Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 70

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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 70
It wasn’t a self-deprecating remark by any means. This man, who held himself to exacting standards, had clearly found some reason to come all this way. Auredhian let out a soft laugh and, rather than pinching my cheek, flicked my forehead with his index finger instead.
“I’m curious how I’m imprinted in that mind of yours.”
“Hmm. A liar?”
I smiled brightly before taking his hand and swinging it back and forth as I continued speaking.
“An incredibly aloof Emperor. Someone who paid an exorbitant price for something destined to fall anyway. A cold-blooded person who remained perfectly at ease while everyone else was dying of exhaustion.”
“….”
“Would you like me to continue? I think I could list about fifty more things.”
Auredhian looked momentarily flustered before breaking into a languid smile—the very expression he typically wore.
“There’s nothing I can refute.”
“Of course not. I know you better than you might think.”
And I too had fully returned to my usual self. My heart still raced in an irregular rhythm, but being face to face with this man felt right nonetheless.
Really, that was all that mattered. In this brief reunion after five days, did I truly need to worry about the consequences? So I decided to simply follow my heart. I swung the hand I held playfully as I asked.
“So what is it, really? Surely you’re not going to claim you simply missed seeing me. Though, I suppose that might actually be the biggest reason?”
“I can’t win against you.”
Auredhian laughed in exasperation and released my hand. And in the next instant, my body was lifted effortlessly.
“What?”
Before I could even finish my startled exclamation, I found myself sitting atop the Altar. My perspective shifted upward in an instant.
“This is….”
A sacred Altar, no less…! Yet Auredhian appeared entirely unbothered.
“Raulus is quite magnanimous, after all.”
“What?”
My voice came out sharper than intended. Magnanimous, my foot…. Without thinking, I found myself glancing nervously behind the Altar, seized by the sudden fear that Raulus might be watching from somewhere.
“W-well, you never know. He might actually be quite petty and childish….”
“Speaking as though you know him well, Princess.”
And once again, Auredhian’s intuition proved unnecessarily sharp. I eventually abandoned my attempt to peer behind the Altar. Fine, let him watch if he wants. Besides, it was Raulus who said I could look at the Altar first, so what did it matter? And since I didn’t hear any mocking voice, perhaps he wasn’t watching at the moment after all. I forced my thoughts away from Raulus.
When I looked down, a handsome face was directly beneath me. It was rare for me to look down at him like this. From above, I could finally see the exhaustion etched across his entire countenance. Whether from lack of sleep or recent overwork, the skin around his eyes bore a faint reddish tint. Of course, even that somehow suited him in a way that made my heart race, but concern took precedence.
“So then, what happened during those five days I was away?”
When I mimicked his characteristic manner of speech, Auredhian smiled loosely.
“Always the same, my daily life. Equally suffocating, with endless matters to handle. Somewhat exhausting.”
“….”
“But since that’s always been the case, I can hardly claim anything extraordinary occurred.”
His voice continued matter-of-factly, sounding genuinely unbothered. I examined his flawlessly composed face slowly. A vague memory of something Diego had once said brushed across my mind.
“You’ve been bound by many things from long ago, haven’t you?”
“I suppose so.”
I carefully brushed away the faintly reddened eyes.
“That must have been suffocating.”
“….”
“These strange things keep tormenting you—it’s quite unfortunate. If I had been here, I could have at least offered some comfort.”
His reddened eyes blinked several times before slowly lowering. No response came, but I pressed on with deliberate cheerfulness.
“It was good that you came today. I’ve been overflowing with energy lately, so I think I’ll be able to share that good feeling with Your Majesty.”
“Is that so? That’s fortunate.”
“Ah, then does that mean the roles have reversed now?”
“Hmm?”
He lifted his gaze to look at me again. Questions flickered in those crimson-violet eyes. I smiled and opened my arms toward him.
“Let’s switch roles.”
“What?”
“Today, I’ll do it. I’ll be your human tonic. In other words, your rapid charger.”
“…?”
Auredhian seemed not to immediately grasp the meaning of my words. But that moment was fleeting. An expression slowly bloomed across his previously expressionless face, which had been shadowed by exhaustion. It looked like surprise, or perhaps the expression of someone hearing something utterly unfamiliar. I had no intention of waiting for him to process it. I bent forward and pulled him into an embrace.
