Queen of Revenge - Chapter 13

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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 13
It was less a remark directed at Iolet than a murmur to himself. Though difficult to parse, there was no time to dwell on every word.
“I prefer to avoid unnecessary complications when possible. It frees me to pursue more productive endeavors—such as aiding those in similar straits, for instance.”
“Me?”
Kairon tilted his head with an amused smile.
The formal courtesy had vanished, replaced once more by clipped speech. Yet his manner was so natural that Iolet found no offense in it.
He spoke as though such an imperious tone were simply his nature—and this despite being merely a frontier fortress commander, not yet even a prince of Kalande.
“Indeed, Commander. Yet you hardly appear to be in distress. Even now, dozens of your subordinates at the Northern Fortress must be falling in battle.”
For the first time, the man’s smile faded from his face.
The border dispute between Kalande and Elovis was far more intricate than it appeared.
The conflict stemmed from fundamentally opposed stances toward the Demon Tribe.
While Kalande had declared the Demon Tribe an enemy, Elovis wielded them as a tool to check Kalande’s ambitions.
Indeed, Elovis’s Northwestern Border itself was territory seized from Kalande during the reign of the current king, when he was known as the Conqueror.
Should the Demon Tribe’s power wane, Kalande would likely move to reclaim those lost lands.
Thus, years ago, the King of Elovis had made his decision.
“Disguise our forces as Kalande’s army and send them into Demon Tribe territory.”
By royal decree, the Elovis Border Guard dispatched guerrilla units into the Unregistered Territory, deliberately provoking the Demon Tribe.
Since the guerrillas masqueraded as Kalande soldiers, suspicion naturally fell upon Kalande.
The Kalande Royal Court, embroiled in succession disputes for over a decade, lacked the resources to manage border conflicts. Thus they sent their commander, Kairon Winterbark, to Elovis to resolve the matter.
The formal negotiations were to begin tomorrow.
“You claim to have come to my aid, yet you’re only reminding me of my troubles. I had nearly forgotten, you know.”
Kairon’s brow furrowed. Genuine displeasure crossed his features.
Then, beyond the hedge wall, voices echoed.
Iolet seized Kairon’s shoulder and pulled his head down toward her. His head, which had been jutting above the wall, now disappeared entirely into the maze.
“…!”
The man instinctively tried to pull away, and in his surprise, a faint blush crept across his cheeks.
Iolet wrapped her arm firmly around his neck and spoke.
“Let me be direct. The Elovis Royal Family will not accept a single one of the negotiation terms you’ve prepared.”
“That’s….”
“The negotiations will not conclude in a day or two. You will be forced to kneel before the Main Palace, and in doing so, you will lose honor in Kalande and jeopardize your position at the Northern Fortress.”
Iolet knew precisely what he would endure over the coming week.
In the past, Kairon had attempted negotiations three times.
On the first day, he had proposed annual tribute to Elovis. On the second, he had offered an unprecedented concession: partial funding for the Elovis Border Guard’s military expenses.
No condition could have more clearly demonstrated a genuine desire for peace than offering to finance another nation’s army.
Yet both the King and the Crown Princess had responded with only lukewarm indifference.
By the fourth day, the Commander had knelt before the Main Palace and pleaded. It became such a spectacle of mockery that word reached even Iolet’s ears.
Only after five days of such desperate entreaties did the King graciously accept the negotiations.
Afterward, Iolet herself had departed for Count Castlane’s Territory, so she had not witnessed his departure from Elovis.
Yet surely, even after returning to Kalande, he must have endured years of royal persecution.
The court would deliberately cast him into a humiliating position, then condemn him for daring to show his face in the Capital after such disgrace—a common political tactic among the nobility for disposing of troublesome rivals.
That was why Kairon Winterbark’s rebellion had taken a full five years.
‘It shouldn’t have taken nearly that long.’
Just then, someone entered the Maze Garden.
