Chapter 71

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 71

Chapter Title: The Five Knights and Roxiana Franche (5)

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(71) The Five Knights and Roxiana Franche (5)

"Lucas, you're confined to your quarters for the time being. Don't even show up to the party—stay cooped up in the crown prince's palace!"

"Father!"

"Brother, just do as Father says. At least pretend to regret what you did to Kanta, pretend to repent, pretend to grieve. That way, if the worst happens, you'll have something to say in your defense, right?"

Lucas exploded in frustration, but he couldn't defy the king's order. Joseph V summoned the knights and issued a command.

"Once the crown prince enters his palace, make sure he doesn't come out. Guard every entrance. If anyone tries to go in—even a single ant—report it to me at once!"

Elise's vision went white. The moment she heard the envoy from Hoban Island speak, she nearly collapsed, forgetting where she even was.

'Roxiana wasn't sold off? She's still on this continent? Perfectly fine?'

The dense forest seemed to press down on her. Not a single ray of sunlight pierced through, making the darkness so suffocating it tightened around Elise's throat.

She still couldn't escape from Roxiana's eyes.

'No, it's fine. What's there to fear? What can she possibly do now?'

Even if she'd luckily avoided being sold to Hoban Island, nothing had changed for Roxiana. She was no longer a princess or anything of the sort—just a woman branded with a slave mark. No matter how much Torkan had banned slavery, other countries hadn't.

The brand was etched in a highly visible spot on purpose. As long as it was there, Roxiana could never be free.

So there was no need to fear. A Roxiana who wasn't a princess anymore couldn't touch her.

The king had abruptly left, ending the audience chamber proceedings. The ministers lingered, murmuring among themselves, but Elise fled the chamber and headed straight for the Jade Palace.

The hunter who'd gone to scout the situation returned and reported.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has entered the crown prince's palace and locked the doors."

"...He's been placed under confinement. By the king's orders, no doubt."

The Lucas that Elise knew wasn't the type to hole up in his palace and skip a party. He loved showing off his handsome face to the crowds and basking in their praise.

"This isn't the time for him to attend parties."

She'd prepared so much for this party. To outshine any women who might catch Lucas's eye, she'd even taken out a loan from the bank for her dress and jewelry. But she didn't have time to worry about that now.

'While Lucas is confined, I should pretend to be so upset I can't eat or drink. That way, I'll have something to say to him later.'

Elise gathered her thoughts and instructed the hunter.

"Hurry and prepare to leave. The moment we reach Kinteren, I need to contact Retrochica."

The message that Floyd would return soon had come in early to mid-April, and after that, the knights who'd stayed behind in Selshar City grew unusually busy for some reason. The knights coming to guard Lily Palace had a different glint in their eyes.

"When His Highness the Grand Duke returns from subjugating the beasts, he brings back piles of beast byproducts. People from all over come to buy them up. With so many unspecified individuals gathering, we can't slack on security. Oh my, this pie is absolutely delicious."

Percy widened her eyes in admiration.

"Is it that good?"

"It's beyond that. This is... insanely good. If you sold it at the market, it'd fly off the shelves."

Water was an ingredient in most of the dishes, and water infused with spirits elevated their quality to the heavens. Roxiana's cooking skills were still amateurish, but the flavors were so impressive they could astonish even professional chefs.

"The Princess truly has a gift for cooking. If there's a god of cuisine, maybe it's blessed her hands?"

Not a god, but spirits had indeed taken residence, though Roxiana just smiled without explaining. Hexston might seem that way, but he kept his mouth shut— even his wife didn't know the truth about Roxiana that only Floyd and the knight captains were privy to.

Those who knew what she'd done in the forest assumed her abilities involved holy power or magic, not spirit manipulation.

Roxiana asked Percy, who was pondering if a god of cooking really existed.

"But don't beast byproducts leak demonic energy? I thought priests had to purify them before they could be used."

