Queen of Revenge - Chapter 46

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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 46
“Did you bring a wedding gift for me?”
Kairon let out a hollow laugh and gestured to his subordinate.
“You’re probably the only woman in the world who’d ask for another nation’s royal genealogy as a wedding gift.”
Though it was genealogy, it was actually a detailed structural diagram of the Kalande Royal Court’s power dynamics.
The Kalande Royal Family had three princes.
Kalande was quite unique in adopting a concubine system, so even princes not born of the queen consort received the title of prince.
The concubines themselves were daughters of great noble houses, so each prince had completely separate factions. The First Prince was born of the legitimate queen, while the Second and Third Princes were born of concubines.
“Currently, the First Prince has united the Conservative Nobility, the Second Prince controls the Military Forces, and the Third Prince is close to the common people.”
“That’s correct. They’re dividing the nation quite fairly among themselves. Recently, the First Prince married the Princess of Bilebach and secured the trade routes.”
“Bilebach is a maritime power in the west. If he’s secured the trade routes, he’s certainly tightened his grip on the purse strings. The Second and Third Princes must be feeling quite anxious by now.”
“They appear to be. And in the midst of all this, I went ahead and pestered for marriage approval.”
Iolet fell silent in thought.
In the past, Kairon Winterbark had attacked the Capital of Kalande with formidable military might.
While the Royal Family was consumed with succession disputes, he had secretly stationed mercenaries throughout the outskirts, then struck in one decisive blow.
It was possible because none of the princes paid much attention to him—a borderland warrior of little consequence.
Though he had achieved victory against all three in a single gambit, the preparation had taken a long time due to the caution needed to keep his forces hidden from the Royal Family.
Now, circumstances were quite different from the past.
First, Kairon had gained legitimacy through marriage to me.
That meant the princes of Kalande would no longer view him as a bastard to be used as a shield at the border and discarded, but rather as another competitor capable of claiming the throne.
“Once I marry you, the princes’ vigilance will intensify beyond all comparison to before.”
“Then that’s disadvantageous for me, isn’t it?”
“It would be if all three united to attack you. But they won’t do that.”
Iolet transcribed the Kalande Royal Family genealogy onto fresh paper.
“There’s no need to fight all three princes at once. If we pit them against each other and eliminate those who fall, we only need to face the survivors.”
“The older princes have been tearing at each other for years. Yet over the past decade, no prince has been eliminated, which means the power struggle is perfectly balanced.”
“That’s because they’re only engaging in intellectual sparring in the Capital.”
How could a decisive outcome emerge from elegant verbal jabs in political circles?
Iolet tapped the map with the tip of her pen.
“But what if this border became the stage? What if this battlefield where countless people die became the arena?”
“You’d summon the princes here? How?”
“The Demons are attacking the Fortress again, so let’s request reinforcements from the Capital.”
It was audacious for the very person who had sent those Demons to the Fortress to make such a statement.
Kairon gave her a pointed look, but Iolet didn’t bat an eye.
“I suspect the Second or Third Prince—or perhaps both—will take this bait, since they’re in a weaker position.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s gold buried in the Unregistered Territory.”
Iolet smiled knowingly.
“I thought word would have spread to Kalande by now. Has it not?”
“…Was that you who started the rumor?”
Kairon’s expression turned to one of surprise.
“You’re telling me you already knew the Second and Third Princes were scrambling to find funding? And the First Prince only recently married the Princess of Bilebach?”
“How could I have known that when I’ve only just left Elovis’s Small Tower?”
Iolet corrected him with a soft laugh.
“With three princes vying for the throne for over a decade, I simply thought at least one of them would be in financial straits. Your reaction suggests the Second and Third Princes’ circumstances are even more dire than I anticipated.”
Iolet circled the Second and Third Princes together on the genealogy she had redrawn, then drew an arrow extending downward from that circle all the way to the Northern Fortress.
“Request reinforcements from the Royal Family under the pretext of the Demon threat. Feel free to be as rough as you like—it doesn’t matter. Since you’ve married the Princess of Elovis, the more audacious you are, the better.”
“So you want me to cause a scene at the Royal Court…”
“Then one of the Second or Third Princes will absolutely step forward under the guise of disciplining you. Or perhaps both will.”
The more who took the bait, the better.
Iolet concluded briskly.
“I’m curious to meet your older brothers. They’ll soon be my family, after all.”
Kairon no longer smiled.
He gazed down at the newly drawn genealogy and map in Iolet’s hands for a long moment before murmuring softly.
“So accelerating my path to the throne wasn’t mere boasting.”
“I’ve never spoken without sincerity.”
“To waste such a brilliant mind in this manner…”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
Kairon occasionally spoke in such contradictory murmurs. Each time he did, Iolet felt the same sensation.
As though he had seen through every aspect of her past and present.
“So, do you agree?”
Kairon studied Iolet intently, as if reading her true intentions.
Then he answered with a smile.
“Well, as you wish.”
As if everything before had merely been a preamble, he straightened his posture. It seemed he had finally resolved to take this seriously.
“So when is our wedding?”
Iolet, who had been about to begin discussing matters in earnest, made a bewildered face.
* * *
‘Something feels off about this. Why does he seem to have no interest in the throne whatsoever?’
Iolet gazed at her reflection in the mirror with a troubled heart.
Bara tapped her lightly while holding various ornaments up to her, but she didn’t notice.
‘No, he does have interest, but it doesn’t seem to be his top priority…’
Kairon appeared far more interested in Iolet herself.
He observed her health meticulously, her preferences and dislikes, her surroundings, even the people she conversed with.
It seemed he was asking others for trivial information about Iolet as well—he even knew the fabric options she was considering for the bedroom curtains. At least such details were useless for revenge or rebellion.
By this point, Iolet had reached a rather peculiar conclusion.
“Does Kairon have feelings for me?”
Bara, who had been placing a small tiara on Iolet’s head, suddenly tilted her head to the side.
[A Fearsome Guest]
[The Princess]
[
I like you
]
Of the three cards, only the bottom one bore different handwriting.
Iolet picked up the [I like you] card.
“Did he write this?”
[Yes]
[
Strong affection
] [
A sign of approval
] [
Unconditional support
]
Now that I looked closer, Bara’s card box was overflowing. Kairon Winterbark’s handwriting occupied a considerable portion of it.
“Why does he like me? He barely knows me.”
Or perhaps there was something he stood to gain by pretending to like me?
That explanation seemed far more convincing.
Bara drew out several cards in succession.
[
You’re beautiful
] [
You’re strong
] [
You’re kind
]
[
You
]
[
You’re wonderful.
]
Seeing the cards written in the manner of a small child’s speech, my unease only deepened.
Though they appeared hastily scrawled, they were anything but careless. Bara had collected many short phrases that could be readily repurposed into everyday sentences.
[
I’ve been waiting for you all this time.
]
[
The best!
] [
Always
] [
Forever
]
[
Please
]
[
I trust you
]
[
I want to see you
]
[
My affection
]
As I gazed at the curved handwriting, my stomach churned with emotion.
Iolet gathered the cards in a rush and poured them into Bara’s card box.
“That’s enough now, Bara. It’s sufficient.”
Iolet rubbed my throbbing nape vigorously. Across the neck that had once been cut, a flush bloomed like a flower in full bloom.

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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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