Youngest on Top - Chapter 293

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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 293

My fathers’ eyes shot upward in an instant.
It wasn’t just my fathers.
The temple family and blood relatives all looked ready to assassinate the Crown Prince’s residence right then and there.

Just as they exchanged glances with one another, about to swear a blood oath.

“Oh, that’s right.”

Saelika tugged at her family’s sleeves.

“Let’s go back quickly. I brought gifts.”

Gifts?

“Oh, for Father…?”
“Yes, let’s hurry.”

With a single gesture from Saelika, they all became docile beasts.
As if they hadn’t just been shouting about blood oaths, they trailed after Saelika obediently.

“….”

Ilay was utterly dumbfounded.
These were all people renowned for their sharp abilities and considerable power.

‘High-ranking Temple Priests and high nobility, right?’

Honestly, they just looked like fools.
Daughter-obsessed fools.

* * *

“Sniff sniff, my little treasure went all the way out there and brought back gifts for this old man….”
“Thinking of our little tiger cub stamping her paw prints while gathering all these things, hic!”
“She must have perked up her little rabbit ears and worked so hard with her hind legs. Making our little rabbit work like this…!”
“….”

Saelika was flabbergasted.

‘What on earth do they think of me?’

Her family’s ridiculous antics weren’t a one-time occurrence, but it seemed to grow worse with each passing day.

‘Isn’t it supposed to be worst when you’re young, then gradually improve?’

Yet the rose-tinted glasses her family wore seemed to thicken year after year.

‘Front paw stamp, huh…’

Saelika looked down at her own fists.

‘In a way, it’s not entirely wrong.’

She recalled punching Parmanase’s face with a resounding thud.
And that wasn’t all.

‘Back kick… I think I did that when I destroyed the treasure vault too…’

It wasn’t just similar—she’d actually done it.
And the treasures she’d obtained were the fruits of that labor(?).

‘Why is it so accurate?’

They were wrapping it up cutely, but the violent core couldn’t be more precise!
When you think about it, wasn’t she being more objective about herself than anyone else?
Saelika gazed at the Temple Priests with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“Protagonist! Protagonist! Is this really mine?!”

Dmitri swung the greatsword around with a bright face.
He looked incredibly excited.
Saelika chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, you handle it well.”
“Yes! I’ll crush them all with this!”
“But couldn’t Parmanase’s people claim it’s theirs?”
“Huh? Why? Protagonist gave this to me!”

Dmitri clutched the greatsword to his chest with a flustered expression.

“They’re just unlucky. Since the Parmanase Temple is already dismantled, it shouldn’t be much of a problem anyway. But if any stragglers start causing trouble—.”
“Got it! I’ll silence them!”
“Good.”

Saelika nodded with satisfaction.
Ilay observed her and reached a simple conclusion.

‘She stole it.’

She definitely stole that from Parmanase.
When their eyes met, Saelika approached.

“Ilay, here.”

It was a small earring.

“I don’t wear earrings though?”
“I know. But the effect will suit you well.”
“…?”
“It has a rather sinister effect.”
“Hey.”

Saelika giggled.

“It’ll look perfect on you, I’m sure.”

Saelika held up the earring and brought it to Ilay’s ear.

“Yeah, it really does suit you.”

Ilay stared intently at Saelika’s face.
His lips moved slightly several times.

“…What exactly does it do?”
“Indeed. I thought you’d prefer something with a sinister effect.”

Saelika laughed.
Ilay swallowed a sigh.

‘This fool.’

But after hearing the explanation, it was certainly an extraordinary item.

“It’s incredibly rare, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Would I pick something mediocre for you? It’s for Ilay, after all.”
“You talk well for someone who stole it.”
“Ah, stole? I merely collected antiques from an abandoned house with no owner.”
“….”

Under Ilay’s gaze, Saelika’s eyes rolled around.

“Hmm, should I say I took compensation on my own…?”
“…Anyway. You did well.”

Ilay eventually burst into laughter.
Saelika, laughing in return, pulled out something else from her bundle.

“And this is divine honey. Let’s give it to Teodor too. It’s incredibly good for the body.”

Exceptional Temple Priests remained youthful and healthy thanks to their abundant, high-quality divine power.
The Perardin Noishurael Duke and Admiral Ekellan, having reached the pinnacle of aura, were likewise unchanged.
Teodor, by contrast, was a delicate young boy by nature.

