Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Wanna Marry Me After I Rip Your Limbs Off? (8)
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"...You lot, come here closer."
Hedera wasn't using Word Command, but her chilling tone alone produced much the same effect.
The priests, who had been chattering away, froze in place. The moment they noticed her presence, their eyes went wide, and Hedera issued her command once more.
"I said come closer."
A princess's order was absolute.
The priests began approaching, utterly terrified, though they still seemed clueless as to why they'd been summoned.
"You were just talking about the 3rd Princess."
At her words, the priests quickly reviewed what they'd said. Fortunately, none of it had been rude toward the 3rd Princess herself, but if she wanted to make an issue of it, she could.
One of the priests was quick to speak up.
"We're sorry. We were careless with our words..."
"No. The words themselves were excellent."
If not for them, Hedera wouldn't even have known Solana had stopped by, she thought.
She fired off her next question without pause.
"Did the 3rd Princess have a man with her?"
The priests looked extremely awkward at that.
"We didn't notice that far... We were just so shocked to see the 3rd Princess there that we didn't have our wits about us..."
Well, blood is thicker than water, after all.
These were priests stationed at the temple inside the imperial palace. Their structure made it inevitable they'd side with Solana.
So Hedera changed her approach.
"The Inspector. Has he been discharged?"
The priests exchanged glances, at a loss, but their counterpart was none other than 2nd Princess Hedera. They couldn't very well refuse to answer even this.
In the end, one priest mumbled in a crawling voice.
"Yes... If we've offended you, 2nd Princess, we apologize. We were only..."
"Enough."
The priests seemed deeply worried they were about to be interrogated, but Hedera wasn't listening anymore. Her interest lay solely with Zekiel from the start.
"Get back to your duties."
Hedera quickened her pace. The problem was, her destination wasn't clear yet.
'...Where?'
The imperial palace was vast enough to rival a small village. The thought of Solana spending every minute with Zekiel as she pleased made her grow impatient.
"The Inspector isn't even fully recovered yet, and he has to visit the Black Tower tomorrow..."
Zekiel's health, the Inspector's duties, the Magic Tower's future, the tasks Hedera herself had to accomplish... Many thoughts swirled, only to be buried under a blanket of white.
Right. None of that really mattered.
It wasn't those lofty excuses making Hedera anxious right now.
What infuriated her was simply that Solana had broken their promise and was spending time with Zekiel on her own terms.
...What could the two of them be talking about?
There wasn't much need to speculate deeply. Calling him out in secret meant they were having a secret conversation.
1st Princess Ether had gone so far as to mention marriage. So what had Solana said? Something equally outrageous, no doubt.
"..."
Hedera gathered her full focus.
The keenly honed senses unique to dragon blood heirs swiftly blanketed the palace interior. Her anxiety sharpened her perception and speed, probing every nook and cranny.
"...!"
And soon enough, she detected Solana's holy power.
It was deep inside the dining hall.
Swoosh─!
Hedera moved with haste.
She had so much to tell Zekiel now that he was awake—and so much she needed to hear from him. His first conversation upon regaining consciousness should have been with her.
Yet Solana had stolen it away. How important could it possibly be? She couldn't accept it.
"..."
Before long, she arrived.
The dining hall door stood slightly ajar, and Hedera peered through the gap. Amid plates that looked nearly finished sat the man and woman.
'...The nerve.'
Just the fact that Solana had brought him his first meal sent a surge of emotion through her, but she barely suppressed it.
...Interrupting now would mean she couldn't eavesdrop.
Hedera strained to listen.
Zekiel's voice soon reached her.
"Hmm, for now, I think I need to focus solely on work."
"All the more reason to keep your distance, then. It'll help you concentrate on your duties."
Distance from what?
Solana had risen and was leaning toward Zekiel. It was close enough to furrow Hedera's brow.
"Flowers draw all sorts of bugs. The more famous you get, Teacher, the more women will swarm you—but you must cut them down firmly. Understand?"
