I'm Terminal Anyway, No Regrets - Chapter 26
Even if she is a divine denial, she is still the king’s own daughter.
“Even beasts protect their offspring with their lives, but the nobles whisper that His Majesty, revered as the king and God’s representative, has done worse than beasts.”
“Marx Benum! How dare you be so disrespectful to His Majesty!”
“I merely relayed what is being said among the nobles. I am sincerely concerned.”
The blunt words fueled the king’s anxiety. He was keenly aware of the nobles’ thoughts, but hearing the criticism directly was intense.
The king glared at Marx and opened his mouth.
The way to handle this situation was surprisingly simple.
“Are you certain there will be no export sanctions on Lev leaves if we send a royal?”
“Your Majesty, those are just words. A mere successor to a duke’s house couldn’t have such authority.”
“I can confirm it for you anytime. Let’s ban the export of white Lev leaves starting next month.”
“Very well, we’ll send a royal. However, it will be Princess Ormia, not Princess Leticia.”
Marx deliberately didn’t answer right away. He stroked his chin, covering his mouth.
“Hmm, His Imperial Majesty would prefer a true royal of Glishia.”
The king’s hardened expression softened a little.
“I’ll change the imperial guest to Princess Ormia Beltoa. Let me remove one worry from before Your Majesty.”
“You were planning to invite Ormia all along, playing word games.”
“Out of sight, out of mind. If we take her to the empire, people will forget about Your Majesty and the royal family’s shameful morality.
However, to take Princess Ormia, rumored to be a divine denial who can’t even use blessings, we need a suitable excuse for His Imperial Majesty…”
Teeth grind. The king glared at Marx, who was touching a weak spot.
“What do you want?”
“Well. It seems I’ll need to show some ‘sincerity’ from Glishia in sending Princess Ormia, saying we had no choice. What do you think?”
“Ha, you want money?”
“‘Ceremonial expenses’. Surely you wouldn’t send your daughter empty-handed. As she’s a princess, shouldn’t you allocate appropriate ceremonial funds?”
Duke Windsor, who had been watching, spoke up in disbelief.
“Your words are so glib.”
“If you don’t like it, we can pretend this never happened. After all, it’s not us who want to package and send Princess Ormia away.”
“Refuse, Your Majesty. They’ll take Princess Ormia even if you don’t meet their demands. Why else would they hover around the princess?”
“Oh, and Princess Ormia said she has no desire to go to the empire. Hal Lund asked her, apparently.”
The dukes’ brows furrowed. To them, Ormia’s opinion didn’t matter.
That thought showed on their faces.
‘I hoped the Glishia dukes would squirm before the princess prior to her departure to the empire, but they don’t even care.’
It’s someone else’s business anyway.
Marx was irresponsible and thought it was enough just to take Princess Ormia.
Thinking the conversation would only become tiresome if prolonged, Marx stood up.
“Then I’ll take my leave. I’ve made my position clear. Prepare the ceremonial expenses and the princess’s consent in exchange for taking Princess Ormia.”
The central nobility and royalty are revered for their abilities and blessings.
That’s why the king feels those shackles even more strongly.
Having enjoyed so much through the power of faith, he fears losing it. He knows that even with the power of blessings, the dukes’ influence has grown to create a precarious balance.
If even a small crack forms, the relationship will shatter.
Marx left the reception room with a sneer.
As Marx Benum left, Pope Grace emerged from behind the throne’s curtain.
The discussion with the pope had already concluded before Marx arrived.
“I thought Your Holiness would oppose.”
“Since Emperor Yen declared religious freedom in the empire, the number of Magnus believers has decreased. If Princess Ormia visits the empire, the number of believers will increase.”
The king swallowed a groan.
“But Ormia doesn’t even have a blessing.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying this. She’s a princess called a divine denial. Won’t she feel the God Lagras more desperately?”
The dukes exchanged glances with meaningful smiles.
People seek God more in calamity than in miracles.
Everyone thought it fortunate that things were resolved in the direction they all wanted.
Except for Caland.
“That should solve the problem then.”
At Duke Haiman’s words, the king ordered his attendant.
“Summon Princess Ormia.”
* * *
The cold marble corridor, high ceiling, and sacred-looking light entering through tall windows gradually heightened the reverence for the King of Glishia.
“Princess Ormia Beltoa.”
The door opened with a solemn announcement. To have an audience with the king, one must pass through seven doors symbolizing the seven gods.
Beyond that, one pays respects to the king seated on the raised dais in the audience chamber, bathed in light.
A person who knows how to use the dukes without directly bloodying his own hands. An atmosphere that makes even the ugly and dirty appear sacred.
I knelt before the king and bowed my head.
“I behold the one and only sun of Glishia.”
“We’ve decided to send you to the empire.”
The king announced without any need to ask my opinion. There was no word of understanding as to why it changed from Princess Leticia, whom the empire wanted.
After all, I am such a being.
A kind of by-product produced by the king.
Filth he doesn’t even want to look at.
That’s why in my third life, when he heard my confession, he confined me to the tower without hesitation.
