They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 69

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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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I held the Crown Princess’s gaze steadily, maintaining my silence.
What was needed now was not a lengthy explanation.
I had to give her time to combine the information I’d provided and make her own judgment and decision.
“He’s my brother. I don’t know where you heard such things, but it’s none of your concern.”
Ah, so that’s how she wanted to play it?
“Fine then. I hope you continue to get along well with your brother in the future.”
I let out a soft chuckle and stepped back.
“I hope your wounds heal well too. Though I’m not sure when you’ll be able to leave this place.”
Then I turned around immediately.
As if to leave the room that very instant.
When my figure had disappeared into the shadows and could no longer be seen.
“Wait!”
An urgent cry, almost a scream, reached my ears.
“Wait just a moment!”
I stopped in my tracks.
“What are you trying to do? You don’t know anything about that person! How terrifying he is, you….”
“I know.”
I cut off the Crown Princess’s words and answered briefly and firmly.
“That’s why I made the proposal. With the current approach, you won’t be able to have him even if you died and came back to life.”
I positioned myself at the edge of the shadows once more.
“Don’t you have a sense of what your situation will become from now on?”
Those who defy the will are imprisoned and punished like this.
If this is what happens while the Emperor is still alive, what will become of her when the Crown Prince takes the throne in the future?
I was warning her of that.
The Crown Princess’s breathing grew ragged.
It seemed she had recalled something in her mind.
“Auriel will never choose you.”
“…!”
“That’s already been proven.”
The Crown Princess’s body trembled, and the chains binding her rattled softly.
“Then… what am I supposed to do….”
Her voice was almost a whisper.
I laughed quietly at hearing it.
“Now you’re asking.”
I approached the Crown Princess, bent at the waist, and met her eyes.
“Rise to a position where you can have him. Reveal that you’re not siblings and pull him down from the Crown Prince’s seat.”
“It’s easy to say, but it’s not a simple task.”
“The contract.”
The Crown Princess’s eyes wavered.
“That contract which placed him in the Crown Prince’s seat will reverse your positions.”
“….”
“I’ll help you smuggle out a copy of the contract.”
Because I had been observing the Crown Princess, I could tell. This time, her heart was truly shaken.
“If you expose it, Auriel is finished. And you….”
I slowly curled my lips upward as I continued.
“You could climb higher and have him for yourself.”
I tempted her by mimicking a demon.
“Instead of being someone you must crave affection from, you’d drag him down beneath your feet—an existence you can control in your own way.”
After all, the more wicked someone is, the less satisfied they become with what they have, and the more they covet.
“Being passive isn’t your style anyway, is it?”
The Crown Princess’s eyes darkened deeply.
And in that space, a vivid crimson desire bloomed.
I smiled watching it.
I could feel that we were almost there.
‘One last thing remains.’
“In exchange.”
I spoke with a clear voice.
“Release the Exiled Prince of Bardia who is here as a hostage.”
“…The hostage prince? That’s your condition?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and added.
“The only person who matters to me is him. I have no interest in Auriel.”
I spoke deliberately more bluntly.
“I’m already sufficiently satisfied.”
The Crown Princess’s gaze swept across me.
She seemed to be questioning whether it was truly genuine.
And it seemed she was somewhat convinced.
Not entirely, though.
‘She’s on the verge of crossing over.’
I was certain.
Moments later, the Crown Princess closed her eyes, then opened them and spoke.
“Fine. But I’ll need a contract.”
“Of course. That’s what I want.”
I pulled out the contract I had prepared in advance and handed it to the Crown Princess.
“Take a look.”
The contract detailed all the conditions I had mentioned.
The Crown Princess seemed to hesitate at the clause stating that revealing the secret would result in death, but she did not ask me to change it.
She would understand that if either party betrayed the other, both their lives would be at risk.
I don’t know what kind of contract Kailyb uses, but this contract is one used by demons.
The moment I prick my finger and stamp it with blood, the contract is completed and an invisible blood seal is inscribed.
Since I didn’t use mana, it would be impossible for the Crown Prince to discover the contract between us.
A moment later.
Everything fell silent.
The sealed contract descended into my palm.
The Crown Princess, who had been staring with wide eyes, flinched and shrank back in surprise.
Even if the Crown Princess were foolish, she would now realize I was no ordinary maid.
“Good. The contract is sealed.”
“…Are you a mage?”
I didn’t answer the Crown Princess’s question.
Instead, I offered the necessary words lightly.
“If you manage to escape from here, come find me. I’ll heal your wounds.”
The Crown Princess said nothing.
She simply stared intently, as if trying to discern my true identity.
Regardless, I turned away.
There was nothing more to say.
The stage was already set.
As I stepped through the door, I thought to myself.
‘From now on, it’s a matter of who deceives better.’
With today, the first phase of the plan was complete, and it was time to move to the next stage.
***
I encountered no one on the way out of the Tower of Repentance and arriving at the Separate Palace.
Elhart, like me, entered the Separate Palace hoping things would go smoothly.
As if waiting for my return, Kei approached me immediately and asked.
“Did things go well?”
“Of course.”
Kei’s expression suggested he knew it would succeed.
Well, it was inevitable since I’d designed it that way.
I continued without pause, laying out the details.
“I made the contract exactly as written. Our side will treat the Crown Princess’s wounds and help secure a copy of the contract.”
“And in return, they agreed to release the Prince after the matter is settled?”
“Yes.”
Kei fell silent for a moment, as if organizing my words, then shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s a condition they can’t help but fall for.”
It was a calm assessment.
“The Crown Princess will believe we can’t escape the Imperial Palace on our own. So she’ll trust that we won’t betray her until the matter is concluded.”
“That’s the trap in this contract.”
Kei’s lips curved upward.
“Logically, it’s flawless.”
“Right. Though… the Crown Princess’s temperament could be a variable.”
“True. She’s not your typical ruthless woman, after all.”
I nodded.
“She’ll definitely exploit the loopholes in the contract to retaliate.”
The contract terms specified only Elhart’s return to Bardia, with nothing regarding me.
The Crown Princess would never overlook that detail.
She would believe the Crown Prince confined her to the Tower of Repentance because of me.
‘She must think all the humiliation she endured in the Tower of Repentance is entirely my fault.’
In truth, this loophole was something I had deliberately created.
It made it easier to predict the Crown Princess’s range of actions.
It was far better to have her focus on tormenting me than to have her act unpredictably elsewhere.
“Then we can proceed to the next phase.”
“Ah, but there’s something I’d like you to look into first.”
I asked Kei about something that had weighed on my mind all along.
“I need you to confirm the status of all the slaves the Crown Princess has destroyed so far, including the Prince of Rempus Kingdom. If any are alive, I want them all extracted.”
It wouldn’t be a simple task, but I couldn’t simply overlook it.
‘Especially when I think that Elhart could have ended up in the same situation.’
We couldn’t possibly care for every victim of the conquest wars, but we had to save at least those within our reach.
Their suffering would continue as long as the Empire remained standing.
“By the way… Elhart still hasn’t returned, has he?”
It was right after I posed the question to Kei.
The sound of the door opening reached my ears.
I turned my head reflexively and couldn’t help but be startled.
“Elhart…?!”

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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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