Youngest on Top - Chapter 295

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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 295

* * *

“Ahhhhh….”

The spectators watching the coronation ceremony—no, the betrothal ceremony—couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
A sight so enchanting and romantic unfolded before their eyes.

The coronation hall was both majestic and resplendent, and sunlight pouring through the grand windows embroidered the empty air like silk lace.
And.

“Oh my, how could it be.”

The figures of the man and woman at the center appeared like a fantasy.
Even the most beautiful scene from a perfectly orchestrated opera could not surpass this.
The people exhaled breathless sighs.

Following the Sacred Maiden selection tournament and even preventing the catastrophe.
Scenes overflowing with the birth of new mythology, yet in this moment, I was certain.
This sight before my eyes was the most sacred mythology of all!

‘The Emperor’s face is my scripture, and the Sacred Maiden’s face is my hymn!’

Among them, the one most intoxicated with ecstasy was none other than the Dragon Princess, Terese.

‘Ah, look at Sae’s face. The embarrassed and shy expression is so incredibly cute! To witness an expression I’ve never seen before with my own eyes, I’m so glad to be alive!! I need to capture this from multiple angles. Wait, this magical recording device is working properly, right?’

Terese, who had been checking the magical recording device, froze.
From this angle, Kaishurit was also captured alongside Saelika.
Terese’s face, which had been radiant with happiness while focusing solely on Saelika, hardened like stone.

Thwack!
She kicked her older brother’s shin beside her.
Tarasius’s eyebrows twitched as he looked down at his sister.

‘She was just writhing about happily, so why did horns suddenly sprout?’

I had long known my sister was strange, but she was truly bizarre.

“What exactly did you do, brother?”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you seduce Sae? Of course, someone like you could never catch her eye, but you’re still the Crown Prince of the great Dragon Clan! Of course, being a Crown Prince like you isn’t much to speak of either!”

Terese regarded her brother as utterly insignificant due to their blood relation.
She possessed the true nature of a proper sibling.

“No, what….”

Tarasius was dumbfounded.
Was she telling him to seduce or not to seduce?
But then.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, that was too much.”
“Yes, we still believed in Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Even the other Dragon Clan members who always stopped Terese were looking at him with resentful eyes!

‘Why couldn’t you seduce her? Were you really such an unattractive man?’

—their gazes seemed to say.

‘Even you all?!’

Tarasius felt his frustration boiling over.
Yet no matter how frustrated he became, he could not blame the Beastfolk and Elves beside him.

In truth, there was only one reason the Dragon Clan, Beastfolk, and Elves had attended the coronation.
Saelika.

Had Saelika not presided over the coronation as the High Sacred Maiden, they would not have appeared at all.
Who became the human Emperor was of no concern to them.

Yet such an unexpected turn of events had unfolded!

“This is absurd. We’ve only just reunited with her, and yet she would bind herself to a human….”
“After our reunion, we haven’t even had a proper conversation yet….”
“We Elves must serve Saelika alongside the World Tree!”

The Elves, always graceful, gnashed their teeth.
The Beast-kin, naturally bellicose, cried out harshly.

“Saelika is a being of formidable strength and unfettered spirit!”
“To bind her to an Empire laden with needless laws would be to extinguish that spirit!”
“Saelika is a true warrior. Only on the battlefield does the flame of her soul ignite.”

Like when I first beheld Saelika in the desert.
Or when we tested our strength against one another upon the hill.
In those moments, Saelika was beautiful as tempered steel.

“We Beast-kin are the ones whose spirits truly resonate with Saelika!”

The excited Beast-kin swayed as though ready to charge forth at any moment.
Yet they harbored no true intention of doing so.
Burdened by guilt toward Saelika, they found themselves hesitant—a remarkable thing for Beast-kin to exhibit such restraint.
But then.

“You shameless Shuri!!”

There were those who truly rushed forward.

“How dare you attempt to claim my daughter!”
“I will not surrender my daughter!!”
“I would sooner eat dirt than consent!!”

It was Saelika’s family—her fathers foremost among them.
The hall descended into chaos in an instant.

“But surely, this is the coronation of the Emperor himself….”

Is this acceptable?
Those who had been murmuring soon nodded in agreement.

“But since the other party is Saelika.”
“Since it’s Saelika, of course.”

Saelika was a hero, a savior, and the daughter of God.
The people laughed heartily.
When would they ever witness such a spectacle again!

