Chapter 50

Translation by Watermelon and Doldrums



A Wicked Gamble.




The girl had been poisoned?

Llewellyn’s mind went blank, but she was still alive just mere seconds ago? Could she have died because of her? Had the girl been caught up in Pamela's attempt to poison her?


Llewellyn, lost in thoughts, watched as the girl's listless body, or rather…corpse, was carried away. Her hands trembled slightly, her face taking an ashen hue.



"What was that?"



“What on Earth is going on?”



“Did something happen with Princess Llewellyn?”



A woman had died in front of none other than that obnoxious, namby-pamby princess. They were now even more delighted to have been attending the ball. Indeed, where else could such a thrilling story take place? People started noisily chatting among each other.



“Elodie!”



Her family rushed forward and started sobbing while hugging her limp body. People blathered with renewed vigor.



“Oh, that’s a bad omen. A truly bad omen."



“It is, isn’t it?”



Everyone went on with their own little comment, deliberately intended for Llewelyn’s ears. Bastian and Pamela, hearing the commotion, drew nearer.



“What is the reason behind this bedlam?!”



Pamela's shrilling voice silenced everyone in an instant. People looked at one another, expectantly.



“The person who dared spill blood on the sacred day of our Empire’s founding commemoration…”



Pamela didn't need to finish her sentence in order to instill awe among the audience. One stare from her was enough to control the mood of the place.



“The Princess was just…!”



Llewellyn interrupted Tristan, as he was starting to explain the situation.



“She didn't ingest anything the whole time she was conversing with me. Besides, her complexion was already not looking good.”



At Llewelyn's words, Pamela asked loudly,



“Are you trying to evade responsibility?”



Llewellyn, who was suddenly flaring with anger, shot back sharply,



“And how is that my responsibility?”



Pamela looked at Llewellyn with an incredulous expression. Llewellyn recoiled… She had lost her temper too easily.


But Pamela, having no regards for the little girl's death was making her seethe with anger. Instead, Pamela was instrumentalizing it in order to hurt her. Llewellyn, with her fists clenched, added,



“I believe there should be an unequivocal investigation.”



Llewellyn's clouded head began to clear again. She had been too startled to properly assess the situation, but she was now remembering what Celine had told her earlier in the evening.



'Lately, young ladies from newly established noble families have been dying one after another.'



This girl had also been a rising aristocrat. Seeing her family had only confirmed her earlier assumption.



“What do you mean by investigation?”, asked Pamela .



Bastian, troubled as well by her suggestion, frowned and looked in the direction where the corpse had been taken to, then said to Llewellyn,



“You mean to investigate every single person present in the palace, because of the death of just one young lady?”



Llewellyn’s eyes widened in astonishment. Bastian and Pamela were one and the same. They would not investigate. Llewellyn's hands trembled at the thought, and she unconsciously grabbed Tristan’s arm who was standing next to her, making him wince in return.



“This is something that even I, who never participate in social activities, have heard about. Rumor has it that all the noble ladies who have recently entered the royal palace are mysteriously dying.”



People gasped at her remark, the news spreading like wildfire among the assembly. Everyone was now focused on Llewellyn.



The grave atmosphere didn’t stop Pamela from responding, blasé,



“So?”



“Do you really think it was all just a coincidence?”



“I don’t know, Llewellyn. Do you want me to tell you how many nobles have died from internecine strife, fights for succession, grudges or even diseases?”



Pamela looked at her ladies in waiting as if requesting their assent. They gladly offered their help by consequently bursting into laughter.



"The Queen has a point."



"Princess, it seems that you have spent too much time cloistered in your room, reading books."



“To think that only new nobles have died. Tragic. "



People started laughing along. Llewellyn looked down at the floor. The servants had already finished cleaning, and the girl's bloodstains were gone without a trace. How many deaths like this must have happened?



“Sir Tristan Jayad.”



Llewellyn removed the hand that had been clenching Tristan’s arm.



“Yes, Your Highness.”



“Starting now, you shall investigate this death. If there have been similar incidents, you may investigate them as well.”



“Llewellyn, are you blatantly ignoring your mother’s words?!”



