TDATD

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ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 59

As Judith turned her head to express her anger, something sparkled within her vision. She couldn’t believe her eyes for a moment. She must have seen it wrong. Judith denied it, but her heart had already fallen far away and frozen.

The wandering eyes stopped near Sylvia’s neck. A diamond necklace, clearly a gift from Derrick, was shining luxuriously on the nape of her fair, white neck.

Judith has already warned him once. The last time they met at the Imperial Palace, he mentioned that necklace and harshly criticized Sylvia and her husband’s affair. He also implied that as a government official, he knew everything.

At that time, she vividly remembered Sylvia Wirrel’s pale and stiff face upon hearing those words, attending the banquet while wearing the necklace so proudly.

‘What are we going to do?’

Even if they assume that the dresses overlapped by chance, how on earth should they interpret that necklace? This was the first time Judith understood what it felt like to be speechless from being so dumbfounded. Something hot rose in her throat. It was not difficult for her to discern its identity as anger.

Judith had to work hard not to distort her face. Many eyes were around him. If she loses her composure here, the scandal that Derrick managed to quell will ignite once again. Furthermore, this was the Emperor’s birthday banquet, with a larger number of nobles than usual. It was a place of caution, where a moment’s mistake could turn into a lifetime of laughter.

While she was taking a deep breath discreetly, Derrick asked the Viscount subtly,

“Have I invested in your family before?”

When Derrick crossed his arms, an atmosphere of confrontation was created.

Although he didn’t expect a joyful reaction, Viscount Wirrel was sweating at Derrick’s attitude, which did not give him the slightest sense of favor. Derrick, who was looking at his face, slowly curled the corner of his mouth. A smile that somehow came across as gloomy never seemed like a good sign.

“I guess I had a badly injured eye in the past.”

At the single word he spoke, the silence around them subsided. Aggressive language like this in an official setting, especially a gathering for celebration, was not a good sign.

Judith grabbed his sleeve, not knowing what he was talking about or whether he was speaking out of his own will. However, Viscount Wirrel fidgeted excessively, as if he had been attacked by Derrick’s words. The way he was so embarrassed and unable to properly conceal his emotions was as though he was not used to this type of situation.

Viscount Wirrel was just about to open his mouth, presumably trying to make an excuse. The guards lined up on the stairs leading to the second floor and turned their backs simultaneously along the beat and point. The sound of the trumpet rang out powerfully along with the rousing motions. The eyes of the guests, who were drifting in different directions, focused on the golden door at the top of the landing.

Eventually, the door slowly opened and revealed the Emperor, Killiton, wearing a red cloak and a gold crown, strode in. Although he was confident in every single thing he did, his attitude was notably more confident today.

All the nobles placed their hands on one side of their chest and bowed. Killiton glanced at the people who were courteous to him. Fearing that she might even make eye contact with him, Judith quickly lowered her gaze like everyone else. The top of her head felt hot, as though someone was looking at her, but she tried not to notice.