Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 13
Yet despite his grim expression, Auredhian Belgot did not retreat. He answered in an even tone.
“Only four days have passed, Elad.”
His voice held no tremor of infatuation, no flutter at her beauty. Remarkable, truly—to maintain such composure before a woman of such radiance.
Elad buried her face in her palms, her voice trembling with sorrow.
“Those four days felt like three years to me!”
“I see.”
Auredhian Belgot replied in that same measured, almost indifferent tone. Here stood a woman of such beauty weeping, and he offered nothing but cool detachment. I found myself wanting to comfort her in his stead.
Elad’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she peeked at me through her fingers. Her obsidian irises sparkled with moisture, and I felt an involuntary chill run through me.
Strange—why did I suddenly feel so cold? Was it merely my imagination?
It was only after hearing the exchange that followed that I understood who she truly was.
“Besides, it wasn’t a particularly dangerous expedition. There was no need for you to come all the way to the Imperial Palace.”
“Are you being cruel to me, Your Majesty?”
She offered a faint smile through her tears.
“This is where I may spend the rest of my life. How could I not come to greet you? And if you are to become my husband, who else should welcome you but I?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I heard Auredhian Belgot exhale heavily, and I watched as he subtly pushed her away with visible discomfort.
But what seized my attention was her final words. A place where she might spend her life. And the return of the man who would become her husband.
Only then did the full picture crystallize. This beautiful woman—she was the one referred to as Decarve’s “mother” in the original work. The Empress of Belgot and Auredhian Belgot’s wife.
And the wicked dark mage who commanded corpses and summoned the spirits of hell. Soleia Elad.
My mouth fell open.
The shadow mastermind of the original’s parental generation!
I barely suppressed the sound threatening to escape my throat. Auredhian Belgot’s words from mere hours ago echoed in my mind.
“For now, I remain unmarried.”
Unmarried—but with someone to marry! So she was his fiancée?
I forgot all propriety and fixed my gaze upon Soleia Elad. She spoke to Auredhian Belgot in a voice overflowing with affection.
“You haven’t been injured anywhere, have you, Your Majesty?”
“As you can see.”
I had assumed Decarve’s celestial beauty came from his father’s side, but now I saw otherwise. It was split between them! How could a shadow mastermind be so breathtakingly beautiful? Or perhaps she was a mastermind because of that beauty?
I immediately abandoned my plan to seduce Auredhian Belgot into marriage. Standing beside a woman of such radiance, I would never catch his eye. There was no comparison. The odds were zero. Better to seduce the elder sister instead—to prevent her from teaching Decarve dark magic. I gazed at the handsome man and beautiful woman before me with satisfaction.
Yes, it was far wiser to seduce the wicked mother than the wicked father.
And just as I sank deeper into such thoughts, Auredhian Belgot pushed Soleia away with decisive force.
“Stop your tears, Elad. I have no handkerchief at the moment.”
Ah—but I possessed all of his handkerchiefs. I considered offering her one of his, then remembered they were all soaked with my tears and snot, and gracefully abandoned the idea.
“Very well.”
As Auredhian Belgot withdrew from Soleia, I saw the corners of his mouth lift into what appeared to be a tender, gentle smile. Yet something about it felt hollow, purely ceremonial—or was that merely my imagination?
It was not imagination. His next words proved it entirely devoid of warmth.
“I think it best you return now. I cannot keep the army encamped indefinitely. Besides, we have a distinguished guest at present.”
“Ah…”
Soleia nodded slowly, her expression clouded with bewilderment.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. Wow. I’d vaguely sensed that this man possessed a blade-like edge, but seeing it now, his defenses were truly impenetrable as steel. How could he remain unmoved in the presence of such a beauty….
Moreover, Auredhian’s demeanor seemed scarcely different from how he treated me. I’d only met him days ago, yet this woman appeared to be his betrothed.
I exhaled a sigh of a different sort. This won’t do. If he doesn’t budge for such a beauty, there’s no way I could ever seduce him.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my entire body erupted in goosebumps.
“-!”
Soleia Elad’s pitch-black eyes were fixed directly on me. I flinched and stumbled backward. A faint throb of pain bloomed in my head. Soleia Elad stared at me with savage intensity, her eyes never blinking once.
