The Kidnapped Prince is Mine Now - Chapter 69

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

Chapter 69
Throughout the journey away from him toward the Imperial Capital, anxiety gnawed at me relentlessly. I could not bear to forget the soft, yielding sensation of lips that had touched mine without fail each day, nor the humid warmth they carried.
“I want to fall asleep together. Tonight, this very moment.”
It mattered not if it sounded like helpless petulance.
Time was a luxury we did not possess. At least for me, there would be no opportunity in this lifetime to witness Rotar Eisenrit grow old.
“….”
Rotar Eisenrit gazed at me without so much as a blink.
His jaw was slightly taut, veins prominent along his neck. By now, even the faintest of hints revealed his disposition to me.
“Had there been no Guard present, I would have vaulted over this table.”
He was restraining himself.
The Guard stared desperately into empty air as though he had heard nothing whatsoever.
Rotar Eisenrit brushed back his fallen hair once more and returned to the matter at hand.
“Even so, I have no wish to broach the subject of taking a concubine. Not even if it were merely a falsehood.”
“…Then what shall we—”
“Instead, I shall propose negotiating rights with Lumeknia.”
“…!”
Lumeknia, beyond the Snowy Mountains.
It was a name I had not heard in some time. The face of Shisha flashed through my mind.
“As you know, there are matters I have already discussed with Princess Shisha. The formal exchanges shall be conducted by me….”
“Yes, I understand.”
With the Guard watching, I had to choose my words carefully.
Formal exchanges between the Empire and Lumeknia would commence only “after Rotar Eisenrit becomes Emperor.” Until then, covert dealings would proceed solely between Graupels and Shisha’s domain.
Lumeknia’s civilization would bring tremendous benefit to the Empire’s advancement in the not-distant future—provided both nations maintained amicable relations.
Rotar Eisenrit was suggesting they deploy this card now.
“The current Empire does not even know what region the name Lumeknia refers to. Without Graupels’ support, it would be impossible for the Empire’s people to set foot within those lands.”
“…That much is true.”
“His Majesty the Emperor will likely have no desire to establish friendly relations with Lumeknia, but in any case, substantive discussions cannot commence until after the Southern War concludes, can they? Presenting the Empire with new possibilities beforehand would not be amiss.”
His reasoning was sound.
The Emperor lacked the magnanimity to embrace the Belgrum Race, whose appearance differed from his own. Upon learning of Lumeknia, he would immediately entertain thoughts of “conquest.”
But now was not the time to expand the Empire’s territory. With the war in the Southern Region demanding urgent resolution, matters concerning Lumeknia would be deferred.
And by the time Rotar Eisenrit returned to the Imperial Palace after ending the war—
‘He would have received Zaikas’s blessing.’
Thus, it was acceptable. A card worth playing.
While investigating the border’s Snowy Mountains, he had encountered barbarians, successfully communicated with them, and learned the locations of major cities….
Even sharing information of that magnitude would captivate the Emperor’s curiosity.
After deliberation, I nodded. And, to be certain, I asked:
“You are confident this card will sway His Majesty’s heart?”
Rotar Eisenrit lifted one corner of his mouth and replied lightly.
“Elise. If I cannot resolve even this much, how could we possibly achieve our greater purpose?”
“….”
That much is true. Rotar was a man destined to become Emperor in the not-too-distant future.
I swallowed a bitter laugh as the Guard’s voice echoed through the Visitation Room.
“Visitation time has ended. Please depart, Your Highness, Second Prince’s Consort.”
It was time to part from Rotar once again.
The chamberlain’s note, and still so many unspoken words piling up between us.
‘How regrettable.’
I rose slowly from my seat and reached out my hand. Before the Guard could stop me, I lightly touched the back of Rotar’s hand and whispered.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Rotar said nothing in return. That was fine.
‘…This man, whenever he gets flustered, his ears turn red.’
I could tell without him saying a word.
***
That evening, news spread through the Imperial Palace that the Second Prince had been released from confinement.
I learned of it in the garden of the Second Prince’s Consort Palace, holding a letter from Frederike.
“What is that woman up to?”
“…She says her health is poor and she cannot meet?”
Frederike had refused a private audience with me.
It was Clara who had first suggested, through correspondence, that I arrange a meeting with Frederike.
“To be honest, even after hearing what happened in the Audience Chamber, I find it difficult to think well of that woman. Could it not be that Frederike chose retreat over advance for her own purposes?”
Clara was right. The hint about the Assassin? I could not rule out the possibility that it was a trap to lower my guard.
