Chapter 213

The Sword, The Rose, and the Lion (5)

The Princess of Teuton looked at me with her characteristically thin smile.I held back the desire to get up from my seat, forcing my ass down, which kept lifting and descending.

“Why did you come to me?”

From now on, I was here to listen to business.

“I express my infinite respect for the fighting spirit of the knights of Leonberg, even if it may be late, as well as the amazing prowess of your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The princess looked down on me gracefully.

“In addition, the Teutons and I are sincerely grateful for the compassion of your Highness, who showed mercy toward Duke Seymour and ended the battle without hurting him.”

Even though his body was intact, his mind was ruined, so I didn’t know how she could term that mercy. My first impression was that her words were so unreasonable that it was surely sneaky talk. There was no sign of sarcasm on the princess’s face, however. Even her twinkling eyes were full of benevolent favor.

Most men would easily have been fooled by her slender appearance and the words that had flowed from her. But I didn’t belong to that class of man; I was just sickened by it.

Approaching with an innocent face and tying down the opponent with pleasant words, as if applying honey to her tongue: A gaze that forces the other person to feel compassion for her.

All of that was just too familiar to me. The Elder High Elf Sigrun had already used it to try and get control of me. Compared to the millennium-old Elder High Elf’s masterpiece of thespianism, the princess’s acting was a flimsy attempt to behold.

“In addition, apart from winning and losing, we were able to develop a deeper understanding of each other through the contest, so we are looking forward to the relationship between our two countries that will develop in the future.”

The princess continued to talk nonsense. Far from deepening the understanding between the two countries, only the goals of both negotiating sides have deepened.

“Is that your business?”

If I left it as it was, I would have to listen to these unlikable words all day long, so I spoke up, unable to stand it anymore.

The princess glanced at me. She looked different than the times when she had acted as a shy girl, and now she gazed into my face. I didn’t know what my face looked like exactly, but whatever my expression was, it wouldn’t be what she had expected.

“Ah…”

As I broke eye contact with her, the princess was amazed after meeting my gaze, closing her eyes while her eyelashes trembled – like a girl hurt by harsh words.

I could see she was also very strong, probably knowing by now that acting all decent was useless. My cold attitude toward her surely must have settled this truth into her head.

She clenched her fists and opened and closed her lips several times. Silence reigned for a long time. How long in hell did I have to match the beat of this new skill of hers? I started to get annoyed. Judging that she had other intentions, I forced myself to remain seated. But my patience evaporated at that point.

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll close the meeting now.”

After saying that, I jumped up from my seat.

“The Leonberg Kingdom,” I heard Princess Hestia say behind my back as I headed to the door.

I turned my head. The princess looked straight at me, raising her head, which had been lowered during the silence – still with that small body, still that colorless face.

All that had changed was that she had straightened her shoulders a little more and that she had picked up a pretentious smile.

However, that alone completely changed her mood and temperament. I wondered if she was really the same person.

“No, how far are you looking, Crown Prince?”

The subtle, meek voice that seemed to whisper into my ears was nowhere to be found; Hestia now spoke in a clear voice.

“Is Leonberg’s goal just to win the war with the Empire and survive as a country?”

I turned and looked straight at her.

“Continue.”

She then raised her chin.

“Teuton looks further than that,” she said, speaking on without pause. “Continental supremacy. That’s what Teuton wants.

Harmony between those countries set against the Empire was just the beginning; Teuton had prepared a lot more.

“And with the west’s best knight leading the armies? If so, I apologize. Your sharpest sword lies broken because of me,” I said in a grotesque tone, reproaching Teuton, which dreamt dreams that did not fit its situation.

The princess was not angry; she just laughed with a smile that I could not understand.

“Your Highness. I have already congratulated the Crown Prince on his victory over Duke Seymour, from my heart.”

Hestia’s full blooming smile twisted into a sneer, but she quickly returned her sneering mouth to its original state.

“If your Majesty hadn’t overwhelmingly defeated Duke Seymour, I wouldn’t have had the chance to come to the fore of the delegation.”

It was an unexpected story, but I knew the love of Duncan Seymour Tudor toward his unusual niece.

“Contrary to what is known, the two of you don’t have a good relationship?”

“Duke Seymour really treats me as if I am his daughter,” Hestia said as she shook her head, then saying, “But that love is only meaningful when my uncle keeps to the subject.”

Her mouth twisted once more. There seemed to be a story there, but it was none of my concern.

“I don’t think he’s been crying out or asking to see me,” Hestia said in a light tone, her eyes open wide. Then she suddenly began to laugh. After a while, she stopped and apologized to me. I didn’t care, so I remained silent.

“I am just grateful for your great consideration.”

I wasn’t in a mood to be thanked, but I didn’t really feel bad. Rather, my mind was more relaxed than before. Instead of wearing the pretentious face that reminded me of the Elder High Elf, I felt much better with Hestia’s current lively appearance.

“As I said a little while ago, Teuton is uniting countries against the Empire. In fact, a few countries have joined, and unless there is some great surprise, Teuton will be the leader of the alliance.”

