Youngest on Top - Chapter 260

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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 260

Ted stepped forward.

“Why should we grant an opportunity to such a wicked and treacherous criminal? Judging by what she has done, swift execution would be insufficient punishment.”

Amelia concealed her satisfaction and spoke as though lamenting.

“But she is, in her own way, a Sacred Maiden. We must show her proper respect.”
“That is precisely what makes her so vile. To commit such atrocities and shamelessly bask in reverence as a Sacred Maiden—and now she seeks to become a Grand Sacred Maiden?”

Amelia let out a long sigh.

“You are right. But… as Parmanase’s Sacred Maiden, I wish to grant even this wicked criminal one final chance to repent of her own accord.”

In this moment, Amelia embodied the very image of a benevolent Sacred Maiden.
Saelika flicked her ear dismissively, her expression cold.

“Enough with the theatrics. Why don’t you just show us the evidence you’ve prepared?”
“You still don’t understand the meaning of remorse. I can no longer take your side.”

Amelia gave Ted a meaningful glance.
Ted nodded in acknowledgment.

“All the truth rests in my hands.”

Ted manipulated the magical artifact he held.

Crackle, crackle-crackle!
The broadcast crystal display screen flickered, and a different image began to materialize.

“That is… a prison?”
“It’s Shuellina! It’s the prison where Shuellina was confined!”

The crowd’s words rang true.
On the display, the image of Shuellina locked within a prison cell appeared.
And before her, the shadow of someone else as well.

“Who is with her?”
“The one who killed Shuellina!”

Whether the killer had removed the corpse from prison after murdering her, or had her escape before killing her.
To kill Shuellina while she was inside the prison, one would have needed to infiltrate it.

People held their breath, waiting for the shadow’s identity to be revealed.

[Why did you come here? Did you come to mock me?]

Shuellina cried out with venomous eyes toward her opponent.
At the same moment, the image slowly panned upward.
From Shuellina, who sat crouched on the ground, higher and higher.

The first thing revealed was brilliant golden hair, radiant even in the darkness.
Next came straight shoulders.
A long neck and defined jawline.

[Huh? Saelika!]

Soon, beneath the blazing torchlight, the opponent’s face was fully revealed.
Saelika’s face!

“What is this…!”
“D-did Sacred Maiden Saelika really kill Shuellina? Surely not—”
“Surely nothing. Lady Amelia kept saying it. That Saelika killed Shuellina and gained power from it!”

Hearing the commotion of the crowd, Amelia wore a satisfied smile.

‘Ted is far more capable and useful than Emily, I’m telling you.’

In the image, Saelika spoke with a cold expression.

[There’s no way I’d come just to mock someone as insignificant as you. I’m not that idle.]
[Ha! Then why did you come?]
[I was curious. How exactly did you obtain this bracelet?]

Saelika pulled a bracelet from her embrace.
The bracelet, woven from seashells, was an item Shuellina had kept as proof that she was truly a princess of the sea.
A bracelet crafted from mermaid treasures by the now-deceased Duchess, made for her daughter.

When young Saelika had defeated the kidnapper who abducted her and lost consciousness.
Behemoth had appeared, discarded the bracelet on the ground saying it was unpleasant, and its whereabouts had been unknown ever since.

[This is what the Parmanase Temple gave you, right? With this, you could pretend to be ‘Reyarsha’.]
[…!]
[So it was true after all.]
[No!]

Denying it was already too late.
The turmoil that appeared on Shuellina’s face was unmistakable to anyone watching.

[You’ve been spouting nonsense this whole time! I didn’t take what was yours—you took what was mine!]
[I suppose one could call this loyalty.]
[Father and Uncle and my brothers truly loved me. If you hadn’t existed, our family would have lived happily together.]

From somewhere, Shuellina found the strength to spring up and glare at Saelika.

[Look at you now! If you were truly the ruthless and merciless Perardin Noishurael Duke, you would have ordered my execution immediately.]
[….]
[But the reason you’ve kept me alive is because Father couldn’t bring himself to order the death of someone he loves—.]
[Don’t misunderstand.]

Saelika cut off Shuellina’s words sharply.

[You were spared entirely because of the people from the Perpidian Temple.]
[What?]
[And our father isn’t ruthless and merciless. He’s incredibly kind and gentle.]

‘…That’s a bit much.’
‘…That’s really not true.’

In that moment, the nobles watching the scoreboard forgot the situation entirely and thought the same thing.
The incident from five years ago when Perardin Noishurael Duke attended a state council meeting and drove a sword into the round table while threatening the other nobles was still legendary.

