Princess, Please Fall in Love with Me-Chapter 30 : Chapter 30

Chapter 30 : Schemes, The Puppet High Above
“Clover Family Head, please allow me to confirm once more, is this truly the intention of Her Majesty the Empress?”
The refined scholar curiously observed the nervous gentleman before him.
The latter’s hands fidgeted irritably, his eyes glancing guiltily out the window, as if he were unaware of the details.
“Yes, this is entirely Her Majesty the Empress’s intention! Her Majesty has already arranged the personnel. All that is required is for your country’s envoy to make an appropriate appearance and stand on our side. Rest assured, you will not be treated poorly.”
The scholar’s gaze wavered hesitantly, but when the gentleman, with a beaming smile, pushed a glittering golden object toward him, he adjusted his glasses, set aside the book in his hand, and lightly covered the golden light.
“I understand.”
“Then we shall wait and see…”
When their hands finally clasped together, a mysterious figure on the eaves not far from the window silently watched the scene, then leapt lightly and vanished into the night.
“What a false alarm, I thought that guy had seen through it…”
Annas, the Clover Family Head, had been adopted from a branch of the Clover Family to the main lineage for a simple reason—Orion, the eldest daughter of the main family, had married the Emperor of the Kelake Royal Family, thus forfeiting her inheritance rights.
As a member of a branch family, becoming the leader of the main family should have been an immensely fortunate and honorable event, but Annas felt a thousandfold pressure.
The sword named [Empress] always hung over his head, as if it would mercilessly slice it off at any moment.
At that moment, he lay on the sofa in his mansion.
The earlier negotiation had stretched his nerves to the breaking point, leaving him utterly exhausted, yet his heart still trembled with lingering fear.
Although nominally, the Empress could not interfere in the internal affairs of the Clover Family, in reality, the Clover Family was more like a servant family to the Empress, its every move subtly manipulated by her, its fate gripped by the throat.
Every time the Empress summoned him for a meeting, it was never for anything good.
“Family Head, Her Majesty the Empress requests an audience…”
The maid’s words nearly caused the teacup in his hand to fall, hot water splashing over him.
Without time to wipe the stains from his clothes, Annas hurriedly adjusted his appearance and sat upright, awaiting the noble figure behind the door.
“Am I late, Family Head Annas? You look quite exhausted.”
Empress Orion maintained her usual warm and gracious noblewoman demeanor, holding a fan and accompanied by a maid as she leisurely sat down.
Annas, on the other hand, reacted as if he had seen a ferocious beast, clumsily fumbling with his teacup before looking at the Empress with an apologetic expression.
“Such trivial matters can be handled by the servants. We have more important things to discuss.”
The Empress gave him a look of exasperation, as if he were a disappointment, but then resumed her kind expression, her tone becoming casual, as if chatting with a friend.
“Have you heard about the Grand Duke of Saito’s search for his daughter?”
“Of course. Do you have any insights on this matter?”
As soon as Annas spoke, a conspiratorial smile spread across the Empress’s face.
She squinted kindly at the man before her, but that smile sent a chill down his spine.
“Tomorrow, I will organize a tea party for the princesses and noble young ladies. I may not be able to personally assist the Grand Duke of Saito, so I would like you to send someone to convey my intentions.”
“But the Grand Duke of Saito has so many people under him, and His Majesty the Emperor also…”
Annas tried to argue, but the Empress’s gaze turned icy.
She silently stared at his clownish, fumbling explanation, and he froze, at a loss for what to do.
“To prevent anyone with ill intentions from claiming kinship with a sword, Family Head Annas, please arrange for someone to protect the Grand Duke of Saito’s residence. I will handle these matters personally upon my return.”
With that, the Empress rose slowly.
Her maid respectfully handed her a fur cloak, and she left the reception room without looking back, not even touching the tea on the table.
Annas stood and reached out, trying to stop her, but his mouth opened and closed, unable to produce a sound.
In the end, he sat back down in resignation, silently lowering his head without speaking further.
When Yiwen was summoned by a maid to the Empress’s palace, Kafu felt uneasy.
He went outside to clear his mind but saw a familiar face at the garden gate.
“Miss Loka? Haven’t you already left? Her Highness has been taken by the Empress.”
“I know. I came here to find something else.”
Ignoring Kafu’s question, Loka walked straight into the garden.
Relying on her memory, she searched around the flowerbeds, touched the relatively fresh soil, brushed off the surface dirt, and grabbed a nearby shovel to start digging.
“Wait, Miss Loka, you can’t just take it!”
“It seems you already know what I’m looking for.”
Seeing Kafu’s grave expression, Loka understood he couldn’t possibly be unaware of this matter, but out of loyalty to the Sixth Princess, he hadn’t acted rashly.
“You should know that this sword is the key to whether Her Highness can return to her family. As her servant, you cannot…”
“I know it’s the Silver Sword for reclaiming her lineage. So why did Her Highness hide it?”
Kafu’s words caught in his throat.
Of course, he knew Her Highness’s thoughts.
She had always believed the Grand Duke and his family were responsible for her mother’s departure and desperately wanted to distance herself from that bloodline.
But as her servant, I had promised at her mother’s passing to protect her with my life.
How could I not be happy at the thought of her returning to a powerful family?
“See, since Her Highness doesn’t want to go back, I’ll just use this opportunity on her behalf.”
“Even so, you can’t—”
Kafu tried to use force to stop Loka, but before his hand could touch her, a tremendous force blocked him.
Lycan stood coldly in front of him, silently staring.
Before Kafu could clearly see the newcomer, an iron fist swung toward his face.
He dodged to the side in a panic, but the fist grazed him.
Without time to think, the iron fists came at him again like a storm.
The two fought fiercely.
Kafu, who had previously held a slight advantage with his skills, now struggled immensely.
Lycan was no longer just relying on brute strength; he began targeting Kafu’s weak points and openings.
Soon, an exhausted Kafu fell behind, leaning against the garden wall, panting heavily as he stared at Lycan.
The latter was about to press his advantage, but Loka had already unearthed the dirt covered Silver Sword and waved her hand to signal him to stop.
Loka gently wiped the soil from the sword’s blade and held it up in the sunlight.
As expected, the blade gleamed with an extraordinary light under the sun’s rays.
Loka nodded in satisfaction and carefully stowed it away.
“Stop, that’s for Her Highness…”
“Old butler, for the sake of your loyalty to Her Highness, don’t stop me. This is for Her Highness’s own good…”