Chapter 69
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Wanna Marry Me After I Rip Off Your Limbs? (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Hahaha… Hahahahaha!”
The most prestigious place in the imperial capital was undoubtedly the imperial palace. It was where His Imperial Majesty resided, and all matters concerning the empire were handled.
Yet today, unusually enough, two princesses—the very ones the empire's people so envied—had gathered there. And they were glaring at each other with pure hostility.
“Solana. Have you finally lost your mind?”
Hedera wiped at the corner of her eye with her index finger as she spoke.
But no answer came.
Hedera had to ask once more.
“Answer me. Have you lost your mind or what?”
Any ordinary person would have crumbled just facing Hedera's sharp question, but Solana kept her benevolent expression as if utterly unfazed.
“Second Princess, I am perfectly sane.”
Her tone was utterly calm.
It might have seemed like she was trying to sort out the situation, but Hedera could tell from her unrelenting hostility otherwise.
Solana intended to see this through to the end.
…Like pouring oil on a fire and fanning the flames.
“From the start, I never said anything wrong, did I?”
“…What?”
Hedera unwittingly shot back. The sheer rarity of the situation had slowed her thoughts for a moment.
The second princess opened her mouth to press further, but Solana continued, her voice exceedingly gentle.
“It was I—no one else—who consistently showed interest in Teacher, brought him from his remote village to the capital, and arranged for him to become the Magic Tower's inspector.”
In truth, Solana had been in a foul mood ever since the duel.
Zekiel was the teacher she revered and the man she loved. But the moment he suffered a grievous injury, those terrifying memories from the past had resurfaced.
—We can't guarantee his recovery.
—It's still too much for Third Princess's holy power….
An uncertain future, her own inadequate abilities, her teacher's precarious state…. The anxiety she'd suppressed from that day had boiled over once more.
In the end, a defense mechanism of sorts had kicked in.
Teacher bears no fault.
Yes, the vixen-like wretches swarming around him, bringing misfortune—that's the real problem. So chase them all away and ensure his safety.
How logical this was, how righteous…. None of that mattered much. She simply couldn't endure otherwise.
Solana parted her lips again.
“Second Princess, you're suddenly showing such keen interest in Teacher now. Why? Have you finally finished your calculations? Does the trash heap of a Magic Tower look like a honey pot to you these days?”
“Cut the nonsense. It's not just about the Magic Tower—I'm repaying the inspector's kindness toward me….”
Hedera faltered, unsure where to even begin explaining, when a massive realization struck her.
She pieced the puzzle together in her mind.
Wasn't what Zekiel wanted Hedera's happiness?
The evidence was plentiful—his conduct as inspector, the contents of his letters, all of it served as proof.
…Solana had poured in so much effort, yet Zekiel was striving for Hedera's happiness. Could that be why Solana was furious?
At least, that's how Hedera interpreted it.
“…”
The moment that thought crystallized, her anger evaporated, replaced by composure. Unlike before, she now looked at Solana with eyes that saw something utterly pathetic.
A sense of superiority from Zekiel's favor toward her?
Sadistic urge to make the insolent Solana kneel?
Or vengeful spite for breaking the rules?
Probably all three.
Hedera let out a soft chuckle.
“I see. Now I understand how you feel, Solana.”
But her tone held no empathy whatsoever. Behind her mask, it was laced with mockery.
“You're feeling anxious and jittery now, aren't you? All of a sudden.”
Solana slowly shook her head.
“Enough with the wild guesses. I'm just annoyed by your opportunistic behavior, Second Princess….”
“A woman who only eyes opportunities, shifts her stance with the winds, and clings obsessively—that's you, plain and simple.”
At those words, Solana's composure cracked ever so slightly.
The face that had seemed purely benevolent began to harden gradually. She stared at Hedera in that state, but Hedera pressed on undeterred.
“You thought making him inspector would bring nothing but good, but seeing him work solely for me made you panic? Jealousy blinded you that much?”
“….”
“You, of all people.”
Hedera's eyes curved into sly arcs.
“You want the inspector to succeed wildly, but hate seeing him hurt, and wish no other women approached him either…. Why are you so indecisive?”
“Is it wrong to hold all those feelings at once? They may not be ideal, but they're normal.”
“True, those feelings aren't mistaken.”
The two women's expressions began to contrast sharply.
Solana's face kept hardening, while mockery spread across Hedera's features.