“Is this an order?”
The king didn’t answer.
“If you issue a royal decree, I will obey.”
I requested the document with the royal command written on it.
Documents remain as records for future generations. The king’s actions can be fabricated even when recorded by scribes. Having a royal decree as a document leaves evidence.
It’s not uncommon for royalty to be moved for national interests or as hostages, so there’s nothing to be concerned about. But the king found the decree uncomfortable, considering it shameful.
Rebler Count, the king’s nimble limb, sensed the king’s mood without even looking back and stopped my action.
“Princess Ormia, the king’s command is the decree itself.”
“Then there should be no problem in issuing a decree.”
The king’s hand gripped the armrest of the throne.
He is a king who grew up pampered, surrounded by people who claim they’ve never heard of anything heavier than the royal scepter and call for the court physician at the slightest scratch.
Most of his words would have been fulfilled.
Thinking my proposal was defiance, the king issued the order with a hardened expression.
“I’ll do as you wish. Wait.”
“Yes.”
The king left the audience chamber.
He must have ordered the attendants as well, for they left the hall, leaving me alone.
I had not been given permission to leave the audience chamber, so I had to stand still in that spot without moving.
‘How petty.’
He takes out his bad mood this way.
Time passed.
The short sunlight that entered through the noon window stretched long. Yet it didn’t reach my feet. The sky turned orange, then black, and stars appeared.
My time passed like that, but I wasn’t anxious.
After all, I would eventually leave Glishia.
“Eek!”
“Ah, still?”
I heard the attendant’s startled voice. They busily cleaned the audience chamber without looking in my direction.
When the sunlight coming through the window had shortened, just like when I first came to the audience chamber, Caland rushed in.
“Ormia.”
He was angry with me.
“Be smart! Waiting all night in the audience chamber… Why are you doing such a stupid thing?”
Although he must have heard it was the king’s order, Caland was angry.
“Go back. I’ll tell His Majesty I won’t send you.”
Could he really say that? Even knowing it was useless, Caland promised.
This aspect of Caland made things harder for me. I looked at Caland with tired eyes.
“Do you really think of me as family?”
I asked again the question I had asked before.
“You, in this situation!”
“Was I really family when the chandelier fell?”
Caland’s expression, about to open his mouth in anger, twisted.
“Was I family when my blessing was judged to be a denial?”
While I calmly accepted the king’s spite, it seems I was quite upset too.
I wanted to tell Caland this while looking right at his face.
“Cal.”
There was a time when I used to call Caland by this nickname when I was young.
Even when I was called a divine denial, Caland worried about me for a while. The affection didn’t last long.
That night when I waited all night, expecting him to pick the oranges from the greenhouse as he had promised.
I realized Caland’s affection had ended.
“Of all the Beltoas, I hated and resented you the most.”
The dolls he would occasionally leave on my bed.
His worried tone even when angry.
Caland, the only one among the royals who looked out for me.
If I tried hard,
If I listened well and was good,
If I behaved properly,
I couldn’t let go of the hope that everything might return to how it was before, as if waking from a dream.
Because Caland had looked after me.
“You’re the cruelest. You only shook me with clumsy affection, preventing me from letting go of hope.”
If it weren’t for Caland, wouldn’t I have given up a little sooner?
Wouldn’t I have cut off my feelings?
“Hypocrite.”
That’s what I’m saying to myself.
I too was merely venting my frustrations on someone weaker.
I thought these emotions had already worn away completely, but wounds remained in me.
“The sun of Glishia enters.”
Finally, the king returned. Along with the four dukes.
Cold Male Lead Became My Clingy Husband (Female-Dominant)
Feng Bai Su transmigrated into a matriarchal novel, becoming the sister of the female protagonist and the Seventh Princess of the Feng Ling Kingdom.
After working herself to death in her previous life, finally reincarnating as a princess, she only wanted to be a lazy fish who could eat, sleep, and play.
Until she met the male protagonist from the book, Wei Jing Mo, and he took a liking to her!
Wei Jing Mo is the top young man in Feng Ling City, talented in both appearance and ability, from a prestigious family, with a cold and otherworldly appearance, a figure like the bright moon in the hearts of noble ladies. It was thought that only the most powerful and talented noble lady in Feng Ling City would be worthy of such a brilliant young man. Who knew that this young gentleman would secretly admire the infamous Seventh Princess?
Short scene 1:
Feng Bai Su looked at the young man crying like a pear blossom in the rain before her, and couldn’t help but doubt her life.
Wasn’t the male lead described as a cold and otherworldly figure in the book?
Then who was this poor little thing crying with swollen red eyes and tear-stained face?
Short scene 2:
Wei Jing Mo stared intently at Feng Bai Su who was about to go out, wanting to say, “Be careful on the road.”
Before he could speak, Feng Bai Su suddenly bent down and bit his cheek.
Her peach blossom eyes were full of disdain: “Tsk! You’re so clingy!”
Wei Jing Mo: “…”
A talented fox spirit female lead with a flirtatious appearance but actually abstinent VS A cold-looking but actually naive and clingy little jealous male lead
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