The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 112

“I should’ve killed her. I should’ve killed that bitch a long time ago…”

 

Vladimir groaned and slammed his fist to the floor.

 

Who could he blame? He had no choice but to curse his own poor judgment—trying to win her over, allowing her to dig into their secrets.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Years of careful planning had gone to waste. All because he failed to eliminate one person. That insignificant-looking bastard daughter had turned out to be a hidden threat, and he had underestimated her.

 

Despite the rage boiling inside him, there was nothing he could do to fight back.

 

“Grr…”

 

A beast-like growl slipped through his clenched teeth as he hung his head.

 

 

At the northern gate, Grace stood with Armento, the Imperial Knights, and the court mages. She spotted something white and shapeless flying across the sky toward them.

 

“What… is that?” she murmured.

 

Next to her, Duke Balkan, the leader of the mages, asked cautiously, “It looks like a human figure… doesn’t it?”

 

“It does, but… can a person really fly at that height?” he muttered in disbelief.

 

Even the most powerful mana users and the wind-wielding Armento couldn’t fly freely at that altitude.

 

“If it’s coming toward us… then it’s probably an ally of the rebels,” someone said.

 

“There’s one person who can fly like that,” another added.

 

The unidentified figure grew larger as it approached. A man, draped in white garments, with long, snowy-white hair trailing behind him. Grace instantly knew who it was.

 

“You know who it is?” Duke Balkan asked.

 

“He’s the Emperor of Bahorne. A monster who absorbed the blood of over a thousand children…”

 

If he had gained power rivaling that of a divine beast, then flying through the sky didn’t seem so impossible.

 

The emperor who was said to be aiding Vladimir had come to destroy the royal palace.

 

“He’s getting closer—we need to attack,” Duke Balkan said.

 

Grace also felt there was no time to hesitate.

 

“Prepare to attack!”

 

The order rang out from both Duke Balkan and Grace at nearly the same time, and everyone snapped into action.

 

The knights gripped their swords tightly, raising them high, while the mages and Armento began gathering their energy.

 

“Pathetic…”

 

Felixius sneered as he looked at those guarding the north gate. There weren’t many of them, and they didn’t look particularly strong. And even if they were powerful—for humans—it wouldn’t matter to him.

 

None of them are a match for me, he thought, fixing his gaze on Grace, standing at the forefront.

 

According to reports from his spies planted near her, she possessed significant potential, but it would be difficult for her to fully unleash it.

 

She hadn’t undergone much combat training, and of course, had no real battle experience. She would be nothing like her husband, who had once overwhelmed him with sheer skill and agility.

 

Duke Winstaine, having survived countless battlefields, had the instincts of a beast. But Grace Winstaine, even now in combat gear, looked nothing more than a delicate noblewoman.

 

The power simply ended up in the wrong hands.

 

She had obtained the power of the divine beast by sheer luck. No wonder she didn’t know how to use it properly.

 

Felixius planned to absorb her potential and use his own combat experience to extract the maximum power from it.

 

I want to kill her. I want to drink that blood.

 

Excitement stirred in him just at the thought of his prey standing so close.

 

“What do those helpless fools think they’re going to do?”

 

He scoffed as mana and elemental attacks rained down on him.

 

Raising both hands, he summoned a thin barrier around himself. All the attacks slammed into it and vanished instantly.

 

“Huh…?”

 

People began to panic, one by one, as they realized their attacks had no effect.

 

“No way!”

 

Dodging or repelling attacks was one thing, but completely neutralizing them like this? It was unheard of.

 

Grace stared in shock as well. She’d expected him to be powerful, but to block hundreds of attacks without a scratch—this was terrifying.

 

He didn’t even seem strained; his expression was completely relaxed.

 

This isn’t good.

 

At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to so much as touch a hair on that monster’s head. Grace could already sense the futility of their combined attacks.

 

The barrier remained unbroken no matter how many spells they threw at it.

 

“Haa…”

 

One by one, the mages and Armento who had poured out their power began to collapse from exhaustion. Grace, deep in thought, reached a conclusion.

 

That power… I have to confront it with all I have.

 

This man had long sought the power of a divine beast, and now, he seemed to have partially achieved it. The proof was in the way no human attack could even touch him.

 

If he had power comparable to a divine beast, then only equal power could stand against him.

 

And she—the one who had inherited divine power—had to be the one to use it.

 

Besides… I’m his main target anyway.

 

He desired her blood—specifically, the divine energy within it. If she stepped up, she could draw his full attention.

 

The priority was to keep him from harming anyone else and make sure he focused solely on her.

 

If he can fly… then so can I.

 

Grace closed her eyes and focused all her senses inward.

 

She felt the pulse of quantum energy flowing through her body.

 

Upward… higher…

 

She repeated the thought several times—and her body slowly began to rise. Looking down, she saw the ground growing distant beneath her.

 

“Lady Winstaine!”

 

Those still attacking Felixius looked up at her and cried out in alarm. Grace gave them a small, reassuring smile.

 

If he’s targeting me, then I’ll be the one to stop him.

 

She lifted her head. Felixius stood only a few paces away, now at the same height.

 

“Ah, you finally came up. Grace Winstaine. How does it feel?”

 

“……”

 

A smirk played across Felixius’s lips. Grace silently glared at him.

 

“I’ve wanted to meet you for so long. Finally, here you are! I wanted to see you so badly!”

 

“You didn’t want to see me—you wanted to kill me,” she spat.

 

“You sent spies. Conducted experiments—all to take my blood.”

 

“Well, sure. Why sugarcoat it?”

 

Felixius let out a hearty laugh.

 

“Yes. I’ll use your blood to conquer the world.”

 

“That won’t happen. Today, I plan to avenge everyone you’ve killed.”

 

“Oh? Let’s see how far you get.”

 

Felixius spread his arms wide. A surge of white energy exploded from his body, rushing toward Grace. She immediately responded with divine energy of her own.

 

The two white auras collided, locked in a fierce struggle.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Grace clenched her teeth.

 

The force of the clash was immense—greater than any she had faced. If she so much as lost focus, both his and her own power would backfire and crush her.

 

I’m getting dragged into this…

 

She drew power from deep within her core once more. The energy that had been pressing toward her slowly began to shift, pushing back toward Felixius.

 

“You’ve got a decent resistance. If you’d chosen to be my ally, I wouldn’t have had to kill you.”

 

“No need to worry. That was never going to happen,” Grace replied in a strained voice. Unlike the relaxed Felixius, she was pushing herself to the limit just to hold her ground.

 

“How does it feel to gain divine power? Like the whole world’s in your hands?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I mean, how does it feel to steal power that was meant for someone else? That power should’ve been mine.”

 

“It was never yours to begin with.”

 

The divine beast’s power was its own. He had tried to steal it by draining their life force. Playing the victim now was absurd.

 

“No matter what you say, that power will be mine.”

 

“……”

 

“And I’ll make you pay for stealing it from me.”