30. The Hostess’s Rights.
“Greed and regret are words used when people covet something that is not theirs.”
Izar whispered angrily.
“So, are you saying that Izar has no regrets?”
“High Priest, I don’t like to play around with words.”
Izar leaned his upper body closer to the High Priest and let out a throaty growl.
“So, let me ask you straight: What do you think of the princess?”
He didn’t intend to ask this question.
The plan was to gently get Bianca out in the future with the help of the high priest who was on the princess’s side.
But now the high priest was pointing fingers at him as if he was a romantic rival!
He did something really stupid.
But Izar couldn’t think straight right now.
From the moment he saw the high priest, Izar was overcome with violent emotions.
Was this jealousy?
It’s true that he is divinely beautiful sight.
His beautiful face would make one believe that he is some kind of saint.
If such a person had cared for and looked after her from afar, the princess must have been shaken.
So now, if the princess could go wherever she wanted whenever she wanted.
Where will the princess who ran away from Baloch territory go?
There was absolutely no way she would go to the imperial family that persecuted her her whole life.
Then where?
Had she never seen his face properly?
Was that possible?
Did he just seek the help of a man who could be fighting to get her from him?
He thought he only had to deal with Duke Baloch, but Izar felt like his eyeballs were burning at the unexpected difficulty.1I think, he doesn’t have any feelings for her whatsoever, he just doesn’t want to miss on something valuable….
“Izar, the princess is a pitiful and lovely person.”
The High Priest calmly picked up the teacup and moistened his mouth.
What if he killed him now?
Apart from being riled up, Izar knew that he was not in his right mind, so he could barely stop his hand from reaching up to the scabbard.
These were all caused by his wounded pride.
Izar Kartan.
The person who was the owner of the grassland but not the absolute owner.
His mother withdrew from the position of regent in the name of being a former queen, but as a person who exercised unprecedentedly powerful ruling power, the shadow of her power still hung over Kartan.
So Kartan was his, but it was also not completely his.
Also, Bianca, who was supposed to be his bride, had foolishly fallen into the hands of Duke Baloch.
While there was still a chance to get her back, the high priest who cared for and loved Bianca turned out to be a beautiful young man.
He even picked at him by mentioning the words ‘foolishness and greed’.
Weren’t these enough to make his mind roll over in confusion?
“So?”
“Rest assured, Izar. I am a servant of God and have no lingering attachment to human affairs.”
“Have you forgotten where you are staying now?”
Izar chuckled, reminding him that this was the place where he was imprisoned in place of Bianca for committing a ‘crime’.
“This is what I deserve for what I did. It has nothing to do with anything you think, so you better stop being suspicious.”
“Then let me change the question. I heard you said she was the one the Empire has been waiting for for a long time. What does this mean?”
“That’s all I can say. However, I think it will be okay if I say one more thing for Izar, who came all the way here.”
The high priest moistened his mouth with the remaining tea and then whispered to Izar.
“The one who will bring eternal peace to the continent.”
“Is she really who you say she is?”
“You know, don’t you?”
“But she is not a Termina.”
“Is that an important issue?”
The high priest asked in a strange tone, then stood up and straightened his robes.
“The time that was allowed is up, so I guess I’ll just go in now. Today, I will pray for Izar to gain peace of mind.”
“If I get what I want, it will happen naturally.”
The high priest only smiled softly and said nothing more.
***
Thanks to her haste, Bianca was able to meet Jillian who was just entering the main building.
“Bianca, did you come to see me?”
Jillian, who was shaking his shoulder to remove the snow, looked pleased at the sight Bianca.
The sight of him wearing the formal attire of the castle’s knights was cool, although the comfortable shirt he wore inside the castle was also cool, but he was cool in another way when he was dressed properly.
Was this what it would feel like to embody the term ‘superior male’?
Bianca held her breath for a moment.
Unlike his usual gentle smile, today he looked somewhat fierce even when he was smiling.
His long soft eyelashes and attractive eyes were all the same though.
Was it because of the military uniform that seemed to be slightly clinging to his body and the sword sheath worn on his waist?
His slim but well-proportioned and solid physique was clearly visible, giving him a beautiful yet ferocious look.
I wonder if I should have been surprised that this sense of heterogeneity was dizzying and exciting.
Bianca took a step closer to Jillian, hoping he wouldn’t hear her pounding heart.
“Have you been there?”
“Yes, thanks for coming, but it’s cold here, you should go inside.”
“I have something I want to tell you.”
Was it because he was facing me in an unfamiliar way?
He had to tilt his head to look at her, and seeing his downcast gaze made my heart beat faster and faster.
Bianca clasped her hands, internally scolding herself for being too excited.
“What is it?”
“I want to take over the management rights of Baloch.”
“You want the management rights?”
Jillian asked back as if trying to stop her from talking, took off his wet coat and handed it to the deputy standing next to her.
“I am not talking about the entire fiefdom, I just want my natural right, it will be enough.”
Fearing that she might seem presumptuous, Bianca added quickly.
“The right to operate the castle.”
Next to Jillian, who was muttering, the knight’s gaze was quite suspicious.
