Queen of Revenge - Chapter 6

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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 6
The expression drained from Benedix’s face.
He gazed at Iolet for a long moment before murmuring softly.
“You’ve changed, Iolet.”
Benedix took a step closer to Iolet.
His dark eyes, now devoid of warmth, carried an unsettling glint.
This was the Duke’s true face.
“Why did you change? When did it start? The Iolet I knew never looked at me this way.”
“….”
“Why do you seem not to trust me?”
The man lowered his head slowly, his gaze fixed intently upon Iolet.
His breath brushed against her nose as his eyes traced from the bridge of her nose to her lips, dark pupils burning with unmistakable hunger.
Benedix closed his eyes for a long moment, then opened them and drew Iolet into an embrace.
“I think I’ve neglected you for far too long. I’m sorry.”
“….”
“Let’s talk again later. Once the Foundation Day Festival ends, I’ll come find you. Don’t turn me away, will you?”
Iolet let out a small, bitter laugh.
The Benedix she remembered from her past would have kissed her without hesitation.
He was a man who couldn’t hide his callow affection, habitually saying things like “I wish you’d hurry and grow up.”
But now, seeing him again, I perceived his true ambition.
He was a man who climbed ever higher. He had betrothed himself to her bloodline, but the moment he judged that recovery was impossible, he discarded her without mercy.
He was someone who carefully weighed another’s worth, maintained distance while feigning tenderness, exploited them until their usefulness expired, and then coldly erased them.
In her previous life, he must have succeeded—becoming the husband of this nation’s queen, commanding Elovis itself.
“That was your last chance to kiss me, Benedix.”
Catherine stood not far away, watching them.
Iolet kept her gaze fixed on Catherine while leaning her cheek against his neck, whispering.
“Stop your attempts to frame me while masquerading as a friend. I have no time to waste on my sister’s lover.”
“Iolet. If there’s still a misunderstanding—.”
“Save that confession for Catherine. It would be the most accurate proof that you’ve become her lapdog.”
Benedix’s shoulders stiffened imperceptibly.
Iolet pushed him away and turned to leave.
* * *
“What were you doing with Iolet, Duke?”
Catherine glared at the Duke sharply.
Even after Iolet left the garden, the Duke’s gaze remained fixed on her retreating figure.
“It is not a matter Your Highness need concern yourself with.”
Benedix’s voice was more curt than usual—a marked change for a man who rarely displayed emotion.
His visibly shaken composure irritated her.
“You embrace another woman before your betrothed’s eyes and tell me not to care?”
“It was Your Highness who instructed me to maintain a friendly relationship with Princess Iolet.”
“So, what did she say?”
“….”
“Something feels off about her doing things she wouldn’t normally do. She opened her eyes properly and looked straight at me, demanded that Lisi be removed, and asked His Majesty to assign Perein as her Guard Knight. Did she give you any hints?”
“She seemed relieved that the wedding was postponed, so I held her. Other than that… well, she appeared somewhat sensitive, but nothing drastically different from usual.”
“Is that the truth?”
“Do you doubt me?”
Benedix relaxed his lips and smiled. His gaze toward Catherine was gentle yet resolute.
“You’re being harsh to your beloved.”
“A beloved who never visits my bedchamber even once. Yet she frequents Iolet’s bedroom as if it were her own home.”
The Duke maintained his silent smile.
Benedix Valer was the most powerful card in Catherine’s hand, yet equally difficult to control.
His features were finely sculpted, his temperament calm and cold, but his true nature remained impenetrable. It was like viewing through layered glass—I could only discern distorted fragments of the whole.
There was danger in keeping him as a confidant. Yet Catherine needed the Duke. More precisely, she desired the solid prestige and pure bloodline of House of Valer above all else.
Bloodline.
It was the one thing Catherine lacked and simultaneously her sole weakness.
The daughter of a commoner queen.
The single blemish on Catherine’s otherwise perfect life had spawned a deeply rooted inferiority complex.
So Catherine trampled her sister all the more cruelly. She pressured her thoroughly so she wouldn’t even dare harbor thoughts of resistance, and stripped her of everything she possessed.
