The Reserved Daughter Of a Duke And The Cold-Headed Emperor

Chapter 23

Translated by TrinityVox

Edited by Schwarzel

As the bell continued to ring, knights hastened to Alexei.

“What’s going on?”

“Your Highness, a magical beast is approaching the capital. A winged magical beast is headed here now.”

“A magical beast? Weren’t they all exterminated?”

“It was supposed to be like that…”

Amidst the heavy atmosphere, only Eleonora was excited.

(If it’s winged then maybe a wyvern or a cockatrice-dabe? I’d be so happy if it was a griffon-pe. Those guys are so fluffy-be.)

Eleonora looked out into the sky and though she could only a see a small black speck she knew something was flying toward them.

“Your Highness, Saintess Ecterina returned to secular life and can no longer use the holy light.”

“…You don’t have to do anything.”

“Your Highness!”

“Can you do anything with your power? You can’t right? I heard the black knight cavalry struggled to deal with one medium-sized magical beast. Besides, seventeen years have passed since the magical beasts were exterminated. There’s no one left in the country who can deal with this.”

“But…!”

“Fine, give the order to evacuate. I won’t be doing anything.”

“…Understood.”

The knights bowed, filled with confusion, and ran out. After they left, the prime minister entered.

“Your Highness! This is an emergency!”

“I heard the report. There’s a magic beast right?”

The sun shined down on him and, while wiping the sweat off his forehead, Sergei asked Alexei for instructions.

“Don’t do anything.”

Your Highness! Are you just going to watch the citizens die?!”

“You guys also arbitrarily killed the magical beasts. Even though there was no reason to kill. Then it can’t be helped if they’re going to kill us too.”

“Your Highness!”

In this seething atmosphere, only Eleonora gazed up at the sky smiling. Sergei nervously advised her to escape, but she replied with a strange expression.

“…I can’t stay here?”

“As you may have heard, there’s a magical beast heading this way. It may pass by peacefully, but there’s a one in ten thousand chance something could happen.”

(What’s one in ten thousand mean-pe? Because it’ll kill people? As long as it isn’t careless, it wouldn’t kill people.)

“…I don’t mind.”

(I’ve never been harmed by a magical beast. They’re all my friends-pe. They’re like children to me-pe.)

“No, but still! Your Highness, please escape as well. Please head to the basement!”

“I’m not going. It doesn’t matter if the citizens die. You escape by yourself.”

After saying so, Alexei gracefully drank his tea and looked at Eleonora. Meeting his eyes, Eleonora smiled and replied.

“…I will also stay here.”

“Eleonora-sama, what are you saying?!”

“…Magical beasts don’t attack without reason. If they attack, then there is surely a reason.”

“Eleonora-sama!”

After turning to look at the sky once again, the black speck appeared closer and Eleonora could make out the image of a griffon.

(It’s a griffon-pe! That’s a griffon! I wanna touch the fluffiness-be.)

Eleonora continued to gaze happily.

“Your Highness! Even though you’ve ascended the throne, why don’t you care for yourself or the citizens?!”

Alexei smiled cynically at Sergei’s words.

“I don’t care about the citizens. I’ve done what I needed to do.”

“Your Highness…!”

Sergei never thought Alexei would abandon the citizens like this. He came to realize just how great the wound in his heard was.

“But you must fulfil your duty as emperor. As the prime minister, even if I am killed by you, I will advise you for the sake of the empire. In an emergency, I will do what I must as prime minister.”

Alexei glared annoyedly at Sergei.

“Your Highness, forgive me.”

After that greeting, Sergei left.

On the other hand, Eleonora was completely uninterested in what was happening between the two.

(I wanna see the griffon quickly! The griffons I played within the Magic Forest were much smarter than me-pe.)

Like she had been, Eleonora continued to gaze at the sky, not noticing that Alexei had spoken to her. Thus, he got up from his seat and lightly tapped her and her eyes widened from shock.

“Are you alright? You don’t need to be concerned about me, head to the basement.”

She tilted her head.

“…I want to stay here and see the griffon.”

“It’s a griffon?”

She nodded happily.

The bell signalling the approach of an enemy continued to ring out.

“You’re not scared of magical beasts? …Ah, I see. It’s because all the magical beasts died before you were born.”

Alexei understood that the citizens learned of the horror of magical beasts through history and that their annihilation was a victory for mankind.

(Why did they kill the magical beasts-pe? I don’t understand. Besides, there are magical beasts in other far continents-pe.)

Without replying, Eleonora once again looked at the sky.

Contrary to Alexei and Eleonora who were quite calm, anxious screams rang throughout the castle.