Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 27

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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 27
I stared up at that handsome, audacious face in utter exasperation. Auredhian seemed disinclined to offer me any further explanation.
Those reddish eyes swept over me once, and then came the soft click of his tongue.
“You’ll lose yourself the moment we step into the streets like that.”
“Lose what?”
Auredhian didn’t answer. Instead, he gestured lightly to an attendant who had materialized at his side. I blinked as I watched him receive something from the attendant—a large, black robe.
It billowed.
“Oh…”
My lips parted slightly. The black robe unfurled with a whisper and draped itself across my shoulders.
Auredhian pulled the hood over my head and fastened the buttons with meticulous precision. That wasn’t enough—he drew the hood’s drawstring tight, tying it into a neat bow. His movements were so swift I could barely follow them. Only after wrapping me thoroughly in the black robe did his lips curve into a smile. He murmured with evident satisfaction.
“This is much better.”
“…?”
I glanced down at myself. The robe’s hem overlapped slightly with the white dress’s edge, creating a minor inconvenience, but nothing unbearable. Yet why conceal myself from head to toe like this…?
Ah, well. A woman as beautiful as myself in such an obviously luxurious dress would indeed be a target on the streets. I examined Auredhian from head to toe with a somewhat brazen thought. In truth, if we’re talking about drawing attention, the man before me was far more conspicuous than I was. Those silver locks and those rare crimson eyes—they captivated gazes from dozens of paces away. Add the form-fitting, ornate uniform, and he was unmistakable.
Yet Auredhian seemed even less aware of himself than I was. All he’d done was loosen his cravat roughly and undo a single button at his collar. I watched blankly as he fiddled with his sleeve buttons.
Auredhian opened his mouth in a voice dripping with nonchalance.
“What would the Princess most like to see?”
“Oh…”
“The Raulus Temple? The wolf statue in Ugel Square? The murals depicting the founding myths?”
“Oh, the temple. I want to see—no, rather, there.”
I caught myself before I could slip away and grabbed his sleeve firmly. My voice tumbled out, full of alarm.
“F-father, no. Your Majesty?”
“You won’t find it easy to lose me, will you?”
“Ah, well, that’s true. You’re far too conspicuous… No, that’s not what I meant!”
That’s not what I meant at all! I screamed silently in my mind. Have you lost your mind? You’re going to walk the streets like that—with that face, in that uniform? While fleeing from Soleia? Might as well announce that the Belgot Emperor is here!
Auredhian tilted his head, observing my distorted expression.
“What’s the problem?”
I had plenty to say, but I refrained. Instead, I acted immediately. I took the remaining robe from the attendant’s hands and unfurled it. When I did…
“Hmm.”
The robe was longer than I’d anticipated. Dressing a man with a head’s height advantage in something this long was impractical. I held the robe, deliberated briefly, then offered it to him.
“Your Majesty should wear one too.”
His brow furrowed slightly. But Auredhian accepted the robe without resistance.
“This doesn’t seem like a particularly good idea. But if you wish it.”
“And the hood as well.”
You have no idea how devastating that face of yours is. I fastened his buttons with the same care he’d shown me. Auredhian looked somewhat reluctant. Regardless, I finished buttoning and dusted off my hands with satisfaction.
“There. Done.”
“Do you enjoy bundling things up tightly?”
“No. I prefer them loose and open, actually. But given the circumstances…”
“…”
“And that’s something I should be saying to you, Your Majesty.”
Who tied a cord around my face so that only my eyes, nose, and mouth showed? My beautiful face should be displayed proudly for the world’s benefit, I insisted. He gave a vague response, and I shot him a sideways glance. I could see his eyes, half-hidden in the hood’s shadow, narrow slightly.
Auredhian Belgot didn’t continue the banter. Instead, he muttered something along with a long sigh.
“Quite destructively innocent, aren’t you.”
“What? I know everything there is to know, sir.”
“Hardly.”
And Auredhian Belgot completely ignored my jest. It seemed like he’d even snorted softly. Then, in the next moment, a hand suddenly reached out and grasped mine. Warmth seeped between his slightly cool fingers.
The divinity already swirling through my body surged up from the crown of my head as though it might overflow. Though I’d held this hand a dozen times already, somehow my ears burned. Auredhian Belgot shook our clasped hands gently and spoke with stern authority.
