The Poisonous Princess Who Successfully Infiltrated the Enemy as an Employee - Chapter 18

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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 18

I smoothed the tension from my face, straightened my spine, and met the Emperor’s gaze directly.
Then, with a respectful bow of my head, I spoke.
“Might I presume to say a word, Your Majesty?”
My bold request made the Emperor’s pupils widen with interest.
“Speak, Princess.”
“First, I am deeply grateful for the mercy Your Majesty has shown even to me, who came as a hostage from an enemy nation.”
I chose my words with utmost care.
I could not afford to let my true nature slip through in this moment—not here, not now.
My opponent was the Emperor. No matter how much I hid behind the reputation of being a mad princess, there were lines one simply did not cross before the throne.
The other members of the Imperial House turned their bewildered gaze upon me, perhaps unsettled by words unbecoming a mad princess.
Ignoring their stares, I opened my mouth again, my expression as innocent and guileless as morning dew.
“However, upon hearing Your Majesty’s words, I find there is something my limited understanding cannot grasp, and I humbly wish to inquire.”
The Emperor traced the stem of his wine glass with measured slowness, then inclined his head.
“Continue.”
I blinked and asked carefully.
“Does Your Majesty truly believe that peace came simply by bringing a single princess from an enemy nation and seating her at your table?”
……
In that instant, the air in the Dining Hall froze solid.
The knife of the First Princess, seated across from me, touched the plate’s edge with a soft clink, and the Fifth Princess drew in a sharp breath.
Unbothered, I pressed on with complete composure.
“It is a truth even someone of my addled mind understands—that the true peace of the empire owes much to the House of Escar, to the Duke himself who stood at the vanguard with his life on the line, and to the Eclipse Knight Order under his house’s command.”
……
The air in the Dining Hall grew heavier still.
Was this the power of those who carried Dragon Blood through their veins?
Or merely the presence of an Emperor offended by my loose tongue?
There was no way to tell.
Though I felt the weight of the moment, I forced myself to stand taller, lifting my chin with deliberate resolve.
“Therefore, to call me a Symbol of Peace is far too great and shameful an honor. I believe the glory Your Majesty wishes to bestow should rightly fall not upon me, but upon the House of Escar, who stood upon the field of battle for the Castillo Empire itself.”
……
A silence so complete that not even a breath could be heard blanketed the Dining Hall.
Even Varcan, seated beside me, said nothing. It seemed I was likely the first person ever to speak so openly before the Emperor’s face of the Northern territories’ sacrifice—a truth no one else had dared voice.
That was when a chill smile spread across the Emperor’s lips.
“Truly a curious thing.”
The Emperor settled back into his chair and asked softly.
“I have long heard that your mind is not entirely sound, Princess.”
It was as much as to say outright that I was mad, yet I simply bowed my head slightly and answered with perfect calm.
“For the most part, yes—rather scattered.”
When I responded without hesitation, the Emperor let out a hollow laugh and continued.
“Princess. The Duke’s blade slaughtered more of Delmar’s knights than any other—and yet you, Princess of Delmar, take the House of Escar’s side?”
The edge of his words was sharp enough to draw blood.
If I had truly been a princess of Delmar, such a question would surely have shaken me deeply.
But fortunately for me, I was not a princess of Delmar.
I smiled, narrowing my eyes with a look of innocence.
“Why did the King of Delmar send me to the Castillo Empire? Was it not to forget the past and become a true person of Castillo?”
Of course, I had no way of knowing what the King of Delmar’s actual intentions were when he sent me.
But I could hardly stand before the Emperor and say he could not send a truly capable princess to an enemy nation, so he sent one with an unsound mind instead.
I turned to the Emperor with a warm smile.
“I thought that sending me, a Symbol of Peace, to the House of Escar—those who stood at the forefront for the present peace—was itself proof that Your Majesty understands and honors their merit above all others. Have I misunderstood?”
When I tilted my head with a disarming innocence, the Emperor’s brow twitched.
“So, Your Majesty, if you truly cherish me as a Symbol of Peace—”
I spoke with shameless audacity and absolute confidence.
“I would be grateful if you would grant an Imperial Reward to the House of Escar, where I shall spend my entire life. In doing so, your subjects will praise Your Majesty’s compassion for caring even for a princess of an enemy nation, and the dignity and honor of the Imperial House will be upheld with perfect rectitude.”
When I finished speaking, the expressions of the Imperial Family were worth seeing.
The Empress, who had maintained her grace, could not hide her displeasure, and both the Crown Prince Cain and the two princesses stared at me with eyes wide with shock.
A silence stretched—short and yet eternal.
Then, suddenly, the Emperor burst into laughter toward the empty air.
A deep laugh that echoed all the way to the high ceiling of the Dining Hall.
‘Why suddenly like this?’
It was frightening.
I stared at the Emperor with startled eyes, and he gazed back at me without dropping his smile.
“I was momentarily surprised that the princess differs from her reputation, but hearing her speak, I find no fault in her words.”
The Emperor nodded once and laughed warmly.
“Very well. We shall proceed as the princess suggests. As Emperor, I shall prove the generosity of the realm.”
At those words, my eyes widened.
Wow, this is actually working.
The Emperor gestured to the Chief Steward standing in wait before the Dining Hall.
“Hear me. Starting at dawn tomorrow, send ten boxes of gold coins, five thousand sacks of wheat collected from the Southern Territory, three hundred boxes of the finest medicinal herbs presented to the Imperial House, and one thousand sheets of leather sent from the Western Region to House of Escar.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall carry out your orders at once.”
“And to the Great Duke of House of Escar, who stood at the vanguard of war and led us to victory.”
This time the Emperor looked at Varcan.
“I grant you the Lacrion Mountain Range, which borders your domain.”
My eyes flew open.
A mountain range?!
‘Wait, hold on.’
Lacrion Mountain Range?
I tilted my head.
‘Lacrion Mountain Range… the name feels familiar somehow…’
But nothing came to mind immediately.
I decided I would go through the original story carefully once I returned to my chamber.
‘Well, this turned out nicely.’
Still, this is a decent haul.
If I’d gone through all that grueling effort and come back with nothing, how bitter would that have been?!
Indeed, it pays to speak one’s mind.
The moment the Emperor finished speaking, I dropped my forehead to the table with a bow and cried out.
“Your Majesty! I am overwhelmed by your gracious benevolence, vast and deep as the sea, Your Majesty!”
For all my passionate gratitude, Varcan beside me remained silent.
With my forehead still pressed to the table, I bent my elbows and jabbed him in the ribs with my fingers.
‘Come on! Say your thanks right now!’
People need to know when to bow, don’t they?
Under my shameless hint and pressure, Varcan finally straightened and looked at the Emperor, bowing his head slightly.
“…Thank you, Your Majesty.”
His voice was still dry and stiff as ever, but it was enough.
Ah, my laughter would not stop.
My cheeks ached from smiling.
Truly.
It was an exquisitely delicious meal.

