Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 53

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

Chapter 53
In her drowsy, sleep-laden gaze of sky-blue eyes, he was reflected. Auredhian Belgot barely exhaled the breath he’d been holding. He’d always taken it for granted that he alone filled her vision completely, but from this moment forward, that certainty shattered into something far more precarious.
Auredhian Belgot suppressed the sacred power threatening to surge wildly and called to her quietly.
“Princess.”
Yerenika, her eyes half-open and her gaze unfocused upon him, stirred slightly.
From his accumulated experience, Auredhian Belgot understood what it meant. His body reacted before his mind could issue a command. Without hesitation, he bent at the waist and extended his arms. Lifting her from where she lay half-buried beneath the quilts and sheets proved effortless. Her arms wound around his neck. From the woman who clung to him like a child came a soft murmur.
“Is this a dream?”
“No.”
“I see…”
Yerenika’s arms tightened around him. Auredhian Belgot was startled by the distinct sensation of her body felt clearly through her thin nightgown, then let out a short laugh. This was instinctive behavior. Since the day she’d been dragged to Belgot by his hand, she’d constantly struggled to draw closer to him. When he attempted to create some distance, thinking it was becoming too intimate, her reaction was fierce.
“No, I don’t like that.”
“…I understand.”
Auredhian Belgot had no choice but to hold her properly again. Yerenika, still burying her face between his neck and shoulder, whimpered.
“Did I have another nightmare today…?”
“…No.”
Another dream. Auredhian Belgot asked lightly, brushing aside her disheveled hair.
“What kind of dream was it to upset you like this?”
“….”
“You’re not someone who should be caught up in mere dreams. What did you see?”
No answer came from her. Auredhian Belgot turned his head slightly to examine her expression, and seeing her face drowsy with sleep, he realized she wasn’t fully conscious.
Yerenika murmured slowly.
“You’re terrible, Your Majesty.”
“….”
“Really terrible…”
Auredhian Belgot let out a hollow laugh.
“What have I done to disappoint you so?”
“I…”
Her voice was faint, as if about to fade away.
“I ended up like this because of your fiancée…”
His hand, which had been slowly stroking her hair and back, stopped abruptly. Fiancée? Who?
“Ah, surely not.”
His initial confusion quickly gave way to recollection. He remembered—the nonsense he’d spouted to her about some future betrothed, that spiteful drivel he’d uttered.
It was clear who Yerenika was referring to as his fiancée. Soleia Elad. The name of the woman who had already ignited his fury once resurfaced. Because of that woman, she’d ended up like this. It was the statement that put a period on suspicions he’d already harbored with near certainty.
Auredhian Belgot suppressed the urge to sigh and barely restrained his sacred power as it sharpened. Her petulant voice continued.
“But you said you’d try to love that woman…”
Those words stung his heart. Auredhian Belgot murmured softly.
“I’m sorry.”
“….”
“I didn’t mean it.”
It had been nothing but spite—a pointless retaliation against the Princess who shook him with her playful proposal, a defense mechanism against the way his heart was tilting without his consent.
Upon reflection, the absurdity of it struck me, and a hollow laugh escaped. It wasn’t the impulsiveness of an adolescent boy. Why had I even said such a thing? I’d always believed myself capable of filtering my thoughts before speaking, yet it seemed that wasn’t the case after all.
But even so, I hadn’t expected those words to lodge so deeply in my heart that she’d harbor resentment over them even while drowsy with sleep.
Yerenika murmured sorrowfully.
“You’re terrible. Really.”
“You’re right. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said such things, even in jest.”
“Your Majesty doesn’t understand anything at all.”
Her slender frame pressed closer, leaving no space between us. The turbulent whirlwind of emotions that had been churning violently came to an abrupt halt, only to begin stirring in an entirely different manner.
“…Princess, wait a moment.”
My attempt to create distance failed again as she shook her head and burrowed closer. I didn’t dare touch her to forcibly separate us—I feared breaking something. Auredhian forced himself to think as rationally as possible.
Her insistence that she cares for me is merely a survival mechanism for her. Her body simply remembers what brings comfort. Yes, that’s right. This woman doesn’t truly have feelings for me. That’s why I’m the only one left bewildered like this. Auredhian thought this way, deliberately tempering the turbulent emotions within him.