Of course, I possessed no divine grace whatsoever, and even if I had, it would have been nothing compared to his. This was purely comfort offered from the heart.
I felt Auredhian stiffen slightly in my arms. Had I ever embraced him first before? There was no need to search my memory. It was always I who sought his arms and his warmth. I held him a little tighter, feeling somewhat remorseful.
“You’ve worked hard today too.”
I gently brushed through the silver hair that wound around my fingertips.
“Yes. And….”
I hesitated slightly. That dawn, Auredhian had told me to stop here. He said that if I drew any closer, he wouldn’t be able to hold back, so he asked me to go only this far. But was it right for me to completely suppress the feelings I was experiencing now because of those words?
A strong conviction told me it wasn’t. Listening to the heartbeat whose owner I could not discern, I whispered softly.
“I missed you.”
Though my voice was small, I had whispered it against his ear, so there was no way he hadn’t heard.
“Really. I missed you.”
There are things that only become certain when spoken aloud. Even if I hadn’t fully realized them until now. Ah. So that’s what I was. That’s why, despite my recent overflow of energy, I had felt strangely subdued. There are moments when one understands such things.
My heart raced.
If this man were merely someone I needed to save, someone whose tragedy was predetermined, and my only lifeline in this world—if those facts alone comprised all that I felt—I wouldn’t have come to the Temple seeking to see him. So I acknowledged it quite calmly.
Yes. I like him.
The answer fell as simply and clearly as if all those countless sleepless nights had never happened. I like him very much. So much that I can’t understand why I circled around it for so long. Not merely because he is the one who lets me live. Not merely because I pity his destined fate….
“I really can’t endure this.”
I heard Auredhian murmur in a low voice. And then his arms came around my back. The distance between our bodies, which had been ambiguously maintained, closed in an instant.
In that moment, I couldn’t discern what thoughts occupied his mind, but I could feel that the heartbeat transmitted through our touching bodies was just as rapid and irregular as mine. It was a satisfaction greater than a hundred words, and it was a languid pleasure that resembled this man.
* * *
“So, what did you really come here for?”
I asked while gently playing with the gleaming silver hair I’d brushed back. We were in my room within the Temple. I had just dragged him in to show him around.
But Auredhian seemed to have little interest in my room. Judging by how he immediately seated me back on the windowsill and met my gaze again. He answered slowly, his long pale pink hair winding through his fingers as he toyed with it.
“I told you. I was frustrated.”
“That can’t be all.”
I peered into those crimson eyes with a suspicious tone.
“There’s no way you came to see me without fabricating at least one other reason….”
Auredhian looked at me with a fresh expression of surprise.
“Were you always this perceptive?”
“This person, really.”
Three lines immediately creased my brow. I gave him a light glare and shot back sharply.
“Isn’t the first step to hunting a target understanding its characteristics?”
“Hunting a target, she says.”
Auredhian Belgot repeated my words for a moment before letting out a soft laugh.
“You have a remarkable talent for making nonsense sound perfectly reasonable.”
“Isn’t that part of my charm?”
The words that tumbled out this time bordered on pure nonsense. I would never admit, not even under threat of death, that the way he lazily lifted the corners of his mouth was dangerously harmful to my heart. Mm. I shook my head to escape his grasp and forced focus back into my eyes.
“Stop changing the subject. Why did you come?”
“I have something to give you.”
This time, Auredhian Belgot answered without evasion. He straightened and withdrew something from inside his uniform. I recognized it instantly—a thin letter sealed with a green stamp bearing the crossed pattern of willow leaves. My eyes widened immediately.
“Oh, has a letter arrived from Lebovni?”
“Yes.”
I quickly took it from him. As I broke the seal and opened the envelope, I could see that the paper inside was noticeably thinner than before. It was more akin to official documents than a personal letter addressed to me. Tilting my head in curiosity, I withdrew the paper from the envelope.
“Ah….”
The moment I unfolded the paper, which had been neatly folded into thirds, a bewildered gasp escaped 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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