They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 41

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

The night of the banquet at the Imperial Palace was resplendent.
The orchestra’s music echoed from the Central Palace, and laughter mixed with the clink of glasses drifted through the night air.
In contrast, the outer grounds were deserted and empty.
The path leading to the Tower of Repentance was darker than I expected.
Only a few torches flickered in the wind.
“This way.”
Elhart whispered low.
He wore a cloak that absorbed darkness over his Order of Cradian uniform.
His presence seemed dimmer than usual.
‘Still, that physique is impossible to hide.’
I let out a small laugh.
“This doesn’t seem like a situation for laughing.”
“You’re just too large.”
“….”
He stared at my face intently, then gently reached out and took my hand.
‘Has his mood improved?’
Elhart seemed upset that I had visited the Crown Prince’s Palace without a word.
He hadn’t said anything to me, but he looked gloomy the entire time.
Kei, on the other hand, launched into a lecture the moment I finished my account.
[Acting recklessly without warning is your specialty as commander, isn’t it?]
I swear I’ve never done such a thing.
‘No matter how much I explain that it wasn’t reckless, it’s pointless.’
Despite my undefeated record as expedition leader all this time, seeing him constantly spout such remarks suggests his memory isn’t very good.
In any case, unlike Kei, who launched into his lecture and then immediately became absorbed in the information I brought as if nothing had happened, Elhart….
‘He could have at least said he was disappointed.’
It was clear he was trying not to show it, and that weighed on my heart.
But I couldn’t make a promise I wouldn’t keep, so all I could do was pretend not to notice and soothe his feelings.
I adjusted my grip on his hand.
Elhart’s lips curved up slightly as he glanced at our interlaced hands.
This wouldn’t be enough to fully resolve it, but it should ease his immediate displeasure somewhat.
Suddenly, Elhart stopped walking and gave me a meaningful look.
‘That must be it.’
In the most remote corner of the Imperial Palace stood a dark gray tower, bleak and desolate.
Only minimal guards were stationed nearby.
For a place where something important was supposedly hidden, it seemed far too poorly defended.
‘Still, I should verify it.’
We slipped into the shadows, avoiding the guards’ line of sight.
As we drew closer, I could see a window about five stories up.
It was likely sealed with magic, but with Elhart here, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Just as he had done when we infiltrated the Central Palace before, Elhart lifted me into his arms and leaped lightly upward.
Even with my weight added to his, he reached the fifth floor in a single leap with effortless grace.
From grasping the window frame to support himself to tearing open the window and slipping inside—it all happened in an instant.
The moment I entered, I felt the mana flow severed from the outside world.
‘With defensive barriers this potent, something must be happening here.’
After restoring the detached window so no one outside would sense anything amiss, we surveyed our surroundings.
A faint light was rising from the staircase that led downward toward the tower’s center.
It was a deep crimson, darker than torchlight.
It brightened and dimmed slowly, as if breathing.
Elhart moved forward first.
I followed carefully behind him down the stairs.
In the oppressive silence of the tower’s interior, I had to be especially careful not to let my footsteps echo.
Even our breathing sounded loud, so we regulated it carefully as we advanced slowly.
We had descended about halfway down the stairs when it happened.
A faint moan came from somewhere.
“Ugh….”
Elhart and I stopped simultaneously.
We exchanged glances with each other.
‘Is that the Crown Princess…?’
We approached the source of the sound rapidly.
When we had drawn close enough.
A sharp crack.
The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed.
Followed by a man’s voice, cold and ringing.
“Stay conscious.”
His tone was utterly detached.
“We still have a long way to go.”
…A long way to go for what?
I grasped Elhart’s arm lightly.
He nodded in acknowledgment.
As we descended further, a corridor came into view.
Several rooms surrounded the circular corridor, and light was seeping from one of them.
The sound of flesh striking flesh and a moan came again, much louder than before.
I pressed my body against the wall and peered through the gap in the door.
My expression hardened instantly.
I saw a woman bound in chains, forced to kneel.
Her pale skin was visible through disheveled golden hair.
I recognized her as the Crown Princess immediately.
Two Men in Black stood on either side of her.
The red marks covering the Crown Princess’s back appeared to be the work of the Man with Whip on the right.
The other observed her with cold eyes while reviewing records.
“Move on to the next one.”
The Record Keeper spoke.
“Twenty-first transgression. Abuse inflicted upon a slave from the Rempus Kingdom a total of fifty-five times.”
The Crown Princess, who had been slouching, suddenly snapped her head up.
“How is treating a slave like a slave a crime?!”
Her voice trembled with anxiety.
“And he clearly enjoyed it!”
So punishment was meted out in proportion to the crimes committed.
I hadn’t anticipated that confinement and penitence would extend beyond mere isolation—actual physical punishment would be administered.
The Tower of Repentance had earned its name for good reason.
“If that is your claim.”
The Record Keeper gestured with his chin toward the Man with Whip.
The Man with Whip nodded and moved toward the corner.
Moments later, he emerged dragging the slave.
“…ha.”
A scoffing breath escaped the Crown Princess’s lips at the sight.
“What are you trying to accomplish by bringing him here?”
Her lips twisted upward in a sneer.
The slave was forced to kneel before the Crown Princess.
His body was gaunt and covered in wounds. Whip marks and burn scars were layered upon one another.
He couldn’t even lift his face properly, only breathing in ragged gasps.
“You refuse to acknowledge your guilt.”
The Record Keeper spoke without emotion.
“Then we shall hear testimony from the victim himself.”
The slave’s jaw was roughly lifted.
“Answer.”
The Record Keeper asked.
“When this woman abused you, did you feel pleasure?”
The slave’s eyes wavered.
He glanced sideways at the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess’s eyes remained perfectly steady.
Instead, she smiled as though amused.
“…Answer.”
The Man with Whip growled low.
The slave’s lips trembled before an answer spilled forth.
“…Yes.”
The Crown Princess’s eyes gleamed.
“See?”
She laughed.
“Was I lying?”
However, the Record Keeper’s expression remained unchanged.
“Then.”
He calmly turned the record over.
“This means you repeatedly forced the victim into situations to derive pleasure—is that correct?”
The Crown Princess’s face hardened.
“…What?”
The Record Keeper did not lift his gaze.
“Additional charge.”
He rendered his judgment with cold precision.
The Crown Princess gritted her teeth and glared at the Slave.
“Authority for reformation is granted to the victim.”
“No!”
The Record Keeper spoke to the Crown Princess, who cried out.
“Conduct yourself as befits a member of the Imperial family, for the sake of the Crown Prince.”
The Slave stared at the Crown Princess with a vacant expression.
As though he had not properly comprehended what he had just heard.
“Execute the sentence.”
At the Record Keeper’s words, the Man with Whip placed it into the Slave’s hands.
The Slave, staring down at the whip trembling in his own hands with wide eyes, slowly raised his arm.
The Crown Princess’s eyes widened.
“Wait… wait a moment.”
Fear mingled with the Crown Princess’s voice for the first time.
“This isn’t right.”
The Slave said nothing.
He merely raised the hand gripping the whip higher.
“I am your master.”
The Crown Princess gritted her teeth.
“How dare you…!”
Crack.
As the whip lashed across her body, a scream tore from the Crown Princess’s lips.
“Ahhhhh!”
No emotion crossed the Slave’s face.
He simply raised the whip again.

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