Youngest on Top - Chapter 125

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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 125

“Then isn’t that good? We’ve finally found a temple worth cooperating with.”
“Cooperation… do you really think it’s possible?”

I gazed into the distance with a distant look in my eyes.

“Saelika! You adorable thing, you precious little one. Don’t go to Artemia—come into my embrace instead?”
“No, I was born as Artemia’s angel!”
“It just means we’re drawn to each other strongly enough to defy fate. Isn’t that romantic?”
“I’m not drawn to you at all, Preytsha!”
“Hehe, don’t deny your true feelings.”
“No, I’m serious!”
“You’re just being stubborn.”

Preytsha’s words simply didn’t work on Saelika.
The angels who followed him were the same way.

“If you keep doing this to me, the other angels who follow you will feel hurt.”
“Hurt? What are you talking about, Sae?”
“We’d be truly happy if you were with us.”
“Yes, become our brother. Honestly, your brothers aren’t worthy of being with you.”
“We’ll always be on your side.”
“No, I don’t want to! I’m Artemia’s angel!”
“Hehe, even that stubborn honesty is charming.”
“When an angel speaks, listen!”
“We always listen carefully to our Sae’s voice!”

‘Ugh! I can’t even deal with this!’

I’d much rather face opponents I could slash through cleanly.
Every encounter with them drained my energy completely.

“But Preytsha doesn’t actually like me for this reason.”

At my words, Ilay tilted his head and asked, “Really?”

“He might have some affection for me. But there’s an ulterior motive.”
“An ulterior motive….”

The relationship between an angel and the god they serve is peculiar.
It’s fundamentally impossible for him to cherish me so deeply when I’m not even his angel.

“In any case, if Preytsha’s Sacred Maiden and Priest are involved, the odds of something abnormal are very high. Extremely high.”

Ilay shook his head vigorously after hearing my explanation.

“Why are all the gods here like this?”
“Tell me about it. The only truly normal god is our Artemia.”
“….”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, really.”

Ilay subtly turned his head away, avoiding my gaze.

“You said Sacred Maidens resemble their gods, right? Due to the influence of divine power.”
“Yeah.”

Ilay’s expression became even more ambiguous than before.

“…Why exactly are you making that face?”
“What’s wrong with my face?”

I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but something about it irritated me.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”
“No, it’s just. Whether Artemia is truly nor….”

Ilay stopped mid-sentence and closed his mouth.

“Never mind.”

No matter how many times I pressed him afterward, Ilay refused to speak.
What on earth was that about?

* * *

All the Sacred Maidens who received the Emperor’s invitation had their own plans.

‘Wow! The Imperial Palace is so magnificent! To see the Imperial Family up close like this!’

No one left simply enjoying themselves with such innocent delight.

They sought to forge favorable connections with high-ranking nobles who moved freely through the court.
They watched for opportunities to wedge themselves between the Imperial Family and seize power.
Above all, they strived to catch the Emperor’s eye.

And there was one excellent method that could accomplish all of this at once.
It was to make the other person desire you.

To achieve that, I had to prove I was far superior to the Sacred Maidens of other temples.
The more outstanding I was compared to the others, the more lacking they appeared, the more they would desire me.

But then.

“I felt destiny from the moment I first saw you, Sacred Maiden Saelika.”

‘Why are you doing this to me?!’

I was startled when I saw Dolores, who had chased me all the way to the garden.
It was even more unsettling because it was so similar to what Preytsha had said to me.

“Saelika, I felt destiny from the moment I first saw you.”

“Is that so? I didn’t feel any destiny at all.”
“How could one not feel destiny upon seeing someone so beautiful?”
“Well, Ilay is far more….”

I quickly pushed Ilay forward.
Not only our own devotees, but even the Sacred Maidens from other temples would flush at the sight of Ilay’s face.

Ilay raised one eyebrow slightly, but stood before me without a word.
When I nudged his side, Ilay smiled despite his reluctance.
It was a smile like spring sunlight.

Indeed, Dolores too was captivated by Ilay’s face….

“The Sacred Maiden Saelika certainly has a sharp wit. Making jokes like that.”
“…Pardon?”
“There’s no way this man could be more impressive than the Sacred Maiden Saelika.”
“…”
“He doesn’t match my aesthetic sensibilities.”

