Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 50
The Emperor was a man of immense pride and carefully curated appearances. He did not tolerate others stepping beyond the boundaries he set, and any mercy he displayed was confined strictly within the frame of his own making.
‘But I never stepped outside it.’
The Emperor’s standard, staked in each flag tournament, was nothing more than a tool to flaunt his power. He reveled in watching every noble grovel for it and watching them covet it. That was the game.
But the flag, just as Sean had hinted, was hidden at the starting point. Inside a building.
After Sean had dealt with the wraith, I’d informed Sir Bolt that I was returning and made a brief stop at the Bittern estate.
The front gate, once seemingly damaged and covered with decorative drapes, had been fully restored underneath the flowers and ribbons.
‘And inside, floating above the immaculate great hall, bathed in golden light — there it was.’
So now, the Emperor’s role was clear. He should commend me for finding the flag and respond to my request.
Finding the Emperor’s flag was no small feat. And with that great accomplishment, I had every right to make a request that matched its magnitude.
How could he refuse my request?
I had willingly agreed to shoulder the responsibility that Dahliana was supposed to bear.
And now the Emperor was claiming he couldn’t?
I had volunteered to take on the responsibility, and surely, he could find no fault with that.
‘It’s impossible to refuse without damaging your pride.’
The Emperor clenched his fist and, after a moment, managed to paint a semblance of a smile across his face.
Then, he spoke.
“I grant it.”
He pressed his fist firmly against the armrest of the throne and added with a pointed tone:
“The glory of the final flag-finding tournament belongs to Staedt.”
“Final?”
“Final, you say?”
Murmurs of confusion erupted from all around.
“This will be the final flag-finding tournament! The meeting is adjourned!”
With those words, the Emperor turned on his heel and left the meeting room without another word.
“Your Majesty! Please, have mercy!”
The nobles were in complete disarray. For those who had calculated the gains each year from finding the flag for their families, the Emperor’s declaration was nothing short of a thunderclap.
The amounts they had invested to find the flags until now were no small sums. The costs of hiring mages and mercenaries were considerable, and some had even bribed the court magicians to extract information.
“Is this year’s flag still valid?”
“What are we to do about the losses our family suffered last year if this is the end…”
The noble who had begun to mention their losses fell silent upon seeing me. Losses? What were they so worried about? The losses would be covered by the Imperial family.
As the nobles slowly regained their composure, one by one, their murmurs died down.
“Are you saying the Imperial family will take responsibility for the losses we’ve incurred?”
“You did say that all the losses from the tournaments would be covered, didn’t you?”
“That’s correct. All losses.”
There were more people searching for the flag than there were those who had presented it. The ones who presented the flag were bound by the agreement made when they entered the tournament, meaning that even if the one who found the flag made a somewhat unreasonable request, it had to be accepted.
Most of the nobles had spent excessive amounts each year in an effort to recover the losses they had sustained and turn them into profit. Every year, just a little more than the last.
It was a gamble of sorts. Once you stepped in, there was no way to get out.
But now, that endless cycle of expenditures had been cut off. The losses of all those years were being returned in full.
Those who understood the situation looked at me with no small amount of relief.
‘Well, the meeting’s over now. Should I leave?’
As I stood up, Mir clapped her hands.
“Mir?”
“Congratulations on finding the Flag of Light, Young Duchess.”
Following Mir’s applause, the nobles began to hurriedly clap their hands.
“Congratulations, Young Lady Staedt!”
“Congratulations!”
It was originally something the Emperor should have said, but it seemed like he wasn’t in the mood for it. Mir’s congratulations were more than welcome in that moment.
“Thank you.”
I happily accepted the congratulations.
6. Good Intentions Aren’t Enough
Every year, it seemed like the competition in the tournament took a strange turn. It wasn’t unexpected that those who had gained the upper hand using the spirits would emerge this time as well.
Incidents involving competitors injuring each other had occurred since the very first tournament.
Once the meeting concluded, I immediately submitted a request for an audience with the Duchess of Felix. The Duchess, though pale, seemed to have regained her composure. It was as if the divine energy, comforting and purifying her, had lingered in the drawing room.
“I stand before the most beautiful star of Felix. I am Belienne of Staedt.”
The Duchess of Felix seemed a bit startled when she looked at me. However, it was almost imperceptible. Thanks to my sharp peripheral vision, I caught the slight tremor in her eyes, signaling her momentary fluster.
“Brave future of Staedt, welcome.”
With a composed response, the Duchess spoke to me, and after I respectfully greeted her, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“I… am here regarding the responsibility for this tournament…”
“True to your reputed bravery, I’ve already heard that you made a bold request to the Emperor. Before we discuss that, there was something I needed to say to you.”
What was that? I couldn’t guess what the Duchess of Felix was about to say. Was it because the last time I saw Geoffrey Buser? Or was she, like the Crown Prince, beginning to doubt me?
My tense ears caught an unexpected phrase.
“Thank you.”
