Youngest on Top - Chapter 129

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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 129

‘How could I…’

I had been so distracted by Saelika that I forgot.

‘Winning over Grizelda Princess should be my top priority!’

The Princess wielded considerable influence in the social circles of the young nobility and heirs.
Zabelina quickly approached the Princess.

“How deeply you must be troubled, Your Highness. That wretched Saelika dared to humiliate you in a public place. Perhaps because she is still young, she cannot distinguish right from wrong—.”
“No. You should speak truthfully.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“It was not that young Sacred Maiden who publicly humiliated me, but you, was it not?”
“Humiliated? I would never—.”
“If you had no intention of humiliating me, why did you deceive me by passing off a counterfeit as genuine?”
“Your Highness…!”
“Not only did you dare give me a fake statue, but you shamelessly blame others!”
“That is not the case, Your Highness!”
“You say humiliated? Yes, I was humiliated. I became a laughingstock! A mockery!”

The Princess spoke rapidly, her voice low but cutting.
Watching the sparks flash in her eyes, Zabelina swallowed hard.
Her attempt to condemn Saelika first and create a common enemy had failed.

‘The Princess has always been favorable toward me until now. I never expected her to react this way.’

Until now, the Princess had simply nodded at whatever she said.
Zabelina changed her approach, speaking in a soothing, placating tone.

“Who would dare mock Your Highness?”
“I opened my salon and invited the most distinguished young noblewomen and heirs. I confidently claimed to have procured a Libvsten statue.”
“…”
“But it was all counterfeit! And it was exposed at the banquet presided over by His Majesty.”
“…”
“Zabelina Delprer. I will not forget what happened today.”

The Princess passed coldly by Zabelina without a glance.
Left alone in that spot, Zabelina could not call out to the Princess again and merely clenched her skirts tightly in her fists.

* * *

‘I knew it would come to this.’

I nodded as I watched the Princess pass by Zabelina without acknowledging her at all.
Even as I did, dialogue windows flickered dizzily before my eyes.

Enrik: No, I really didn’t mean it in a bad way!

Since earlier, Enrik and Kailros had been making excuses that barely qualified as explanations.

Enrik: I said it with good intentions.
Kailros: Right, I would never speak ill of my younger sibling.

‘How does “Angel of Blood” become a good intention? More importantly, why did you describe me that way?’

Enrik: Well, blood scatters everywhere you go, doesn’t it?
Kailros: Yes, it’s not just scattering—blood erupts in your wake.

“….”

So they’re saying I’ve been causing disasters constantly.
Even so, did they have to bring that up now that I’ve descended to the mortal realm?

On the other hand, I found myself thinking something else.

‘How bad must it have been… when I was in the Heavenly Realm, things did get a bit intense— No, wait. No.’

I nearly found myself reflecting for the first time, swept up in the atmosphere.
I had never once reflected on anything before.

‘I merely employed the optimal means to resolve problems efficiently.’

Enrik: No one calls violence an optimal means.

I casually dismissed Enrik and spoke to Ilay instead.

“Ilay, did you find what I asked for?”
“Edmund confirmed it. He found and organized all the materials you mentioned. And Dmitri….”

I nodded as I listened to Ilay’s explanation.
He asked me.

“But why did you ask for this? I thought it was to prove the statue was fake.”
“I didn’t ask you to prove it’s fake. I asked you to find the real statue.”
“…!”

Ilay was startled, then let out a soft laugh and shook his head, saying “You really….”
I smiled back and whispered.

“The rift between the Haruanus Temple and Grizelda Princess just happened, didn’t it?”
“Right, it’s an opportunity to exploit that gap. Plus, the Princess wants the Three Angels Statue.”
“But I don’t understand why she wants the Three Angels Statue. Of course, since it’s a Libvtalen work, it makes sense that the Princess who frequently holds salons would like it, but….”

Something told me it wasn’t just that.
The look in the Princess’s eyes was too intense to be merely about acquiring a rare artifact for display….

“I think I know why.”
“Really?”
“I didn’t come to the Imperial Palace just to play around. We’re definitely behind on information about the system and the Imperial Palace, so we need to move quickly.”

Ilay was truly reliable.
It wasn’t for nothing that before my regression, as the leader of the underworld, I had gathered all sorts of intelligence.

“Well done! So what’s the reason?”
“I haven’t heard the exact reason. But if I piece together the circumstances—.”

Ilay lowered his voice and whispered near my ear.

“…That’s certainly a plausible deduction, isn’t it? You’re something else, Ilay.”
“To serve such a reckless Sacred Maiden, I have to be at least this capable.”

Ilay pinched my cheek lightly.
As I let out a small whimper, he finally released me.

