Ugh.
I was slumped in a chair near the banquet hall, swirling the wine bottle I had swiped from a passing waiter.
I also strengthened the concealment just in case.
"Would it kill them to end this stupid fucking banquet already?" I muttered under my breath.
The clock had already struck 10:49 PM, and yet the emperor still hadn't shown up. Without him, the party would drag on endlessly. Something about "reinforcing relationships between supporters" and "acknowledging vassals." Since the Konrows were one of the empire's major ducal houses, the emperor's presence was apparently mandatory.
It was all formalities anyway.
And then, finally—
"Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, Emperor Henry Edencrown!"
The banquet hall fell into dead silence.
I lifted my eyes toward the grand entrance, and there he was. The emperor himself.
Wow. He's totally like that.
The Henry Edencrown. Current emperor of the Carlisle Empire. The same man Peter would eventually have to best if he ever wanted to seize the throne.
Henry strode toward the front with calm, commanding steps. Servants trailed behind him, guards on either side like living shadows. His mere presence drew every gaze and silenced anyone
He was the type of man who didn't need to speak to prove authority.
The emperor reached for a crystal glass of champagne. With a smooth motion, he lifted it high.
"To the glory of this gathering," Henry declared, voice resonant and deep. "To the strength of bonds renewed and alliances fortified. May the Empire stand eternal."
Glasses were raised in unison. The voices echoed through the hall.
"To the glory of the Empire!"
Everyone drank.
I tipped the bottle of wine half-heartedly and took a glug.
Then Percy clapped his hands, and my stomach dropped.
Oh, fuck.
Before I could stop myself, my body was already moving. My knees buckled, and I was walking—no, dragged—toward the front. Step after step, until I found myself kneeling in front of the emperor himself.
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
The [Blood Bond].
That damn curse. It really was something fearsome. Forcing my body to obey the Konrow traditions even when I didn't want to.
I needed to get rid of it. And soon.
Henry's golden gaze bore down on me. I kept my eyes low, praying he couldn't see how much I wanted to crawl under a table and disappear.
This was the Konrow family tradition: every year, we presented our "achievements" before the emperor. An opportunity to parade talent, skill, and loyalty. A chance to boast, to prove worth.
Almost every year, Adele shone like the star she was destined to be because of course, she knew how to play along with her knowledge from regressions.
And me? In the novel, Josephine always presented some lackluster experiment which was only meant to fuel hatred to Adele. Then Adele gets praised and so on.
That was the role I was supposed to play.
I was just about to do the same—offer up some half-baked attempt, bow my head, and retreat—when a familiar chime rang in my ears.
[New Quest: Impress the Emperor!]
[You stand before His Majesty, Emperor Henry Edencrown. This is an opportunity rarely granted. Present an achievement worthy of his attention. If you succeed, you may earn his favor.]
[Rewards: +Reputation (Empire) +Favorability (Emperor Henry Edencrown) -Favorability (???) +Interest (Percy, Jessica, Mark, Adele, Peter, Jhake), A Favor from Henry Edencrown, +1000 Faith Points]
[Failure Penalty: -Reputation, -Faith Points, -Family standing.]
Hmmm.
What should I even present?
Now that I think about it… if you wanted to impress your family, why the hell did you present shitty experiments every year?!
{Because those weren't the trend, dummy.} Josephine's voice in my head was dry. {There's no way people would praise alchemy. It's considered inferior to divine power.}
I reviewed her memories. Unfortunately, she was right.
Alchemy was expensive. It required materials and equipment so rare, so painfully detailed, that procuring them was nearly impossible. Even if they managed to brew a health potion or two, their effects were always weaker compared to holy power.
Holy power was versatile, simple, and devastating in combat. Alchemy? Clunky. Overly complicated. Inferior.
So, in short: alchemy was shit in this world.
But I refused to see it that way.
From my perspective—21st century standards—alchemy wasn't garbage. These people were just too barbaric and crude to understand its worth. And if Josephine had poured years of her life into it, then I would prove her right.
Her name, Montgomery, was going to mean something.
…Of course, first I had to sit through what my other siblings were presenting.
