Before the reception at the Imperial Palace, Remesis was a bit nervous. She thought for a long time about what she would say and what she would do. But in the end, her head threatened to explode from the excess of thoughts.

  Even though the girl convinced herself that she didn't care, she couldn't cope with the surging emotions. "This is the first time I'll attend such an event..."

  Despite having noble origins and being the daughter of a grand duke, Remesis had never lived the life of an aristocrat. While her brothers and sister enjoyed themselves at social receptions, the girl always stayed home. She had never been to a society party or anything like that. It all seemed alien to her.

  But now...

  "I'll get to experience it too."

  True, the emotions she felt were not joyful excitement, but anxiety and fear. Remesis couldn't know, but she could guess how people would receive her. This made her uneasy.

  It was one thing with commoners, who, although they believed in horoscopes, at least weren't so obsessed with it. Feeding a family and harvesting crops were of greater value to ordinary people than the unfortunate origin of some girl from a noble family. But it was another matter with aristocrats.

  For them, leading mostly boring, monotonous lives, gossiping was like daily bread. At the thought that this evening so many people of noble birth would be judging her, Remesis couldn't pretend that nothing bothered her.

  Even before leaving, she couldn't quell a slight anxiety. "I am strong... I am strong..." — these words, which Remesis was accustomed to repeating to herself like a mantra, escaped her lips in a barely audible whisper.

  Hannes, seeing his little mistress's knees slightly trembling, decided to encourage her:

  "Your Highness, don't worry. Everything will be fine!"

  Unlike the girl, the man's expression did not reflect such agitation.

  The commander of Fortress Nord was born and raised in the North, where most people despised southerners and their culture. For this reason, the northern region turned out to be the least influenced by the Astrological Order. Remesis had become convinced of this while living in the northern castle. People despised her more not because of her cursed origin, but because she was connected to the imperial family.

  Because of this, the knight couldn't fully share her anxiety.

  For someone who had never seen with their own eyes the oppression associated with an unfavorable natal chart, it was hard to understand what it was like. Hannes still didn't realize the full gravity of the situation. Most likely, he thought it was just ordinary nervousness before an important event. The girl didn't try to dissuade him from his ideas. Why make the knight worry about her?

  Remesis nodded to her knight with a weak smile.

  "Thank you. I won't be here this evening, so you can rest."

  This was another rule of the Imperial Palace. Servants were forbidden to accompany their masters in the banquet hall. So, one way or another, there was no point in the knight coming. Although he still insisted on waiting for the girl at the main gate.

  At the appointed time, Remesis headed alone to the central palace.

  The girl walked through the hall and looked around.

  "Everything looks so ornate."

  As if to showcase the pride of the imperial family, the high ceiling was covered in gold, along with frescoes on the walls executed by the continent's best masters. The palace's budget was substantial, as it absorbed the assets of the royal family and the four great families.

  "I can't believe that in such luxury, Asil lived like a beggar... Although she too is a member of the imperial family." looking at the interior decoration of the palace, the girl involuntarily thought of the princess.

  Remesis tried to imagine what Asil would have felt if she were here now? After all, she had probably never even been to the Central Palace.

  Soon these idle thoughts dissipated on their own.

  Remesis stood before the huge doors leading to the central hall. The geometric pattern crashed down upon her with an authoritative figure.

  "Her Highness, Princess Remesis Rania Ashelot, here!"

  The doors swung open with a heavy thud, accompanied by the servant's loud exclamation.

  The banquet hadn't started yet, but large groups of nobility had already gathered. Their gazes immediately turned to the girl. Most of those present were clearly shocked.

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  "…"

  A stifling silence fell over the hall.

  Remesis, as she had thought, felt awkward.

  Usually, after the announcement of another guest, they would be greeted, but no one approached her. Adult men and women silently looked at the child, and contempt was evident in their gazes. Some demonstratively began whispering loudly.

  She was the "dirty stain of the grand duke's family" and the "wife of the cursed monster princess."

  Such a cold reception was more than obvious.

  Remesis, carefully hiding her fragile nature, tried not to attach importance to it. "I just need to get through this."

  During the council sessions, she hadn't experienced such pressure. That was because an official atmosphere prevailed there, and no one allowed themselves to make off-topic remarks. But here... Here it was different.

  Not much time passed, and the deathly silence gave way to conversations that grew louder and louder.

  "Amazing... She's still alive? Weren't those bastards exiled to the north?"

  "This girl dared to come here. Does she really think she belongs in our society?"

  "Princess? What an absurdity. She should be grateful that the imperial family was merciful enough to give her a surname."

  "I sincerely sympathize with His Grace. What could the Duke have done to so anger the heavens that he had such a child?"

  This contemptuous whisper, which couldn't even be called a whisper, was uttered right in Remesis's presence. As if she weren't there or her presence didn't matter.

