Chapter 307
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 307
Chapter Title: I Will Not Tolerate It.
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Even after hearing Charlotte's call, Rose didn't answer right away.
She merely closed her eyes gently.
'...In the end.'
She had faintly anticipated it ever since receiving the letter.
That she would have to make a choice at this Seven Dragons Assembly.
Now that Rimon's possession of dragon psionics had been exposed, it was obvious she couldn't stay on the sidelines forever.
And her answer had been decided from the start.
Rose was the Azure Dragon Princess.
The most righteous princess of them all.
And in the Seven Dragons Assembly, ultimate justice meant reviving the dragon and creating an ideal world.
But it was nearly impossible for her to gather a majority stake on her own.
She was too rigid and intolerant of injustice to embrace dictators like Ekaterina or tyrants like Hasneti.
Charlotte, too proud to yield to anyone, or Li Chingwei, for whom scheming was instinct, wouldn't follow her either.
In that sense, the answer Rose had to choose was the same as Ekaterina and Hasneti's: entrust her stake to Charlotte.
Whether to prevent war.
Or to revive the dragon.
It was clearly the best choice for the Seven Dragons Assembly as a whole.
But...
'Is that really okay?'
Rimon was no pushover.
No matter the Scales of Justice contract, securing a majority stake meant he would become an uncontrollable force.
One misstep, and she could lose the entire Seven Dragons Assembly to him.
But that wasn't why Rose hesitated.
If anything, it was the opposite.
She hesitated because Charlotte might actually succeed.
Having publicly promised to share the dragon psionics equally, Charlotte would undoubtedly keep her word.
And that meant turning Rimon into shared communal property of the Seven Dragons Assembly.
'Share him... like a tool?'
Imagining that future.
Rose unconsciously clenched her fist tight.
Her innate possessiveness as a princess.
Her respect for him as a knight.
And above all, the memory of that one night in London, when she was exhausted from Karl's schemes.
The night she leaned on his shoulder as he played for her in the moonlit garden, affirming even hypocrisy as good, and fell asleep.
All of it fueled a visceral disgust beyond mere rejection at the idea of using Rimon like an object.
'I...'
Her sense of duty as a princess of the Seven Dragons Assembly.
And her intensely personal, vague emotions.
As if sensing Rose's turmoil between them, Charlotte narrowed her eyes and gazed at her.
"Why do you not answer, Rose? Your duty for our Seven Dragons Assembly should be clear."
"......"
She had assumed her answer was set in stone.
Utterly matter-of-fact, Charlotte's urging pierced her heart all the sharper. Rose bit her lip hard.
At that very moment.
A curt voice cut in.
"Hold on. I'll answer first."
"Ainsha, is it you?"
"Yes."
It was an unexpected intervention.
To Charlotte and the other princesses alike.
Even Rose, who gained a reprieve from answering, and Tata watching from behind showed faint bewilderment.
But the ever-expressionless white-haired girl paid no mind to the princesses' surprised stares.
She simply turned to Rimon.
"Ri, before that, something to confirm."
"What is it?"
"If we prove our qualifications, what happens to Li Chingwei? I want to know."
"...!"
The other princesses' eyes widened.
Caught up in the unexpected proposal, they realized they'd overlooked Li Chingwei herself.
It was even more shocking that Ainsha pointed it out first.
But one person alone.
Rimon didn't falter.
He merely quirked his lips slightly, as if it was absurd they'd only now asked what should have been obvious.
Of course, it was fleeting.
As if he'd never smirked.
He resumed his cold expression and answered calmly.
"The Black Dragon Princess must prove her qualifications just the same."
"...Even Li Chingwei?"
"For fairness."
From the moment Li Chingwei proposed marriage in exchange for half of Leviathan's stake, she had proven her qualifications as a bride.
But that was in the past.
Now, with a way to revive the dragon.
And as a princess of the Seven Dragons Assembly.
