Chapter 75

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 75

Chapter Title: The Crown I Will Take from You

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Everyone in the room froze at his action.

Except two people. Cezare and Medea.

Has the hydra's poison spread to his brain? With that thought, Garo's mouth fell open,

and Neril, who had hurriedly reached for her sword sheath, naturally lowered her arm at her unmoving master's gaze.

"You bastard, do you even know that I'm royalty standing right in front of you?"

Medea slapped away his insolent hand.

"Sorry, but with my lowly birth, I'm not well-versed in matters of rank."

Cezare replied with feigned innocence.

"You hate sweets, yet you were nagging Pierre from morning to prepare something... and even told him to add world tree sap?"

"Don't make such a fuss."

"Aren't you the one trembling and overreacting?"

The pie on this table had been crafted by a chef hailed as the continent's finest. Cezare didn't keep just anyone at his side.

Moreover, world tree sap grew only in the infamous Dark Forest.

It was notoriously hard to obtain—a single palm-sized vial fetched thousands of gold.

Yet as a tonic for replenishing nutrients and bolstering stamina, it had no equal.

"Princess, just three bites. That'll have my mercenaries torch the Rasai tribe's supplies. Even Kazen's Emperor can't afford to treat me worse."

"You really don't seem to be in your right mind very often."

To make such an absurd demand amid military maneuvers.

"Think efficiency. Are you going to let it slip away?"

Medea frowned.

"Whoever you choose instead won't handle it as reliably as we will."

Medea looked at him. Cezare didn't avoid her gaze.

Deep eyes that sparkled with a chilling frost. There was no deception in that gaze, which tolerated not even a speck of filth.

Yes, now wasn't the time for pointless rivalry with Facade.

If they could burn the Rasai tribe's supplies even a day sooner, humoring this eccentric arms dealer's whims was no great burden.

Medea sighed and swallowed what was in her mouth.

The sweet, velvety custard slid down her throat in an instant. Unknowingly, a fleeting softness passed through Cezare's eyes.

Medea set down her fork.

"Satisfied now?"

A faint smile seemed to hover at the corners of her upturned lips before vanishing just as quickly.

"Ten days. Report the results within that time."

Medea silently swallowed hard.

Ten days? Was such a feat possible in so short a span?

"Don't worry, Princess. It will happen exactly as you wish."

As if reading her doubt, an arrogant voice replied without a trace of uncertainty.

"Nothing is impossible when I make my move."

"...I'll await your reply."

Medea rose from her seat.

"Reply" also meant they had no need to meet face-to-face again like this.

At her resolute words, which left no room for further overtures, Cezare's eyes held an ambiguous smile.

"......"

Silence did not always signify assent.

"You really plan to help the princess strike the Rasai tribe?"

In the spot the princess had vacated, Terrence emerged from the next room—where he had overheard the entire exchange—with a distinctly uneasy expression.

"No reason I can't."

Cezare shrugged.

"I owe her my life, so lending my name in return is only fair."

Terrence raised an eyebrow at the nonchalant reply.

"Have you forgotten you're Kazen's grand prince, from an enemy state? If Baldina scores a victory on the plains because of this, it won't benefit Kazen at all."

"No, Terrence."

Cezare corrected him.

"It won't benefit my father. I need both the princess and the Baldina royals."

"You need Baldina? What do you...?"

Terrence couldn't comprehend. Just then, something whistled past his eyes.

A single torn page from an ancient tome fluttered down, the marks of its removal still plain.

"This... isn't this the Sage's Tome you found that day?"

Terrence's eyes widened as he scanned the page.

He had spotted writing in ancient script at one corner.

...I beseeched the goddess and at last obtained her permission. I hid her secret technique for purging corrupt darkness within my descendants' home—in the mightiest, most secretive place that none could easily find.

"So the Dawn Turret lies within Baldina's palace? But exactly where? You don't know the precise location?"

"No. That's the only clue the book provided."

Terrence finally grasped why he needed the princess and the Baldina royals.

'For Facade to search the palace for the turret, he'll need their cooperation.'

If locating the turret could lift Cezare's curse, providing temporary shelter under the royals posed no problem at all.

"The princess might know of the turret's existence as well."

That was why he was aiding her. Terrence started to nod, then hesitated.

"Is that really the whole story?"

Cezare turned to him as if to say, what are you talking about?

"Don't think you can fool my eyes, no matter what excuse you give. It's not like you at all. Getting bitten by the hydra on purpose, letting the princess go even after your identity was exposed. Since when has Your Highness been so magnanimous?"

Terrence glanced teasingly at the pile of desserts on the table.

"Garo said you fed them to her politely with your own hands. I hope that's not true."

"......"

Garo, eyes darting between the two, jumped in quickly.

"Count me out of this, please!"

Should I kill them both? Cezare's fist twitched beneath his sleeve.

Claremont Village.

It was the border region where Kazen and Baldina met.

A month after departing the imperial palace, Kazen's delegation had finally set foot on Baldina soil.

"We meet the Fourth Imperial Highness."

On their first night in Baldina, Kensington—who had arrived ahead—greeted the imperial party.

"Kensington?"

Kazen's Fourth Imperial Princess Angelique raised an eyebrow as she descended from the carriage.

"I heard the count volunteered for this Baldina trip, but what on earth are you thinking? You were so busy with your loyalty to Father that you ignored a trifling delegation like this."

The princess's voice was icy. Angelique, the only daughter of the favored Eastern Empress, had long held a grudge.

Years ago, Kensington had rebuffed the Eastern Empress's discreet offer to join her service, declaring his sole lord was Perdiccas II.

Having rejected her mother's overture, he could hardly expect favor from the fourth princess.

Sometimes, those who straddled the middle drew fire from both sides more than avowed partisans. Kensington fell into the latter camp.

"And your face looks even more gaunt than before. How much hardship are you enduring out in the sticks?"

Officially, Count Kensington served as a diplomat shuttling between nations.

"It's a pleasure to see Your Highness as well. I trust the journey wasn't too taxing."

As if she had been waiting for the opening, Angelique unleashed her complaints.

"Good grief, don't even ask. The carriage was freezing like mad, the roads were a nightmare of bumps, and outside it was nothing but endless mountains. Utterly the worst!"

"Baldina is a land of mountains, after all. Paving roads is no simple task. Given their scarce resources, the current infrastructure is the best they can manage."

"Like I care about some backwater weakling nation's woes."

The princess clicked her tongue several times.

"Ugh, why on earth did Father send me here?"

"Your Highness."

Not everyone present was from Kazen.

There were coachmen and attendants, plus numerous Baldinans Kensington had hired locally.

Commoners wouldn't gossip far and wide, but as an official delegation for peace between the two nations, there was no need to fan unnecessary flames.

How could she be so lacking in discretion? Kensington swallowed a sigh.

"Precisely because Baldina is small yet holds vital strategic value for the empire. Surely Your Highness knows this concerns the empire's fortunes ten or twenty years hence."

Kensington's tone remained courteous yet firm.

"If Your Highness truly objects, we could yield the role to another prince or princess. I heard the Third Imperial Highness escorted you to the border—he can't have gone far yet."