How I Ended Up Becoming the Imperial Princess While Trying to Pay Off an Illegal Loan - Chapter 8

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

008.
Grita, raised in a Martial Clan household, had harbored one lifelong wish: to be an unshakeable shield for someone.
But now her husband, her daughter, and even her son-in-law were all Sword Masters.
Embarrassed by Grita’s endless tears, Leon offered a word of comfort.
“Countess, don’t worry. In a year’s time, you’ll see a different son-in-law, I’m sure.”
“Really? You promise you can do that?”
Grita wiped her tears and looked up at Leon.
“Of course. For just one year, I’ll keep him safe without laying a finger on him, and return him to you in perfect condition.”
“Excuse me? Husband, you’re confident you won’t lay a finger on me for a whole year?”
Tamia asked with wide, incredulous eyes.
“You spar with me often. You’re not even better with a sword than I am, so where does this confidence come from?”
“Tamia! This is the Crown Prince! Is that any way to speak?”
Theodore was startled by his daughter’s disrespectful tone and scolded her sharply.
“Come on, between us? You said I could speak comfortably with you.”
“Goodness, what an unruly girl. Your Highness, my deepest apologies.”
Watching the Count bow repeatedly, Leon felt his chest tighten.
‘He doesn’t need to apologize so much.’
It was true that Tamia had approached him first with questionable intentions.
But it was Leon himself who had seized her and placed her in the seat of Crown Princess.
‘Watching her slash through Monsters with such ferocity, I felt like I couldn’t let her slip away.’
Tamia was a powerhouse—a force unlike any he had encountered before.
If she joined the Griffin Order, its standing would only rise further.
And if Leon could learn Swordsmanship from her, he would become even stronger.
In truth, even just having her by his side without doing anything else would be enough.
‘Wait, what am I thinking right now?’
After enduring so many noblewomen dropping handkerchiefs theatrically or fainting at the slightest provocation, meeting a Count’s daughter who wielded a sword with spirited confidence must have rattled something loose in his head.
Even as Leon hurried to dismiss these pointless thoughts, Theodore continued his apologies.
“Since our house’s duty is to hunt Monsters, we couldn’t educate our daughter properly. She spent more time catching Monsters sprouting up everywhere alongside me than studying.”
That experience had shaped Tamia into who she was today.
“Now that you’ve founded the Griffin Order and established a proper system for Monster subjugation, I thought I might have some breathing room and decided to move to the Capital with my daughter.”
“That’s enough apologies now,” Leon said firmly.
He cut Theodore off with a decisive tone.
“I hear your house has debts.”
“Did Tamia mention something like that?”
“If you wish, I’ll repay them for you. And—”
He was about to say he’d hunt down whoever had defrauded the Count’s house and have them punished.
“Husband, what are you saying?”
Tamia fixed him with a cold gaze he’d never seen before.
“Why would you repay our family’s debts for us?”
Leon’s mouth fell open slightly at this unexpected response.
“I want to receive only what I rightfully deserve. This is my family’s debt, not yours.”
“That may be true, but—”
“Besides, we’re only married for a year anyway. I don’t want to take such a large sum and end up indebted to you.”
“Tamia is quite right. We couldn’t possibly accept such generosity from a son-in-law for just one year,” Grita said, nodding emphatically.
Theodore too wore an expression of relief.
“Actually, Tamia, while you were out, a Marriage Proposal came for you.”
“A Marriage Proposal? From whom?”
“Duke Dupon said he would clear all your debts if we’d marry you to Chris. That’s what he asked.”
“Ugh, that stingy pretty boy? I don’t like him.”
“Good heavens, the Duke really said something like that? A Sword Master for a son-in-law is already unsettling, but that prince who’s far from being beautiful in any proper sense—I certainly would have refused, wouldn’t I?”