After all, the lovely Princess of Lebovni lacks caution. She’s rather low on vigilance and has a tendency to trust anyone readily. Perhaps she does the same with other men… Auredhian caught himself as his thoughts drifted in an unsettling direction and bit his lip.
“…No, surely not. Impossible.”
Yet the memory of her cheerfully mentioning how she’d removed her robe and fallen asleep in the Priesthood’s quarters was surely no coincidence. That recollection sharpened his emotions once more. Auredhian laughed at himself, unable to comprehend the turbulent feelings rippling through him.
“You truly have a talent for driving a man mad—”
“If you’d just marry me, that would solve everything.”
“…Don’t say such things.”
He always found himself disproportionately flustered by the casual remarks Yerenika tossed out playfully. He should have simply responded to her jesting with jest, yet even that had become difficult for him now.
“I wish you’d move past this…”
Because he didn’t want to. The lightness of receiving a proposal, accepting it lightly, rejecting it as a joke, and continuing on like this.
“If you knew how terrifying that elder sister of yours is, you wouldn’t speak so carelessly. Your Majesty is a fool.”
“…”
“So marry me—”
“Enough. Stop.”
“—instead.”
It was, in a way, remarkable persistence. Or perhaps she’d already realized he couldn’t coldly refuse her in any manner, and kept deliberately probing. After whimpering several more times, Yerenika’s voice grew noticeably slower and more drowsy.
“Not Soleia Elad. Me…”
The face that glanced back was so serene it seemed impossible it belonged to someone who’d been hurling boulders into his peaceful slumber. Her features grew increasingly languid as drowsiness reclaimed her, and it was obvious she wouldn’t remember any of this upon waking. Clearly, he alone would suffer. If she wouldn’t remember anyway… his lips parted of their own accord.
“You shouldn’t touch me.”
His quiet, measured voice settled into the bedroom as morning sunlight began to spread across it.
“You don’t even know what kind of person I am.”
“…”
“You don’t know what you’d have to bear.”
The weight of the empire he carried was neither light nor sweet. The position of Emperor came with responsibility and pressure as immense as the renown of being the superpower of Eastern Laiger.
Even he, who had been a ruler from birth, occasionally felt his throat constrict under the weight of the vast territory and millions of imperial subjects. Thus, Auredhian had no intention of sharing that burden with others, especially those dear to him. Because sharing it wouldn’t halve it—it would double it.
So they shouldn’t reach for each other, yet he didn’t wish to withdraw either. This ambiguous state, precisely this state, was where they should remain. The Princess of Lebovni should simply enjoy his realm pleasantly and return to her homeland—a place far more suited to her. There was no reason for her to suffer threats to her life in a land that didn’t fit her.
Until now, he’d thought this way, and he should continue to think this way. So he shouldn’t desire more distance than this, yet…
Auredhian confirmed that Yerenika had fallen completely asleep, then carefully separated her and laid her back down. The sweet pink hue fluttered lightly through the air before settling. His fingertips briefly touched her round forehead before brushing through her hair.
He lowered his head, almost impulsively. His lips touched lightly against the pale pink strands of hair catching the morning sunlight before withdrawing. His straight lips curved into a satisfied arc. This much was… after all, she wouldn’t remember anyway. It was the first voluntary contact born of such complacent reasoning.
* * *
I’d opened my eyes at some point. The pale blue of early dawn filled all my surroundings.
“….”
I couldn’t tell when I’d awakened. My eyes fluttered open hazily as I stared blankly at the ceiling. Glittering jewels embedded along the rippling patterns caught my gaze—one, two, three, four….
“Seventeen, eighteen, done.”
Only after counting every visible jewel did my mind finally sharpen. My heavy eyelids grew progressively lighter. A familiar fragrance seemed to drift from somewhere—my favorite scent. Clean, pristine, and delicate. It seemed to emanate from the blankets enveloping me, yet simultaneously permeated the very air itself.
Charmed by it, I found myself smiling foolishly before suddenly realizing I was lying in bed. My body reacted before my mind could fully process the thought. I jolted upright with a rustle of fabric.
A bed? Had I returned to Bellirook Palace?
“Huh….”
Yet something felt wrong. I looked around stupidly. Though the fully-drawn canopy shrouded the bed in darkness, I could tell this wasn’t my bed at Bellirook Palace. The white lace canopy on my bed always allowed sunlight to filter through in the morning, but the canopy surrounding me now was a deep blue—so dark I could easily mistake the time for dawn.
“Where am I…?”

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