Youngest on Top - Chapter 251

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

Chapter 251

Thump.
My heart sank in a peculiar way.
Shuri was still watching me.
My mouth had gone completely dry.
I barely managed to open my lips.

“…Huh?”

But only a dazed sound escaped.
Shuri’s smile deepened.

“You like me, and I like you.”

Eyes gleaming with an ethereal light I’d never seen anywhere else seemed to pierce right through me.
As if he were coaxing me….
My lips parted as though bewitched.

“I…. I like you— Hic!”
“….”
“No, what I mean is— Hic!”
“….”
“Hic!”

Even covering my mouth, the hiccups wouldn’t stop.
Holding my breath didn’t help either.

In that moment.

“…!”

I felt something incredibly soft and warm against the back of my hand.
My eyes widened.

Black hair tickled my forehead as it swayed gently.
Long, lowered lashes cast a deep shadow across my cheek.
A sharp, defined nose.
Warm breath.
And.

Lips.

The entire world became Shuri.
Our lips touched with only the width of my palm between us.

Long lashes trembled, and jewel-like eyes were revealed.

“It’s stopped now.”

Each time his lips moved as he whispered, they tickled the back of my hand.
It was a sensation entirely unfamiliar to me.

“Hiccup.”

Shuri, his head tilted, grinned widely.

It was strange.
It felt as though his face filled the entire world.

The chat window of my brothers flashed before me in a dizzying blur.
Yet I couldn’t see any of it.
Only—

“B-but I’m not! Saelika!”

I bolted upright.

“I’m completely! Someone else!”
“Yeah.”

Shuri watched me quietly, then smiled faintly and nodded.
For some reason, his composure and maturity irritated me.
I couldn’t understand why I felt so anxious.

‘Well, that makes sense!’

Now that I thought about it, there was a reasonable explanation.

‘I thought my identity had been exposed.’

That’s why I was so startled.
The assumption had struck far too close to home.

‘I’ve been kissed on the back of my hand plenty of times. There’s nothing particularly shocking about it.’

I absently rubbed the back of my hand.
I’d experienced hand-back kisses countless times.
Shuri had even kissed the back of my hand before.

“….”

Yet something felt strange.
Like a mark, the sensation from moments ago lingered and wouldn’t fade.
No matter how much I rubbed it.

“Hey, Shuri. What would you do if someone deceived you?”
“Deceived me?”
“Yeah.”

Shuri, who had been watching me quietly, let out a low chuckle.

“Well— that would constitute a crime of deceiving the royal family.”
“A, a crime of deception?”
“Hmm, as for legal punishment—”
“Right? That seems excessive, doesn’t it?”
“—it would be too lenient. I’d have to punish them myself.”
“….”
“Personally.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“P, p, punish them? You personally?”

Wouldn’t it be better to just be charged with treason against the royal family and serve time in prison?

“Yeah. I’ll scold him a bit and forgive him.”
“Forgive…?”

Isn’t the other person in a state beyond forgiveness?
Like they’ve already crossed a river from which there’s no return.

Shuri was truly strong.
I recalled fighting against Misa’s possessed body.

“Yeah, forgiveness. Sacred Maiden Saelika said I was kind to her.”

The way Shuri smiled like that was somehow…
He seemed quite pleased.
Heat rose to my cheeks, which had only just cooled.

“…Shuri, you have strange tastes too. Getting pleasure from imagining punishing others.”
“Hmm.”

Shuri, who had been staring at me intently, nodded while saying, “Perhaps so.”
His gaze was dangerous.

I grumbled pointlessly and turned my head away.

‘What is this.’

“Sacred Maiden Saelika said I was kind to her.”

‘Why does he smile like that when talking about me.’

* * *

“Ricardo, take these cookies with you.”
“If you eat a lot and run out, come by anytime.”
“You could even travel with us, couldn’t you? What do you think? Hmm?”

Grandmother— no, Shuri’s subordinates fussed over me attentively.

‘So she really is grinding flour like she said?’

The moment I tensed my muscles, the wheat grains around me turned to powder.

‘…I should not mess with her.’

One wrong move and I might end up finely ground myself.
People with special abilities were always terrifying.

‘If they find out I deceived Shuri, they’ll grind me to dust first.’

That’s when it happened.
The man who had handed me the cookie bundle asked cautiously.

“Ricardo, about that young Sacred Maiden…”
“Huh? What?”

I answered tensely, and the man lowered his voice further.

“Is her eye a little crooked?”

…What?

