Chapter 117

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Huizeniac Palace.”

Looking at the palace, which already seemed intimidating from a distance, Evelyn murmured in a low tone. Evelyn’s eyes were cold as she gazed at the gleaming imperial palace in the sun.

It was unknown how many sacrifices were made to produce this extravagant splendor. Evelyn clenched her fist, which was concealed by her sleek dress. She was slowly being consumed by the bitterness and inferiority complex she had deep inside.

“Your Highness, the First Princess, you may now enter.”

Evelyn quickly concluded her feelings in response to the Foreign Minister’s words.

“Is this the end?”

Watching the simple welcoming ceremony, she asked the foreign minister with a straight face. With a troubled look on his face, the foreign minister explained to Evelyn.

“It wasn’t done according to protocol…”

“Protocol? Is the Empire in a position to consider protocol? We lost the crown prince, but…!”

Evelyn’s voice erupted in rage. She responded in a way that embarrassed the foreign minister. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel sorrow over the crown prince’s passing.

To put it bluntly, the crown prince was unfit to lead the country. Rather, the first princess in front of him was thought to be more suitable as the country’s next king. The crown prince, on the other hand, possessed a “kind heart” that Evelyn lacked.

He cherished a time of peace and worried about those who lived in the shadows. The kingdom of Macbeth was weak in power, so it was clear that this was the best effort he could muster there.

However, the first princess was a determined woman. To be honest, some believed that she might have been responsible for the crown prince’s passing.

“I’m sorry, but it appears that the other countries are in the same situation as us, as the Empire was in a lot of trouble……”

“Is the foreign minister a nobleman of the Huizeniac empire?”

“……you know that’s not what I meant.”

“Then file a formal complaint right away. I am now to be the crown princess, not just the first princess of the Macbeth Kingdom.”

“……I will do as you please.”

Evelyn emerged victorious from the stealthy conflict. The foreign minister moved to formally appeal while bowing his head. But he was already aware of the outcome. Their protest won’t even get close to the emperor’s ear.

“Even if it’s pointless, I’ll have to do it because it’s an order.”

For him, who has spent half his life as Macbeth’s foreign minister, these protests were unfamiliar but inevitable.

The man let out a protracted sigh. He couldn’t even guess how far the consequences would reach.

***

The Valkyr family’s subordinates, who had arrived early in the morning, had Rodrigo feeling irritated.

“What nonsense is that!”

Rodrigo’s enraged voice rang out. His eyes gleamed with a murderous intent. Berg would have felt threatened by Rodrigo’s gaze if he had been present.

He considered simply cutting these leeches off, but he quickly withdrew. Even though it was bothersome right now, it would be advantageous to blend in as much as possible.

After regaining his composure, Rodrigo opened his mouth and apologized in all sincerity.

“It doesn’t make sense, and I can’t believe it either. What am I going to do when this happens?”

If the others who knew the location of the relics had seen him, they would have said, “How can he be so brazen?” Rodrigo’s acting was flawless.

“Why did you leave that important thing so carelessly!”

“Ha. Do you want to say that this mess happened because I didn’t manage it well?”

In a flash, Rodrigo’s dejected expression turned hostile. Of course, this was Rodrigo’s calculated and made-up face. The duke’s men backed away in horror as the deep-seated beauty’s face abruptly turned ferocious.

“Haha. I suppose I looked so sloppy and shallow, too. Seeing that you’re looking down at me like this, do you intend to kill me away after you get the relic? Like throwing away a useless hound after a rabbit hunt?”

**Killing the dog after hunting. Honestly, he couldn’t deny it. As he had previously stated, he intended to remove Rodrigo after obtaining the relic.

**[TL/N: 토사구팽 – An expression used to indicate the situation of using something when necessary and throwing it away unsympathetically when not, from its literal meaning of “After a rabbit hunt is over, the now-useless hunting dog is boiled and eaten.”] 

“……you have a lot of speculation. We are choosing comrades with whom we will spend the rest of our lives; please don’t take our decision lightly.”

“Then you ought to know how to respect me, but your attitude…”

Rodrigo’s gaze relaxed languidly. The only option left to the men of Valkyr was to swallow dry saliva. His eyes had the appearance of a predator watching its prey.

At this moment, Rodrigo was a predator and they were a prey to be hunted.

