Outside the window, in the night of the Capital, one could already smell the heated atmosphere of the festival. The entire Empire would be adorned with golden ribbons and magic lanterns.
The air of the Capital was thick with the burnt aroma of roasted nuts, the sweetness of mulled wine, and the scent of perfume wafting from the swirling skirts of young ladies. People could set aside all worries, immerse themselves in alcohol and laughter, enjoy the distributed snacks, and participate in all-night activities to wash away the fatigue accumulated over the past year.
But for Lucia, these fifteen days were not just about celebrating the Empire’s birthday—they meant fifteen days of high-intensity overtime. The livelier the outside world became, the colder the Imperial Palace felt to Lucia.
Because for ordinary people, the festival was a time of enjoyment, but for the Emperor and Empress, it was the most burdensome and hypocritical work. Both onstage and backstage.
The opening ceremony speech, the blessing at the Cathedral, waving from the parade float, leading the dance at the Imperial Palace banquet… every gaze, even every handhold, had to be rehearsed. Because it concerned the Empire’s face and stability, every single movement had to be rehearsed.
Therefore, Ian and Helena also needed to meet frequently behind the scenes to practice.
Just imagining that scene made Lucia’s stomach ache. During this period, Ian and Helena had to appear as a couple even more frequently than usual. Their relationship had been getting worse and worse—in Lucia’s estimation over recent years, it had even hit rock bottom.
Ian and Helena hadn’t been Emperor and Empress for so many years for nothing. Even if they both needed to maintain an intimate relationship in public—after all, even Lucia understood that logic—how could they not know it?
Though their feelings had shattered, they still knew how to handle big and small matters. Ian and Helena would never embarrass each other in public.
When others had eyes and ears, their relationship always appeared harmonious.
Even when no one was around… Well… that was last year during the Radiant Festival.
Helena still hadn’t come to see her, but Lucia didn’t really mind.
But that day, Lucia had something she wanted to discuss with the Emperor.
It wasn’t anything major—just a discussion about the personnel for the expedition.
After all, whenever Lucia went on an expedition, the Emperor always sent extra troops to ensure her safety.
But Lucia thought she was strong enough—none of the soldiers could beat her.
It was just that her cooldown was a bit longer…
Either she slowly output her Magic Power, keeping her headache at a level of migraine that an ordinary person could endure, or she faced a powerful enemy and needed to strike first, or deliver the finishing blow.
In those cases, Lucia would output her Magic Power at full force, disregarding the side effects.
But the consequences… if Lucia overdid it, sometimes the headache would be so unbearable that she would faint.
But that only happened twice… after suffering the consequences, Lucia wouldn’t make that mistake again.
After all, Lucia was the type to take unconventional approaches. At that time, she thought her troop numbers were a bit excessive.
Because there was still a Minor Beast Tide in the Eastern Region.
It had to be resolved smoothly before the Radiant Festival. Lucia was confident enough on her end, so she wanted to allocate more forces to the Eastern Region.
But well… she didn’t expect Helena to be there too. So Lucia, who had been taking a walk, remembered this matter and went to find the Emperor.
Through the half-open gap of the heavy door, she saw Ian and Helena sneaking a practice session of the Radiant Festival opening dance steps in the office. They were quite skilled.
After all, they had danced for so many years and been married for just as long.
There was no accompaniment, only the monotonous, cold sound of the metronome in the corner.
Back then, Helena wasn’t wearing an elaborate gown. Instead, she wore a fitted long dress that allowed easy movement.
That day, she wore a pair of black transparent stockings that revealed the fair skin of her legs. Set off by pointed stiletto heels, the lines of her calves were pulled taut, straight and alluring.
Ian’s hand rested on Helena’s slender waist, his posture so standard that one couldn’t find a single flaw.
As they spun in the dance steps, Helena’s long legs, wrapped in black stockings, swept through the air.
The heels of her high heels clicked crisply against the floor.
The two were very close. Ian’s palm firmly gripped the Empress’s lower back, and his force even caused the expensive fabric to dimple slightly.
Helena’s hand rested on the Emperor’s shoulder, and her fingertips even affectionately adjusted his collar.
At first glance, the atmosphere between them was merely calmer than when they were in front of others, with fewer sweet eye contacts. But it was still somewhat sweet—there was even a kind of old married couple’s tacit understanding.
At least in front of Lucia, who was their daughter, if she hadn’t known they were on bad terms, she would have thought their relationship was good.
After all, if a married couple saw each other every day and acted all lovey-dovey all the time, it would instead seem fake.
Even if other nobles saw them, wouldn’t they think the couple was very loving?
Anyway, Lucia didn’t know what her two brothers thought. Maybe those two carefree guys thought that as long as their parents didn’t start a fight, everything was fine.
Well, not exactly. Wasn’t the First Prince quite close to Helena?
He must have planned it out—if the two really did fight, he might immediately side with Helena. He was the straightforward type, a fairly upright person.
The Second Prince was a bit more meticulous. Lucia even thought he was quite scheming.
Ah, anyway, she had no interest in either of her brothers.
Lucia’s main concern was the ticking time bomb between Ian and Helena—as time accumulated and the situation became more severe, their relationship worsened. One day, they might not be able to hold it in and it would explode. Especially under the high-pressure environment of the Radiant Festival.
Fifteen consecutive days of acting every day, facing the person sleeping beside them whom they found disgusting, disappointing, and painful.
And on top of that, smiling, embracing, and kissing in front of tens of thousands of citizens.
Could they really hold it together? If they were just ordinary nobles, Lucia, as their daughter, might even have watched the drama unfold. But they were the Emperor and Empress.
Even if the scales tipped just a little, the situation could change.
Lucia looked down under the table. Helena’s legs, wrapped in white silk pantyhose, were currently pressed together.
It seemed Helena’s heart wasn’t entirely made of iron.
Lucia hadn’t seen her for so many years—not that many, at least five years. But ever since Helena abandoned Lucia, Lucia had never asked Helena about Ian. Of course, the poor mother-daughter relationship was also a factor.
But not long after, when Helena returned to the palace and even took the initiative to see her, Lucia at that time had sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat off. After all, children are still quite sensitive to the emotions of adults.