“But here's the thing.”
Hedera spat out each word like a verdict.
“You think just waiting patiently entitles you to some fitting reward. That's where you're wrong.”
“Waiting is a virtue too. You wouldn't understand.”
“Is waiting so impressive? Not at all.”
Hedera shook her head slowly.
“You can't seize it yourself. You're not capable enough, so all you can do is wait. It's pathetic.”
Hedera, abandoned because she waited as a child.
Solana, rewarded because she waited as a child.
Their life paths diverged so sharply that their beliefs about waiting could only differ as well.
Hedera muttered through gritted teeth.
“If you just sit and wait, of course it'll get taken away.”
“…Thief.”
Solana bared her hostility fiercely, but Hedera no longer felt displeased. In fact, the more Solana acted like this, the better Hedera felt.
“What, did I spell it out too bluntly? And don't think I'm just snatching the inspector away willy-nilly. This is for the public good in the end too.”
Solana let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
“Public good? How is this pursuing the public good?”
“The more I look after the inspector, the more the Magic Tower advances, and preparations for the Ascension Ceremony are proceeding steadily. If that's not public good, what is?”
“That's how you always are, Second Princess. You dress up your selfish desires as something grand.”
Solana's voice trembled faintly.
Proof that the anger she harbored wasn't small.
“If you become his dragon, won't you—the very person involved—benefit the most? It's not for the public good; it's to steal even one more thing.”
“Steal? No, to not lose.”
“Plausible excuses, rationalizations, playing the saint…. I get it. You're not a thief. You're a brazen robber.”
This was the first time Solana had bared her emotions so rawly, yet Hedera faced it all with perfect calm.
Solana was losing her benevolent facade bit by bit. In other words, Hedera had seized the upper hand.
“Solana, don't think the inspector is some creation of yours. He's a man who would shine no matter what.”
“Is that why you ignored him all this time? It must make your past seem nicely justified.”
“What matters isn't how you've treated the inspector until now, but what you can do for him going forward.”
Solana, who had steadfastly held onto her feelings all along.
Hedera, now ready to give so much more.
Their stances clashed so starkly, locked in stalemate.
Both believed they hadn't misspoke. Each was convinced their convictions were utterly unassailable.
“You, lingering here, and me, soon to take a place in the divine realm—who do you think can do more for him? So….”
“…Enough with the rationalizations.”
At some point, Solana cut Hedera off.
And struck at her opening.
“Second Princess, if you're so great, if you can do all these wonderful things, why do you only take help?”
“What?”
Doubt flickered in Hedera's eyes for an instant, but Solana continued in a low, steady tone.
“You got help with the treasure vault spirit rampage, help with deciphering Dragon Word…. The almighty second princess who claims she can do so much good—why is it always you receiving aid?”
Hedera was at a loss for words.
“You rationalize it as 'I'll repay later,' but you've never actually given anything back, have you? You're just exploiting Teacher under a pretty pretense.”
Thinking about it, she wasn't wrong.
We live in the present, not the future.
Even the future becomes the present when it arrives.
Hedera had been fixated on grand gestures in the future. But right now, hadn't she failed to offer even a warm word or a single word of encouragement?
…What have I actually done for him?
Solana clicked her tongue.
“That's telling you to back off. You parasite.”
Solana's decisive blow.
The tide turned once more.
Hedera instantly lost the composure she'd clung to. Her eyes widened as she launched a counterattack.
“You call yourself a saint, but you can't even watch your mouth?”
“It's only natural for the irreverent to hear harsh words.”
“…You really want to go there?”
Hedera's pupils slit vertically.
The space around them began to tremble under her aura, but Solana matched it, exuding an oddly sharp golden energy.
Crack—crack—!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the dining hall floor.
Crash!
Plates atop the table fell one by one.
“Solana, if you're truly….”
“So the second princess finally reveals her true colors.”
Just as a clash seemed imminent.
Hedera voiced a clever ploy.
“Fine. Let's ask the man himself.”
Both women's gazes whipped toward one man.
“Inspector, you choose.”
The question he'd dreaded most.
“…Me, or Solana?”
It had finally arrived.
“….”
Had he ever faced a dilemma this tough in his life? He'd weathered countless extreme missions, but nothing like this.
“….”
Zekiel quietly chewed his sunweed.
‘…Why wasn't I the insane one?’
It was a moment when he truly wondered about himself.