Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 265

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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265. The Princess’s First Engagement Candidate

Even with his loose tongue, was it really okay to spout such nonsense?

Goosebumps rose all over the Princess’s body. Serena grew genuinely serious and moved instinctively.

“What disgusting nonsense are you spouting! You crazy bastard!”

The Princess hurled curses at her younger brother while swinging her staff. She moved so quickly, following her instincts, that even the agile Seraph couldn’t dodge, but.

Thud.

“Ugh!”

Unfortunately, the staff got caught on the tunnel ceiling. The Prince, who had tensed up expecting to be hit by the staff, started babbling.

“Are you trying to cover it up with violence? Not a chance! I know perfectly well! That bastard Richard was a strong candidate!”

“Strong candidate my ass! It was mentioned once and immediately dropped! He was never even considered a candidate’s candidate!”

Serena changed the direction of her staff and swung it horizontally. Her heart, which had sunk in shock because of Seraph, now pounded roughly like a steam engine at his disgusting words.

Seraph lightly dodged the staff his sister swung. Again, he disliked non-contact violence. Serena continued swinging her staff in fury.

“You suspect me just because of that?”

She had been curious about what he was thinking, since he always seemed to have something to say but couldn’t.

But to think he was suspecting even Serena just because Richard had been mentioned as an engagement candidate?

“What I want is ice to shut up that nonsense-spouting mouth!”

Ice arrows formed around Serena as she cast magic. Seraph, who had been dodging the staff left and right, widened his eyes.

“Hey! This isn’t right!”

“You’re the one who’s not right! There are things people should and shouldn’t say!”

Ice arrows rushed toward the pretty boy’s face.

Seraph tried to activate the magic shield he’d obtained in the Labyrinth, but equipment you don’t usually handle tends to malfunction at the most crucial and urgent moments.

“Why won’t it grow!”

The Prince hit his bracelet in frustration. Just when it seemed he’d be struck by his sister’s ice arrows.

Crack.

A small but sturdy fist struck the ice arrow from the side, shattering it. The vicious ice arrow broke into small pieces and fell like snow.

“Well done, Muffin!”

Seraph praised the pink-haired girl who had saved him in his moment of crisis.

Muffin brushed the ice fragments off the back of her hand and smiled brightly. As Seraph tried to hide behind Muffin, she instead secured his back.

“Lady Serena, now’s your chance!”

Muffin, who had moved behind the Prince, grabbed both of Seraph’s arms and restrained him.

“Wh-what are you doing! Are you betraying me now and siding with Serena? Let go! Let go of meeee!”

Seraph struggled with his whole body in resistance, but a 3-star thief couldn’t escape the restraint of a 5-star monk.

Serena gripped her staff short and slowly approached Seraph.

The Prince’s face went pale as he saw his sister approaching with disheveled long hair, one eye glaring, limping on one foot.

“Let go, I said let go! Muffin!”

“Prince Seraph did wrong.”

“How dare you betray me? You traitor!”

Serena raised the hand holding her staff. Seraph squeezed his eyes shut, sensing what was coming. Seeing this made Serena’s heart soften.

‘Oh well.’

Serena put down her staff and decided to use her hands. Since slapping would probably please her brother, she pinched and twisted his nose instead.

“Ahhhhh!”

She was satisfied to see tears well up in her brother’s eyes. When Serena let go, Muffin also released the Prince from restraint. Serena created water to wash her hands.

“So. You’ve been harboring the delusion that I’m in cahoots with Richard and preventing your revenge?”

All that came out was a sigh. Serena pressed her forehead and let out the sigh she’d been holding back. Having held it in for so long, the sigh was very long.

“I’m speechless, really.”

Muffin also shrugged as if dumbfounded.

“Hehe. If he was an engagement candidate, wouldn’t that be quite an intimate relationship? Bindo thinks the Prince might have reason to misunderstand.”

The Bald Man, who didn’t know the detailed circumstances, took Seraph’s side. Since Seraph and Muffin were also in an engagement candidate relationship, he misunderstood that Richard was as close to Serena as they were.

Serena grew serious and corrected the misunderstanding.

“Candidates vary by type. That traitor was only mentioned by name a few times early on.”

Serena found it disgusting due to her past life memories, but political marriages between cousins were common among royalty.

The noble who first suggested Richard aimed to reconcile the Richard Faction and Crown Prince Faction through their union. He proposed that Serena and Richard rule jointly.

Unfortunately for Serena, this terrible proposal initially received much welcome.

The combination of orange eyes, symbol of divine blood rarely seen in House Huaim, could strengthen royal authority, and most sane nobles in the Crown Prince Faction supported Serena.

This ridiculous combination – close blood relation as cousins, an age gap of over ten years, without consulting the parties Richard and Serena at all – seemed to become a foregone conclusion amid enthusiastic welcome, but the fervor quickly cooled and disappeared without a trace.

“Oh, why was that?”

“Why indeed. At the time, surviving Huaim bloodline could be counted on one hand.”

With the royal family already dangerously small in number, they wanted to marry off two royals? Isn’t this crazy talk!

Thus Richard was mentioned by name a few times early on before completely disappearing from the candidate list.

Even Serena, the party involved, had completely forgotten such talk had occurred, yet he had kept it in his heart all this time.

Serena shuddered at her brother’s strange obsession.

‘Prince Willow was a strong candidate also because of succession. The Astra family is famous for fertility.’

The numerous royals born that way would regulate their numbers through fratricidal struggles for the throne, but that wasn’t for the Huji nobles, being foreigners, to know.

