Chapter 273
Chapter 273
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 272. Emergency Meeting (1)
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It was noon by the time the diplomatic delegation returned to imperial territory.
The southern city of Bansuku celebrated our return, and Grand Duke Rosetta wanted to raise a toast as well.
However, reporting to His Majesty the Emperor came first, so after a brief cleanup, we headed straight for the capital.
――――――.
Sturdy wheels glided smoothly along the well-paved road.
Normally, Leah would lead the procession at the front.
But on the way back to the Empire,
For some reason, the princess was nowhere to be seen in the line.
Even the white horse she rode was being handled by a knight from the Order of Radiance.
Sensing something off, I spurred my horse toward Richard, who had taken the lead instead.
“Excuse me, where is Her Highness the princess?”
“Her Highness Leah? She said she’d be in the carriage for a bit, revising the report for His Majesty.”
How strange.
Leah had thoroughly prepared the report well before the banquet.
Puzzled, I slowly fell back and approached the luxurious imperial carriage she was riding in.
I lightly tapped the window with my knuckles.
Knock knock――――――.
I blinked and waited for a response.
But no matter how long I waited, there was no reaction from inside the carriage.
Tilting my head, I cautiously slid the window open.
Then, the moment I pulled back the curtain blocking the sunlight,
The Empire’s 1st Imperial Princess came into view, collapsed on the sofa in a deep sleep.
“…….”
She lay there in her uniform, breathing as quietly as a baby.
Because she’d changed in a hurry, the collar of her white shirt was sticking out awkwardly.
‘I thought she was fine since she was up early this morning….’
She was human after all.
Even in the jostling carriage, she slept soundly and comfortably.
“Mmm…. It’s late, we need to get going…….”
Her glorious golden hair was tousled, unwashed and unbrushed, sticking out in all directions.
A glimpse of her beautiful dragon-like eyes through the messy strands brought a smile to my face.
“She looks just as haughty as the other princesses when she’s like this….”
The sharp gaze and soldierly tone she automatically adopted upon waking.
And from night until dawn, those sensual movements of hers.
I was struck once again by how she was exactly half her father the Emperor and half Rozanna.
“What are you muttering about by yourself?”
Richard pulled his horse back slowly.
I drew the curtain again as I replied.
“Nothing, she must be tired. She’s taking a nap.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I even had them prepare the breakfast menu she requested.”
Ah, he was talking about that from last night.
“She suddenly asked for milk and sausage, which she doesn’t usually eat, so I was puzzled.”
“Well, tastes change, I guess—.”
I forced a sly grin and brushed it off.
“She seemed a bit unwell yesterday too. Her breathing was really ragged when she answered….”
Richard stared at the carriage, looking concerned for her.
Come to think of it, he was just barely twenty, so he probably didn’t know much about this sort of thing yet.
The imperial knights all went through strict knightly education from their parents, so they likely hadn’t had much chance to be with women.
That might be why he hadn’t noticed.
“Ahem…. We’ll arrive at the Empire soon, so I’ll wake her.”
“Got it. I’ll wait up front then.”
Richard rode his elegant white horse back to the head of the delegation.
Only then did I open the window again and peek inside.
The carriage was filled with Leah’s distinctive sweet scent.
“…….”
Unlike the noisy clatter of hooves and wheels outside, the interior was utterly quiet.
In that silence, I softly called to the princess.
“Your Highness, we’ll arrive at the capital soon.”
“…….”
Even after speaking politely, she showed no sign of waking.
With a short snort, I opened the carriage door.
I handed my horse to another knight for a moment and climbed inside.
“Up we go—.”
I settled onto the seat across from her with a thud.
Propping my chin on my hand, I quietly watched Leah for a while.
The princess slept soundly, lying on her side.
Her eyelashes, peeking through her golden locks, caught the sunlight filtering through the curtains.
I stared intently at those sparkling eyes.
‘She really lives up to the name of lioness.’
With just that golden hair, she looked adorably feline.
And the beautiful curve of her breasts, accentuated by her side-lying position.
It brought back vivid memories of last night’s intensity.
Drawing on that experience, I decided to wake her.
