Chapter 275
Chapter 275
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Overprotective Siblings (1)
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The dignified meeting of the imperial princesses had come to an end.
Lydia, who had always taken the lead in speaking during those gatherings.
But this time, she had no choice but to keep her words to an absolute minimum.
“You’re all such lowlifes!! How utterly disgraceful!!”
The youngest princess stormed through the palace corridors alone, fuming.
As if trying to calm her agitated heart, she stopped at the terrace at the end of the hall.
And from the lofty palace heights, she gazed down upon the capital alone.
“Haa….”
This autumn marked the alliance festival between the Founding Festival and Samad.
The streets were already bustling with excited couples.
Lydia stared down at their joyful youth and let out a deep sigh.
“How can they advance so barbarically…!”
She had always thought of Veil as beneath her veil and wanted to manage him personally.
She had planned to make him dependent on her, then slowly share her love.
But her sisters had charged straight at the one they liked without any of that.
The image of that fox losing his composure and floundering before her sisters’ aggressive figures kept coming to mind.
At that, Lydia squeezed her eyes shut and vigorously shook her head no.
Her long twintails, braided on either side, swung energetically as a result.
“They must have shaken those vulgar bodies like whores, no doubt!!”
Lydia stomped her feet and shouted alone.
But with her slight weight, even her footsteps didn’t echo loudly.
“…”
On the surface, she always poked fun at Veil and acted coquettishly….
In truth, Lydia had no experience in romance.
Of course, she had received plenty of marriage proposals for political alliances.
However, the men who desired her were mostly perverse in strangely creepy ways.
She had thought Veil was one of those types at first, but he was different.
He was considerate of her, and after missions, he’d vanish like a wild animal.
That’s why Lydia had sensed something special in him.
Yet, the very guy who acted that way had already consummated with Irina and Leah.
“No way…. Am I really not enough…?”
She, who always thought herself the best, felt doubt about herself for the first time.
Even as the youngest among the imperial family, her achievements were top-tier, and she was known for her elegance beyond her years.
The youngest princess sighed deeply and descended the palace stairs gracefully in her dress.
As she reached the palace entrance, a few guards and one woman already mounted on a horse caught her eye.
The woman held the reins of the black horse prepared for Lydia alongside her own.
Her face wasn’t clearly visible from the side due to her chador, but Lydia knew who she was.
“You’re here, Lydia.”
Vanessa.
The Third Imperial Consort, out with her to inspect the capital ahead of the festival after the meeting.
“Yes, let’s get going.”
Lydia composed her expression into that of a charismatic imperial once more as she came down the stairs.
And she arrived boldly before the horse, far larger than herself.
A few citizens glanced curiously at Lydia, who looked unmistakably noble.
In response, Lydia closed her eyes demurely and extended her hand dramatically.
As if mounting the massive horse alone in a lordly, impressive pose.
But at that moment.
――――――.
The guards prepared a cute little wooden step-stool in advance.
Lydia, familiar with the routine, boldly climbed the tiny stairs with grunts and mounted the saddle.
“…”
The citizens turned away with awkward coughs at the princess’s display.
Unaware, Lydia gripped the black horse’s reins with a satisfied expression.
Aside from the mounting process, the black horse and her dark hair suited each other perfectly.
“You’re still clumsy at mounting horses, I see.”
“Clumsiness and disadvantage are different matters, Mother.”
Lydia placed her hands on her hips and declared proudly.
Vanessa chuckled, her gentle gaze fond of her daughter’s demeanor.
“True, overcoming it is what counts.”
The Third Imperial Consort, a full head taller than Lydia.
Even with her face veiled in silk, her sensual eyes and beautiful figure exuded elegance.
“The meeting ended early, it seems.”
“The fools dragged on with pointless talk, so I left first.”
Lydia replied coolly with her ruby-red eyes.
Her mother, Vanessa, watched her intently.
Her red eyes observed her daughter closely, then elegantly half-closed.
“Hmm—. Looks like Irina and Leah got under your skin.”
As expected of the woman who had captivated the emperor, she struck right to the point.
Lydia’s twintails twitched at that.
“Now that I think about it, Leah took Veil on that southern diplomatic tour recently.”
Vanessa placed a finger on her chin, speaking leisurely.
“They must have had a good time together.”