“It’s so arrogant.”

They let their guard down. They were swayed by Rodrigo’s gentle demeanor. They were unaware that it was a decorative mask.

“……I think we were rude.”

They eventually acknowledged that they were at fault. Rodrigo then nodded, raising the corners of his mouth.

“I’m glad you admit it. I was so offended that I almost gave up on all the relics.”

Unintentionally, Rodrigo’s unwarranted bravado intimidated the men of Valkyr. They couldn’t, however, return empty-handed.

“All right, then, let us take part in the search.”

“Participate?”

Rodrigo cocked his head as though he had heard an odd noise. The Duke of Valkyr’s subordinates reacted nervously, trying as hard as they could to speak without stuttering.

“Wouldn’t it be necessary to search for the relic if the building collapsed in heavy rain and it was washed away? We should also participate in the search…”

“Oh, no, I thought my explanation was sufficient, but apparently not.”

Rodrigo interrupted the men’s speech with a snappy tongue.

“Of course, we’ll continue the search, but it’s impossible now. If you have a brain, why don’t you understand it? If the heavy rain destroyed the building where the relics were stored, the damage on the other side would be even greater, don’t you think so?”

He looked like he was going to be mad if he didn’t.

“……Yes.”

“Yes, so now that I’ve explained this much, you understand, don’t you, that I have to deal with the urgent matter first.”

The men felt as if their souls were slipping away. Listening to Marquis Chihen made them feel possessed. Strangely, their lips couldn’t move easily even though there seemed to be plenty of room for rebuttal. Is it because of Rodrigo’s unique pressure?

“Then! Then…… Please let us search separately.”

“Hmm, if you want to do that much, I won’t stand in your way; I was going to give it to you anyhow; but you should report it to the Duke on your own,” he said.

“……I see.”

A gentle smile appeared on Rodrigo’s face as the story developed as planned. He spoke in a voice that had never been heard before to Valkyr’s subordinate.

“If you need anything, please let me know; I’ll help you as much as I can.”

No matter how hard you look, it won’t be found.

Rodrigo was willing to show this level of tolerance.

“……thank you.”

The subordinate of Valkyr felt they were losing a lot, but they were powerless to change their words now, so they stood up.

Tak~

A sharp arsenic formed around Rodrigo’s mouth as Giorgio’s subordinates departed.

“How careless.”

Rodrigo had yet another confirmation that his decision was correct.

The accumulated fatigue struck immediately after expelling the bothersome individuals. Rodrigo leaned back in his chair, loosening his neatly fastened cravat. He could only take a brief break because he still had a lot of work to do; however, a brief knock interrupted his rest.

“Marquis, Paval has arrived from the palace.”

For a brief second, Rodrigo’s forehead creased. Then he relaxed his brows and asked in a menacing tone.

“Is there a war?”

“That’s not it, but his highness has a story to tell, something akin to a war.”

Rodrigo exhaled heavily. He knew what his kind king would like to discuss.

“You seem to have lingering feelings about what we talked about a while ago,”

After taking a few deep breaths and briefly closing his eyes, Rodrigo stood up right away. He would not be able to predict the type of accident he would have if he didn’t go and stop the king right away.

“I’ll enter the palace right away.”

***

“Marquis Chihen, please take a seat for the moment.”

The king lost his poise as soon as Rodrigo entered the room and rushed to greet him.

Except for the throne, there couldn’t really be any other chairs in the audience room. The king, however, who had too much faith in the Chihen family, disregarded the principle. Naturally, Rodrigo felt at ease.

“I heard you wanted to discuss something with me.”

“Oh, that’s……. Actually, about what we discussed before……. Shouldn’t we also protest against the Huizeniac Empire?”

Discussion. What an intriguing word choice. It was not a discussion, but rather Rodrigo’s general opinion.

“I’ve been considering it for a while; wouldn’t it be appropriate for us to join?”

A pretentious smile adorned Rodrigo’s face as the king’s transparent, clear eyes gazed up at him. Rodrigo sighed and shook his head.

“Your Highness, I appreciate your concern, but given how other nations are acting, perhaps we ought to take a different action.”

“Hmm…”

Rodrigo’s words drew the king’s attention away from him. It was a poor response. At this rate, the timid king may disregard Rodrigo’s words and act unexpectedly.