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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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The second and third daughters headed to the Hohenberc Marquis Territory.
They must have surely followed that guy.
Barbarossa was in a foul mood due to his daughters’ impulsive actions of leaving without a word to their beloved father.
It was an unpleasant feeling of being abandoned by his flesh and blood.
“Hohenberc! Hohenberc! Hohenberc…!! Just hearing the name makes my blood boil!!”
The middle-aged man with a mustache gnashed his teeth and slammed the table.
Bang!
Ink and pens spilled everywhere.
The Emperor’s iron-like fist was too much for the table to bear.
If Otto, the head of the Hohenberc family, had seen this, he would have turned pale and prostrated himself on the ground.
Barbarossa’s appearance, burning with rage, boasted an ominous air that seemed to belong only in nightmares.
“Father, please calm down.”
“Ahem!”
A beautiful lady with auburn hair flowing down gently smiled and tried to dissuade him.
At that, Barbarossa showed signs of suppressing his anger, though he still looked displeased.
“Mila and Liza are adults now. Of course, Mila has been an adult for a long time… Anyway, Father, you should stop being so overprotective.”
“Overprotective! The Valtarian Imperial Family is being toyed with by that playboy from the Hohenberc family…!”
“That’s too hasty a judgment. Nothing has happened so far, has it?”
“……”
At her gentle admonishment, his anger rising like lava subsided.
The fierce Emperor was rendered motionless.
If the ministers constantly harassed by him had seen this scene, they would have stuck out their tongues in amazement.
It was a miracle only possible because she was the eldest daughter of the imperial family.
Isabel von Valtaria.
The First Imperial Princess of the Valtarian Empire.
The Countess of Mobia County and the wife of Count Divner.
Perhaps it was because she resembled the late Empress Karolina, who had passed away years ago.
Even in his state of indignation, Barbarossa showed an exceptionally lenient attitude towards Isabel.
“Your eldest daughter rushed here because she was worried you might be lonely. Please stop being angry.”
“Hmph! Since you say so, I’ll comply…”
The eldest daughter, who had married early, visited the imperial palace and acted coquettishly toward her father.
Barbarossa, overwhelmed by the shock of being abandoned by his daughters, quickly calmed his anger and softened his grim expression.
‘I really can’t win against her,’ he muttered, sighing heavily.
If the third daughter, Elizaveta, was the Emperor’s ‘favorite finger,’ then the eldest daughter, Isabel, was his ‘particularly painful finger.’
This was because Isabel was born with the physical defect of being congenitally infertile.
Barbarossa, who had always appeared majestic, always felt guilty towards Isabel.
He believed that the terrible karma from purging numerous political enemies in the past had affected Isabel, who was in the womb at the time.
“I heard that the second son of the Hohenberc family was revealed to be a holy sword wielder? They say he’s the benefactor who saved Liza from the cruel Meiros.”
“Benefactor, my foot… He’s a bandit!”
Barbarossa burst out in anger again.
At that, Isabel smiled and soothed her father.
It was like watching Beauty and the Beast.
The maids, watching the tea between the father and daughter, who had met after a long time, murmured.
“Her Highness Isabel really resembles the late Empress.”
“Is that so?”
Auburn hair as lush as early autumn leaves and warm brown eyes filled with benevolence.
She did resemble her.
It seemed she grew to resemble her even more as she aged.
The First Imperial Princess is thirty years old, so she must grow to look even more like the Empress.
The maids who had served for over 10 years recalled a cherished person as they looked at Isabel.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a cozy family meal together.”
“Mila and Liza will surely be delighted to hear you’ve come.”
The benevolent lady clapped her hands in joy.
At that, a warm smile spread across the Emperor’s face, which was usually furrowed.
“I heard Alex is returning from the Holy Kingdom today.”
“He took the train yesterday… so he should arrive late today.”
Her younger brother, who had gone to study abroad in the Gael Holy Kingdom, was scheduled to return today.
Alexis Imperator Valtaria.
The news that the Crown Prince of the Valtarian Empire was returning caused a great stir in the imperial palace.
The imperial guard was deployed for escort, and they even thoroughly surrounded the platform where the train would arrive.
He was, after all, the only prince who would inherit the vast empire someday.
The news had already spread, and the citizens of the imperial city were busy preparing to welcome the Crown Prince.
“Mila’s lover is also arriving today… The imperial palace will be very crowded.”
“Lover! I have never approved such a thing!”
Barbarossa showed a strong reaction to Isabel’s playful words.
Not a chance.
He would never approve, even if dirt filled both his eyes.
To acknowledge as a son-in-law that notorious playboy who had seduced not only Mila but also Liza… Barbarossa even showed signs of raging, declaring that he would never form a marital alliance with the Hohenberc family.
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Ludmilla was in such high spirits that she wanted to hum a tune.
This was because the First Saintess had been a thorn in her side and an annoyance and had stayed behind in the Hohenberc Marquis Territory for a while.
Though she didn’t know the reason, she was satisfied just by the absence of that glib face.
And it was the same for Elizaveta.
It was to help the Luinongs, who had begun coexisting with humans.
