Youngest on Top - Chapter 134

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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 134

* * *

Dolores said with a chuckle, “Go ahead, I’ll take that bet,” and left.
Ilay, who had gone to contact Edmund, still hadn’t returned.

‘…Well, I suppose I should head out.’

I wasn’t actually expecting the strange coincidence Dolores had mentioned—I was thinking of visiting the Princess instead.

‘These nobles who sent invitations so hastily are meaningless.’

The swarm that came buzzing over the moment I caught the Emperor’s eye and secured the Caston trade rights.

‘The real players are probably still sitting tight in their positions.’

If Princess Grizelda, renowned in high society, could connect me with those real players, that would be invaluable.
I was walking forward with that thought when it happened.

Fluttering~

A dazzlingly white handkerchief came drifting through the air from somewhere.
And it landed precisely at my feet.

“Just you wait and see. I’m certain there will be a young man who drops a handkerchief in front of Saelika during a stroll.”

‘…No, no, no.’

This couldn’t be it.
It was just a coincidence, right?

Feeling a bit unsettled, I picked up the handkerchief.
If it hadn’t been for Dolores’s words, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it.

“Oh my, a handkerchief… Thank you, Sacred Maiden.”

The young boy approached me the moment I picked up the handkerchief and greeted me.
He was a young man who matched the pristine white handkerchief perfectly, with a fresh soap scent wafting from it.

“You’re Saelika, the Sacred Maiden, aren’t you? What a remarkable coincidence. To meet again in a place like this.”
“…But this is hardly ‘a place like this’—this is the palace where I reside.”
“However, what are the odds that I would happen to have business here on this very day, at this exact hour, accidentally drop my handkerchief, and have you, the Sacred Maiden, pick it up for me?”
“…You’re right.”

Now that I thought about it, it truly was an extraordinary coincidence!

Enrik: What coincidence! That’s not a coincidence at all!
Enrik: Even if you stand on your head to look at it, he’s clearly scheming!
Kailros: Hmph, regardless, my younger brother has no one but me.
Enrik: …Even if Sae has a demon in his heart, his older brother is not one.

I returned the handkerchief to the young boy.

“This handkerchief will become a precious possession to me from now on.”
“Is it expensive?”
“…Because the Sacred Maiden’s touch has graced it.”

Does this person need a blessing?
Devon told me to charge expensive prices for blessings.

“And it has guided me to meet you, the Sacred Maiden.”

The young boy’s finger brushed across the back of my hand.
He slowly took the handkerchief from my hand and brought it to his face as though it were precious.

“You picked up my handkerchief for me. Do you know the meaning behind it, Sacred Maiden?”
“…It’s not a challenge to a duel, is it?”

The young boy’s eyes widened.
He then laughed cheerfully, “Ha ha!”

“No. If anything, it would be quite the opposite.”

The young boy bowed his head lightly.

“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Ranierre of House Setraheim.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Setraheim Yeongshik.”
“Please, call me Ranierre. If I may be so bold, I would like to repay you for retrieving my handkerchief.”
“Repay me?”
“Yes, would you perhaps grant me some of your time with the Sacred Maiden?”

So suddenly?
Everything was unfolding exactly as Dolores had predicted.

‘In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to know House Setraheim.’

Since I hadn’t made any firm commitment, I could visit the Princess later.
Just as I was about to speak—

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a startled cry came from beside me.
When I turned to look, someone appeared to be stumbling, having lost their footing.

“…??!?!”

Since they were falling toward me, I instinctively caught them.

“Or perhaps there could be a young man who suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed into Saelika’s arms.”

‘…Is this real?’

The young boy in my embrace lifted his head.
His upturned water-blue eyes were utterly pitiful.

“You have saved my life twice now.”
“What? When did I ever do that?”
“You saved me from the demon at the banquet, and had the Sacred Maiden not caught me just now, I cannot imagine what would have become of me….”
“What would have happened? You would have simply fallen in an ungraceful heap. Perhaps you would have gotten a nosebleed or two?”

The face of Setraheim Yeongshik, who had seemed like a fresh bar of soap-scented handkerchief, crumpled pathetically.

“Setraheim Yeongshik, jealousy is unbecoming.”
“Why don’t you just get up from the Sacred Maiden’s embrace?”
“Oh my, I apologize for the rudeness—. Ah!”

The young boy attempting to rise stumbled again and collapsed into my arms.

“Ugh, I’m so sorry. My body isn’t in good condition…. You are truly kind, Sacred Maiden.”
“Do you need healing?”
“Yes, if the Sacred Maiden would grace me with your direct healing, it would be the greatest honor.”
“…!”

