Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 63

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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 63
Of course, Belgot’s hardline stance—born from a refusal to endure any longer—played no small part in this escalation. Having already shattered the Peace Alliance Treaty, what did it matter if they disregarded propriety? Auredhian Belgot was a sovereign who had never needed to concern himself with the opinions of others or foreign powers.
As the ruler who held the eastern territories of Laigar firmly in his grasp, who would dare raise objections if he declared his intention to expand westward?
Yet truthfully, had he remained true to his nature, he might never have escalated matters to such extremes. Auredhian was inclined toward diplomatic leniency. Since his master possessed such a temperament, it was only natural that his realm had earned a reputation for external benevolence. The distinguished title of guardian of the Laigar Peace Alliance Treaty had become inseparably bound to Belgot’s identity since his ascension to the throne.
The first crack in his patience and magnanimity came when Lebovni sealed off the Glucaman Road for two full years. How desperate must he have been to resort to such reckless measures—kidnapping the Princess of Lebovni with his own hands? Yet now, merely months later, Auredhian found himself regretting the moment his patience had finally snapped. A sigh escaped his lips.
“I should have endured it then.”
Or rather, even if I couldn’t have endured, I shouldn’t have kidnapped the Princess of Lebovni. I should have simply acquiesced to Lebovni’s demands. Had I done so, Azekhien wouldn’t be crawling forward now, demanding improved terms in their negotiations.
Moreover, Yerenika wouldn’t have come all this way, repeatedly brushing against the precipice of death. And Soleia Elad wouldn’t have driven me into such anguish.
But what use was such reflection now? The deed was already done. Besides, there existed within me an undeniable relief at having met Yerenika, even if it came about this way.
The Princess of Lebovni was a phenomenon of tremendous magnitude in her very existence. Among all people, past and future, she alone wielded such influence over Auredhian. And after matters concerning this singular person erupted into crisis, all his composure evaporated.
Long fingers turned the documents slowly. I was not unaware of the weight of their contents—documents concerning the three-nation standoff surrounding Glucaman. Yet the impulse to obliterate all opposing powers through force was so strong that I lacked the composure to dwell on such matters. I had neither the desire nor the capacity to expend prolonged attention on this tedium.
Auredhian spread the final page of the documents and cast it down upon the desk. Without deliberation, his hand felt along the desk’s edge to locate the imperial seal. The fist-sized seal of pure gold was quickly grasped. Without hesitation, I pressed it upon the document awaiting only my approval. A violet wolf, howling toward the heavens, was imprinted clearly at the document’s base.
The document I had just approved revealed precisely how acutely sensitive the master of Belgot had become. Auredhian Belgot had proposed a three-nation conference. The location was none other than his own empire—Belgot.
In truth, calling it a proposal was generous; it was a summons. I have nothing more to say on this matter, so if you wish to gain something from Belgot, come directly. If you have the courage. The wording was refined, but the intent was transparent. I had deliberately ordered it written thus.
“If you continue to be presumptuous even after coming this far…”
I’ve never dreamed of continental conquest, but immortality wouldn’t be unwelcome. Sending envoys with letters declaring war might not be amiss either. Auredhian’s lips curved into a crooked smile as he swept the documents aside. Having disposed of the urgent matter, it was time to address the next.
Auredhian glanced downward from the window. I had sent word this morning, so it should be about time. The woman who had completed her mission at the Magic Tower and returned last night—Soleia Elad.
Indeed, my intuition proved accurate.
“Your Majesty, Elad has arrived.”
Auredhian brushed back the hair that had fallen across his forehead. Let’s see what shameless expression she wears as she enters.
“Let her in.”
The moment he spoke, the office’s great doors opened silently.
“Your Majesty.”
A woman with long reddish-brown hair entered the office with a smile. Auredhian slowly curved his lips upward.
“You’ve come, Elad.”
“I was delighted to be summoned. I thought you would never call for me first.”
Soleia Elad approached him with an alluring smile, step by step. Tap, tap. The sound of her heels echoed through the office—a sound that seemed unnecessarily loud. Auredhian watched the approaching woman with a cynical expression, his back still leaning against the window. Soleia stopped one pace behind the desk. She opened her mouth with a gentle voice.
“You’ve been searching for me these past few days, I hear?”
