Youngest on Top - Chapter 153

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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 153

Everyone had already finished entering the venue.
When the grand central doors—used only for the initial entrance—swung open, all eyes turned toward them.

“What is this?”
“Why is the door suddenly opening…?”

It was merely curiosity.
Perhaps some event to enliven the banquet, nothing more.
But when the figure beyond the threshold came into view, the crowd gasped, their breath catching.

“S-Saelika the Sacred Maiden?!”

The person who had entered the Banquet Hall.
She was the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia—the very subject of conversation moments ago!

“Has she returned from the Kingdom of Bennayser?”
“But we haven’t heard any news of the delegation’s return.”
“Wasn’t it said to have failed completely?”
“Yes, they said she lost the trade rights to the Kingdom of Akaldin…”

Yet Saelika’s appearance bore no resemblance to that of a defeated warrior.
The child crossed the Banquet Hall with confident strides.
Behind her, Randel, Kaiser, and Ilay followed as though serving as her aides.

“H-How is this possible?!”

The one most shocked by this entrance was Agnes Countess.
Grizelda Princess approached her with a smirk.

“Didn’t you just say that Saelika the Sacred Maiden had gone missing?”
“…!”
“Or rather, that she was surely dead?”

Agnes fixed Grizelda with a piercing glare.

“Did you know beforehand? You made a fool of me!”
“The fool-making was what the Countess did to me earlier.”

Grizelda elegantly waved her fan.

“But it would be wise to remember, Countess. When one believes idle gossip and wags their tongue carelessly, they invite ridicule.”

Agnes bit her lips tightly and glared at Grizelda.
But ultimately, she turned away without uttering a word and left.

Grizelda let out a soft laugh watching her departure.
Seeing Agnes Countess leave without saying a single word felt like a long-held knot in her chest had finally loosened.

Grizelda’s gaze turned toward Saelika.

‘I’ve thought it before, but she truly has a talent for catching people off guard.’

Did she know beforehand?
No, I had no idea at all.

‘If I didn’t know, holding Saelika’s hand as I did, then no one else in this banquet hall would have known either.’

Indeed, the people were staring at Saelika with bewildered expressions.

‘To leave the nobility so dumbfounded all at once. Truly a remarkable talent.’

In the meantime, Saelika arrived before the dais.

“Your Majesty.”

The Emperor did not respond.
Saelika paid it no mind and spread her skirts as she bowed her head.

“I am Saelika, Sacred Maiden of Artemisia, and I have returned having concluded an accord with the kingdom in accordance with Your Majesty’s will.”

The Emperor looked down at her with eyes that seemed displeased, then spoke curtly.

“You certainly know how to cause trouble.”
“But waiting for a gift is a pleasure in itself, is it not?”
“A pleasure, you say.”

The Emperor, who had been resting his chin languidly, straightened his posture.

“Let’s see if it truly becomes a pleasure. After all this anticipation, if I unwrap the package only to find garbage inside…”
“….”
“—I fear I shall lose my temper.”

The Emperor’s eyes gleamed with predatory sharpness as he gazed down at the child.
Yet the child did not blink once, merely smiling brightly in return.

“But what if the gift proves to be exactly to your liking?”

The Emperor finally let out a soft chuckle.
The child’s unwavering confidence at this very moment was nothing short of audacious.
Indeed, it had been the same when demons suddenly attacked the imperial palace and the nobles scattered in panic.

“So then, Your Majesty. Have you obtained a satisfactory answer?”

The child met his gaze directly and posed the question.
It was this very demeanor that had prompted him to entrust the Kaston trade agreement to the child.

‘I wished to know whether this was genuine or merely an act.’

At the Emperor’s gesture, an attendant approached Saelika and retrieved the contract.
The Emperor unfolded the agreement.

Now he would have his answer.
Whether this was merely the reckless audacity of an ignorant child.
Or whether the child possessed abilities befitting such bold confidence.

‘If this proves to be mere recklessness—.’

The Emperor’s gaze fell upon the contract.
And then.

“Hahahaha!”

A booming laugh resonated through the Banquet Hall, echoing brilliantly.
The eyes of the nobles who had been quietly observing the situation widened in surprise.

“There is good reason for my confidence! Yes, with such results, I can promise anything. Absolutely!”

The Emperor lifted his gaze from the agreement document and looked at Saelika.

“You asked about the case where I received a gift that pleased my heart, did you not?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“This is far beyond merely pleasing my heart.”
….
“It exceeds my expectations.”

The Emperor’s declaration.
It was not Saelika who was startled by that declaration.

‘The Emperor is pleased to such a degree?’
‘I understand the trade succeeded. But he is not one to speak thus merely for that reason.’
‘What on earth could the result be?!’

The Emperor gazed at Saelika with a deep smile.

“Saelika.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Come closer to me.”

