Chapter 849 – Day 98 – The Emperor’s Shadow
Deacon Archibald, whose hand was held by the princess, blinked.
The head deacon, who was so old that her pure white hair looked natural, knew very well that with her transcendental strength, if the princess had her way, it wouldn’t be a big deal to kill her or silence her. Br〉
“You’re making a pretty dangerous move.”
“If I always walk the safe path, can I have what I want?”
“You might regret it.”
The head deacon glances at the princess through her monocle-wearing eyes.
Archibald Deacon is a fairly old woman. She is quite old, to the point where there is a perception that even calling her ‘Ajumma’ means she is being called ‘young’. She was a woman close to his grandmother, and she had been giving advice to Prince Jupiter for quite some time.
The princess looked at the owner of the house, who was neatly tying her pure white hair together with a nervous feeling.
“You may regret it, just like you said! You may shed tears saying that you should have taken the easy path. However, if I take the easy path, wouldn’t tens of thousands of innocent people of the empire die?”
“… All you have to do is stop your rebellion.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Do you think it’s right for a being with the power to save the whole world to turn his back on countless lives just to create the best successor?”
The head deacon smiled very slightly.
“You don’t know the concept of sacrifice.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. What Abamama does is turn her back on life. Also, making sacrifices arbitrarily and for other reasons is a lame excuse.”
“Do you not know how many lives will be saved if an ultimate successor is born who can rule the empire on which the sun never sets for eternity?”
“Don’t you know that salvation will never reach those who are starving outside now, their brothers and sisters to the demons, and those who have lost their parents!”
Chief Deacon Archibald shakes his head from side to side.
“As expected, you don’t know anything. It’s childish to think such a thing.”
“… Mother.”
As soon as she heard the words of the head of the house, Archibald’s eldest daughter, who had so far kept her mouth shut, opened her mouth.
“Crown Princess. My name is Leda Archibald. I lead the Emperor’s shadow.”
“… Shadow?”
Leda, who had always been active in the shadows rather than occupying a position in the imperial palace, introduced herself very carefully. Surprisingly, this was the first time she had heard the story that the princess was the ’emperor’s shadow’. On the other hand, Ceres did not seem surprised because he had guessed it.
She was a girl with quite sharp eyes, and there was a sense of strength in her glowing green eyes.
Her physique itself was not as good as that of the princess, but she was better than the average princess, and her body gave the impression of being strong and sturdy rather than voluptuous or soft.
Her hair, which grew to her shoulders, was very short compared to that of the other ladies, so it seemed that there was no problem with her physical activity.
“Phew, mother. Please listen to what the Crown Princess says.”
“I guess I’m glad that someone who agrees with my foolish thoughts has appeared.”
“Right now, mother, the only thing on her mind is serving His Majesty the Emperor. Look at the forest, not the trees. If this civil war breaks out, there will be scars that cannot be washed away.”
The daughter’s serious voice unfortunately cannot be heard by her mother, who is wearing a monocle.
“It is you who must see the forest, my daughter.”
“Mother!”
“Venus Holympia… What can this foolish Crown Princess do? Can she work miracles like Emperor Jupiter?”
Leda Archibald let out a faint, bitter laugh.
“Mother… She seems to have forgotten why she is called the boss.”
“How dare you?”
“My family has been serving as the head of the council for a very long time. I have seen many of the things my mother has done. That is why I can say this with confidence now!”
Leda pointed with her hand to her own breast.
“Our family! We have been loyal to the royal family that rules the empire where the sun never sets, to find the demons hiding in the empire, to stop their evil plots, and to prevent the painful consequences of meaningless sacrifices!”
“Well said. Helping Venus Holympia—”
“No! Come to your senses and speak, mother! How have you dealt with the things you have done over the past few decades! Even the tragedy of Gregory! Even the dangerous affairs of Galagon! Emperor Jupiter ignored them all! !”
Leda pointed at the princess in the opposite direction.
“But look at this person. Crown Princess Venus Holympia prevented countless incidents without even reporting to us. She may be an eccentric, comical, and lecherous person, but in the end, she is the one who prevented tens of thousands of lives from being senselessly sacrificed.”
“Haaa… I just got lucky.”
“Then, what about Emperor Jupiter? What is he?”
“I told you. There is a sacrifice in everything.”
The chief deacon smiled and raised his left hand.
“Kuh! Don’t do anything stupid…”
Before the princess could speak sharply, the door was wide open and heavily armed knights quickly entered the room and surrounded the princess and her Ceres.
“Oh, Princess. If you were so different from His Majesty Emperor Jupiter, you wouldn’t see a single drop of blood here.”