‘But he was a customer!’

Enrik: What customer!

“Well then, Setraheim Yeongshik, unfortunately it seems the Sacred Maiden won’t have separate time to spare for you.”
“Nonsense.”
“Nonsense? Surely you’re not suggesting that sharing tea and conversation is more important than saving a person’s life.”
“Life? Are you really asking because you don’t know if his life is actually in danger?”

I stepped back from both young men and deliberated seriously.

‘Judging by how he speaks to Setraheim Yeongshik, this boy must be from a similar noble house.’

A quite respectable family unable to treat their illness.
If I cure this sickness, I might be able to bring the entire house under my influence!
The problem is—.

‘He looks far too healthy.’

Though he possesses an almost ethereal beauty that seems to let sunlight pass right through him.
In any case, the young man appeared physically sound.

“A classic technique—stimulating a woman’s protective instincts.”

‘…No, surely not.’

As I grew suspicious, I sensed a strange presence from behind.
I quickly moved out of the way.

Splash—!

A sudden torrent of water cascaded down, scattering refreshingly.
Directly onto the two young boys standing before me.

“What are you doing?!”
“Why! I was just watering the flowers!”

The young man who had sprayed the water cried out with shameless audacity.
Then he hesitated.

“Huh? Why did you two get wet…?”

“Or perhaps there could be a young man who mistook you for flowers and watered you instead.”

At this point, I had no choice but to accept it.
Those absurd coincidences that I’d thought could never happen in reality—the kind of ridiculous scenarios that only appeared in romance novels.
Everything Dolores had said was true!

‘Dolores, surely you haven’t already begun receiving divine revelations?!’

* * *

“Goodness, these young people are quite something, aren’t they?”

At the voice from beside him, Shuri’s brow furrowed.

“Indeed, that little Sacred Maiden must be having a difficult time. With so many children acting like this…”
“Beyond the three who are pestering her now, there are three more watching for an opening to join in.”

Around Saelika, young men were glancing at her while pretending not to.

“Well, having gained the Emperor’s trust and secured trading rights with Caston, they’d naturally want to make an acquaintance.”
“She’s a Sacred Maiden making her debut in central noble society. Depending on who becomes her first partner, her entire political trajectory could change completely…”
“Come now, surely Setraheim, Eaerin, and Zairaks aren’t approaching her for that reason?”

The handkerchief dropped, the fainting into arms, the water sprayed—the three young men’s houses.
Setraheim, Eaerin, and Zairaks.
These three families were hardly so insignificant that they needed to resort to such transparent coincidences to impress a Sacred Maiden who had suddenly risen to prominence.

“How striking the little Sacred Maiden appeared in the banquet hall?”
“Indeed, she became the talk of the palace on her very first day, simply by her appearance.”
“Certainly, such a cute child is rare, so one cannot help but be intrigued….”

The men who had been exchanging remarks turned their gaze toward Shuri.

“But Master, why have you been here since earlier?”
“Surely not to see the little Sacred Maiden like those fools.”
“…Right?”

A faint displeasure crossed Shuri’s face.

“I was here first. That Sacred Maiden and her rabble arrived afterward.”
“…But this place was never the palace where the little Sacred Maiden resides in the first— it’s nothing!”

The men quickly averted their eyes.
Only after Shuri’s gaze turned back to Saelika did they cautiously lift their heads again.

‘…This is truly strange.’

Why do I keep looking at that Sacred Maiden?
I deny it with words, but the eyes cannot hide the truth.

“But Master, why were you so angry with Zabelina the Sacred Maiden?”
“Could it be because she attacked the little Sacred Maiden—.”
“Pointless talk.”

That couldn’t be it.
Shuri dismissed his subordinates’ nonsense.

That young woman has many suspicious points about her.
I’ve been observing her for that reason, but I simply disliked Zabelina stealing my prey.

My first meeting with that young woman was at the coronation, and it was also the last.
I would never have gone there if not for Admiral Ekellan’s request and the traces of ‘that one’.

I have not given her a single thought since then.
My visit to Princess Grizelda’s salon has nothing whatsoever to do with it.

As expected, the young woman was being oppressed by territorial harassment.
It had nothing to do with me.
However.

For a moment, that person’s image overlapped with hers—.

After inserting myself into the situation, Shuri immediately regretted it.

The young woman bore no resemblance to that person whatsoever.
Unlike the Sacred Maiden who sat demurely like a doll in the salon, that person was reckless, audacious, willful, and utterly capricious.
Truly, completely capricious in every way.