“But how did you find out information about that child?”
“Oh, well, everyone just told me.”
“…?”
“I just pretended to be lost and acted like I didn’t know much….”
“And they told you such information just because of that?”

As my gaze narrowed, Ilay’s eyes widened sweetly.
His honey-colored eyes melted away with a honeyed softness.

“Yeah.”

A voice as soft as a whisper.
I immediately frowned.

“Don’t do that.”
“….”
“What exactly is going on?”
“…I really did pretend to be lost and acted curious because I didn’t know. It just so happened that my sincerity came through.”
“Sincerity? You said you were pretending. You deceived them.”
“….”

Ilay’s expression turned slightly pouty.
Though I didn’t get a proper answer, somehow I understood what had happened.

‘He smiled like he did before.’

I had seen more than once how people became entranced by Ilay’s face, murmuring “Yes, yes…” in a daze as they followed him.
He was especially skilled at converting first-time visitors into devoted believers.

“…Should you stop doing that from now on?”
“Why? That’s such a useful ability. I’m jealous, really. I wish I had an ability like that.”

I truly did feel the regret.
I tried to mimic Ilay’s smile from before.
Narrowing my eyes, lifting the corners of my lips….

Ilay flinched and looked at me.

“So? Are you getting the urge to spill information?”
“…You absolutely cannot use it. Never.”
“I know, I know. There’s no need to be so disgusted about it.”

Ilay’s reaction was genuinely hurtful.
I suppose I should live up to my angelic nature and wield the hammer of justice instead.

* * *

Grizelda Princess was resting in her private lounge.
The Princess’s maid blocked my path.

“Her Highness the Princess does not wish to see anyone.”
“But surely she has something to give me.”
“That can wait until next time—.”
“Is there perhaps a reason she cannot give it to me right now?”

It was at that moment I tilted my head innocently.
The door opened and another maid spoke.

“Her Highness the Princess bids you enter.”

I promptly stepped inside.
The Princess didn’t even glance at me once, sipping her tea with an air of refinement.

“I had the maid bring that brooch. I’ll give it to you shortly, so please wait a moment.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”

I sat on the sofa across from the Princess.
At my presumption in sitting without permission, the Princess raised her eyebrows slightly, but offered no further reaction.

She must be quite upset from the statue incident.
This aloof Princess had every reason to despise all those involved with it.

Of course, I didn’t come here to appease the Princess’s mood.

“You don’t need to thank me, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean? Is there something I should be thanking you for?”
“You were about to receive a fake statue, but I exposed the truth. I helped you avoid being deceived, so naturally you should be grateful.”
“If you truly wanted to help me, you should have given me a quiet hint without anyone else knowing.”
“That’s what I intended to do, but that maid over there shouted loudly, didn’t she?”
“….”

The Princess set down her teacup with a sharp clink against the saucer.

“It seems you didn’t come just to retrieve the brooch. What is it you really want to say? Are you seeking an apology?”
“There must be a particular reason why Your Highness desired the Three Angels statue so desperately.”
“…I love culture, art, and history. That’s why I regularly hold my salon. A Libvalen statue is a work that anyone would covet.”

Grizelda’s salon held considerable influence in high society.
As someone who took pride in her salon, she would have wanted to showcase such a precious work first.

“It seems Zabelina believed your words at face value.”
“…!”

The Princess, who had always concealed her true feelings with an aloof demeanor, showed agitation for the first time.

“Your Highness desires the Three Angels statue for another reason entirely. Isn’t it because of the blessing placed upon it?”
“…Everyone desires blessings.”
“But Your Highness must desire it far more desperately.”

I met the Princess’s gaze directly.

“When you think of your younger sibling.”
“…!”

The Princess rose abruptly from her seat, her face drained of color.

“How dare you speak of that child!”
“….”
“Leave this place at once! The fact that I’m not reporting this to His Majesty immediately is the greatest mercy I can show you!”
“I can obtain the real statue for you.”
“…!”

The Princess’s pupils trembled slightly.
Her gaze was filled with suspicion.
Yet it was also a desperate look, as if she clung to even the thinnest thread of hope.

“The Three Angel Statues are not relics of Haruanus. They are relics of Artemisia.”
“Then—.”
“I can find them for you.”

The Princess’s chest rose and fell sharply.

“…What do you want in return?”
“Well, for now… an honest conversation with you, Your Highness?”

I smiled brightly, and the Princess regarded me quietly.
How much time had passed?
Soon she settled into her seat with a composed demeanor.

“You’re right. The reason I want that statue is because of that child—my twin brother, Roiland.”

It was as I had expected.