The Huji nobles planned to make all children born between the Princess and Prince into Huji royalty.

‘It’s a finished story though.’

Imagining the pressure for descendants that would come with rebuilding the kingdom after the capital was destroyed made her head throb.

Serena trembled in fear, envisioning a future packed with labor, labor, more labor, endless labor, infinite labor.

Seraph’s back trembled as he lay prostrate on the ground. The Prince raised his head with an aggrieved expression.

“But still.”

“But still?”

“You got along well with Richard.”

In that case, Serena had something to say too.

‘You got along well too.’

Did he not remember who set traps in his sister’s room out of jealousy that the suddenly appeared cousin brother favored his sister more than him?

‘He remembers Richard being mentioned as my engagement candidate but not that? What is this, selective memory.’

Even if people manipulate memories in their favor, wasn’t this too unconscionable? Serena was newly appalled by her brother’s self-centered thinking.

“I dislike Richard.”

“Anyone can say that.”

“Prince Seraph, don’t you trust Lady Serena?”

“I don’t trust her! I don’t trust you anymore either.”

Seraph, genuinely aggrieved at being betrayed by his trusted engagement candidate, reddened his pretty face and bulged the veins in his neck.

“When I want revenge against that unfilial scoundrel, instead of helping, you start by persuading me to give up – how can I trust such a person!”

The Prince raised his voice while remaining prostrate on the ground without getting up.

“It’s strange! I should get revenge for family, but the one with the same blood is a murderer, and I have to suspect and distrust my closest blood relative. Why! Why do I have to suspect my sister when getting revenge for Grandfather! Why!”

“Seraph.”

Seraph swatted away the hand Serena extended. Her brother’s distrust ran deep. He craved his sister’s affection and attention, but didn’t trust her.

“You’re always the same. You make me miserable. You only pay attention when I beg like a beggar, only smile occasionally when I cry and plead. When you’re in a good mood you pretend to love me, then abandon me the moment something interesting comes up.”

Hearing her brother’s anguished cry, Serena bit her tongue. Only the pain of drawing blood could sustain her.

‘That wasn’t me though.’

Serena recalled the cozy moments between mother and son she had secretly watched from hiding. If her brother felt wronged, Serena had plenty to say too.

‘What am I, a thief who stole glimpses of mom and my brother?’

Muffin looked tearful, feeling sorry for Seraph. Serena was gradually getting irritated.

‘We’re only two years apart, but I have to play parent just because I was born first? I grew up being abused just the same, you know? I never even got to experience having love given then taken away? Who was it that looked after you, worried you’d be assassinated along with mom?’

Seraph should be grateful that Serena was a reincarnated one. If Serena hadn’t been reincarnated, he would have been assassinated without anyone knowing, or thoroughly bullied by a sister who was more twisted due to her innocence.

“Hah.”

When Serena openly sighed, her brother’s shoulders flinched. The Princess forcibly pulled the Prince to his feet.

“Just because we’re family doesn’t mean attention and affection are guaranteed.”

Even Serena thought her voice came out coldly. Seraph hunched his shoulders and Muffin looked tearful. Serena cleared her throat before continuing.

“I’m not interfering with your revenge – I want you to live. This is the attention and affection you so desperately wanted. If you don’t like it, don’t accept it. I’ll do as I please anyway.”

Whether you live or die, do as you please. Serena held back these words and endured. In reality, it was because she hoped her sibling wouldn’t die. She didn’t want to say such things while swept up by emotions.

When Serena turned around, Seraph reflexively shouted.

“Don’t go!”

“I’m not going. I was just going to prepare breakfast.”

Seraph mercilessly contorted his beautiful face that rivaled Heuji Jeolmi’s and hung his head.

“I was wrong. People said… even if I lose in the succession struggle, since you’re marrying Richard, I’ll save my life… I got angry because they said such things.”

Serena’s hand moved toward the back of her neck in disbelief. Muffin was already holding her neck and looking up at the ceiling.

“Who on earth said such things?”

“At gambling dens and taverns…”

She couldn’t help but scold him. Before Serena could open her mouth, Seraph continued.

“And other people too… they said the reason you won’t help me is because you’re secretly helping Richard…”

Serena pressed her forehead. It seemed many people had clung to the Prince and whispered nonsense while she had given up on putting her sibling on the throne.

‘I should have managed people even if I gave up the throne. Where did all these damn flies come from.’

No matter how much trash Serena’s sibling was, he was still pretty flower-trash, yet only dung flies swarmed around him instead of bees or butterflies.

“Who dares say such things? I should tell big brother right away, no wait, I’ll deal with them myself!”

Muffin seemed to feel the same way, widening her eyes and clenching her fists. If the tunnel ceiling had been higher, she would have been jumping up and down.

“Those who drink heavily and gamble constantly are all like that. You suspected me because of what those foolish people said?”

“Of course I didn’t believe it either. But Richard does regard you specially…”

It seemed someone had tried to interpret Duke Oren’s one-sided affection for Serena by adding their own reasons. Only now that he could properly see his sister trembling with rage did Seraph’s expression brighten slightly.

“It’s really not true, right?”

“No. I swear by all the Deities in the Heavens, it’s not true.”

“Then I’ll believe you. But I’m still going to get revenge.”

The words that Richard absolutely cannot be killed in the Labyrinth rose to her throat, but she swallowed them down.

She was worried that the Deities of the Heavens might be using her sibling as a chess piece to stop Richard, but she swallowed this down too.

Serena spoke seriously.

“Let’s just eat.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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