Youngest on Top - Chapter 83

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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 83

Diana waited for my answer with a bright smile.
When Randel laughed awkwardly, Diana extended her hand toward me.
As Randel held out his hand before Diana’s, she dropped a chocolate onto his palm with a soft tap.

“Here, a bribe!”

It was a chocolate shaped like a gold coin.

“A bribe is… well, it’s something you give to get what you want.”
“Ha ha…”
“Diaena, Randel is not your father.”

Randel bent at the waist to meet Diana’s gaze.
Then he carefully chose his words before responding.

“It would certainly be an honor to become the Sacred Maiden’s godfather. But since I don’t know the other priests well yet, wouldn’t it be good to think about it for a while?”
“Randel… you don’t want to be Diaena’s father?”
“That’s not it… but it’s better to make such decisions after thinking about many things.”
“Okay! I understand! Randel, thank you for thinking about Diaena!”

Since Diana seemed like she’d stay with Randel for a while, I decided to excuse myself.

“Sae.”
“It’s time for me to pray!”

I spoke cheerfully on purpose so Randel wouldn’t worry.
My footsteps toward my room were as spirited as always.

* * *

Back in my room, I worked diligently on making the Crepundia.
The materials Gerald had procured were of the highest quality, and now all that remained was for me to make it with care.
A final bribe for Kaiser.
Crepundia.

‘Once I give this to him, I’ll ask him to be my father.’

So I’ll pour my whole heart into making it.
Whenever I’ve faced difficult times before, I’ve worked hard and resolved them, so it will be the same this time.

Creak!
At that moment, the door opened without so much as a knock.
Startled, I turned around to find an angry Diana standing there.

‘I thought she’d stay with Randel, so why did she come here?’

And why did she barge into someone else’s room without knocking?
This is my room.
My space that no one should invade.
Just as I was about to say something, Diana strode over and looked down at me with her tall frame.

“There you go again.”
“What?”
“Being the Sacred Maiden’s papa is an honor! But Randel refused.”
“Becoming papa is something Randel chooses.”
“You orchestrated this! You played the victim in front of Randel! You’re trying to steal him away from me!”
“Randel isn’t something I—.”
“Shut up! You stole the love that should have been mine as the original Sacred Maiden! You thief!”

Fuming, Diana looked around my room and raged as if seized by a fit.

“And what are all these things in this room? You said you were an orphan! You said you were a pauper! Yet you have all these expensive, beautiful things!”

Diana was right—I was an orphan with nothing, so all these possessions were gifts.
From the High Priest, the Elders, and the Priests.
Of course, most of them were gifts from Admiral Ekellan and Gerald.
Just because I receive new gifts doesn’t mean the old ones lose their value, so I cherished them all.

“You’re really a liar and a fraud, aren’t you? You received all these gifts by pretending to be the Sacred Maiden instead of me?”
“No, I never—.”
“Thief! Fraud. Everything you have should have been Diaena’s!”

Diana wandered through my room, haphazardly gathering my belongings and cradling them in her arms.
Crash!
A beautiful porcelain piece tumbled to the floor and shattered from the force of her wild movements.
Diana paid it no mind, browsing through my room as though she were shopping.
Then her eyes fixed on something.
An expensive dress hanging on the clothing rack.

“Give me this!”

It didn’t matter to me—I rarely wore it anyway.
I could give the Sacred Maiden anything, and I was prepared to do so.

“But it won’t fit Diaena.”

Diana was considerably taller than me, and her frame was larger as well.
It couldn’t be helped.
At this age, bodies grew rapidly, so even a slight difference in height meant clothing sizes varied dramatically.
But at my words, Diana’s eyes flashed with fire.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It fits me perfectly.”

Diana dropped everything she’d been holding onto the floor and yanked the dress from the rack.
Then she began forcing it onto her body.
Since it was a child’s dress, it had no corset and was made generously, but it caught on Diana’s thighs and wouldn’t go any higher.

“Ugh! Uuugh!”

Diana pulled with all her strength, and finally—
Riiip!
The dress tore.

“Why is this dress so small? Don’t you have anything else?”

Irritated, Diana suddenly flung open my wardrobe and began rummaging through it frantically.
Whoosh, whoosh—she tossed aside clothes that didn’t please her, and garments began piling up like a mountain behind her.

“I’ll try this one. Let me see if it fits or not.”