The most precious thing she had stolen was the Duke of House of Valer.
At a gesture from the Duke, Benedix bowed his head to Catherine.
“The only person I admire is the Crown Princess who will surely ascend to the throne.”
A respectful kiss descended upon Catherine’s crimson lips.
The kiss soon became passionate. Yet throughout their intertwined tongues, the Duke neither closed his eyes nor gazed at Catherine. His lips met hers, but his mind seemed to envision someone else entirely.
Seized by sudden anxiety, Catherine pulled the Duke’s hand down to her bosom.
At her brazen seduction, Benedix let out a soft laugh and finally granted her his attention.
‘I took her from Iolet, but I can’t be certain she’s truly mine. Once I send Iolet away from the Royal Palace, I must proceed with the royal marriage immediately.’
It was unfortunate that she couldn’t marry Iolet off during Foundation Day, but it mattered little.
She had dispatched the royal physician to Count Castlane, and planned to hold the ceremony as soon as he recovered enough to move about.
Catherine smiled, feeling the man’s strong grip tightening around her chest.
No matter how desperately Iolet struggled later, her fate already rested in the palm of Catherine’s hand.
* * *
Iolet wandered through the Royal Palace for a long time.
The attendants and maidservants’ gazes followed her openly as she appeared in public for the first time in ages. They were all Catherine’s eyes and ears.
‘Surveillance everywhere. I wondered if there might be a gap to slip through, but that’s clearly impossible.’
Indeed, Catherine wielded not only command of the Royal Guard but also authority over the Capital Defense Force.
When even leaving the Tower required Catherine’s permission, there was no way to venture beyond the Royal Palace.
I had managed to avoid the wedding by involving the King—a fortunate stroke, but merely a temporary measure. Now I had to advance to the next stage.
‘If Catherine gains command of the Central Army and the Border Guard as well, it’s over. Once she seizes all military authority, there’s no chance of victory.’
What I needed most now was force.
A blade to protect myself, and a blade to turn toward Elovis.
I need two swords.
The first one should have arrived at the Tower by now.
Iolet quickened her pace.
“Your Highness Princess Iolet, I am honored to meet you.”
A tall knight with black hair and green eyes awaited her at the entrance of the Tower.
The black uniform bearing the insignia of a sword and eagle marked him as a member of the Black Eagle Knights.
The knight dropped to one knee before Iolet.
“I am Lucian Perein, assigned to serve as Your Highness’s guard for the time being. I shall attend to you with utmost sincerity and care.”
“So you are Sir Perein.”
Iolet studied the man with an odd sensation. His reserved demeanor struck her first, contrasting with his refined features.
His eyes held a subtle double eyelid, his nose was well-defined, and the sharp line of his jaw descended cleanly and precisely. His deep, penetrating gaze was framed by long lashes.
Lucian Perein.
The second son of the Perein Marquis Family and vice-commander of the Black Eagle Knights.
The very knight she had requested as her guard from The King.
Yet there was a problem—the Black Eagle Knights currently operated under the command of Crown Princess Catherine.
Moreover, the Perein Marquis Family openly supported the Crown Princess, making Lucian’s true master Catherine in practice. That was why she had deliberately invoked her father’s authority instead.
“How long did Father command you to protect me?”
“His Majesty did not specify an exact duration, but I was informed it would be approximately one to two weeks.”
“A temporary assignment, then.”
“Brief though the period may be, I shall give my utmost….”
“Remember that what you received is a royal command. For at least one week, you are my man. Should you engage in conduct unbecoming a guard knight, disobey my orders, or divulge information about me to others, I shall report it as a violation of the royal command to Father.”
“…I shall bear it in mind.”
As a knight of the Royal Family, he could never be free from the King’s command. A knight who defied a royal order faced immediate dismissal.
Thus, for the designated period, Lucian would have no choice but to serve Iolet faithfully, whether he wished to or not.
Of course, once the royal command’s authority expired, Catherine would summon him to interrogate him about his service, but Iolet’s reason for choosing him was simple nonetheless.
Before the regression, Lucian had been the only knight to show her courtesy as she was dragged toward the scaffold.
“May you find peace in God’s embrace.”

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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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