Chapter 78

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Red Rose's Ploy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#78

Narkehatra, who toyed with men under the moniker "Red Rose," was a woman of such outstanding beauty that the word "beautiful" hardly did her justice.

And it wasn't just her looks. Her elegant speech and unmatched skill in guiding any conversation were second to none.

Looking down at his wife, Nejep's hand moved to stroke her back. At the sensual touch, filled with desire, Narkehatra let out a delicate laugh.

Her laughter, clear as a bird's song, tickled his ear, and to devour it, Nejep lowered his head and urgently pressed his lips to hers.

A wet sound followed as their lips parted. Seeing the Grand Duchess willingly accept him, pulling his neck down forcefully, Nejep felt a sharp surge of arousal and held his breath.

What should I do?

Lips still pressed together, he pondered for a moment before deciding to postpone his excitement, knowing the night was not far off.

“The Empire has been a constant nuisance, and I was just thinking about it. They keep trying to toy with me over the mines, and it’s quite unpleasant.”

As he murmured to himself, lips parted, Narkehatra lifted her head to meet his gaze.

Her red eyes, which had been hazy and wrapped in heat, quickly regained their vitality, reflecting a clear light.

“While we appreciate their help in the war of conquest, aren't they overstepping their bounds? How dare they think of snatching up the Refrigerant Stone Mine, the very symbol of Antevasila.”

“I know. That Crown Prince… He looks so clean-cut, yet I never imagined he’d be so messy in his dealings. You truly can’t judge a book by its cover.”

“Indeed. His appearance was impeccable…”

At Nejep's words, Narkehatra pictured the Crown Prince's handsome face and unconsciously stuck out her tongue to lick her upper lip.

Crown Prince Alejandro.

Impeccable manners, elegant gestures, a face so handsome one couldn't look away, and the immense background of being the next emperor—he was truly a perfect man.

So perfect that if Narkehatra hadn't been a Grand Duchess, she would have thrown everything away to seduce him.

I heard he's of a considerable age. Why isn't he married?

He doesn't even have a fiancée, let alone a wife. I heard he has no interest in women at all.

If it's because he truly hasn't met a captivating woman yet…

As one thought led to another, a heat slowly began to build deep in her belly.

If men ruled the world, it was a woman's role to bring such men to their knees. The thought of a man she couldn't easily have made her courtesan's blood boil.

Nejep wasn't a bad man, but he was significantly older than her. Considering age and looks, it was an undeniable instinct to be more drawn to the Crown Prince than to Nejep.

“Grand Duchess?”

Finding her silence strange, Nejep lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. Narkehatra reflexively gave him a smiling gaze and pressed her chest against him.

“I was just thinking. The Empire looks down on us because of the power they possess. It's only natural for the strong to scorn the weak… To overcome this, we have no choice but to acquire equivalent power ourselves.”

“You state the obvious. Do you have some brilliant plan to gain such power in a short time?”

A large, bronze hand slowly caressed her slender waist, moving upward. Feeling his touch travel up her back and around to her front, Narkehatra let out a languid moan and pressed herself even closer to him.

“A brilliant plan… might be too strong a word. It’s a simple… matter. Parnas…”

“Parnas?”

“If we… conquer it.”

Her long, red eyelashes trembled, unable to bear the overwhelming sensation. Hot breath escaped her slightly parted lips, and only when she was too aroused to endure it any longer did Narkehatra push against his chest.

“That woman. The new Queen. Seeing as she’s retreated to the background, entrusting politics to her Chancellor, it seems she hasn't earned the proper recognition of her subjects. What are Your Excellency's thoughts?”

“Hmm… True. To appoint a man she once branded a traitor as her Chancellor suggests there’s some hidden story.”

“She must have succumbed to external pressure and had her authority stripped away. After all, how could a woman of low birth with only a pretty face maintain her throne?”

Her fingers, which had been toying with his firm chest, flowed upward to stroke Nejep's chin. Slowly lifting her lowered lashes, Narkehatra looked up at him.

“Your Excellency. What do you suppose is the greatest obstacle to conquering Parnas?”

“There are several, of course… but the most formidable foe would be that young god of war.”

Walter Hyverge.

After quelling the war, he rose to Grand General in a single stroke, reorganized the army, and fortified the borders of Parnas. He is a brilliant commander worthy of the title 'god of war,' and at the same time, an incredibly troublesome man to deal with.

As Nejep answered with a frown, Narkehatra smiled and gently smoothed the furrow between his brows.

“Oh, my. Why such a frown?”

“We managed to conquer Antevasila with the Empire’s help, but Parnas is another story. If it weren't for him, it would be worth a shot.”