But affectionate? Kind?
The nobles who glanced at Perardin Noishurael Duke flinched.

‘Has a demon possessed his eyes.’
‘Why does Perardin Noishurael Duke look as though he’s moved to tears…?’

With a slightly touched expression and a subtle smile, he was breathtakingly handsome.
But to the nobles who knew his true nature, it was nothing but chilling.

[Ha! Don’t make me laugh. I’m only keeping the Sacred Maiden alive because I’d be cursed if I killed her directly!]
[Your temple is trying hard to preserve your life. If it weren’t for those people—]
[I don’t need it! Those wretches!]

Shuellina thrashed about wildly.

[If I was truly precious to you, you should get me out of here right now! So I wouldn’t have to endure this humiliation!!]
[….]
[Poor and worthless, never once useful! You call me a precious Sacred Maiden, yet you can’t do anything for me!]
[Why can’t I?]

Saelika asked with a cold expression.

[Whenever I got something delicious from a believer, I carefully saved it and gave it to you.]
[Those stale, flavorless cookies— I won’t eat them even if you give them!]

Shuellina made a dismissive gesture with disgust.

[You don’t understand because you belong to a grand temple like Artemia! You went from living miserably in an orphanage to becoming a princess overnight—we’re completely different! If you were in my situation—.]
[You’re right.]

Saelika nodded readily.

[I became truly happy after meeting the people of Artemia Temple. There were people worthy of the name grand temple.]
[Ha! Are you bragging now?]
[Those stale cookies I ate back then were the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.]

The people of Artemia Temple gazed at the screen with moved expressions.
Mogen in particular was crying into a rabbit handkerchief.

[There’s no point in wasting more words. This is my final message to you, for the sake of the Perpidian Temple.]

Sacred Maiden Saelika pulled the hood of her robe over her head as she spoke.

[This prison is safe. So no matter what happens—never leave this cell.]
[What…?]

Sacred Maiden Saelika turned away without hesitation, as though she had said all she needed to say.
Just before she stepped out of the cell.
She paused and added one final word.

[And when you spoke of the people from Perpidian Temple—think back on why you became so angry and agitated.]
[What—.]
[The real reason.]

That was the end.
Sacred Maiden Saelika’s figure vanished completely into the darkness.

* * *

The recording ended there.
The crowd murmured.

“What is this? If she left like that, then Sacred Maiden Saelika didn’t kill Shuellina.”
“She even told her to stay here because the prison was safe!”
“So she came to warn her because she knew someone would target Shuellina’s life?”
“I knew it! Sacred Maiden Saelika would never do such a thing.”

Amelia looked across the spectator stands with a pale face.
Many voices rose, but nearly all of them said the same thing.

‘This is… it only strengthened Sacred Maiden Saelika’s innocence!’

The recording Ted had shown her had cut off much earlier.

Shuellina jumping to her feet, desperately insisting that Perardin Noishurael Duke loved her more.
And Sacred Maiden Saelika approaching her with a cold expression.

At that point, the footage froze as if noise had corrupted it.
Along with a small explosion.
As though Sacred Maiden Saelika had attacked Shuellina, destroying the video artifact in the process.

“The most convincing truth is always fact mixed with a touch of falsehood, you see.”

Ted spoke thus and smiled.
He certainly did.

Amelia asked Ted with a hardened expression.

“What is the meaning of this?”
“It is as I explained, Amelia.”

Ted spoke as though wondering what the problem was.
Wearing that familiar sweet smile.

“Did I not tell you? All truth rests within my hands.”
“…!”

Amelia was not so foolish as to fail to grasp both the situation and the meaning behind Ted’s words.
Before she could respond, a voice erupted from the stands.

“More importantly— what does that mean? Parmanase gave our Sae the bracelet!”

A voice so loud it pierced through the chaos.
It was Terese, the Draconic Princess.
Beside her stood Tarasius, the Draconic Crown Prince, and Nemus, King of the Elves.
And—

‘Reks.’

Reks, King of the Beastkin, no less!

Amelia gazed at Reks with an expression of dismay.
Meanwhile, the question Terese had thrown ignited like wildfire.

“Could it be that the one behind Sacred Maiden Saelika’s abduction was—”
“Parmanase?!”
“No way. Even so, that doesn’t make sense. The Parmanase priesthood and Perardin Noishurael Duke’s house have maintained close ties for generations….”

As suspicion and denial bloomed here and there.
Ted spoke.

