Every Arc Ends with My Death

Chapter 11. Fears and Tears

After many days of preparation, the night of the much awaited banquet finally came. There was only an hour left before the party officially starts, so the head maid gathered the servants in the hall.

"Today, many powerful nobles will be gathering in the palace to celebrate the imperial princess' nineteenth birthday." Ma'am Olivia enunciated.

My redhead friend, Leila, kept squirming beside me. She seemed really excited. In contrast to her, there wasn't a single hint of zeal in Rumi's face.

"Work with your lives on the line!" The head maid exclaimed. "The honour of the Sun Palace rides on all of us, who proudly serve the imperial family!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" All of us answered in unison.

"If you encounter any problems, consult me first and avoid making a fuss." Ma'am Olivia added sternly. "Keep your heads lowered at all times!"

With that, we were dismissed. The servants went to their designated station. Some were assigned in the kitchen, some were positioned in guest rooms, and some were tasked to serve the nobles like me.

"Don't cause any trouble, Belle." Rumi warned me before separating from us. "You better behave."

"The hell?" My face contorted. "That bitch... Why does she make it seem like I'm a troublemaker?!"

"Now, now." Leila tried to soothe my anger. "She's just worried about you hitting your head again."

I rolled my eyes. "Worried, my butt."

Luckily, Leila and I were both assigned as servers. It's good to be around a familiar face. Anyway, we were awestruck upon arriving at the main hall.

"It's so beautiful!" My friend marveled.

Indeed, it was such a majestic view. The main hall was glowing more than usual with purple lamps, in honour of Princess Odette's eyes. Roses of the same colour also adorned each corner of the hall.

Aside from that, there was also a wide variety of cuisine prepared in the hall, such as the seafood specialty of Izumo from the east, the pastries of Muehler from the west, and even the exotic food of Surinam from the south. How extravagant!

My mouth almost watered ftom the abundance of food. I was still admiring the entirety of the party when a male servant approached me.

"Belle," The dude tapped my shoulder. "The grand duke requested for your presence in his chamber."

"What the heck?" The servant was startled by my seemingly annoyed reaction. "Did he say why?"

"W-Well, he didn't state the reason." he answered.

I sighed in exasperation. What does he want with me this time? Honestly, I don't have time for him.

Tonight's gonna be hectic for many reasons. First, all the important characters of the novel will cross each other's path in the banquet. This will also be the first appearance of Ingrid, the protagonist.

Second, a murder might take place in the garden while everyone's busy sipping wine. The victim is supposed to be me, by the way. I can't remember the exact details, but it wasn't an ordinary death.

"The culprit was possessed." I mumbled to myself.

Black magic was involved. It's the foreshadowing of the empire's enemies lurking in the shadows, who will make their first kill in the banquet as a declaration of war. Again, I'm the freaking victim.

Upon arriving at the grand duke's chamber, I knocked on the door twice. "Your Grace, it's Isabelle. I was told that you requested for me?"

"You may enter." He answered casually.