Chapter 141
Chapter 141
Translation: godsn
"Your Highness, the Fourth Imperial Princess, you cannot make my child fatherless, can you?"
Samon smiled at the enraged Fourth Princess.
"Kill him! Beat that bastard to death!"
The Fourth Princess's knights hesitated. They, too, couldn't believe what they had just heard. Who? Whose child did Her Highness the Princess—?
"Kill him! I said kill him!"
As the commotion erupted, her ladies-in-waiting and knights hurriedly restrained the Fourth Princess.
"Your Highness, we are inside the Valdina Royal Palace. Moreover, the Young Duke is a prisoner awaiting execution. If we recklessly overstep our authority, it will only give this kingdom another excuse to act against us."
"Aaaah!"
The Fourth Princess clawed at her hair and let out a scream.
"These filthy insects—!"
The moment she stepped out of the prison, the Fourth Princess kicked the wall in a fit of hysteria, her earlier composed demeanor now a blatant lie.
Then, she lifted her arm and sniffed, wrinkling her nose. The foul stench of the prison seemed to have seeped into her skin.
As if desperate to rid herself of the lingering odor, she roughly wiped her body with the handkerchief she had been holding.
A flicker of unease flashed in her eyes.
She had vehemently denied Samon's words as impossible, yet an inexplicable discomfort gnawed at her.
Her ladies-in-waiting watched her frenzied state with growing concern.
"Impossible!"
It couldn't be. That damned bastard, cornered and desperate, was just grasping at anything to threaten her.
"Bring me the Divine Physician—hah—now."
"Yes, Your Highness."
However, the Divine Physician, hastily summoned at the Fourth Princess's command, did nothing to reassure her. Instead, his answer struck like lightning from a clear sky.
"You are... with child."
"That cannot be. Examine me again. I'll allow it, so look properly!"
The Fourth Princess immediately denied it.
The pregnancy was confirmed through urine tests. But no matter how many times the test was repeated, the Divine Physician's answer remained the same.
"...Forgive my impertinence, but it is indeed true. Your Highness must have noticed changes in your body as well. Your monthly courses have ceased, or perhaps your senses of smell and taste have grown unusually sensitive..."
No, that's impossible! It can't be!
Yet, deep down, the Princess knew the Divine Physician's words held truth.
It had been months since her last menstruation.
She had always been irregular, so she assumed it was due to the overwhelming stress of recent events...
At meals, the slightest unpleasant odor made her nauseous, and she often skipped eating altogether.
She had recovered soon after, dismissing it as a passing whim...
'Could I truly be pregnant?'
Lost in thought, the Princess failed to notice the Divine Physician clenching his fist and tightly shutting his eyes.
"No, this cannot be!"
The Fourth Princess's heart plummeted. Her vision darkened.
"Send a letter to my grandfather and mother—now! We must devise a way to handle this."
Samon Claudio—that worthless wretch could never become her husband.
He wasn't fit to even lick the boots of the suitors she had been promised to thus far.
"And you—go to the prison tonight and slaughter every last one of the Claudio dogs."
The Princess turned and commanded her knights.
How dare they plant their filthy seed in her through such underhanded means? They deserved death as repayment.
But the Princess's malice never reached Samon.
"Greetings, Your Highness, the Fourth Imperial Princess. A letter from His Majesty the Emperor has arrived for you."
Before she could act, the Emperor's missive had already been delivered.
The office of the King of Valdina.
The imperial edict delivered by the envoy of the Kazen Emperor had also reached Valdina's leadership.
The envoy was practically shoved out of the Administrative Palace, the atmosphere icy.
"This cannot be! Releasing the Claudios? Unthinkable!"
Dianzel slammed his dagger into the golden imperial decree in outrage.
"Since when do they have the right to meddle in another nation's affairs?"
"The Princess is carrying Samon's child. Since it is the blood of the Kazen imperial family, and the fact has already been made known to the Holy Kingdom, the Emperor has ordered their betrothal and intends to take the Regent's family back to Kazen."
Siseo recited the contents of the torn scroll aloud.
