Queen of Revenge - Chapter 60

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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 60
“Well, yes. That could certainly be the case. She’s beautiful, so he might have fallen for her at first sight? They do say first love is terrifying….”
Emeric muttered to himself, nodding his head slowly.
“Yes, his demeanor has definitely been different lately. I thought maybe he’d taken a blow to the head, but love, love it is. Well….”
In the silence, only the sound of Emeric’s fingertips tapping against the desk remained.
Soon after reaching his conclusion, Emeric laughed with satisfaction.
“The power of love truly is magnificent. It can transform a person completely.”
It was a decidedly romantic perspective.
Though I disagreed entirely, I responded with a smile.
“Then what would you desire as a token of this alliance?”
“Do we truly need a guarantee for an equal transaction between us? Unless it’s a gift of apology for arriving without notice.”
I gestured toward Bara.
Bara withdrew a rolled paper from her pocket and unfolded it across the table.
Emeric examined it with disinterested eyes.
“A map of the Border and the Unregistered Territory. What do the marked red lines signify?”
“The locations of gold veins.”
“!”
Emeric’s slouching frame shot upright.
He immediately seized the map and pulled it before his eyes.
Red markings were drawn across various points in the Unregistered Territory, not far from the Kalande border.
“While the terrain of the Unregistered Territory shifts constantly, the locations of gold veins buried deep within the earth do not. It is easy to defend against Demon incursions, and if one merely finds land where cracks are exposed to the surface, making mining convenient, it should take less than a year to extract the gold.”
“Where did you obtain this?”
“Information I obtained by nearly trading my life for it. Your Highness might obtain the same if you offered your neck to the Demons.”
“….”
“But why bother?”
I smiled knowingly, as if to say—did I not bring this map myself?
“It is the same as the map that fell into the Second Prince’s hands. If you join hands with me, I could even bring you several more fortress confidential documents.”
“…The Princess offers a costly gift indeed. But how am I to believe this is genuine?”
“The Second Prince will prove it himself shortly. It appears he will begin drilling soon. Whether to believe it or not is for the Third Prince to judge.”
“Hmm….”
Emeric’s eyes sparkled like those of a mischievous child.
He set down the map and extended his hand to me.
“If our destinations are the same, it would be mutually efficient to board the same ship. Shall I say I look forward to working with you, Princess?”
“And I with you, Your Highness.”
I shook hands with Emeric, who smiled meaningfully.
Thus, a temporary alliance against a common enemy was forged.
* * *
The sun set as we made our way back to the Fortress.
The outing had been long today. Lucian observed Iolet’s complexion carefully.
From the time of departure from the Elovis Command Tower until now, she had not rested at all. Particularly, the strain from last night had been considerable.
Lucian’s eyes flicked toward her fingers. Delicate and refined, they were wrapped in bandages from tip to knuckle.
It would take another thirty minutes to walk back to the Fortress. Perhaps I should carry her.
But Iolet spoke first.
“It seems Prince Emeric is utterly devoted to his lover.”
The remark came somewhat out of nowhere.
“How did you discern that?”
“He looked at me as though I were a stone.”
Iolet said it casually.
“Most people who see me for the first time express admiration. At the very least, they pause. It’s not just the people of Elovis—by any standard of beauty, I generally satisfy expectations. Yet he remained completely unmoved.”
“….”
“Why that expression? You were the same way.”
Lucian blinked rapidly.
Any rebuttal evaporated. His ears burned crimson.
It was a familiar reaction to Iolet, or at least one within her expectations.
She continued without hesitation.
“Whether I show interest or not, most people react similarly. But complete indifference to me means someone else occupies his heart so thoroughly that I don’t even register—no matter how lightly he may have spoken of it.”
In Iolet’s estimation, Prince Emeric possessed a wildness not unlike Kairon’s.
Perhaps his monopoly on intelligence networks gave him the cunning air of a rat or serpent, but he was still a beast nonetheless. With his mate, instinct might override all else.
“He seems to have concluded that since he himself is captivated by someone, Kairon could be too, and accepted it. Especially since Prince Emeric remains unmarried while his brothers have all secured advantageous matches.”
“Perhaps he’s conducting marriage negotiations?”
“At a time like this, when there’s no room for such leisure? I’m curious who she is.”
“If you find her, will you use her as leverage?”
“If I find her, yes.”
“….”
“Those with such strong control tendencies often become childlike before love. Just look at Catherine….”
The path climbed steeply uphill.
Iolet paused briefly to catch her breath.
Lucian reflexively steadied her shoulder.
“Shall I assist you?”
“No, I’m fine.”
She was not fine.
Yesterday, Lucian had gone to check on her Bedchamber as usual and discovered her vanished without a trace.
Had Bara not disappeared with her, he would have torn the entire Fortress apart immediately.
After searching frantically for two hours, Lucian found the Princess in an unexpected place—the Common Cemetery where the Fortress’s dead were laid to rest.
Past midnight, the cemetery still burned with light, and grieving families wept over freshly interred bodies.
The Princess stood quietly beside them, her hands and dress hem caked with earth.
Only after dawn broke did she leave the cemetery, and upon seeing Lucian standing at the Entrance, she startled.
“Right… I forgot that you watch over my sleeping quarters. How long have you been standing there?”
“…Next time, wherever you go, please inform me. Even with Bara present, unforeseen accidents can occur anywhere. And it troubles me if you simply lie down in your bed.”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I’ll be more considerate.”
That last remark weighed on me most of all.
Lucian hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Your Highness need not bear the sins of every blade in this world. Just as it was not your fault that I killed the Adjutant.”
Iolet’s eyes widened, as though she hadn’t expected him to say such a thing.
“The casualties caused by the Second Prince are not your responsibility either. Attempting to shoulder every consequence is not responsibility—it is arrogance. If you think that way, you will be paralyzed, unable to act at all.”
“…Yes, you’re right.”
Iolet answered in a subdued voice.
“I mustn’t linger in this state of mind. What’s done is done, and all I can do is move forward to the next stage.”
The path to the Fortress continued uphill the entire way.
Iolet sighed softly and tugged at Lucian’s collar.
“You can carry me now.”
Lucian naturally opened his arms and lifted the Princess. Watching her struggle to walk unsteadily alone troubled me far less than bearing her weight.
Lost in thought, Iolet murmured.
“I need to return to Elovis. Let me say goodbye to Kairon before I go.”
“Already, Your Highness?”
“There’s no reason to stay longer.”
For now, the Fortress Army kept quiet about it, but I never knew when Prince Dietrich might discover her. If word leaked that she had abandoned the Command Tower and crossed the border in secret, it would be disastrous.
“But soon I’ll receive a formal invitation. By then, the situation will have changed considerably.”
Iolet shifted her body to find a more comfortable position.
The work of hiding provisions was complete. Before long, the true hunt would begin.
It was time to turn the tide, using Kalande’s bloody methods.

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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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