Li Chingwei too must newly prove her worth.
Declaring it with a coldness that surprised the other princesses, Rimon gazed at the composed Li Chingwei and continued softly.
"However, she is undeniably already my fiancée."
No matter how the situation changed.
He had sworn on his sword never to abandon her, and it remained true now.
"Thus, until you prove your qualifications, the Black Dragon Princess is my one and only bride, and I her groom."
"Hmm, so helping her is Li Chingwei's advantage? The rest equal?"
"Something like that."
"Ahaha! Indeed, that's fairly even then."
Ekaterina giggled.
Had they been forced into all-out war with Rimon, it could never be called fair.
Rimon, the last Sword Master.
Li Chingwei, the Seven Dragons Assembly's top strategist.
Together, even all six other clans combined couldn't guarantee victory.
But having declared the bride trial, Rimon wouldn't seize stakes by force.
Thus, Li Chingwei wasn't their rival.
With only half of Leviathan's stake left, no princess would entrust shares to someone whose nature was betrayal and schemes.
"Understood. Then I entrust my stake to Li Chingwei."
That was why.
Ekaterina smiled as she petrified.
Blinking as if unsure what she'd just heard.
Regaining her wits, she asked hesitantly.
"Um, Ainsha...? I think I misheard. What did you just say?"
"Tiamat Corporation's 100% stake, Leviathan's 7% stake, all delegated to Li Chingwei."
"...!"
That was the decisive blow.
Realizing she hadn't misheard, Ekaterina gaped like a fool.
It wasn't just her flightiness.
The other princesses, and even Li Chingwei suddenly receiving the stakes, looked equally baffled.
"Wait. You got tricked by Li Chingwei again this time...!"
"Not tricked. Unrelated to Li Chingwei. This is rational judgment."
"How is that rational?!"
"Same as you entrusting to Charlotte."
Ekaterina was dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Charlotte looked intrigued.
Li Chingwei's reaction showed Ainsha's action was unplanned spontaneity.
"You think Li Chingwei more fit as our representative than me?"
"Li Chingwei already Ri's bride. Ri helps Li Chingwei. So highest chance of recognition if stakes gathered."
"...Gathering stakes secondary. Key is moving Sword Duke's heart."
"Yes."
"Sound logic."
Charlotte smirked faintly at Ainsha's impassive reply.
Then, with a deeper smile, she asked.
"But Ainsha, can you truly trust Li Chingwei?"
No guarantee Li Chingwei would reciprocate the stakes.
Even as Charlotte sowed discord openly, the others—including Li Chingwei—nodded in agreement.
Ainsha answered instantly.
"Can't trust."
"......"
"Li Chingwei liar. Tricked me lots. Trusting is foolish."
"Yet you'll foolishly entrust her your stakes?"
"Not trusting Li Chingwei."
Speaking curtly.
Ainsha turned her head.
Amid everyone's shock and suspicion, to the one remaining calm.
Meeting Rimon's steady golden eyes squarely, she continued impassively.
"Instead, trust Ri who trusts Li Chingwei."
Even if Li Chingwei tried to deceive her, Rimon wouldn't allow it.
She trusted that fact.
Turning to the black-haired girl.
"Above all, time to keep promise with Li Chingwei. So keeping it. Li Chingwei, do your best to become Sword Duke's bride."
"Ainsha, you..."
"In return, I become Ri's wife. You do the work, I take the gains. Genius idea."
"...That's your true intent."
Her expression unusually complex for a moment.
Li Chingwei ended up with a wry smile.
To revive the dragon via psionics, supporting Charlotte was safer.
But insufficient.
She wanted more from him.
To become his true consort.
Thus, realizing positioning Li Chingwei against Charlotte was Ainsha's "scheme" for her own qualification via fisherman's gain.
Bluntly admitting it was so very Ainsha...
Quite the bold move for a White Dragon clanswoman.
That was why.
