All eyes turned with disbelief toward the person who had spoken.
The Emperor, initially annoyed at being interrupted once again, felt his anger subside slightly when he saw who it was.
"And what could possibly be so important, Marquess, that it warrants interrupting an imperial toast?" he asked, struggling to hide his irritation beneath a mask of courtesy.
Elizabeth smiled calmly.
"Not long ago, House Windsteel asked me to obtain something that should be of great interest to His Highness, Prince Lucas."
The Windsteels, especially Cassane, exchanged confused glances at her words; they had requested no such thing. Lucas Wyrne looked at the marquess with interest.
"And what might that be?" asked the prince.
With the confidence of someone who had sealed thousands of business deals, Elizabeth continued:
"I have learned that you wish to marry Cassane Windsteel because of the special characteristic of her body."
"That is correct," Lucas replied, arching an eyebrow with suspicion.
"Then this should interest you even more."
Elizabeth produced a small vial. When she uncorked it, the potion immediately flooded the hall with a medicinal scent and a paralyzing chill. The surprise was universal; although it was not uncommon for Nexus to trade in potions, no one had ever seen one of such magnitude.
"This potion will not only fulfill your desire to advance in your cultivation," Elizabeth explained, "but it will directly enhance your talent, making future breakthroughs much easier."
Lucas remained silent for a moment, evaluating the vial.
"And why should I assume you would give me something like this?"
"I believe you already know the answer," she replied calmly. "Cassane would be of no use to you if you possess this potion."
"I didn't know that the genius behind Nexus cared about matters like this," Lucas commented, astonished. "It surprises me that you didn't come to me to gain a greater benefit, but instead chose to sell it to a marquess."
The woman, under the gaze of everyone present, simply shrugged as if it were unimportant.
"What can I say? I'm softer than I appear."
No one believed those words; anyone who had ever dealt with her knew exactly what she was really like.
"Hmm…" the Prince of Lucratis evaluated. "Breaking an engagement between empires is not that simple."
"I recall that there is still no engagement; Miss Cassane Windsteel is still betrothed to Cassian Varkas."
The mention of the latter surprised everyone. The Emperor looked particularly displeased. Although he had secured an engagement between the empires through Astrid, the Crown Prince's engagement to someone within his own empire carried far more weight.
This was especially critical considering everything he had already lost in the process — thinking of the Windsteels with their immense military power, and the Beaumonts, whom he had chosen to ignore.
There were also several allied kingdoms that would not be pleased.
The Prince of Lucratis looked at the Emperor with a smile that made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. The sovereign knew exactly what was coming and how he had just lost control of the situation.
"Then, Miss Vane, it is a pleasure doing business with you," said Lucas, before adding a subtle jab. "But I hope that next time you consider me first if something similar arises."
"Oh, don't worry. If I come across something good, I'll let you know," Elizabeth replied with an enigmatic smile.
The two nodded at each other in mutual understanding; they both knew very well that behind that gesture lay schemes and betrayals that neither would voice aloud.
The Emperor was about to interrupt, but the prince gave him no chance.
"Well, it seems that although we will be united through marriage, it will only be my sister who gets that opportunity," Lucas said with a mocking smile. "I suppose you will understand, Your Majesty the Emperor of Demor."
The Emperor looked at him, holding back what he truly wanted to say, and nodded stiffly.
"It's a shame…" murmured Alric. "If you're interested, I could offer my daughter Elara as the other party."
Even though the sovereign kept insisting, Lucas Wyrne showed no interest in a union with Demor if it didn't bring him a clear personal benefit. He simply shifted his gaze back to the potion, as if the rest of the imperial family had ceased to exist.
On the other hand, Cassane Windsteel could not believe what had just happened. She had no idea when they had asked Elizabeth Vane for help. She looked at her father in confusion, thinking it had been him, but seeing him equally lost only increased her bewilderment.
When the dinner ended and people began to stand, Cedric Windsteel, with his general's bearing, and Cassane, with her icy demeanor, quickly approached their savior. Seeing them coming, she smiled gracefully.
"Marquess Windsteel, Miss Windsteel, it is a pleasure to see you today."
"I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am," Cassane stammered, still incredulous.
"May I know what you want in exchange for that potion?" asked the marquess with suspicion.
"Oh, Lord Windsteel, there's no need to be like that," Elizabeth replied. "But if it puts your mind at ease, you may pay me the value of a high-grade potion at market price."
Cedric frowned.
"We both know the one you showed today is not worth that."
"Perhaps not," she admitted with a spark of mischief, "but tonight it was."
"But I don't understand… why would you want to help me like this?" Cassane asked.
Elizabeth wasn't sure how to answer without telling the truth.
"You could say I simply felt sorry for you," she concluded, dismissing it with a gesture. "Don't overthink it."
"But I would still like to do something to thank you."
Elizabeth thought about it carefully and, for a moment, her gaze drifted toward a certain person before she smiled.
"Well… if you break off your engagement with your fiancé, that will be more than enough thanks."
After those words, Elizabeth excused herself and went to speak with someone else, leaving both of them frozen in place. Cassane looked toward Cassian, doubting the reason why Elizabeth would say something like that. She had already planned to break the engagement after the banquet, but now…
In another part of the hall, a very different conversation was taking place.
"So you were going to marry another woman?" Astrid Wyrne asked her brother.
"I don't feel the need to explain anything to you, Astrid. Just play your part."
"Ha… Still, it surprises me that a woman like that is engaged to the son of a count and seems to prefer him over you. Though, seeing how you are, I'm not surprised."
Lucas Wyrne made sure no one was watching, then grabbed Astrid by the hair and slammed her against the wall.
"Don't get clever with me," he hissed in her ear. "I can still replace your fiancé with some fat old man from Lucratis."
Frowning in pain and trying to free herself, she finally managed to push her brother's hand away from her hair.
"As if any of them could be worse than the one you chose," she shot back, holding his gaze defiantly.