"Hmm..."
"Focus on your work and keep away from all women except me. They're brimming with ulterior motives."
Hedera couldn't believe her ears.
Who was truly overflowing with ulterior motives right now if not Solana? Those words felt utterly repulsive.
"I'll wait patiently. Until the day you return to me after gaining fame and happiness—and rejecting every other woman."
So she planned to claim him for herself in the end. Hedera bit her lower lip without realizing it.
"...So please, reassure me like this—the one who waits praying only for you. Promise not to get hurt, and to fend off other women."
Hedera squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her temples. She needed time to sort her thoughts and decide where to even begin picking that apart.
But when she opened her eyes again.
"...!"
They went wide in shock.
Solana had gently placed both her hands atop Zekiel's fist.
"Now, then. A prayer for you, Teacher."
Bang─!
Hedera couldn't hold back any longer and flung the door open violently.
"..."
Silence instantly blanketed the dining hall.
Solana, recognizing her, widened her eyes dramatically—but soon twisted her expression in the subtlest way. She could plainly feel Hedera's hostility.
"How amusing. The one who first mentioned the three-day limit."
"What brings you all the way here? Hungry?"
"They call the Daughter of the Sun God a saint? With virginity as a condition? Scrutinize your actions, and not one lacks the taint of a harlot. What were you doing to the patient?"
Solana's expression twisted just a touch, but she still didn't remove her hands from atop Zekiel's fist.
More than enough reason for Hedera to bristle.
"The messengers clung too aggressively and kept bothering the patient, so I took appropriate measures. I even fed him nutritious food. Isn't that for the best?"
"Then you should have reported it. Who gave you leave to act on your own?"
"When it comes to temple internal affairs, no one outranks me save His Imperial Majesty. I've never once reported to you, 2nd Princess."
Sharp barbs flew back and forth.
Silence descended again.
It was then that Zekiel cautiously spoke up.
"First off, both of you, calm down─"
"Stay out of it, Teacher."
"The Inspector should stay put."
"..."
Zekiel quietly reached for the Sunweed.
No, he wanted to chew on the Sunweed, but he couldn't. Solana was gripping his hand tightly.
Hedera was the one to break the silence next.
"Solana."
Hedera called the 3rd Princess impassively.
Her tone had shed all traces of irritation or annoyance, now laced instead with something akin to mockery.
"...You must have been terribly insecure."
Solana's brow twitched for the first time at those words. Seeing it only confirmed Hedera's suspicions.
"No confidence competing against three at once, so you got scared and made this call? Even breaking the rules from your own proposal."
A level voice.
"...But do you think that'll work?"
Hedera curled her lip in a sneer.
"Word is, you think rejecting all other women leaves just you to be chosen... It won't. You're simply lacking in appeal."
Hedera herself had felt anxious learning Zekiel was alone with Solana, but now she exaggerated her scoff on purpose. To crush her.
"If it were me, I'd tell him to meet other women by all means. Because I'm confident in my own charms."
Solana fell silent.
I've pinned her down, Hedera was certain. She began stepping toward the Inspector.
But she had no choice except to halt abruptly.
A single phrase slammed into her ear.
"...A bitch who never even cared about Teacher."
Hedera doubted her own ears at first. Bewilderment quickly filled her visible eyes above the mask.
Solana wore nothing but her usual benevolent smile. Perhaps that's why the cognitive dissonance hit even harder. Hedera scowled and demanded again.
"What did you just say?"
Solana recited it softly, like a prayer chant.
Gently, ever so gently.
"...It's true, isn't it? You showed no interest in Teacher's condition, didn't even peek at his face when he was brought to the temple."
And the finishing blow.
"And yet, of all times, now you dare?"
"..."
That was the end of it.
The two princesses stared at each other wordlessly for a time.
"Ha."
At length, Hedera let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha... Hahaha! Hahahaha─!"
Soon, the hollow laugh turned into mad cackling.
The princesses' conversation was growing rather rough now.