Rose asked with a hardened face.
"Ainsha, is that your foreseen vision?"
"Not vision."
"...Then on what basis this reckless decision?"
To Rose's question, Ainsha puffed her chest, face blank.
"Woman's intuition."
"......"
Rose fell silent at the bold, almost boisterous claim.
The impassive eyes unwavering despite basing a absurd gamble on something listeners would scoff at.
It shocked her, like ice water dumped over, her who couldn't decide.
"Ahaha! Choice as woman before princess... Indeed, that makes it understandable."
Perhaps the shock snapped her out of it.
Her prior daze seemed a lie as she giggled cheerfully for a bit.
"But Ainsha, do you know?"
Ekaterina suddenly stopped laughing.
Tilting her head.
"Entrusting stakes to Li Chingwei means antagonizing not just Charlotte, but me too since I gave mine to her."
Like a doll with broken joints.
Twisting her neck at an eerie angle.
Staring at Ainsha with transparently glowing eyes.
Ekaterina asked.
"You, daring to defy this 'big sister'?"
That instant.
Tata nearly lunged forward.
Ekaterina's chilling aura and eerie gaze triggered primal alarm.
But one reason she held back.
"Doesn't matter. With Ri here, we win any fight."
'Princess...!'
Once she'd have averted eyes or hidden behind.
As Tata's eyes widened at Ainsha flinching yet steadfastly meeting Ekaterina's gaze.
Ekaterina laughed instead.
Lips curving like a crescent moon.
Truly delighted.
"Oh? Shall we test it?"
"Come at me. Ri will handle it."
"...Ainsha. Sword Duke hasn't spoken yet. Why declare war on your own?"
Was it bravado?
Or empty courage?
With Sword Master on her side, no fear even if all princesses attacked.
Ekaterina smiled chillingly, drawing psionics, as Ainsha declared so boldly.
Seeing imminent Seven Dragons infighting—the last thing Li Chingwei wanted—she sighed to intervene.
Bang!
"Enough!"
Ekaterina froze.
Not the shout itself.
The one slamming her sheathed sword to draw eyes was utterly unexpected.
"Ainsha, I've heard your opinion fully. Cease further provocations."
Unlike her hesitation under Charlotte's urging.
"And Ekaterina, we each have our right to choose. You cannot persecute her just for not siding with you."
The blue-haired princess, sword planted firmly, spoke resolutely.
"Anyone forcing another clan by force, I'll deal with first."
Seeing Rose, whom she'd believed would unwaveringly support Charlotte for the Assembly.
Ekaterina lost her prior menace, looking absurd.
She'd noticed the warning was aimed at her.
"No way, Rose. You siding with Li Chingwei too?"
"No."
"Then what was that?"
To Ekaterina's question, Rose closed her eyes briefly.
Rigid, she couldn't blindly side with Rimon on personal feelings, nor force the Assembly's cause on him.
The former betrayed her beliefs.
The latter would revive the dragon but bar her from peacefully hearing his music again.
So she'd hesitated till now.
But seeing Ainsha boldly choose the absurd, she realized.
Her role wasn't fretting over Rimon and others' reactions.
Thus, Rose spoke.
To be true to herself.
Proving her qualification in her own way.
"I choose neutrality."
"...What?"
"Neutrality."
To thoroughly baffled Ekaterina, Rose repeated.
And to the other princesses, repeated again.
"Whether Charlotte, Li Chingwei, Ainsha, or you Ekaterina. Anyone."
Not overtly.
With a faint smile.
Facing Rimon, watching calmly as if he'd expected it from her.
"To whoever proves qualifications to Sword Duke and leads Seven Dragons Assembly best, I delegate all my stakes."
Siding with none.
Choosing the noble path to protect all.
The princess turned.
Straightened to the mightiest princess, declaring firmly.
"Conversely, I will not tolerate anyone whose excessive competition harms the Seven Dragons Assembly."