.
.

The entire empire laughed and clamored over the momentous event that had unfolded during the coronation ceremony.
However, in the northernmost tower of the temple, the tallest spire, the situation was entirely different.

“Kaishurit….”

Beatrix grasped the iron bars with her withered, skeletal hands.
Today, the guards had opened the inner shutters that were always kept closed.
The reason was that the coronation ceremony was being held.

Beyond the bars, the crystal display screen installed in the plaza came into view.
Kaishurit’s image was being projected.

“That is surely….”

Divinity.

‘How is this possible…?’

Before that question could fade, Saelika’s image appeared on the screen.
It was a different aspect than before.
Even through the display, it could be felt.
The sanctity that Saelika possessed… no, something beyond sanctity.

‘If I had obtained that…!’

Beatrix’s grip on the bars tightened with desperate force.
At the same moment, Saelika’s voice rang out.

“That actually succeeded.”

“No!”

After I had succeeded, there was no way I could fail like this!
Yet the more I denied it, the more helplessness and despair painted my vision black.

‘If it wasn’t that fool after all, but Saelika who possessed his power…!’

Beatrix’s eyes flickered as she glared at Amelia.

After being trapped in the tower, Amelia had radiated brilliantly for a time, but at some point she stopped responding to anything and lay there blankly.
Even when insects crawled across her body, even when rats touched her feet, she remained still.
Like an empty shell.

‘That’s right. If Saelika had been the Sacred Maiden of Parmanace.’

Everything would have been different.

Then, through the open window, voices of people reached her ears.

“Long live Saelika!!”

The voices cheering for Saelika were so loud they reached even this place.

Suddenly!
Amelia, who had been lying motionless like a corpse, abruptly sat up.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!!!!!”

Amelia covered her ears in agony.
But the more she did, the more the people’s voices burrowed into her ears.

While trapped, I had heard nothing but voices praising Saelika.
Now, even in silence, that sound echoed in my mind.
I had barely managed to feel nothing at all, and now it starts again!

The great Saelika!
Saelika, who saved the world from the vile clutches of Amelia!
Compassionate, gentle, and strong Saelika!
Saelika, the daughter most beloved by God!!

“What the hell is that woman saying!!”

Amelia hurled herself against the window as if to shatter it, following the sound of the voice.
Beyond the window bars, the outside landscape came into view.
It was the first glimpse of the outside world since her confinement.

Yet in Amelia’s eyes, only Sae’s reflection on the crystal display board was visible.

Sae, looking radiant with happiness.
Surrounded by all manner of noble people who praised and blessed her.

Kaishurit, crowned with the Emperor’s diadem at the highest seat, knelt before Sae.
As if he would gladly humble himself for her sake.
As if that very act brought him joy.

‘That was supposed to be my position…!’

“Acting like the main character even at the Emperor’s coronation ceremony….”

Amelia gnashed her teeth.
Flames blazed in her eyes as if she had never played the role of a mere shell.

“How much more greed can you possibly have!!”

Beatrix laughed mockingly at Amelia.

“The greedy one is you, not her.”
“…Grandmother?”
“That’s right. You can’t even match half of half of what Sae possesses, yet you hate her as if what she has should have been yours.”
“Right now, what are you even….”
“If you hadn’t been such a fool, I wouldn’t have failed!”

Beatrix seized Amelia by the collar with brutal force.

“I wish Sae had been the Sacred Maiden of Parmanace instead of a worthless thing like you!”
“What, did you just…?”

A parasite who doesn’t know her place and only covets what isn’t hers.
A pathetic rat who writhes about, claiming to make an effort, growing uglier with each struggle.
A thieving wretch who can’t even match Saelika’s footsteps, yet dares to covet what belongs to her!

Words that were once hurled at Saelika.
Every single one of them was now directed at Amelia.

“If it were Saelika as my granddaughter instead of a parasite like you, then I would— *cough*!”

Beatrix’s excited cry was cut short mid-sentence.
Her eyes widened in shock, fixed on Amelia.

Amelia’s expression remained blank.
Slowly, she drew her hand—the one holding her hair ornament—behind her back.
For some reason, the guards had never confiscated her hair ornament.

*Splash!*
Crimson blood sprayed like a fountain, drenching Amelia’s face.
It was scalding hot.

“Keke, kehehe, kekekeke….”

A laugh that seemed to border on madness spilled from Amelia’s lips.

