I Became the Abandoned Prince Whom the Saintess Is Obsessed With

10 – The Witch-like Woman

“Oh, I was too hasty. Come to think of it, I still don’t know your name.”

Saying that, the Emperor smiled mischievously.

Elaine’s face showed a bewildered expression. I couldn’t care less as I wiped my face.

She cautiously replied without even looking at me.

“Um, my name is Elaine, Your Majesty.”

“Does it mean ‘sacred rain’? It’s truly a beautiful name. So, what do you think?”

“W-what are you talking about? I…”

“It’s about marriage. If it were you, I think you would be a perfect match for my son. What do you say?”

“…”

Marriage to Elaine.

Is that nobleman out of his mind all of a sudden?

I couldn’t understand why he was acting like this at all.

Especially when Elaine seems to dislike me already.

Pushing it like this could not only cause significant psychological burden, but also strong resistance.

It would make it even harder to make her be on my side.

“I… I mean… I…”

Elaine couldn’t easily answer.

With a flushed face, she kept her head down, unable to find the right words.

Perhaps now is the moment when I should intervene.

“Why are you suddenly doing this, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor looked at me with a completely different expression than when he saw Elaine.

It was a stern expression that he had when scolding or making serious decisions.

“I will grant you the title of Grand Duke, so leave the palace and establish a household. Spend the rest of your life cultivating your territory, repenting for your sins.”

To have Elaine establish a household? What a ridiculous and absurd suggestion.

I couldn’t even figure out where to begin refuting, and my words were blocked.

I felt someone’s presence at that moment.

“Oh, how disappointing, Your Majesty.”

A voice as delicate as a jade bead gently rolled across the dining table.

It was a voice that would sound exactly like the sound of finely grinding a beautiful rose full of thorns.

The Emperor’s face froze as if he were chewing on dung.

The uninvited guest was Herpina Schleim, the current Empress of the Mersenne Empire.

“Your Majesty, you are truly cruel. How can you discuss the death of your eldest son and leave me out like this? The Crown Prince is the same. Even though I am called a concubine, how can you not even mention such an important matter to me?”

Her expression and voice were incredibly composed.

She was an exceptional actress, with the intention of destroying me and firmly establishing her son’s position.

“Even though I did not summon you, how did you know and come?”

The Emperor couldn’t hide his disgust.

His expression was deeply furrowed, and his voice seemed to boil.

He looked like a wolf trying to protect its young.

But the Empress calmly met his gaze with lively eyes. There was no trace of hesitation.

She still smiled.

She stood tall, maintaining the same posture without twitching an eyebrow.

And without the Emperor’s permission, she sat next to Elaine.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by his grandeur.

Without even answering the Emperor’s question.

With a strange smile, he stared at Elaine intently.

“Your name is Elaine? Did I hear that correctly?”

His voice was so casual, as if he didn’t care at all about the uncomfortable gaze.

With his gloved hand, he brushed Elaine’s hair behind her ear.

Gracefully flowing along with his dignity was undoubtedly a sense of ease.

And it was a conviction.

Whether it be the Emperor or anyone else.

It was a strong belief that he could never be stopped, vividly revealed in even the slightest gesture.

“Yes, y-yes….”

Elaine, feeling fear from his excessive boldness, couldn’t hide her confusion.

Her stumbling tone and restless eyes were evidence of that.

“Elaine, Elaine….”

Normally, it was basic etiquette to include the surname when mentioning someone’s name.

If the surname wasn’t mentioned, it meant that the person was a bastard who didn’t receive a surname from their parents.

It was a long-standing custom in the Mersen Empire.

Even as the Empress of the Empire, she couldn’t be unaware of such a fact.

The Empress persistently asked.

“Do you not have a surname?”

It was undoubtedly a clear confirmation assassination.

“No… there isn’t…”

It was a cruel act to stab the already dead person’s vulnerable spot once again.

“Oh my, does that mean you’re a bastard? And yet, you’re sitting here dressed like that? You’re such an interesting child, aren’t you?”

Even the servants who were waiting nearby could hear it, as she spoke loudly before bursting into laughter with a bright smile.

Even without discerning the other person’s feelings.

The empress’s dignified elegance, which never forgets to cover her mouth when laughing.