Saelika glanced at the Emperor and stepped forward a couple of paces.

“Closer still.”
….
“More.”

Eventually, Saelika ascended the platform and approached directly before the Emperor.

Grasp!
The Emperor seized Saelika’s hand.

“With these small hands, you have accomplished something remarkable. You are the blessing of the Empire and my joy.”
“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor let out a short laugh.

‘She speaks respectfully, yet feels no reverence whatsoever.’

One could say it was quite audacious, in a way.

‘And yet, I find her confidence rather appealing. Her abilities are genuine, after all.’

The Emperor gestured with his eyes toward the level below.

“Look.”

Saelika turned her gaze.
Beneath her feet stood countless nobles.
All of them looked up at her in unison.

“You surpass all these many people.”

At the Emperor’s words, Empress Adelin, seated one tier below, opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty, this is the first time I’ve seen you so pleased. It seems the Sacred Maiden has truly delivered remarkable results.”
“Indeed. Even ‘success’ seems insufficient to describe it.”
“Yet I’m curious. Why did she appear so suddenly and reveal herself?”

Empress Adelin’s gaze fell upon Saelika.

“We heard nothing of the delegation’s return, nor any word of the agreement’s outcome. Yet she suddenly appears in the Banquet Hall like this—it’s rather surprising.”
“….”
“Surely it wasn’t intentional—was it?”

Saelika smiled.

‘Of course it was intentional.’

The favor I asked of Ryubik when we parted ways.
That was precisely for this moment!

.
.

Just before parting ways with Ryubik.
Saelika spoke to him.

“Before that, I have one request.”

Ryubik told her to speak freely.
But when Saelika actually stated what she wanted, he asked with an incredulous expression.

“You orchestrate something this spectacularly and then ask me to suppress the information?!”
“I made all those grand moves for Your Majesty’s sake. So you’d be in the spotlight.”
“…So I’m supposed to be thrilled just hearing ‘for your sake’?”
“…”

Saelika regarded Ryubik with a cold, piercing gaze.
His joke was in poor taste.

“So, can’t you do it?”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t. It’s just difficult.”
“Then let me see Your Majesty’s skills this time.”
“Now that you’ve put it that way, I’ll have to pull it off.”

Ryubik grinned widely.
Then he whispered with a serious expression.

“But I can’t stretch it out for long. The journalists and nobles have all seen the treaty. The rumors are bound to spread.”
“How much time?”
“Two days is the limit.”
“That’s enough. I’m moving out tonight anyway.”

.
.

Ryubik proved quite skilled.
He didn’t stop at controlling the journalists and nobles.
He spread false rumors.
That Akaldine Kingdom and Kaston had completed their trade.

‘Judging by the atmosphere, it seems to have been an effective bluff.’

And the moment I spread that rumor, I took another step forward.
I completely cut off all communications!

‘Then even if spies tried to report the kingdom’s situation to the Empire immediately, they wouldn’t be able to.’

What Ilay had mentioned—
“communications are down”
—was the result of that as well.

‘So Ryubik has quite the bold side to him.’

That’s why he overturned the board, saying he couldn’t honor the existing agreement made with the Empire.
Saelika smiled while concealing her true thoughts.

“Surely you didn’t do it on purpose?”
“Really? Then it seems like you could have made contact at least once.”
“I actually tried several times.”

That’s a lie.

“But there were communication errors. They said the mana for communications within the kingdom was blocked.”

This part is true.
Though it’s Ryubik’s doing.

“…I see.”
“I returned because His Majesty seemed to be waiting. I didn’t want to cause him further worry.”

At those words, the Emperor burst into hearty laughter.

“From now on, I shouldn’t worry when Saelika sends no word.”
“…”
“Instead, I should look forward to what gift she’ll give me next.”

At the Emperor’s words, Empress Adelin fell silent.
Maxina watched and let out a quiet laugh.

‘Why did she have to provoke His Majesty when he was showing affection for the child.’

Of course, Empress Adelin must have wanted to extend an invitation herself.
She knew that Saelika had been invited to Maxina’s gathering before departing for the Kingdom of Bennayser.

‘Did she think I was on her side? Perfect. I should use this opportunity to make Saelika truly mine.’

Maxina’s lips curved into a radiant smile as she spoke.

“What a precious gift of a child. Wherever did such a girl come from?”
“Indeed. I sometimes wonder if all the long misfortunes of the Artemisia Temple weren’t simply the price for obtaining this child.”
“Hehe, when I invited her to a separate gathering before, I thought she was quite sharp and clever.”
“Oh? So Maxina recognized this child’s true worth from long ago?”
“She’s such a cute and lovely girl, after all.”

Maxina gazed at Saelika with affectionate eyes.
Then Empress Adelin spoke as though refusing to yield.

