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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 33: The Audacious And The Inadequate
“Greetings to the Sun of the Empire, the one and only Emperor Sephia.”
Selina greeted the Emperor with a perfect courtesy.
‘Today, I will set you straight, discipline you, and make you come crawling back to the Imperial family.’
The Emperor was deeply offended by Selina's audacity, but his expression and demeanor betrayed none of it.
Brandon, who had been gazing up at His Majesty from below the audience chamber, was surprised to see Selina walking in gracefully, his mouth agape.
‘How, how did that bitch get here? She’s supposed to be locked up in the East Wing.’
Brandon thought he had already taken care of Selina.
Even though Selina had returned to the family, he had been the Acting Head of the family for over ten days, and even His Majesty had summoned him to the palace and addressed him as the Acting Head of House Arsene.
Brandon couldn’t fathom the possibility that the Emperor would have summoned Selina.
“Your, Your Majesty, I apologize. The disgrace of our family has caused such a scene. I, I will quickly take her back and confine her to the house…Argh!"
As Brandon spoke quickly and tried to grab Selina’s wrist, she used the self-defense techniques she had learned at the academy.
‘How dare you try to touch me again?’
If it had been anyone else, she would have just dodged them, but the thought that it was Brandon, who had locked her up for over ten days, made her unconsciously put strength into her hand.
“Ah, ah! It hurts! It hurts! Let go, you bitch!”
But the Emperor had no intention of intervening.
Instead, he watched Brandon, his arm twisted and being dragged by Selina, with a look of disdain.
‘Goodness, he’s even lacking in strength. He can’t even fight back and is being dragged around like that. How could he have dared to become the Acting Head of the family? He’s truly a good-for-nothing. In a way, he’s pitiful.’
The Emperor watched, and when Brandon's cries became irritating, he frowned, prompting Ruth to step in and free Brandon from Selina's grasp.
"Control yourself, you are in the presence of His Majesty."
“Yes, you insolent fools. Am I invisible to you!”
The Emperor feigned anger and shouted, but everyone could tell that there was no real fury in his voice.
“We have behaved disgracefully before His Majesty. Please forgive us with your generous heart.”
Seeing Selina bow her head in accordance with etiquette, the Emperor couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly again.
‘If only she would just marry Eric obediently. Why does such a graceful, intelligent, and strong-willed child insist on marrying Janus? It seems neither the Count nor Selina realize who their true soulmates are.’
The Emperor examined Selina from head to toe.
He had heard that she was confined in the East Wing for several days without any attendants, but her clothes were immaculate and her skin seemed to glow.
‘The people of the Empire keep chanting “Janus, Janus”, so she’s foolishly fallen for him? Is that why she’s willing to jump into the fire without thinking of her father or family? Should I show her that Janus can’t defy the Imperial family, so he’ll have to bow down and obey?’
Although his expression revealed nothing, Selina, aware of the Emperor's inner calculations, felt a slight sense of relief that things were going according to plan.
‘From here on out, I have to do well. Time to muster all your non-existent acting skills, Selina.’
* * *
"She went to the Imperial Palace, you say?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Alright, good work. Keep an eye on her."
Will went to the reception room where Cathy, Janus, and Phillip were, to deliver the news he had just received. He knocked.
"Come in."
The reception room was silent.
Will was no stranger to this scene.
'The commander never gives up.'
Phillip was the commander of the Hiloa Knights, considered one of the best knightly orders in Sephia.
The reputation of the Hiloa Knights was known even to the children of the empire.
They selected members based solely on skill, making it the top choice for commoner knights.
The Hiloa Knights only followed and acted upon the orders of Phillip and Janus.
The Fezel twins were also members of this order, and Will Chase was one of the young adjutants.
But who would have known?
The fact that Phillip, the commander of the Hiloa Knights, had been trying for days to get Cathy, Selina's maid, to open up as she quietly sipped tea before him.
"This is a matter concerning our daughter-in-law, why are you treating it like someone else's business? Cathy, tell me. It's alright to tell me what kind of food she likes, isn't it?"
"Lord Phillip, I apologize, but as Lady Selina's maid, I cannot speak carelessly about her."
"That's when it's someone else's business! I'm family, family. If I don't even know what to do for my daughter-in-law when she comes home, how can I call myself her father-in-law?"
Phillip tried to smile kindly, but Cathy's eyes remained fixed on her teacup.
"Cathy, let's make a proper deal. I'll give you whatever you want. You probably don't want money, so how about we improve your benefits at the Grand Duke's residence, better than other maids or servants?"
"My Lady takes care of all my benefits, and I'm satisfied with my current treatment. And from what I heard the day before yesterday, there aren't any maids in the Grand Duke's residence who serve the master's family like I do."
"Well, it's because we're all men. We can't take maids or servants to the battlefield, so it's more convenient to do things on our own."
Cathy raised her eyes from the teacup and looked at Phillip.
"There are butlers, housemaids, and servants who take care of chores, but I hear their treatment is no less than that of maids or servants. Isn't it a situation where you can't offer me any special treatment?"
'Our daughter-in-law has trained her maid well.'
Phillip was pleased with Cathy, the maid who always maintained her composure in front of him.
He was also satisfied that she had grasped the situation at the Grand Duke's residence so well, despite being there for only a few days.
"That may be the case now. But when my daughter-in-law comes to our residence, we'll need more people to attend to her so you can get some rest. Besides, the safety of my daughter-in-law is important, so I plan to hire maids who are skilled in martial arts to be by her side."
"That seems like a good idea. But usually, even with just me attending to my lady, there aren't any major..."
"'Grand Duchess.' From now on, you must also be careful with your words."
Phillip spoke as if he had finally found an opening, but Cathy replied without a change in expression.
"Yes, I misspoke. There's no need to increase the number of maids attending to Her Grace, the Grand Duchess."
“Sometimes, appearances are important. If she only has one maid, people might think we're neglecting our daughter-in-law at the Grand Duke's residence, so I want to assign two or three more."
"It seems like it would be enough to do that only during public appearances."
"Does she dislike having many people around her?"
When Phillip asked, Cathy closed her mouth again.
Seeing this, Will couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Lord Chase, what news have you brought?"
Phillip asked, slightly embarrassed, and Will, regaining his composure, replied.
"The Grand Duchess has been escorted to the Imperial Palace."
"You should have reported such news sooner!"
"I apologize. I couldn't interrupt your conversation, Commander."
"Hmm, anyway, it seems things are going according to our daughter-in-law's plan."
"That's correct. Her Grace, the Grand Duchess, said she intends to start by restoring her reputation at the Imperial Palace."
Cathy spoke these words because Selina had instructed her to convey them.
She wouldn't easily reveal any other information about Selina.
Phillip didn't even frown at Cathy for not divulging information about Selina.
Instead, he only smiled contentedly, thinking that Cathy was a good maid who did her job well and knew her place.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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