Skip to content Chapter 75 # Ambitions in Shadow
"In darkness, the disinherited dream of thrones."
"That doesn't please you, does it?"
"You remain as tactless as ever. It makes me exceedingly irritable."
"What talent can a person who makes their living with words possess besides candor?"
The Princess, momentarily at a loss for a retort, grew agitated, complaining that the lace gloves on her hands clung uncomfortably and refused to come off.
Fourth Princess Angelique possessed a volatile temperament.
If something caught her eye, she had to possess it immediately—yet even those acquisitions were handled so carelessly that most ended up broken or discarded.
"There's nothing I like about this wretched little country! The only thing remotely worth seeing was the young King's face!"
Her emphasis suggested even the King's appearance hadn't entirely met her expectations.
Kensington wondered if the Princess's sole reason for accepting this mission had been the prospect of glimpsing King Peleus in person.
"Your Highness, the King of Valdina may be absent, but his cousin remains in residence."
A portly man with gleaming black mustache and brilliant red uniform inserted himself into the conversation.
"Count Raju."
Roberto Raju.
A nobleman born in Valdina, he'd joined this delegation as an envoy meant to smooth relations between the two nations.
Though common-born in Valdina, he'd earned imperial title years ago when, as a young man, he'd sacrificed himself to stop a leopard from attacking the late Emperor Alcetas II.
Alcetas II had rewarded the man who'd saved his life with title and position. Count Raju enjoyed considerable trust and influence despite his humble origins.
However, he'd barely begun enjoying his belated elevation when Alcetas II passed away.
His younger brother, Perdiccas II, who ascended the throne afterward, refused to retain Count Raju—unwilling to employ someone so closely associated with his predecessor's reign.
Though left in an awkward position by the new Emperor's rejection, Raju still commanded authority in Valdina as an imperial nobleman.
Unlike Kensington, who frowned at the interruption, the Fourth Princess displayed interest.
"Cousin? Who might that be?"
"Duke Claudio. As Your Highness may have heard, he's the only son of the Prince Regent who effectively rules Valdina."
Raju's oily eyes gleamed as he raised the corners of his mouth and spread his arms expansively.
He resembled precisely a fishmonger attempting to sell outdated catch from his stall.
"They're first cousins, so naturally they bear a strong resemblance. The young Duke has quite a reputation as a handsome man. In fact, he's already arrived to pay his respects to Your Highness."
Raju clapped his hands together sharply.
Tap, tap, tap.
Samon approached the Princess wearing a practiced, gentle smile. He resembled a peacock attempting to attract a mate with ostentatiously displayed plumage.
His heavily starched uniform fit tightly, clearly emphasizing his physique. The epaulettes adorning his shoulders and chest were dazzling, and his pointed shoe-tips gleamed with fresh polish.
Princess Angelique examined him from head to toe as if appraising a mannequin in a shop window.
Within seconds, she'd completed her evaluation.
Just a well-decorated shell. The brief interest that had sparked immediately cooled.
Meanwhile, Samon greeted her with polished manners.
"I am honored to meet Your Highness, Princess of Katzen. My name is Samon Claudio. Prince Claudio, former King and current Regent, is my father."
His deep voice was courteous and smooth. Moreover, his words dripped with honey.
"Tales of the Fourth Princess's beauty reach even distant Valdina. Good God, I'm simply overwhelmed to behold in person the legendary beauty said to be one of the most exquisite women on the continent."
Similar words, perhaps, but Princess Angelique snorted dismissively. Her gaze shifted to Count Raju. She didn't even glance at Samon.
"If you're going to offer me something, at least bring something worthwhile."
"Pardon, Your High—"
Before Samon could register his confusion—
"Count Raju, how dare you present something so inferior to Angelique Graham?! Do I appear that easily satisfied?"
Princess Angelique's temper flared without warning.
"The King's hair was lustrous—as though mysterious moonlight had been woven into silver strands! And those indifferent eyes, those pure eyes untainted by base desire..."
Unlike Peleus's mysterious silver hair, Samon's was closer to a dull gray that had lost its brilliance.
Samon's eyes were blue like his cousin's, but their hue was significantly duller. His narrow-set, folded eyes conveyed anxiety.
The cunning gleam that occasionally flashed within them undermined any appearance of nobility. His lips, thinner than Peleus's, suggested pettiness.
Though tall, he'd neglected physical training—he lacked the powerful bearing of knights who'd crossed battlefields.
Crucially, Peleus's unapproachable coolness and commanding presence were entirely absent.
"Hmph. Inferior quality. Second-rate goods."
After scrutinizing Samon's features once more, the Princess turned her head and swept past him.
"Y-Your Highness!"
Count Raju panicked and hurried after her.
Samon, left standing alone, trembled with humiliation.
He didn't know precisely what had been said before he'd emerged from the tent, but the Princess had examined him like a cut of meat at a butcher's stall. Her gaze had been clinical, assessing whether the product was premium quality, domestically raised, or organically fed.
Anyone with half a brain could deduce to whom the Princess had been comparing him.
Peleus.
The King. His cousin. Forever standing like an unclimbable tree.
"..."
Samon clenched his fists. His nails dug painfully into his palms.
"The Fourth Princess retains her spirited temperament."
General Jared glanced toward the Princess's noisy quarters and raised the corner of his mouth in amusement.
"Ah, my apologies, Grand Duke. The girl was born and raised in rough circumstances—she doesn't know how to value anything properly. Whether person or object."
Crush.
A flower was pulverized between the General's thick fingers.
He observed the man before him while savoring the delicate sound of crushed petals.
A young man with neatly arranged reddish-brown hair offered the General a faint, inscrutable smile.
Jason Castullo. Grand Duke of the Katzen Empire.
"Who would dare criticize what a battlefield hero accomplishes?"
This young Grand Duke with his generous, gentle appearance was actually a somewhat ambiguous figure within Katzen.
Originally, he'd been destined to inherit the throne.
However, his uncle Perdiccas II, who'd seized the crown instead of Jason, proved an outstanding ruler who'd further enhanced the empire's power. His children—especially First Prince Cesare—were conquerors whose achievements dominated the continent.
Victory in the continental war. Unification of the minor kingdoms. Under their father-and-son rule, Katzen had solidified its position as a continental superpower, both in name and reality.
By comparison, neither the late Emperor Alcetas II nor his sole son Jason—inheritor of his blood—had accomplished anything particularly distinguished.
Consequently, no faction existed that wished to correct the disrupted order of imperial succession.
Additionally, the overwhelming presence of First Prince Cesare—Jason's peer and cousin who would become the next Crown Prince—played a significant role in deterring opposition.
Who would support Jason against that ruthless demon?
When Perdiccas II bestowed upon his nephew Jason the title of Grand Duke, he'd given him the surname Castullo.
'Castullo' had been the name of a saint who'd devoted his life to faith as a martyr.
The bestowal of that name indicated Perdiccas had no intention of returning the throne.
Jason had accepted his uncle's decision and conducted himself with appropriate humility.
Thus, in the world's eyes, he appeared a kind and wise man who understood his proper place.
However, every person harbors concealed desires.
Here in distant Valdina, far from the Emperor's watchful gaze, Jason's suppressed ambition was slowly rising like dark water.
"May the glory of victory remain with General Jared forever."
Jason raised his glass, eyes gleaming with unknowable intent.
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