Let the Whales Fight, This Shrimp is Leaving! - Chapter 33

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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 33
Chapter 4. A Common Enemy
I woke with a stumble, clutching a viciously heavy head.
‘Ah, I’m so tired.’
Swallowing down the complaints I couldn’t quite bring myself to voice, I surrendered to my maids and began preparing for the day.
I had tossed and turned all night because of the baffling words Sariel had dropped before leaving yesterday.
To make matters worse, he had vanished entirely without a trace.
Beval was tied up with Glay Holdin and away from his post, and now even Sariel was gone.
The quiet was nice, but it left a lingering unease in my chest.
‘What on earth did he mean by what he said yesterday?’
I chewed over Sariel’s words again, letting my body relax as gentle hands combed through my hair.
Yet no matter how much I ruminated, I couldn’t reach a clear conclusion.
It only left me with the nagging thought that he might have just been mocking me.
‘Did he think I was crossing the line?’
It was strange for him to suddenly interfere now, especially since he had stayed behind merely to watch.
Had something prompted Sariel to act?
If not that, then…
“My Lady. Joaquin Perez has arrived.”
The chain of thought snapped.
Giselle, dressed neatly in her knight’s uniform with her hair tied back, stood waiting for me with a solemn face.
‘Let’s deal with this problem first before thinking about anything else.’
Accompanied by Giselle and two other knights, I went out to receive Joaquin Perez.
Unsurprisingly, the insufferable man didn’t even bother to step down from his carriage, choosing to wait for me inside.
The sheer pettiness of him blatantly flaunting that he expected me to greet him made me grit my teeth, but I kept my face blank.
“Greetings, My Lady. It has been a while.”
One of Joaquin’s lackeys, whose face I had seen multiple times, approached and offered a bow first.
“You look well. And how is the Prince?”
“His Highness was so desperate to see you, My Lady. You cannot possibly fathom how much.”
‘Fathom?’
How dare he use that word with me?
Though I chewed on the irritating phrasing, the smile fixed on my face never wavered.
I always thought it childish to argue over who was more noble based on birthright—something practically won by sheer luck.
Yet, for someone who was merely a parasite feeding off a man in power to speak down to me like this?
It gave me a clear picture of what Joaquin usually thought of me.
‘Once I crush Joaquin Perez, I’ll make sure you’re tied to a rock and hurled into the sea.’
Gritting my teeth inwardly, I feigned composure and approached the carriage.
Joaquin Perez took his sweet time to move, acting as though he were the main character of some grand play.
The door of the red carriage—gilded in gold just to flaunt his extravagant taste—swung open, and a needlessly polished boot popped out first.
Stiffly pressed suit trousers and a velvet coat entirely unsuited for the season.
A jeweled brooch as thick as his neck, a heavily ruffled lace cravat, and an arrogant smile.
A slightly crooked nose I desperately wanted to break, and muddy green eyes that dared to claim a resemblance to mine. Even his red hair looked like it had been painstakingly slicked back.
‘Disgusting.’
Looking as repulsive as ever, Joaquin Perez strolled leisurely toward me.
He held a bouquet of flowers as large as his own torso.
“You are as radiant as always.”
“You must be exhausted after such a long journey. I trust you have been well?”
It annoyed me how he immediately dropped all formalities and spoke so casually, but I didn’t feel like pointing it out.
It wasn’t as if this was a day or two occurrence.
‘I hoped your carriage would flip on the way here, so why was the road perfectly fine?’
Utterly oblivious to the fact that I was hurling every curse imaginable at him in my head, Joaquin merely flashed a sleek smile.
“The thought of seeing you made the journey feel short. You have no idea how much I missed you.”
“You always say such sweet things.”
When I replied with a bright smile, Joaquin extended the bouquet with a smooth expression.
“These tightly closed buds reminded me of you, My Lady.”
“Is that so.”
It was a condescending jibe disguised as a compliment, mocking me as incomplete because I hadn’t married a man yet.
At the same time, it was a subtle pressure.
Joaquin was telling me to choose him quickly so I could become a fully bloomed flower.
