Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 21

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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 21
“You seem to have calmed down.”
The man who understood my heart not one whit reached for my arm as though to peel me away from him. I shook my head vigorously and burrowed into the nape of his neck. I absolutely refused to let him see me cry again. I couldn’t keep appearing like a child weeping before this man every single time—
“I need to see your face. To know what state you’re in.”
Auredhian spoke with a sigh.
“Just for a moment. Come now, lift your head.”
A hand swept gently through my hair, accompanied by a soothing voice. I forced the tears back with sheer willpower. When I loosened my grip around his neck, Auredhian lightly lowered my arms and grasped my shoulders to separate us. The moment I pulled away from him, I dropped my head low. My pale pink hair swayed at the edges of my vision. I was certain Marienne had brushed it carefully before I left Bellirook Palace, yet it had become hopelessly tangled and disheveled once more.
“Look at me.”
Large hands cupped both my cheeks and tilted my face upward. My carefully lowered head snapped up instantly. The man I’d spent five days desperately trying to catch even a glimpse of stood directly before me.
Silver hair scattered across his forehead, gleaming softly. Eyes that held a faint ennui and cool indifference. Within them, those crimson violet irises. And within those irises, my reflection lay perfectly preserved. Fortunately, this time I didn’t look quite so wretched. I found some small comfort in that. At least I wasn’t adding to my catalog of embarrassing moments.
Auredhian examined my face carefully for a long while before lowering his gaze. From my upper body down to my feet, he looked me over completely. I let out a nasal whimper.
“I’m fine now.”
The relentless exhaustion that had weighed on me for five days had vanished without a trace.
Auredhian met my eyes with a skeptical look. I stared back at the face I hadn’t seen in five days with eyes full of resentment. A petulant tone escaped me.
“You must have been terribly busy.”
“Well… somewhat.”
Somewhat? I was so exasperated I let out a scoff through my nose.
“If you’d been just a little bit busier, you might have—”
“Might have what?”
—killed me outright! The words caught in my throat and I barely swallowed them down. Calm yourself, Yerenika. Compose yourself. I’d only just managed to see his face; I couldn’t let irritation burst out now. It was only natural that the Emperor would be consumed by state affairs. He could be busy.
Besides, there was no reason in the world why this man should abandon his duties and take responsibility for me. Knowing that, I’d been trying so hard to create a reason for him to do so, yet here I was again in this predicament. I muttered dejectedly.
“Never mind… it’s nothing.”
“Nothing about what? Why—didn’t Shumart prove helpful?”
Sob. No matter how hard I tried to hold back, the sorrow wouldn’t be contained. Perhaps it was because the hand pressing against my forehead was so gentle that the sadness welled up all the more. Before I knew it, my voice had taken on a whining quality.
“How is that person the same as you? I’m not some leech. How can they drain your holiness like that?”
Auredhian let out a short, hollow laugh.
“Then what am I?”
“You’re different from His Majesty…! Honestly, it’s just that like this…”
I checked the heat on my forehead and suddenly grabbed the hand that was trying to pull away. Auredhian didn’t resist and let me take his hand willingly. The moment our skin touched, a cool energy surged through me. I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then spoke with stubborn determination.
“Just holding your hand once would be enough!”
I wasn’t asking for something grand from the start. I had no intention of hitting him with some outdated line like “Would you like to meet with me sometime?” The affection between people, after all, seeps in like rain soaking clothes without one’s notice. Before you know it, you’ve already become my captive. That sort of thing.
If love at first sight was already off the table, then this was the only way forward…
“When you need it, don’t hesitate to speak to Shumart. What else is a priest’s holiness for if not to heal the weak?”
What if the other person opens an umbrella before the rain even starts?
That wasn’t the answer I wanted. This was ridiculous, like trying to breach an impenetrable fortress!
Auredhian was looking down at me with an expression that said “what’s the problem?” That’s not it, you fool. I held his hand tightly with both of mine, refusing to let go.
“Look, see? Father. No, Your Majesty. If I go to the priest and receive his holiness, I’ll be fine and the priest will be relatively exhausted, right?”
“That would be the case.”
Auredhian wore the expression of someone willing to at least listen to what I had to say. I seized the moment and continued eagerly.
“But if I just hold your hand once, or actually, I don’t even need to hold your hand. If I could just be near you—”
“….”