“Hop…?”
A short, firm word.
At that, the sleeping beast’s shoulders twitched faintly.
‘She reacts after all—?’
Feeling playful, I smirked with my characteristic narrow eyes.
I knelt close beside the sleeping princess.
Then, I whispered into her soft ear, visible through her hair.
“Your Highness Bunny Rabbit, time to wake up.”
Last night, she’d acted spoiled and coquettish with me, thinking I was hypnotized.
But in truth, I’d been fully aware, watching every bit of it.
No matter how much she pretended to sleep, Leah’s eyebrows quivered instinctively.
“Hop hop, you’ve got to hop over quick and report to His Majesty—.”
That clincher did it.
Leah bolted upright, her messy hair flying.
“You fox…!!”
The Empire’s 1st Imperial Princess shouted at the top of her lungs the moment she sat up.
She covered her flushed face with her long hair.
“You should’ve woken up properly when I spoke nicely—.”
I chuckled and played innocent.
Leah began fastening all the buttons on her white shirt, regaining her composure.
“I already calculated the arrival time. I could’ve gotten ready plenty with five more minutes.”
Good grief.
She’d stayed curled up in my blankets for ages even after waking early.
“You sure talk a good game—.”
“Get out for a bit. I’ll be right there….”
Leah spoke to me in her haughty imperial tone.
She was trying to maintain her dignity for official duties.
“Understood. I’ll ‘hop’ right down then.”
I raised both hands above my head, twitching them like rabbit ears.
Leah’s face turned icy as she focused wind magic on her index finger.
Only then did I hurriedly dismount from the carriage.
“Whew…. What am I to do with that cheeky bastard…….”
Leah muttered to herself while adjusting her necktie.
Still, she didn’t seem to hate my teasing wake-up call.
Thanks to last night, we could share these little jokes now.
“…….”
Pleased that her relationship with me had grown as close as the one she’d envied with Irina, the princess smiled faintly with her fresh red lips.
Finally, she stepped out of the carriage and mounted her white horse.
――――――.
The grand capital’s gates swung open.
A sturdy wooden bridge extended over the moat, and the delegation at last returned to the Empire.
With very good news.
“We sincerely congratulate the diplomatic delegation on your successful return.”
Imperial guards lined up along both sides inside the castle.
And the Empire’s citizens who had come to celebrate with us.
We entered the capital amid everyone’s blessings.
Women up on the village’s second floors and battlements scattered flower petals, and we strolled leisurely down the flower path together.
“We did it in the end.”
I smirked and walked alongside Richard and Leah.
Mago had returned to Cornell first upon entering the Empire, considering the shamans’ perceptions, so she wasn’t with us.
But Leah said good news would reach her soon.
Mago didn’t know yet, but I did.
An official appointment as a grand magus.
The imperial family would recognize shamans’ existence, and good ones who passed screening would be officially acknowledged as magi.
The 1st Imperial Princess had agonized over adding this plan to the report.
“Yeah, you made it back safely.”
I glanced at Leah, who seemed cold on the outside but warm within.
The princess no longer wore only a blank expression.
Like a woman in her early twenties, she smiled softly and reached out into the air.
She caught a falling petal on her palm and took a deep breath.
“You’re back, Leah.”
As the procession reached the city center, the Emperor himself appeared before the central palace.
Dressed in white uniform with hands behind his back, he stood in a line with numerous retainers to welcome us.
“Yes, Your Majesty. We have returned safely.”
We dismounted simultaneously and approached him.
We offered formal greetings and shared the news.
“Let’s talk inside. You too, Veil, come along.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
We walked side by side with him into the palace.
We traversed the beautiful crystal corridor of the palace and arrived at his office.
“So, were there no hardships on the journey to the Kingdom of Hawson?”
Upon reaching the office, the Emperor chuckled and asked us.
Leonhardt, impeccably dressed in white uniform, his white hair elegantly swept back.
He looked even healthier than before; his Grand Aura burned solidly within him.
Seeing him like this made King Hodrian’s poor health feel all the more real.
“Yes, everything proceeded without issue. Just as in the report.”
Leah spoke confidently, displaying disciplined poise.