Perhaps he thought that the princess of Termina was finally revealing her true colors.
But Bianca was okay with it.
This level of suspicion was natural, and she had a way to persuade him.
“Although I lived as a nameless princess, I was also the ‘master of the palace.’ It’s gone now, but I’ve been running Rosvena Palace since I was thirteen.”
Jillian nodded but did not give her the permission.
Instead, he simply took off his gloves, stuffed them into his pockets, and held out his hand as if asking to enter the castle.
“The right to operate the castle originally belongs to the hostess.”
Bianca pronounced these words carefully so as not to sound too arrogant.
“But is it really necessary to do that?”
You proposed marriage.
You said you were waiting for an answer.
Numerous words came to her mind, but all of them would be spoken in a resentful tone, so Bianca responded by calmly shaking her head.
“It’s just that, I don’t want to put Bianca through any trouble.”
Thud, thud.
The sound of wet shoe soles hitting the floor was quite heavy.
Because she thought it wouldn’t be easy, Bianca didn’t resent Jillian’s dissuasion at all.
If anything, it would have been even weirder if he had just given in to her.
Regardless of anything else, the two were enemies.
The young duke who lost his father at the hands of the Emperor, and the princess whom the Emperor offered as a sacrifice.
The relationship between these two could not be entirely private.
Even if Jillian wanted her, and even if he opened his heart to her.
The actions of the Duke of Baloch, who had a huge number of vassals, would have been different.
That was the meaning of the stinging gaze of the knight standing next to Jillian.
So, Bianca had to use the most sassy voice she could.
“If you feel unsure to suddenly transfer it to me, it would be a good idea to think of it as a test given to me while you are away, how about that?”
“A test, what do you mean, Madam?”
The unexpected question came not from Jillian but from the knight.
“Hello, Madam. My name is Creta, Duke of Baloch’s lieutenant.”
“Hello, Lord Creta.”
Creta’s eyes widened briefly at Bianca’s answer and then drew an arc.
“No one could guess that I was a knight.”
‘All Baloch men are knights.’
It seemed like Rappin’s words were true.
“You are such a great person though?”
Bianca’s expression of joy was evident, and she even uncharacteristically made a joke.
“Madam, thank you for recognizing me. And I am very much in favor of Madame taking control of the executive power of the castle.”
“Oh.”
Bianca’s heart skipped a beat at the unexpected support.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s a nuisance.”
Jillian was displeased with Creta who intervened, but Bianca had no intention of missing the opportunity.
“It’s not a nuisance, I want to do it, please leave it to me.”
Please.
Bianca looked up at him, raising her clenched hands to the tip of her chin, looking desperate.
“Please.”
The tips of Jillian’s ears suddenly turned red, as if he was embarrassed.
I wondered for a moment if it was okay to do this, but I did not give in.
I wanted to be of help to him.
Although I couldn’t immediately think of a way to atone for him or something to set him free.
At the very least, I just hoped that he would not be troubled by the accumulated documents upon returning from his expedition.
“Why would…?”
“I want to do it.”
Bianca cut him off and finished her sentence before Jillian could stop her.
For some reason, Creta’s face was becoming brighter.
Jillian didn’t answer, but he seemed to be struggling, so Bianca stared at him as if asking him to do so.
How much time has passed like this?
“Alright, but you can quit whenever you feel tired.”
“Sure.”
“If it bothers you, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“Sure.”
“Okay then, Creta, hand over the documents.”
Ha?
“The Executive authority is not with the Duke…….”
“Yes, it is with me.”
Creta was smiling broadly.
“The Duke said it was a good idea to have someone else do it.”
Creta’s words, which were somewhat tearful, made Bianca feel a little embarrassed about how solemn she had been.
“The authority……I hope you enjoyed it.”
Creta did not respond, but instead glared at Jillian as if resentful.
That was enough of an answer.
“I was looking forward to the arrival of a butler, and to think I’m really going to get rid of it.”
Crete’s words were sincere.
“I will bring it to you soon. I was planning on transferring it as soon as a butler came, so the documents were already prepared.”
As if that was true, Creta returned quickly to Bianca with a mountain of documents.
As Bianca requested, they were documents related to the operation of the main castle for the past three years.
The cost of renovating the castle, the wages of the employees, disbursement of food materials, and maintaining the dignity of the ducal family members were clearly written down.
It was hard to believe that Creta had accomplished this much on her own.
Her face was so white that it looked gaunt, and I was finally able to understand the visibly happy expression on her face when she demanded the right to run the castle.
“You are an amazing person.”
As Bianca was checking each document one by one, she suddenly noticed something strange.
It was not long ago that Duke Silas Baloch died.
However, the cost of maintaining the dignity of the dukedom was borne by only one person.
Through the last three years…
***
TL:
I was so late this time because of the finals, they are still ongoing by the way༎ຶ‿༎ຶ
But tomorrow after the exam, I can make another update.
Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you, I increased the moondusts required for unlocking the chapters as I came to know that setting the price too low could lead to problems to the sight, so I set it within the normal range…
Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed ✨