I was startled when I saw the dress Diana was holding.
It was the first piece of clothing Randel had ever bought for me.
Above all else, I didn’t want to let that one get ruined.
I rushed desperately toward Diana.

“No way!”
“What, a thief like you has no say?”

Diaena laughed with a snort and shoved my forehead back hard.

“Ow!”
“How dare you be so cheeky.”

Diana picked up the rabbit hat hanging on the rack.
It was the rabbit hat Mogen had made for me after my hair was burned.

“Not that too…!”
“Why are there so many things you won’t allow? It looks perfect on my head.”

Diana put on the rabbit hat and looked at herself in the mirror.

“See? My eyes are red like a rabbit’s, so I absolutely need this hat. And… this music box too!”
“No!”

The music box Diana pointed to was a gift from the High Priest.
Diana picked up the rabbit doll placed beside the music box and hugged it snugly to her chest.
How did she manage to pick out only the things that meant the most to me?

‘Should I… just give them to her?’

Tears began to well up in my eyes.
I felt pathetic about myself.
I thought I could do anything for the Sacred Maiden.
Was my resolve really this weak?
Just then.

“What are you doing?”

Kaiser opened the door and entered.

“…Ha!”

Kaiser surveyed my room, now a complete disaster, and let out a hollow laugh.
I gazed at the wreckage with tears welling up.
I’d always kept my belongings organized despite having so many things, but now it looked like a garbage dump.
Shattered vase fragments were scattered everywhere, every wardrobe door hung wide open, clothes were piled in mountains, and torn dresses lay strewn across the floor.
Seeing this, Kaiser glared at Diaena.

“I asked what you were doing.”
“Sob!”

Diaena burst into tears immediately.

“Kazamin. Diaena doesn’t have anything.”

Clutching only my rabbit doll to her chest, Diaena ran to Kaiser and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Sister Diana has everything. All these clothes, dolls, even a music box. Diaena has nothing.”

If she’d asked, I would have given her anything.
But that wasn’t what happened.

“Diaena isn’t being presumptuous. I didn’t even choose the bear covered in jewels. This rabbit doll is enough for me.”

Diaena looked up at Kaiser through her tears.
Kaiser and Diaena.
Seeing the two of them together, I couldn’t help but close my mouth.

‘They look so much alike when they’re together like that….’

Just like a father and daughter.
Exactly like a father and daughter.

“I deliberately chose a wool hat instead of one with jewels. Because Sister Diana dislikes them. Isn’t even this too much of a luxury for Diaena?”

When Kaiser didn’t respond, Diaena began crying harder.

“Wahhh! Everyone only likes Sister Diana. Everyone only cherishes Sister Diana. Everyone only takes Sister Diana’s side.”

But you don’t understand.
I wasn’t welcomed from the beginning either.

“No matter what Diaena says, it always comes back to talk about Dae unnie! Hic! Everyone’s like that. They don’t look at Diaena, they only look at Dae unnie. Wahhhhh!”

Kaiser didn’t push Diana away.
But he didn’t embrace her or comfort her as she wept either.

“Kazamin too, you like Dae unnie more than Diaena, don’t you? Hic, sob…. Cough, cough!”

Diana wept until she coughed up blood and lost consciousness as if falling asleep.
Kaiser scooped up the collapsed Diana into his arms and spoke to me.

“Rest.”
“But Diaena….”
“She collapsed from crying on her own. Don’t worry about it.”

After Kaiser left the room carrying Diana,
a commotion erupted in the corridor as if he’d encountered the Priesthood.

“Diana!”

Diana’s face, having wept and collapsed for so long, must have been in terrible condition.
Perhaps because of this, the Priests raised their voices at Kaiser.

“Kaiser!”
“We knew you act without thinking, but to knock down the Sacred Maiden?”
“If something happens to the Sacred Maiden, will you take responsibility!”

Despite the Priests’ outcry, Kaiser answered calmly.

“Perhaps.”

Having been rejected by Kaiser so many times, I could almost picture what expression he wore now.
That disagreeable look with one corner of his mouth twisted upward.

“That would only matter if this child were truly the Sacred Maiden.”
“…What?”

Kaiser walked without responding to the Priesthood’s words.
Thud, thud.
The heavy footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Somehow, that sound seemed to calm my startled heart.

* * *

What had Diana said when she awoke?
I was summoned by the Priesthood and received a careful scolding.
The Priesthood’s demeanor was extremely cautious.
It was understandable, given how much I had contributed to the Temple thus far.