Her father the Emperor gazed at her intently for a moment.
“Yes, your face looks much more at ease.”
At ease.
Leah tilted her head at his words.
She thought she’d behaved as soldierly as usual.
At ease?
Wondering if he meant intellectual, she cleared her throat.
“Not intellectual.”
The Emperor, reading her mind, smiled faintly.
He rarely showed smiles in official settings, but genuine emotion for his daughter.
“You always seemed a bit tense around me before, but now you look so carefree.”
Holding her report, the Emperor spoke in a joyful voice.
In the past, due to the struggle for the throne, he’d been deliberately harsh to all his children, but now he seemed resolved to change.
“…….”
Leah stared blankly at her father for a moment.
Then she mirrored him with a soft smile.
A beautiful eye-smile she showed as his daughter for the first time.
“Yes, Father. My heart feels much lighter now.”
“Good work, my daughter.”
Seeing the warm father-daughter moment made me happy too.
I nodded quietly to myself, proudly watching the scene.
“I’ve already received all the reports in advance, so what more is there to hear.”
The Emperor set the report down firmly on his office desk.
“I just called to check on my returned daughter’s well-being.”
“I’m grateful you summoned me like this.”
The princess shyly tucked her tousled golden hair behind her ear.
Even the lofty Leah showed human sides before her father.
“Yes, your face looks even better since you left.”
The Emperor stared at his long-unseen daughter’s face.
Like a father, he immediately noticed her radiant, more vibrant skin.
“Your skin looks better too.”
“Ah….”
The princess glanced away at his words.
Then, staring at me, she left a meaningful remark.
“I’ve started a new ‘exercise’ routine lately.”
“Exercise…? I didn’t know you enjoyed it like Irina or Lydia.”
The Emperor chuckled in surprise.
Irina trained with horseback riding, Lydia with Eastern martial arts, but Leah had only practiced magic.
“Yes, taking good care of yourself yields good results.”
Leonhardt nodded with a chuckle.
In response, Leah placed a hand on her lower abdomen with a soft smile.
She bowed politely and said,
“Of course. I’ll show even better ‘results’ from now on.”
After the greeting, the princess smoothed her cascading golden hair and looked at me.
Her eyes turned slyly seductive when the Emperor wasn’t looking.
“Ahem…….”
I coughed awkwardly and turned away.
“You must be tired, so both of you go rest.”
“I’ll discuss state affairs with my sisters first, then retire.”
The Emperor approved her request.
Thanks to that, we could leisurely exit the office together.
But.
The moment we stepped out, we had to stop.
Two noble women waited before the Emperor’s office.
“Veil, you’re back?”
“You took longer than expected, Mikhail!!”
Irina, blinking her green eyes beneath her clear silver hair.
Petite Lydia, her twin tails bouncing energetically.
The two were quite sulky, having learned Leah went south with just me.
Though their positions had risen greatly handling national duties in the meantime.
They looked frustrated at missing the most important part.
“Oh my, sisters are here.”
Leah, who had orchestrated the whole plan, smirked and gave them a relaxed smile.
At their eldest sister’s attitude, Irina and Lydia both went blank.
“What’s with that smile…?”
“It’s totally weird. Are you crazy, Leah?”
She’d always ignored them before, yet here she was smiling.
Even calling them sisters.
Her newfound friendliness felt so awkward.
“Crazy? Is it strange to call my lovely sisters that?”
Lydia’s expression soured especially.
True to her Eastern roots, she had sharp instincts for this.
Leah’s softened gaze and moist skin seemed suspiciously alluring.
And Irina’s temperament had grown a bit softer lately too.
Somehow anxious, her black twin tails quivered.
“Then, I’ll go attend to my personal duties—.”
I forced a smile and slipped away like a fox.
That left only the three princesses in the corridor.
Lydia’s red leopard-like eyes flashed as she spoke.
“Come to the garden right now!”
The shortest of the three stormed ahead energetically.
It was meant to be a meeting for state discussions, but her anger seemed aimed elsewhere.
Her two older sisters watched her retreating back.
Then, they followed leisurely with mature eye-smiles.