Chapter 31

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 31

Chapter Title: Taking Back Control

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Maid Esia was sent back to Arpad on my orders.

After I told her to return to the Crown Prince, she knelt before me for hours, begging for forgiveness, but I refused.

"My thinking was shortsighted. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"Was that also the Crown Prince's will?"

"...!"

"Absolutely not!"

Esia's face drained of color as she belatedly realized that her desperate attempts to win forgiveness were only making me angrier.

In the end, after my pointed remark, she bowed her head once more in apology and vanished from my sight.

"I'm truly, truly sorry. My thinking was far too shortsighted."

The rumor spread quickly afterward. It seemed Esia held a fair bit of sway among the servants of the Crown Prince's Palace.

She had prioritized Arpad over me and been cast out for it, and Arpad hadn't said a word in protest.

This sent a clear message to the palace servants.

'Arpad is not my master.'

And.

'At the very least, those who attend me directly must put my commands above all else.'

I wasn't some novice who'd only been stabbed in the back once or twice by underlings.

I hadn't even gathered my own people yet. It was unacceptable for everyone around me to prioritize Arpad's orders already.

"You're just going to let it slide?"

Arpad tilted his head at his secretary's question.

"Why shouldn't I?"

Yulken glanced toward the Ivory Bedroom with eyes full of suspicion before replying.

"She openly chased away one of Your Highness's people and raised a banner of rebellion. How can we trust someone like that...?"

Arpad knew Yulken had started to say "someone like that" but quickly switched to "someone like that" upon catching his gaze.

He smirked and gave his suspicious retainer the answer he wanted to hear.

"If she can't even properly assemble her own retinue, she can't be expected to handle real duties. A vessel that small doesn't deserve the title of Crown Princess."

Arpad muttered while eyeing the pearl necklace on his desk.

"...Not even for the role of Empress."

"......"

Worry and doubt still clouded the secretary's face.

Without a decisive incident, there was no shaking the suspicions Yulken harbored.

'And she has to overcome that on her own for it to mean anything.'

There was no point if he intervened. In that sense, the fact that she hadn't asked for his help in securing her retinue was at least a pass on the first stage.

'Of course, she hasn't even started the second stage, and it won't end there.'

Could his dear wife truly pass all these 'tests'?

He was genuinely curious if she could prove herself worthy of the Empress's seat.

The day after sending Esia back, I received absurd, infuriating news—the response I'd half-expected.

A pale, flustered servant glanced nervously at me as she delivered the message.

It was the reply from the Delphin Manor steward to my orders.

"What? They say they can't send the two people I commanded them to?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Rage boiled up to the top of my head.

'Just as I anticipated. But...!'

With Ludwig still hunkered down in Delphin Manor, I hadn't expected the steward to obey me unquestioningly.

Open defiance like this was exactly what I needed to justify my outrage and action.

I'd issued the order calculating this outcome.

But that didn't make the anger any less real.

My hand trembled on the vanity, and the servants, sensing it, dropped to their knees in unison.

"Forgive us, Your Highness!"

"Our incompetence is to blame!"

Sending Esia away had been worth it.

At least no one in my presence would openly defy orders or fail to read the mood.

But this wasn't just any servants or nobles—it was Delphin Manor's staff ignoring me.

It was utterly ridiculous.

I was the sole heir to the Delphin Ducal House.

'No matter the circumstances, the household staff must prioritize my commands.'

Yet they hadn't.

Because they were watching Ludwig's mood.

The Delphin Manor steward had reportedly said:

"I cannot hand them over."

"What? This is an order from Her Highness the Crown Princess."

"Grand Duke Ludwig hasn't permitted it, so there's nothing I can do."

Then he'd shut the door without even hearing the servants' response.

I couldn't hold back and slammed the receiving room table.

"What nonsense is this?!"

This was all for show, of course.

To demonstrate my fury and justify what came next.

Delphin Manor needed to be set straight, and fast.

