Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 41

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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 41
I’d been complaining about the persistent dampness and discomfort, and now I realized my face and body were drenched in cold sweat. That wasn’t all. Despite having slept for what felt like ages, my body possessed not a shred of energy.
A debilitating lethargy crept upward from my fingertips to my toes. It was a sensation I knew all too well.
“Ugh… what is this?”
I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself upright. My entire body creaked in protest, aching as though I’d been thoroughly beaten. Strange. Just yesterday I’d felt vibrant and energetic.
A faint unease bloomed within me. Had my body grown more sensitive in the meantime? Or perhaps I’d exhausted myself too much in that dream.
As I lay blankly on the bed staring at the canopy, the ‘voice’ echoed through my mind.
[Child, your condition is more serious than you realize, isn’t it?]
I had nothing to say in response, so I kept my mouth shut.
[So frail and feeble. Tsk tsk.]
Was it picking a fight with me? I barely managed to press my fingers to my temples and muttered.
“My head is… ringing.”
A dull throb pulsed through my skull. I shook my head and sluggishly dragged myself out of bed. My body stretched like heated rubber, stiff and resistant.
With impeccable timing, a soft knock sounded before the door swung open.
“My, Princess. You’re awake?”
“Marienne.”
Marienne, who had somehow become uncannily attuned to my waking hours, entered with a bright smile. Her capable hands tidied the blankets wrapped around me. Her gentle inquiry followed.
“How did you sleep? Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“Yes…”
“My goodness. But why all this perspiration?”
“The bedding was perhaps a bit warm.”
Marienne, looking flustered, dabbed my forehead with a towel.
“You should have mentioned it. I would have changed your blankets to something lighter.”
“Hehe…”
In truth, waking with a sluggish body was nothing unusual for me. I simply smiled reassuringly at the concerned Marienne.
“Good morning, Marienne!”
Surely it was nothing serious, I thought.
* * *
The days following that long and arduous expedition through Barishard passed swiftly. Outwardly, my daily life had not changed dramatically from before.
I spent most of my time idling about Bellirook Palace, visiting the Main Palace Garden once every three days. In my remaining hours, I would stroll through the Imperial Palace or occasionally encounter Diego Schmart when he visited.
On the surface, nothing seemed amiss. I thought so too. If I had to point out something unusual, it would be that I’d been dozing off more frequently in front of sun-drenched windows.
Or perhaps…
[You’re quite lazy, aren’t you? A child without permission.]
At some point, a voice had begun speaking to me inside my head… that was the peculiarity.
I pressed my throbbing temple. I enunciated each syllable with deliberate force.
“Yerenibovika Shushubiya Lebovni.”
[Yes. Per, mis, sion, not, grant, ed, child. It’s not as though I don’t know your name.]
Ah, my head. Was this how Auredhian felt about hearing his father’s voice? I found myself reflecting anew on my own speech habits. I needed to stop doing that.
‘The voice.’ Unbelievable as it was, the sound of Raulus God—who dwelt beyond Udeta, the boundary between earth and heaven—came crashing into my mind once more.
[Hey, precious one. Are you going to meet that fellow again today?]
I deliberately ignored that question.
Ever since that day when I first heard Raulus God’s voice in the Temple, the deity of peace and prosperity had visited me frequently—with a voice that hammered relentlessly against my skull.
[So now you won’t even answer, I see.]
And in a frivolous tone that had completely abandoned any semblance of divine dignity.
“….”
I lay sprawled across the table, lost in thought. A god. An absolute being beyond Udeta.
That’s right. I had forgotten, but this world was one where the realm of gods, the realm of humans, and the realm of the dead each existed separately.
Udeta, the boundary between the earthly realm and the divine realm. And Remordi, the boundary between the earthly realm and the underground. This world truly consisted of three distinct layers. The worldbuilding would have been explained in greater detail in “Brizni Wants to Be Happy,” but I—someone who had devoted all her attention solely to the protagonists’ romantic entanglements—could hardly be expected to remember such specific details about the setting.
If only I’d known, I would have read the original work word by word…. Of course, that regret came far too late. Ugh. Die, past me!
‘Ah, I’m already dead anyway….’
My tongue felt bitter. I pressed my right cheek firmly against the table and continued my thoughts.
Yes. I’d been kidnapped to Belgot, and I’d somehow acquired unexpected combat abilities, and I’d earned Soleia Elad’s inexplicable wariness. But up to that point, these were stories I could at least comprehend—relatively grounded narratives.
But a god? Raulus God?!
Even the high priestesses said they’d be fortunate to hear Raulus God’s voice once in their entire lives. Yet here I was, someone with barely a shred of divine sanctity beyond receiving baptism, hearing the god’s voice. Multiple times, no less.
