Chapter 119

I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 119: The Imperial Princess’s Visit

The Imperial Princess’s Visit
Chapter 119. The Princess’s Visit

The village of Hestia was in an uproar upon suddenly receiving the news of the Princess’s visit.
That very day, people halted everything they were doing and flocked in droves to the streets.
— Isn’t this an opportunity to see the Flower of the Empire?
— Would she even show her face to people like us? We live right under her nose, yet we’ve never seen her once.
— Still, if not for an opportunity like this, when would we ever have the chance?
Most people praised her beauty, but those who had actually seen her in person were extremely rare.
Even within the Empire, most had never seen Olivia’s face, so they rushed over with the mindset that this was their first and last chance.
While the streets buzzed with excitement, Ruri was sharper than usual.
It was because she had prepared thoroughly, as befitted a distinguished guest.
“No, it’s not that.”
If she put her mind to it, she could breach the Empire’s barrier and enter, so there was no reason to be so tense.
Those piercing eyes were, as expected, directed at Ferda.
Ferda roughly knew the reason.
That was why he told her:
— The only one who has captured my heart is Her Highness Valdrova.
— Who said anything?
With those words, Ruri snapped her head around and turned away, leaving Ferda wondering what that was all about.
Shortly after, a pair of vanguard knights on white horses emerged from the forest.
Starting from that vanguard, a long procession followed, and about four minutes passed before a large carriage appeared.
Olivia Arken was aboard that splendid carriage.
While Ferda thought he only needed to wait with rudimentary preparations, an unexpected situation occurred.
The carriage stopped at the castle’s outer wall, which was not yet complete.
— Why on earth did those things suddenly stop and cause a commotion?
— I wouldn’t know.
An unexpected situation for Ferda.
At the same time, the soldiers began unrolling a red carpet in a straight line from the castle’s outer gate.
Simultaneously, the royal guards took up positions at fixed intervals along both sides of the red carpet, controlling the residents.
Ferda felt a sense of familiarity at the scene.
“Are they planning a procession?”
Ferda’s guess was correct.
Olivia Arken was attempting to switch from that hermetically sealed carriage to a carriage used for triumphal processions.
Ferda frowned at the scene.
— What a troublesome trick…
Muttering that, Ferda spoke to Ruri.
— Ruri. We need to change the schedule a bit.
— What do you mean, Master?
— Can you take me to the castle’s outer gate?
— Are you thinking of rushing to the Imperial Princess’s side?
— I don’t want any trouble arising in the village of Hestia.
She looked at him with a sullen expression, but what could be done?
In the end, Ruri granted Ferda’s request.
From a set height, Ferda descended directly via the Heavenly Staircase and arrived at Olivia’s side.
— I pay my respects to the Imperial Princess.
— I pay my respects to the Regent of the Grand Duchy. Did you come all the way here for me?
— What is the meaning of this?
He asked bluntly, without letting himself be swayed by Olivia’s atmosphere.
Olivia looked at her face in a mirror and replied.
— What do you mean by ‘meaning’? Isn’t this to help you, Regent?
— How is this helpful?
— I’m merely trying to generate rumors about the village of Hestia.
— What rumors?
— The Flower of the Empire showed her beautiful figure and entered Castle Valdrova… Isn’t that enough to set tongues wagging?
She looked with her sapphire eyes and smiled.
— If you are thinking of destroying the village of Hestia, it is a truly noble deed. I thought you would know quite well why she avoids showing her face to the public.
— I know. If the story goes that the Imperial Princess was struck by a stone or a tomato thrown by the crowd, that family would be exterminated.
Such a thing had actually happened during the First Prince’s visit, and that noble had vanished without a trace.
Olivia, whom everyone admired for her beauty, would undoubtedly face worse.
— Don’t worry. I’m doing this on my own, and I will hold the knight order responsible for not stopping me. Then it’s fine, right?
— If everything in the world worked out so smoothly, there would be no problems.
— It seems you don’t believe me.
— Yes.
— You are far too honest, as always.
Olivia covered her mouth and laughed, “Hohoho.”
— Then allow me to propose a compromise. Will you ride together?
— …Pardon?
— If someone throws a stone or a tomato, you block it, Regent. That works, doesn’t it?
— …
Olivia tapped her shining lips with her folding fan.