***

That night.
After finishing their evening meal, Varcan and Roan slipped from the Imperial Palace as the night deepened.
Officially, they said they were visiting the Grand Cathedral in the Capital to pray for the souls of the fallen warriors.
Varcan did indeed stop by the cathedral and offered a brief prayer.
The moment he left the cathedral, he concealed his appearance and adopted a Disguise.
The two of them, draped in pitch-black cloaks with hoods drawn over their faces and black face masks covering below their eyes, made their way into the back alleys of the Capital’s Merchant District.
The damp mist that had settled in the back alleys was a far cry from the glitter of the Merchant District.
Roan, walking ahead, spoke softly while keeping watch of his surroundings.
“I must say, the princess’s actions were unexpected. I never thought she would redirect the imperial rewards that should have gone to her to House of Escar. They say she even spoke boldly to the Emperor without hesitation?”
It was fortunate things went well, but the situation could easily have cost the princess her head.
Of course, the Emperor would likely not have executed a hostage from an enemy nation so casually.
Varcan, moving as if slipping from alley to alley, opened his mouth slowly.
“She didn’t redirect the rewards to House of Escar—she redirected the credit itself.”
“Isn’t that the same thing in the end?”
“It’s different. Rewards merely fill the Great House’s coffers for a time, and their purpose ends there. But making him recognize the credit means the Imperial House has far less ability to squeeze House of Escar with absurd pretexts going forward.”
At Varcan’s words, Roan nodded.
“Whether she understood this or not, what the princess did for us was remarkable, that much is certain. Still, I cannot deny it was a perilous situation.”
“True enough. Regardless of how it happened, the North owes the Princess a debt. We mustn’t forget that.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. But… did he have some certainty that you wouldn’t kill him? I can’t fathom how else he could charge ahead so fearlessly.”
“Who knows.”
Varcan glanced around and replied tersely.
“The way he keeps walking straight into danger suggests he has an inherent attraction to perilous situations.”
Roan let out a soft laugh at that.
“I can’t deny it, can I?”
Just then, Roan noticed a faint glow seeping from deeper within the alley and came to a halt.
In the darkness of the narrow lane.
A faded green sign creaked and swayed in the wind.
Medicinal herb leaves were faintly etched into its surface.
“Here it is, Your Majesty.”
Roan spoke quietly as he grasped the shop door’s handle.
“This is the place that discovered the black-market Osnis Claws and alerted us.”
Varcan’s gaze swept across the sign.
“Go in.”
“Yes.”
Creak—
The old hinges groaned as the door swung open.
The interior of the shop was surprisingly bright.
Wooden shelves covering the walls were crammed with dried herb bundles, glass bottles, and faded paper packets.
The acrid bite of dried leaves, the earthy scent of roots, the sharp tang of toxin-neutralizing compounds, and the stale mustiness of aged wood converged, pricking at his nostrils.
The lights burned brightly enough to suggest the shop hadn’t closed yet, and yet the proprietor was nowhere to be seen.
Roan, cautiously peering about the interior, spoke.
“There’s no one—”
It was then.
From behind a shelf in the very back of the shop, where medicinal herbs towered in mountainous piles, a young woman’s voice suddenly burst forth.
“Oh heavens, Grandfather. This one’s wrong too. This is an herb for pain relief, and that one causes paralysis. They do look similar and it’s easy to mix them up, but how can the owner of an herb shop get them confused?!”
And following that, came the warm chuckle of an elderly man.
“Ha ha, well now. My eyes are getting cloudy, I must’ve gotten them mixed up.”
“This is no laughing matter. Someone comes in looking for pain relief and ends up visiting their ancestors instead!”
“Ha ha ha!”
At the sound of their exchange, Varcan and Roan exchanged glances. The two men slowly moved toward the source of the voices.
The young woman’s voice came again.
“There too! My goodness! This old man will be the death of someone! Move aside, let me sort through all of this before I leave! And don’t touch that! I just told you it’s toxic! Wash your hands, wash them!”
“Ha ha ha. Yes, yes.”
Varcan furrowed his brow.
That forceful manner, pressing someone who couldn’t tell medicinal herbs from poison.
The tone in which she reproached the elderly proprietor—it was oddly familiar.

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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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