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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Because I am Princess Ercia La Lodreim .”
The atmosphere froze instantly.
If it hadn’t been Elsie who spoke those words, the atmosphere wouldn’t have been like this.
It would have been dismissed as nonsense, and she would have been immediately arrested.
But Elsie was different.
Her appearance and voice carried an aura of authority befitting the princess of the Lodreim kingdom.
That aura was enough to freeze everyone present.
The Knight Commander was no exception.
He too froze for a moment when he saw Elsie.
But soon, he regained his composure and shouted, pointing at Elsie,
“What are you doing! Seize her!”
But the knights couldn’t follow his order.
The pressure Elsie emanated was almost palpable.
Elsie spoke to the flustered Knight Commander,
“Why are you pretending not to know me? Even the citizens and your subordinates, who have barely seen me, recognize me. Shouldn’t you, of all people, know that I am the true princess?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Then how about telling the truth? For example, what you did three years ago.”
Elsie smiled menacingly and began to approach the Knight Commander.
“If you recall what happened back then, wouldn’t you remember me? Not that I think you would have forgotten me.”
The Knight Commander began to step back.
“No, no…”
Just then, a voice, similar to Elsie’s but icy cold in comparison, echoed,
“Knight Commander, maintain your composure.”
It was the fake princess’s voice.
And for some reason, her voice also carried an inexplicable aura of authority.
“Your Highness…”
At those words, the Knight Commander pulled himself together and stood up straight.
“I apologize for my unseemly behavior.”
“It’s fine. He provoked your trauma, so it’s understandable. But from now on, I will deal with this fake princess myself.”
“But…”
“That is a royal command.”
Even if she was a fake princess, in front of the citizens, she had to be treated like the real one.
So, the Knight Commander had no choice but to obey.
“You don’t actually believe you’re the real princess, do you?”
The fake princess responded to Elsie’s provocation,
“I am the real princess.”
She spoke with an air of composure.
It was a matter-of-fact tone, as if stating that water is water and fire is fire.
Elsie frowned at her attitude.
“Do you really believe that?”
“It’s not about belief. I am the princess.”
Two different auras of authority.
There was a subtle difference between them, but the ordinary citizens couldn’t distinguish it.
Both were too overwhelming to differentiate.
“Alright. If you truly believe that, then I cannot forgive you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Originally, I only intended to punish the knights who overthrew the royal palace and deceived the citizens for three years with a false peace. If you were merely being used, I would have let it slide.”
A threatening edge was added to her already imposing aura.
It was enough to make an ordinary person crumble on the spot.
But even so, the fake princess didn’t flinch.
Instead, she countered,
“Those are the ravings of a delusional lunatic.”
She continued, her expression unchanged,
“And… even if you are the real princess, did you think the citizens would welcome you after appearing like this?”
She looked around at the citizens and continued,
“You’re underestimating them. They won’t accept you just because you claimed to be the princess. Suddenly appearing and asserting your royalty won’t win their favor.”
“Then I assume you have something to offer besides the title of a fake princess?”
“Of course. The Knight Commander and I have been handling all practical duties for the past three years in place of my ailing father. But where were you, and what were you doing during those three years?”
“That’s…”
She fled the kingdom to escape pursuers.
She trained with her master and honed her skills.
She entered the Hero Academy and became a hero.
Elsie had certainly done many things.
But if asked whether those things held any meaning for the citizens here, the answer was no.
On the other hand, the fake princess had, at least in the eyes of the citizens, done meaningful things.
“You weren’t seen at all during the turbulent times when the kingdom was threatened by the Sak, and now, when peace has returned, you appear, blinded by the allure of the throne.”
There was no hint of pretense in her words.
In fact, her words felt even more sincere than Elsie’s.
Public opinion had already shifted.
“What are the knights doing! Seize that fake princess!”
“Impersonating the princess! Hang her!”
“She even committed crimes under that childish name, Masked Hero!”
There seemed to be no way to turn the tide.
Except for one thing.
“The Royal Sword,” Elsie said.
“If someone is truly worthy of inheriting the throne, they should be able to activate the Royal Sword.”
The atmosphere froze again at the mention of the ‘Royal Sword,’ a topic brought up when a display of remorse would have been more appropriate.
The Royal Sword represented not just the position of princess, but the very throne of the Lodreim kingdom.
By mentioning it, Elsie had crossed the point of no return.
Faced with such a weighty topic, the citizens fell silent.
Even the Knight Commander was speechless.
Only the two princesses could speak in this situation.
And the fake princess had no reason to accept this challenge.
Public opinion had already completely shifted in her favor.
She could easily dismiss Elsie as a delusional patient and be done with it.
