Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 277

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

277. Get Lost!

Grey survived. He lived because he had a young and healthy body, but if he had been old and weak, he wouldn’t have been able to endure it and would have died.

“Ugh. To think I was misunderstood so terribly just because I was caught scolding His Highness the Prince…!”

The child’s body, still not stabilized, convulsed intermittently. Prince Willow looked at Grey with eyes full of concern.

“That’s why I told you to be careful.”

The prince rolled his eyes that resembled the night sky slightly, then added one syllable to the end of his words.

“Sir.”

‘Oh. Honorifics?’

Had his desire to deceive disappeared? Grey’s eyes widened when the prince used honorifics with him, then he immediately relaxed his shoulders and slumped down.

“Sigh. Well, since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to tell the truth. Actually, I am.”

Was the old man finally going to reveal the identity he had been hiding!

Olive, who had been watching with excited eyes, scratched her disheveled hair.

“Tch. Now I won’t be able to tease him anymore. It was fun though.”

‘Will it become impossible to pretend not to know and pinch him from now on? What will happen to the lobby’s power balance?’

If the old man revealed his identity, the scales of power would tip heavily toward the Empire. While Serena worried about the future, Grey, who had been hesitating, opened his mouth.

“Actually, I’m not grandfather’s grandson, but grandfather’s son. I’m an illegitimate child as my aunt deduced, but I was recognized for my magical talent and chosen as grandfather’s successor, receiving treatment like a legitimate son.”

‘He’s going to keep hiding his identity?’

Serena doubted her ears. Instead of revealing his identity, Grey disguised himself with a new fake identity based on Philia’s completely wrong deduction.

‘Why on earth? He’s going to insist even though everything’s been discovered?’

“Huh?”

Even Olive, who had been disappointed that she could no longer tease the old man, tilted her head as if Grey’s choice was unexpected.

Whether the princess and guide were surprised or not, Countess Nex and the Number Siblings, who didn’t know the detailed circumstances, immediately believed Grey’s words.

“Then is the young doctor His Highness the Prince’s uncle? A member of the imperial family, higher than nobility?”

“If he’s illegitimate, he’s a concubine’s child. A noble’s concubine’s child is a commoner, so is an imperial family’s concubine’s child royalty? Or nobility?”

When you’re at the bottom of a hierarchical society, everyone above you is a high-ranking person, so you’re weak at determining which of two high-ranking people is higher.

Sesi seemed to have a headache as she twisted her red hair, then gave up thinking.

“What does it matter! Our Neet is going to become nobility anyway, so it’s fine!”

“Hehe. Cough.”

“But why isn’t Duri surprised?”

“Wooong.”

“Sister Duri says she already knew they were family? They have similar scents.”

Duri, with her bear-like nose, already knew that the prince and Grey were blood relatives. Ralph sent Philia a look of respect.

“The Countess’s deduction was completely correct! Amazing!”

“That’s right, truly amazing!”

Lavenda seemed to intuitively sense something was off, but perhaps not wanting to get unnecessarily involved in the affairs of high-ranking people, she maintained ignorance.

“I see. So Duke Pein took in a late-born illegitimate child… I was respecting him, but he turns out to be an Imperial noble after all.”

The Count’s latter words were a murmur to himself, but thanks to the child’s excellent hearing, it seemed he heard everything. Grey’s cheeks turned slightly red. But he seemed to have no intention of retracting what he had said and continued to insist.

“That’s right. I said he was a close relative like a grandfather, but actually grandfather was my father.”

‘At least wet your lips before lying.’

The more Grey insisted on his lies, the less Serena could understand the old man.

At this point, he wasn’t insisting because he thought he was acting well and fooling people.

Everything had been discovered, but he was stubbornly denying it because there was a reason he couldn’t acknowledge it.

‘What on earth is the reason? Even if he’s afraid of assassination, this is too extreme.’

Even Prince Willow was acting along with Grey’s forced script.

“Now that uncle’s identity has been revealed, I’ll speak formally to uncle from now on. The matters between uncle and me are family affairs, so don’t worry about them.”

The prince seemed to find calling Grey uncle painful, but appeared relieved to be able to use honorifics. The prince smiled somewhat slyly.

“Then.”

Countess Randy, who had provided the initial draft for this forced play, put her index finger to her lips and tilted her head.

“Then he’s not Grey’s uncle, but his older brother.”

“Cough.”

Grey, hearing an unexpected word, spat out saliva and air. Fortunately, it wasn’t blood.

“From now on, call me sister-in-law instead of aunt. And call him older brother properly, not uncle.”

“Gasp!”

Grey trembled in all his limbs and grabbed the back of his neck again. The prince stepped forward to help the old man.

“Haha, Countess. Isn’t that form of address a bit much?”

“What? It’s fine since it’s a family matter. I won’t ask Your Highness to call him uncle, so don’t worry about it.”

When Heuji Jeolmi spoke logically with wide eyes, even Prince Willow had no choice.

Grey tried to call the Countess to somehow prevent the tragedy of having to call Count Randy older brother.

“Well, aunt.”

“Oh my. Not aunt, but sister-in-law.”

The old man corrected the way he addressed Philia with an expression as if his soul had left his body.