Huh…? Before I could even process the situation, my head began to spin. The already-heavy earth of Belgot suddenly yanked me downward with terrifying force.
My body swayed. My breath caught in my throat.
“Gasp….”
“Your Highness?”
Had the Knight standing nearby not quickly steadied me, I would have collapsed entirely. A weight of gravity I’d never felt in my life crushed down upon me. It felt as though I were being buried alive beneath the earth itself.
Beneath the earth.
The ground beneath my feet writhed and something cold, damp, and slick coiled around my ankles and arms. Invisible hands seized my limbs with a grip of tremendous force. Dozens of hands dragged me downward.
Deeper, ever deeper. Underground. Underground….
And then I understood with sudden clarity. Those pitch-black eyes remained fixed upon me.
“-!”
Even as the world spun before my eyes, I gasped in disbelief. That woman, could it be…?
Soleia Elad smiled broadly and extended her hand—toward Auredhian’s face.
“Then perhaps we might arrange our next meeting? I do so look forward to it.”
“The next report shall be….”
Auredhian seemed to be answering, but his voice grew distant, swallowed by the ringing in my ears. The earth had grown so heavy that even the Knight’s strength could not overcome it. I wanted to scream at the horrifying sensation, but my breath was stolen away—no sound escaped.
It felt as though I were being dragged beneath water. The only difference was that it was the underground, not the depths of the sea.
“-.”
My body finally collapsed. Chaos erupted around me.
“Your Highness!”
“Your Majesty, the Princess…!”
My eyes felt as though they might burst from their sockets. My face burned with searing heat. My wrists and ankles turned deathly pale, as if they might snap clean off.
But more than that—my breath. My breath….
My nose and throat clamped shut with absolute finality. I could not exhale at my own will. Horrific pain numbed my thoughts. My vision faded to white, then descended into absolute darkness.
“-.”
Just as consciousness was slipping away, everything stopped at once. Strong hands gripping my waist and shoulders wrenched me forcefully upward. My strangled breath suddenly burst free. Cold air rushed violently through my nose and mouth.
“Gasp…. Gasp… Ugh….”
“Princess, are you alright?”
Tears streamed down my cheeks once more—an involuntary response. Yet the terrible pain that had bound and crushed my entire body vanished without a trace. The contrast was so jarring I could scarcely comprehend it.
I coughed and managed to blink away the tears. Auredhian had dropped to one knee before me, examining me with concern. When I lifted my gaze, I met eyes as black as obsidian.
I gasped for breath and looked past his shoulder at Soleia Elad. An atte—an atte….
An attempted murderer…!
“My goodness.”
Soleia Elad smiled sweetly, her beautiful face radiant.
“I’m not certain who you are, but it seems a phantom has taken hold of you.”
“What… what did you say?”
“Why would His Majesty bring someone who has connections to such wicked things into his presence?”
I stood there, mouth agape, utterly dumbfounded. What was this woman saying? But a stern voice cut through faster than I could respond.
“Elad.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Your conduct toward a foreign royal is disrespectful.”
“I… what?”
The tone was sharp, reproachful. Familiar hands lifted me up and set me upright. My trembling legs barely managed to keep me standing. Auredhian Belgot examined me, his words clipped and precise.
“As a servant of Belgot, you should not bring shame upon me.”
Soleia Elad’s eyes widened in feigned innocence. Even her expression of shock was beautiful, and that only fueled my rage alongside my despair. That woman. She was definitely trying to use dark magic on me…!
The invisible hands of specters dragging the living down into the Underground. The sensation of being seized by phantoms. It matched exactly what had been described in the original work when Decarve Belgot wielded dark magic. I rubbed my eyes furiously, tears streaming down my face as I glared at her.
Without a doubt, what Soleia Elad had directed at me was murderous intent. She tried to kill me. What had I even done…?
Soleia Elad’s eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“I was merely concerned for His Majesty. I suppose I was being overly sensitive.”
“What… what do you mean…?”
“You must be royalty from Lebovni. If I’ve offended you, I sincerely apologize.”
What? If I’ve offended you, I apologize? I was so incredulous I thought my eyes would pop out of my head. But what came next was even more absurd.
“You seem quite unwell. If you don’t mind, I’d like to attend to you as a gesture of apology. How does that sound?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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