Of course, Raulus God didn’t speak to me very much. In fact, it seemed like he only bothered to say something whenever he felt bored. He almost never actually answered the questions I asked him. He’d just pick fights instead.
For example.
[How did something so small and insignificant end up rolling in here?]
“Insignificant….”
[So tiny, like a pea, that if I flicked you, you’d roll right away.]
Just like now. I’m basically entertainment, a plaything!
After getting choked up multiple times at his teasing, I simply gave up responding. This god called Raulus was clearly far more willful than his public reputation suggested. And here I was, earnestly serving such a deity. Run away, Diego!
Every time I saw Diego Schmart, I desperately tried to send him telepathic messages, but of course he never picked up on them.
Well, aside from that, everything else remained as usual. I still visited the courtyard once every three days and spent brief tea time with Auredhian Belgot.
And after “that day,” Soleia Elad hadn’t appeared at the Imperial Palace. Whether Auredhian Belgot had forbidden her entry again or whether she herself was restraining her steps, I couldn’t say.
In any case, these days had been nothing but languid, peaceful spring afternoons. Or so I thought….
But the people around me didn’t seem to share that assessment.
“Your Highness, you haven’t been looking well lately.”
“Hm?”
The first to say this was Leria, the youngest of my attendants. I rolled around on the sofa hugging a pillow before turning my head.
“Me?”
“Yes. You’ve seemed particularly listless these days…. Is something troubling you?”
“Not particularly.”
Had I really been like that? I blinked and searched my memory. But nothing in particular came to mind.
“The weather’s gotten warmer, so maybe I’m just getting sluggish. I feel fine, really.”
The occasional bouts of lethargy had been a chronic condition I’d carried with me ever since arriving in Belgot. Or perhaps it was spring fatigue arriving belatedly. I simply shook my head dismissively.
But I couldn’t brush off the comment once I heard the same thing from Marienne after Leria, and then even from Diego Schmart.
“Your Highness, your complexion is far too pale.”
“Mm…?”
“Is there perhaps something troubling you, Your Highness?”
“Yes…?”
“Please don’t hesitate to tell me if something is troubling you!”
“…?”
The expressions on both their faces as they exchanged words and looked at me were decidedly unusual. They wore the kind of faces one might make when gazing upon someone destined to be laid in a coffin by tomorrow. I responded with bewilderment.
“I’m perfectly fine, truly.”
Yet their expressions betrayed complete disbelief. I pressed harder with my words.
“I’m really in excellent health!”
“….”
“Shall I do some push-ups to prove it?”
“Please stop, Princess!”
And I was immediately restrained. What on earth did these people think of me?
But upon reflection, it seemed this wasn’t something to dismiss lightly. I searched my memory and recalled one thing that stood out as unusual.
“My sleep has been rather restless lately….”
“It’s stress, Princess!”
“But what could possibly cause me stress here….”
I began to respond in confusion, then stopped. Now that I thought about it, there were indeed causes for stress.
In Marienne and Diego Schmart’s eyes, I was a delicate princess born to struggle even with breathing itself, and worse—though I bore a respectable title, I was nothing more than a hostage. In essence, a sickly princess suffering from homesickness. Is that it?
Marienne grasped my hand tightly, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Don’t worry, Princess. Everything will work out.”
“Will it really…?”
If everything worked out, that would mean I’d marry the Emperor of this nation and live a full life, wouldn’t it, Marienne!
“Hehe.”
The mere thought made my heart flutter with clouds. Of course, it was pure fantasy.
Marriage to that iron-walled man? Hardly. I’d be grateful enough if I could simply succeed in removing Soleia Elad from his side. As I drifted aimlessly in my thoughts and gradually cooled, the conversation continued on.
“Shouldn’t we inform His Majesty and summon the Imperial physician, Vice-Abbot? Having nightmares—perhaps we should arrange a prescription for sleeping medicine….”
“I was just thinking the same thing. I shall inform His Majesty.”
The expressions on Diego Schmart and Marienne’s faces as they exchanged these words were impossibly grave. I fell silent.
It was true that my sleep had been turbulent. Every morning, my entire body was drenched in cold sweat. I couldn’t quite remember the dream’s contents, but I was certain they were wretched dreams. Otherwise, how could I wake up every single day utterly exhausted and drenched in sweat?
In truth, aside from that, my condition wasn’t significantly different from usual, yet to others’ eyes, my state appeared quite serious.
If it were just one or two people, it would be one thing. But with everyone I encountered offering words of concern, I was beginning to wonder if something truly was wrong with me.

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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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