Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 614

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

Chapter 614. Kayla’s Choice
Not far from the mansion.
Captain Heil and Nakina discovered a small cottage without difficulty. It resembled a storage shed where the mansion kept its supplies, and the five or six soldiers guarding the entrance noticed their presence and looked up.
“Is Princess Kaila here?”
“W-wait, a Mage? Why is a Mage—”
“Your master informed us of Princess Kaila’s location. People will arrive soon. I wish to check on the Princess’s condition first.”
While Captain Heil explained the situation, Nakina strode toward the cottage and threw open the door. The stench of rotting wood and blood assaulted her senses. Her brow furrowed only briefly before she spotted Kaila lying in the corner, bound and unconscious.
“Princess. Are you all right? I am Nakina from the Magic Department.”
“Ugh….”
Kaila could not regain consciousness, only groaning softly. Her black hair was matted and sticky—blood had dried and tangled within it. What of the rest of her body? Her skin was covered entirely in bruises, and countless blade wounds carved across her flesh. The marks of torture.
“Princess, please try to stay conscious. Can you stand?”
“…Both my ankles are broken.”
“Both ankles? Which one?”
“Both of them.”
Nakina rolled up the pant legs and immediately caught her breath in shock. Both ankles were twisted at grotesque angles.
Just then, the soldiers came inside to gather their belongings and added defensively:
“It wasn’t intentional… She tried to escape twice, so, ahem.”
“We warned her that escape meant broken bones! Didn’t we?”
“Right. But she ignored the warning, so what could we do?”
“…Shut your mouths.”
When Nakina commanded them to be silent, they could only cough nervously while watching the two Mages carefully. They had no idea what was happening above.
‘Will she reprimand us for not extracting a confession?’
‘Who knows. Since the Mages are here, Bariel must have made some kind of agreement. What could she possibly say?’
‘That’s what I told you! Just looking at her, she’s clearly tough—scratching and cutting wasn’t enough.’
‘You’re so smart. But they said not to touch her from above, so what else could we do?’
While the soldiers exchanged insults with their eyes, a sound came from outside. Mrs. Danit had arrived, riding hard on horseback.
She rushed inside breathlessly, taking in the horrific sight of the cottage. The floor slick with blood, blades scattered everywhere, and her own daughter cradled in Nakina’s arms, unable to stand….
“Kaila!”
“Ah….”
Mrs. Danit cried out her daughter’s name in anguish. Startled, Kaila sank into her mother’s embrace, and the two held each other tightly, breathing deeply for a long moment.
Soon after, Mrs. Danit cupped Kaila’s cheeks with trembling hands and asked:
“…Are you all right?”
“Yes, Mother. I’m fine.”
“Really? Are you truly all right?”
“Yes. I’m safe.”
Though she could barely move a single finger, Kaila smiled brightly and nodded.
Mrs. Danit’s eyes grew moist, and she embraced her daughter once more. Then, glaring at the soldiers watching from behind, she reached down to grab a sword from the floor. If her daughter had shed blood, she would deal death to these men.
“Mother.”
But it was Kaila who seized her arm, as if desperate to leave the cottage as quickly as possible. Then she shook her head gently and whispered:
“What happened with the situation?”
“…things have become rather complicated.”
“I see. Let us depart first. I’m… finding this difficult.”
Mrs. Danit’s face contorted as though she might burst into tears at any moment, and instead of drawing her sword, she grasped Princess Kaila’s hand.
“Mage, I beg you.”
“Yes, Princess. Allow me to carry you. We shall head directly to Bariel’s camp. There is a Healing Mage there, so you need only endure a little longer. Captain Heil!”
“Understood. Go on ahead. I’ll tidy things up here.”
Mrs. Danit, take hold of my arm as well.”
As Nakina lifted the mother and daughter into the sky, holding them firmly, Heil turned to regard the soldiers. They hesitated, raising both hands to signal their surrender.
“We… we only did as we were ordered from above.”
“Yes, well. What else can you expect from those scraping by for a living?”
“B-but honestly, we were quite lenient. When we captured that woman, two of our colleagues died. Yes. We treated her rather gentlemanly, all things considered. We didn’t even mutilate her or anything…”
Heil listened quietly to their excuses, drew out a fresh cigarette, and placed it between his lips as he surveyed them. They were spouting nonsense.
As the men laughed awkwardly and scratched their heads, the sound of multiple hoofbeats echoed from behind.
Clop clop clop!
Neigh!
These were soldiers sent by the Royalists.
The soldiers brightened and rushed toward them.
“Hey! What’s going on here?”
“A mage just took the woman—! Ugh!”
“Gasp! Choke!”
Without hesitation, the Royalist soldiers drew their blades against those who had rushed toward them in greeting. Since the crimes of the Hollin Family could not be clearly established now, the very fact of having tortured the Princess would work against them—so they were cutting off loose ends.
“Mage, are you unharmed? These men are no better than villains, and we had orders to dispose of them.”
This is the property of the Burgos royal family, so we shall handle the cleanup. If you have seen the Princess, please depart now.”
“The Minister of Magic, your superior, has also withdrawn. He left no particular instructions.”
“Pardon me. One moment.”
The soldiers collapsed forward, clutching at their necks as blood fountained forth, and Heil frowned slightly—as though his cigarette had lost its flavor.