Even after hearing her blatantly sarcastic voice, the princess let out a long breath.
“Even if you didn’t say that, she knew she was going to go to jail.”
* * * * *
“I’m trapped again.”
“You could get out of a prison like this at any time from the beginning, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
So funny.
Deacon Archibald did not know that Ceres was a demon.
At the same time, she posted her knights in front of the door, but she did not even tie a red chain around the princess’s body, so she could get out of the prison if she wanted to.
“Woe, Princess…”
Of course, the princess had no intention of opening the prison door and going out.
“Everyone, stop looking at me with such nervous faces.”
The two knights who unexpectedly guarded the prison gate were busy looking at the princess, sweating profusely.
“Well, we have no choice but to order it.”
“So, I hope you don’t take offense.”
The princess smiled at the sight of the two trembling.
“Don’t worry. I am not a woman who uses violence against the people she is supposed to protect.”
“Thank you for your understanding. Personally, I…”
“Hey, hey! What are you going to say? Just shut up.”
The chat ended awkwardly with one of the knights hitting his side.
‘As expected, there don’t seem to be many knights or soldiers who sincerely follow Abamama.’
Perhaps it was natural. There is no salvation right now, and the strongest successor who will be completed someday will provide salvation in the future, but there were not many people who welcomed it with open arms.
‘I was even thinking about being locked up in prison…’
The princess touches her chin and is troubled.
I was planning on making Archibald an ally somehow, but no matter where I looked, it didn’t look like she would ever be on the princess’s side.
“… Ah! Lady Leda! What’s going on in prison?”
One of the knights guarding the door spoke as he looked at Leda and her companions who suddenly appeared with the sound of footsteps.
Behind Leda Archibald, women dressed similarly to her stood smiling.
“My mother wanted information.”
“You mean information?”
In response to the knight’s question, the woman behind Leda Archibald smiled and waved her hand.
“Matthew, aren’t you surprised that she suddenly has to work as a doorkeeper? Leda said so, so I think we should take the princess upstairs. Oh, and the maid next to her, too.”
“Go, guard…”
The knight called Matthew hesitates.
It was common for Leda Archibald to personally take a criminal like this, torture him and obtain information from him, but weren’t Leda and the deacon so different even though their opinions differed just today?
Matthew twitched her fingers in a situation that seemed suspicious to anyone.
“There is no time. We have to go upstairs with the Crown Princess, so open the door.”
“I’m sorry, Leda Archibald. That’s… The head deacon said that no matter who comes, we shouldn’t pass it up…”
Matthew spoke her words carefully and swallowed her saliva.
In a situation where it was obvious why Leda came here, he tried to do his job.
“Oh my, you don’t believe me?”
At the guard’s words, Matthew closed her eyes tightly.
“S-sorry! I have to do everything the deacon has given me!”
Seeing him shouting at her, the princess smiled bitterly and tapped Ceres’ waist with her elbow.
In that brief moment, Ceres smiled, raised his left hand, and blew out his breath.
“So. I, the jailer, came like this… Oh?”
The warden, who realized that the wind blowing from Ceres tickled his waist, looked at the princess and Ceres in surprise.
She thought for a moment, and before she knew it, she placed her hand on the parchment that had formed on her waist and showed it to Leda.
“This is…”
Leda was startled, but looked into the princess’s eyes.
“… This is an order from my mother. Let’s check it.”
“Yes? How… This…”
Matthew swallowed her saliva when she saw the ‘created order’ that even had her bright red seal on it.
“This is…”
I also know the knight standing next to Matthew. She also knows Matthew himself. If she had these orders from the beginning, she would have shown them.
This is a trick. Anyone can see that Leda Archibald is suspicious.
“Damn…”
Matthew purses her lips, lets out a long breath, and very slowly she falls from her door.
“I checked the order. It even has the head deacon’s seal on it… I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
“You just did your job.”
Leda Archibald said, looking at Matthew with her eyes filled with regret.
The princess and Ceres were able to slowly walk out of the wide open prison door.
“You did what you thought was right.”
“… I trust the princess.”
Matthew lowered her head and spoke quietly.
The princess nodded her head and lightly tapped the shoulders of the knights who were briefly guarding her door.
“Please go upstairs, Crown Princess.”
“Okay, anyway, you must be quite determined to bring so many people here?”
Leda Archibald thought about the princess’s mischievous words for a moment, then looked at her with her sharp eyes and spoke her words.
“If a civil war really breaks out, it won’t end with a problem between a mother and daughter who don’t get along. The Crown Princess’s strength is essential.”
