"YOUNG MISS PEI."
Lily slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on the woman who had just coquettishly called her name. At the sound of that sickeningly sweet voice, her entire body involuntarily shuddered. It was too silky, too syrupy—so nauseating that Lily felt as though she might vomit.
Suppressing the word "exaggeration," she shot the woman a flat, indifferent glance. What in the world was this Young Miss Carna trying to pull now?
The Crown Prince was still engaged in a lighthearted discussion with the ministers. If Olivia truly cared about him, she'd be at his side charming his supporters, not drifting over to her. Instead, she had come here—for what? To disgust her?
"Young Miss Carna," Lily greeted coolly, her tone polite but soulless. "What kind of service may I offer your esteemed self? I am but a lowly duchess of the Immortal Dragon Empire. If I've ever offended you in any way, please forgive me."
She didn't rise. She didn't shift her posture. She remained seated like a queen enthroned, her gaze cool and unbothered as if she were looking at a particularly strange animal.
Olivia stiffened under the weight of that gaze, but quickly masked her discomfort with a soft, practiced smile. The more Lily appeared distant and cold, the more it painted her—Olivia—as a poor, pitiful victim. A sweet, gentle woman wronged by a cold and cruel noble.
And wasn't this exactly the type of woman Crown Prince Ace favored? The type the court loved to rally around?
Elder Leo had made it clear: she didn't need to surpass Terra in status—only in affection. If she could claim the heart of the Crown Prince and the sympathy of the common people, her position as future empress would be secure. But to do that, she first needed to eliminate Terra.
Her eyes briefly flashed with a flicker of malice, sharp as a blade—before softening again into a gentle haze. It was only for a second, but Terra caught it.
Clicking her tongue softly, Terra leaned back, unimpressed. What was this woman even thinking? She couldn't even follow the basic rules of secular conduct, yet wanted to play politics in the palace?
Then Olivia bowed—gracefully, with a trembling breath. When she raised her head, tears were already shimmering in her eyes, and her lips trembled as if barely holding back sobs. The onlookers began to murmur and turn toward them, eyes lighting up with curiosity. A scandal? A confrontation?
Terra stayed silent.
She sat still, cool and unruffled, waiting to be entertained.
"I don't want any misunderstanding between us, Young Miss Pei," Olivia said shakily, voice cracking with emotion. "What the Crown Prince and I did... it cannot be undone. I know your engagement to His Highness was decreed by the late emperor, and yet I—"
She gasped, like a heroine overwhelmed by guilt.
"I just hope... that Young Miss Pei can forgive me for such a heinous deed!"
A hush fell over the surrounding nobles.
Terra raised a brow.
"...That's all?" she asked plainly.
There was no anger in her voice. No indignation. Just bored detachment.
She flipped open her metal fan and began to fan herself lazily.
"When it comes to forgiveness, wouldn't it make more sense to ask the late emperor for it? After all, he's the one who arranged the engagement—not I. I never once begged for it."
She closed her fan with a snap.
"As for whether I care about your little romance with the Crown Prince," she continued, voice carrying clearly through the hall, "aren't you the one most aware of that?"
Her tone was almost pitying. "I gave you the brocade that once belonged to this continent's most sought-after seamstress. I gifted you the luminous black pearl, an artifact even your master considered a divine treasure. Don't you understand what those gestures meant?"
She stood up gracefully, tall and regal.
"If you're still too dim to understand, then let me spell it out for you, Young Miss Carna."
She stepped forward, voice calm yet eerie, as she clicked her metal fan closed again with a sharp metallic clap.
"The Crown Prince is not worthy of me—or of the Pei Family. The engagement was made when my grandfather's mind was muddled, back when he couldn't distinguish right from wrong. Breaking it was the best thing that ever happened to our family. It fulfilled the silent prayers of our ancestors."
She gave Olivia a soft smile—pleasant, gentle... and utterly bone-chilling.
"So, please, Young Miss Carna, do not bring it up again. You'll only disgust me further. And when I am disgusted, even I fear what I might do."
A murmur rippled through the banquet hall.
Her patience was wearing thin. This so-called engagement was a trivial matter, but these people refused to let it die. They clung to it like starving dogs gnawing a bone.
What, were they going to resurrect it at every single imperial banquet?
Ridiculous.
They spoke as if the Crown Prince were some priceless jade. But to Terra, he was just a forgettable pebble in the vast ocean.
Now, the Imperial Uncle... perhaps she would feel a bit of reluctance if it were him. Maybe. But this? This was nothing but a common fish pretending to be a dragon.
Olivia stood frozen, mouth slightly ajar, dumbfounded by the verbal slap.
Still, as the Crown Prince's chosen consort and future empress, she had to salvage the moment. She stole a glance at Crown Prince Ace and noticed the dark storm cloud forming over his face.
"The Crown Prince is the son of heaven," she said quickly, voice trembling but clear. "He is the future of our empire. He will represent us when he enters the Earth Realm. Please, Young Miss Pei, show some decorum."
He hadn't even won the assessment yet, and this woman was already announcing his ascension to the Earth Realm.
Terra let out a slow sigh. "I'm simply stating facts. And would I have said anything at all if you hadn't approached me with your usual nonsense?"
"I… I…" Olivia faltered. She opened her mouth again, then gave up. "I only wanted to ask for forgiveness. If Young Miss Pei thinks I was being unreasonable, then I apologize for disturbing you."
She bowed again—deeply—then turned and practically ran back toward the Crown Prince, as though Terra's mere presence was unbearable.
Crown Prince Ace, now openly glaring at Terra, wrapped an arm around Olivia and pulled her close. The ministers around them said nothing, their expressions unreadable—but many wore faint looks of concern.
They weren't fools.
The Pei Family held immense power. Elder Leo may have just arrived in the empire, and already the imperial family was pushing to alienate one of their greatest allies?
They would not be caught between such titans.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Olivia murmured as she buried her face into his chest. "If I had known she would speak so disrespectfully to you, I wouldn't have gone to her."
"You don't need to apologize," Crown Prince Ace said, patting her back. His jaw tightened as he glanced toward Terra, who had already returned to chatting casually with her maidservant, completely unfazed.
"The Pei Family has always been arrogant," he muttered under his breath. "You wouldn't know since you don't attend court, but Terra's never once shown genuine interest in me."
His eyes narrowed in irritation.
Every time they'd met, she'd offered a cold, indifferent gaze. Mechanical praise. Polite distance. She'd never tried to engage, never tried to win his favor.
After a while, he realized—she didn't respect him. She didn't even like him.
And so, in defiance of his father's endless scoldings, he'd chosen to indulge in pleasure. To lose himself in decadence.
Why should he, the future emperor, cater to the standards of a subject's family?
Just because the Pei Family valued chastity, did he also have to live like a monk?
He scoffed.
Utter nonsense.
Why should he be satisfied with a single woman when the emperors of old had three thousand concubines?
He refused to be the only one left lacking!
"Your Highness is mighty and noble—meant to rule the world," Olivia said, cheeks blushing as she fluttered her lashes. "Young Miss Pei must be blind not to see your worth."
His scowl morphed into a pleased smirk.
Just as he was about to respond with some lofty words, a eunuch came rushing into the hall, tripping over himself in his panic. His robe was drenched with sweat, and his voice cracked with urgency.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" the eunuch cried out breathlessly. "The Northern Palace—it's on fire!"
The banquet fell into stunned silence.