“I have. Yet you, who sought me out so readily when I wished otherwise, prove remarkably difficult to find when I desire your presence.”
“I was occupied. Forgive me.”
Soleia Elad’s eyes narrowed slightly. Her expression held no genuine plea for forgiveness. Auredhian spoke with uncharacteristic sarcasm.
“Forgiveness, you say? I suspect the matter for which you owe me an apology lies elsewhere.”
Soleia Elad did not answer. She merely gazed at him, her lips still curved in a smile. She was as beautiful as ever today. I have never denied that fact. Soleia was a woman who would outshine all the women of Belgot combined with her radiant beauty.
Yet it was beauty that stirred nothing within me.
Throughout the considerable time I had known Soleia Elad, I had thought her beauty mere shell. Not once had my heart been moved, nor had I found her genuinely captivating. Undeniably beautiful, yes—but knowing her heart to be dark, was her beauty sufficient to make me forget such suspicions? Hardly.
Auredhian had never been greatly moved by external appearances, whether in objects or people. A sovereign is foremost required to possess the insight not to be dazzled by superficiality, and his nature simply held little interest in the charms of women. Moreover, by his standards, character mattered far more than appearance or ability—and by that measure, Soleia Elad’s score was abysmal.
Soleia Elad took another step closer. Yet the desk still separated them by a considerable distance.
“Then what should I seek forgiveness for?”
Auredhian met her eyes for a moment—eyes like polished obsidian, utterly devoid of transparent light, completely black. Even one who prided himself on keen intuition would find it difficult to penetrate her true nature at a glance.
Auredhian slowly opened his mouth.
“A few weeks ago, I saw you standing before Bellirook Palace.”
“My, I had no idea Your Majesty took such interest in me.”
“Don’t interrupt.”
This time, his tone was sharp and cutting. Auredhian abandoned all pretense of composure.
“You’ve done something remarkable at Bellirook Palace.”
The smile playing at Soleia Elad’s lips faded slightly. Auredhian spoke each word with deliberate precision.
“In my own palace, no less.”
“….”
“Magic I explicitly forbade.”
“….”
“On someone I protect.”
I couldn’t discern which of these three statements mattered most. The last words carried a barely restrained fury that broke through his measured tone.
“Tell me—how should I interpret this?”
It was remarkable restraint, even by his own standards. Yet the divine essence radiating from his body showed no such mercy. Dozens of invisible blades extended outward, encircling her like a predator’s claws.
Soleia Elad couldn’t perceive the raw, untamed ferocity of the Emperor’s divine essence, but instinct screamed danger. The holy power raked across her exposed shoulder like talons, drawing thin lines of blood. She glanced down at the marks, murmuring softly.
“Your Majesty has always suspected me. Always vigilant, always pushing me away.”
It was less a statement directed at him than a whisper to herself.
“Yet you’ve never once stopped me.”
“….”
“Even now, your method is flawed.”
Her tone carried a hint of mockery. Soleia Elad rose and circled the desk, approaching him slowly. Auredhian remained motionless against the window, his gaze fixed on the woman drawing near.
“If you truly believed me a malevolent sorceress, you wouldn’t have summoned me here—you’d have issued an arrest warrant and sent me to the gallows. Wouldn’t you?”
The distance between them had narrowed to barely two steps. Soleia reached out, her delicate fingertips brushing against his cheek with a strange warmth. Auredhian’s brow furrowed immediately, and he lunged for her wrist, but she withdrew faster, slipping away with a teasing grace. She whispered conspiratorially.
“The fact that you’ve called me here alone, instead, means you have neither evidence nor certainty. You lack any measure by which to judge whether I’ll harm your realm or benefit it. Isn’t that right?”
“Benefit, you say? How confident. A person of power from the Magic Tower.”
“That’s precisely why you’ve kept me by your side all this time.”
“….”
“I am the next master of the Magic Tower. The one who commands all the mages of Belgot. When my aging teacher passes, all magical authority in Belgot will fall under my control.”
Her long lashes lowered seductively before rising again. She whispered as though confessing a secret.
“But here’s what’s truly strange, Your Majesty. It’s your behavior.”
A flicker of light danced across her reddish eyes. He hadn’t brought this woman to the Imperial Palace for word games. Yet Auredhian found himself silenced by what she said next.

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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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