— The Regent of Valdrova stepped in for the Imperial Princess. Chivalry for the Princess remains… Wouldn’t that be a wonderful reputation?
“I want to say: Cut the nonsense, turn the carriage around, and crawl back into your shell right now.”
Yet she showed no sign of yielding.
Her unyielding attitude displeased him, but Ferda could not insist either.
As she had said, he was in a position where he had to accept even something that only appeared good on the surface.
— Understood.
— Hehe. Then climb up beside me.
And so Ferda boarded the Princess’s carriage.
The royal guards and knights seemed unable to hide their surprise at the situation, yet not a single one said a word.
And thus began the carriage procession.
They crossed the long wasteland with only a road and entered the inner part of the village of Hestia.
— Ah!
— It’s the Princess!
— The Flower of the Empire!
The residents, who never imagined there would be a public procession, were astonished.
Letting out breathless gasps, the residents erupted into exclamations of admiration.
Not only men, but even women gazed at her with longing eyes.
— The hand.
— Yes?
— Wave your hand. Even if you can’t smile, you have to at least do that, right?
Olivia waved skillfully toward them.
Especially to the children with sparkling eyes, she greeted them with an even more radiant smile.
“Impressive.”
Watching from the side, Olivia truly seemed to shine.
Blonde hair, blue eyes.
She wore a dress that revealed a splendid, voluptuous figure that could easily incite lust, but the smile on her face crafted an aura, and that aura overwhelmed everything.
She was a beautiful rose placed inside a glass case; the Goddess of Beauty.
Everyone loved her, adored her, and showered praise without reserve.
Suddenly, he realized she was beloved by all.
While immersed in such thoughts, his eyes met Olivia’s.
She smiled.
Whether it was his imagination or not, that false light somehow felt even brighter.
To the point where he even had the illusion that she loved him.
“So that’s how much one has to smile.”
It was a sight Ferda might never achieve.
He averted his gaze again, checking whether any pest would swarm.
And as if it were the most natural thing, no one showed hatred toward her, and the procession ended safely in the inner fortress.
— Mind your manners!
Inside the inner fortress, the knights from Count Consillus’s territory, dispatched for the ceremony, knelt before the Princess and paid their respects.
Ferda stepped down from the carriage first.
He extended his hand toward Olivia to escort her.
— I shall escort you.
— I apologize, Regent. The Princess does not take the hands of unrelated men—.
The words were cut short.
Because, rendering the explanation useless, Olivia took Ferda’s hand.
She was a woman who had always avoided the hands of men escorting her under the pretext of maintaining her chastity, so he thought this time would be no different.
She took his hand naturally and spoke familiarly.
— Can you introduce me to the people of the castle?
— Of course.
Ferda introduced not only the knights, but also his closest confidants.
Among them was Vernel.
Even Vernel, who locked himself in his laboratory, had abandoned everything and rushed out.
True to a researcher who had never held a woman’s hand, his face turned beet red upon seeing Olivia.
Olivia cast a look of admiration at him and acknowledged him.
— Marquis Vernel. I know of you. I heard you accumulated tremendous merit in Halim?
— Y-Yes! T-That is correct!
— The Empire has its eyes on you. We would like to request close cooperation in security…… but I suppose the security of the Far East comes first?
— Of course, but when the time comes, I will be of great help to the Empire as well!
— Hehe, I shall look forward to it.
This woman and her dirty tricks.
Vernel’s soul flew away before the smiling face of the Princess.
It wasn’t just Vernel.
The Golden Rose of the Empire whom every man would want to see in person at least once.
The moment of meeting her—what man wouldn’t feel his heart race?
Perhaps because of that, a certain woman-crazy ‘existence’ suddenly came to his mind, and Ferda whispered to Jed.
— Where is Penelope?
— Tightly bound and locked away.
— Why?
— She kept saying ‘Just one bite’ the moment she saw the Princess. What else could I do?
Paying a small tribute to Jed’s quick judgment, Ferda stood beside Olivia.
And so, creating a fine picture, they entered smoothly.
Ruri’s gaze was sharper than ever.
She made a face signaling that she disliked this even more than usual, venting hostility.
An ordinary person would have been crushed by that energy, yet Olivia spoke without a shred of tension.
— Ruri…… You are Silverwind, correct?
— That is correct.
