I leaned against a column at the far edge of the hall, arms crossed, and simply… watched.
My grandmother was beating the shit out of my father.
Like, not just yelling. Not just scolding. She was physically pounding his pompous face in, decades of pent-up rage fueling every blow.
Honestly? Beautiful.
The gods, of course, had plenty to say about it.
[Hecatia is cackling, calling this "theater worth divinity's front row."]
[Tyr is conflicted—he respects discipline, but this is technically justice, so he lets it slide.]
[Loki is rolling on the floor laughing, whispering "finish him!" in my ear.]
[Eros… is throwing roses? What the actual fuck.]
I smirked inwardly, reached into my subspace storage, and pulled out the most sacred artifact of all.
Popcorn.
I casually popped a handful into my mouth and munched while watching my grandmother wreck the supposed "Head of the Konrows."
"This is better than live theater," I muttered.
Some nobles whispered in horror, others in fascination. But their voices were drowned out by the sound of Angelica's wrath echoing through the hall.
Jessica, ever the opportunist, was the first to recover. She smoothed her dress, forced a shaky smile, and raised her voice above the chaos.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes tonight's banquet. We thank you for your gracious presence, and… ha…ha… please, do see yourselves out."
Her laugh was nervous, brittle, the laugh of someone trying to pretend their family wasn't imploding in front of the entire empire.
The nobles bowed, murmuring their farewells, but not before sneaking plenty of gossip-laden glances.
The emperor himself? Henry Edencrown was amused. His golden eyes sparkled with the kind of delight you'd expect from someone watching a circus. He smirked faintly, then turned and strode from the hall without a word. His amusement was scarier than his anger, honestly.
Peter, however, was not amused.
The crown prince scoured the hall, eyes darting through the crowd, searching for me. His steps grew sharper, faster, his frustration mounting.
But this time, I was serious about hiding. My concealment magic held strong. Not even his sharp gaze could pierce it.
"Not today, bastard," I whispered between bites of popcorn.
The Marquis of Wealth, lounging near the exit with his ever-calculating smirk, looked like he was enjoying the show as much as I was.
I just raised my popcorn bag in a mock toast. He chuckled.
All in all?
The banquet was a disaster.
I popped another kernel into my mouth, smirk curling on my lips as I leaned back against the column.
"Shittiest banquet ever."
-
I was sipping tea outside of the spare mansion.
That's what this was now. The banquet was over, the nobles were gone, and the Konrows… were in shambles.
The whispers would spread like wildfire. By tomorrow morning, the empire would be buzzing with news of how Angelica von Konrow publicly beat her own son—the current Head of the House—half to death in front of the emperor himself.
And the emperor didn't stop her.
That alone spoke volumes.
Jessica was the first to try damage control. She moved quickly, dispatching servants with instructions, murmuring reassurances to Percy's allies, forcing her smile until her cheeks must've hurt.
Mark, stiff and red-faced, barked at knights to "escort the guests safely." Really, he was trying to keep order while pretending the humiliation hadn't damaged his pride.
Adele?
She was probably furious that her carefully built image was overshadowed by a grandmother's wrath and my little "performance." Her eyes cut through the air, burning holes into me even though she couldn't find me.
The nobles themselves were divided. Some were scandalized, muttering about the "disgrace of the Konrows." Others were intrigued, murmuring that the house wasn't as tame as it seemed. A few even admired Angelica's raw dominance.
The emperor? He had left without comment. Which, of course, was the worst outcome. His silence would keep the court guessing. Did he approve? Was he amused? Was this the start of a purge?
The uncertainty would eat them alive.
As for Percy… he was taken away by attendants, his pride shattered more than his body. The bruises would fade. The shame would not.
And for the first time, Angelica seems to have taken control of the duchy.
The Marquis, meanwhile, left with that ever-present smirk. He said nothing, but his amusement was clear. A man like that didn't laugh unless he saw opportunity.
Just the other day, he sent me a letter telling me that he would visit in a few days.
Peter stormed out as well, clearly frustrated that he hadn't found me. The way his knights followed in silence said enough—they knew better than to cross him when he was in that mood.
I had also banned Peter from coming in the spare mansion as a punishment.
And me?
And I couldn't help but smirk at the chaos we had just unleashed.
[Are you satisfied now, Josephine?]
[Of course! Thank you, Yoo-ra!]
"Ohohoho!" I said as I sipped the tea.
"I-is the desserts to your liking m-my lady?" Anna said while clutching onto her sleeves
"It's the best. Thank you."
They really were.
Anna's face brightened up when I said that.
"Ehehehe…."
Cute.
But most importantly… the situation has become hectic nowadays.
so…
Let's go fucking get that vacation already.