“Everyone knows Roiland is recovering at a villa in the Southern Region due to poor health. But in truth, he is confined within the Imperial Palace.”
“…Is it because of mutism?”
“…Yes. Roiland lost the ability to speak one day.”

The Princess buried her face in her hands, looking distressed.

“All manner of physicians have come and tried to cure him, but they all failed. They say it is not a physical ailment, but a psychological one.”
“….”
“That child does not respond to anything. Even when I visit, he does not recognize me. What on earth could that poor thing have experienced?”

Ilay’s words had been correct after all.
While exploring the Imperial Palace, Ilay had discovered a building hidden away in a secluded corner.
Suspicious of its purpose, he approached it and encountered a palace servant.

‘And through seduction, he learned that a prince was being confined there.’

Though I had not heard the word “prince” stated explicitly.

As a bloodline infused with mythology, the direct descendants of the Imperial Family must be without any defects whatsoever.
Whether physical or mental.

‘That’s why the Emperor announced he was recuperating at the Southern Palace and kept silent about Prince Roiland.’

“So that’s why the Statue’s blessing is necessary.”
“Yes, the texts say the Three Angel Statue shows happy memories.”
….
“If Roiland witnesses happy memories, if he realizes there are people who love him….”
….
“Wouldn’t he be able to find a bit of strength? Wouldn’t he be able to muster courage?”

Moisture glistened in the Princess’s eyes.
It was as though I was seeing the bare face of the Princess who had always appeared so haughty and cold.

“But now I’m uncertain. I heard that blessing comes from the power of the Punishing Angel Lemnus—the power of the ‘Divine Eye’ that sees truth.”

‘As if that Lemnus fellow actually sees any truth.’

I wanted to refute immediately, but instead listened silently to the Princess’s words.

“If the Statue is a relic of Artemisia, then the blessing’s effect should also….”
“The blessing’s effect is the same. It’s originally the blessing of Enrik, Artemia’s angel.”
“Enrik….”
“That being with the power to show the past, his blessing grants happy memories and dreams.”
“Then…!”

Color returned to the Princess’s face.
She straightened her posture and spoke.

“If you truly find the Three Angel Statue for me, I will grant you whatever you wish.”
….
“I know it’s shameless. I invited you to my salon only to seat you at the lowest position and ordered my maids to create scandal if possible.”
….
“It was wrong. But if I could go back to the past, I would probably act the same way.”

The Princess looked directly at me.

“Listening to what Zabelina had to say was the path to saving my brother.”
“So you’re saying Zabelina acted of her own volition, and you harbor no ill will toward me.”
“I’m not making excuses. I’m telling you that I would do anything for Roiland.”

I regarded Grizelda quietly.
This woman could do anything for her brother.

‘Speaking so openly about her brother’s affairs must have required considerable resolve for a Princess.’

Just then, the maid who had gone to fetch the brooch returned.
I accepted the brooch and rose from my seat.

Grizelda Princess called out to me with an anxious expression.

“Sacred Maiden Saelika.”
“Once I find the statue, I’ll contact you again.”
“…! Yes, I will be waiting.”

Leaving the Princess with her brightened face behind, I exited the lounge.

* * *

Zabelina lingered outside the Princess’s private lounge.

‘How dare she keep me from entering!’

Grizelda Princess was as aloof as her reputation in high society suggested.
Yet she had always been kind to Zabelina.
Even when Zabelina visited without warning, she was always welcomed warmly.

‘But to turn me away at the door like this!’

Then the lounge door opened.
Zabelina lifted her head, her expression brightening.

‘What. She’s opening it after all. The Princess really does favor me… Huh?’

Seeing who emerged from the lounge, Zabelina’s face went rigid.

‘She’s rejecting me right now and talking to that woman instead?’

The person who had just stepped outside lifted her head.
Saelika’s blue eyes gazed at Zabelina, and she smiled wickedly.

“Ah! So you ran off whimpering to the Princess the moment I was gone, did you?”
“….”
“Did you really think the Princess would accept you after you exposed the statue and fell out of favor yourself?!”

Saelika lowered her head without uttering a single word in response.
Zabelina smirked at the sight of her.

“This is why girls fresh from the countryside don’t work. You can’t even read the room, you little brat….”

But something felt off.
For someone who couldn’t respond and had lowered her head, Saelika’s posture was….

‘Wait, is she… shifting her weight?’

Saelika stood with her weight carelessly shifted to one leg, then cracked her neck side to side.

“If you keep making noise, even a pacifist like me will have no choice but to summon the cream puffs of blood and slaughter.”
“What? Are you threatening me right now—.”
“Shut up and return what’s mine.”
“…!”

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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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