"I'm sorry, princess, but may I have this dance?"
The male lead of the novel is Roman Vandebain. He was one of Allea's most trusted subordinates during the war. When he joined the war, he was a low-ranking soldier, but by the time he left the battlefield, he had earned the title of general due to his remarkable skills. Roman is also the hero of the story and, as Allea's half-sibling, the most loved and popular character in Avelina's harem.
Of course, it was evident that he was incredibly skilled. Firstly, it was not certain that Allea was in love with him; according to what was written in the novel, the reason Allea wanted to marry Roman was purely for the future of the empire. She did not want to rule the empire with someone like Neonidas, who seemed useless, and so she sought to marry Roman, who was the most skilled man she knew. Initially, Allea succeeded, but then her half-sister, Avelina, stepped in, and Roman quickly fell in love with her. At least, this was how it happened in the novel.
At this moment, Roman, who had probably not yet met Avelina, seemed to have his eyes only on Allea. However, what Roman didn't know was that Neonidas had already made moves that would change the future.
Allea turned to her most trusted subordinate and silently watched him for a moment before glancing at Neonidas and then looking back at Roman.
"Thank you for your offer, but it would not be appropriate for me to dance with another man, other than my fiancé."
This was an important moment, one that wasn't in the novel but should have been. It seemed that Neonidas had already begun to fundamentally alter the story that his ex-girlfriend had written. The look of surprise in Roman's eyes turned to anger, and he turned his gaze to Neonidas. When he saw the mocking smile on the face of the man who had made himself known through his uselessness, Roman had to use all his willpower to control himself.
"What are you looking at lil bro... Move" said Neonidas, gesturing as if ordering a dog to leave.
Roman struggled to suppress his urge to retaliate against Neonidas' degrading gesture. He clenched his jaw, his fists instinctively tightening. However, he was a general; he would not let his anger take over. He took a few deep breaths and tried to regain his composure. Furthermore, Roman knew he would never be as powerful as Allea, and he was fully aware of this. So, he turned around and walked away quickly, leaving the area. All the noble eyes were fixed on him, and it seemed that the noble class had found another topic to gossip about. Today was probably their golden day.
Neonidas leaned back in his chair, enjoying the attention of everyone around him. There was a mocking glint in his eyes; in some way, he felt as though he had defeated one of the most skilled heroes of the novel. But there was another feeling inside him as well: an unease, an undefined discomfort. This newly written story seemed to be one that would completely alter the futures of Allea, Roman, and even himself.
Allea, meanwhile, was looking at Neonidas with a complicated expression on her face. She couldn't understand how he could be so confident and mocking. She both admired his powerful will and found it somewhat unsettling.
When the heavy and ornate doors to the ballroom slowly opened, everyone's gaze turned towards the entrance. A woman with a powerful presence entered. Empress Velriona, with her bright emerald green eyes scanning the crowd, had fiery red hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. She wore a dark green dress adorned with gold and emerald embroidery; every step she took radiated power and authority.
The room fell silent, and only the sound of her footsteps could be heard. Velriona's presence seemed to cast an invisible weight on everyone in the room. Even Allea straightened her back, trying to appear stronger in the presence of the empress. Neonidas, on the other hand, watched her from his chair with his signature nonchalant demeanor, but there was a flicker of interest in his eyes. The arrival of Velriona had caught his attention.
Velriona walked directly to the center of the room, her gaze briefly shifting from Allea to Neonidas. Then, she made her way to her daughter's table and, before sitting down, looked at each person there.
"May I sit with you? Unfortunately, His Majesty emperor will not be here tonight, and I do not wish to sit alone."
Velriona's warm and approachable demeanor drew the attention of everyone in the room even more. The seriousness that came with her nobility mixed with this warmth, and everyone felt a brief sense of relief along with their surprise. The emerald green sparkle in her eyes didn't instill fear, but instead, a feeling of deep trust. She was not only the empress, but also a woman with a profound understanding of others. Everyone knew that her authority was soft but firmly established.
Neonidas, who had initially appeared indifferent to Velriona's approach, became more cautious. The empress's sincerity, which might have seemed threatening at first, was so natural and genuine that, for a moment, Neonidas realized that things were becoming more complicated than he had anticipated. "Of course, Your Majesty," he said, this time in a slightly more respectful tone. "It would be an honor to share a table with you." His gaze drifted to Allea, and he read the complex expression on her face, but he still felt in control of the situation.
Velriona smiled gently as she sat down. "Thank you very much. I believe the best part of being here today is being with friends," she said, keeping herself free from pretense. She tilted her head toward Allea. "My dear daughter, how has your day been? With all the festivals and meetings with guests, it must have been quite busy, hasn't it?"
Allea smiled slightly in response to the empress's warm demeanor. "Yes, it has been a bit busy, but it's nice to spend this evening with you. Everything feels more meaningful."
The empress didn't mind her daughter's formal tone; after all, Allea had always been like this. She then turned to Neonidas and silently regarded him for a moment. Recently, she had learned from her husband that Neonidas was planning to start a war, and despite knowing him since childhood, even she couldn't comprehend how such a change had come over him.
However, during this time, the thoughts running through Neonidas's mind were completely unrelated to the topic at hand. The empress's mature beauty captivated him and also saw her as a potentially useful ally. He wondered why this idea had never crossed his mind before.
'As a cultured man once said, if you can't sleep with your lover, sleep with her mother; if you can't sleep with the mother, sleep with the father.... Well. Maybe I should ignore the third option' Neonidas thought with a smile, his mind filled with these crude ideas.
These dirty thoughts that passed through Neonidas's mind deepened the mocking smile on his face. However, it seemed as if Velriona's gaze, just in time, understood the dark thoughts within him. The empress, with a brief cold and sharp glance, had noticed just how much of a fool Neonidas was being. After all, her years of experience and sharp intuition allowed her to immediately spot these small, yet dangerous, signals.
Velriona briefly lowered her head and smiled warmly at Neonidas, but this smile gave off a sense that she was aware of something deeper. In an instant, her demeanor changed, and a subtle threat appeared in her eyes. Neonidas tried to decipher the meaning behind her gaze, but he felt that something was amiss. The empress had sensed the danger within him. Slowly, but with determination, she continued.
"It's truly lovely to spend this evening together," Velriona said, her words laced with genuine sincerity, yet still carrying an underlying meaning. "Not only to converse, but also to observe you more closely, Lord Neonidas. You've accomplished much in a short time."
At first, Neonidas thought about brushing off these words, but Velriona's eyes, filled with wisdom and a keen gaze, made him realize that her words were serious. After all, Empress Velriona was not just a great leader, but also a sharp mind and strategist. She was carefully watching every step and movement of Neonidas.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I believe I can satisfy an empress with such exquisite taste as yourself."
These words quite surprised Velriona—or rather, by the hidden meaning behind them—but she didn't show it on the outside. For some reason, she felt a spark of desire inside her, something she hadn't felt in a long time. Perhaps it was because a young and handsome man like Neonidas was openly expressing his desire for her. After all, if a person were not mad, they wouldn't try to flirt with the empress of the empire. But if we're talking about Neonidas, things might be different. There was probably no one in this world that Neonidas couldn't admire or flirt with. After all, Neonidas sets all standards for himself
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Today I will make an illustration of the empress and if there is another character you want you can specify.