The first to step forward was my stupid brother, Mark, the heir of the Konrows. He unsheathed his ornate sword—the same one he had been flaunting since earlier—and the air around us tightened.
Aura surged across the banquet hall. Heavy, oppressive, sharp as blades.
Not bad. That kind of aura could only be released by a seventh-tier swordsman. Rare enough that the empire placed incredible value on them.
The hall erupted into applause, nobles swooning.
"As expected of the heir of the Konrows. At such a young age, no less!"
Meh. It was fine. Of course, it paled in comparison to Peter, but whatever.
Mark stepped back and knelt, his chest puffed with pride.
Then Adele rose.
The darling of the family.
She walked to the front gracefully, her steps measured, deliberate. With a flick of her wrist, a staff appeared mid-air.
She chanted softly. The staff gleamed.
And then—snow began to fall inside the banquet hall.
Gasps, murmurs, whispers of awe.
Not bad. Her mana control was precise, refined, easily that of a seventh-tier mage.
"She's a prodigy," voices whispered. "A true gem of the Konrows."
Adele returned to her seat and smirked at me, like she was daring me to humiliate myself.
What are you looking at, punk?
I stood tall. My turn.
I ignored the whispers.
"She'll pale in comparison.""Always a disappointment.""Why even bother…"
I kept walking until I stood before the emperor.
"I present to you the fruits of my efforts."
From my pocket, I retrieved something small. My hand brushed against Trynda, who gave me a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
"This is…"
I dropped to one knee before the emperor, holding it up in offering.
"…the Elixir of Life."
The entire hall froze.
A sharp inhale rippled through the crowd.
The Elixir of Life. A byproduct of the Philosopher's Stone. One of the two ultimate goals of alchemy itself.
It was said to heal any wound, cure any disease, restore any disability.
I had never tested it myself. Not because I doubted it, but because the ingredients were so damn rare they were practically extinct.
But this—this was the real deal.
[Appraisal: Elixir of Life]
Type: Alchemical Elixir | Consumable
Effects:
Instantly heals all wounds.
Purifies the body of toxins and curses.
Restores lost limbs and senses.
Rejuvenates vitality.
Extends lifespan.
Rank: Divine (∞) Notes:
A legendary elixir born from the Philosopher's Stone. Considered unattainable by modern alchemists. Only a handful exist in history. The one who presents it is either a fraud… or a miracle.
"If you doubt me," I said steadily, "you may appraise it yourself."
Silence.
The emperor's golden eyes gleamed.
"I will offer it," I continued, "in the stead of House Konrow and our allegiance to the crown."
My words echoed through the hall.
The nobles were stunned. Murmurs spread like wildfire.
"Impossible…""Alchemy? At this level?""She—she couldn't have…"
The emperor's hand reached forward. Slowly, deliberately, he took the vial from my palm.
He held it up to the light. It shimmered with a brilliance so pure, it silenced every last whisper in the hall.
The emperor's lips curved slightly. Not a smile—no, something sharper.
"This…" His voice carried across the banquet hall. "…is no ordinary trick. You would stake the honor of your house on this offering?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He regarded me for a long, heavy moment.
Then he let out a low laugh. "Fascinating."
Gasps spread through the crowd. The emperor never praised lightly.
Percy's eyes narrowed, interest flashing in them for the first time that evening. Jessica froze, her glass trembling in her hand. Mark looked like someone had stabbed him in the pride. Adele's smirk was gone, her expression tight, cold.
Peter… Peter's lips curled into the faintest grin, as if to say, now this is interesting.
The emperor raised the vial high.
"Behold," he declared, "the achievement of Josephine von Konrow!"
And then—applause. Reluctant, awkward, grudging, but applause nonetheless.
I remained kneeling, my heart pounding.
The quest window blinked into existence.
[Quest Complete: Impress the Emperor!]
Rewards Gained:
+Reputation (Empire)
+Favorability (Emperor Henry Edencrown)
-Favorability (???)
+Interest (Percy, Jessica, Mark, Adele, Peter, Jhake)
+1000 Faith Points
Fuck.
I actually pulled it off.