“How could you say she’s kind to our master?”
“She’s a real Sacred Maiden, so is she like, embracing all things with love? That kind of thing?”
“It’s not love, it’s agape.”

I stared at the men with disbelief.
I couldn’t believe I was actually intimidated by these fools.

“I’m leaving!”

.
.

After Ricardo disappeared.
The men’s eyes narrowed to slits.

“Something feels off, doesn’t it?”
“Right? Ricardo doesn’t usually act like this.”
“His cheeks are all red and he’s acting all flustered. Did you see how dazed he looked when he received the cookie?”
“That guy, dazed in front of a cookie…!”
“Why does he keep rubbing the back of his hand?”

The questions only multiplied without any answers emerging.

“What on earth happened in there?”

All I’d heard from those who’d gone out and returned was that Saelika had said something kind to Kaishurit.
Just then, Kaishurit emerged from inside.

“What exactly did you do to make Ricardo act like that?”
“He’s completely different from when he arrived.”
“I don’t know.”

Kaishurit smiled—a rare occurrence.
It was the smile of a satisfied predator.

His retainers’ eyes widened in shock.
While he smiled readily in front of Saelika and Ricardo, Kaishurit rarely smiled otherwise.

“He won’t be thinking of anyone else now.”

Kaishurit murmured to himself.
Then he turned to his retainers and asked.

“What about that demon?”
“It was a mirror demon. But do we really need to investigate it? Regarding the calamity—”
“That’s not why.”
“Then why….”
“It left a bad taste in my mouth.”
“Sir?”

Kaishurit saw the confused expressions on his retainers’ faces but offered no further explanation.

“A mirror demon would have an original it copied somewhere. Find out what it is.”

I merely give orders.

* * *

Squeak, squeak-squeak.
Squeak.
Squeak-squeak.

Shuellina’s eyelids trembled.
Her nape had been itching since earlier.
The squeaking sound kept irritating her.
Shuellina irritably brought her hand to her neck.

Squelch!
Her eyes snapped open at the strange sensation.
And then.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

A rat the size of a forearm squeaked and scurried into the corner.

“Gasp, gasp, huff!”

Shuellina curled her body into a ball.
She still hadn’t grown accustomed to this horrific underground dungeon.

Then, footsteps echoed.
Shuellina’s face brightened as she approached the iron bars.
But seeing the two Guards approaching, her expression hardened rapidly.
The Guard served her meal and immediately turned away.

Clang!
Shuellina hurled the bowl.

“You’re telling me to eat this garbage?”
“Haven’t you suffered enough hunger? You should be grateful for what you’re given.”
“I am a Sacred Maiden! I have diplomatic immunity!”
“Oh, is that so? Then why are you in prison?”

A fierce, burning light ignited in Shuellina’s eyes.

“…My father won’t let you get away with this.”
“What?”
“My father, the Perardin Noishurael Duke, will tear you all to shreds!”
“This is insane….”
“Father cherished me so much. He bought me anything I wanted. He listened to everything I said. Because he loved me, because I was so precious to him, and so—.”
“How dare a fake speak such words?!”

Shuellina’s movements froze as if struck by lightning.

“F…fake?”
“The true Duchess, Sacred Maiden Saelika, is now slaying demons and becoming a hero across the entire continent.”
“No!”

Shuellina screamed, covering her ears.

“No! That’s not true! Father loves me! No matter how much that scheming woman whispers and tries to drive a wedge between Father and me, one tear from me and he’d give me anything!!”
“Here we go again.”
“She’s completely mad.”

The Guards clicked their tongues with expressions of disgust.

“Well, she’s mad enough to try posing as the Duchess while injecting demon blood into herself.”
“Rejected by the temple itself, and she calls herself a Sacred Maiden.”
“I feel sorry for Sacred Maiden Saelika for being entangled with such a thing.”

Ptui!
The Guards spat and left the place.

Pitter, pitter-patter, pitter.
Rats scurried over to the spilled food scraps on the floor and crawled about.

‘Why?’

How could this happen?
Why?
Why did things turn out this way?

Shuellina couldn’t comprehend it.

Everything had been going so well.
An insignificant, overlooked little temple.
As a Sacred Maiden, I had always received respect, but it wasn’t enough.
Of all things, to awaken as a Sacred Maiden in such a rural temple!

But then someone opened a new world for me.
Beautiful, compassionate, powerful—a perfect being.

Thanks to her, I gained attention and passed the preliminary rounds for the Grand Sacred Maiden selection.
I was no longer a Sacred Maiden no one cared about.
Most importantly.