Ludwig squatting there was intolerable.

'And while I'm kicking him out, I might as well reclaim Evangeline's room too!'

Evangeline frequented the manor, treating the best guest room like her own.

Naturally, she had plenty of lackeys planted there.

If word got out about the manor's state, I'd be the one facing criticism.

'How can she manage as Crown Princess if she can't even control her own house?'

I could already picture the piranhas tearing in.

So I had to strike first.

I rose and commanded the servants.

"I need to change and freshen up. I'm going to see His Highness the Crown Prince."

When Hilia arrived at Arpad's office, beautifully dressed, Yulken was eyeing her with suspicion etched in both eyes, as expected.

And Yulken already knew about the response from Delphin Manor to Hilia.

Everyone around Hilia was still Arpad's people.

All relevant reports had flowed through Yulken's hands.

Arpad knew as well.

'Did our princess really come running to His Highness to handle her family affairs for her?'

The moment he'd heard the news, she'd prettied up and hurried straight to him.

From a third party's view, it was inevitable to see it that way.

'If she begs His Highness to sort out Delphin Manor for her, I won't hold back from speaking up.'

Yulken was the type who didn't mince words even in front of Arpad.

Especially not in front of Hilia.

As he bristled, ready to speak, Hilia's softly pink lips parted.

"I have one favor to ask, Your Highness."

"What is it?"

Yulken, who'd been watching them, was just about to glare and open his mouth.

Hilia spoke with an apologetic, shy expression.

"Tonight, it seems Your Highness will have to sleep alone, so I wanted to let you know in advance."

"...?"

Even Arpad tilted his head for a moment.

He quickly composed his surprise and replied.

"That's disappointing for me, of course, but what's the reason?"

"I have to visit my family home."

"Your family home? Delphin Manor?"

"Yes. I need to tidy things up there briefly."

Hilia glanced at Agrippina's Tear rolling around on Arpad's desk and smiled faintly.

"I'm at a loss seeing you treasure my gift so much and keep it by your side."

Arpad let out a hollow chuckle as the contract payment morphed into a love token before his eyes.

"It's the first thing I ever received from you. Of course I'd want to keep it close."

"I still vividly remember the day I gave you that pearl."

To an outsider, it sounded like sweet newlywed banter.

But the subtext was entirely different.

'Keeping the contract payment safe, are we? Don't forget you're in my employ, Mercenary King.'

'How could I? It was such an absurd experience, I couldn't forget it even if I tried.'

Hilia approached with a bright smile and whispered in Arpad's ear—so softly even Yulken couldn't hear.

Arpad's red eyes widened in surprise.

Then, like a sneak attack, Hilia lightly kissed his cheek.

So naturally, as if she'd approached for the kiss, not the whisper.

Yulken gaped as Hilia fled the office, blushing shyly.

'What was that? Just now? A real love marriage? No way? But she didn't ask for help with Delphin Manor...?'

Leaving the secretary in confused turmoil, Arpad stood.

"Wh-where are you going, Your Highness?"

"Do I have to report my every move to you?"

"...!"

Yulken, momentarily dazed, realized his mistake and dropped to one knee, apologizing to his lord.

"Forgive me. I spoke out of turn."

Arpad left without a word.

His master had always kept even his closest subordinate at arm's length with secrets.

After Arpad vanished in Hilia's wake,

Yulken belatedly thought:

'No way... he's not following Duchess Delphin, is he?'

Nah, no chance.

A love-struck Crown Prince dashing off to help his wife tidy her family home? The mere idea sent chills down his spine.

But Yulken recalled the conversation he'd just witnessed.

That nauseatingly sweet spousal exchange.

'No... right? It has to be.'

Such doubts would have been unimaginable before Hilia arrived.

I boarded the carriage bearing the Crown Princess's seal to head to Delphin Manor.

And there, waiting in ambush as expected, was the person I'd been hoping to see.

I flashed a brilliant smile.

Because it was exactly who I'd been waiting for.