Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 619

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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 618. Thump-Thump
“Princess Chloe, are you awake?”
I rubbed my eyes and nodded. Through my blurred vision, I could see that damned pink hair. I looked around to get my bearings on where I was.
The bedroom was neat to the point of being sparse. It seemed to be a room once used by royal servants. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have felt anything, but after so long, I found myself moved by the softness of the bed and pulled the blanket toward me.
“…Are you alright?”
“From what perspective? If you’re asking about the potion’s effectiveness, I’d say it was a jackpot. Your body seems to respond to medicine better than expected. The pillar you shattered and the cracks you made in the floor—that wasn’t a dream. Well, if you’re asking about your dignity as a princess, I’d have to say the situation isn’t looking good.”
I glared at Akorelra with sharp eyes. Since it was my choice, I had nothing to say, but wasn’t this a bit much?
“Now then, since you’re awake, let’s do some observation notes. Is your heart still racing? How do you feel right now?”
“Hmm. I’m fine now. It’s stable, and honestly, it doesn’t feel that desperate.”
“Is that so? Well, to add some stimulation, I should mention that a report about your commotion will reach His Majesty the Emperor.”
My eyes widened and I blinked.
But surprisingly, I felt nothing. Since it wasn’t the kind of commotion a noble princess should cause, the Emperor would certainly use this as a pretext to push me from the Empress position. Yet I felt nothing.
Scratch, scratch.
Akorelra’s eyes sparkled with interest as she eagerly recorded my condition on the documents. I shrugged my shoulders and answered in a perfunctory tone.
“Of course it will. But well, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know, hmm. Interesting. Could this be a side effect of cognitive decline? Princess Chloe, do you remember who you were with before you collapsed?”
“Count Ian and the Mages and—”
Thump!
I reflexively clutched my heart.
“Huh?”
“M-my heart is acting strange again.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t know. W-when I think of Count Xiaoxi…”
Akorelra froze, pen in hand. Her nostrils flared without her realizing it. She had instinctively sensed that she was on the verge of an enormous discovery.
“Your heart races when you think of Count Xiaoxi? Your face is getting red too. Could it be… a tingling sensation below your chest?”
“Y-yes, that’s right!”
“What about Minister Ian?”
“Why Minister Ian?”
“Ah, so it’s only for Count Xiaoxi. Princess, listen carefully to what I say and imagine it. Now then, you held hands with Count Xiaoxi!”
As Akorelra grabbed my hand and spoke, I looked up to the left with an embarrassed expression.
“H-holding hands? Um…”
“Oh, your cheeks are getting even redder. Then an embrace! And even better, imagine a deep kiss!”
“Kyaaaa! Have I gone mad? Are you in your right mind?”
I shook off her hand in disgust, but Akorelra crouched down with her fists clenched.
Insane. The mad genius Mage Akorelra had finally gained influence over human emotions! She sprang to her feet, clasped her hands together in gratitude to God, then tucked the documents under her arm and turned back to me.
“Well then, I’ll go submit my report.”
“Wait!”
“Rest and think of Count Xiaoxi. Hehe.”
“No, hold on!”
Bang!
Chloe reached out her hand, telling Akorelra not to go, but the captain simply ran off without looking back.
Left alone in the sudden silence, Chloe lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
‘I was trying to earn merit, but now I’ll only get blamed by His Majesty. So this is why they say great power comes with great responsibility.’
Even after gaining this strength, hadn’t I only caused trouble by panicking and acting recklessly? I should have waited quietly and appeared at the exact moment His Majesty was in danger! Chloe buried her face in her pillow and sighed.
‘Once this power fades, His Majesty will definitely send me back to Bariel.’
Send me back. But why does it feel so regrettable? When Captain Akorelra mentioned His Majesty earlier, I didn’t think much of it.
As Chloe examined her own heart, the face of Xiaoxi floated before her eyes on the ceiling.
“Oh no!”
Have I lost my mind? Chloe jumped up and hastily left her room. Whether it was Akorelra or Xiaoxi, anyone would do. I just needed to distract myself and dispel this inexplicable emotion.
I’m not sure how much time had passed, but the sun hung at the edge of the sky. Darkness was creeping closer with each moment. Since the castle had lost its master long ago, scattered lights began to flicker throughout the fortress.
Creak.
Chloe continued descending into the basement, searching for the supply unit. She thought she might find them near the food storage.
‘Is it this way?’
This was already her first time entering this place, and with the sun setting, her sense of direction grew even darker. The complete absence of people around suggested she had taken a very wrong turn.
Then, a hushed conversation from somewhere.
“Is the door open?”
“Yes, no problems.”
“The banquet is at eight, so let’s hurry before then.”
“Understood. I’ll wait in the underground passage that connects directly. The mages are a variable though—what should we do?”
“The Emperor will be in the banquet hall, so the main security forces will be nearby as well. First, let’s divert attention with fire, then move.”
The voices grew distant. Chloe carefully followed the sound and continued descending into the basement. Though frightened by the thick darkness, the content of their conversation was far from ordinary.
Soon, Chloe found the source of the conversation somewhere in the underground storage.
‘What is this?’
Behind a storage cabinet. There must be a hidden space there. It seemed like I could move the cabinet to the side, but the metal plate was nearly a hand’s width thick. Even if six strongmen came, it wouldn’t budge easily. There must be some mechanism somewhere that….
Creak! Boom!
“Huh?”
Chloe was startled. She had only gently grasped the storage cabinet, yet it lifted with embarrassing ease.
A tunnel was dug behind the cabinet. And inside, soldiers huddled in the light of candles. They too had frozen in shock while conversing.