Everyone was furious.
They had just finished purging the rebels, with only the execution of the Regent remaining as the final step.
And now, they were being told to release them? It was like having their noses cut off right before their eyes.
"You don't seem surprised, Dea."
Pelleus fixed his gaze on his sister.
Amidst this gathering where everyone struggled to contain their agitation, the only one maintaining composure was the Princess.
"Ever since I heard rumors of Samon frequenting the Fourth Imperial Princess's chambers, I suspected... something like this might happen."
Medeia responded in an even tone.
"The Fourth Imperial Princess couldn't have wanted this either. It's simply the result of Samon desperately clinging to any lifeline to avoid execution."
"......"
Did it mean nothing to him, so long as he preserved his life? Would he grovel before Kazen without a second thought?
As a man, as the head of a household—did he possess not even the barest shred of honor?
The assembly felt profound disgust toward Claudio's ilk.
Amidst this, Dianzel—whose temper burned as fierce as fire—was the first to raise his voice.
"None of this matters! Your Majesty, why must Valdina heed Kazen's demands? Execute them at once, Your Majesty!"
Dianzel's eyes blazed as if he might charge straight into the Kazen Empire this very moment.
"Once their heads have rolled, what can they do? We must push forward relentlessly—just as they've done to us!"
"Captain, this isn't a matter to decide in haste."
But Siseo shook his head in dissent.
"Have you forgotten who we're dealing with? An Empire. Though Valdina emerged victorious from the decade-long war and gained the plains, sustaining the conflict has drained us tremendously—both domestically and abroad. And let's not forget the rebellion."
"......"
"The kingdom's foundations are dangerously unstable. If Kazen uses this incident as pretext to invade... Would you wage another war? Do you truly believe our people would understand? At that point, forget suppression—Valdina's very survival would hang in the balance."
Siseo removed his monocle and rubbed his gaunt face. Despite his youthful appearance, an overwhelming exhaustion radiated from his entire being.
"Thanks to Her Highness's efforts, we narrowly avoided emptying the national coffers and prevented the royal family's collapse—but this is our limit. Do you have any idea how many crises still loom before us?"
These were the words of the Chancellor overseeing Valdina's governance. None could refute his assessment.
While the Agema cut down countless enemies, Siseo had calculated numbers several times greater.
Numbers held no honor, no conviction. They spoke only of reality—cold and unflinching.
And currently, Valdina's numbers were far from favorable.
"The plains will provide a foundation to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kazen, but that's absolutely not the case right now. With our current national strength, Valdina cannot oppose the Empire."
"......"
"This is the time to retreat one step and focus on consolidating our foundations. Not to wage another war."
Siseo pinpointed the harsh realities.
"......"
His words were undeniable, and silence briefly filled the chamber.
"So we're to become the Empire's puppets, dancing to their tune?"
Dianzel exploded in frustration.
"Setting aside war with the Empire... even Kazen knows their demands are unreasonable."
Siseo pointed to the lower portion of the golden scroll.
"That's why they've offered to cede the mining regions of the Anfron territory bordering Valdina. Wealth the Empire would never have relinquished in the past."
The Anfron region was renowned for its gold mines. Its veins had remained unbroken for decades.
Never before had Kazen surrendered any portion of its wealth to another nation.
This extraordinarily favorable offer could also be interpreted as evidence of how deeply the Emperor cherished and sought to protect the Fourth Imperial Princess.
"......"
"Anfron... This forces us to consider tangible gains. The gold buried there would significantly aid in rebuilding our nation."
Siseo advocated releasing the Regent's faction in exchange for the gold mines' concrete benefits.
"Absolutely not! This amounts to permitting interference in our internal affairs! Whatever they offer, Valdina must refuse unconditionally!"
Dianzel stood firm in his stubborn insistence on opposing Kazen at all costs.
The previously quiet chamber erupted into noise once more.
As the two sides locked in tense stalemate without yielding an inch, Pelleus turned his gaze to his sister.
"Medeia, what are your thoughts?"
His voice, calm yet affectionate, cut through the din.
All eyes turned to the Princess.