CHAPTER 179: WHEN THE PRINCESS SMILES

[Lavinia’s Pov—Imperial Palace—Grand banquet hall—Balcony]

The world tilted.

Air rushed past me in a violent roar, tearing at my hair, clawing at my lungs. My hands flailed, reaching for a railing that was already behind me, slipping further and further away. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might burst out of me.

Someone pushed me.

I couldn’t see the face, but who would dare commit such treason in the open?

The thought struck like a blade, sharp and merciless. Panic twisted around my chest until it was hard to breathe.

I wasn’t going to die. I knew that. The balcony wasn’t that high. But my bones... my body... it would shatter, crack, and bruise. I imagined the crunch of bone against stone, the white-hot pain tearing through me.

Rage boiled.

If I survived—if I crawled from the ground with fractured limbs—I would make that person regret ever laying a hand on me.

But right now... oh gods, I was going to snap my legs like twigs.

I screwed my eyes shut, bracing for the glorious symphony of pain. The courtyard stones blurred into a rushing smear of doom, closer, closer—

And then—nothing. I wasn’t falling anymore.

My stomach lurched, my body caught in an unnatural halt, like the air itself had clutched me in invisible hands. My eyes squeezed shut, but the silence—no wind, no rushing air—forced them open.

A hand gripped me. Not Osric’s. Not papa’s. Not anyone I knew.

When my gaze finally lifted, my breath stuttered.

A tall man stood there, as if he had always been waiting at the edge of the world. Brown hair fell across his forehead, his eyes as dark as obsidian. Nothing about him screamed extraordinary—his clothes were plain, and his expression was calm. Ordinary. Forgettable.

And yet... nothing about him felt ordinary at all.

His grip was steady, unyielding, his presence heavier than gravity itself. My heart recoiled, not with relief, but with something colder—like ice trailing down my spine.

"I didn’t know you’d be landing straight into my arms like some fairy... princess," he drawled with a smirk.

I froze. My blood turned to ice. I knew that voice.

"...Rey."

His eyes widened, just for a flicker, before curving into amusement. "Ohhh... so my little fairy finally recognized me?"

I let out a long, suffering sigh. "Yes, congratulations. You fooled me for a whole five seconds. Now, kindly put me down."

He grinned wider. "But why would I? It feels good, holding you like this. Almost like you were made to be carried around by me."

My jaw twitched. My fists clenched. And then—

WHAM.

My knuckles cracked against his face, and his arms immediately loosened, dropping me back onto my feet.

Rey winced, rubbing his jaw. "Gods above, can you not choose violence for a single day, princess?"

I glared, voice sharp as glass. "If you’d like to avoid it, then stop—behaving. Like. A. PERVERT."

He gasped, clutching his chest like I’d run him through with a sword. "Ouch! You wound me. Right in the heart. Do you enjoy watching me suffer?"

I snorted. "Immensely."

My eyes flicked upward, toward the balcony, catching the faintest shadow where the figure had stood. My lips curved into something between suspicion and annoyance.

"Who exactly was that?" I muttered under my breath.

Rey followed my gaze, expression turning flat. "Might’ve been someone who hates you, princess."

I gave him the driest look imaginable. "Oh really? What an observation. I never would’ve guessed. Truly, Rey, your insight astounds me."

He chuckled. "Glad you think so."

"I’m being sarcastic, you buffoon. Do you have any idea how long the list of people who hate me is? Honestly, it’s practically its own census. But to commit treason so openly..." My eyes narrowed. "That requires either stupidity, desperation, or both."

Rey tilted his head, lips quirking. "So... what are you going to do, princess? Leave it? You haven’t even seen who committed such a heinous act."

I scoffed, the sound sharp as glass. "Leave it? Do I look like the kind of delicate little princess who clutches her pearls and faints at the thought of betrayal?"

My fist curled tight, crimson eyes gleaming with heat. "Forgive and forget? That’s for saints and fools. And I," my lips stretched into a dangerous smile, "am neither."

I tilted my chin, letting my voice drop into a venomous hiss. "Looks like it’s time I remind them that I am the daughter of the Tyrant Emperor. And if they’ve forgotten what that means..."

My smile curved sharper, like a blade drawn from its sheath. "I’ll carve it into their memory myself."

Rey’s eyes practically sparkled, his grin wickedly delighted. "Saints above... every time you talk like that, I fall a little harder for you."

I shot him a flat look. "Do you want another punch to the ribs?"

His grin faltered instantly, hands rising in mock surrender. "Perish the thought, Your Ferocity. I’d very much like to keep breathing."

"Good," I said coolly, tilting my chin. "Then stop spouting nonsense."

Rey let out a dramatic sigh, clutching his chest like a star-crossed lover. "Tragic. My heartfelt confession, crushed under the merciless weight of your fists. Truly, the life of a guildmaster is cruel."