* * *
“Princess, open wide and say ‘ah.'”
Two Healing Mages and four Military Doctors gathered around Princess Kaila as she joined Bariel’s camp. When Kaila opened her mouth, the mage clicked his tongue in sympathy.
“All your teeth are gone. Were you struck with a blunt weapon? The wounds inside your tongue are severe as well.”
“I couldn’t see because of the mask… but yes, it appears so.”
“What about your vision? Open your right eye and left eye alternately. Can you see clearly?”
“…I cannot see from my right eye.”
Though Princess Kaila had trained relentlessly throughout her life with the sword, the nightmare she had endured this time was of an entirely different dimension. For the first time, she had killed someone, and she had been beaten nearly to death. The shameful and merciless violence was a new world she had come to understand.
Mrs. Danit leaned against the wall, her fingertips tapping anxiously as she observed her daughter’s condition.
“I shall infuse my mana, so please stitch the wounds. We shall begin with your right arm, Princess. Do not tense yourself. The mana will help you forget the pain.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Her flesh had been torn dozens of times—what was a little stitching compared to that? Kaila nodded calmly, and with each nod, Mrs. Danit felt her heart crumble, forcing her to turn away.
Zzzzzt. Zzzt.
Fortunately, the treatment proceeded smoothly. Damage to her organs was confirmed, but it was not immediately life-threatening. With time and continued treatment, she would recover.
“…Is it nearly finished over there?”
“Yes? Yes, yes. That’s correct, but is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”
“I’m sorry, but I’d like to speak with my mother alone for a moment. Would you please step outside?”
At Kayla’s request, the Mages and Military Doctors hurriedly rose from their seats and exited the tent.
What was she trying to say? Mrs. Danit knelt beside her daughter lying on the bed and leveled her gaze with hers.
“What is it, Kayla?”
“Mother. I have something I need to tell you and ask of you.”
“Anything, anything at all. I’ll listen to whatever you say. Those wretches who did this to you—I’ll tear them limb from limb and scatter the pieces across Burgos. I’ll leave them for the beasts to devour and obliterate. That’s what I’ll do.”
Mrs. Danit grasped Kayla’s right hand and brought it to her forehead, as though swearing an oath of vengeance.
Kayla stared into empty space for a moment, then carefully opened her mouth.
“One thing is certain—I will live out my days never forgetting what I experienced. Fear of them has taken root deep within my heart.”
“Oh, Kayla….”
“I don’t want to live bound by fear of anyone. I want to live as myself, free from any chains. This was your teaching as well, wasn’t it?”
“…I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”
“I’m certain of this: the only way to erase the fear that has taken root deep within my heart is to personally eliminate everything I despise with my own hands.”
Were those men in the cabin who directly inflicted pain upon her truly the objects of her hatred? No. The true source lay with the Royalist executives who had given them orders.
“Mother, I don’t want to return to Bariel. I want to stay here and annihilate the Royalists, returning to them the suffering I endured. Furthermore, I want to destroy the very meaning of their existence.”
Mrs. Danit fell silent, unable to find words. Didn’t Kayla have something only she could accomplish?
If she herself took the center of Burgos by leveraging her position as a cadet branch of the Runkbis family, Kayla would become the Empress of Bariel and serve as a bridge between the two nations.
In both Burgos and Bariel, the brilliant future of the Hollin Family shone before her eyes as never before.
“Kayla. Even as the Empress of Bariel, you can achieve what you desire.”
“No. That’s impossible. The Empress of Bariel is not the ruler of Burgos. I want to obtain the position of Burgos’s ruler that they desired, and build a future for Burgos in a direction different from what they wanted. That is the only way to truly destroy them and erase the fear in my heart.”
She was resolute. During those countless moments of suffering in that dark cabin, this was what she had sworn to herself again and again.
Mrs. Danit pressed her forehead with a troubled expression, then closed her eyes. She understood Kayla’s heart, but it was too much to ask her to give up the position of Empress. It wasn’t as though she had other daughters born of her own body….
“Kayla. Right now your emotions may be running too high. What if we take some time and think about this rationally?”
Mrs. Danit stroked her daughter’s hair soothingly, and Kayla grasped her hand firmly. There would be no changing her mind. At this, the Countess pressed her lips together. Looking at her now, she really did resemble herself so much.
“I am not judging based on emotion. Whether my feelings burn hot or grow cold, my choice remains unchanged.”
“Sigh. You said His Majesty the Emperor was dear to your heart. Coming to Burgos and facing this danger wasn’t simply a choice to save the Hollin Family. When I thought of the position of Empress, I saw it. Your eyes sparkled so beautifully.”
At Mrs. Danit’s persistent persuasion, Kayla let out a small laugh.
“Yes, Mother. I cannot deny that. I do admire His Majesty. That’s why I chose to face this danger, and I have no regrets. But—”
Just as she had chosen then, she would choose now. That which she wanted ‘now’.
“I love myself more. My love for myself is greater than my love for His Majesty. So I will choose Burgos instead of Bariel. For my own sake.”

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