Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 33

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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 33
The moment my feet touched the ground, a sharp gasp tore from my lungs. My entire body froze as an overwhelming wave of sacred energy crashed through me like a tidal force.
An unapproachable, formidable holiness enveloped me, pressing down as though to crush me entirely. My lungs shriveled like deflated plastic bags. My knees buckled beneath me.
“…!”
Fortunately, I didn’t collapse onto the floor in an undignified heap. Auredhian caught me with a sharp click of his tongue.
“I knew this would happen.”
“Hah….”
“Breathe deeply, Princess. This is what everyone experiences upon first stepping into the Temple. You simply need to adapt.”
Well, excess of anything wasn’t good, was it? The ground beneath my feet and the air I breathed were saturated with a crystalline, refreshing energy. It was as though a catfish accustomed to third-class waters had suddenly been thrust into first-class waters….
The voice of the man steadying me with a firm grip reached my ears.
“You’ll be fine soon. Just breathe—breathe.”
“Huff, huff….”
Following Auredhian’s guidance, I attempted to take deep, measured breaths. The sacred energy that had violently constricted my breathing gradually stabilized, slowly ebbing away.
Before long, as if by magic, my body returned to its normal state. I opened my eyes wide, sensing a peculiar vitality as though every cell in my body was awakening.
“Oh…. This is strange.”
“It’s raw, unrefined sacred energy. Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
Standing upright on both legs posed no problem. In fact, my body felt so invigorated I could have run ten laps around a field. A hand suddenly reached out and deftly untied the ribbon of my hood.
“That was suffocating, wasn’t it?”
“A little…?”
The hood that had meticulously covered even my bangs slipped down to the nape of my neck. Pale pink tones shimmered at the edges of my now-unobstructed vision. I began busily arranging the hair that had been compressed inside the hood, but quickly abandoned the effort upon realizing that these fluffy strands would never settle easily.
Fortunately, thanks to the tight braids Marienne had woven, my appearance didn’t look entirely disheveled. I straightened my posture and looked up at Auredhian.
“I’m ready now….”
The moment I lifted my head, my breath caught for an entirely different reason as his face filled my vision. His silver hair, swept elegantly to one side, gleamed in the light. Within the Temple, the subtle fragrance that enveloped him was twice as intoxicating as usual. Yet what truly captivated me was something else entirely—
“…?”
His gaze, which scrutinized me far more thoroughly than I scrutinized myself. Those jewel-like crimson-violet eyes. Auredhian examined me meticulously from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes.
Somehow, that persistent gaze embarrassed me, and heat crept up to the tips of my ears. I stammered like a fool.
“What, what are you doing, Your Majesty?”
“Your hand.”
“My hand?”
Before I could even offer it, he lifted my hand into view. It was the same hand that had nearly grasped the transparent stone where that black vortex had swirled.
“It’s already completely healed….”
I murmured in a subdued voice. The wound that had stung and burned like a severe scald had long since closed. Yet Auredhian didn’t seem to be listening to my words at all. In the end, I had no choice but to remain in his grasp until he was satisfied.
Auredhian finally released my hand and spoke.
“I should have told you not to touch anything carelessly.”
That’s hardly fair!
“I wasn’t just touching things randomly!”
“Then?”
“It pulled me toward it. Like, like…. As though it were asking me to hold it….”
The more I spoke, the stranger my words sounded. Auredhian’s lips curved upward in a slight smile—an expression that seemed ordinarily languid, yet somehow different.
“Yes. That’s possible.”
“Tsk. You don’t believe me at all!”
“That’s not it.”
That expression screamed: *Sure, if you say so, I’ll take your word for it.* This man clearly thought I was some ten-year-old child. It was infuriating.
“I pulled you toward me,” he said.
His face remained slack and relaxed, yet those sharply curved lips kept catching my eye. Was I imagining things? No—there was no way I was imagining this. Not when the same delusion repeated itself so frequently and so intensely!
“Your Majesty.”
I grabbed the hem of Auredhian’s robe. But before I could say anything, he spoke first.
“Go to the Temple. At this hour, Diego Schmart should be there, so you won’t feel out of place going alone.”
“Pardon? Where are you going, Your Majesty?”
“I have something to confirm.”
Auredhian said only that—that he had something to confirm. He offered no real explanation. Of course, I had no intention of letting him go. My grip on his robe tightened.
“Where does a hostage get to go!”
“What?”