“Wh-what….”
Their pupils trembled greatly as they alternated their gaze between the cabinet and Chloe. Was it even possible for a woman—no, a human—to exert such strength?
They assumed Chloe was a mage or a mage knight, and hastily drew small daggers from their bosoms. The tips were coated with Idgal.
“Damn it! Seize her!”
“Kyaaaah!”
They were an armed faction centered around three officials from among the Royalists who insisted on the traditional method of restoring the monarchy. Using this secret passage connected to the city of Calamat, they were gathering their forces and watching for an opportunity.
Their targets were precisely two: to eliminate the mother and daughter of the Hollin Family who sought the birth of a new dynasty, and to purge the other Royalists who clung to Bariel seeking power.
In truth, it was nothing more than a rift within the Royalist faction, merely dressed up with noble justifications.
“Seize her! Seize her!”
At someone’s muffled cry, soldiers poured out and chased after Chloe.
Chloe fled in terror up the stairs, and soon became aware of the storage cabinet in her hands.
“Mother! Please stop this!”
Boom! Crash!
With all her strength, she hurled the storage cabinet, and with a deafening sound, soldiers were sent flying. Even as those struck by the metal panel and crushed beneath it groaned and rolled across the floor, those following behind stepped over their fallen comrades in hot pursuit of Chloe. There wasn’t much time left before the operation, and she couldn’t let it fail like this.
Clang! Screech!
“Stop! Halt right there!”
“Kyaaaa!”
Though they threatened her, hurling swords in her direction, Chloe didn’t stop her frantic footsteps. With her eyes squeezed shut in terror, she simply ran forward.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
Then her ankle twisted and she tumbled forward.
As the spot where she tried to brace herself caved in, the soldiers who witnessed it gulped hard. This was no ordinary opponent. They had no choice but to rush in all at once and end this quickly.
“Go! One, two—”
“Ah, it hurts….”
“Three!”
Screech!
Just as the soldiers lunged forward with a leap, Xiao and his subordinates blocked their path and parried their blades.
Chloe’s eyes widened gradually, and before her, Xiao’s silver-gray hair swayed slowly. It felt as though time itself was flowing more slowly. With her face flushed, Chloe stammered out her words.
“H-how did you know this place? Did you… did you find me?”
Could it be? Really? Truly? As Chloe’s eyes sparkled with hope, one of Xiao’s subordinates burst into laughter.
“Kahahaha! Why would we be looking for you?”
“The castle was shaking like thunder! Even without ears, everyone would know something happened here!”
“Let’s see, three Royalist officials… their faces are a bit hard to tell apart.”
“Is one here? Ah, there’s that one. Just that one!”
“Another one’s coming up from the basement!”
“Wait! Just a moment!”
As armed soldiers gathered one by one, one of the Royalist officials, grasping the situation, stepped forward with both hands raised in surrender.
“We have no intention of opposing Bariel. We merely sought to deal with the Hollin family matriarch and daughter, as well as the Royalist officials in the annex. It is absolutely not a rebellion against Bariel, so please calm down….”
“Then why did you attack that woman?”
Xiao, who had been listening quietly, asked coldly.
“Of course, we feared information would leak. We only intended to capture her, but when she attacked, several of us fell, and we couldn’t help ourselves….”
As Xiao glanced at Chloe lying there in her delicate form, she hastily straightened her disheveled hair and clothing.
“Very well. Clean this up.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Wait! We truly have no intention of rebelling against Bariel! We can prove it!”
Clang! Ching!
“Intention is irrelevant. What matters is that you are Royalists.”
Eliminating the Royalists—that was Xiao’s mission. It would suffice to think of it as getting ahead of those enjoying the banquet.
As the soldiers didn’t sheathe their blades, the strongmen realized there was no way to retreat and sharpened their sword edges.
“Come here, Princess.”
“Ah—”
As Xiao extended his hand to help Chloe up, Captain Akorella’s voice passed through.
“…I held hands with Count Xiao!”
It was really happening! Chloe hesitated and looked up at Xiao. Both her cheeks burned hot, flushed a vivid crimson. What should I do? Did I look too unsophisticated?
As Chloe wavered, Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly.
“It’s fine. You may hold it.”
“Ah, well—”
“…And Princess, you’re bleeding from your nose.”
“What? Me, me?”
Chloe, who had been tilting her head at a charming angle with a bashful smile, startled in alarm and touched beneath her nostrils. It was warm and wet—blood was flowing again.
“….”
Twice in one day—what utter humiliation! Chloe’s eyes glistened with tears as she rubbed her nose vigorously with the back of her hand, while Xiao turned his head away, pretending not to notice.
Just then, the soldiers who had been organizing the surroundings called out to Xiao.
“Count Xiao! One of the people trapped beneath the storage cabinet appears to be a Royalist Official!”
“We need to remove this, but it won’t budge at all.”
“Should we call a Mage?”
The iron storage cabinet that Chloe had hurled aside like a scrap of paper. Seven soldiers were straining against it with grunts, yet it showed no sign of moving.
Seeing this, Chloe rushed forward, tears and noseblood streaming down her face. She was too embarrassed to face Xiao any longer.
“I’ll do it. Sniff.”
“Pardon?”
“Ugh, I’ll handle this. Move aside.”
“It’s dangerous, Princess… Oh, oh my! Good heavens!”
“Please step back! The compression force is no joke!”
With a light heave, Chloe lifted the storage cabinet, and the soldiers erupted in cheers, clapping their hands.
Xiao watched her retreating figure, then sighed softly, gazing down at his own hand that Chloe had never taken.

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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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