  Remesis painfully dug her nails into her palms to calm herself a little. No matter that she had constantly heard such speeches for two lives straight. Such things never become painless.

  Adults didn't hesitate to insult a child.

  Remesis had no idea that she and Asil were a popular topic for social conversations. The "defective" children from respected families, bound by marriage and exiled to a forgotten land. Their story evoked pity and contempt simultaneously. People praised the grand duke and the emperor for so successfully disposing of their offspring in such a situation.

  As if they were just trash that had been taken care of.

  In the crowd, Remesis spotted familiar faces. Duke Carter, turned away from her, was chatting with his acquaintances, sipping wine. He seemed to be trying to detach himself from what was happening and from the fact that she was his daughter. Michel, who was in the company of his peers, on the contrary, looked directly at her. From his expression, one could tell he was quietly gloating.

  Remesis sighed: in this school of sharks, she had to survive completely alone.

  Standing for a while, the girl headed to a corner of the hall. Since no one approached her, she could spend her time in peace.

  "…"

  Remesis's gaze involuntarily drifted towards Iliana Alseid. Unlike Remesis, the girl had plenty of friends and acquaintances. Watching her cheerfully chatting in company and not even looking at her, Remesis felt a slight pang. It seemed that indeed there was no longer any relationship between them.

  Considering the girl's previous persistence, Remesis hadn't expected her to end it all so easily. She had mixed feelings about it.

  "Well," Remesis didn't dwell on it for long. "It's good that this strange uncertainty is finally over."

  Remesis drank one milkshake alone. Spending a little more time by herself, the girl waited for the moment when the royal family members were to enter the hall.

  "His Imperial Majesty, Her Imperial Majesty, and Her Highness the Crown Princess have arrived!" the servant announced the names of the empire's most revered family in turn.

  This spectacle was accompanied by stormy applause.

  The Emperor and Empress majestically walked along the red carpet. Behind them — a little girl with red hair and a plump face. This was the precious Crown Princess herself, blessed by a lucky star. Remesis briefly held her gaze on Asil's younger sister.

  For some reason, she felt that this girl was somewhat different from the one she had imagined.

  The Crown Princess nearly tripped over her mother's long skirts trailing behind her. Julia reacted a bit irritably but said nothing. She continued to smile angelically, walking beside her husband and leading her daughter. From the outside, these three looked like a real family.

  Everything went well until, just before ascending to the throne, the Emperor suddenly staggered on his own legs.

  Even earlier, when Alexis appeared in the hall, the girl had noticed the pallor of his face. And now he nearly fell.

  "What's wrong with him?" before Remesis could think about it, commotion had already begun in the banquet hall.

  "Your Majesty!"

  The Empress, who was nearby, immediately caught his arm. Servants rushed towards them from all sides.

  "Your Majesty, what happened?"

  "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

  The chorus of voices became like the buzzing of a swarm.

  The crowd instantly surrounded the Emperor, and Remesis could barely see him. The guests whispered excitedly. No one could understand what was happening.

  And at that moment.

  "Allow me to speak."

  The chief archivist of the Astrological Order suddenly spoke loudly amidst the rising hubbub. The robe adorned with the emblem of the Triune Moon automatically recognized him as an authoritative person. Everyone immediately turned their attention to him.

  "What is it?" silence fell in the hall, and the Empress frowned. Her spouse was already being examined by a physician.

  "Your Majesty, may I ask if His Majesty was feeling well until recently?" Padalio Xian unexpectedly inquired.

  Julia looked at him uncertainly but decided to part her lips.

  "Yes, everything was fine..." she answered nervously.

  "In that case, I think I know what the matter is."

  The archivist's words caused a tense murmur in the crowd. "Master Padalio, do you know what happened to His Majesty?!"

  The old man seemed pleased with the attention.

  "If His Majesty was in good health and suddenly felt unwell... Then there can only be one explanation. An evil force has affected His Majesty."

  Those present were shocked.

  "…"

  "Moreover, I know who it might be."

  The next moment, the old man's wrinkled finger predictably pointed at Remesis. The girl remained silent. All eyes instantly fixed on her.

  "It is well known that negative energy adversely affects positive energy," he expounded. "Just one spoonful of tar is enough to spoil a barrel of honey. This is especially true regarding natal charts. The heavens undoubtedly favor His Majesty. And such people usually have a particular sensitivity to negative energies."

  The silence in the hall soon gave way to lively discussion.

  "Master Padalio, your words make sense!"

  "Inviting this girl to the banquet was a bad idea from the start. Her very presence spells trouble for us."

  "For the Emperor's safety, we'd better throw her out!"

  "Yes, throw her out!"

  Remesis couldn't endure this for long. She silently bit her lip. After just a couple of minutes, the girl ran out of the hall with moist eyes.

  "…"

  Among all those present, only one person watched the fleeing princess. Iliana clenched the glass tightly in her hand. Her gaze turned cold.