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Several minutes had passed, and now I could see that the people before me had regained their composure.

However, I could still tell that some of them were wearing confused expressions.

After all, the fact that the Emperor had declared me his heir was undeniable.

From their point of view, they believed the Emperor’s first son was the most deserving to inherit the imperial throne.

But why? Why would the Emperor grant the throne to an outsider?

If they remembered correctly, they knew I came from the outside world.

That alone should have made it impossible for me to inherit the imperial throne.

And yet, deep down, they couldn’t understand why the imperial family didn’t oppose me.

Part of them even wondered—could I be the Emperor’s illegitimate child?

But judging by our appearances, they knew I looked nothing like the Emperor.

On the contrary, I looked like someone from another world.

Perhaps because of that, some of the students near the banquet hall started to believe the Emperor had gone mad.

Unfortunately for them, judging by the Emperor’s expression, they knew he wasn’t joking at all.

If you’re wondering what I was doing at the moment—I was now being approached by several nobles.

At first, I was rather uncomfortable seeing these nobles gather before me.

But I had no choice. I knew I was now the Emperor’s heir.

“Prince Noah, please feel free to visit me should any problems arise. Also, I’d like to introduce you to my daughter. She…”

Unfortunately, just as the man before me was about to mention his daughter’s name—

—I felt someone grab my hand, as if to stop me from approaching another girl.

Sure enough, what I had suspected turned out to be true.

“Count Novaria, please step away from my brother. He and I are already in a relationship. Do you think you can seduce him?”

“Ahem. My apologies for the misunderstanding. I only wished to become acquainted with Prince Noah. If you’ll excuse me.”

Finally, the leader of the Novaria family chose to step away.

Truly, I must admit—I was very grateful that Princess Celine decided to help me out.

“Thank you. I’m glad you came to my rescue,” I said, sincerely expressing my gratitude to Celine.

For now, I had successfully escaped the siege of noble family heads.

As Celine and I faced each other, we couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Ha ha ha…”

“Hehe…”

“Alright, that’s enough. I’m so embarrassed with everyone watching us.”

Seriously…

I knew that seeing Princess Celine react like that only made her seem more beautiful.

“Is that so? Then why don’t we go dance? I want you to be my partner.”

“Princess… I…”

For a moment, I felt Celine take my hand.

And before I knew it, she was pulling me along.

The gazes of the people around us—of course, they couldn’t help but focus on us.

“It’s alright. Don’t you remember what happened last night? So don’t overthink it.”

Badump!

Honestly, I never expected my heart to race like this.

If I thought about it, I shouldn’t have felt this way in front of Celine.

But why? I didn’t understand why I was suddenly feeling shy around her.

But one thing was certain—I had truly fallen for Celine.

‘I… No. It can’t be. I couldn’t have fallen in love with Celine. Could I? Uh… Why won’t my heart stop beating so fast?’

Alright… I admit it. I’ve fallen for Celine.

If I’m being honest, I now find myself obeying her every word.

Even Ian and Siena looked confused by my behavior.

As Celine and I started to dance, we instinctively chose the waltz.

I must admit, I was grateful to my mother for teaching me.

If it weren’t for her, there was no way I could have danced with Celine.

As we waltzed, our minds wandered back to our first encounter.

‘Who is she? Why is her gaze so intense?’

‘This man… He dares look directly at me. Who does he think he is?’

“Noah… Is that really your savior? Impossible. He’s only an Advanced Stage cultivator. There’s no way he could’ve saved you.”

Memory after memory flowed through our minds, each one reflecting our growing warmth for one another.

“Leave me! You have to go! It’s for your safety!”

“No! I can’t! I’m here to save you. So please, just stay quiet and let me…”

Chu~

Yes. That was the most precious memory in our lives.

It was also our first kiss.

I guess you could say it was fate—we were truly brought together after Liliana’s death.

Liliana… she was the woman I once loved most.

I couldn’t possibly betray her.

And yet, I knew—I was the man who had taken Celine’s innocence.

Suddenly, I remembered that moment when Celine and I had fallen asleep together.

“Noah, I don’t want to be left behind. I love you so much. Maybe I’m shameless, but I refuse to lose to Lili or Aisha. Please forgive me for being selfish.”

“You… you’re such a wicked woman. Why are you only saying this now? I’ve taken your first time. Of course I can’t let you go. I promise I’ll take full responsibility.”

“Noah! You’re the best!”

Ah… That really was a long night.

Honestly, I didn’t expect myself to be able to respond to Celine’s words.

But looking back now, I shouldn’t have been able to answer her at all.

Even so, I knew—Celine was now mine.

Maybe that’s why I felt so happy dancing with her.

Still, I didn’t understand why Aisha seemed a little upset watching me and Celine.

Judging by her expression, she couldn’t explain why she was angry seeing us together.

As little sister, she should’ve been happy to see me with Celine.

But no, she couldn’t understand why she was pouting like that.

Especially when she knew how happy I looked dancing with Celine.

Thankfully, Aisha didn’t dwell too deeply on my relationship.

Instead, she turned back toward Ash and the others.

If she paid attention to their actions, she’d know they were all having fun.

But she didn’t care—she had no intention of accepting the invitation from the noble boy beside her.

‘Boring. I know the hero is nothing like Mr. Noah. He’s not like him at all…’ thought Aisha, clearly disappointed by how similar the hero acted to any other teenage boy.

As she approached Ash, she realized he looked nothing like me.

Aisha knew Ash was the type of person who idolized justice above all else.

In her eyes, she wasn’t sure if Ash could truly be called a great hero.

If not for her father, she would never have chosen to stand beside the hero’s companions.

Time passed, and I had finally finished dancing with Celine.

Unexpectedly, I felt Aisha’s hand on my shoulder.

At first, I had fully intended to rest beside my friends.

But to my surprise, Aisha didn’t hesitate to pull me away from Celine.

Thankfully, Celine wasn’t willing to let me go that easily.

“Sister, please don’t be so hasty. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but don’t assume you can steal him from me.”

“Big sister, you’re so unfair! Why won’t you share Mr. Noah with me? You’ve already monopolized him, haven’t you?”

“Monopolized? No, no. You’re mistaken. Because Noah and I…”

Without another word, I suddenly felt Celine kiss me on the lips.

Even the expressions of everyone in the celebration hall showed their disbelief.

“We’re a couple. A pair destined by the heavens~”

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