Even in this regard, he resembled Preytsha.

“He doesn’t align with my aesthetic standards.”

Preytsha was a god with very clear criteria.

“Beauty comes from strength.”

Of course, I was somewhat strong.
Somewhat very strong.
I could fight seventeen against one without losing ground—while other angels wept, I stood perfectly unscathed.

Yet there were certainly angels stronger than me.
Still, I was the only one Preytsha became obsessed with.

“That’s not the kind of strength I’m talking about.”
“…?”
“You are…”

There seemed to be something more, but I never learned the reason from him.

‘So there was some other hidden agenda after all.’

Dolores, who had surpassed Ilay, spoke to me.

“At the weekend banquet, His Majesty the Emperor will present a small problem.”
“A problem?”
“Yes, he intends to give a great reward to whoever solves it.”

This was information I hadn’t heard before.

“Since Artemisia still has no connections at the Imperial Palace, I thought she might not know.”
“Why are you telling me this?”

Dolores was equally a rival.

“I’ve heard that to win a beauty’s heart, one must pour in sincere effort.”
“….”
“Haha! Your expression right now is hilarious. Hmm, but I’m serious.”
“….”
“Well, all the Sacred Maidens from other temples probably know about it. But it would be terribly unfair if only Sacred Maiden Saelika didn’t, wouldn’t it?”
“Everyone is working hard to maintain that unfairness, aren’t they?”
“Not me.”

Dolores grinned wickedly.

* * *

The next day.
I received an invitation to a salon hosted by the Princess.

“Welcome, Sacred Maiden Saelika.”

The Princess’s salon was attended by prominent noble ladies and gentlemen from the capital, as well as other Sacred Maidens invited to the Imperial Palace.
And other Sacred Maidens summoned to the Imperial Palace this time.

The one who greeted me was the Countess Sorotan, one of the Princess’s attendant handmaidens.
The Princess merely conversed with others, sparing me no glance.

The Countess Sorotan guided me to my seat and immediately turned away.
It was a very secluded corner.

“The Countess Sorotan holds the lowest rank among the Princess’s handmaidens.”
“Is that so?”
“She shouldn’t be acting so haughty toward you.”
“She probably doesn’t wish to bow her head to someone without noble blood.”
“That’s true, but.”

Ilay gestured with his eyes toward the surroundings.

Unlike me, who was guided to the secluded corner, the other Sacred Maidens were seated in places of honor.
And beside the Princess herself, most importantly—.

‘The Sacred Maiden of Haranus.’

Zabelina, the Sacred Maiden of Haranus, was seated in a place of prominence.
She fanned herself leisurely while glancing at me from the corner of her eye.
When our eyes met, she broke into a smirk.

‘So the Princess has maintained close ties with the Temple of Haranus at this juncture.’

Though eventually she would join hands with the Parmanace Temple.

It would have been awkward to exclude me, who was staying at the Imperial Palace as a guest of the Emperor.
So it seemed she had decided to embarrass me in this manner instead.

Indeed, most of the invited nobles approached the Princess and Zabelina, who stood at her side.
After them came the other three Sacred Maidens.

No one came to me.
The Princess’s intentions were clear, and they had no desire to invite her displeasure by approaching me.

“Thank you all for attending my salon.”

The Princess addressed the gathered crowd.
Watching her, I found myself thinking of Shuri without intention.

‘They’re siblings, yet they don’t resemble each other much. Perhaps it’s because they’re half-siblings.’

Unlike Shuri, the Princess continued with an air of classical refinement.

“Today, I thought it would be wonderful if we discussed the works of Libtain together.”

The attendants removed the cloth that had been covering the large sculpture.
At that moment, gasps of admiration erupted from all around.

“Could this possibly be…!”
“The Three Angels sculpture of Curtis that was only known through historical records?!”
“I had heard that artifacts from the Curtis region were recently excavated, but…”

The nobles murmured in astonishment.
The Princess nodded with evident satisfaction.

“Yes, it’s a statue that was excavated not long ago. I was fortunate enough to acquire it, having only read about it in texts until now.”
“Fortunate, you say? Your Highness has always placed great importance on historical value and provided considerable patronage.”
“Hehe, I thought it would be wonderful to appreciate it together with all of you and discuss the culture of that era….”

