Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 28

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

Chapter 28
An admiring gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.
“Wow.”
Barishard was, in a word, a thriving metropolis. If the Imperial Palace mirrored its master’s languid, serene, and peaceful atmosphere, the world beyond its walls was its complete opposite. Elegant, antiquated buildings appeared sporadically along the straightforward avenue, and before long, structures packed far more densely than before crowded the streets alongside hurried pedestrians.
I barely managed to push back my tightly cinched hood and gazed about in bewilderment. Most buildings gleamed in shades of amber, interspersed with occasional gray and crimson structures that dispelled any monotony. Moreover, the entire street thrummed with vitality. The cacophony of horses and carriages mingled with the footsteps and voices of dozens of people, enough to make my ears ring.
After spending so long in the hushed Imperial Palace where only my voice echoed, stepping into the street filled me with the vibrancy of human life. My eyes and head spun in every direction. Surely the peculiar sensation of countless gazes upon me was merely my imagination. Meeting the eyes of passing pedestrians was surely coincidence…
Yet strangely, wherever I turned my head, I found myself locking eyes with numerous people. Hmm?
The moment I sensed something amiss, a low, resolute voice reached my ears.
“Princess, your hood.”
“Pardon?”
Before I could even respond, my left support rose abruptly and pressed the hood firmly down over my head. My vision darkened completely.
“It’s better not to lift the hood. It draws attention.”
“But I didn’t lift it…”
My small protest was summarily dismissed. The moment I tried to push the hood back, he pressed it down again with evident intent. Before I could grumble further, Auredhian added his remark.
“We’ll descend shortly. You can sightsee then.”
His tone was almost coaxing. At his words, I obediently tucked away my pouting lips. So the sensation of lingering gazes hadn’t been my imagination after all. Yerenika’s beauty was finally proving useful…
In any case, being the focus of such attention wasn’t particularly pleasant for me. I resigned myself to darkness and instead opened my ears fully to the world. My heightened senses caught the cacophony of the streets.
Laughter and chatter—people finding something amusing. Simultaneously, elsewhere came raised voices and quarreling—someone disgruntled about something. A young boy’s shrill cry: “Newspapers! Get your newspapers!” How long had it been since I heard the sounds of living people? I found myself grinning with genuine delight.
Yes, I’d been too preoccupied, wrestling with my thoughts in solitude. A change of pace like this wasn’t unwelcome. And I was experiencing it alongside the most dependable companion in the world, no less.
I’d only just escaped from the terrifying Soleya, so surely I deserved to enjoy myself a little more!
Yet Auredhian seemed to disagree. My darkened vision grew even dimmer, and Lyud came to a halt. So absorbed was I that I didn’t notice the supporting arms at my sides had vanished.
The horse’s back swayed once more before my feet touched solid ground with a decisive thud. As I tilted my head in confusion, hands gripped my armpits.
“Eek!”
With an odd sound, I found myself standing on the ground. Auredhian had lifted me down from the horse. I parted my robes and raised my hands to push the hood back. The first thing I saw was silvery hair peeking from beneath the man’s hood, and eyes of a stern crimson hue.
“Your Majesty?”
Auredhian glanced briefly at the alley’s entrance before pulling my hood back down.
“It would be wise to mind your titles in public.”
The hood’s drawstring tightened mercilessly. Even as my vision narrowed again, I opened my mouth eagerly.
“Oh, then should I call you Fa—”
“No. That won’t do.”
His refusal was immediate and absolute. I scrunched my face in displeasure.
“Tch. Nothing’s allowed, apparently.”
“Simply don’t call me anything. You’ll be at my side regardless. Come to think of it, there will be no need to address me at all.”
Such an impenetrable wall of stubbornness. Hmph. I’ll just add “Your Majesty” to the end of every sentence then. I thought this rebelliously before wisely letting the thought go. I’m not a child, after all. Well…
As I fell silent, Auredhian chuckled softly.
“From here onward, riding a horse would only draw unwanted attention. And if you wish to see anything at all, walking directly would serve you better than remaining mounted.”
“I don’t mind. I actually enjoy walking!”
I nodded eagerly. I’d always been the type to prefer traveling on foot. My reputation may have faded now, but I was once renowned for my tireless, steel-like stamina.
