Chapter 59
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: I Miss Tail So Much
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A single girl sat at a desk in a lavish room.
Her soft golden hair was slightly disheveled.
Her fair, delicate skin had turned pale.
She looked in terrible shape, with dark circles under her eyes from barely sleeping.
It was Chloe, who had grown terribly gaunt over the past few days.
She bit her nails anxiously, then let out a short sigh.
"Haa."
It was the first time she'd felt like this since coming to the academy.
Just thinking about Tail made her stomach churn, and she hadn't eaten a thing for a week.
She fiddled with her emaciated arm and sank into thought.
Honestly, Chloe had always thought her feelings for Tail were simple affection for the friend who created her most beautiful childhood memories.
He was always someone she was grateful for and cherished.
It was natural to be greedy about keeping such a rare friend close.
That's what she'd believed.
So, when he returned to the monastery, she planned to grant him a title and a high position.
She hoped he'd serve by her side again, just like when they were kids.
She wanted him to grow strong enough to protect her from any threat.
Until then, she hoped he'd wait.
And she assumed he would, of course.
That's why she'd endured up until now.
From the moment she returned to the imperial palace, her mother and the prime minister constantly brought up Tail.
The slightest laziness.
The tiniest mistake.
They'd shake her with threats against their "hostage," Tail, forcing her to bend to their will.
So, at some point, she had no choice but to act as if she'd forgotten about Tail.
She didn't want to hear his name used as a bargaining chip anymore.
Bit by bit, very gradually, as her mother and the prime minister let their guard down and stopped mentioning him...
Tail had suddenly burst into the picture here at the academy.
And the moment she saw him smiling brightly with another woman.
Chloe's heart plummeted.
She crumbled helplessly.
All the emotions she'd suppressed until then gnawed away at her.
This wasn't mere jealousy over a friend.
This was...
Love.
It was absurd, but the imperial princess had hidden her pure love for a commoner in a corner of her heart.
It wasn't greed because he was a friend.
It was greed because she loved him.
'Why... why did I only realize this now?'
The buttons had been wrong from the very start.
She bit her lip hard.
She had no idea what to do next.
Anyone who saw her would scream that she was crazy.
She let out a soft sob.
'I miss Tail so much.'
She missed him terribly.
His soft hair.
His eyes full of warm energy.
Even his gentle, charming smile.
Once she recognized her feelings, the longing grew even more desperate.
She wanted her name on his lips.
Her face etched in his eyes.
She wanted to see and possess all of him.
But at the same time, she resented him so much.
His cold, biting words.
The way he'd turned away so coldly.
His eyes, icier than ever.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart tore apart.
She couldn't tell which feeling was real.
Her mind reeled from emotions flipping back and forth every second.
And in this mess, really distressing news reached her.
As she thought about that news...
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Guessing who it was, Chloe swallowed a sigh and said,
"Come in."
The door opened, and in walked a burly man with a sporty haircut.
As expected, it was Allen.
"It's been a while, Sir Allen."
"Yes. I hope you've been well, Your Highness."
Chloe gave a faint smile at Allen's words.
Meaning she hadn't been well at all.
Still smiling, she said,
"What made the person I had to beg to come finally change his mind?"
Chloe smiled brightly.
In other words,
You're not here on your own two feet.
Spill who sent you.
Whether he caught on or not, Allen smiled softly and replied,
"I heard there were so many talents at Parhaon Academy that I got curious and came to see."
Allen continued,
"And I just came from observing a class."
"Oh. How was it?"
Allen scratched his head at Chloe's question and went on,
"I'm not entirely sure yet, but one thing was clear."
Allen's eyes turned to Chloe.
"That guy's grown well."
Thud.
Chloe's stomach dropped.
She instantly knew who Allen meant by "that guy."
She smiled faintly as usual.
But she could feel her lips trembling.
"You're talking about Tail...?"
"Yes."
Chloe couldn't speak for a moment at Allen's straightforward answer.
'What do I do?'
Chloe wasn't sure how much the empress, the prime minister, and now Allen knew.
"Your Highness."
Allen's voice came then.
"Please be honest with me."
His clear eyes met hers.
"I won't tell a soul. My loyalty is still to you, Your Highness."
Chloe couldn't respond to Allen's words.
Could she really trust Allen?
Was there any guarantee Sir Allen wouldn't tell the prime minister?
Wouldn't speaking out put Tail in danger?
As Chloe's expression grew conflicted, Allen smiled gently and continued,
"If Your Highness wishes, I can swear a knight's oath."
A knight's oath.
It was a vow backed by one's status and honor as a knight.
Breaking it could mean losing one's knighthood.
Someone like Allen, who had so much invested in his knighthood, would approach such an oath with utmost caution.
One wrong word could cost him everything he'd built.
But if he's willing to swear it here...
'Can I trust him?'
After a moment's hesitation, Chloe slowly opened her mouth.
"I met Tail."
Allen nodded briefly.
"And I told him to leave the academy."
Her expression twisted in pain as the memory resurfaced.
"Why did you do that?"
She'd been the one who wanted to keep Tail close.
Allen was curious about her reasoning.
"He's the boy who helped me, even if just a little. A commoner I valued so much that Mother and the prime minister scolded me for it as a child."
A hint of regret flickered in Chloe's eyes.
"I thought it was better for him to go back than to ruin himself here."
But she'd been too hasty.
It seemed her true feelings hadn't come across.
Allen fell silent after hearing Chloe's story.
Then, when he spoke again, he dropped a bombshell.
"I was dispatched here on Prime Minister Edward's orders."
"P-Prime Minister Edward?"
Chloe's heart sank.
Her face drained of color.
Allen paused as her poker face crumbled.
Then, looking at her with pity, he continued,
"The prime minister's grand design is ambitious. In it, a commoner like him would be sacrificed for the greater good."
Chloe's face hardened.
It was true.
The prime minister believed a few could be sacrificed for the many or for a greater purpose.
He was as ruthless as he was capable.
Allen, watching her worriedly, spoke again.
"If Your Highness cares for that commoner, I'll try persuading him once more."
Chloe bit her lip lightly.
Even in this crisis threatening Tail, she could do nothing.
"...Please do. I'm begging you."
Allen stood with a nod.
Only then did Chloe realize she hadn't properly hosted him.
"Oh. I didn't even offer you tea."
"It's fine."
Allen looked at her with warm eyes.
"Just don't skip meals, Your Highness. I'm worried something might happen."
His caring tone tickled a corner of her heart.
"Got it. I won't."
"Then rest well, Your Highness."
Allen bowed briefly and left Chloe's room.
After closing the door, Allen let out a chuckle.
As he'd expected, Her Highness Chloe had grown a lot.
She looked exhausted, but he saw it as growing pains.
And at the same time, he knew his suspicions were confirmed.
She still couldn't forget Tail.
And she'd finally realized her feelings for him.
"Time to check."
The prime minister's goal was to put Chloe on the throne.
But Allen's was slightly different.
His goal was Chloe's happiness.
He was only helping because she wanted to be emperor. Nothing more.
So, he needed to confirm if eliminating Tail served the throne—or Chloe herself.
Allen's eyes sparkled.