Once again, it made Elaine lower her head.

Perhaps it was to hide the sudden burst of tears.

The words of the emperor, and the words of the empress.

Elaine must have felt extremely uncomfortable.

To the point where she wanted to leave this place immediately.

It was highly likely.

The emperor glared at the empress with a cold, piercing gaze.

“What a rude thing to say to my guest.”

The emperor, who lowers his voice even more as he gets angry. So it could be said that he was on the verge of exploding right now.

But as expected.

As someone who had a glimmer of trust.

The empress calmly smiled and placed her hand on Elaine’s trembling shoulder.

“It seems like I made a mistake, didn’t I? Elaine, I’m sorry. Actually, I really, really like you. Your Majesty, this marriage, I’m also in favor of it.”

Even though the empress agreed with her own intentions, the emperor’s expression, steadfast in silence, was no different from before.

An unquenchable rage burned fiercely like a dry mountain swallowed by a wildfire.

The food arrived late.

The empress didn’t even touch it.

As if confirming that everything necessary had been settled.

She rose from her seat just like that.

“Well then, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave. Oh, by the way.”

The empress, who turned around without hesitation, even applauded before turning back again.

“But, Your Majesty, isn’t the punishment for the first prince, who committed such a grave offense, a bit excessive? Even though he may be a son who doesn’t cause any pain no matter how much you despise him, shouldn’t proper parents be stricter when it comes to their child’s wrongdoing?”

The empress blinked her eyes and nose at the emperor, then turned her head to look at me.

Her crescent-shaped eyes.

They couldn’t completely hide the hatred contained in her purple irises.

“……”

She may be smiling, but it was actually a warning.

To the emperor.

And to me.

It meant that I wouldn’t be able to see a good sight if I had foolish dreams.

“I shall take my leave now, Your Majesty. Then, Elaine, see you again?”

Even though only one person had briefly passed by.

It felt like being in the ruins swept away by a typhoon.

As expected, she was a woman with a tremendous presence, like a witch, befitting of a significant antagonist.

“Elaine.”

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

The Emperor’s face had softened once again.

However, he appeared quite exhausted. Just by meeting the Empress once, he seemed to have aged several years.

“We’ll continue our unfinished conversation another time…”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Eos, accompany Elaine back personally. Since there is much to discuss between the two of you, don’t wander off and return immediately.”

***

Inside the carriage heading towards the Marquis’s residence.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

I expressed my gratitude to Elaine politely.

“…”

Without saying a word, she just nodded her head and lowered her gaze, fidgeting with her fingers.

The area around her eyes was slightly reddened, probably from wiping away tears multiple times.

“You don’t need to concern yourself with His Majesty’s words.”

“…”

Elaine turned her gaze silently towards the window.

And from then on, until we arrived at the Marquis’s residence and she nodded her head again before getting off.

She didn’t say a word.

It was an incredibly awkward situation.

Saint Elaine.

Her abilities were.

The most important thing for me to survive in the future.

But it seemed like Elaine had developed a strong aversion to me, probably because of the Emperor and Empress.

Especially the Empress, who had openly insulted Elaine.

Every situation was so sudden.

I was caught off guard and left helpless.

I was so angry.

The Empress’s visit was definitely not a coincidence.

It seemed highly likely that it was because of my collapse and Glenetino’s treachery.

No doubt.

She would suspect Glenetino’s betrayal.

And she would probably feel the same way about my condition.

The Empress came to confirm that.

She would definitely be on guard.

In case a cornered rat attacks.

Perhaps an unexpected variable had emerged. It was clear that I had come to an uncomfortable position on my own accord.

However, no matter how many of my people I planted throughout the palace…

Even she would find it difficult to accurately grasp the truth.

I intend to exploit that vulnerability.

***

The Empress of the Mersenne Empire, Herpina Schlein.

She was walking through the courtyard with a refreshing mood after a long time.

It had been quite a while since I last saw the Emperor’s angry expression. In fact, it had been quite a while since I saw his face at all.

Then, in an instant, the smile disappeared.

The Crown Prince Eos.

It was because I thought of that arrogant brat.

Perhaps it was because I had been quite bored lately.

Maybe Glentino made a mistake.

Of course, maybe not.

