Youngest on Top - Chapter 140

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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 140

“How utterly predictable.”

I stood frozen in disbelief as the arrogant young man let out a heavy sigh.

“If you want to become my concubine, stop fabricating such transparent coincidences and actually put in some effort.”
“….”
“Who knows? Perhaps I’ll take you as my concubine if I find your efforts admirable enough?”
“….”
“Of course, if you bore me, your head rolls off.”

The blade pressed against my throat spun in lazy circles.
As if it were carving through my neck.

I smiled brightly.
The young man’s eyes twitched.

“Ha! Not even intimidated by threats, flashing that radiant smile? You’ve experienced too much—how boring—.”

Thwack!

“Ow!”

The young man clutched his head in pain.

‘Does it hurt? Good. It should hurt quite a bit.’

I shook my clenched fist and grinned wickedly.

“Drop your sword over one little punch? What will you do then, hm?”
“You….”
“My ‘effort’ is just getting started. I need to see if this is entertaining or not.”
“Do you even know who I am?!”
“No, I don’t. And I couldn’t care less.”
“You insolent brat! I am—.”
“Yeah, don’t bother. I have no idea who you are. Seriously, not a clue.”
“What—ow!”

Thwack!
The cream bun of justice struck the Young Boy’s head once more.
He clutched his forehead and began backing away slowly.

“Come here, come here.”
“Y-you’re insane…”
“I’ll teach some manners to that empty head of yours so you never say such things to a Young Woman again.”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
I was in the middle of imprinting etiquette (with my fists) onto the Young Boy’s head.

“Goodness, Crown Prince Habid!”

I heard alarmed voices from a distance.
They came rushing toward us.

The Young Boy looked at me with a “how’s that?” expression.
Though it only looked ridiculous with lumps dangling all over his crown.

“My goodness, Crown Prince Habid! What on earth is happening here!”
“How did this ever…”

The people who approached looked over the Young Boy with concern, then saw me.
There was no way to escape.
They had come running after witnessing me delivering those bonks.

I opened my eyes wide and dropped my jaw.

“Oh my, the Crown Prince of the Bennayser Kingdom! I had no idea, coming from another land. Goodness, what a discourtesy.”
“…”
“Had I known you were the Crown Prince, I would never have been so rude. But I truly didn’t know. I had no idea whatsoever. I couldn’t have anticipated it. Not at all!”
“…”

The eyes of everyone looking at me, including the Crown Prince, narrowed.
They clearly knew.
They definitely knew.
The look in their eyes said: “You hit him first before finding out his identity!”
That’s what it was.

‘This is really unfair.’

Enrik: You must be furious. Are you doing the same things here that you did in the Heavenly Realm?
Kailros: My younger brother says he’s been wronged, so why are you picking a fight?
Enrik: …Coming from my older brother, of all people?

‘Should I have refrained from hitting him?’

Enrik: What are you saying!
Kailros: You have no complaints even if you’re beaten more.
Enrik: How dare you call our youngest a concubine. If I had only descended, I would have struck you down with divine punishment.

Just then, an older-looking maid let out a deep sigh and bowed her head to me.

“Sacred Maiden.”
“W-wait, Sacred Maiden? She was the Sacred Maiden?”

The Crown Prince asked in surprise.

“Yes, she is the Sacred Maiden.”

Now do you understand, you mutt?
The rudeness you committed by calling her a concubine?

“What, now even the Sacred Maiden is trying to become my concubine? How could you possibly….”

This brat!

* * *

“Our Crown Prince has committed a breach of etiquette.”

The Queen of the Bennayser Kingdom spoke to me while sipping her tea.
Beside her sat Crown Prince Habid with a sullen expression.

“Not at all. I also didn’t know His Highness the Crown Prince, so I was equally at fault for the breach.”
“So, you’ve come to trade for Caston, is that correct?”

The conversation moved straight to the main point.

“That is one of my objectives as well.”
“Many nations desire Caston. Since magical artifacts now determine national power, resources as precious as Caston are rare indeed.”
“….”
“What benefit would I gain from trading with you?”
“Surely there must be some agreement already established between the Empire and the Bennayser Kingdom. Are you suggesting you wish to break that accord?”
“Perhaps. Even if we were to trade with the Empire, there would be no particular need to conduct business with you specifically.”
“I am the Emperor’s official envoy, bearing his seal.”
“Not all matters proceed through official channels, young Sacred Maiden.”

‘Ah, so that’s how you wish to play this?’

The Queen took another sip of tea and smiled back at me.

“Perhaps you’re now considering a different proposal, Sacred Maiden?”

It was then.

“What are you doing, Your Majesty the Queen!”

The reception room door burst open with a voice sharp as frost.
The Queen continued sipping her tea without blinking, her voice measured.

“How rude, Prince Ryubik. To intrude so brazenly in the presence of a state guest.”

‘Though I hardly felt treated as one.’

