NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 49
CLANG!
The monorail was destroyed, causing the locomotives to stop one after another.
As a result, they had to inconveniently rush to board the carriage that was hastily summoned.
“I will take the next carriage. Please, sister and the nobleman, get on first.”
“Eh?”
Alexis stepped back with a bright smile.
What on earth does that mean?
I expressed my confusion at the unexpected kindness of the Crown Prince.
Soon, I learned the reason why Alexis declined to ride with us. Ludmilla’s face turned from white to bright red, like an apple.
“What do you mean…! Oh, this is a misunderstanding!”
“You don’t have to be that surprised. I’m fifteen now, you know? I may not be as wise as you ladies, but I can distinguish right from wrong.”
Seeing his sister’s flustered reaction, he looked like a humble understanding younger brother.
He seemed to think that Ludmilla and I were in a relationship of that sort.
Hmm.
It wasn’t entirely unreasonable for him to think that way.
The scandal with the Second Imperial Princess must have been well-known in the Holy Kingdom. If he heard about that scandal, it was only natural for him to assume Ludmilla and I were an item.
Of course, it was a misunderstanding from fake news.
“Your Highness, the carriage is ready.”
“Understood.”
Knight Commander Malbert brought a new carriage.
Then Alexis waved his hand and boarded the newly dispatched carriage.
“……”
“……”
We were frozen in place by the unnecessarily sharp perception of the Crown Prince’s actions.
We couldn’t agree or deny it.
We even hesitated to meet each other’s eyes.
We couldn’t even move our feet.
If we got on the carriage with Ludmilla now, it would prove Alexis’s misunderstanding to be true. Ludmilla was also hesitant, knowing that.
“So the rumors were true,” I said.
“Hmhm, let’s quietly support the princess,” came the reply.
To make matters worse, many people were present at the scene.
About ten maids to assist Ludmilla.
Troops gathered to investigate the carriage bombing and protect the princess.
Even the railroad employees summoned to the platform were watching the situation.
I wished for a mouse hole to hide in.
It felt like being watched by hundreds during a heartfelt confession.
But I couldn’t delay the schedule any longer.
I had to hurry and board the carriage to make up for lost time.
Eventually, I mustered up the courage to get on the carriage with the princess.
I could instinctively feel the many eyes on me, but I forced myself to keep walking.
“I-I’m sorry… Alexis shouldn’t have blurted that out,” I stammered.
“It’s alright,” came Ludmilla’s voice, soft and crawling from across.
I shrugged my shoulders with a bittersweet smile.
“……”
“……”
CLATTER!
As the carriage started moving, Ludmilla and I didn’t exchange a word.
Only awkward silence remained.
I was too burdened to meet her eyes and stared out the window instead.
Love novices like us could only pay attention to each other’s subtle cues while hoping to arrive as soon as possible.
*
The monorail that the princess and the crown prince boarded got severed.
Following that, a mysterious fire broke out in the directly managed territory of the Valtarian Imperial Family, leading to a series of tragedies.
It was undoubtedly the work of subversive forces.
The Valtarian Empire quickly pointed fingers at the cultists behind it.
Didn’t they commit the heinous crime of invading the imperial palace and burning the capital city?
Reports indicated that Ludmilla and Alexis, who were heading to the capital, almost fell into danger, leading Emperor Barbarossa to explode in fury and declare a state of emergency.
“Those filthy vermin dare!!”
Hadn’t he wiped out the cultists who invaded the empire?
Despite that, the believers worshipping the Forgotten God revealed malice once again like a persistent venom.
Come at me as much as you want.
I’ll create a bloody mess out of you.
Emperor Barbarossa, with his fiery temperament, didn’t back down from the repeated assaults. Rather, he vowed to repay this humiliation with utmost severity.
“Thanks to the Earth Mother’s aid, the casualties from the disaster are light.”
“Hm, is that so?”
Despite the simultaneous heinous disasters, the damage was minimal.
Barbarossa found that suspicious.
Whenever cultist forces caused disasters, there were always numerous bloodbaths that accompanied them.
It was clearly the work of cowardly vermin lacking courage.
After a long contemplation, the emperor suspected the long-silent subversives within the empire. The possibility that they were using the chaotic situation worsened by the cultists to carry out sabotage was high.
“Your Majesty, what shall we do about the nobles gathered at the palace? They must have heard the bad news.”
“No cancellations. It will proceed as scheduled.”
Nobles were already present to attend the regular hunting event and banquet hosted by the emperor.
Fifty nobles in total.
They were all great nobles of the central regions, who had accomplished many feats.
He feared that if the event proceeded recklessly, another catastrophe could occur.
But Barbarossa, determined not to show weakness to the schemers lurking behind the scenes, planned to go ahead.
It was indeed a decision befitting of the stubborn emperor known for his fierceness.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince Alexis and Princess Ludmilla have arrived.”
“Let them in!”
After a brief delay in their arrival, Alexis and Ludmilla entered the imperial palace.
Barbarossa welcomed them with joy.
“Have you been well, my father?”
“Finally, our Crown Prince has returned!”
The son, who had entered the Holy Kingdom’s seminary, came back after a whole half year. The emperor spread both hands to embrace his grown-up son.
There couldn’t be a more foolish lack of awareness than this.
Just like how he treated his daughters with special care, he did the same for his only son.
Ludmilla, who entered with him, looked at the scene with a warm smile.
“Yes, did you arrive too!”
