Chapter 78

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 78

Chapter Title: The Five Knights and Roxiana Franche (12)

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“Your Highness is going to be rich soon.”

“Yes, and Torkan will grow prosperous as well. Torkan mountain seafood will become all the rage, and Torkan merchants will spread word of the exotic drinks sold at the teahouses in the capital as they travel to the central continent nations. The curious elite will come seeking those drinks, and once they experience their effects, they'll spread the word even further.”

“If that's the case, plenty of travelers will flock to Torkan, a place that was once considered dangerous territory.”

“Torkan will flourish, and the guild I've established will gain renown. It will serve as the foundation for reaching them.”

Floyd knew her vision would come to pass just as she envisioned.

“So, in exchange for your guild offering generous discounts to benefit our Torkan, what is it you desire?”

Roxiana's eyes widened in surprise as she shook her head.

“Desire? I've already received so much from Your Highness.”

“You've received much, it's true. I saved your life, provided you a fine place to stay, and now I've agreed to remove that brand. But you've paid for all that by risking your life to reclaim land where my people once lived.”

“But...”

“I saved one princess, but you've saved countless Torkan citizens. Don't undervalue what you've done.”

Roxiana pursed her lips briefly before replying.

“If that's Your Highness's will, then I understand. But there's no guarantee my plan will succeed...”

“That's the nature of investment. It involves risk, and those who recognize that risk with sharp insight and decisive action reap the greatest rewards. I'm betting on your guild's success and investing in it. What do you need right now?”

Roxiana had already thought it through, so she answered without hesitation.

“A trustworthy proxy to act as guild master, a building to receive commissions, a guild establishment permit, and skilled informants.”

“Very well. I'll look into it.”

The two continued discussing future plans late into the night, oblivious to the passing time. Only when the first light of dawn tinged the sky did Floyd speak up.

“You must be tired. Let's call it a night and get some rest.”

Roxiana wasn't tired at all. Her heart raced with excitement that Floyd had taken her plan seriously without opposition, making sleep seem impossible.

But suppressing her desire to talk more, she nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness must be exhausted too. You only just returned yesterday—I've kept you far too long.”

“Not at all.”

Floyd gave a curt reply and turned to leave, then paused as if struck by a sudden thought.

“By the way, have you decided on a name for the guild?”

“Guild Inferno.”

“Fierce flames. Fitting.”

“Yes. This blaze they never saw coming will become the hell they can never escape.”

Elise gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Seeing her flawless beauty brought a smile to her lips unbidden.

'It's already July.'

It had been over a year since she'd brought bloody retribution upon the Franche Royal Family. Yet nothing had gone wrong.

Roxiana hadn't been sold off to Hoban Province as planned, but neither had she accomplished anything.

'It's been a whole year, and no word of her. She must have died somewhere.'

No matter Torkan's ban on slavery, what could a young woman without family, money, or status possibly do? If she was alive, she was surely barely scraping by selling her body.

'I overestimated her too much.'

Roxiana had been praised for her cleverness since childhood. Even Elise's father, Duke Haylis, had once said, “The princess has a sharpness beyond her years. If she'd been born a man, she could have dominated an era.”

'That's why I unwittingly overhyped you, Roxi. Those praises were only possible because you were a princess.'

The green eyes that once followed her everywhere were gone now.

'You're out of reach now, dead or alive, while I've risen so high. And you and your family keep plummeting into the abyss.'

Joseph V had moved swiftly upon suspecting what Lucas had done. He spread rumors that the crown prince, wracked with guilt and grief over abandoning his fiancée, had secluded himself in the crown prince's palace. Meanwhile, he painted King Victien IV of Kanta and the entire Franche Royal Family as perpetrators of heinous acts.

Victien IV had brought in pagan heretics who rejected the faith of New Weden, seeking ways to wield magical beasts through their perverse sorcery.

Victien IV had framed Duke Haylis, who had once sworn loyalty to the Pellur royal line, and driven him out. He then held Haylis's young daughter captive in the palace, subjecting her to unspeakable abuses for years. The Franche family knew but turned a blind eye, tormenting the young duchess relentlessly.

Crown Prince Lucas, after becoming betrothed to Roxiana Franche, frequented the royal palace and uncovered their horrific deeds. After agonizing internal conflict, he resolved to deliver justice.

Not everyone believed the tale. But constant repetition sowed doubt in some—“What if it's true?”—and once suspicion took root, it spread like wildfire, fabricating crimes Victien IV never committed and shouting them from the rooftops.

Thus, Elise became the most pitiable woman imaginable.