Pamela raised her voice, but Llewellyn, undaunted, proceeded,



“We ought to examine whether she met an unfortunate death because of me, or if it was just an accident, or worse, if something nefarious is currently being concocted in the shadows.



Bastian, hoping to dissuade Llewellyn, ventured,



“But Llewellyn, isn’t this a bit…”



“The nobility has pledged fidelity to the Royal Family, and as such, the Royal Family has a duty to look after them. Isn’t it the very foundation Brigent was built upon?”



Llewellyn's scathing tone left Bastian speechless.



She truly abhorred being inconvenienced. Besides, she didn’t know for certain whether there had indeed been foul play. But she had witnessed the girl’s death right in front of her. What would happen if even she were to turn a blind eye to it? More people could die.



Llewellyn remembered the girl who had been living and breathing until a few moments ago. Now that she was thinking about it, she had looked sickly from the beginning. Like she was about to die soon.



The whole time, she had stared at Llewelyn with sparkling eyes, looking very much the young maiden she had been. And now, that lively girl was dead…Just how could Llewelyn stay still?




She looked over at Celine, who had asked her not even a few hours ago to take action. Celine’s mouth quirked.



To think that when her mother had died, she had backstabbed her without any qualms… And now she was ordering her around like this? Did she take that much pleasure in it?



Just as Llewellyn was about to glare at Celine, Duke Brion stepped in,



“The Princess really is high-spirited!”



Duke Brion looked at Llewelyn with a glint in his eyes. Llewellyn shuddered as she recalled his cruel nature.



“But isn’t it poor manners to publicly disregard your mother’s opinion right here, in front of everyone?”



The mere sight of those blue irises was enough to terrify her. It felt like he was strangling her with his eyes. He was relishing in seeing her squirm under his gaze, trampling on her pride. Her breath froze in her throat.



“As the Princess ordered, I will investigate”, proclaimed Tristant, bringing his arm to his chest.



It was proper decorum for a knight to follow her orders. At the words, Duke Brion's gaze turned to Tristan.



“Sir Tristan Jayad. Do you work for the Princess?"



“I am a royal knight, My Lord.”



Duke Brion frowned and asked again.



“If His Majesty and the Princess’ views were to diverge, as a royal knight, who would you stay true to?”



At that moment, a dainty voice cut off the conversation between the two.



“Oh my, Duke! This is getting really interesting.”



Celine came out of the crowd with a big smile. She gracefully bowed to Pamela before adding,



“I support the Princess's decision. I thought she was a frivolous, short-tempered princess, but I think I might have to reevaluate my opinion of her.”



Contrary to the increasingly taunt atmosphere, her voice was overly cheerful. Why was she suddenly acting like this? Llewelyn was starting to get leery.



“However, Princess, if you mobilize the knights to investigate the case… What are you going to do if you can't manage to get to the bottom of this sordid affair?"



This time, Llewellyn couldn't hold it in anymore.



“How impertinent…!”



Llewellyn gritted her teeth and glared at Celine, whose eyes were twinkling.



“Well, you did say that you would investigate the case, all the while going against his Majesty’s and his venerable mother’s wishes and embarrassing them in the process. I believe you should state what you plan to do in the event you fail to uncover the truth.”



“What did you just say?”



“What if this was just an unfortunate accident? Then it wouldn’t be just the good judgment of His Majesty and the Queen Dowager that you would have ignored, but also the additional wound you’d have caused to the bereaved family. In that case, the Princess will obviously need to take responsibility.”



“...”



At these words, the Duke of Brion snickered and even Pamela put on a sour face. Bastian, meanwhile, looked puzzled.
PR/N : the bloody hell is he looking all puzzled and shit for?



“Countess Sundblen astutely assessed the situation. That's right, Your Highness, what are you going to do?”



Llewelyn glared at him with contempt. She didn't know what Celine was scheming, but she had succeeded in angering Llewellyn.



“I don’t see the problem. Wouldn't this issue be easily resolved by apologizing to His Majesty, his mother, and to all the nobles present?”



"Huh? A mere apology? How trite.”



At Celine's galling remark, Llewelyn snarkily retorted,



“Then what would you rather have me do in order to atone for my mistake? Shall I get on my knees?”



