How I Ended Up Becoming the Imperial Princess While Trying to Pay Off an Illegal Loan - Chapter 22

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

022.
[Golden Lion Statue, tribute from the Southern Solea Kingdom, valued at 1 million Derr.]
“Wait, no matter how many times I calculate it, I keep getting 900,000 Derr—!”
Leon, watching her struggle, let out a soft chuckle.
“My, it seems the Crown Princess has a keener eye for the imperial ledgers than Her Majesty the Empress herself.”
Malisia’s face flushed crimson in an instant.
“Your Highness, I shall be sure to teach you the proper conduct befitting a Crown Princess. So please, let us end this for today.”
There was no way to argue back.
Malisia had no choice but to send Leon and Tamia off to the Crown Prince Palace.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Arderin Count Family Town House in the Capital.
“You’re going to do the Sewing yourself?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
“……Just think about it once more, would you? It’s the dress our daughter will wear at the wedding.”
“That’s exactly why I have to do it myself.”
“Grita, please.”
Theodore’s face crumpled into a pitiful expression as he clung to the hem of Grita’s skirt.
“Let’s hire a skilled seamstress, yes?”
“There’s no money. If we had money for a seamstress, we’d have to pay off the debts first.”
“Then—then I’ll do the Sewing instead!”
Grita, whose devotion to her husband was boundless, had made a habit of embroidering a handkerchief by hand each year on his birthday and giving it as a gift.
Theodore, equally devoted to his wife, had carefully preserved every one of those handkerchiefs—more than twenty of them now.
But had anyone unfamiliar with the story found that collection, they would have wondered why he’d bothered to save all those worn-out rags. Grita’s needlework was that abysmal.
‘I can’t let our daughter look like a patchwork quilt on the most important day of her life!’
Theodore, by contrast, possessed far superior Sewing skills. He was determined to ensure that Tamia wore a dress that had never felt the touch of her mother’s hands, by whatever means necessary.
“Besides, I’m quite good at Sewing myself, aren’t I? Remember the dress Tamia wore on her first birthday? I made that one.”
“Of course I remember. Everyone said I was blessed to have such a talented husband.”
“And the dress she wore the day she first invited friends over—I sewed all the decorations on that one too.”
“That’s right. She bragged about it to her friends so much that day, you would have felt envious. So this time, I wanted to hear my daughter’s praise too.”
“No, that’s not it at all.”
Theodore hastily redirected Grita’s line of thinking.
“How about you take charge of the Bouquet instead? You’re so good with flowers—you could make something absolutely stunning.”
“Hmm, do you think so? I’m more confident with flowers than with Sewing, I’ll admit…….”
“Tamia will definitely brag everywhere, ‘My mother made this Bouquet!’ Let’s do it that way, shall we?”
“All right. I’ll leave the Sewing to you.”
Theodore exhaled in relief as Grita nodded readily in agreement.
“By the way, what kind of dress did Tamia ask you to make? I wasn’t home when she visited a few days ago.”
“Three in total—one for the ceremony itself, one for the reception, and one for the parade, she said.”
Theodore’s mind immediately began to calculate the approach.
“The ceremony dress should be as elaborate and voluminous as possible, the one for the reception shouldn’t be too cumbersome, and the parade dress should be formal and elegant throughout.”
“If you’d opened a boutique, we’d probably be wealthy by now.”
“We’d own ten of these town houses, at least.”
“Debt-free, too.”
The couple’s eyes met, and they broke into bright, unguarded smiles at each other.
Trust and love radiated from their faces.
“All right then. Shall I start with the ceremony dress?”
Theodore picked up his needle with enthusiasm.
* * *
‘I thought I could torment her for at least a week under the pretext of cultivating proper Crown Princess conduct…….’
Malisia, now fully recovered from her illness, paced her chamber and ground her teeth in frustration.