“I wonder. Wasn’t it at Princess Grizelda’s request that you invited this child, Maxina?”
“…The Princess’s request was merely the occasion.”
“Today shall be my occasion then. Saelika, my palace’s pastry chef is quite skilled. How would you like to have cake together with me tomorrow afternoon?”
“My goodness? Why so suddenly? Just moments ago you were pressing the child with questions.”
“I was merely asking out of curiosity. Now then, Saelika. Do you prefer chocolate, whipped cream? Or perhaps both?”
“Saelika, I have a chilled fruit tea I made myself. It’s absolutely delicious when served cold. Would you like to come drink it tomorrow?”

Saelika watched the empresses’ quarrel with clouded eyes.

‘What is this? This familiar feeling…’

I had seen this same pattern countless times among the High Priest, the Elders, Randel, Kaiser, and Admiral Ekellan.

‘…Though their true intentions are surely entirely different.’

They were doing this because I held the Emperor’s favor.
Moreover, they must be curious about information regarding the treaty document.

I was deliberating on how to respond when the Emperor opened his mouth.
The Emperor spoke.

“I do wish the Empresses would yield to me.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, I would like to spend tea time with Saelika.”
“…!”

The Empresses fell silent in shock, their mouths closing.
The Emperor broke into a sly smile.

“Then let it be understood as such.”

It was at that moment.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but that will not be possible.”

Randel, who had ascended the platform without warning, spoke to the Emperor with utmost courtesy.
Kaiser, who had come up alongside him, swept Saelika into his arms.

“My daughter has a prior engagement tomorrow.”
“A prior engagement?”
“We have made plans to go on a date.”
“…A date?”
“With Father.”

Kaiser’s face turned arrogant, his lips curling into a smirk.

* * *

The incident that unfolded in the Banquet Hall sent the imperial court into upheaval.

“Did you see? His Majesty summoned the Sacred Maiden Saelika to the highest platform?”
“Even the Empresses cannot ascend to that stage!”
“When he told her to turn around, everyone was utterly shocked.”

To gaze down upon the nobility from that place.
That was a privilege granted only to the Emperor and Empress.

“What exactly was the agreement with the Kingdom of Bennayser that warranted such a reaction?”
“Surely it wasn’t just that one thing alone?”
“Then what…?”
“His Majesty intends to elevate Saelika, the Sacred Maiden, to a position of great influence.”
“If that’s the case…”

The nobles’ expressions grew complicated.
All of them maintained close ties with various temples.
The higher the status of Artemisia Temple rose, the lower the standing of the other temples would fall!

‘Can we allow this to continue? Shouldn’t we somehow prevent Artemisia Temple’s monopoly?’
‘No, perhaps we should establish connections with Artemisia Temple instead?’
‘But how much money have we already invested in the other temples…’

The nobles weighed Artemisia Temple against the others, lost in contemplation.

Observing their predicament, Count Daymon spoke in a low voice.

“Is it not remarkable?”
“Your Excellency?”
“The superior temples, firmly established for decades, deeply entrenched with the highest nobility of the realm.”
“…”
“Now they stand upon the same scale as Artemisia Temple.”
“…”
“Artemisia Temple, which was crumbling into decline merely years ago!”
“…!”

At Count Daymon’s words, his aide glanced around with astonished eyes.
Indeed, his words rang true.

And yet, no one found this peculiar.
They accepted it as natural.
Everyone acknowledged that Artemisia Temple possessed such merit.

“This entire transformation stems from a single person.”
“…”
“Truly, one who carries the name of the Blood Angel…!”

Count Daymon’s exclamation caused his aide’s expression to shift subtly.
It seemed he disliked being called that way.

* * *

“You gave such a grand welcome, yet you were stood up.”

The Emperor smiled at the Attendant’s words.

“The Artemisia Temple has quite the political acumen.”
“Your Majesty?”
“She didn’t stand me up. She raised the stakes.”
“….”
“What if she had chosen one of the Empresses there?”
“She would have chosen a faction. But if she chose you, Your Majesty, there would be no problem—.”
“That means she won’t take my side either.”
“Your Majesty?”
“It means she won’t fall easily into my hands.”
“….”
“Saelika has proven her worth. So she’s saying she won’t negotiate unless I wager something worthy of that value.”
“Such…!”

The Attendant’s eyes widened.
To think that young Sacred Maiden possessed such political cunning!
The Emperor’s gaze turned toward the outside.

“I wonder what that child who stood me up is doing right now?”
“….”
“She’s surely moving about busily. She’s a clever child, after all.”

.
.

And at that very moment, true to the Emperor’s words, Saelika was moving about with purpose.

“Our apple!”
“My little birdie!”
“Love, love my love, my precious treasure!”
“Our tiger!”
“Our rabbit!”
“Ahhhhh! Don’t follow me! No more kisses from now on!”

Truly busy.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————