For the royal family, born with the lineage of the Golden Raven, which was said to be the bird of God, there was no greater humiliation than to kneel before a nobleman. In the past, a prince who had bent the knee after being defeated in battle, had chosen to take his life as soon as he returned to his land.



Llewellyn, who was now properly furious, continued,



“In addition, I’ll forsake my royal title and leave the palace—”



With an affected laugh, Celine stopped Llewellyn’s tirade.



“Oh my, you don’t have to go to such extremes! It is well enough for the honorable Princess to kneel.”



Pamela, recognizing this intervention as a machination to further bully Llewellyn, was thrilled. A smile was playing on the Duke's face.



“To summarize, how about doing it this way, Your Majesty? If the Princess cannot find out the truth after ten days, she'll get down on her knees and apologize, just as she offered herself.”



Celine smiled at the Queen.



“Not bad”, replied Pamela, looking quite satisfied with this arrangement.




“Sometimes, even if it hurts, one needs rigorous education. In this regard, the Princess shall be punished for talking back to her mother in front of everyone.”



Pamela was basically stating that humiliating her required a punishment so great that someone had taken their life for it in the past. The Queen peered at Llewellyn with a radiant smile. She looked elated.



“Mother, that...”



Bastian, finding himself in a quandary, tried to dissuade his mother, but Llewellyn cut him off.



"Alright, I’ll do it."



“...”



“Now that it’s settled, Your Majesty, I will demobilize the Red Knights and have them investigate this incident.”



At Llewellyn's words, Bastian shut his mouth.



“I trust you will assist me, Sir Tristan.”



At the mention of his name, Tristan bowed in agreement. Llewelyn tried to look at Celine, but she had already retreated within the throng. Llewellyn frowned as she watched her and the red-haired man disappear among the crowd.



She realized then what had happened.



Llewellyn felt somewhat aggravated. Nothing annoyed her more than letting Celine get off the hook.



*



Pamela looked at the newspaper with satisfaction while the servants were massaging her. Her curly blonde hair, tinged with reddish strands, was disheveled, precariously concealing her opulent bosom. Crossing her voluptuous legs, she parted her red lips and burst into laughter.



She laughed so much that her face turned red.



“What is it that amuse you so, Lady Pamela?”, asked one boy, innocently.



Pamela stroked the boy's cheek affectionately.



"Nothing much, I was just impressed by how quickly the news of yesterday’s incident had spread."



“Are you referring to what happened with that idiotic princess?”



"Indeed. Why make such a big deal out of the deaths of eight of those new noble women?"



Pamela giggled. It was difficult to survive in the social world unless one was a high-ranking aristocrat or hailing from a prestigious, well established family. It was appropriate that the newly ordained nobles, who had simply purchased their titles, should realize that they didn't belong within these social circles, and eventually end up vanishing.



And yet, rather than criticizing the establishment of high society, these people worshiped it, defending its exclusivism under the guise of it being 'amour-propre'. They tried very hard to somehow be considered as their peers, but it didn’t change the fact that these people were fakes who had bought their titles and would eventually disappear without anyone’s consideration. In other words, they were not worth worrying about.



“What a fool you are, Llewellyn!”



Pamela continued to laugh. Unlike her however, the face of Countess Rocher, who was pouring her tea next to her, hardened. But Pamela, drunk from her victory, did not notice.



“Let’s see, should I make this more fun?”



“…”



“Order those nobles not to give any information to Llewellyn. And tell them that if they cooperate, I will invite them to my private tea party.”



Pamela smiled, happy with her new idea.



“Haaa~”



How she dearly wished to see Llewelyn kneel before her. She wanted nothing more than to see the daughter of that so-called distinguished woman tremble in shame.


"It would be a waste to be the only one to see this."



“What do you mean?”



“I’m talking about that lofty princess. That wench who keeps strutting about, holding her head up and pretending to be all dignified and elegant… Prostrating herself in front of me with snot falling down her face, how delightful it will be”, purred Pamela gleefully, replaying the image of Llewellyn wailing in her head.




***

Sorry guys for the late update...because of work I think I'll upload a new chapter once every 10 days instead of once a week...
Hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter end