The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 134
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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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Part 2, Chapter 134
Flutter, flutter-!
As if a faint sound of wings ringing transparently in their ears could be heard, butterflies began flying one by one toward the carriage carrying the 1st Prince and Princess.
“Look over there! The butterflies…!”
Then dozens scattered, and soon a wave of butterflies arose in the street.
“They’re surrounding Her Highness the First Prince’s Wife!”
Hundreds of butterflies filled the sky, swirling around the carriage as their center.
As the butterfly swarm’s wings glittered in the sunlight, it created a spectacular sight as if the First Prince’s Wife’s veil had spread across the entire sky.
For butterflies to flock to the royal coronation procession – both commoners and nobles lost their words, holding their breath at this sight they had never seen before in their lives.
Then, someone shouted.
“An auspicious sign! It’s an auspicious sign! Are not heaven and earth welcoming Her Highness the First Prince’s Wife!”
Since ancient times, the central continent had regarded butterflies as noble and harmless beings, pure subjects in which souls or spirits dwelt.
The perception of the Empire’s people was no different.
“A noble person has come to our Empire, so now long prosperity will settle upon this land too!”
People nodded at those words.
“Now that I think about it, Valdina’s rapid development from a mere small kingdom to a new empire might all be thanks to Her Highness the Princess!”
“And now the owner of that fortune has become our Kazen!”
“What are you saying? That’s just coincidence.”
Then, someone objected with a sarcastic expression. He was a Servant of the 3rd Prince.
He irritably swatted at the flying butterflies with his hand as he continued speaking.
“Have you forgotten that the Princess of Valdina was once called a cursed child who devoured even her own parents?”
“That’s right, she almost became the Evil Dragon’s bride! What fortune!”
Someone agreed. By coincidence, it was a Servant of the Empress.
Though they didn’t know which master the other served, their purpose today was the same.
To form negative public opinion about the First Prince’s Wife.
“So it would be fortunate if she doesn’t spread that ominous energy to our Empire-“
“Then what do you call what’s happening before your very eyes!”
“…”
Those who had been objecting closed their mouths.
Even they found it difficult to insist that the spectacular sight of the butterfly swarm surrounding the 1st Prince and Princess and not leaving until they passed through the street and moved away was simply a natural phenomenon.
“You lot think whatever you want! Being chosen as an oracle’s sacrifice also means being one touched by the goddess’s will!”
“It’s not an ill omen but an auspicious sign that will bring prosperity to our Empire – why are you so desperate to disparage it?”
A Bearded Elderly Man objected.
He was the one who had waved his hand long until the carriage carrying the 1st Prince and Princess left the street.
His expression and appearance clearly showed the weariness of life.
The Man seemed quite displeased with the humans ruining this rare joyous occasion.
“That’s right! These days with Monster waves and His Majesty, the country’s in such a mess we’re dying of hardship, but seeing those sparkling butterflies makes me feel good! In the end, it means the goddess’s will lies not with Valdina but with our Kazen!”
“Right, right! The goddess’s will lies with our Kazen!”
Whether Kazen or Valdina, the lives of the common people occupying the very bottom of the pyramid were ultimately much the same.
Whether it was true or not, whether such a future would actually come – such things weren’t that important.
What was truly important was the reason they had to endure each difficult day. A handful of hope that made them expect ‘tomorrow will be better than today’ was enough.
Moreover, if that hope had already proven effective in other countries, wouldn’t it be all the more trustworthy?
“The goddess protects us! Kazen’s prosperity is eternal!”
The people’s enthusiastic cries spread like sparks. To the extent that the voice of the Man who had first objected disappeared without a trace.
“Long live! Long live the First Prince’s Wife!”
“Please bring wealth and peace to us too!”
The cheers continued until the 1st Prince and Princess’s carriage left the street.
And.
The bearded Man who had troublesomely rebuked the Empress’s man, and the Man who had first shouted long live, both disappeared into the crowd at some point.
