CHAPTER 797: SURPRISE

After the imperial staff announced the arrival of the empress, Empress Vilena came from behind the main balcony. Once her figure could be seen by all of the guests, every one of them without exception bowed to her.

"We greet Your Majesty."

All of them said it simultaneously. Even if the opposition faction members felt reluctant at this moment, they had to do it. Empress Vilena smiled as she saw all the opposition faction members, especially Grand Duke Freindor, bow his head to her. That man was the only one who dared to openly show disrespect to her in normal settings.

Because of the people’s support, he seemed much bolder and did not worry that she would do something to him.

However, it seemed he could still think clearly for his own best interest today, which was unfortunate for her, as she had hoped he would create a commotion in front of Sylphia. That would have made it easier for her to get rid of him.

"Raise," the empress said, which made all the guests straighten their bodies.

"I would like to thank all of you, as you could spare your time to fulfill my invitation for this banquet." She swept her gaze across the guests below.

"This welcome banquet for Her Majesty, Empress Sylphia, is my way to show our sincerity in building a good relationship with the Aster Empire. With all of you here showing your support, I believe we can forge a bright future with the Aster Empire." She looked for a moment toward Grand Duke Freindor before turning her gaze elsewhere.

The grand duke, of course, knew she was looking at him, but his expression did not change.

’Let’s see if you can act arrogant after tonight,’

he thought.

"Well, without further ado, let us greet our main guest today, the Empress of the Aster Empire, Empress Sylphia," Empress Vilena said as she glanced behind her. From her rear, Sylphia, followed by Vaelir, approached the balcony, the avatar also walked not far behind them, following their pace.

A few seconds later, Sylphia’s figure finally stood upon the balcony where everyone could see her.

Many were mesmerized by Sylphia’s beauty, regardless of gender. At this moment, she wore an elegant green-and-gold dress, and her long golden hair was tied in a ponytail, showing her smooth neck. Her clear blue eyes captivated anyone who looked at them. The aura around her, enhanced by the changes brought by Seralis, made her appear like a sacred figure.

Although Vaelir stood behind her and was also beautiful, Sylphia’s presence at this moment was so overwhelming that it overshadowed her beauty. Princess Vaelir wore an elegant white-and-green dress that added to her charm. Her long hair was tied in a bun, showing her smooth white neck that could tempt any man to kiss it. Normally, she would be the one to attract attention in this kind of setting.

Looking at Sylphia, many thought that Aldrian the Great was one of the luckiest men to ever live for having someone like her. It was no wonder that Aldrian the Great had chosen her as his wife, and they could not help but also feel pride because he had chosen someone from their race as his main wife.

Sylphia swept her gaze over all the guests below before she opened her lips.

"This is truly an honor, for all of you esteemed figures of this great empire to attend this welcome banquet."

As Sylphia began to speak, the imperial butler brought out many glasses of wine on trays to serve the guests.

"Although I haven’t been here for long, I have already received an extraordinary experience when I was greeted so festively by the people of this empire. Her Majesty, Empress Vilena, also showed me her generosity and goodwill, which makes me not want to leave this place too quickly. Perhaps I would even like to stay here for a long time."

Many of the guests smiled and even chuckled at Sylphia’s joke, especially those from the imperial faction. If Sylphia stayed here for a long time, wouldn’t that mean the opposition faction could only wait in silence and act like obedient boys? Just imagining it was already quite funny for them.

For the opposition faction, however, Sylphia’s words were bad news, since that would halt all of their movements. With their actions stalled, they would lose more momentum and support, and in the end, they would no longer have any power to pursue their final goal, which was to dethrone the empress.

"So that is why I would like to thank all the people of this empire, including the esteemed guests here, and the imperial family, for inviting me to this empire and for the warm welcome." Sylphia then looked back as an imperial maid brought her a glass of wine and handed it to her. Empress Vilena and Princess Vaelir also received their own glasses.

Sylphia took the glass and lifted it to show all of the guests below.

"This is for the bright future of the Verdyn Empire and for the everlasting cooperation between our two empires," she said.

"For the bright future," many responded before all of them drank the wine. Sylphia also drank, and after a few moments another announcement resounded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have already prepared a great feast for you to enjoy. Please feel free to partake while the Imperial Music Corps performs. For those who wish to dance, we have prepared the dance area in the middle of the hall."

The guests then began to scatter according to their interests. Some enjoyed the feast, others continued their conversations, while some decided to begin with dancing. Sylphia, accompanied by the empress and Princess Vaelir, finally came down from the balcony to the ground floor of the hall.

As soon as Sylphia stepped onto the floor, she was instantly approached by a number of nobles. They eagerly wished to introduce themselves, and she seemed quite overwhelmed, but Aldrian, who stood behind her, helped her manage and control the crowd.

He did not care about their feelings as he firmly told them not to speak all at once and not to get too close to Sylphia. He even pushed some of them back.

These nobles frowned at Aldrian. At this moment he was dressed in white noble attire that emphasized his fit build. His long black hair, combined with the mask he wore, gave him a mysterious aura.

They could not sense any aura of cultivation from him, but the moment he pushed some of them, they understood immediately that he was a strong cultivator. Still, they thought this guard was truly presumptuous to treat them as if they were nobodies.

However, they did not dare voice their displeasure, since this guard seemed to be Sylphia’s personal protector, and Sylphia herself did not seem to mind his actions. They could only swallow their dissatisfaction while she spoke with those in front of her one by one.

Grand Duke Vreiris also came to speak with her while introducing his son. Sylphia had already learned about the important figures of the empire, so she would not appear awkward in front of them and could act accordingly.

As they were still talking, Grand Duke Freindor approached from the side with his son. Sylphia, noticing them, turned her attention toward the pair.

When they drew near, they gave her a slight bow.

"I greet the Empress of the Aster Empire, Empress Sylphia," Grand Duke Freindor said.

Grand Duke Vreiris and his son remained silent while Sylphia responded,

"This must be one of the three grand dukes of the empire, Grand Duke Freindor. I have already heard much about you from some people, and I must say, you seem impressive, just as they described."

Grand Duke Freindor smiled. "That is only an exaggerated assessment from others. I am not that great compared to his majesty, Aldrian the Great. Anyway, Your Majesty, this is my son, Brein. He is my successor."

He gestured to the young man beside him, and Brein slightly lowered his head.

"Your Majesty," Brein said, to which Sylphia responded with a nod.

"I see. I can tell that he is truly Grand Duke Freindor’s son. He seems incredible as well, just like you."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty," Brein answered.

"Your Majesty, I hope you will be willing to visit my territory. We would be glad to welcome you with the utmost sincerity. There are many things you could explore, and you would not find yourself bored there," Grand Duke Freindor said sincerely.

Grand Duke Vreiris, hearing this, could not help but snort inwardly. Trying to entice Aldrian the Great’s fiancée and build a good image in front of her?

He doubted that Sylphia, who knew the situation of this empire, would ever visit his territory. She would hardly go to the territory of someone who stood in opposition to the imperial family that Aldrian the Great had chosen to support.

"Hmm, is that so? That truly makes me curious. Perhaps if I have time—"

Whoosh!

Suddenly, from among the nobles standing near Sylphia, one of them lunged forward and attacked her with a dagger!

The blade shot straight toward her heart, its speed far too great for her to follow or evade.

Because of the close distance and the surprise, those around her were unprepared and too slow to react.

Stab!

Blood splattered across the floor.