“…Randel told me to be suspicious when strangers are kind. Ha ha, ha….”

The young woman’s face, which had smiled awkwardly for a moment, came to mind.

They didn’t resemble each other.
It was simply.

Treating someone like a kidnapper handing out candy out of nowhere—.

‘…It’s unpleasantly making me remember that person.’

“…That person is.”
“My apologies.”

The men bowed their heads with grave expressions.

Now Shuri no longer even properly speaks Ricardo’s name.
I understood well enough what was in the heart of their master, who felt almost nothing.

‘Indeed, there’s no reason he would concern himself with the Sacred Maiden.’
‘She merely gives off a subtly similar atmosphere to that Ricardo fellow, so my gaze simply turns toward her….’

Ricardo was the only existence I yearned for so desperately, cared for so deeply, and could not forget.
In comparison, Saelika was not even a concern.

Then, a clear voice was heard from below.
The young boys had disappeared, and Dolores was smiling brightly.

“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”
“…Dolores, how many stages of awakening have you achieved? Is revelation even possible at your age?”
“Huh—?!”

Dolores burst into laughter.

“It’s not like that. It’s not revelation, it’s just… I can sense it.”
“How?”
“Hmm, if you’re curious, have dinner with me this evening.”
“…You didn’t need to make it sound so special. I’d eat with you anyway if you asked.”

Saelika’s words made Dolores’s eyes widen.

“Wow, w—ow! Really? You mean it? Our hearts finally connected? My love has finally—.”

Watching the delighted Dolores, Shuri furrowed his brow.

“Preytsha’s Sacred Maiden is quite frivolous.”
“No, she’s still young, so rather than frivolous, she’s just adorable—.”
“Why did that young woman suddenly accept Preytsha’s Sacred Maiden?”
“Pardon?”
“Just days ago, she was wary of her. It was a wise choice. So why is she suddenly doing something so foolish?”

The men stared at their master in bewilderment.
Of course, one shouldn’t expect ordinary human sensibilities from Shuri.
One shouldn’t, but….

“Isn’t it because Preytsha’s Sacred Maiden protected her from a monster attack?”
“Because of that?”

Shuri turned his head to gaze at his subordinates.
His eyes held no emotion whatsoever—.

‘Those are definitely the eyes asking “What about me then?”‘
‘When word came that monsters appeared that day, he suddenly went to Toramilen alone, and I wondered why.’
‘This is….’

The men carefully broached the subject with utmost caution.

“But, Preytsha—the Sacred Maiden hasn’t even been injured.”
“If she lacked the ability to protect herself, what does that have to do with that young woman?”
“Well, that’s… the Sacred Maiden seems to care about her, doesn’t she? She got hurt while saving her?”
“I find that incomprehensible.”

Shuri spoke coldly.

“I didn’t save her in the first place. That young woman was perfectly capable of handling it herself. The Sacred Maiden Preytsha acted alone and injured herself alone.”
“….”
“Yet she lowered her guard out of concern. How foolish.”

The men were left speechless.

‘But then, why did our master suddenly slaughter those monsters?!’
‘If our master thought the Sacred Maiden Artemia could handle it alone, he shouldn’t have stepped in either!’

Yet they could never voice such thoughts aloud.

Shuri had already turned his attention away from them.
He quietly observed Saelika smiling toward Dolores.
A rather convincing smile spread across her pale face.

“…She should suffer.”

He muttered softly.

* * *

Princess Grizelda readily invited me to a social gathering.

“Which essentially means she’s telling me to find the three statues quickly.”

At my words, Ilay nodded while reviewing information about the gathering.

“Either way, this works out well. Many of the attendees hold voting rights in the temple branches.”
“Right. Normally, since they all have temples they interact with, they wouldn’t have much interest in us.”
“But now we have the Kaston exchange rights.”
“We need to use the cards we’ve been dealt to lure these people in.”
“Cards we’ve been dealt… there’s more than just the Kaston exchange rights, isn’t there?”

Ilay smiled as he looked at me.

“Our special Sacred Maiden.”

Ilay extended his hand toward me.
As courteously as a dance partner would at a ball.

“So, my Sacred Maiden. What should your partner prepare?”
“Ah, about that matter.”
“…?”
“The partner thing.”
“Why the partner?”
“…It would be better if it weren’t someone other than Ilay.”
“….”

Ilay laughed brilliantly, like a flower in full bloom.
Cold sweat suddenly broke out down my spine.

—————
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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