“…I have arrived in response to the imperial call.”
Barbarossa, who lifted Alexis as if he were a baby, met the gaze of Edanant, who came in with Ludmilla.
An awkward situation unfolded.
The emperor’s expression turned stiff as he let go of the Crown Prince.
Why is he angry when he called him himself? Is he bipolar or what?
Edanant inwardly grumbled at Barbarossa’s openly wary display.
“Didn’t you summon Edanant to the capital, your Majesty?”
“Ah, right….”
With the second daughter stepping up to defend the thief, Barbarossa felt a bit sad. Now it seemed Ludmilla had no intention of hiding her feelings, showing favoritism without a hint of discretion.
Sadness washed over him.
Just when a daughter began to have eyes for a man, she completely changed.
The daughter who once adored her father was no more.
Barbarossa, now pushed to second place, glared daggers at Edanant.
“I will take you along for the hunt! Have the Hohenberc family prince attend to me!”
“I will serve you with all my heart, your Majesty.”
Was it to catch him off guard?
Or perhaps to humiliate him in front of the nobles…?
He probably intended one of those.
Edanant felt suspicious of Barbarossa’s intention to bring him to the hunting ground.
It made no sense to take the thief who had “stolen” princesses along with the royal daughters.
“Then I will accompany you as well.”
“No, this is a chaotic time, so the Crown Prince shall remain to protect the palace.”
Alexis, who had been quietly listening, requested to accompany them.
Barbarossa shook his head, concerned for his son’s safety.
The womanizing punk who had taken his daughters could die at any moment.
But his son, who would inherit the empire, was too precious, so his safety came first.
*
Finally, Crown Prince Alexis returned to the Holy Kingdom.
The stage’s curtain was about to rise.
It was the perfect opportunity to eliminate both the emperor and his son.
The subversive forces that sought to threaten the Valtarian Imperial Family gathered at their hideout, eager to raise the tension.
In a dark space that blocked out all light, numerous individuals held wicked clandestine discussions.
“Damn it! The emperor seems set on proceeding with the hunt as originally planned.”
“What a truly arrogant one.”
Death’s hand was lurking dangerously close.
Despite that, the emperor dared to carry on with the hunt and banquet.
Arrogant.
Does he consider himself immortal?
A tyrant who sacrificed countless lives to become a sacrificial lamb was indeed a brazen one.
“Let’s get rid of the emperor in the hunting grounds! The nobles who promised to help are participating in the hunt, right?”
“The Empire’s Red Dragon won’t sit idly by. Many attempts have been made, but they all failed because of her.”
The Empire’s Red Dragon.
Ludmilla Dreg Valtaria.
How many nobles have faced execution after being discovered by her?
They had to eliminate the Red Dragon first.
Winning or losing in this affair depended on that.
“But Princess Ludmilla is one of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States! How can we eliminate a monster that rivals the Hero Maximilian?”
Could the many nobles executed for treason have been merely foolish in their failures?
No, it was because they couldn’t handle Ludmilla.
Even with many cunning plots in hand, they couldn’t deceive the guardian dragon of the Valtarian Imperial Family. Instead, those who attempted were exposed and executed repeatedly.
Thus, the conspirators planning the rebellion decided that their first priority would be to find a way to eliminate Ludmilla.
“I told you, there is a way to banish the Red Dragon! They intend to trap her in a barrier. Once Ludmilla is gone, the Seven Swords of the Red Dragon will lose their power!!”
A gray-haired man, shrouded in a dark veil, spoke up.
The subversive forces—
At those words, everyone swallowed nervously.
It was to bring down the blood-soaked Valtarian Imperial Family.
However, the idea of using the believers of the Forgotten God was too extreme. That’s why even as the date of the rebellion approached, they couldn’t make a decision.
“What are you hesitating for? You have not lost your kin to the wicked emperor! And yet, you are still holding back?”
Unbelievable.
Are you still valuing conscience over your thirst for revenge?
The gray-haired man vehemently scolded the indecisive rebels.
And expressed his ambitions to team up with the demons of hell if it meant ending the ruthless emperor.
“Yes, I will join as well!”
“If I can kill that butcher emperor…! Then I can take my father’s revenge…!!”
Tears of vengeance flowed.
And voices filled with hatred and rage echoed.
Kill the emperor.
Let’s end the Valtarian Empire.
Our aspirations lie in achieving revenge. Nothing else matters.
Whether the cultists who worship the Forgotten God consume the empire, or the greedy nobles rise up and tear it apart.
“Those who have been blessed by the Disaster God, Meiros, have agreed to help!”
The Disaster God is a malicious deity contrary to the Creator Deity to which Earth Mother Gael belongs.
It gains power through death and chaos.
That’s why the disaster god worshippers boasted overwhelming strength.
They were on a different level than the mines who attacked Elizaveta, the princess.
Those blessed by the Disaster God would surely solve their long-held grievances.
“But if they betray us….”
“I would still accept that! If we can just kill the emperor!!”
Excessive vengefulness often stirs up extremist ideas.
The empire’s vengeful spirits, hidden in the darkness, clamored for revenge.
They accepted the proposal of the subversive forces who shared their hatred of the Valtarian Empire.
To kill the emperor.
The empire’s vengeful spirits thought they had reached a resolute decision. But they were already dancing to the tune of the worshippers of the Disaster God long before they became vengeful spirits.
That’s why the poor, foolish vengeful spirits would approve of a plan that would lead to their own destruction.