“Preytsha’s honey is also famous for its taste. Later, mixed with butter—.”
“Wait. Preytsha? Not Parmanase?”
“Right, Preytsha has excellent honey. And this fruit is Hadranus—it’s incredibly delicious.”
“….”

Ilay regarded Saelika with fresh eyes.
Saelika, he’d been told, was the Creator’s daughter.
She’d also recovered her innate original power.

‘Come to think of it, Sae was always more of a thug than a Sacred Maiden.’

A thug with formidable power and strength.

‘…Don’t tell me she was extorting tribute while roaming through the Heavenly Realm!’

Well, it wasn’t exactly extortion.
She simply stole.

Of course, the angels and gods who belatedly realized they’d been robbed couldn’t say a word about it.
Both law and fists were on Saelika’s side, after all.

* * *

Several days later, at the Imperial Palace.
The moment Saelika’s carriage came to a halt, people swarmed before it in an instant.
Such a reception was always given when welcoming distinguished guests, so there was nothing particularly unusual about it at first glance.
However.

“My goodness, Sae? What a coincidence to meet you in a place like this.”
“Sae? Are you being disrespectful to Saelika, the great Saint who saved the world and the Daughter of the Creator?”

The problem was that they weren’t palace attendants—they were Empresses.
The Empresses had come all the way to the entrance of the main palace, shuffling their feet as they waited for Saelika.

“Huh? Sae and I are intimate enough that we don’t need such formalities. Isn’t that right, Sae?”
“Please ignore such a rude person who disrespects Saelika. I was just thinking of having tea time in the garden, and we have plenty of cake that Saelika likes.”
“Hmph, the person you’re with matters more than such desserts. I’ve prepared that fruit tea that our Sae said was delicious last time—.”
“You’re the one trying to tempt her with desserts!”

Their voices grew louder.
Empress Maxina and Empress Adelin each hooked one of Saelika’s arms, huffing indignantly.

‘What an opportunity this is!’

They had rushed over the moment they heard that Saelika’s carriage had passed through the main gate of the Imperial Palace.

‘Last time, she went straight to the Crown Prince’s residence and we didn’t even get to see her!’

I honestly found the prospect of seeking out Kaishurit at his own palace terrifying.
So I resolved to somehow coax Saelika into compliance while I had this opportunity today!
The Empresses snorted dismissively.

“Ahem.”

Just then, the Emperor’s Attendant cleared his throat.

“High Priestess, His Majesty the Emperor awaits your presence.”

For Saelika, it was the arrival of a savior.
The moment Saelika brightened and moved to follow the Attendant.
Screech!

“Tell His Majesty he can wait a moment!”
“That man’s always too busy with state affairs to do anything but sleep alone—what conversation could he possibly have with our Sae?”
“Exactly, exactly!”

The two Empresses seized Saelika’s arms and refused to let go.

‘Wait, didn’t the Empresses used to try to curry favor with the Emperor before?’

The imperial palace was truly a den of demons.
The Empresses who had been fighting each other moments ago had instantly allied to insult the Emperor.

Saelika, who had been marveling at the Empresses’ political maneuvering (?), quickly came to her senses.
Now was the moment to escape.

“My apologies, Your Highness. I have a prior appointment with His Majesty today….”
“Oh, then next time come with me—.”
“No, me first—.”

Saelika ignored the Empresses and asked the Attendant.

“Where is His Majesty?”
“He awaits you in the gallery.”
“…!”

The Empresses, who seemed absolutely unwilling to release Saelika, froze in place.
In that moment, Saelika slipped naturally from their embrace.

The Empresses stared at their empty arms, like raccoons watching cotton candy wash away.

‘Saelika, you’re truly not easy to handle.’

Both Maxina and Adelin were powerful figures at the center of high society.
Saelika was the only person who wouldn’t even give them a date when both sought an audience with her.

‘To toy with me so thoroughly. How audacious!’
‘Yet why do I find her not displeasing at all?’

The Empresses pondered deeply.
How could they win Saelika’s affection?

‘Of course, bribes!’
‘Bribes, that’s it!’

The Empresses, who had been nodding in agreement, froze when their eyes met.
They realized they were thinking the same thing.

‘I absolutely must give her better bribes than the other!’

Truly, Saelika.
Just as before, she knows well how to raise her own value!

‘By the way, if it’s a gallery, could it possibly be… that place?’
‘The place His Majesty allows no one to enter…’

Both Empresses’ gazes turned toward the direction where Saelika had disappeared.

* * *

The attendant politely opened the door.

“Please, enter.”