Perhaps due to her strong sense of responsibility, the Platinum Princess, who couldn’t bear to leave the Luinongs behind, had finally decided to stay in the Marquis’ territory.
‘Though I’ve never considered Liza an annoyance like the First Saintess who is my rival… I’ll enjoy this train journey alone with Edanant for a bit.’
It wasn’t exactly ‘alone’ in the strict sense.
Rue, Edanant’s partner, was also with them.
Let’s set aside the little one for now.
The princess’s eyes could only see Edanant.
That’s why Ludmilla had hastily defined the situation as being just the two of them.
‘His appearance is truly outstanding. Is it because he’s the brother of the hero who was called a peerless young nobleman? Of all the young nobles from prestigious families I’ve seen so far, none could even compare to Edanant.’
She muttered while staring intently at Edanant’s appearance.
Currently, Edanant was stroking the sleeping Rue while looking out the window, allowing her to fully appreciate his handsome features.
Was it because she was wearing rose-colored glasses?
She even placed Edanant above Maximilian, who was said to be the pinnacle of masculinity.
If he had heard this himself, he would have reacted with disbelief.
But Ludmilla was looking at Edanant with a level of devotion close to single-minded loyalty.
“I heard His Majesty enjoys hunting very much.”
“Y-Yes… He enjoys it to an almost fanatical degree.”
Edanant turned his head and asked Ludmilla.
At that, Ludmilla, momentarily distracted, raised her head while stumbling over her words.
Did he notice that I was staring?
I don’t think I was looking that blatantly…
She couldn’t hide her anxious expression, like a child caught in mischief.
“Ah! I heard you have a natural talent for hunting!”
“You flatter me.”
“Then this is a chance to score points with Father! Don’t worry, I know Father well!”
“……”
Ludmilla exclaimed, her red eyes sparkling.
She even placed her hand on her chest and declared it again.
It wouldn’t be wrong to gain the Emperor’s favor.
Edanant nodded, perplexed by Ludmilla’s strangely energetic appearance, yet also nodded in agreement.
“First, when we arrive at the imperial city, we should greet His Majesty…”
“……!”
Edanant and Ludmilla, facing each other in their seats and conversing, simultaneously turned with shocked expressions.
It happened in an instant.
Edanant held the sleeping Rue.
And Ludmilla turned her shoulders to face forward.
Screech───!!!
There was a sound of wheels stopping forcibly.
The metallic sound of the monorail followed it, leading to the imperial city being scraped.
A strong impact swept through the train.
It was the result of the kinetic energy being suddenly suppressed and exploding outward.
Edanant, holding Rue with one hand, had his balance thrown forward. As a result, he unintentionally overlapped bodies with Ludmilla.
“Ugh…!”
Their faces nearly touched.
If Edanant hadn’t grabbed the seat, their lips would have collided.
It was almost an irreversible situation.
Ludmilla’s face turned bright red.
A hot flush rushed to her face as if she might explode.
The impact that had swept through the train soon stopped.
The driver must have urgently pulled the brake after detecting a sudden situation.
Due to the unexpected situation, Edanant and Ludmilla were frozen in their overlapping position.
Only the sound of their irregular, rough breathing could be heard.
If I lower my head now, our lips will touch…
The golden-haired princess quietly gazed at Edanant while swallowing dry saliva.
And it was the same for Edanant.
Only silence flowed in this incredibly sensual situation. (TL/N: (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧)
“Eek…! Ow, ow! What happened?!”
Rue, who had woken up, screamed.
She rubbed the lump on her head with both hands while shedding a few tears.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine…! Ahem! It seems some commotion has occurred!”
Edanant spoke.
At that, Ludmilla answered with an awkward cough.
The train running on the monorail had stopped urgently.
Clearly, some problems had occurred on the journey to the imperial city.
Edanant and Ludmilla took staggering steps simultaneously as if their strength had been drained.
Ludmilla, who had nearly had her lips stolen in that instant, even collapsed to the floor.
“Y-Your Highness…! I beg your pardon!”
A middle-aged man in a black uniform appeared with staff members.
It was the train driver in charge of the operation.
“What happened?”
Ludmilla asked as she stood up, brushing off the dust.
She kept her head bowed, trying to hide her intensely flushed face.
But the driver and staff thought Ludmilla was forcibly suppressing her anger, so they trembled as if they might perform a deep bow of apology at any moment.
“F-For unknown reasons… we received a report that the monorail has been cut off by a mysterious explosion.”
“Could it be the work of cult followers again?”
The monorail had been cut off.
The driver’s judgment in urgently pulling the brake was accurate.
If he had hesitated even for a moment, the worst disaster of the train derailing from the monorail would have occurred.
“Perhaps… it might not be the work of cult followers.”
“What do you mean?”
Edanant spoke in a tense voice.
At that, Ludmilla asked.
“A plot to merely destroy the monorail. It seems too clumsy and timid to be the work of cult followers. If they were real cult followers, they would have blown up the entire train.”
“……”
It’s excessively petty and cowardly.
Did they target the Red Dragon of the Empire with such a passive method?
No,
Perhaps we weren’t the targets at all.
Maybe we were accidentally caught up in a plan to assassinate another critical figure…
Edanant let out a heavy sigh as he picked up Rue.
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