“Ugh. Sister-in-law…”

“That’s right.”

“Kahahaha, I’m dying, really dying from laughter.”

“Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, let me say this clearly again. I have no interest in minors. I prefer older women if possible.”

The prince gazed at the flower-like masseur while saying his last words. Unfortunately for the prince, their eyes didn’t meet. Because Grey had struck the prince’s side.

“Argh! Same age! Same age is good too!”

“Romance between young people can develop from nothing, break up and get back together, right? The ground hardens after rain, and false rumors have been clarified, so if you get to know each other slowly—”

“I ended up neglecting Seraph all this time. I’ll go get him.”

He must be tremendously sulking since she didn’t chase after him immediately. Grey mobilized all his facial muscles to smile brightly and waved at the princess’s back as she left the lobby.

“Please tell him that father, I, and Willow forgive all the insults!”

“Princess, I’ll come with you!”

The young knight volunteered to escort the princess. Looking at his freckled face, it was half intention to escort Serena, half worry for the prince who had suddenly gotten angry and run off after hearing his words.

“I think I did something wrong.”

Ralph lowered his eyebrows gloomily. Serena comforted the kind and righteous knight.

“Count Ralph did nothing wrong. If Count Ralph hadn’t said it, I would have.”

“That’s exactly what I did wrong. I’m just a knight appointed by Your Highness, yet I presumptuously confronted someone who will become His Majesty the King.”

Ralph was dispirited. Serena pondered words to comfort the young knight and recalled the reason she had decided to make Ralph her knight.

“Count Ralph. Do you remember what I said when I appointed you as my knight?”

“Yes? Of course I remember! I remember every single word without missing a syllable.”

“Right. You stood up to protect the weak. Do you regret standing up to the future king to protect a child’s heart?”

Ralph’s dejected eyes became clear. The young knight made a determined expression and shook his head firmly.

“No! I don’t regret it!”

“Then that’s settled. Just be careful of one thing in front of Seraph. You must never say anything that compares Seraph to other people. Especially don’t mention Richard and me.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

While conversing and passing through the straight corridor, a crossroads with five choices appeared. Ralph panicked.

“This is terrible. I don’t know which way His Highness went.”

“This way.”

Serena chose the middle path among the crossroads.

“Did you see traces?”

“No. But it’s this way. Seraph.”

Serena’s sibling had a habit of hiding in places that were easy to find. He knew that if he hid too well, his impatient sister would give up looking for him.

There was no need to tell the innocent knight about the future king of his country’s hiding habits.

Serena swallowed her explanation, but Ralph kept glancing around as if he had something to say.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

“I’m asking because I’m really curious. Don’t you have any intention of ascending to the throne, Your Highness?”

It would be terrible if anyone heard this. When Serena frowned slightly, Ralph hurriedly added more words.

“But, but aren’t you excellent, Your Highness? You’re also older than His Highness.”

“Huji’s succession law prioritizes the eldest son.”

“Isn’t that an ancient law over a thousand years old? I heard that in the Empire, the most capable prince or princess becomes His Imperial Majesty.”

“That’s why they stain their hands with the blood of siblings born from the same parents.”

“That is…”

Serena let out a small sigh.

“How much difference could there be in ability between siblings who grew up with the same parents and same environment? If you make brothers compete, their competitiveness would differ based on when they were born, so the competition wouldn’t be fair either. Rather than making them compete and spill blood for nothing, it’s better to uphold the succession law. Royal succession disputes are a shortcut to weakening royal authority.”

Serena hadn’t supported her sibling because she didn’t want to be king. It was all out of patriotism for the Kingdom of Heuji that had provided her with a diamond spoon.

But Ralph seemed unconvinced and objected to the Princess’s words.

“But sometimes there are clearly exceptional people, aren’t there? Those with obvious differences that anyone can see.”

“If such a capable person exists, they should assist the king with their abilities rather than aim for the throne. If someone acts up saying they should become king because they’re superior to the royal candidate, that’s not being exceptionally capable. That’s being greedy.”

Too conservative and stability-oriented thinking?

Heuji was a country that had been peaceful for a full thousand years without internal or external dangers. A ordinary but benevolent king suited it better than an ambitious one.

The knight who heard the Princess’s words fell into contemplative silence. The two reached the second crossroads.

Serena chose the middle path at the second crossroads as well. As a result, she could hear the voice of an angry prince at a dead end and Low trying to soothe such a prince.

“Always like that! Always Serena, Richard, Serena, Richard!”

“Oh my, is that so. How heartbroken you must have been.”

Low rubbed his hands together vigorously as if the calluses on his palms would wear away.

“Anyone with their head screwed on right only looks for Serena, and everything that looks for me is all trash. Even the dead Shullen asked me if I had any intention of giving up the throne…”

“Oh my, I remember. I clearly heard you say back then that you spoke words you didn’t mean!”

“I dismissed him saying he wasn’t qualified to be my escort, and that became…”

That became the last words Seraph said to Shullen. Serena’s mouth tasted bitter. Serena approached while making her presence known.

Seraph, who had been struggling not to cry despite his reddened eyes, shouted as soon as he saw Serena.

“Get lost!”

This was Seraph’s way of expressing “Why did you come so late?”

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