As I stepped inside, the door closed immediately behind me.

‘…? Why isn’t the Attendant coming in?’

The Attendant was the Emperor’s hands and feet.
Even during private audiences, he was always present.
Saelika set aside her questions and stepped inside.

Within the expansive gallery hung enormous works of art.
The Emperor stood gazing at one of them.

“I actually enjoy painting.”

As I drew closer, the Emperor spoke.
His gaze remained fixed upon the artwork.

“But I haven’t held a brush even once since I was eleven years old.”
“….”
“Not even a simple doodle. Duke Makandor doodles on the margins of documents during every state council meeting.”
“….”

The Emperor turned his head to look at Saelika.

“It’s not just painting.”

Saelika understood what the Emperor meant.
That’s what it meant to govern an empire.
To sit at the pinnacle above all others, yet ultimately abandon and sacrifice everything one truly cherished.

“I am Emperor before I am a father.”

In those words lay what the Emperor had been most reluctant to sacrifice, even more than painting.

“…Your Majesty cherished me. But I understand there were political calculations within that affection.”
“….”
“You determined that you needed an emerging force to counter the ever-expanding power of the Temple, much like Parmanase. That’s why you treasured me so dearly. Isn’t that right?”
“…Truly perceptive. Yes, your words are correct. However—.”

The Emperor’s eyes held Saelika within them.

“—That wasn’t all there was to it.”
“Still, if Your Majesty hadn’t made that political calculation, you would never have revealed your affection for me.”

Just as you did with your other children, you would have hidden it without a trace.
The Emperor affirmed this with silence.

“That is Your Majesty’s politics. And you’ve conducted such an excellent reign that you’re praised as a sage ruler.”

In truth, if not for the Parmanase Temple’s scheming, the Empire itself would have been in a golden age.
The people’s standard of living continued to rise, and even after natural disasters, recovery came swiftly.
It was the result of the Emperor abandoning everything of himself and living solely as Emperor.

“I know Your Majesty did your best. But.”

A sharp gleam appeared in Saelika’s eyes.

“Shuri won’t live that way. I won’t let him live that way.”

‘Ah.’

The moment he met those piercing blue eyes.
The Emperor understood.

‘This is what I wanted to hear.’

He had even used his own children as political tools.
He couldn’t comfort the child called cursed, and instead elevated him to Crown Prince to use as a shield.
He had to shake hands with those who called his son a monster.
With their grain, he fed the starving people during droughts, and with their cloth, he clothed those freezing in the cold.

Even his son, who had suddenly fallen silent, he cast away with his own hands before he could become a weakness.
While watching his wounded daughter distrust and resent him, he pretended not to notice and even exploited those feelings.
His clever daughter had distinguished herself in political society, after all.

Everything had been done under the pretext of stabilizing the realm.
Every time he was praised as a sage ruler, the Emperor found himself unbearably repulsed by who he had become.

Emperor before father.
Yet sometimes, he simply wanted to be a father.

“It’s fine. Shuri is smarter than Your Majesty anyway. He’ll do better.”
“…Yes. He’s my son, but he’s far superior to me.”
“Of course. Not only is he intelligent? He’s also more handsome, has a better physique, is taller, and is incomparably superior in every way….”
“Ahem, ahem!”

The Emperor let out a loud, deliberate cough.
I wondered who Saelika took after, but her shameless behavior was identical to Perardin Noishurael Duke’s.
Ah, the Temple Priests of Artemia were like that too.

The Emperor closed his eyes.
A subtle smile graced his lips.

“…Perhaps what you coveted wasn’t the political situation or the talents you possessed.”

The Emperor had long since marked Saelika as his daughter-in-law.
Perhaps the reason was simply—.

“Because I knew you would make my son happy.”

The Emperor took Saelika’s hand.
It was far too small for someone who had accomplished so many things.
Yet he knew it was stronger than any other hand.

“…Thank you for saving Roiland.”

Saelika smiled.
When Roiland suddenly appeared and revealed a truth that was as shameful as the Emperor’s own secret.
The Emperor accepted everything and took Roiland’s hand.
Though the Emperor was not a perfect parent, in that moment he was truly Roiland’s father.

“Take good care of that rascal Shuri.”

And now he was Kaishurit’s father.
Saelika nodded readily.

“Yes.”
“But if that rascal ever upsets you, tell me.”

The Emperor spoke with utmost sincerity.

“Before I’m that man’s father, I’m your father-in-law.”

…What?

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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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