The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 108

Grace sighed and pressed her forehead.

 

“What should I do… I think I’ll head back first. I need to find out what’s going on at my family home.”

 

“Of course. For now, just try to collect yourself.”

 

Leaving behind Angelina’s concerned gaze, Grace turned and left. But the sorrow that had clouded her expression earlier was now replaced by an unreadable blankness.

 

“At last, everyone is paying the price.”

 

The Duke of Reinheim had gone bankrupt due to an investment she’d recommended, and the sisters who tried to frame and kill her were now imprisoned for embezzlement.

 

“This is the result of their own choices.”

 

She had provided the opportunity, but it was they who took the bait. Grace had only taken slight advantage of their vicious, opportunistic nature.

 

Grace looked up at the sky. A flock of birds was flying in formation across the clear blue.

 

Were they family? Or just companions traveling in the same direction?

 

She had taken her revenge, yet the satisfaction wasn’t as sweet as she had imagined.

 

Their punishment didn’t erase the abuse she had suffered. And it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience to take revenge on people who were, at the end of the day, blood relatives.

 

“But I had no choice.”

 

She couldn’t just forget what they did and allow them to live comfortably and happily without ever facing the consequences of their actions.

 

“I’ll be okay…”

 

She hoped this emptiness would fade soon. She had a new family now.

 

Her husband, Frederick, and the household of the ducal estate—they were her family now. The unease she felt toward her blood relatives was no longer a necessary emotion.

 

 

 

A white light enveloped the Emperor’s body. Beads of sweat formed on Grace’s forehead as she reached out with both hands toward him, focusing her energy.

 

The Emperor’s eyes remained closed. Despite pouring divine energy into him daily, he still had not opened them.

 

“It feels like something’s blocked…”

 

Normally, when she healed someone, she could sense the energy circulate within their body, like the flow of quantum waves.

 

But with the Emperor, it felt like something was obstructing the process. As if some powerful force was preventing her energy from penetrating his body.

 

“What kind of poison could it be?”

 

She had heard that even the royal physician hadn’t been able to identify the toxin the Emperor had ingested. The Crown Princess believed that unless Vladimir confessed, it would be impossible to uncover the truth.

 

“Is there still no reaction?”

 

“No, none at all.”

 

The Crown Princess, standing a few steps behind, asked anxiously. Grace glanced back at her, answered calmly, and steadied her breath again.

 

“You’re going to continue?”

 

“I want to try one more time. Just in case.”

 

“Don’t push yourself too hard. You don’t look well.”

 

“I’ll stop when I reach my limit for the day.”

 

Grace gathered her focus once more and channeled her energy evenly through the Emperor’s body.

 

It was her final session of the day, so she wanted to give it her all. Even if something seemed to be blocking her, she couldn’t give up that easily.

 

“…Huh?”

 

Just as the light surrounding the Emperor’s body slowly faded, Grace blinked. She thought she saw one of his fingers twitch. She stared at the Emperor’s hand—everything was still, as if nothing had happened.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Ah, it’s nothing. I must have imagined it.”

 

She brushed off the Crown Princess’s question. Perhaps she had simply seen what she wanted to see.

 

Even if it had been real, there was no point in raising false hope when there was still no sign of the Emperor waking.

 

“I’ll be going now.”

 

Just as she turned to leave, she saw the Emperor’s finger tremble slightly once more.

 

“Maybe…”

 

She hadn’t imagined it.

 

If she kept up the treatment, there might be progress. A glimmer of hope sparked within Grace. If she saw even the slightest improvement, she could share it with the Crown Princess.

 

“Where are you headed next?”

 

“I’m going to meet the legion I’ve been assigned to.”

 

As they exited the Emperor’s chambers, the Crown Princess asked,

 

“Where will your legion be stationed?”

 

“We’ll be defending the North Gate.”

 

“Ah, the North Gate… that’s quite a large area.”

 

The Crown Princess let out a small sigh and offered Grace a slightly apologetic smile.

 

“Thank you for always working so hard for the Empire. I’m sorry to keep asking things of you.”

 

“Not at all. I’m only doing what I must. Goodbye for now.”

 

Grace gave a polite nod to the Crown Princess before turning away.

 

 

 

Frederick held the reins and slowly scanned his surroundings.

 

“We should be seeing something by now.”

 

Prince Vladimir, hiding like a rat and refusing to show himself.

 

It had been a chase spanning several days. They had completed their sweep of the capital’s outskirts, yet Vladimir’s forces remained elusive.

 

Their final destination was the Bagolt Plains—the last line of defense before entering the capital. The troops were stationed and on high alert.

 

Frederick and his closest men had been scanning the area non-stop for days, hoping to catch even a trace of the enemy.

 

“Captain! Over there!”

 

Frederick turned his head toward where Vice-Captain Ned Hassler was pointing.

 

“There they are.”

 

In the distance, a swarm of black specks emerged.

 

“That’s a sizable force.”

 

The sound of pounding hooves and a heavy, oppressive aura became more pronounced as they approached. It was clear that a significant army was advancing.

 

Did Vladimir really recruit this much foreign power?

 

Just how far was he willing to go to reclaim the throne?

 

If he took the Empire with the help of foreign forces, the price he would owe afterward would be steep—possibly paid in innocent blood, over and over again.

 

“Vladimir… that bastard must be stopped.”

 

He had to be among them.

 

Frederick swore silently. He had to prevent Vladimir’s army from reaching the palace. If he could engage the core of the enemy’s forces here, the army, mages, and Armento left behind could hold the Imperial Palace.

 

…

 

That suffocating tension that came just before battle engulfed him.

 

Though a Swordmaster with countless battles behind him, he never let his guard down. Numbers weren’t everything. War was full of unpredictable variables, and Frederick had never once allowed himself to grow complacent.

 

“All troops, prepare for battle!”

 

His voice thundered across the field.

 

“Crush all those who dare rebel!”

 

“Crush them all!”

 

The Imperial knights echoed his cry in unison.

 

“Send Prince Vladimir, the ringleader of this treason, straight to hell!”

 

With another shout, the horns of war blared through the air. Frederick summoned his aura into his sword.

 

The enemy charged on horseback. At the center of the splintered ranks rode a helmeted man. That must be Prince Vladimir.

 

Frederick narrowed his eyes and murmured,

 

“I’ll stop you. No matter what it takes.”

 

He wouldn’t let those filthy boots set even one step in the capital. He would protect the palace, the Empire—and his wife, Grace.

 

“All troops, attack!”

 

With his roar, the knights surged forward. The battle had begun.

 

Frederick moved with fluid precision. Each flash of his blade sent heads flying.

 

He moved like the wind. One moment distant, the next already upon his enemies, his sword glinting in their final moments.

 

He barely needed to move at all—wherever he passed, bodies fell in threes and fours. The enemy soldiers, gripped by fear, began to retreat, unable to approach him.

 

…

 

Some, regaining their senses, charged him anyway—only to pay for that decision with their lives just seconds later.

 

Fear filled the eyes of the Bahorne Empire’s troops. They hadn’t expected a Swordmaster to be this powerful.

 

Now, they were no more than rats in a trap.

 

In Frederick’s eyes, a cold, blue killing intent flickered.