“At the very least, the truth of who ordered Shuellina’s actions rests in my hands.”

The crystal scoreboard, which had gone dark, flickered back to life with an image.
And what appeared was—

[Ah, I thought you wouldn’t abandon me! I believed you would come to save me!]

Shuellina, her face far more gaunt than before, crying out with something between madness and ecstasy.
And.

[Lady Amelia…!]

It was Amelia!

[Of course I won’t abandon you, Shuellina.]

Amelia in the footage whispered with a tender expression.
At that sight, gasps of astonishment rippled through the stands.

“She won’t abandon her….”
“Then Shuellina and Amelia really were in on it together?”
“That fake’s entire masquerade as a princess was only possible with Amelia’s help!!”

People stared at Amelia with shocked expressions.
Someone cried out as if in anguish.

“We still don’t know!! All that’s proven is that Shuellina followed Lady Amelia!!”
“R-right! Lady Amelia might not have known! Maybe Shuellina caused the incident without her knowledge! That’s why she thought Lady Amelia would abandon her!!”

However, such words required no rebuttal.
Because of what Amelia said next.

[It means you have the power to destroy that fake, the real one.]
[….]
[I can help you.]

Amelia called Saelika a “fake.”
It was undeniable evidence that this wasn’t something Shuellina had done alone.

And the screen even captured Amelia escaping the prison with Shuellina.

“There’s no way around this.”
“I’m so disappointed…. I thought Amelia was a righteous person.”
“To scheme like that behind the scenes….”
“I always knew she was like that!”
“And now what? You’re giving her a chance to repent?”
“If she had any conscience, she wouldn’t say such things to the Sacred Maiden!!”
“Boooooo~!!”

Jeers erupted from all directions.
The Parmanase Priests cried out.

“No! Amelia had no idea!”
“We vouch for her! Amelia just laughed off whatever Saelika did!!”
“Shuellina deceived Amelia! She claimed to be the real duchess!”
“Had no idea?”

A brief question.
Yet with those few words, not only the Parmanase Priests but everyone in the stadium fell silent.
And for good reason—the one who had spoken was the Kaishurit Crown Prince.

The Parmanase Priest spoke with a brightened face.

“Y-yes, Your Highness! Your Highness can testify to Amelia’s innocence—.”
“Is that something that can be resolved by simply claiming ignorance?”
“Pardon?”
“Conspiring with demons and claiming you didn’t know?”
“…!”

The Parmanase Priests’ faces drained of all color.
The crowd was no different.
They were speaking of the secret of birth, and now demons were being mentioned?

“Shuellina— have you forgotten that the impostor used demon blood to masquerade as the Duchess?”
“…!”
“…!!”

The Parmanase Priests hastily sealed their lips, their faces turning sallow with panic.
This was a matter entangled with demons.
Careless words would only invite disaster.

‘Shuri is truly remarkable.’

Sacred Maiden Saelika inwardly admired his move.
To weave that into the situation so seamlessly.

‘This way, it won’t end as merely misconduct in the Sacred Maiden selection tournament.’

Indeed, the command fell from Kaishurit’s lips.

“Seize the human traitor who conspired with demons at once!”

At the Crown Prince’s solemn command, the guards moved into action.
Amelia cried out urgently.

“This is a false accusation!”

She glared at Ted as she spoke.

“This man deliberately approached me and laid a trap. He’s hiding the truth and spreading lies!”

At her words, Ted nodded.

“You’re right about that.”
“…!”
“Half right, anyway.”
“What…?”

Ted spoke toward the spectators.

“I am an internal auditor for the fair Sacred Maiden Selection.”
“…!”
“I detected circumstances where Amelia committed several serious irregularities and deliberately approached to investigate.”

He withdrew a pendant from his breast.
A badge proving he was an internal auditor for the Sacred Maiden Selection.

“And as you can see, I merely uncovered the irregularities. You might call it an undercover investigation rather than a trap.”

*Smirk*
Ted smiled sweetly.

* * *

After all the truth was revealed.
Ted entered a certain building.
A guest who had arrived first was waiting for him inside.

“You worked hard.”
“You’re too kind, Angel.”

The guest—Saelika—was greeted by Ted with a sweeter smile than ever before on his face.
As he removed his necklace, his appearance began to change slowly.

His ordinary brown hair transformed into silver like moonlight.
His eyes shifted to a honeyed golden hue.

“You brat, you’ve really grown well.”

Saelika smiled back at him.
Toward Teodor.

—————
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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