"Beasts touched by His Highness's flames no longer emit any demonic energy. That's why they can be sold as-is, without purification. The small stuff goes to auction houses, and the good pieces are sold directly from the Grand Duke's palace."

Especially the mages from the Magic Tower—they practically begged for them, Percy explained.

"I've seen mages trailing after His Highness at the palace, trying to persuade him. Listening to them explain what this magic stone is needed for, what crafting process it undergoes, and what effects it produces... it felt like I was at some academic conference."

"So you sell to whoever persuades him best?"

"No, it's always money. They go to the highest bidder. Though very occasionally, he sells at a discount to those who've earned his favor, so everyone tries not to upset him."

That was one reason why Torkan, once abandoned land overrun by beasts, had grown prosperous so quickly. A young lord claiming a region could easily be dismissed, but one supplying high-quality beast byproducts? No one could afford to treat him lightly, no matter how much they resented him.

The empire and temple turned a blind eye to his abilities despite their suspicions because powerful backers protected him. Holy knights' beast byproducts were mostly monopolized by the empire and temple, so without Floyd, other nations had almost no chance of obtaining them.

'One misstep, and he could've become a public enemy...'

Floyd didn't squander his talents; he turned them into opportunities for power. Selling at a discount to those in his good graces—what an easy, straightforward way to win hearts.

And Roxiana was working hard in her own way to turn her abilities into opportunities.

Lately, nobles visiting the Grand Duke's palace poked around near Lily Palace in hopes of getting cookies she'd made. Word had spread after she'd given some to a few nobles, shaping them into cute designs.

A few nobles who'd initially been arrogant or wary toward her now smiled warmly and greeted her when they crossed paths.

Sometimes, noble ladies sent her tea party invitations. Maintaining good relations with them was crucial, so Roxiana happily baked desserts and visited their estates.

These days, among the noble ladies, the saying went: "A tea party inviting the Lily Palace guest is guaranteed to be a smashing success."

While Roxiana steadily built her standing among Torkan's nobles, the last day of April arrived before she knew it.

That day, the rainy season had ended, leaving the sky exceptionally clear. As a hot wind swept through Torkan, the knights who'd gone out to subjugate beasts entered the capital.

The wagons that had carried supplies on the way out were now loaded with treasures and beast byproducts, and the knights riding in before and behind wore triumphant expressions.

Crowds gathered to welcome them. Even Roxiana, sitting in Lily Palace's garden, could hear the cheers.

'He's really popular.'

Was there another ruler on this continent loved by so many? One the people revered and felt so close to?

Roxiana lay back, using a massive wolf as her pillow.

She hadn't lain on grass like this since growing up, but now she didn't care about proper ladylike conduct.

"I wanted to go out too, but I guess it's still not time, huh?"

Hexston had offered to accompany her if she wanted a close-up view of the procession, but she'd declined. Showing herself publicly where foreigners had gathered to buy beast byproducts didn't seem wise.

Roxiana fiddled with the giant, adorable wolf's paw, imagining Floyd entering on his red horse. He'd probably laugh heartily and shout to the crowd, "Let's drink!"

"Princess."

Then, a low voice came from behind. Roxiana thought she'd misheard.

Far off, cheers for the entering knights still echoed. And the owner of that voice should have been right in the thick of the welcome.

"Have you been well?"

Only after those added words did Roxiana realize she'd heard right. She propped herself up and slowly turned. Her vision filled with a massive figure leaping toward her.

Sunlight poured over his gold-and-silver armor, dazzling her eyes. Amid the glare, his reddish-brown hair stood out vividly. And below it, those cheerful, upturned lips.

In that instant, impossibly, the distant cheers seemed to cut off. No wind, no servants' voices or footsteps from the palace—nothing.

In the silence, all she heard was.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Her own heartbeat.

Roxiana stared up at his beautiful face in a daze, holding her breath.

Her heart felt like it would burst.