Her brief satisfaction at finding a legitimate excuse to harass the Crown Princess—who had supposedly abandoned her studies in favor of Monster Hunting—evaporated the moment Leon stepped in to protect Tamia.
Once Leon had intervened, Malisia lost her pretext for keeping Tamia under her thumb.
‘Their relationship is definitely suspicious. What if they actually married for love?’
The encounter between Leon, commander of the Griffin Squad—the monster-extermination specialists—and House Arderin, the Monster Hunting experts who had conducted extensive hunts.
She had naturally assumed it was a politically calculated marriage. But watching Leon’s behavior lately, she found herself increasingly wondering whether it might actually be a love match wearing the mask of a strategic union.
‘If I don’t establish proper dominance over Tamia from the start, she’ll keep rising above her station…….’
The image of Leon and Tamia walking hand-in-hand through the Imperial Palace sent a chill down her spine.
“Simon! Fetch Simon at once!”
Malisia’s neurosis peaked as she barked the order, and the attendant beside her scurried away in haste.
Not long after, Simon entered the chamber.
“Oh, Mother.”
He was a frail-looking man with pink hair just like Malisia’s own.
“Did you… did you call for me?”
“Simon, how many times have I told you? Do something about that stammer of yours.”
“I’m s-sorry, I’m so s-sorry.”
The moment she started speaking, Simon’s face flushed crimson.
“Why do you refuse the Duke Degong’s daughter? I’ve told you repeatedly—there’s no finer house than theirs.”
“Haven’t I said it a hundred times? A woman’s worth depends entirely on the man she marries.”
Under Malisia’s relentless pressure, Simon could only hang his head lower, unable to form a proper response.
“It’s pathetic, truly.”
……
“Simon, you should be ashamed that your younger sister married before you. Of course the eldest should have wed first—how long will you keep cowering from women?”
“I… I am trying very hard to change, Mother.”
“Since Leon was fortunate enough to marry a Count’s daughter, you must wed at minimum a Duke’s daughter, or perhaps a princess from abroad. Only then will His Majesty feel confident making you Crown Prince Designate.”
“But…”
Simon hesitated for a moment, glancing at Malisia before speaking again.
“I’ve told you many times—I’m n-not suited to be Crown Prince D-Designate.”
“Then hold your tongue instead of speaking such nonsense!”
The moment Malisia raised her voice, the air in the room chilled.
“Do you know what I’ve endured because of you? If you fail to become Crown Prince Designate, Leon will have us both killed. Do you understand?”
“…Yes, I understand.”
Cowed by his mother’s intensity, Simon managed only a stiff nod.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock—
“Your Highness, it’s me.”
“The Head Handmaiden? Come in.”
Malisia barely contained her agitation as she admitted her.
The Head Handmaiden’s expression was grim. Ever since she’d been severely reprimanded for mishandling the wedding flowers for the Crown Princess, she’d been perpetually on edge.
“I sent several catalogs from the vendors you recommended to Her Highness the Crown Princess, but she rejected them all.”
“Why? Explain in detail.”
Malisia’s brow furrowed slightly.
“She says she already has a Dress for the ceremony. And the Jewelry Set as well…”
“You mean to tell me she’s already selected another vendor? Completely disregarding my recommendation?”
The irritation that had begun to subside flared up again.
“This won’t do. I must meet with the Crown Princess at once. Let’s go to the Crown Prince Palace.”
“That is… she’s not there at the moment. She’s gone out.”
“Gone out? When she should be focused entirely on wedding preparations?”
“…She’s at the Griffin Squad Headquarters.”
“The Griffin Squad Headquarters?”
What business could she possibly have there?
Malisia tilted her head, bewildered.
* * *
“I knew it—being locked away in the Imperial Palace doesn’t suit me at all!”
Tamia drew in a long breath as she arrived at the Griffin Squad Training Ground.
“How I’ve missed this wide-open space, the dust swirling in the air.”
Faced with the expansive, dusty earth, her spirits soared of their own accord, and she began throwing punch after punch into the empty air.

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