Queen of Revenge - Chapter 17

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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 17
The King’s stern gaze spoke volumes.
Granting you power did not mean I trusted you, nor that I considered you a successor to the throne.
It meant you should go to the Northern Border and rot away there for the rest of your life.
I suppressed the urge to cheer. Instead, I smiled like a docile lamb.
“I was always meant to marry out anyway. If I must leave this place regardless, I wish to go somewhere I can be of value to Elovis. That is my only desire.”
The King, who had been staring down at me, eventually nodded.
“Very well. I shall consider it. For now, return to your quarters. I shall summon you again soon.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The King waved his hand dismissively.
I bowed respectfully and turned to leave.
‘Perfect. If I show such restrained enthusiasm, the likelihood of approval increases significantly.’
Though it seemed trivial, diplomatic negotiation rights were far more useful than any other power when considering the unique circumstances of the Northern Border.
It was an authority absolutely essential for survival in the North.
‘Using the color Mother favors truly was effective.’
Exhaling deeply as I left the Audience Hall, I encountered someone waiting before the door.
“Elder Sister?”
It was Catherine.
“I hear the Northern Region is hardly a place fit for human habitation, Iolet.”
Catherine spoke with a smile so sickeningly sweet it was nauseating. Uncharacteristically, she dispensed with pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“I am grateful that Kairon Winterbark views you favorably, but as your elder sister, I cannot abide sending you into such peril. I shall speak well of you to Mother.”
From her tone, she had already grasped the entire situation unfolding before her.
“I have already told the Commander that you have a betrothed. It would be improper to break an engagement while your betrothed hovers between life and death. I shall handle everything cleanly so you need not concern yourself. Forget what happened today.”
Catherine was brilliant. She had certainly discerned not only that I had changed somehow, but also that I coveted the diplomatic negotiation rights of the Border.
If that were the case, it was time to abandon my act of foolish younger sister.
I stepped closer to Catherine.
“I sometimes wonder if you are overly conscious of me, Elder Sister.”
“…Me, conscious of you?”
“Yes. As though you are desperate to suppress me.”
Catherine’s lips twisted into a strange grimace.
I met her gaze directly and whispered.
“Am I truly so frightening to you, Elder Sister?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Of course you do. You know better than anyone.”
…
“I possess no power, no wealth, not even the smallest of possessions—yet still I am so terrifying that I must be driven from the Royal Palace? Why would someone who has everything like you fear me? Why? I have long wondered about that.”
Ever since that day in the cold prison when I had to endure your demonic curses with my entire body.
“I am inferior to you in every conceivable way. Or am I not?”
“Iolet.”
“Was it so shameful that your mother was a commoner?”
Catherine’s earlobes flushed crimson in an instant.
Before that shame-stricken face, Iolet laughed without restraint.
“So that’s what you envied. But Elder Sister, diminishing me doesn’t elevate your bloodline, does it?”
“I don’t understand what baseless accusations you’re making. This is becoming increasingly unpleasant to hear.”
Like a Crown Princess who had reigned for over a decade, Catherine skillfully concealed even the slightest tremor that flickered across her eyes.
“I understand you’re hurt by an unwanted marriage. But I promised clearly that I’d summon you back to the Capital after five years. That was a promise made as Crown Princess, not as your sister. Would you like me to put it in writing if you think I’m lying?”
Aha, Iolet burst into laughter after all.
Yes, she would summon me back to the Capital—to cut off my head!
“You don’t need to strain yourself, Elder Sister. Pretending to be kind must be exhausting too. Honestly, wouldn’t it be more welcome to you if I simply disappeared to the Border forever?”
“….”
“Even if I marry Commander Winterbark, considering his origins, it’s hardly different from becoming the wife of Count Castlane. The only difference is that my husband’s character is far superior. I never expected you to disapprove.”
“That’s exactly the problem!”
Catherine suddenly cried out, her voice strained.
“That’s the problem, you insolent sister. He is…!”
“He is?”
“He is a man who doesn’t suit you at all.”
There was a brief pause between question and answer.
The ripple that crossed Catherine’s pupils was only for an instant.
Iolet felt as though she’d been struck on the head.
The memory of Catherine from before the regression—the Catherine who had blushed when mentioning the Tyrant of Kalande—suddenly flashed through her mind.
“Elder Sister, could it be—”
“I can’t listen to your nonsense any longer, Iolet. No matter how much you protest, some things cannot be changed. I want to keep you safe, not exile you to the bloodstained North.”
“….”
“So once Count Castlane recovers, go quietly to his Territory. This is my final warning. If you want to return to the Capital within five years, do as I command.”
Catherine’s words that followed were barely audible.
Iolet ruminated on this shocking revelation she had just discovered.
‘Catherine has feelings for Kairon? From this point in time…?’
That was when a Guard Knight approached with hurried steps across the Corridor.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, I have urgent news….”
“What is it?”
The young Guard Knight’s eyes darted between Catherine and Iolet.
“Count Castlane has just passed away, Your Highness.”
* * *
Count Castlane, who had stayed in the Separate Palace for several days as the princess’s betrothed and received treatment from the Royal Physician, was dead.
“He was recovering slowly but steadily, yet somehow his head wound reopened without warning. When we discovered it, he had already lost too much blood to save him. I sincerely apologize.”
While Catherine, furious beyond measure, rebuked the physician, Iolet quietly slipped out of the Main Palace.
‘The wound reopened? Suddenly, and at this precise moment?’
With Count Castlane dead, the King was now more likely to accept Iolet’s proposal.
But when anything goes too smoothly, it tends to be suspicious.
[Your Highness]
[!]
Upon returning to the Tower, Bara came rushing toward me, having paced nervously through the corridors.
[Visitor]
[Frightening]
[Red eyes] [Visitor] [!]
“It’s alright, Bara. Has Perein stepped away?”
[Absent]
[Gone]
[!]
“Good. He’s likely conversing with our guest. Would you bring two cups of tea?”
[Can do] [!]
Once Bara scurried away, I made my way toward the Dining Room.
The Butler stood before the door, his ashen complexion betraying his discomfort.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d step aside, Butler. I’m accustomed to such matters, but my guest may find eavesdropping distasteful.”
The Butler glared at me with colorless eyes before offering a curt bow.
I watched him retreat into the distance, then opened the Dining Room door.
Kairon Winterbark sat in the Dining Room—a space only slightly larger than my Bedroom.
Rather than occupying a chair, he perched awkwardly atop the table itself, making the already cramped space feel even more confined.
The man, arms crossed as he gazed toward the sunlit Window, turned his gaze toward me. Then he relaxed his expression into a smile.
“Hello.”

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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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