Nonsense had tumbled from my lips. I quickly corrected myself.
“What are you going to confirm?”
He said nothing.
“You’ve been strange all day. Suddenly wanting to leave that alley was odd. Constantly checking something in between was odd. Your expression… your eyes!”
It was clear this man had been vigilant about his surroundings ever since we left the Imperial Palace. Before we even departed the Imperial Palace, when I boldly declared my intention to kidnap him, he hadn’t been this on edge. So there could only be one reason!
I opened my mouth slowly. My heart hammered with tension.
“Your Majesty. Is it possible you suspect…”
Soleia Elad?
Auredhian laughed lightly.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you make such a serious face.”
“What?”
“Your instincts are only sharp at times like this. Otherwise, you’re so careless.”
My tension snapped like a taut string suddenly released. Here I was, speaking earnestly, and he was teasing me! I glared at him with blazing eyes.
Auredhian continued in a soothing tone.
“There are simply certain objects that shouldn’t be lying about on the streets. I was thinking of conducting an inspection after all this time. Things like the mana stones you nearly touched earlier.”
“Huh.”
“There are more than a few of them, so it’s too dangerous for you to wander about. The Temple would be far safer than returning to the Imperial Palace without me.”
I had nothing to say. So he wasn’t suspecting Soleia Elad? But that’s the mage you trust—Soleia Elad—and she’s the one doing this! Yet I had no evidence to voice such an accusation. In truth, I myself had sensed nothing beyond the fact that Auredhian’s expression seemed different from usual.
Was I simply being paranoid? Had Soleia Elad really pursued me through this vast Capital? And why would she? I was hardly someone worthy of her attention.
…
I stopped my thoughts there.
Physical evidence isn’t the only proof—circumstantial evidence counts, and intuition counts too! I’d stake my pinky finger that this wasn’t mere paranoia. My arm kept tingling for some reason.
But the real problem was that there was nothing I could do about it.
I couldn’t wander outside freely, couldn’t openly declare that Soleia Elad was a dark mage, didn’t have any special ability to capture her. For someone like me, staying quiet and obedient was the only way to help.
How frustrating. I opened my mouth, then closed it firmly. After hesitating for a long while, I opened it again.
“When will you return?”
“Today.”
His assured tone eased my worries somewhat. Only then did I release my grip on Auredhian’s robe.
“You mustn’t be late.”
“There’s no reason I would be.”
“I’m serious. Your Majesty doesn’t understand, but if you break your promise, I’ll be anxious about it.”
Life has a way of throwing curveballs at you. What ifs.
Only I in this entire world know how terrifying Soleia Elad truly is. What if the numbers were wrong, and she abandoned the idea of bearing a son and decided to harm this man instead?
My fingers fidgeted unconsciously, and a low chuckle reached my ears.
“What is it that I don’t understand?”
Well, the original story?
I offered an ambiguous smile. If I told him, he’d say that wasn’t it! Even with a hundred mouths, I couldn’t speak of the original story. I lowered my gaze. This was all I could manage right now.
“Just… please come back safely. Don’t… don’t get hurt…”
“It seems you worry about unnecessary things.”
His fingertip suddenly drew near, tapping my cheek gently.
Really, I wished this man understood even half of what I felt. Even as my expression grew sorrowful, I ended up laughing at his tenderness.
* * *
Auredhian mounted Lyud and departed. In the distance, I could see four or five Knights in white armor waiting. They were likely the holy knights Auredhian had summoned earlier—Radin, Lugie, Selbier, and Eliga.
I stood motionless until the silver light glinting in the sunlight vanished from my sight.
“…Sigh.”
What escaped was a sigh, and what grew heavier was my heart.
I shook my head and turned around. The absence of someone I’d been with all this time left me feeling hollow. I clasped my cold fingers together and took a step forward.
Diego should be around by now. The image of a handsome young man with black hair and gentle golden eyes surfaced in my mind. Being with Diego would be better than being alone.
Standing at the bottom of those dizzying stairs, the path upward seemed impossibly daunting. I exhaled a sigh—I’d lost count of how many—and placed my first foot on the step. How on earth was I supposed to climb all the way up? The height was so vertiginous that, only slightly exaggerating, Auredhian might arrive before I even reached the top.
“…Ugh.”
Of course, no matter how much I looked around, there was no elevator or escalator in sight. I reluctantly began climbing the stairs.
“Your Highness?”

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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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