Chapter 76

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 76

Chapter Title: The Crown I'll Steal from You

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"..."

"You don't like that, do you?"

"You're as tactless as ever, Your Highness. You really know how to piss me off."

"A man who lives by his tongue has no other skills."

The princess, speechless, irritably griped that the lace glove on her hand was stuck fast and wouldn't come off.

The Fourth Princess Angelique had a temper like wildfire.

If there was something she wanted, she had to have it in her grasp—no exceptions—and because she handled it so carelessly without a shred of caution, most things ended up shattered or discarded in ruins.

"There's not a single thing in this puny little kingdom worth a damn! The only halfway decent sight was that young king's face!"

The way she stressed it made it clear the king's looks had thoroughly captivated her.

Kensington couldn't shake the thought that perhaps the princess had agreed to this diplomatic mission solely for a glimpse of Baldina's king.

"Your Highness, though Baldina's king has left the capital, his cousin is still here in the kingdom."

A man with a glossy black mustache, decked out in a gleaming red uniform, his oily eyes glinting, inserted himself into the conversation.

"...Count Raju."

Roberto Raju.

A Baldina-born noble who had joined this delegation as an envoy to ease tensions between the two nations.

He had started as a commoner from Baldina, but in his youth, after throwing his body in the path of a leopard lunging at Emperor Alcetas II, he earned an imperial title for his valor.

Alcetas II took him into service, and despite being a foreigner, Count Raju commanded significant trust and influence.

But his joy at this late rise was short-lived; Alcetas II soon passed away.

His brother, who ascended next—Perdiccas II—refused to employ Count Raju, who evoked memories of his sibling's reign.

Though awkwardly marginalized by the emperor, his status as an imperial noble still afforded him ample clout in Baldina.

Unlike Kensington, who scowled, the Fourth Princess perked up with interest.

"Cousin? Who?"

"Young Duke Claudio. As you've no doubt heard, he's the sole son of Baldina's Regent Duke."

Count Raju, his oily eyes sparkling, curved his lips into a grin and spread his arms wide.

He looked for all the world like a fishmonger hawking his last batch of day-old catch.

"They say he's strikingly similar in looks, being a direct cousin and all. That's why the Young Duke has a reputation as quite the looker himself. In fact, he's already here, waiting to pay his respects to Your Highness the Fourth Princess."

Count Raju clapped his hands.

Thud, thud. Samon approached the princess, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

His meticulously groomed appearance evoked a peacock fanning its feathers to lure a mate.

The rigidly starched uniform fit him to perfection, brazenly accentuating every line of his body.

The epaulets glittering on his shoulders and chest were lavish, and his pointed shoe tips shone with polish.

Princess Angelique eyed him up and down like a mannequin in a shop window.

In that fleeting moment, she had already sized up the goods.

'Just a well-dressed beanpole.'

Her spark of interest promptly fizzled away.

At that moment, Samon offered a flawless courtly bow.

"I greet Your Highness, the Imperial Princess of Kazen. I am Samon Claudio. The former emperor and current Regent Duke Claudio is my father."

His baritone voice rang polite and smooth. And the words themselves were honey-sweet.

"Even in distant Baldina, tales of Your Highness the Fourth Princess's beauty have reached us. To lay eyes on one of the continent's legendary beauties of the age— I am simply overcome—"

"Similar, but..."

Princess Angelique snorted derisively. Her gaze flicked to Count Raju. Samon she ignored entirely.

"If you're going to offer something up, at least make it worth my time."

"Pardon, wh—?"

And before Samon could even falter,

"Count Raju, how dare you shove some half-baked reject at Angelique Graham?! Do I look that much of a pushover to you?!"

Princess Angelique erupted in fury.

"The king's hair sparkled like scattered moonlight, all mysterious and ethereal! And those cool, impassive eyes—true eyes stripped of all base desire..."

Unlike Peleus's mystical silver locks, Samon's hair was a lusterless dark gray.

Samon's eyes were blue like Peleus's, but far duller. The way they narrowed slightly screamed irritability.

The sharp glint that flashed now and then looked sly, and his thinner lips bespoke pettiness.

He was tall, sure, but untrained—no trace of the rugged hardiness knights honed crossing battle lines.

Above all, there was nothing of Peleus's aloof, unyielding aura that kept all at bay.

"Hmph. Inferior knockoff."

Having scanned Samon's features once more, the princess snapped her head away and strode past him.

"Y-Your Highness!"

Count Raju scrambled after her in a panic.

Left standing alone, Samon shuddered with humiliation.

He had no idea what words had passed before he entered the tent, but the princess had sized him up like a hunk of meat at the butcher's.

Her gaze had raked over him minutely, as if appraising grade, origin, organic quality—whatever.

Anyone with a brain could guess whom she was measuring him against.

Peleus. His king. His cousin. The man who loomed forever like an unclimbable tree.

"..."

Samon balled his fist. His nails bit painfully into his palm.

"The Fourth Princess still has one hell of a temper."

General Jared shot a glance at the princess's quarters, abuzz with commotion, and curled his lip.

"Ahh. My apologies, Grand Duke. The girl's always been wild at heart—born rough, raised rough. Doesn't know the value of anything fine, whether people or possessions."

Crush. A flower clutched between thick fingers met a sorry end.

Savoring the pitiful, scream-like rustle of its fragile petals, the general regarded the man before him.

A handsome young man with neatly groomed reddish-brown hair met his gaze with an enigmatic, faint smile.

Jason Castulo. Grand Duke of the Kazen Empire.

"Who would dare meddle in the deeds of the battlefield's hero?"

This young grand duke, with his kindly, gentle features, occupied a rather ambiguous position in Kazen.

By rights, the throne should have been his.

Had his father lived, he would have been the one and only crown prince.

But his uncle Perdiccas II—who took the throne instead—proved an exceptional ruler, elevating the empire's might. And his progeny, especially First Prince Cezare, stood as a conqueror without peer on the continent.

Victory in the continental wars. Unification of the petty kingdoms. Under father and son, Kazen cemented its place as the undisputed superpower of the continent.

By contrast, neither Emperor Alcetas II nor his sole son Jason boasted any particular feats or talents.

Small wonder no faction clamored to right the tangled line of succession.

Compounding that was the overwhelming presence of Jason's peer and cousin—the next crown prince, First Prince Cezare.

Who would back Jason against that brutal devil?

When granting Jason his grand ducal title, Perdiccas II bestowed upon him the surname Castulo.

'Castulo' was the name of a martyr saint who had devoted his life to faith.

Handing Jason that name signaled zero intent to restore the throne.

Jason accepted his uncle's decree and kept his head down.

To the world, he appeared the gracious sort—wise enough to know his station.

Yet everyone harbors secrets tucked away.

Here, in distant Baldina beyond the emperor's gaze, Jason's long-suppressed ambition began to stir.

"May victory's glory forever attend Grand Duke Jared."

Jason lifted his glass, his eyes gleaming inscrutably.