Which made this man all the more surprising. Auredhian walked through the streets without a single guard, showing no particular discomfort. The Emperor of Belgot himself, no less. His manner of tethering Lyud at the alley’s entrance seemed almost practiced.
I stole a glance at his expression. I felt oddly apologetic. For me, this was an impromptu outing, so I had no reason to object to walking or running. But Auredhian bore no obligation to show me the sights of my own capital.
“You’re overthinking again, I see.”
“Pardon? Oh, yes?”
This man with his uncanny perceptiveness had seen right through my gaze once more. Hearing my peculiar response, he chuckled and retied the drawstrings of my hood into a neat bow.
“Since I’m conducting an inspection of the Capital anyway, there’s no need for that expression.”
“Ah….”
“There are other matters I need to verify as well. Keep that hood up at all times, without fail.”
Auredhian Belgot tied the ribbon with perfect symmetry and withdrew his hand with evident satisfaction. A faint smile curved his lips. His words, laced with an unspoken consideration, made my heart skip. This man had an uncanny ability to perceive my thoughts with startling accuracy. My worry about dragging a stern person along began to dissolve.
So he had simply furnished this peculiar outing with the pretext of a Capital inspection. If that pretext was genuine, well and good—but if he had added it solely for my sake, I was genuinely grateful. Deeply grateful.
Sigh. This man was utterly inconsistent. My chest felt so tight I feared tears might actually spill. Auredhian Belgot could be endlessly kind and gentle, only to suddenly erect walls between us. I perpetually found myself swept away by that ambiguous warmth, only to collide headlong with an impenetrable barrier of steel.
By now, I should have learned not to be deceived by that warmth…. Yet it was genuinely impossible not to be fooled when faced with that visage. He should have been less attractive!
I steadied my racing heart and bowed my head respectfully.
“Thank you in advance, Your Majesty. For being my shield—no, my fortress today. And for showing me the Capital….”
“….”
“I’ll make sure to enjoy every moment.”
A peculiar expression crossed his face, half-shadowed by the hood. Auredhian often wore such an expression when looking at me—as though observing some fascinating creature he’d never encountered before. His gaze was tender yet subtly inquisitive.
Auredhian murmured, almost to himself.
“I hope you don’t lose yourself.”
“Pardon?”
I thought I heard the faint sound of a sigh. Yet Auredhian soon returned to his gentle smile.
“Never mind. It’s nothing. If you’re enjoying yourself, that’s more than enough.”
“Ah….”
Again. Again! The way he toyed with my heart with that enigmatic expression! Who exactly was seducing whom here?
“Come.”
His large hand extended toward me—a gesture I’d grown accustomed to. My heart thundered wildly. The sudden warmth of his presence made my spirit soar once more.
“This is all because of that face….”
“What?”
“Your Majesty is devastatingly handsome.”
“How utterly random—”
“—isn’t it!”
I hastily grasped his hand before he could say more. But that proved an unforeseen mistake. A sudden surge of divine energy flooded through me, invigorating every fiber of my being. My heart raced as though I’d consumed excessive caffeine. Thump-thump.
—Truly! I buried my flushed face and quickly turned away. If I continued looking at him, the heat rising from my ears would surely spread across my entire face.
* * *
Mercifully, the moment our proper exploration of Barishard began, my heart quickened for entirely different reasons. Every sight that met my eyes differed dramatically from Lebovni.
While Lebovni employed abundant curves, creating a rounded and quaint aesthetic, Barishard was predominantly a city of clean, sweeping lines. Yet its buildings all retained an elegant antiquity bestowed by the passage of time.
I gazed about in wonder, listening to his steady voice.
“Barishard is structured around the Imperial Palace at its center, with four main thoroughfares radiating outward. The east and west house the mansions of noble families—the Piela District and Heilen District. The north contains the densely populated residential areas of commoners—the Anaksia District.”
His calm explanation continued.
“And here, to the south, lies the Yugel District—our cultural and artistic quarter. It’s home to Barishard’s most vibrant central marketplace.”
“Wow.”
His words proved entirely accurate. Structures far more intricate and elegant than those we’d passed began appearing one by one. After walking perhaps a hundred paces further, the street opened into a vast plaza. My mouth fell open, and Auredhian Belgot spoke with characteristic composure.
“We’ve arrived. Ugel Square, the second heart of Barishard.”

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