I turned my head to look at the young man who had entered the room.

‘So that is Prince Ryubik.’

A body honed through rigorous training and sand-colored hair.
Eyes sharp as blazing flames.
The firstborn of the King.

“Regarding the Caston trade agreement, the late Emperor entrusted it to me. Yet here you are, stepping in personally, Your Majesty.”
“Stepping in? Are the ministers not currently discussing the Caston trade agreement with Randel right now?”
“Yes, but I question why Your Majesty is present alongside the Sacred Maiden, who serves as the delegation’s representative.”
“Though the Sacred Maiden holds the title of delegation representative, surely the substantive negotiations are being conducted by Randel, are they not?”
“….”
“I am merely fulfilling my duty as Queen by receiving our distinguished guest, the Sacred Maiden.”

The Queen’s expression, which had been gentle moments before, transformed entirely.

“Yet you dare interrogate and reproach me? Your arrogance pierces the very heavens, Prince.”
“…Cover the heavens with your palm, then.”
“Hehe, a small heaven can certainly be covered by a palm.”
“Your Majesty!”
“No matter how vast the sky, it is obscured in the hand of a giant. At least beneath a giant’s palm, humans cannot see the heavens, can they not?”

The Queen set down her teacup and rose from her seat.
Then, with an elegant smile, she spoke to me.

“I had hoped to offer you refreshments, but I’m afraid I’ve only shown you my ungraceful side.”

Well, it seemed intentional to me.

“Tsk, Elder Brother….”

Crown Prince Habid called out to Prince Ryubik cautiously.
But the response that came was cold.

“Do not call me Elder Brother.”
“Yes, Crown Prince. How could a Crown Prince address a mere prince as Elder Brother with such deference?”

The Queen, having admonished her son, spoke to me.

“Then let us share tea again next time, Sacred Maiden.”

With those words, the Queen departed from the Reception Room.
Prince Ryubik clicked his tongue and walked out after her.

Crown Prince Habid alone remained, standing motionless as he gazed after his mother and brother.
Endlessly.

“Are you alright?”

At my words, Crown Prince Habid flinched.
The expression of a lost child vanished in an instant.
Crown Prince Habid turned to me with that arrogant and irritating face he’d shown when I first met him, grumbling.

“Why are you speaking informally?”
“You’re one to talk.”
“I’m the Crown Prince.”
“So?”

Crown Prince Habid blinked at me, then his face flushed crimson.

“S-still, I won’t marry you!”
“….”

Should I hit him?
Would the excuse that my hand slipped work?

Before I could finish deliberating, Crown Prince Habid rushed out of the Reception Room.

“Why are you even engaging with him? Didn’t you say he asked if you were a concubine?”

Ilay whispered to me with a displeased expression.

“He reminds me of Theo somehow.”
“My younger brother is on a completely different level from that ruffian.”

Anyway, this younger brother is truly incorrigible.
I nodded seriously.

“Theo is much kinder, though. And cute.”

I agreed with that assessment.

* * *

Ilay and I returned to our room shortly after.
Randel was in a meeting with the high officials of Bennayser, as the Queen had mentioned.

“In any case, you’re the representative of the delegation. I was wondering why you specifically took Randel with you—.”
“It was the Queen’s plan.”
“If she called me separately, her true intentions would be too obvious, so she deliberately orchestrated a clash with the Crown Prince instead.”

To create an opportunity for an apology.
I asked Ilay.

“Do you remember what the Queen said?”

“What benefit would there be for me if we trade with you?”

“The Queen said ‘for me,’ not ‘for the kingdom.'”
“Right, and she also said that even if we trade with the Empire, there’s no need for ‘us’ to specifically ‘trade’ with you.”
“She’s telling us to bring conditions that benefit her personally, not the kingdom.”

What the Queen wants isn’t Caston trade.
It’s a deal between her and us.
However—.

“She probably said similar things to others as well.”

Ilay’s words were correct.
He continued.

“Look at the Queen’s attitude. It seems other factions in the Empire have already made contact with her?”
“Well, there are plenty of people who would love to see me fail.”
“The Queen deliberately mentioned it to incite competition.”

The Queen’s intention was clear.
She would conduct Caston trade with whoever brought her the most advantageous terms.

“Prince Ryubik said the Queen doesn’t have authority over Caston trade.”
“But the Queen does have power.”

Hadn’t the Queen been confident?
That she could make the heavens as small as her palm.
Or that she was such a colossal figure of influence that she could completely obscure the heavens from those beneath her.

“What the Queen desires is abundantly clear and certain.”
“The expulsion of Prince Ryubik.”

The Queen had anticipated Prince Ryubik’s intrusion.
That’s why she broached the subject so swiftly.
And she deliberately revealed her conflict with Prince Ryubik, as if to make a point.
As though offering a hint.

Ilay asked me.

