The double doors of the hall creaked.
Not like old wood, but like velvet being cut by a silver blade. The sound was delicate, ceremonial, and inevitable.
Ligia didn't turn around.
She was far too focused on the enchanted fig tart with wine jelly. Small, perfect, decorated with crystallized mint leaves. The first bite dissolved in her mouth like warm silk. The subtle touch of wine left a sweet melancholy on the roof of her mouth.
"Hm... one more of these and I might just forgive the whole empire."
The system, floating above the table with its paws crossed like an emperor on vacation, yawned with theatrical slowness.
"The guest has arrived. Might be important. Might be an enemy. Might be a diplomat thirsty for chaos. Might just be a beautiful problem."
"So what?" murmured Ligia, picking up a black truffle puff with enchanted sea salt.
"If it's important, let him wait. My hunger doesn't negotiate."
The system rolled belly-up in the air.
"Noble spirit: activated."
Across the hall, the door opened fully.
And he entered.
Not with fanfare. With silence.
Every step seemed calculated. Measured.
He didn't glance around. He studied the floor first. Like someone assessing the battlefield before setting foot on it.
Dark brown hair, short, with discreet waves like shaded leaves. Symmetrical face. Eyes...
Black.
But not dark.
Black like wet obsidian, gleaming with the kind of silence that listens more than it speaks.
Upright posture. Broad shoulders. A dark cloak with silver details followed his movements with fluid discipline — the kind of elegance not learned in etiquette schools, but in fields where confidence is armor.
Vael, still near the entrance, watched with unusual attentiveness.
From the opposite end of the hall, Ligia let out a lazy "hm" as she savored the last bite of the puff.
"At least he knows how to walk. That's half a point for elegance."
The system purred in her mind.
"I wonder what he'd think seeing you throwing yourself at the desserts like a noble giving in to carnal temptation."
"That I'm honest."
She licked her finger with regal casualness.
"But with class."
"A hungry princess in a +27% presence dress. A true icon of contradiction."
But then he looked at her.
Directly.
Without hesitation.
As if he recognized something — or someone — he had been waiting to find.
The system purred softly.
"Oof... here it comes. Look at his stride. That's someone who wins debates before even opening his mouth."
Ligia didn't lift her eyes from the next dessert: a translucent raspberry cube dusted with enchanted sugar.
She bit into it.
"He's stepping on my moment of peace."
He stopped a few steps away from her.
Gave a slight bow, hand over heart. Eyes down for two seconds. Precise. Respectful. Cold, like a chess player greeting his opponent before the match.
"Hello, Miss d'Argêntea."
His voice was clear, polite, honed like a blade.
Ligia took a deep breath.
In her mind, she murmured to the system,
"Pest... he interrupted the best part."
"Oh, pardon me, Your Gluttony. I should've frozen time until you licked the last crumb."
She wiped her fingers with a stitched napkin.
Only then did she raise her eyes.
Chin slightly lifted.
Steady gaze.
Elegance held like well-kept venom.
"Good afternoon."
Her voice was neutral, yet firm.
"Welcome to House d'Argêntea. I hope your journey wasn't too exhausting."
Formal. Precise.
Polished distance with a scent of power.
He observed her a second longer than necessary.
"It was a... curious journey. Thank you for asking, miss."
Then he simply turned and walked to his seat.
Calm.
As if he had dropped an invisible weight in the center of the room with just two sentences.
The system purred, laughing internally.
"He doesn't say much, but he plays like a strategist. He left a magnetic field with two steps."
Ligia followed with her eyes.
Picked up another dessert from the table — a black apple truffle with enchanted silver leaves.
"Maybe he did. But I'm still the queen on this board."
She bit into the sweet slowly, eyes fixed on his back.
Something about him... wasn't ordinary.
And the hall now felt smaller.
While the sweet flavor still danced on her tongue, the system whispered with mischief.
"Funny how much you love these fine desserts... and haven't even discovered everything the system can do."
Ligia raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
The holographic cat floated in lazy circles.
"The system has access to your old data. Including your... hmm... reading preferences."
She froze.
Blinking.
"You're telling me... I can access the webnovels I used to read before I died?"
"Yes, princess of chaos. Even those. Chaotic cultivation. Redeemable villains. Protagonists with seven systems and ten destined brides."
Ligia coughed.
Dryly.
"And where is that?"
"Page 365 of the system shop."
"Who in their right mind goes to page 365 of a system?"
"The same one who devours five sweets before saying good morning to imperial politics."
She sighed, arms crossed.
"Sorry if I've been busy surviving, learning etiquette, and trying to understand why my soul shines in three colors."
The system yawned.
"Of course. Priorities. Sweets now. Redeemable villains later."
"I'll still read all of it." she muttered.
"I've already downloaded the chapters. If you do a perfect bow at the next event, maybe I'll unlock the extras before midnight."
"...Pest."
She looked at him, eyes gleaming.
"My favorite reincarnated."
Ligia adjusted her hair in the mirror with a sigh.
And then...
The bells rang.
Slowly. Solemnly.
The guests were arriving.
The dessert was gone. So was the peace.
But the spectacle?
Was just beginning.