“The Imperial Palace is quiet like this, but once we venture into Barishard’s streets, it becomes crowded. The Magic Tower, the Mana Stone Exchange, mages roam the entire district—you must remember not to stray from my side.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll stick close to you.”
I answered quickly, trying to hide my heart’s quickening rhythm. The plan had taken an unexpected turn, but it didn’t seem bad at all. This was far more effective than sitting quietly in the palace sipping tea. We’d progressed from once every three days for thirty minutes to this—wasn’t that progress?
I resolved to fulfill my duty as a kidnapper and become Auredhian Belgot’s leech for the entire day. If I clung to him like gum, wouldn’t that leave Soleia Elad no opportunity to target me?
In truth, as long as this man was by my side, I feared nothing in the world. He was the Emperor of Belgot, after all, and practically my only human tonic. I pulled his large hand, which more than covered mine.
“Shall we go then? Your Hostage.”
Auredhian Belgot smiled like a sigh when he saw my beaming face.
“…Yes.”
His expression was full of worry and unease.
* * *
The means of transportation to Barishard’s bustling district was a horse. A man who looked like a Knight stood waiting at the south entrance, leading a single steed.
I would have preferred a carriage, but asking for one while sneaking away to avoid prying eyes would be greedy. Fortunately, the white horse that obediently tapped its hooves was a familiar one to me.
Auredhian Belgot took the reins and lightly brushed the horse’s mane.
“Lyud, it’s been a while.”
Lyud. That was the white horse’s name. The Emperor’s steed, with a healthy body whose snow-white mane gleamed brilliantly. It was the horse I’d ridden throughout my entire kidnapping to Belgot. Lyud whinnied in response to his gentle touch, seeming pleased.
Perhaps because I’d endured quite an ordeal on that back in the past, I wasn’t as frightened as when I first saw Lyud. I was a woman who could ride a horse now! I should learn proper horsemanship if the opportunity arose.
It was fortunate that Auredhian Belgot was beside me now, but I never knew when I might have to flee alone. If I couldn’t fight back, I should at least escape skillfully. I couldn’t rely on luck forever.
Lyud swished his long tail back and forth. I waited obediently. After all, Lyud was nearly five times my size, and I still didn’t know how to mount a horse by myself.
“Princess, come here.”
And just as expected, within seconds, two hands extended toward me. They were the reassuring hands that had lifted me up and set me down many times before.
Auredhian Belgot lifted me lightly onto Lyud. The ground suddenly fell away.
“Thank you.”
I instinctively wrapped my arms tightly around the horse’s neck. Looking down at the distant ground, my courage shriveled. My thoughts shifted. No, horseback riding is still too much for me…
I felt Auredhian Belgot swing up behind me. My body swayed greatly. Soon his two arms extended on either side of me like supports, grasping the reins. Auredhian Belgot adjusted the golden reins and spoke briefly.
“Posture.”
“Yes, sir.”
They say humans are creatures of adaptation. Just weeks ago, I’d been terrified of horses, yet now I settled into position with surprising ease. Lower body pressed firmly against the horse, upper body relaxed and leaning back.
As I comfortably adjusted my posture, Auredhian Belgot spoke to the Knight in a somewhat stiff tone.
“Finish your work before we return. And Radin, follow discreetly with the other three. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The man in Knight’s armor with a cross hanging over his left chest bowed respectfully. Follow discreetly? What for?
My thoughts didn’t continue long. I tilted my head in confusion, then pressed myself against Auredhian Belgot as he pulled the reins. Lyud seemed to prance lightly before moving slowly. Then, gradually increasing speed, he began to gallop.
Thus, for the first time since arriving in Belgot, I left the Imperial Palace.
* * *
The moment I stepped beyond the city gates, a perfectly straight road stretched before me.
“Oh….”
Truth be told, I found myself marveling from that very moment. I had seen nothing but the road itself, yet even that differed starkly from Lebovni. The capital of Lebovni, Libne, rarely boasted such open, unbroken thoroughfares. To think even this small detail marked such a distinction….
I found myself contemplating anew just how isolated and provincial Lebovni truly was, when the landscape before my eyes brought my thoughts to an abrupt halt.

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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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