The Kidnapped Prince is Mine Now - Chapter 72

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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 72
“…The two of you. You must know why I’ve summoned you.”
“We learned of Rotar’s departure the night before, Your Highness.”
Clara spoke first. Looking at her now, I could see the dark circles beneath her eyes—she too had lost sleep last night.
“The one we serve is not Rotar, but Elise. Rotar’s maidservants said nothing to us about his sudden departure. Even my husband, the deputy commander of the Knight Order, kept it secret.”
“….”
“My husband also departed with Rotar at dawn today. I hope you won’t misunderstand our loyalty.”
“It sounds as though you too have been separated from your husband after so long apart.”
“Having chosen to become Your Highness’s maidservant, the one most important to us is you alone. Please believe in us.”
I believed her. But right now, I didn’t want to hear Clara’s measured words.
I turned my gaze toward Hilda, offering a slight smile to her rigid expression.
“Hilda.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“Not Clara—you tell me. What happened at dawn while I was sleeping like some god?”
“Your Highness….”
Hilda is a woman both honest and forthright.
Choosing her words to spare my feelings doesn’t suit her nature, nor would she wish it to.
Hilda hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“At dawn today, Rotar and the entire Knight Order departed toward the Southern Region.”
“Was it an unannounced departure? So Rotar decided this suddenly last night?”
“It didn’t appear that way… Looking at how thoroughly the horses and weapons were prepared, it seemed they had made meticulous preparations from the moment they arrived at the Imperial Palace.”
Last night’s departure was a calculated move.
Then when had Rotar begun planning this?
From the moment he provoked the Emperor and entered the Prison.
No—even before we departed from Graupels for the Imperial Capital.
Perhaps… from the moment he realized I was lying to him.
“…I heard there would be a large-scale deployment. Is that also a lie?”
“No, Your Highness. I heard that Rotar and his direct Knight Order, along with two hundred seasoned cavalry, would advance to the Southern Region first. It appears the plan is to reinforce troops before the battlefield situation worsens further, or to cut off the enemy’s supply lines.”
“And the remaining forces?”
“The heavy infantry and supply units will follow as reinforcements in his wake.”
“So. I’m the last person to learn of Rotar’s grand design.”
“….”
Hilda couldn’t respond. She understood I was being bitter.
I released the forced smile from my lips and rose from my seat, beginning to pace in circles around the same spot.
‘What do I do.’
How can I resolve this mess?
Is it truly right to follow Rotar’s judgment? To create that beautiful image he spoke of, where everyone in the Empire unites to defeat Maximilian?
‘No.’
Rotar knows it too.
It’s a gamble. Foolishness—abandoning the most certain and safest method to attempt something nearly impossible.
I no longer felt anger. I could not resent Rotar Eisenrit.
He did not possess the option to choose between “killing Elise and defeating Maximilian.” Even if a blade were pressed to his throat, his resolve would not waver.
‘Yet this cannot be the way.’
I understood it myself—that my death might be something far more terrible than a curse to Rotar in this lifetime.
So I did not mind if Rotar condemned me as selfish.
I had no intention of remaining confined to a safe house, merely watching his reckless actions unfold from afar.
Above all, there was one thing that troubled me.
“Your Majesty.”
Hilda called me to a halt as I paced in circles through the bedroom. Concern tinged her voice.
Yes, I must have looked like a caged animal exhibiting repetitive behavior—or perhaps like someone driven to madness.
Instead of stopping, I tilted my head with a creak.
“Clara.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Did Rotar leave any instructions regarding my whereabouts?”
“He did.”
Clara opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for this question.
“He instructed you to return to Graupels under the pretense of poor health. He said there is no need to worry, as the matter has already been settled with His Imperial Majesty.”
So he had prepared even that.
Rotar must have been anxious too—the thought of me remaining alone in this Imperial Palace after his departure, with Maximilian still present.
It was precisely like being cast as prey into a predator’s cage. If I wished to avoid confronting Maximilian, the proper course would be to leave the Imperial Palace at once, in accordance with Rotar’s wishes.
But Rotar, I have no such intention.
“Clara, Hilda. We will not be going to Graupels.”
“…We shall simply follow Your Majesty’s will.”
“Then help the Captain. I must see for myself.”
I could not cower in this bedroom, consumed by anxiety.
It was time to meet Wolfgang Lichtenbrun, my sole ally within this Imperial Palace.
***
The Holy Knights’ guest quarters were located near the city walls on the Western Outskirts.
Since it was too far to walk from the Princess Consort’s Palace, Hilda and I had to take an Imperial carriage.
In the meantime, Clara decided to remain at the Second Prince’s Consort Palace to observe the internal atmosphere.
‘I’ll try to approach some of the maidservants. Since you’ve decided to stay longer in the Imperial Palace, it would be wise to cultivate useful pawns while we can.’
Clara was right. Just as we had enlisted Wolfgang and the Holy Knights at the Grand Cathedral, we needed capable hands in the Imperial Palace to act when necessary.
We couldn’t rely solely on Clara and Hilda—after all, they were ultimately outsiders.
‘It won’t be easy, though.’
A stone that had rolled in without roots or foundation, now occupying a place in the Imperial Palace. Most would regard me as nothing more than that.
I hoped there would be at least one devout believer of the Pelmira Faith among them. I could perform the role of a mysterious Holy Maiden as convincingly as needed.
“We’ve arrived at the Western Guest Quarters, Your Highness.”
At Hilda’s words, I lifted my gaze. Through the carriage window, a building constructed of white marble came into view.
“Please be careful, Your Highness.”
With Hilda’s escort, I surveyed the exterior of the Western Guest Quarters.
Towering spires and massive stone colonnades. The structure somehow evoked the temples of the Pelmira Faith.
Still, they had merely selected quarters far removed from the Second Prince’s Consort Palace.
‘It reminds me of the Grand Cathedral.’
I recalled those days standing beside the Archbishop, forcing smiles.
Catering to that old man’s whims had nearly caused my lips to convulse. Back then, I had not a single knight to protect me.
Come to think of it, the first knight to swear loyalty to me was….
“Ah, it’s Sir Wolfgang.”
Yes, that man standing beside the colonnade pillar.
“But who is the person with him?”
A visitor had arrived before me to see him.
From my vantage point, I could only see his back and couldn’t discern his face, but he was a slighter, leaner man than Wolfgang.
Judging by the refined and ornate clothing he wore, he was certainly of no lowly station.
Wolfgang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, facing the man with composure. His expression remained utterly blank.
This was the same man who smiled so readily in my presence. I found myself drawing closer, curious about their conversation.
The Gloved Man struck Wolfgang’s cheek with his fist.
“…!”
Wolfgang’s head snapped to the side. Had I been standing any nearer, I would have heard the dull impact.
But the man’s violence did not end there.
He seized Wolfgang by the hair, shaking him while driving his other fist into his abdomen. As Wolfgang’s body folded, the man raised his leg, kicking at his thighs and shins with movements devoid of hesitation.
‘This is too much.’
Wolfgang endured the one-sided beating without any sign of resistance.
Even as both his cheeks swelled and blood trickled from his split lip, he kept his eyes closed as though the violence inflicted upon him was familiar.
As though weathering a storm by holding one’s breath and enduring.
“….”
“Your Highness, what should we do?”
Hilda asked in an anxious voice.

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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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