“I avoided giving an immediate answer, saying I’d ask Tamia first. Now that I think about it, that seems to have been the right call. Accepting money felt like selling our daughter, and it didn’t sit right with my heart.”
“Wait—Duke Dupon? You’re acquainted with him?”
Leon asked in surprise at the familiar name.
“Ah yes, about seven years ago, I happened to rescue the Duke and his son from a Monster attack. That connection has endured until today. In fact, this Town House was purchased on the Duke’s recommendation.”
“This Town House… Duke Dupon…”
So that old fox’s reach extended all the way here?
‘It’s not the right time yet.’
Leon decided to shelve everything related to the Town House for now.
“In any case, if that’s your wish, I won’t repay the debts on your behalf. Instead, I’ll do everything in my power to help Tamia secure what’s rightfully hers.”
“We’re grateful for your consideration.”
Theodore bowed deeply to Leon.
* * *
After exchanging farewells with her family, Tamia finally entered the Valentis Imperial Palace alongside Leon.
“Wow! It’s absolutely stunning!”
The Valentis Imperial Palace.
Tamia’s eyes widened as she craned her neck in every direction, drinking in the surroundings.
“Husband! How much is that Golden Lion Statue over there? There’s an enormous jewel embedded in its eyes!”
“It’s tribute sent from the Solea Kingdom to the south. I’d estimate it’s worth around 100,000 Der.”
“100,000…! Then what about that Blue-Light Vase?”
“That one’s actually quite affordable. It’s a vase fired over a lifetime by a legendary craftsman from the Eastern Lands. I purchased it for 50,000 Der.”
“Oh my…”
Luxuries lay scattered throughout the palace—any single piece could be sold to pay off debts in a heartbeat.
“By the way, that Carpet you’re standing on is made from the hide of a lower-tier dragon. Its value can’t even be assessed.”
“What? Why would you lay something so precious on the floor!”
“One can hardly hang a carpet on the ceiling, can one?”
“Goodness, something this expensive…”
Tamia rose up on her toes and pressed herself against the wall to avoid the Carpet. Leon chuckled softly and asked.
“Shall I give you that Golden Lion Statue? As a wedding gift.”
“That’s…100,000 Der, right? Hmm…”
Tamia stood glued to the wall, deliberating.
But ultimately she shook her head.
“No, that’s far too extravagant for a wedding gift. I’ll settle for the Dignity Maintenance Allowance instead.”
So she wasn’t refusing the Dignity Maintenance Allowance after all.
Leon smiled and led Tamia to the Emperor’s Audience Chamber.
As the heavy doors swung open, an Emperor sat upon a gleaming jade throne came into view.
Golden hair identical to Leon’s caught her eye first. Below it lay a stubborn, unmistakable expression.
‘Apart from the hair and eye color, he looks nothing like my husband.’
Tamia quickly banished the irreverent thought and offered a greeting—awkward yet dignified.
“Your Imperial Majesty, Sun of the Empire, I am honored to meet you!”
“This is my wife, Your Majesty.”
Leon bowed with an oddly skewed posture, and immediately a thunderous rebuke crashed down.
“You married without even asking your father’s permission?”
‘Goodness, how startling!’
Tamia barely managed to keep a gasp from escaping her lips, clamping down with superhuman restraint.
“You pressured me to marry every single day, and now you dislike the fact that I’ve done it?”
“Hmph, what’s wrong with your manner of speech?”
“I was never taught better.”
“What?”
“I never heard you speak with refinement, so I had nothing to learn from.”
‘What is this? Why does a conversation between father and son sound like this!’
Caught unexpectedly between the two of them, Tamia could only roll her eyes back and forth.
‘I thought my husband had a good temperament, but now it’s clear he’s nothing short of the worst ingrate.’
The two men’s voices grew louder with each exchange. Judging from the servants’ reactions, this was routine.
Suddenly her father’s teachings came to mind.
‘Tamia, whenever you find people quarreling, you must do your very best to stop them.’
‘How, Father?’
‘There is nothing that strength cannot accomplish.’
‘That’s right—strength solves everything.’
Tamia’s eyes lit up as though she had found the answer.

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