“What will you do?”
“If I take the Queen’s hand, the Caston trade should succeed without question.”
“True.”
“First, I should write a letter to the Queen.”

Ilay, watching the contents of my letter from beside me, let out a soft chuckle.

“You said if you take the Queen’s hand, you could succeed?”
“I never said anything about taking her hand.”
“So you’re planning to toy with the Queen.”
“Your methods are exactly like that insufferable Parmanase.”

I handed the letter to Ilay.

“Deliver this to the Queen. I’m going to visit Prince Ryubik.”
“Understood. But Prince Ryubik won’t be an easy opponent either?”
“Right, the Queen—the Crown Prince’s mother—is formidable enough to draw in foreign powers.”
“No, that’s one thing. But I heard his personality is absolutely vile.”
“Ah, that’s fine.”
“Fine? You never tolerate it when your opponent acts like a dog. In fact—.”
“I’ll act like a dog right back.”
“Right.”
“So it’s fine.”
“…You realize this is an international negotiation, yes? Don’t resort to violence.”

At Ilay’s warning, I smiled brightly to assure him there was nothing to worry about.
But Ilay’s expression only grew more troubled.

“…Why won’t you answer me? You’re not going to hit me, are you? Stop smiling like that and just answer. I’m most afraid when you smile like that. Is it really okay to leave me alone?”
“…”

What does he take me for!

* * *

Prince Ryubik gazed at the figure before him.
When their eyes met, a lovely young girl with soft, plump cheeks smiled.
But Ryubik’s gaze as he looked upon her was cold and piercing.

“There’s no point in saying anything.”
“I haven’t said anything yet, have I?”
“I can guess what you’re about to say. I have no intention of establishing trade between the Empire and Caston.”
“You speak so casually of breaking an accord.”
“It was an accord the Empire forced through with military might in the past.”

Ryubik could guess what proposal the Queen had made to Saelika.
But seeing that she had come to him like this—.

‘Did she come under the guise of discussing Caston trade, searching for any pretext to push me out?’

It was a shallow tactic for someone the Emperor had appointed as the delegation’s representative.
But then.

“The Queen intends to establish trade with Caston and the one who would expel you.”
“…!”

The words that fell from the girl’s lips were entirely unexpected.
She was saying this so openly?

“…My father entrusted the matter of Caston trade to me. The Queen has no authority to make any decisions.”
“But His Majesty the King has collapsed and remains unconscious.”
“…”

Ryubik stared at Saelika with a rigid, hardened expression.

“A firstborn son born of a concubine with exceptional abilities. And a legitimate son born of the Queen, who comes from a powerful faction.”

It referred to Ryubik and Crown Prince Habid.

“With the succession unstable, the King fell ill. The Queen and the nobles would have demanded that the Crown Prince be formally appointed without delay.”
“….”
“If the kingdom descended into chaos both internally and externally, and they began fighting over the position of Crown Prince, it would spiral beyond control. That must have been how the Prince judged the situation.”
“….”
“But once Crown Prince Habid took the position, things only grew worse.”

The Queen, whose son had become Crown Prince and gained greater power.
She immediately began pushing out Ryubik’s closest associates.
Thus she severed his hands and feet, forcing him to withdraw from state affairs.
The greatest problem was that even governance itself ceased to function properly.
The Queen cared only for her own power.

“The Caston exchange at least has the pretext of being a task His Majesty entrusted to the Prince before his collapse.”
“….”
“But after that?”

Ryubik’s face twisted with displeasure.

“Is the Imperial delegation now interfering in the internal affairs of the Bennayser Kingdom?”
“It’s not interference—it’s counsel.”
“I disliked it from the start that a Temple Priest and a Sacred Maiden came as envoys. Hypocrites who came under the orders of that filthy Empire, yet speak of peace and protection.”
“You don’t seem to know how many people that hypocrite has saved.”
“If you truly desired peace, you wouldn’t have come to this place as the Empire’s lapdog.”
“….”
“You call yourself a Sacred Maiden, but in truth you’re nothing but a clown conducting a popularity contest.”
“And?”

Saelika looked directly at Ryubik.

“Does nursing your pride when your weak point is struck save your people?”
“…!”
“Unlike someone obsessed with eliminating rivals, I thought you were a prince who understood the greater good.”

Saelika rose from her seat with a cold expression.

“I misjudged you.”

* * *

“Y-you insolent…!”

The moment Saelika left the room, Ryubik’s aide’s face flushed with indignation.
Ryubik himself, however, remained silent.

“…Your Highness Ryubik?”
“Saelika, was it?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard rumors that it means the Angel of Blood.”

At those words, Ryubik let out a soft chuckle.

“It’s a fitting name.”
“Indeed? Well, I must say, she didn’t even—.”
“I find it quite pleasing.”
“…Pardon?”
“I find it very pleasing.”

The aide stared at Ryubik in astonishment.
A smile had bloomed across Ryubik’s face.

—————
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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