The Princess continued speaking with evident pleasure.
But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from that statue.

“What’s wrong?”

Ilay whispered to me.

“No, that statue…. It’s a fake.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”

It was a statue that existed in my memory.
And for good reason—.

Enrik: Humans truly cannot capture my likeness properly.
Kailros: If they cannot even capture your form, what of mine?

It was a statue fashioned after the likenesses of my brothers.
More precisely, a counterfeit of that statue.

‘I’m certain. I don’t feel Enrik’s power in it.’

Enrik, though displeased, found the devotion admirable and bestowed a blessing upon the statue.
At that time, it was possible because mythology and humanity were somewhat closer.

That was when it happened.

“Is that truly so?”

At the loud voice, I glanced to the side.
It was the Countess Sorotan, who had guided me earlier.

‘Why was she standing behind me?’

And you heard all those whispered words spoken in a lowered voice?
This is no coincidence.
It would only be possible if you deliberately eavesdropped.

At the loud voice, the Princess conducting the salon furrowed her brow.

“What is the matter?”
“The Sacred Maiden of Artemisia says that sculpture is a forgery.”
“What did you say?”

The Princess’s eyes grew sharp.

“I obtained this sculpture with great difficulty and effort. Of course, I’ve already completed cross-verification.”
“Yes, it certainly appears to be an authentic piece to me as well. Our family has another sculpture by Libtain, does it not? That signature on the wing there—it is indeed Libtain’s signature.”
“Are you suggesting that I, the Princess, hosted this salon without proper verification?”

I sighed inwardly.
The Princess was already hostile toward me, and now with this commotion, there was no way this would end well.

“That is not what I said.”
“Then are you saying your eye for art surpasses mine?”
“I did not say that either.”

The Princess let out a scoff.

“Then what else could it mean if the sculpture I brought is a forgery?”

The atmosphere froze instantly.
The nobles began whispering among themselves.

“What does the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia know about sculptures?”
“Honestly, she’s a commoner who never received proper education.”
“Not just any commoner either. She’s from an orphanage, isn’t she?”

Then, Zabelina, the Sacred Maiden of Haranus, spoke up.

“It seems Saelika got a bit overexcited coming to the Imperial Palace for the first time.”
“….”
“She probably wanted to seem knowledgeable about something. That desperate need to stand out here… if you will. And she is quite young, after all.”

A Sacred Maiden who made mistakes due to her youth.
Not a Sacred Maiden one could trust.
—That was what they meant.

Then the other Sacred Maidens, excluding Dolores, began to agree.
They had reached a consensus to remove Artemia from the ring first.

“Even so, that’s too much. A Sacred Maiden should have good comprehension, memory, and logical reasoning…. I’m rather disappointed.”
“These are basic qualities one must possess to lead other priests.”
“I was looking forward to this meeting, hearing you’ve achieved great things in the Eastern region….”
“Oh, but Sacred Maiden Saelika is still young. It’s quite understandable.”
“You said she was twelve years old, didn’t you? But is that age even correct?”

Zabelina looked at me with eyes full of ridicule.

“That was just something we decided on. There’s a rumor that she doesn’t even know her real age.”
….

The age the High Priest had assigned for me, since I didn’t know my own.
Being insulted in this manner made my anger reach the boiling point.

“Everyone, please mind your words. It’s disrespectful to Sacred Maiden Saelika.”

Despite Dolores’s restraint, the Sacred Maidens paid no heed.
The Princess looked at me sharply and spoke.

“It seems my salon is insufficient to accommodate Sacred Maiden Saelika, who possesses such remarkable insight.”

It was an order to leave.

‘…Whatever. Just losers.’

Still, being in the Imperial Palace, I exercised patience as much as I could.
I tried to behave myself.

But should I endure this when they’re even bringing up the age the High Priest assigned to me?

‘Princess or whatever—you’re done for. Zabelina or Zatbelina or whatever your name is.’

I was just about to speak.

“How amusing.”

A languid voice pierced through my ears.
Familiar yet unfamiliar.
I spun around in surprise.

“I’m quite curious about the Sacred Maiden Artemia’s opinion, you see?”

Standing before me was someone I never expected to find in the Princess’s salon.

‘…Shuri.’

The Empire’s Crown Prince smiled crookedly at me.

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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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