“So we shouldn’t stretching Leonberg’s position so far that we’ll have to take care of ourselves, you mean?”

At my blatant words, the princess pouted her mouth and straightened her face again.

Then she asked me, “Do you have any intention of being the leading country of the league Teuton prepared?”

And so the princess asked me if we wanted to become the leader of the anti-imperial alliance – A very unexpected proposal.

“Now I’m getting a little interested.”

Up till then, I had been listening to the princess while standing at the door; I now returned to my chair and took a seat.

“Of course, this is only possible if your Highness has accepted my proposal.”

I looked at Hestia, buried in the large chair. The princess laughed, and her eyes were blazing with heat; it was far too much ambition to carry in such a small body.

I had no choice but to revise my assessment of Princess Hestia.

What she was was not a snake, but an imoogi, a great serpent longing to become a dragon.

And it seemed Hestia wanted to become a dragon even at the cost of her own country.

So, I asked her, “What do you want in exchange from Leonberg?”

“Marriage,” the princess replied without hesitation. “Please allow me to become the Crown Princess of Leonberg.”

* * *

Hestia Neumann Tudor was a woman loved by all. When she was young, she gained the devoted love of her father and uncle, Duke Seymour, with her angelic appearance and cleverness. When Hestia grew up, her natural off-white hair shined ever brighter, and she became loved by many men.

The woman Teuton loves: That is Hestia Neumann Tudor, and that was all.

The king knew of her intelligence, but he wanted her to remain a princess. The praises from the nobles and knights were nothing but admiration for one of the beautiful flowers in the Tudor garden.

And that wasn’t what Hestia Neumann Tudor wanted. She hoped that everyone would look at her and pay homage to the spirit that dwelt in her eyes. She did not want to be admired for her beauty; she did not want to be loved by her father and the duke for being an elegant woman. Hestia hoped that everyone would genuinely respect her from their hearts.

She wanted them to look up at her and fear her.

Her father loved her very much, but he denied her aspirations; rather, he was wary of them.

Because the obedience and praise Hestia sought could only be granted to one person within Teuton. While her father was unaware of her ambitions, Hestia tried to change his mind. She believed his thoughts would change once she showed him her abilities.

But it didn’t turn out like that. The more capable Hestia became and the more she outshined her brothers, the more strongly the king suppressed her.

She felt sorrowful about this, so she sought out the king and protested.

‘Do not cross the line. Be content with those things granted to you as a princess. Nothing greater is allowed to you.’

It was with a stern face that Hestia had never seen before that the king told her not to covet the power of her brothers. It was an obvious warning.

Fortunately, although she was young, she was clever enough to understand her father’s warnings.

She also knew what would happen if she violated those rules.

From then on, Hestia played the part that the king wanted her to play.

Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult. Just imitating the young children of her age was enough. But apart from succeeding in the act, Hestia’s insides became raw. Her unattainable aspirations ate her body, and she slowly withered.

And so, more time had passed.

One day, Hestia Neumann Tudor heard of the war between the Kingdom of Leonberg and the Empire. She heard that a noble country located in the north had won against the great Empire and that Teuton decided to bring them into the alliance.

And when Hestia heard that Teuton has decided to use one of the princesses as a token of the alliance, she declared that she herself would go to the Kingdom of Leonberg.

During this time, the other princesses had refused to go to a small country on the fringes, so the king was in trouble. After some time, Hestia’s father acceded to her request.

It wasn’t clear for Hestia Neumann Tudor whether it was because the king no longer wanted to experience the injustice to see his daughter agonizing over her reality or because he was wary of her aspirations and feared that they would cause trouble in Teuton.

It didn’t matter to Hestia either way. All she knew was that it would be nice to escape from her cramped cage. And at last, the king entrusted a political position to her: Head of the delegation.

It was the first time Hestia had received a position, but she knew nothing had changed and that it was not due to her showing her abilities. Even if she used her proficiency to achieve the purposes of the delegation, all she would receive was a position in another country.

The same situation would be her fate whether she was treated like a princess of Teuton, a princess of the Leonberg Kingdom, or a flower blooming in a garden.

Her uncle, Duke Seymour, was appointed as escort to the delegation.

And so the seal was stamped, and they journeyed to Leonberg as scheduled. It was located in the northernmost part of the continent, so it was a rough journey. Hestia’s weakened body was eventually unable to overcome the harsh climate of the north, and she became sick.

She boiled with the heat of fever, and so sick was Hestia all the time that she couldn’t take a step outside her carriage. It was only a few days after Hestia’s arrival in Leonberg’s capital that she could take care of herself, heal herself.

Although Hestia was well, she did not leave her room, using the excuse of being ill. The Duke of Seymour didn’t push her either, because he was compassionate of her situation, which was to enter marriage and live in another country.

However, Hestia could not delay things by using sickness as an excuse forever. So, after hesitating for a few days, she reluctantly attended dinner.

And there, she saw the blood members of the Leonberger family.