“So it works out well for me, and Your Majesty gets to save a pitiful soul. Isn’t that a win for both of us?”
I sent him a desperate, pleading gaze as I finished my pitch—two wretched supporting characters striking a mutually beneficial deal.
“So just once a day, or rather… you said you’re busy, so even once every two days! Could you possibly show me your face…?”
“Ah.”
“I won’t be a bother. I won’t take up much of your time. Just like today.”
“….”
“You promised to guarantee my safety and well-being. You gave me your word…. If I end up dying in some foreign land, I’ll haunt you as a ghost…!”
Since he wouldn’t answer, my words kept tumbling out. I wasn’t even aware of what I was saying anymore, just babbling desperately. Please. Please. I didn’t cross mountains and rivers to reach Belgot just to be docilely kidnapped into servitude.
I waited anxiously for Auredhian’s response, gazing up at his handsome face as he seemed to consider something.
“Once every four days.”
Oh!
“I’m genuinely busy for the next several days, Princess.”
Oh?
My mouth fell open as I stared up at him. Surely after saying all that, he wouldn’t put up another wall….
“Four days. This time. This place. Thirty minutes.”
Auredhian continued matter-of-factly, his expression relaxed in a way that belied the anxious turmoil in my chest.
“That’s a schedule I can maintain consistently.”
“Yay!”
The answer I’d been desperately hoping for had finally come. Not one day, not two, but four days—though it was far better than waiting indefinitely with no promise at all. Yet Auredhian’s boundless grace didn’t end there. He continued readily.
“Even if it’s not strictly every four days, I’ll often visit the Garden. Just make sure you don’t hide yourself away in strange places like today, Princess.”
“Gasp.”
So he’d discovered my hiding spot in the Garden. My eyes widened in shock. That meant he hadn’t simply stumbled upon me—he’d known all along…!
His violet eyes, tinged with crimson, curved slightly with amusement. His expression was as benevolent as a Buddha watching Sun Wukong playing energetically in the palm of his hand.
“My office window is quite large, after all.”
“Oh, really!”
I finally couldn’t help myself and glared at him sharply. So my deliberate avoidance had been pointless. Boundless grace, my foot. You’re just as much of a villain as Decarve, you wretched Emperor!
Auredhian dismissed my protest lightly and continued.
“And as I’ve said many times, Shumart is a high priest among the clergy who oversees sacred rites, so you needn’t feel guilty about receiving his blessing. If you ever find yourself struggling with something and I’m not there, of course you should go to him.”
Toward the end, his tone became oddly gentle and soothing, almost like a tender scolding. I looked up at him with dissatisfaction, yet nodded in agreement. Then something odd struck me about his words.
“A high priest…?”
“You’ve never heard the name Shumart before? It’s fairly well-known even in Lebovni, I’d imagine.”
There was no way I could know. Lebovni was a country where both mages and priests were rare. There were more priests than mages, certainly, but no priest of renown across the continent.
I racked my brain uneasily. Why…. Why. Could he possibly be someone important…?
Auredhian chuckled at my expression. With his other hand, he reached out and gently tapped just below my right ear. What he said next was nearly a shock to me.
“The most likely candidate for the next Archbishop of Barishard. I’ve already appointed him.”
“What?”
“Since there’s no direct imperial family left in Belgot but me, he probably possesses a level of sanctity that would rank him in the top five across the entire continent.”
“What…?”
I opened my mouth again in disbelief. Oh my. So he was a high priest…. And the designated successor for the next Archbishop of Barishard at that. Good heavens. All this time, I’d been keeping a busy, important person occupied while I sipped tea and loafed about.
“My promise to ensure your safety wasn’t a lie. Though it seems you didn’t believe it anyway.”
“….”
“In any case, your point has merit.”
I tensed for a moment before my heart settled at his next words. Five days of waiting hadn’t been entirely wasted. Once every four days for thirty minutes did seem rather stingy, admittedly. But thirty minutes had a way of becoming an hour, then two hours. Before long, it would stretch to once every two days. That’s how these things worked.
In any case, I was satisfied simply to have found a crack to exploit. Now that my body had returned to normal condition, all the gloom that had weighed on me evaporated. Just minutes ago I’d been so miserable I wanted to weep. The restorative power of human connection truly was magnificent.
I quickly offered my gratitude.
“Hehe. Thank you so much.”
“…Yes.”
And Auredhian wore a peculiar expression.

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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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