A deeply rooted disgust, which had been simmering beneath my feet, suddenly clawed at my ankles.
‘I want to punch him so badly.’
Just one punch… No, maybe two.
Normally, I could have endured it better, but perhaps due to the lack of sleep, keeping my temper in check was exceptionally difficult today.
Still, I couldn’t exactly throw out Joaquin Perez when he had already barged into the Grand Duchy at his own whim.
‘Let’s keep this strictly professional.’
I barely managed to rein in my emotions, comforting myself with the thought of teaming up with Deyan to screw Joaquin over.
“Let us head inside first. I have prepared your favorite tea.”
Strictly professional…
“As expected, you know my tastes well. How delicate.”
‘Good grief. If I’m holding back this much, the least you could do is help me out.’
His greasy tongue nearly shattered the composure I had worked so hard to maintain.
‘Could it be that Sariel came to me because I am just that virtuous?’
Enduring this nonsense for years meant my patience could easily rival the qualifications of an angel.
“Was your journey here peaceful?”
I wish you had died on the way. Was the road nicely paved?
“Plene is as modest and peaceful as ever. I quite like it.”
“We cherish this peace deeply, as we have fought hard to maintain it.”
“Ah, peace. Yes, a fine thing.”
I felt Joaquin’s sticky gaze trace down my left cheek.
If I had it my way, I would have grabbed him by the collar and shaken him, screaming, “I know you’re constantly looking for a chance to shatter it, you bastard!”
Deliberately ignoring his gaze, I quickened my pace.
I wanted to get to the reception room as quickly as possible, give him a perfunctory welcome, and banish him to the distant annex.
“Speaking of which, My Lady. Have you given any thought to my proposal? Hmm?”
But he didn’t give me even a moment’s breathing room.
I let my answer trail off vaguely.
“I believe I have already given you my answer on that matter multiple times.”
“I know. Because I understand your situation, I’ve been patient. But I’m starting to grow rather weary. How much longer do you intend to keep me waiting?”
He smirked, reaching out to touch my shoulder under the guise of brushing away a stray strand of hair.
‘There’s no need to endure this.’
“I’m starting to lose my patience as well.”
“Prince Joaquin.”
I coldly slapped his hand away from my shoulder.
The mere brush of the leather—which was clearly brand new—against my fingertips pushed my disgust to its absolute limit.
“I must ask you to refrain from unnecessary contact. That is, if you possess any respect for me as the heir to the Grand Duchy.”
“…Of course. Forgive my rudeness, My Lady.”
Joaquin offered a loose smile.
“It’s just that you are like a desirable flower, and I find myself constantly tempted to pluck you.”
A blatant rejection was met with equally blatant words.
He seemed to still be under the delusion that he could bring me to my knees.
I quietly locked eyes with him, imagining the day I would put his head on a spike.
“Is that all the business you have with the Grand Duchy?”
“Your temper seems to have grown rather sharp. Has the regency been that exhausting?”
“I am merely fulfilling my duties. Why would it be beyond my strength?”
“Well, that is a relief. I was worried you might be feeling disheartened after recent events—like having your proposal to the Agavni United States rejected.”
As Joaquin delivered his calculated probe, the smile on my lips only deepened.
“I had anticipated it, so I am not particularly disappointed. Thank you for your concern.”
Though I feigned absolute calm, I was shaken to the core.
‘How does he know that?’
He must have planted a spy inside the Agavni United States.
I couldn’t understand how he had managed to pierce the defenses of that tightly knit alliance.
‘Who could it be? Who has the audacity to recklessly breach the neutrality that the United States fiercely guards?’
The leader of the United States was a man far too consumed with his own safety to be capable of this.
The rulers of the eight nations supporting him also had too many complications to be considered likely suspects.
In fact, three of those families were openly hostile toward Joaquin Perez.
‘Then what’s left… the Temple?’
Had that hypocritical religious faction, which exerted a subtle influence across the entire continent by riding on the backs of the public, shaken hands with this madman?
But the Temple had no interest in politics.
At least, not on the surface.
Turning my head absentmindedly, my eyes met Joaquin’s.
He already wore the smug, relaxed smile of a victor.

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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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