This time, Kairon Winterbark regained his senses first and seized Iolet’s hand, pulling her forward. She matched his stride as they ran.
The maze offered only two paths.
Forward, or back the way they came.
Kairon Winterbark chose the forward path without hesitation.
“So.”
They burst from the Maze Garden’s exit and concealed themselves in the flower beds behind the Fountain.
As they slipped into the shadowless shade, Iolet’s azure dress melted seamlessly into the darkness.
This time, he leaned toward her first. His eyes, fixed upon Iolet, gleamed with a peculiar excitement.
“Will the Crown Princess aid me? How can I trust you?”
“The choice is yours to make. I merely offer one possibility among many.”
Over Kairon Winterbark’s shoulder, she glimpsed the Guard Knights searching for her. Lucian was among them.
Iolet quickly concealed herself in his embrace. Her small frame vanished entirely against his larger form.
He, too, seemed aware of the commotion stirring behind them. He withdrew his hand from his pocket and swept it across her waist.
From a distance, they would appear as lovers sharing an intimate moment in the garden.
Time was truly running out. She had not anticipated such a scene, yet no other option presented itself.
Iolet grasped his collar and met his gaze.
“Shall I offer you another choice?”
“Another choice?”
“Yes. A way for you to achieve a successful reconciliation without submitting to Mother in humiliation.”
He answered by drawing her nape into his grasp.
Iolet did not shy from his overwhelming crimson eyes and whispered.
“Propose to me.”
* * *
Lucian discovered his temporary mistress near midnight.
“Crown Princess!”
The moment he spotted the familiar platinum hair, he rushed forward—only to be startled by the sight before him.
“What in the world is this? Release the Crown Princess at once!”
The knights who had been dragging Iolet by each arm faltered and retreated in confusion.
Iolet’s cheeks were drained of color. Savage handprints marked her forearms.
Released from the knights’ grip, Iolet stumbled and collapsed. Lucian rushed to steady her.
“My apologies. I was summoned by His Majesty and stepped away briefly… What on earth is this?”
“A misunderstanding, Guard Commander! The Crown Princess refused to return to the Tower, and we were simply—”
“Refused or not, you dare lay hands upon the royal person? Have you lost your minds?”
“We… we are deeply sorry.”
“Your apologies are not to me—”
Lucian’s fury caught short as he glanced down. A small hand clutched at his uniform’s hem.
“It’s alright, Knight. The Banquet Hall felt suffocating, so I was taking a brief walk when the Guard Knights misunderstood.”
Iolet braced her legs and straightened her spine. Yet her complexion remained ashen, and goosebumps covered every inch of exposed skin from her shoulders to her wrists.
The Guard Knights stammered their apologies, beads of sweat rolling down their faces.
“We humbly beg your pardon, Vice Commander. We received orders that coercion was permissible, so we assumed the matter was urgent….”
“Coercion was permissible? What fool issued such an order?”
“It was, well—the Guard Commander said it came from the Crown Princess herself….”
A furrow deepened between Lucian’s brows.
The Crown Princess Catherine had issued orders to confine the princess to the Tower. He too had only learned of this belatedly and had been searching for her in desperation. Yet he never imagined she would resort to such forceful methods to subdue the princess.
Iolet rubbed her aching forearms and spoke in an exhausted voice.
“I’ve said it countless times—my legs are perfectly fine, so I can return on my own two feet. Besides, I had no intention of fleeing in the first place. Go tell my sister to set her mind at ease.”
The hesitant Guard Knights bowed deeply and withdrew.
Lucian felt an indescribable bitterness watching the princess walk away with rigid composure.
She had received the punishment she deserved. Any reproach—such as how he had clearly advised against that dress—dissolved silently in his throat.
“…Your Highness. Were you truly only intending to take a walk?”
“If I say no, does that justify the treatment I just received?”
There was nothing to refute.
Lucian followed her in silence.
Yet when they arrived at the Princess’s Quarters, he found himself frowning once more.

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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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