Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 47

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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 47
* * *
Thus my first genuine attempt ended in failure. Far more miserably than I’d anticipated.
I remained alone in the Garden, stamping my feet against the ground in frustration.
“What on earth is that man thinking!”
The more I replayed our conversation, the more absurd it became. I never expected those words to leave his lips—that he would try to love Soleia Elad. Wasn’t he supposed to be wary of her? My mood sank all over again.
“Surely he didn’t mean it seriously….”
I hadn’t expected him to fall for my advances in one go, but still…. How little must he regard me if he could speak so casually about loving another woman?
“…No.”
I shook my head vigorously, casting off the gloomy thoughts. I’d already steeled myself for rejection, hadn’t I? I couldn’t falter now! The embers of my resolve, which had begun to smolder, suddenly blazed back to life. I clenched my fists.
Meanwhile, Marienne, who had witnessed my utter rejection from beside me, was in complete turmoil.
“Your Highness! What were you thinking!”
Marienne pestered me with endless reproaches the entire journey back to Bellirook Palace.
“Goodness, I didn’t entirely fail to anticipate such feelings toward His Majesty. But still…! How could a foreign royal conduct herself so brazenly!”
“What does being royal matter….”
“You must maintain your dignity, no matter what!”
The fact that I was being scolded so harshly by my own lady-in-waiting only further destroyed what remained of my composure. I simply smiled as prettily as I could manage. Mari, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine!
“Above all, what will happen if this reaches the ears of Elad!”
Yet this seemed to be Marienne’s greatest concern. Soleia Elad.
Marienne muttered as though the world were crumbling.
“Rumors are already spreading through society….”
“Oh, wonderful news!”
“It is not!”
In stark contrast to my radiant expression, Marienne’s face had grown paler than parchment.
“Your Highness, you don’t understand. Elad shows no mercy to those who fall into her grasp.”
“Well… I’m aware of that too.”
No one knew Soleia’s terrifying nature better than I did. I patted Marienne’s shoulder reassuringly.
“But I can’t afford to hesitate any longer. Elad is frightening, yes, but His Majesty marrying Elad is far more terrifying.”
“Your Highness….”
Marienne’s expression remained clouded with worry. I declared boldly and confidently.
“Don’t worry, Mari! Even if things go wrong, Raulus will protect me.”
[When did I ever say that?]
“Ahahaha. Hush now. One mouth, one word.”
The last remark was nearly ventriloquism. Anyway, what’s the harm in a little bluffing? I turned away from the bewildered Marienne and whispered toward the sky.
“You said you would help me. Surely you’re not just going to watch me get dragged off to hell?”
[I told you I can’t interfere in human affairs, crumb. Especially not when it concerns magic.]
“….”
[You’ll have to find your own way out.]
Ahahaha. So much for having a reliable backer. I barely managed to suppress my trembling lips. Raulus added:
[If all else fails, flee to the Temple. A sanctuary where the things you fear cannot tread.]
“…That’s quite a clever approach.”
I exhaled a long, heavy sigh. Without the ability to teleport directly from the Imperial Palace to the Temple, it was an utterly impractical solution.
In the end, I had to carve out my own path to survival. It was an obvious truth, yet my spirits plummeted regardless. I possessed no capacity to protect myself—a pufferfish that would burst at the slightest prod, and here I was, pretending I could defend myself. Ridiculous.
So my only option was to skulk about, barely clinging to life, and avoid Soleia Elad at all costs. After all, she couldn’t freely enter and exit the Imperial Palace, so surely I had some advantage?
But the gods—or at least Raulus—were decidedly not on my side.
“…Ugh.”
Not even three days had passed before I collided with Soleia Elad head-on!
* * *
Looking back, my fortune that day had been particularly wretched.
Waking before dawn drenched in cold sweat had become routine. As the perspiration cooled and my body temperature plummeted, I’d cling to my blankets, shivering uncontrollably until I finally stumbled to the bath for scalding water—a cycle that had repeated for nearly two weeks.
The cause was obvious: my dreams had grown violent and disturbing. What nightmares plagued me throughout those dark hours, I could no longer be bothered to recall. Even the sleeping draught Marienne had procured proved useless.
“Could I be cursed…?”
How else could I explain these bizarre symptoms? They seemed too severe to dismiss as mere bad dreams.