— One sometimes gets confused. When one hears that the assistant so loyal to Lady Valdrova is of the Silverwind bloodline.
Olivia smiling radiantly, Ruri answering bluntly.
— I appreciate the words, but I already know what the Empire thinks of my Lord. There are ears listening.
— Yes, a troublesome matter. As a representative of the Arken Family, I promise to improve that.
A promise carrying the weight of an Imperial Princess.
Ruri scoffed inwardly.
— I’ve wanted to give this for a while. It’s a small gift I brought.
Olivia gestured behind her,
And an attendant knight presented a box he was carrying.
It was hwagwaja.
Hwagwaja made by the finest confectioner in the Empire.
Sweet, yet without looking cheap, possessing a suitably mature appearance.
— Oh.
Ruri’s eyes gleamed, completely different from the wariness she had shown moments ago.
— I thought bringing only one box would be discourteous, so I prepared three.
— Mmm, I will accept the favor with gratitude. Since I cannot eat it all alone, I will bring it out when entertaining guests.
— A consideration worthy of Lady Valdrova’s loyal assistant.
Ruri responding with dexterity, and Olivia’s wrapping skills nothing ordinary.
The thoughts of Ferda, who knew Ruri well, were different.
«She’s dying to taste it right now.»
It wasn’t that she wanted to eat it after work; she likely wanted to eat it right there while preparing it.
Regardless, there were two more boxes prepared, so she could eat more later.
«She truly is an amazing woman.»
To think she would seduce a child with food.
Ferda admired her internally as he escorted her to the reception room.
— The name is Hestia Village, correct?
In the quiet atmosphere, after devouring a hwagwaja and a cup of tea, Olivia brought up a topic.
— Hestia Village. Was it the name of the woman who guards the hearth?
— Yes. It must have been a difficult name to come across, yet you know it.
— I heard it from others. I am simply amazed by your extensive knowledge of how you know such things.
— I wouldn’t have known either if I hadn’t heard it by chance.
— Most people can’t even remember things they heard by chance. Thanks to that, I gained a taste for books on ancient mythology. What kind of books have you been reading lately, Regent?
— I…….
Under Olivia’s lead, the conversation continued endlessly.
Ferda felt something strange while observing her.
«The feeling is different from usual.»
Until now, speaking with Olivia gave a strong feeling that she was wearing a mask.
Yet right now, that mask didn’t feel quite fitting.
«Has her acting improved that much in the meantime?»
After exchanging mere small talk, Olivia moved on to a more constructive topic.
— I would like to speak about Marquis Vernel.
There it was.
Olivia revealed her true colors.
— Please, speak.
— To be frank, I want to recruit him as a technician for the Empire. I will certainly provide adequate compensation, so would it be possible?
Is this woman joking right now?
Ferda felt his temper flare and glanced at the knight.
Since there were ears listening, Ferda declined politely.
— That man is a precious asset of the Grand Duchy.
— I figured you would say that…….
Olivia maintained her smile, nodded, and turned her head.
— Captain of the Guard.
— Yes, Princess.
— Could you step outside for a moment? The two of us need to talk.
— ……Understood.
Foreshadowing that an unusual conversation would take place, the commander of the knights left.
He was gone, yet Olivia merely sipped her tea, without initiating any serious conversation.
Ferda had no choice but to ask.
— What do you wish to speak about?
— What are you talking about?
Olivia fluttered her eyebrows innocently.
— Ah, do you mean that atmosphere? I just needed an excuse to kick out the commander of the knights.
— What?
— He keeps trying to monitor my every move. If I say we are having a high-level discussion, he will understand and step back.
— Then what you said earlier was…….
— Acting. Of course.
She said, savoring the aroma of the tea.
— The Imperial Capital is currently discussing how to suppress the growth of the Grand Duchy.
— I have heard the general situation.
— In that situation, wouldn’t it look bad if the Princess moved to poach the chief technician?
It would look good, certainly, but Ferda did not trust Olivia completely.
— Are you sure you have no selfish motives toward the Empire?
— Of course. What reason would I have to do things that those bastards would like?
Olivia’s eyes burned with ambition.
She was not the Flower of the Empire, nor the jewel of the auction house, nor a free butterfly.
She wore the face of a politician.
— You decided to turn Hestia Village into a massive capital that could replace the Empire, did you not?