“How did you know, Mother?”
Lydia asked with a cold expression.
Though she held the reins, a accompanying guard led her horse.
“A woman in love can’t hide it, no matter how she tries.”
Vanessa smiled sweetly at her daughter.
Lydia blinked at her mother’s sensual gaze.
“Then, I….”
“Exactly, our little girl is showing it quite plainly too—.”
Lydia puffed her cheeks at her mother’s teasing tone.
With a sulky face, she immediately retorted.
“I’m perfectly fine. I can conquer Veil anytime I want.”
Vanessa nodded in satisfaction at her daughter’s confident gaze.
Then, she looked ahead and urged her horse forward together.
“Hehe…. Yes, Lydia. Don’t lose heart—keep acting like yourself.”
The consort spoke gently, as if deliberately drawing out her daughter’s boldness.
“You’re the daughter of the Conqueror King and me—you won’t lose to those girls.”
“Of course.”
The princess dropped her fake reins and boldly crossed her arms alone.
But as the horse began to move, anxiety returned, and she discreetly lowered both hands.
“I was planning to ask Veil to escort me during the festival anyway.”
“You’ve planned ahead, as expected.”
Vanessa gazed intently at her daughter’s shrewd eyes.
She believed that if born a man, she’d have been a renowned lord.
“Yes. First, escorting my maternal royal relatives on inspection. Second, time alone with just me.”
“Hmm—. But I hear Veil dislikes bothersome things.”
Vanessa, already aware of Veil’s temperament.
Lydia replied with sharp, seductive eyes like a little devil.
“Kuhehe…. I anticipated that and sent Father a lunchbox as a request.”
“Oh? You made a lunchbox? When did you learn to cook?”
Her mother looked surprised that Lydia, who had only handled state documents and a dagger for self-defense her whole life, had picked up a ladle.
The Third Princess smirked and declared proudly.
“Consider it ambition to claim a man. Thanks to that, Father approved immediately.”
Vanessa imagined her husband readily agreeing.
Cherishing his daughter’s lunchbox like gold or jade, chuckling inwardly.
“Hey, Sir Mosian. Our girl made this scrambled egg dish for me!! Uhahaha!!!!”
“That man of mine….”
Vanessa shook her head with a fond smile.
Lydia added her meticulous intent to her mother.
“And Veil will gain something too. A newly developed watermelon variety from our Eastern lands.”
Melon watermelon.
A premium fruit developed through advanced sorcery and farming techniques, blending melon and watermelon.
Vanessa nodded at the news.
Her daughter wasn’t acting out of pure selfishness.
She was pleased that she considered her future husband’s position and offered him a fitting reward.
“Hmm—. So you’re not just manipulating the man.”
“If you give, you must receive as well.”
Lydia tugged at the Eastern Knight Order jacket draped over her shoulders.
Smaller in stature, but riding the black horse with flashing red eyes, she exuded clear charisma.
“Leah may have claimed the castle this time, but I’ll be the one to fully annex it.”
The youngest princess pressed a hand to her lips and smiled seductively.
From afar, she looked like a youngest royal scheming for the throne.
But her expression soon flushed with embarrassment.
When she pulled out her cute gold pouch to tip the guard who had led her horse.
Her delicate fingers strained, but the tightly knotted strings wouldn’t loosen.
“Ngh…….”
The guard glanced anxiously at the princess, wondering if he should untie it.
But soon, relieved inwardly as Lydia boldly untied it herself.
“You’ve worked hard.”
The armored man politely accepted the gold coins.
But he soon tilted his head at the state of one of the two coins he received.
One was clearly a standard imperial gold coin.
The other was something entirely different, shaped like a gold coin.
“Collect 10 tokens for a free pizza…?”
The man remounted with a dumbfounded expression to lead the great lord instead.
Well, even one gold coin far exceeded his daily wage, so he pocketed both.
Unaware, Lydia retied her pouch with a proud look.
Even as she generously tipped the guard who helped her, she thriftily collected the coupon.
“He probably won’t have much to do escorting during the event—it’s just for show with the horses.”
Lydia knew well what Veil liked.
Confident she could handle everything herself, she was relaxed ahead of her plans.
Like a wife who could single-handedly support her husband.
Vanessa smirked, pleased with her daughter’s ambition.