“Yet it would be foolish to ignore the signal she sent as though nothing had happened. I believe we should approach this cautiously.”
“In what manner?”
“Send a letter requesting a private audience. Attach a plausible reason on the surface—perhaps that you’ve prepared a gift to congratulate her pregnancy, or that you wish to deepen friendship between the consorts.”
I had a maidservant deliver the letter, which Clara had drafted more than half of. It contained only content that would raise no suspicion no matter who opened it.
Since Frederike had not yet held her wedding ceremony with Maximilian, she was staying at the Guest Palace rather than the First Prince’s Consort Palace. Hilda watched the maidservant’s retreating figure intently before speaking.
“A question has occurred to me.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think Frederike was pleased to carry the First Prince’s child?”
“….”
I felt Clara glancing at me cautiously. But Hilda made no attempt to hide her continuing question.
“Though she could not become the Second Prince’s Consort, she secured the position of First Prince’s Consort—perhaps she was relieved, even pleased? Was what that woman truly wanted not His Highness Rotar’s love, but a place within the Imperial Family?”
“I wonder. If Hilda had been in Frederike’s position, what would you have done?”
“Me? Ugh, the very thought is dreadful. If I were her, I would have waited until that demonic creature was lost in pleasure, then slit his throat!”
“….”
“Or perhaps I should have torn off his—…Ah, do not worry, Your Highness. I’ve confirmed there are no ears listening nearby!”
“Yes, having Hilda around is truly reassuring.”
I meant it sincerely, not merely in passing. The mere presence of the Anti-Maximilian Faction nearby did wonders for my peace of mind.
I could not fathom Frederike’s true feelings. I was a person who had lived in an entirely different world from her. If I wished to know, I would have to meet her and ask.
But the letter I sent to Frederike became scrap paper in less than half a day. A brief reply came back—that her health was poor and she could not meet for some time.
“Well, she is with child, after all.”
Clara murmured with evident skepticism.
Yes, her belly had swollen noticeably enough to be visible to the naked eye. It was possible this wasn’t a lie to avoid a private audience with me.
‘But it could still be a lie.’
I couldn’t very well plant a spy in the Guest Palace to verify whether Frederike’s condition was truly good or poor.
I gnawed at my lips before rising from my seat.
First, I needed to receive Rotar Eisenrit, who would be returning to the Second Prince’s Palace.
“Clara, send word to the Second Prince’s Palace. Tell them I shall dine with him this evening.”
“Very good, Your Highness.”
After entrusting the task to Clara, I returned to the Princess Consort’s Palace bedroom with Hilda.
Hilda thoroughly inspected the bedroom once more to ensure there were no hidden intruders or concealed devices, only then offering a bright smile.
“All is secure, Your Highness. Please rest well until dinner time!”
“Thank you, Hilda. You rest easy as well.”
Only after Hilda departed did I sink onto the bedroom sofa and catch my breath.
Not even a full day had passed since my arrival at the palace. An audience with the Emperor, dealing with an assassin, a meeting with Rotar Eisenrit—so many events had crashed down upon me in such a short span.
‘This is precisely why I despise the Imperial Palace.’
Here, there was far too much to observe, too much to calculate. Neither suited my temperament in the slightest.
I would have preferred to simply collapse and sleep through dinner and everything else.
‘Yet that is precisely what I cannot do….’
Eyes and ears.
There were mountains of people watching Rotar Eisenrit and me. Given that this would be our first meal together within the Imperial Palace, it was better to make our relationship unmistakably clear to those around us.
A couple so deeply bonded that they could make the sordid word ‘abduction marriage’ fade from memory.
As though neither could exist without the other, even for a moment… rumors like that would be even better.
‘Besides, I’ll actually be accompanying him to the Southern campaign anyway.’
Now that I thought about it, this too required agreement with the Emperor.
The reaction would be predictable if the newly arrived Second Prince’s Consort departed for war alongside her husband so soon after her arrival. At least to the Emperor, I would need to prove my ‘usefulness as a Saint.’
An old man who would have been disposed of by the eldest son’s hand without hesitation. I found him tiresome, yet he was preferable to Maximilian sitting upon the throne, so I resolved to endure it.
‘I’ll think about that problem later.’
My temples had begun to throb, so I emptied my mind. I was leaning back against the sofa with my eyes closed, if only for a moment.
Knock, knock.
“….”
I heard the sound of knocking at the door.
The problem was.
‘The sound wasn’t coming from the door.’
It came from the window. We were on the third floor.

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