I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel toward the banquet hall. "Follow me, or get lost. I don’t care which."

"Of course I will follow you," Rey said, following me.

***

[Imperial Palace—Back to the Banquet Hall]

The massive doors of the banquet hall creaked open, their echo bouncing across the vaulted ceiling. I stepped inside, golden silk swaying with my every stride.

The music faltered. Laughter died mid-breath. The air itself seemed to tighten as every head turned toward me.

A ripple of whispers followed, weaving through the crowd like a restless tide:

"The princess...? Why is she entering from the main doors?"

"She looks furious...""

Something must have happened."

"And who is that man walking behind her?"

Rey’s voice cut through, laced with amusement. "People truly do enjoy gnawing on gossip, don’t they? They’ll choke on it one day."

I said nothing. Not yet. Because someone in this room had crossed a line—and I wasn’t about to let it slide.

Then—Osric.

He broke away from the crowd, his tall frame carrying urgency in every step. The sight of him, steady and unshaken, was enough to loosen the coil of anger burning in my chest.

"Princess," he said, relief evident in his tone. "I’ve been searching everywhere for you. Where did you—"

I stopped him, pressing my palm lightly against his chest. His breath caught.

"Osric," I murmured, my eyes locking with his. "You calm me too much... and right now, I cannot afford calm."

His brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his handsome face. "What do you mean, Princess?"

I sighed, withdrawing my hand and brushing past him, my skirts whispering across the marble floor. "You’ll understand soon enough."

And then I lifted my gaze to the one man who had given me life—my father, the Emperor.

"Papa," I called sweetly, my voice honey, but my eyes gleamed like glass shards beneath candlelight. He stood with Theon and Grand Duke Regis, towering above the crowd, a calm storm waiting to break.

Papa’s smile was warm and indulgent, as always. "Where were you?" he asked.

I slipped my arm through his. "Oh, I simply went to the balcony for some fresh air—you know how stifling these banquets can be."

A pause. A delicate sigh.

"But..." My lips curved into something sharper, a smile lined with venom. Slowly, deliberately, I let my gaze sweep over the nobles—each jeweled collar, each powdered face, each suddenly rigid posture.

"...can you believe," I murmured, voice soft, lilting like a melody, "that while I was enjoying that little breath of freedom... someone here thought it would be amusing to put on a performance?"

A beat of silence. My eyes narrowed, though my smile never faltered.

"Performance?" Papa asked.

"Yes, an outstanding performance, really. Quite daring."

The room froze. Chairs creaked under stiffened backs, and the clink of a goblet being set down sounded like thunder.

Papa’s brows furrowed, his sharp gaze slicing toward the nobles. "What do you mean?" His tone was low and dangerous.

I tilted my head, clasping my hands together. My voice, however, dripped with mocking sweetness.

"Oh, it’s ever so simple, Papa." I let the silence stretch before I struck, savoring their dread. "While I was out there, basking in the moonlight, your precious daughter—your only child, the apple of your eye—was nearly killed."

Gasps rippled across the hall.

My lashes fluttered as I looked up at him, crimson eyes burning. "Isn’t it fascinating, Papa? That someone, right here in this room, had the courage—or perhaps the stupidity—to think my life is a game they can play with."

I laughed then, soft and cruel. "And all while sipping your wine, smiling at your table. Daring, indeed."

The silence thickened into something suffocating. Nobles shifted, some pale, some trembling, but none daring to meet my gaze.

Papa’s eyes burned with horror, then rage. He snapped his head toward the gathered nobles, and the entire hall jolted as if the air itself cracked.

"WHO," he roared, voice like a blade, "WHO DARES COMMIT TREASON UNDER MY VERY EYES?" His sword hissed free of its sheath. "COME OUT—BEFORE I SEVER EVERY HEAD IN THIS ROOM!"

The nobles collapsed to their knees, shaking like leaves in a storm.

I caught Papa’s arm, my lips curving. "Oh, Papa... do you really believe such a coward would surrender on their own?"

Osric stepped forward, fury in his tone. "But, Princess—we cannot leave this matter unpunished!"

"Punished?" I echoed sweetly, tilting my head. "Oh... of course. I already have their punishment in mind."

Papa turned to me, his sword still raised, his voice rough. "What is it? Tell me, and I shall make it law at once."

I stepped forward, every inch of me sharp and smiling, letting my gaze sweep across the nobles like a knife caressing their throats.

"I knew the one who tried to kill me would never crawl out and confess. So..." My smile widened into something wicked. "As a merciful princess, I’ll allow them to keep their lives."

A pause. Then my voice rang like thunder—"BUT I WILL RAISE EVERYONE TAXES TO NINETY-FIVE PERCENT!"

Gasps rippled. Faces blanched. Rings and silks suddenly felt heavier on trembling hands.

I leaned forward, crimson eyes glinting. "Consider it... a reminder. Next time, the cost will not be coin, but your heads."