On the chests of those hurriedly moving away, fox-shaped brooches the size of fingernails quietly gleamed.
* * *
“Long live the First Prince’s Wife!”
With the cheers echoing from afar behind them, Chezare turned his head slightly toward the First Prince’s Wife sitting in the carriage.
“Why?”
Medeia realized from Chezare’s gaze alternating between her and the railing that he had figured out the inside story of this strange phenomenon, and shrugged her shoulders.
“It wasn’t bad, was it?”
“Bad? It couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Chezare answered with just the corners of his mouth raised.
As long as the people regarded her as a symbol of good fortune, this would become another protective barrier preventing the Emperor from carelessly touching her.
‘Even if Dea isn’t proclaimed a Saint.’
He raised the corners of his mouth.
‘I’m curious about the Late Emperor’s face.’
Kazen Imperial Palace.
“How can the noise of those mere vermin shouting be so loud?”
As he had expected, news of the procession reached Perdickas II’s ears as well.
Even if he hadn’t been curious, he couldn’t have ignored the commotion that seemed to shake the capital.
“…Thus a festival broke out in the Capital Street.”
When the Head Servant briefly explained the situation, Perdickas II’s face contorted.
“What are those mere creatures, those foolish things – are all my subjects nothing but idiots!”
Far from bringing the philosopher’s stone, Valdina’s daughter was being treated as his country’s guardian spirit – it felt like his insides were turning upside down.
“That brazen thing won’t break at all… Nothing pleases me. Indeed, she must truly be Peleus’s family. Seeing how disgusting she is already.”
He struck the armrest of the throne with a distorted expression.
However, the Head Servant reported everything that had happened at the coronation ceremony without omission.
“She paid respects to the dead Empress?”
“Yes, originally it was courtesy meant for Your Majesty, but since the throne was empty, she paid the remaining respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Ha, what a pathetic excuse!”
Perdickas II shot back sharply.
“Disgusting to even look at. Don’t bring me news of those bastards for the time being. Reject all audiences too.”
“But, Your Majesty…”
“I don’t want to hear it. Protection or prosperity – in my land, they’re all my subjects. Who dares say I should watch their faces?”
He shook his head roughly. His beard danced irritably.
However, the Head Servant noticed that his momentum had somewhat diminished compared to before.
“…Eleanor.”
The quieted Emperor muttered absentmindedly.
* * *
Meanwhile, the carriage that had finished the coronation ceremony and street procession headed not to the Imperial Palace located in the northern part of the capital, but to the southeastern outskirts.
The spacious palace there welcomed Medeia.
“This place is…”
Unlike the golden, splendid Imperial Palace, the smooth black stone walls without a single decoration were impressive.
“It’s the separate palace. Chezare has stayed here continuously since coming of age.”
Terrence whispered from beside her.
After Chezare returned victorious from the continental war, his father Perdickas II feared that his eldest son’s sword, which had become too powerful, might target him.
Since the Empress had just passed away, the Emperor made excuses and sent Chezare out of the Imperial Palace.
“But it was better for our side.”
By escaping the Emperor’s control and establishing a separate stronghold within the capital city, he was able to freely build up the 1st Prince’s forces.
When Medeia glanced at the massive walls twice as high as Valdina’s White Manor and the knights in black armor, Terrence added as if explaining.
“Still, we can’t be completely at ease. It’s not just His Majesty the Emperor alone who has his eyes on this place.”
Perhaps that was why the palace’s restrained lines and precise layout looked more like a fortress than an imperial palace.
“Don’t worry. If this place falls, it would mean the Imperial Palace has already collapsed.”
Chezare glared at Terrence as if telling him not to cause unnecessary worry, then placed his hand on Medeia’s shoulder.
“Come here, Dea.”
He took Medeia’s hand and pulled her forward. He personally showed her the 1st Prince and Princess’s official bedroom, Medeia’s personal bedroom, the library, and the reception room.
At that sight, Medeia hesitated.
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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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NicaML
Is this a short version of the chapter or it really end up there??