213.1: The Battle Maiden is at the Crossroads of Marriage (30)
The plan is going smoothly. Everything is in place. Unforeseen circumstances have already been factored in.
Now, all that remained was to make it work, one step at a time.
At the back of a narrow alleyway was a stone building. One of its rooms was covered by shade and being refreshed by magically generated cold air. Nevertheless, it was still scalding outside.
Geraldo sighed as he took of his cloak to reduce the heat. One of his talented subordinates then offered him some water from his side.
Although tall in height, the building was thin in width, and the first floor was filled just by the kitchen and dining table.
Nobody is here.
After eagerly sipping his water, he asked,
“Princess Jill?”
“—She’s asleep. No need for concern, she’s with her brother. Is everything proceeding as planned?”
“Indeed.”
Geraldo returned with information as planned. At the corner of the long, narrow dining table, the two faced each other, about to exchange information.
“We’ll be in charge of retrieving the National Seal, while you took care of Princess Natalie.”
Geraldo said, “Everything has been seen to. Princess Natalie is within my reach.”
“What will you do if the Dragon Princess prioritizes Princess Natalie?”
“That can’t be. She was raised by the Saber family and is an excellent soldier. Aware that only the Dragon Princess’ sacred treasure can go against the barrier containing the national seal, she’ll definitely head there. Or do you disagree? Do you suspect her?”
“No, that isn’t the case. I’m sure she understands that, but…”
Lawrence was faltering. Geraldo covered for him by saying,
“Isn’t everything going too well?”
“Indeed, mostly thanks to the Dragon Emperor.”
“There’s just something unsettling about this whole farce.”
If the Dragon Emperor hadn’t discarded the Dragon Princess so easily, it would’ve surely taken more time and effort. Even though the result was as planned, it felt somewhat ominous.
“Unfortunately, we lost track of the Dragon Emperor. Even the Saber family was unable to capture him. We can’t allow him to return to the Rave Empire…”
“No, he’s still in the country. Half of his magical power is still sealed. He won’t be able to advance through the magnetic barrier in the Rakia Mountains and return to Rave Empire.”
It wouldn’t be impossible if the Dragon Emperor was on his own, but with him were the Dragon Knights. As such, he probably had no intention of returning to the Rave Empire via teleportation.
“Someone is probably waiting for him. There’s no way the trespassers who entered from the North and South at the same time are unrelated to this matter. The Dragon Emperor should be in contact with one of them.”
“A report said that we should soon be capturing the one in the North. However, the trespasser in the South seems to be sailing about in the sea and shows no sign of disembarking.”
“It could be a decoy, or they might be planning to remain at sea until the Dragon Emperor makes contact. In any case, the hands of the Saber have taken action. Has Princess Jill said anything?”
“No, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know anything.”
Geraldo also felt bitter when he recalled Jill’s desolation.
“That’s just how the Dragon Emperor is. As always, he fails to understand the Dragon Princess’ feelings… Love.”
“I don’t really want make light of that concept, but for now, let’s leave it at that. In fact, the Dragon Emperor’s actions are rational.”
In the first place, a peace treaty where the king himself was hindering it was impossible. Not only that, the Dragon Emperor had no way of knowing when the Dragon Princess, who was loyal to her hometown, would become useless.
When that same Dragon Princess had reneged on her role, the Dragon Emperor made the very logical decision of dismissing her.
Lawrence says, “Perhaps it’s because of how I came into contact with him back in the Rave Empire, but the Dragon Emperor just didn’t fit my mental image of him. When he saw that I was spending time with Jill, he looked furious.”
“Marriage and engagement are both contracts. It’s only natural he’d glare at any man who touches his wife.”
“Oh, that’s… I guess it’s difficult to tell the difference between love and reason.”
“—In the first place, what did you do to Princess Jill? You didn’t do anything inappropriate to her back in Rave, right?”
“Eh? Then is it love after all?” Lawrence stared back at Geraldo, furrowing his brows, but then he sighed. “…Let’s stop here. I won’t be so arrogant as to assume that I know the going on’s inside a god’s mind. We should just focus on addressing the current issues at hand. What’s important is that we’re making progress. As for the Dragon Emperor… Let’s just say that he was being creepy.”
“That’s right. …Does Princess Jill still intend to become a Dragon Empress?”
“She seems to still be at a loss and uncertain, but I think she’ll excuse herself from the position. Whether she decides it on her own or is forced, the outcome will be the same.”
Geraldo nodded.
“Then that will suffice.”
“Indeed, but you must continue to give the impression that you are restraining yourself. Don’t badmouth the Dragon Emperor. If you want to take advantage of someone’s broken heart, the timing needs to be precise.”
“Is that how it is?”
“Yes, we must proceed carefully. Oh, but telling her a previous Dragon Empress was killed by the Dragon Emperor was brilliant.”
At that, Geraldo furrowed his eyebrows. For some reason, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I was merely stating the fact.”
“…Okay, then let’s leave it at that.”
***T/N: You’re creepier, Geraldo.
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