‘Even that magnificent Perardin Noishurael Duke became mine…!’

Was it only the Duke?
Admiral Ekellan and two beautiful princes as well.
Men that everyone desired and coveted were all mine.

Everyone bowed before me.
Even the Sacred Maidens who had subtly looked down on me were desperate to flatter me.
The world praised me and looked up to me.

‘But that rat Saelika ruined everything!’

Crack!
Shuellina seized the rat crawling beside her.

“What do you mean she’s the real daughter? She just got lucky being born with the right blood!”

Squeeeak!
The rat shrieked.

“Just because blood connects us, she gets everything without any effort?!”

This was far too unfair.

“Father, Uncle, my brothers—the ones they truly cherish and care for is me!”

Shuellina’s blue-gray eyes gleamed with madness.

“Even though we didn’t share blood, you cherished me so dearly. That was true love!”

And yet that insignificant creature was called a hero!

“There’s been some mistake. Yes, there’s no way that pathetic rat could have defeated the Demons. Of course not. They must have used some cowardly trick. Just like they did to me. With her here, how could a mere rat ever….”

Shuellina, who had been muttering while gnawing at her fingernails like someone driven mad, suddenly froze.

“…She would never abandon me. Yes, the reason she hasn’t come yet is because that wretched rat is interfering. But she will definitely come to get me. And then I’ll deal with that rat….”

That was when it happened.
Brilliant light filled the dark, sunless prison cell.
Shuellina instinctively closed her eyes.
A voice resonated in her ears.

“Blessed are those who believe.”

Flash.
Shuellina opened her eyes.
Tears streamed down her face as she confirmed the presence before her.

“Ah, I knew you wouldn’t abandon me! I believed you would come to save me!”

Shuellina crawled on her knees toward the light.

“Amelia…!”

Even in the filthy, squalid prison cell, Amelia shone with a sacred radiance all her own.
Amelia extended her pale arm and gently stroked Shuellina’s head.

“Of course I wouldn’t abandon you. Shuellina.”
“Ah….”
“Look, even without proper nourishment, you’re so healthy. It’s proof that your sanctity still shines brightly.”

Shuellina’s condition could hardly be called healthy by any honest measure.
Yet it was true that she had enough strength to kick away the food given to her.
For the first time, Shuellina realized this fact.

“I couldn’t use holy power… so I thought I was no longer a Sacred Maiden.”
“So this is the Crown Prince’s doing. Quite the remarkable man, truly.”

Amelia smiled gently.

“But your holy power hasn’t disappeared—it’s simply trapped within you. Do you understand what that means?”

Shuellina stared up at Amelia in a daze.

“It means you have the power to vanquish that counterfeit.”
“…!”
“I can help you.”

Amelia smiled with the benevolence of a savior.

* * *

“Hyah!”

I threw a punch.
The monsters blocking my path were instantly sent flying.
Inside the castle they had been guarding lay a beautiful prince in slumber.
I hurried toward him.

“Sh-Shuri?”

I gasped in surprise seeing Shuri shirtless, wrapped in thorny rose vines.
But there was no time for shock.

“Hurry! Wake the sleeping prince in the forest!”
“What? B-but!”
“Kiss him now!!”

I swallowed hard.
Shuri lay there looking pristine yet alluring—utterly tempting.

‘What am I thinking…’

“Hurry up and break the curse!!”
“Only the Sacred Maiden’s kiss can break the curse!!!”

Everyone around me kept urging me on.

This was absolutely not something I wanted to do.
I had no choice but to do it to save Shuri from the enchanted forest.
It was truly unavoidable.

I lowered my head.
Shuri’s lips drew closer and closer.
They were a rich, tempting crimson.

Thump, thump, thump.
My heart pounded wildly, even though this was just breaking a curse.

‘Oh, forget it!’

The moment my lips drew near to his.

“That Shuri guy is into men. Absolutely not. That Shuri guy is into men. Don’t get interested. I hate Shuri. I hate Shuri…”

A strange chanting echoed through the air.

‘What is this?’

Everything suddenly vanished.

When I opened my eyes, Ilay was in my room.
I wiped my mouth quickly and sat up from the bed.
Morning light was already streaming through the windows.

“Ilay? What is that?”
“A dream catcher. It catches nightmares, apparently.”
“Nightmares?”
“Yeah, you seemed to be having some bad dreams lately.”
“…?”

I suppose that was it.
I couldn’t quite remember the details of the dream.

Just then, the door burst open.

“Protagonist! Shuellina has disappeared!”

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