“Yes, it’s your plan, so no issues. But….”
Yet, something nagged at her, and she glanced at Lydia.
Feeling her gaze, the Eastern lord met her mother’s eyes.
“Among the royals visiting this time, there are twins.”
“Twins? Brother Arden and Sister Hanna…?”
Lydia looked puzzled, unaware they’d be coming.
“Yes, they wanted to see you after so long and joined in.”
Vanessa’s concern was simple.
The twin siblings adored Lydia immensely.
“If they learn Veil is your prospective husband, they’ll be wary and test him. I hope it doesn’t get too intense.”
The three had been close since childhood.
If Lydia stumbled while walking, they’d fuss and carry her on their back; if she drew a picture, they’d call her a genius and display it in the royal museum….
“Nah—. I was a kid then. They’ll be distant now.”
Lydia waved it off, insisting it’d be fine.
Who’d baby a proper imperial lord? She smirked.
“I hope so—. But whether Veil can endure those two….”
Vanessa spoke in her usual gentle motherly tone.
Afterward, she toured the capital with Lydia and ended the day with pizza dinner at a shop.
――――――
The following week arrived just like that.
The empire was in full swing preparing for the festival.
The upcoming alliance commemoration festival with the Samad Kingdom.
With the Founding Festival overlapping nearby, the event’s scale would be massive.
Of course, I planned to sit it out.
“I’m a marquis now, and the empire’s top swordsman, after all—.”
Curled up like a ball on the sofa, I thought that.
But the letter from the emperor that night read….
“Lord Veil, I’d like you to escort the Samad royals on their inspection today.”
“I’ll make it worth your while, so please—.”
It was unclear if it was blackmail or a request.
Of course, I’d met the Samad royals before and left on good terms, and the reward was generous—sweet work.
‘But every job spirals into something huge, and it’s burdensome….’
What could I do?
It used to be an order, but now it’s a request—progress.
Satisfied, I leisurely arrived at Rubintzkru, the capital’s bustling east-west districts amid festival prep.
“Hehe—. You’re here, Mikhail—.”
Sure enough, Lydia awaited in front of the lord’s mansion, dressed in lovely Eastern formal attire for the event.
The black fur over her shoulders boasted elegance.
“A bit late, Your Highness.”
I approached, eyeing Lydia’s bold stance with hands on hips.
Up close, her sharp eyes contrasted with her petite stature.
But….
The closer I got, the more figures around her came into view.
The Samad grand duke I’d met before, and his children Tinda and Darhan.
All familiar faces from the previous gathering.
But among them stood two overwhelmingly presence-filled man and woman.
Sturdy royals both.
The man had shaved sides and a dragon tattoo; the woman bore a scar over one eye.
“You’re… Ve…il… Mi…kha…il…?”
They spoke to me in unison, chillingly synchronized.
My sly eyes widened round at the sight.
“That’s me, but…?”
“Pleased to meet you. We’re the Arden siblings.”
Killing intent poured from their eyes.
Like the barbarian tribes I’d clashed with on the northern front.
“I’m the Samad Kingdom’s Assault Captain; this is….”
“The Assassination Captain.”
Lydia cleared her throat at her cousins scaring Veil from the start.
Peeking out between them, she shouted.
“Sis, it’s not Assassination Unit, it’s Sword Dance Unit!!”
“No, today it’s Assassination Unit.”
Especially the sister, Arden Hanna, eyed me with extreme wariness.
I scratched the back of my head and forced a smile.
“Pleased to meet you all. I’m Veil Mikhail, in charge of escort.”
The Arden siblings glanced at the grand duke and relatives, expecting wariness as kin.
Most maternal relatives doted on Lydia.
But their reactions were utterly different.
“Our son-in-law’s here—?”
“Been a while, brother-in-law.”
A hearty old noble and middle-aged man welcomed me like family already.
The hot-blooded siblings were at a loss before them.
“What….”
“How did this fox-faced guy sweet-talk the elders…?”
They blinked at the grand duke patting my shoulder.
But soon hardened their faces coldly again.
“Don’t know what tricks you used, but it won’t work on us.”
“Right, we’ll uncover your intentions toward our baby sister.”
Lydia sighed deeply at that.
Gazing at them pitifully, she said.
“You two haven’t changed a bit, Sis, Bro….”