'Even those who once looked at me with disdain now pity me. The noblewomen and ladies who mocked me now visit to console me.'

Each time, Elise feigned holding back tears and said, “Thanks to Crown Prince His Highness noticing and rescuing me, I breathe and live today. I'm simply grateful for this new life.”

By now, Elise almost believed she'd truly suffered at the hands of the Franche Royal Family.

My father was falsely accused, my family massacred by them, and I endured endless abuse in the palace—a wretched woman.

She clung to those thoughts.

'So no need to feel sorry for you, Roxi. Right? You and your family merely paid for your past atrocities. Vile creatures like you don't deserve happiness.'

Everything was perfect, beyond reproach.

With the Franche Royal Family's reputation in the dirt, even if Roxiana lived and dreamed of revenge, she could do nothing. She wouldn't dare show her face in shame.

'But I'm different, Roxiana. I'm laughing every day, thriving. Everyone praises and adores me now, just like you once did. You got compliments for your grace back then, but now? Between you and me, who's better off?'

Elise swallowed a laugh that nearly burst forth.

The road construction project, which had hit snags, was now sailing smoothly like a ship with the wind, surveys complete and groundbreaking imminent.

Once Joseph V's fabricated story spread, those who had been lukewarm about Elise's plan began showing curiosity. Thanks to that, she easily gathered investments and secured ambitious loans to launch major works.

'No man hesitates to show favor to a可怜 woman. He thinks it proves his manliness and noble chivalry.'

Today marked a celebratory banquet for the safe start of construction.

She'd sent invitations not just to nobles of Kingteren City but to Gania's power players. Not all would attend, but even one or two with palace influence would mean success.

It nagged her that some attending men had shared her bed, but she brushed it aside.

'Unless they're fools, they won't dare publicize our relations.'

She'd deliberately drawn in only married men. Shackled ones wouldn't wag their tongues carelessly.

'You know this, Roxi? Men in bed are such fools—they make reckless promises to the women in their arms. A method useless for a gangly, charmless girl like you.'

Elise chuckled softly and instructed her maid combing her hair.

“Pull out a few more strands near the nape. It'll make me look even more ethereal.”

“What bullshit.”

Hexston muttered.

“Joseph V's gone mad with bullshit.”

Arsen agreed silently but tossed the round ball far away. The dogs romping in the Chetek estate garden chased after it.

“Covering for his son's crimes with such rumors. Doesn't he fear the gods?”

“Apparently not.”

Arsen caught the ball retrieved by the brown dog Celt and threw it again, adding,

“Her Highness predicted Joseph V would act this way two months ago.”

“Ah, right. After the Hoban Province envoy visited, the crown prince shut himself in his palace. She figured it all out from that alone. Wow, impressive. Truly impressive.”

Arsen genuinely thought so.

'After the Hoban Province envoy's visit, the crown prince secluded himself in his palace.'

Grasping the context from that info was feasible with some thought, but predicting the fallout wasn't easy. Roxiana hadn't mulled it over long—she'd deduced Joseph V's response on the spot in an instant.

And that was just the start.

Yesterday, while walking the dogs, Roxiana had encountered them in the woods. When Arsen asked if the vicious rumors swirling around the Franche Royal Family troubled her greatly, she replied calmly.

-“Nothing could be more gratifying than our enemies acting exactly as expected. It confirms my judgments were spot on—pure joy.”

How could she be joyful? Even false rumors, if believed widely enough, became truth.

Her family, suffering even in death, entangled in such slander—yet Roxiana showed no trace of anguish.

Thus, Arsen thought it just might be possible.

-“Her Highness seems intent on taking on the entire Pellur royal family.”

Recently, at a gathering of the knight order captains, Floyd had said,

-“I'm thinking of joining that cause too.”

Arsen knew Floyd harbored deep hatred for the Pellur family, even if the full history escaped him. With Joseph V dragging the Franche name through the mud, Roxiana's foes now encompassed the whole Pellur line.

Floyd and Roxiana shared the same destination, and Arsen, sworn to protect them, had no reason to refuse.

He'd worried whether Roxiana, who fussed excessively over her subordinates, could make ruthless calls when needed. But seeing her perfectly compose herself yesterday and smile, he realized his concern was unfounded.

Some people exist who stir wind into stagnant lives, who make hardened hearts race again.

Over a decade ago, Arsen had watched Floyd laugh maniacally amid flames and felt his own chest burn hot. He'd thought he'd never meet another like him.

But he had.

“A hot wind will blow through Torkan.”