“Sae, I know you didn’t intend any harm. But you can’t help but provoke Diana, can you?”
“It’s not that you did something wrong… but don’t you know what could happen if the Sacred Maiden goes even slightly awry during this period?”

The reason a newly awakened Sacred Maiden is dangerous is precisely because of sacred power runaway.
If she awakened to a power her young body can barely handle, and then a runaway occurs?

‘She could lose her life.’

We had barely found this Sacred Maiden.
We cannot lose her forever over a small mistake.
And Diana was indeed in the high-risk category.
It’s common for those who awaken as Sacred Maidens to lose consciousness as their bodies struggle to accept the power.
But it’s rare for someone to cough up blood as frequently as Diana does.
It seemed the aftereffects were severe because she awakened as a Sacred Maiden at such a young age.

“You can be careful, right?”
“Sae, you’re quite mature. You understand what it means to support the Temple.”
“Yes.”
“Good, thank you.”
“Diana will be fine once her body recovers.”
“Yes.”

I rose from my seat, watching the Priesthood release sighs of relief.

After Diana rose from her seat like that.
Artemisia had essentially become Diana’s temple.
Ever since Diana first appeared, the temple had revolved around her.
It was only natural—a Sacred Maiden appearing after three generations.
But now everyone had truly reached the point of making efforts not to displease Diana.

“Dutri! Over here, over here! Give Diaena a lap pillow!”
“Ilay, you’ll read books to Diaena, right?”
“Eddy, where are you? Please braid Diaena’s hair. In a princess style.”

It was clear that Diana found me disagreeable, so I kept quiet and tried not to provoke her as much as possible.
At least Diana ignored Roana—if she hadn’t, I might have felt truly lonely.

‘But what did Kaiser mean by saying that?’

“That would only apply if this child were truly the Sacred Maiden.”

In other words, wasn’t he suspecting that Diana might be a fake?
I wanted to ask Kaiser about it, but I had no opportunity.

The moment I stepped outside the Trainee Priest Quarters, Diana would cling to Kaiser like a ghost.

“Kazamin!”

Diana was always one step faster than me.

“The other day, you only took Tae’s side and didn’t take Diaena’s side.”

From far away, Diana smiled brightly and hugged Kaiser’s waist.

“Diaena forgives you! Because Diaena is generous! They say a Sacred Maiden must be compassionate.”

Giggling, Diana twirled her hair around her fingers as she spoke.

“That’s right. Everyone says so. That Kazamin and Diaena and Papa are like father and daughter.”

‘…That’s true.’

They already looked like a father and daughter.
Navy blue hair and crimson eyes.
With identical hair and eye colors, the two of them looked like family simply by standing together.

I’m completely different from them. Even if I became a daughter, I doubt I’d look like that.

Of course, my goal isn’t to become a real family, so I don’t need to look like one!

“Kaza Papa and Diaena have the same hair and eyes. That’s probably why, I think.”

The Holy Knights laughed at Diana’s words.

“Now that you mention it, they really do resemble each other.”
“If Kaiser had a daughter, I bet she’d look exactly like this.”
“Kaza Papa, Diaena is so pretty!”

Kaiser gazed quietly at Diaena before embracing her.
I turned away at the sight.
There was no point in inserting myself—it would only upset Diaena.
Besides, I couldn’t have Diaena coughing up blood.

Yet every time I saw her afterward, Diaena clung to Kaiser’s side.
After witnessing that several times, I stopped approaching Kaiser.

Kaiser wasn’t someone who listened to others.

No matter how much the Priesthood pressured and persuaded him to treat the Sacred Maiden well, he wouldn’t act accordingly.
He was a man of clear preferences.
So even when the Holy Knights took my side, he would leave me standing outside and refuse to open the door.
Moreover, he had even voiced suspicions that Diaena wasn’t the true Sacred Maiden—and now he was acting like this.

Kaiser had accepted Diaena after all.

Diaena seemed to realize this fact, and when she returned to the Trainee Priest Quarters, she made sure I heard her boast.

“Kaza Papa said Diaena is pretty today too, so pretty! And today was—”

Well, she is the Sacred Maiden, after all.
There’s nothing I can do about it.

“Sae.”

I lifted my head at the call, and Ilay was gazing at me with a worried expression.

“Why are you so down? That’s not like you.”
“I’m not down.”
“You’re lying.”

Ilay handed me a mint chocolate.

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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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