“I have a brilliant idea.”

Narkehatra let out a low laugh, taking Nejep's cheeks in her hands to make him look at her.

“I heard Grand General Hyverge is the one who backed her as queen. And they say he never leaves her side.”

“I’ve heard that as well.”

“But what if… we could lure the Queen outside the palace. Wouldn't the Grand General be drawn out with her?”

“Hmm?”

Narkehatra lifted her chin and continued in a tone one might use to soothe a child.

“They say Walter Hyverge is praised as a great commander because he’s a master of tactics and strategy. But no matter how much of a tactical genius he is, he’s useless without his army, isn't he? So, what if we lure him out?”

“How?”

“We propose holding a summit to clarify the border standards. With the border region already in chaos, the Queen will surely be tempted.”

Nejep, who had been nodding at the plausible suggestion, soon let out a low groan and countered.

“But will the Queen really come herself? She’ll surely send an envoy.”

“Dopein's founding festival is coming up, isn't it? We can use that as a pretext. How can she refuse a national celebration? If you think about it, we also sent an envoy to congratulate the Queen at her coronation not long ago.”

“…That’s true.”

“Let's leak the proposal that she should visit in person to discuss pressing matters. She won't dare refuse.”

Her voice, soft and sweet as she tickled his arm, was as warm as the spring sun, belying the scheme she was weaving. Listening quietly, Nejep posed a probing question.

“I don't see how you can be so certain. What if the Queen refuses the proposal?”

“Then rumors will spread that she’s a coward who fears Dopein. Having already entrusted domestic affairs to her Chancellor, if she shows such weakness in foreign policy as well, the Queen’s authority will plummet.”

“I see…”

“That in itself wouldn't be a bad outcome… but assuming the Queen isn't a complete fool, she will most certainly have to make a move, don't you think?”

Nejep narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

Her words made a great deal of sense. With Dopein having swallowed Antevasila, Parnas was no longer the leader of the three kingdoms.

In this situation, if the Queen did nothing but cautiously watch from the sidelines to protect her position, Parnas's authority would crumble in an instant.

If the Queen moved, the Grand General would move with her. If they could take them both out in that state…

“I see. If we can eliminate them both, the unification of the three kingdoms won't be far off.”

“Exactly, right?”

“A very fine plan indeed. You truly are the incarnation of a rose, possessing both intelligence and beauty.”

They say the more beautiful the rose, the sharper its thorns. Indeed, his wife, beneath her elegant exterior, was a woman unparalleled in her talent for weaving wicked schemes.

Finding his wife adorable for coming up with such a clever ploy, Nejep pulled her into a tight embrace. Narkehatra burst into a fit of laughter and clung to his neck.

“They say the Queen has looks similar to mine. I heard her mother was from a western nomadic tribe… I wonder if she truly resembles me. Just how beautiful must she be to have captivated the Grand General, a man known to be as unmovable as a stone statue…”

“Could there be anyone in this world more beautiful than you? The rumors must be exaggerated.”

His lips, murmuring whispers, descended to the nape of Narkehatra's neck. The fabric covering her ample bosom fell into disarray, and soon his mouth moved lower, leaving a trail of red marks before sucking hard on her favorite spot.

The lips that had been letting out languid laughs parted into a round 'o', and soon, hot breaths replaced the sound of laughter.

The woman who had just been recounting a cunning stratagem was gone. Narkehatra returned to her true self, intoxicated with carnal desire, and naturally wrapped her legs around Nejep's waist.

Her hands, after grasping at the air, gently embraced his back with an unparalleled allure.

Beyond her ecstatic expression, an image of the renowned Grand General Hyverge and of herself secretly luring him into her bedchamber rose like a mist before vanishing.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Beyond the ridges of the border, plumes of gray smoke drifted up. The fires set by slash-and-burn farmers heralded the arrival of spring, and soon, pale green sprouts bloomed throughout the capital, creating waves of green.

Daffodils, blooming earlier than the season, announced their presence by bursting open their yellow buds, and bees, drawn by the fragrance, busily zipped through the palace garden.

In a corner of the palace garden, rich with the scent of the season, an old man tended to grapevines in a vineyard that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, a pleased look on his face.

“It’s a relief there’s been no spring frost. I wonder how the vines on my estate are doing.”

His wrinkled face, set in a warm smile above the coarse work clothes of a farmer, was so unpretentious that a stranger might mistake him for a gardener, let alone the Chancellor.

The Chancellor of Parnas, Goedel Kill, took his hand from a grapevine leaf he was fiddling with and thrust it deep into a pocket of his work clothes.