But she spoke,
“Fine, then let’s prove it with that.”
An unexpected answer.
But with one condition.
“However, we will keep you under royal custody. And on this Nameless Day, if I activate the Royal Sword and inherit the throne… I will execute you.”
The battle for public opinion had effectively ended in Elsie’s defeat.
Yet, she gave Elsie a reprieve until Nameless Day.
The citizens were impressed by the fake princess’s benevolence.
And he had to watch with a bitter heart as Elsie was bound by the knights.
Elsie didn’t even glance his way as she was being restrained.
Because that was… the ‘plan.’
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He opened the door to their room and stepped inside. Yuseora was sitting alone on the bed.
She was unusually curled up, hugging her knees, suggesting she had been quite anxious.
“I’m back.”
She carefully examined him as he entered and asked,
“Where’s Elsie?”
He replied,
“The plan was a success.”
“I figured as much.”
The plan had indeed succeeded.
Losing the battle for public opinion against the fake princess and being captured allowed Elsie to infiltrate the castle. Making them believe they had completely subdued the Masked Hero. Lulling them into a false sense of security.
That was the main objective of this operation.
With Elsie’s acting skills, it would have been more difficult to fail.
Moreover, they knew from the Holy Grail and Elsie’s knowledge that the fake princess and the Knight Commander wouldn’t kill her.
Of course, there was a small chance she could be accidentally killed.
But the crux of this operation lay elsewhere.
‘Losing to her nemesis once more.’
Even if it was intentional, it was hard to imagine how difficult that must have been.
Yet, it was Elsie who first proposed this plan.
He tried to dissuade her several times, but she stubbornly insisted on it.
So, in the end, he had to approve it.
Elsie’s determination to achieve revenge, even at this cost, was strong, and he couldn’t break her will.
Realistically, considering Elsie wouldn’t be much of a combat asset in a siege, there was no more effective role for her.
And… the plan had succeeded.
‘It succeeded.’
The plan succeeded, and everything was going smoothly according to plan.
But he still didn’t feel good.
As Elsie always said,
‘Understanding it and being pissed are two different things.’
The operation had to proceed flawlessly.
He still had things to do.
But he couldn’t help but worry about Elsie.
He could still feel her body heat from last night.
But as reality set in, all he felt was the dry air.
That disconnect tormented him.
Elsie.
He wanted to rescue her as soon as possible.
But the operation required him to wait until Nameless Day.
He hadn’t known.
That being without Elsie would make him so anxious.
When he traveled alone before meeting Elsie again, he hadn’t felt this way.
Had he become weak?
Had he become weaker than before, so anxious without Elsie?
Then, in this situation, was it right to feel nothing at all?
As he paced restlessly around the room without Elsie, something touched his back.
A warm embrace.
And its owner, of course, was Yuseora.
“Yuseora?”
He quickly turned around to look at Yuseora, who was hugging him.
He saw her flushed ears and the glossy black hair surrounding them.
“What are you doing?”
“A time-honored wrestling technique from the Lodreim kingdom.”
“I’m not really in the mood for jokes.”
But Yuseora didn’t release her tight embrace.
“Elsie told me last night. If she didn’t return, if you seemed down, I had to comfort you.”
“What is she talking about?”
It seemed Elsie had filled Yuseora’s head with strange ideas.
But wait…
“Last night…”
“Yes, I saw everything. The time-honored wrestling technique from the Lodreim kingdom.”
“Weren’t you asleep?”
“The time the Chaos Beasts attacked when I was little, I was asleep. After that, I’ve never fallen into a deep sleep.”
He finally understood why he couldn’t distinguish her breathing.
And he felt sorry.
“Sorry, I thought you were asleep…”
“It’s okay. I learned something good.”
“Huh?”
“The time-honored wrestling technique from the Lodreim kingdom. I just have to hug you tightly like this, right?”
It was silly, but he nodded.
“Yes, that’s it. You learned well from Elsie.”
The warmth spread from his back throughout his body.
And he felt something else besides warmth on his back.
Something warm and wet.
Come to think of it, it made sense.
Yuseora was also a comrade who cared deeply for Elsie.
Just like him, she must be anxious.
So, he needed to shake off this anxiety first.
Fortunately, as warmth spread through his body, his anxiety strangely subsided.
If he stayed like this for a little longer, he might be able to return to his usual self.
“Yuseora.”
“Yes?”
“All we can do for Elsie is trust her. So, we need to focus on our operation now. That’s the only way we can see her again when she completes her mission.”
“Yes…”
“So let’s stay like this for a while, and when we feel better, we’ll go back to normal. So we can give it our all.”
For now, he wanted to feel this warmth a little longer.
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