Yet my mind remained perfectly lucid—too lucid for genuine illness. My body felt sluggish, certainly, but that was commonplace. A truly sick person wouldn’t possess such clarity of thought.
Even the Imperial physician’s examination had yielded the same verdict: perfectly sound, save for the symptoms inherent to my mana incompatibility.
So it was simply a succession of gloomy mornings. But that particular day stood out for several reasons: I felt unusually lethargic, the sky hung dark as if rain might fall at any moment, and—
Most unfortunately, I discovered a withered heap of dead flowers in the garden before Bellirook Palace.
And finally, it was the one day Auredhian Belgot had stepped away from the Imperial Palace.
“Ah, ha, ha….”
On such a day, I should have remained confined within the palace walls. What possessed me to take a stroll? I laughed awkwardly and offered the most composed greeting I could muster.
“Good day….”
Soleia Elad. The beautiful woman with her luscious auburn hair twisted high into a single knot did not immediately respond to my greeting. Her cold, metallic gaze swept across every inch of my body.
Under that merciless scrutiny, even the fine hairs on my face bristled. This was only the second time we’d faced each other directly. The nightmare of our first encounter inevitably surfaced—the sensation of those cold, clammy hands returned vividly to memory.
Prey before a predator. That was precisely what I was. The only reason I didn’t scream or collapse was sheer stubbornness.
But if I simply stood there staring, I feared I might actually bolt, so I blurted out whatever came to mind.
“The weather is… quite pleasant.”
“….”
“The sky is, um, so clear.”
Nonsense. The sky was thick with dark clouds—even squinting wouldn’t make it clear. Damn it. Yerenika. Seun-seo. Compose yourself. Compose….
The beautiful woman’s red lips, which had been studying me intently, slowly parted.
“Yes. The weather is lovely.”
“Ah, ha.”
“I do enjoy days like this. It seems Your Highness does as well.”
“Yes, yes. A fine day is surely one when rain falls…isn’t it.”
What in the world was I saying? I grimaced and clamped my mouth shut. My entire body was tingling with heat. Soleia Elad smiled deeply—a smile that seemed almost hypnotic.
“Your complexion looks rather poor.”
“I hear that often.”
I simply spoke whatever came out. My mind had frozen so completely I couldn’t discern if my response made any sense. I needed to stay calm. Yet my thoughts refused to flow properly. Before I knew it, I’d taken a step forward. Toward Soleia Elad.
It was madness. I should have fled immediately, yet why was I….
Soleia Elad smiled knowingly. White teeth gleamed faintly between her red lips.
“You don’t seem to be sleeping well.”
“I… beg your pardon?”
A question surfaced in my mind, which had been frozen solid until now. How could this woman possibly know that I’ve been losing sleep?
Soleia Elad’s words didn’t end there. She leaned toward me slightly, as though sharing some deeply confidential secret. Since I was shorter than her, the angle made it seem as though she were looking down at me.
A seductive whisper brushed against my ear.
“It seems you’re still being held captive by phantoms, aren’t you?”
And those words jolted my mind awake. My thoughts raced, pulling forth the memory of my first encounter with Soleia Elad.
“I don’t know who you are, but it appears you’ve been seized by phantoms.”
Yes. That woman had spoken similarly back then. Yet she herself was the culprit. So then… were all these nightmares I’d been having lately her doing?
My consciousness reeled as though someone had brought a hammer down upon my skull. Simultaneously, I understood instinctively. I cannot let this show.
I barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth into a stiff smile.
“Phantoms? I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”
Fortunately, my voice emerged sufficiently naive and innocent. Yet my heart was pounding far too rapidly.
I know nothing. I know absolutely nothing. I have no idea that this woman before me is a dark sorcerer. If Soleia Elad were to suspect that I know her true identity… then that would be the day I am truly dragged alive into hell itself.
I managed to laugh brightly.
“My dreams have just been a bit turbulent lately! How did you know that? Wow, how remarkable.”
“…”
“I’ve heard you’re an incredibly powerful sorceress, and you truly are impressive.”
Perfect! I thrust my thumb upward with every ounce of strength I possessed. Please, let me appear like a foolish, clueless princess. Please!
A brief silence fell. This driftfish-like body of mine seemed to react even to Soleia Elad’s presence.
My legs kept threatening to give way beneath me. An intangible aura prickled against my skin with a chilling sensation.
Soleia Elad, who had been observing me quietly for a moment, smiled smoothly.
“…You seem to be doing well enough.”

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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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