan.

If a greater victory required it, one had to know how to bow.

Bella tightened her fingers and gripped Genos's arm harder. A signal not to say anything.

"Yes, of course. If a moment comes when I need my brother and family, I'll visit anytime. Now if you'll excuse us."

Isabella spoke calmly and walked toward the ballroom with Genos.

Ethan seemed quite relieved by those words, as he didn't follow her further and merely smiled faintly.

"Irritating bastard."

Genos muttered with annoyance.

"How much more irritating must it have been for me?"

"But why did you do that? To use him?"

"Yes."

"What use is a guy like that? Only if we need to run from cannibals."

"Pfft."

Isabella burst into laughter, then quickly covered her mouth in case someone saw.

"That's quite a logical joke."

Syellin looked down at Phyke conversing on the first floor.

Perhaps feeling her burning gaze, Phyke turned his head and met the Empress's eyes.

Phyke nodded toward Syellin as if he couldn't help it.

Only now was he finally permitting her to leave.

Syellin immediately left the table and descended the stairs. She staggered this way and that, having sat for so long.

Because her attendant was a commoner maid rather than a noble lady-in-waiting, Syellin's maid couldn't enter the party hall.

No one dared carelessly touch Syellin's body, so despite her unsteady gait, no one attempted to support her.

Only the Emperor could barely catch Syellin, but that was something neither the Emperor nor the Empress desired.

"Mother."

Second Prince Elrond, who had been clinging to the wall like a shadow, approached Syellin and carefully tried to hold her arm, but Syellin raised her hand in refusal and walked slowly.

When she treated even Elrond—the blood relative she spoke to most—this way, the nobles couldn't dare approach her.

"Don't stare so much at a woman's gait. What is there to see?"

Syellin warned in a heavy voice against the gazes that were subtly pouring in.

At those words, everyone startled and looked away.

Syellin, who had barely managed to walk all the way, was just stepping outside the ballroom when it happened.

Genos and Isabella came face to face with the Empress.

Syellin passed them as if she hadn't seen them at all, and the two simply bowed their heads without speaking.

"The cat was quite fierce. And to jump over the wall so quickly while pregnant."

Isabella said in a small voice.

But it was loud enough for Syellin, who was passing right beside them, to hear.

Syellin's head snapped toward the two of them.

Syellin grabbed Isabella's shoulder and spun her around.

"What's the matter, Your Imperial Majesty?"

Though Genos asked, Syellin couldn't hear anything.

"What did you just say?"

Bella looked at Syellin with a frightened, bewildered expression.

"I asked what you just said!"

"What... do you mean, Your Imperial Majesty?"

Bella spoke in a trembling voice.

Phyke, who had approached at some point, took Syellin's hand.

"Empress. I don't know what's happening, but how about lowering your voice?"

"Let go!"

"Syellin."

The Empress flinched and raised her head.

She was still agitated, but she couldn't completely ignore the Emperor's voice.

Looking around, all the guests' gazes were directed at her.

Syellin bit her lip hard, then grabbed Isabella's wrist and walked outside.

Genos followed quickly behind.

"Your Imperial Majesty!"

The Empress's maid, who had been near the ballroom, ran over in alarm.

Syellin's appearance, roughly dragging Isabella, was far from normal.

"Your Imperial Majesty. Why are you doing this? Please calm down."

"The cat. This girl bothered the cat and made it jump the wall."

Syellin spoke in a voice soaked with rage. Her eyes also caught sight of Isabella's torn glove.

When Syellin removed Isabella's glove, her wound was revealed.

"Touching a pregnant, sensitive creature like that made it run! How will you take responsibility? How will you be responsible for that small life!"

"Your Imperial Majesty. I don't know what misunderstanding you have."

Genos said.

But Syellin's agitation didn't subside.

While Isabella said nothing and just trembled, the maid spoke in confusion.

"Your Imperial Majesty. If you're speaking of the palace cat, I just saw it."

"What?"

"The preparations for the party took so long that we didn't feed the cat today. I thought it would be very hungry, so I'm just returning from there now."

"...What?"

"It looked healthy. There was nothing wrong, Your Imperial Majesty."

The Empress became dazed.

The moment she understood the situation, Syellin hastily removed her hands from Isabella's body as if waking from hypnosis.

But the damage was already done.

Syellin's lips trembled. She tried to think of a way to salvage this, but there was no such thing.

Genos took Isabella's hand and positioned her behind his back.

Syellin opened her mouth to try making an excuse, then just closed it again.

No matter what, she was the Empress.

She'd made a mistake, but she hadn't committed a mortal sin.

Right now, she just wanted to think that way and return to her room. She was so exhausted she could barely lift a finger.

"...I apologize. Let's go."

After Syellin gave a brief apology, she spoke to the maid.

The maid quickly supported Syellin, slowly moving away from Genos and Isabella.

Once the two slow-walking figures completely disappeared from view, Genos and Bella looked at each other.

"It seems to have gone perfectly."

Bella whispered happily. Scratching her hand had been worthwhile.

But Genos's expression wasn't very good.

Wondering if she'd missed something, Isabella read his mood.

"Did something go wrong, Your Grace?"

"We should have scratched my hand."

At Genos's words, Isabella tilted her head in confusion.

"Pardon?"

"I said we should have made the wound on my hand."

"..."

"It's not rational observation. Your seduction ability didn't activate either."

Genos raised his index finger in warning, guessing Isabella's strange speculation.

Isabella, who had been about to say exactly that, rolled her lips inward like a curling pill bug.

"I already have a hand full of scars and calluses anyway. So a few more scratches won't make a difference. But you have hands like withered anchovy scraps."

"...They're not that much like anchovy scraps."

Not, she wanted to finish the sentence, but they were excessively anchovy-like hands.

"No, they are like anchovies. But that's not the point, Your Grace. The Empress knows you're not someone who would get scratched by a cat. It's correct to make the wound on my hand."

"I know, but I regret my war horse getting wounded."

Genos shrugged and sighed. Then he took Bella's hand.

Anyway, the two had succeeded in setting the trap for tomorrow.

"Let's make our farewell rounds and go home. I'm disgustingly tired."

Genos moved forward, leading Bella.

Bella found that the word "home" no longer sounded strange.

"Yes, Grand Duke. I'm really disgustingly tired too."