It could be betrayal instead of a mistake.

But does that make sense?

To frame the Crown Prince for murder, he would have already crossed the line.

Such a greedy person.

I couldn’t let go of the sturdy golden thread that would only rise higher if I just held onto it.

And then, I heard something.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince collapsed.

His condition rapidly deteriorated, and it was undoubtedly going to be difficult to make it through the night.

The unexpected news was relayed by the Chamberlain.

Herpina felt a surge of joy as if she were about to fly.

It didn’t matter whether Glentino, who was imprisoned in the underground dungeon for failing to properly serve the Crown Prince, lived or died.

The Crown Prince Eos, who was like a thorn in her side.

If only that trash who carried the burden of the Elven Kingdom’s king on his shoulders would disappear.

Then this great empire…

Would be solely occupied by her own son, Cervis.

She couldn’t express how delighted she was at the thought.

Finally, the time had come for her long-awaited wish to be fulfilled.

She hoped that the dreadful hybrid mess left behind by the former Empress, Wiblia, would be erased as soon as possible.

She hadn’t been able to sleep a wink all night and had yearned desperately for it.

But what on earth was happening?

As soon as the day broke, the Chamberlain came rushing in.

He blurted out an unbelievable statement that the Crown Prince had miraculously recovered.

It was a situation where she couldn’t help but slap him. At least until her anger subsided.

The Chamberlain, with his swollen face, cried and said,

“Last night, the palace carriage brought Baron Bart’s daughter.”

“It seems that the Baron’s child resurrected the Crown Prince.”

Tsk. It was truly an absurd statement.

Could it be possible that a mere marquis, who couldn’t even become a royal physician or a high-ranking court official, accomplished such a thing?

What nonsense. What kind of nonsense could there be?

Perhaps there was some misunderstanding.

Or maybe…

The emperor or the crown prince were hiding something else.

I went to the dining hall to confirm it.

And then I heard it.

The name Elaine.

Judging by the lack of a surname, she must have been an illegitimate child.

An illegitimate child surpassing high-ranking court officials?

It was an unbelievable situation.

“Well, that’s that,” I thought disappointedly as I turned away.

“When would be a good time to bring in the food?”

It seemed like they had designated that child as the crown prince’s consort.

It was a strange turn of events.

The disappointment I felt due to the survival of the crown prince.

It disappeared silently, like the darkness of dawn that had been pushed away by the morning light.

As the infamy of the crown prince subsided, the legitimacy of the service would only grow stronger.

The reason I had kept the crown prince alive, despite wanting to kill him immediately, was because of this. Slowly, I had been destroying him.

Of course, it was burdensome to think of the war that the death of the Crown Prince would bring about, but the benefits of keeping him alive were greater, so I suppressed the desire to kill him.

However, recently…

I was quite annoyed by the sudden change in the Crown Prince’s behavior.

And then, I came to know a girl named Elaine.

I thought she would be a better tool to ruin the Crown Prince.

Of course, to do that…

There was something I needed to confirm first.

That was…

To see if Elaine was truly precious to the Crown Prince.

So, I intentionally provoked him.

Deliberately, I mentioned Elaine’s identity.

The result was quite interesting.

In fact, I had already anticipated it to some extent.

The Emperor, well, as always, he couldn’t hide his anger.

Tsk tsk. Such a simple-minded person.

He was truly a heartless man.

He was an idiot who didn’t even know who killed the woman he loved.

I was very much looking forward to seeing what expression he would make if I revealed the true sign of the former Empress.

And the Crown Prince…

I’m not sure if it was because of my mood, but it felt like I had deciphered a poison.

If not, it wouldn’t make sense for me to be sitting so peacefully with the Emperor.

The possibility that Glennitino had truly been expelled had greatly increased.

Of course, I set aside the question of “why”.

After all, Glennitino would soon die.

The Crown Prince, at least.

He may have regained the elven abilities he showed in his childhood.

But even so.

He has already missed the time for growth, so he can easily be subdued with just one decent knight.

And.

What was most amusing was.

His green eyes, which glared at me like the sun while pretending to be nonchalant.

No one would know.

How delighted the Empress was in that moment.

If only she could use the child named Elaine well.

It seemed that she could paint quite an interesting picture in the future.