* * *

“Absolutely not.”

Saelika tilted her head at the abrupt statement.

“What do you mean?”
“You’re still far too young.”
“Really? How long has it been since I came of age?”
“Besides, you’ve been busy with the Sacred Maiden selection tournament and facing calamities. You haven’t even had proper time with your fathers.”
“That’s true. Romance is premature! You haven’t spent enough time with family yet, so how could romance even be considered!”
“….”

Saelika gazed at the temple family and her blood relatives with clouded eyes.

‘If only we could always agree like this instead of fighting all the time.’

“Anyway, let’s just kick that bastard out.”
“No, our softhearted Sapo shouldn’t have to go through the trouble of kicking him out.”
“Right, we’ll make it so she doesn’t have to.”
“If he just disappears from the world, there’d be no need to kick him out.”
“….”

They looked ready to erase Kaishurit’s very existence from the world that instant.
The fact that Kaishurit was the Emperor seemed completely irrelevant to my family.

‘Wait. Isn’t this treason?’

Saelika hesitated.
Then she glanced sideways at Kaishurit.

‘They’re planning a rebellion right in front of the Emperor himself….’

Kaishurit rose from his seat upon meeting Saelika’s gaze.
Even so, he didn’t forget to feed her a piece of cake he’d cut into convenient bite-sized pieces.

My fathers, grandmother, the Elders, and my brothers all experienced a sudden spike in blood pressure.

“That, that, that bastard!”

The moment sharp killing intent was directed at Kaishurit.

Thud!
Kaishurit dropped to his knees.

“Fathers-in-law, please give me your daughter!”
“…?!”
“…!”
“…!!”

It was a single statement that dealt more damage than any attack could.
What?
Give him who?

My blood pressure spiked so violently that my vision darkened.

“Why am I your father-in-law?!”
“What did you do to my daughter?”
“We should just eliminate him.”

The seething hostility turned razor-sharp toward Shuri.
That was when it happened.

“Everyone, please stop!”

Saelika threw her arms around Kaishurit and stepped between them.

“…!”

My fathers’ faces crumbled in shock.
Their precious daughter was taking that scoundrel’s side instead of theirs!

“You’ve been shooting murderous intent at Shuri while he sits quietly, and you’re cowardly drawing power against someone on his knees!”
“B-but—.”
“Turning your blades on the weak? I never knew you could be so cruel and vicious!”

Saelika turned away with a disappointed expression.
The family members glared at Kaishurit.

‘He’s doing this on purpose!’
‘He deliberately provoked us and knelt down! Trying to appear weak!’
‘That cunning bastard…!’

Even a fox had never been this sly.

Saelika sighed as she watched her family go completely rigid.
Seeing them so shocked made her heart ache again.

“Father, I… love Shuri.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…Cough!”

As Saelika, I meant it as a way to console them, but my fathers clutched their chests in anguish.
However.

‘…It’s true that this cunning Shuri has done much for Sae.’

There won’t be another man like that… or so one might think.
Because my fathers would do the same for Saelika.

But my fathers possessed the wisdom that comes with years.
While that devilishly cunning Shuri busied himself deceiving my innocent daughter, my fathers were hardly idle.
In their effort to protect their daughter, they conducted extensive research into romance novels and arrived at a single conclusion.

‘The more you oppose it, the more it burns!’

For some reason, the protagonists in romance novels grew more passionate the more their surroundings opposed them.
Perardin Noishurael Duke gently placed his hand on my head.

“I understand your heart. But marriage is indeed premature, so let’s do it later.”

‘Perhaps in ten years.’
‘No, a hundred years.’
‘No, a thousand years.’
‘No, ten thousand years.’

My fathers reached an agreement with their eyes.
Ten thousand years seemed appropriate!

‘And if she grows tired of that fox in the meantime, all the better.’

While Saelika remained silent, Kaishurit stepped forward.

“Since my fathers-in-law speak thus, postponing the marriage for a while doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“…!”

My fathers regarded Kaishurit with fresh eyes.

‘That scoundrel still has some sense of propriety!’

Just as Kaishurit’s standing in my fathers’ minds began to rise slightly.

“Let’s hold the betrothal ceremony first.”

Kaishurit smiled slyly.
An Emperor’s betrothal was an irrevocable law.
I could sense his determination to secure his marriage to Saelika through this opportunity.

‘That cunning fox!’
‘Was this what you were after all along!’

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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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