The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 50

Frederick spoke as if making a declaration. Grace paused with her spoon and asked,

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“To my father. To see the former Duke.”

 

Grace’s eyes widened. She had heard that the former Duke was still alive, but she had never met him, and this was the first time Frederick had mentioned him directly.

 

“He couldn’t come to the wedding. He was unwell, and he’s remained in poor health, so he hasn’t been able to visit. He didn’t allow visitors, either. But now that he’s recovered quite a bit, he suggested we pay him a visit.”

 

“Alright… Where is he?”

 

“In the Marquisate of Sertil. My uncle governs that region, and after retirement, my father has been staying there to recuperate. Many of our relatives have gathered there, too.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“He said he’s curious to know how married life is going and what his new daughter-in-law is like.”

 

Frederick’s father—and other relatives, too.

 

Meeting such high-ranking elders—it was clearly an important occasion. As the Duchess of Winstaine, and as Frederick’s wife, this would be her first official appearance before them. She began to worry if there was anything she needed to prepare.

 

“Is there… anything I should get ready?”

 

“Not particularly. But he did mention they’re planning to host a banquet to welcome the new daughter-in-law, so I suppose you’ll need to learn to dance.”

 

“Dance…?”

 

Grace’s eyes grew even rounder.

 

“Don’t worry too much. A teacher will come to show you.”

 

Will I… be able to do it well?

 

Frederick made it sound like no big deal, but Grace felt differently.

 

She had learned a few noble customs and studied a lot from books. But dancing—she had absolutely no sense for it. If it were just studying, it might have been easier, but this was about moving her body. Could she really manage?

 

“Okay,” she replied, her voice a bit timid.

 

 

Felixius frowned as he received the report on the hunters.

 

“You’re saying both were found dead?”

 

“Yes. Their bodies were discovered in the forest within the Winstaine territory. They were killed with blades.”

 

“If they fought, that means they did find the divine beast.”

 

“Yes, it seems that way. In fact, we also discovered the divine beast.”

 

“What? You found the divine beast? Then why didn’t you say that first? Why mention something that important later?”

 

Felixius shot up from his seat. But Samuel lowered his head, looking gloomy.

 

“It was no use. It was already dead. The blood had dried up…”

 

Grit. Felixius ground his teeth. A divine beast drained of blood was no different from an empty shell. No—there was something even more important.

 

“You don’t know who absorbed the blood?”

 

“There’s no way to find out.”

 

“Damn it. Who the hell took that power?”

 

The one who kills the divine beast and is the first to absorb its blood gains its power. If there had been a battle involving the beast and hunters, then surely someone had claimed that power.

 

“All we know is that it was someone living in the Winstaine territory… That’s our only lead.”

 

“So they knew how to absorb the divine beast’s power? Was that why there was a struggle to keep it from being stolen?”

 

“I don’t think that’s the case. The dagger that was stuck in the beast’s body belonged to the hunters. Most likely, they accidentally stabbed the beast while aiming for the person controlling it.”

 

“Right… I did give the order to capture the beast unharmed.”

 

Felixius sighed. He was annoyed, but at this point, there was only one option.

 

“Find that person. And make sure they cooperate with us, no matter what.”

 

“Yes. I’ll begin searching Winstaine territory.”

 

“Send out the best trackers among the hunters currently in the empire.”

 

“Yes, sir!” Samuel responded firmly.

 

“You didn’t just leave the body behind, did you?”

 

“No. We brought it in a box to ask Your Majesty how to proceed.”

 

At Samuel’s signal, a knight standing behind him stepped forward and placed the box he had been carrying in front of the ruler.

 

“I’ll take a look later.”

 

“Your Majesty, may I suggest we also consider another approach?”

 

Samuel cautiously glanced at Felixius before continuing.

 

“What kind of approach?”

 

“There are still other divine beasts out there, aren’t there?”

 

“And what’s the use if we can’t capture them? One is said to be deep in the jungle on the other side of the continent, and we have no idea where the other might be.”

 

“But based on our research, there must be at least one divine beast on this continent. After combining ancient records and various prophecies, we’ve concluded that one is most likely within the Elliden Empire.”

 

“Right. So in the end, you still don’t know exactly where it is.”

 

Though Samuel spoke with conviction, Felixius’s expression remained unimpressed.

 

“If we conduct a thorough search within the empire—”

 

“The Elliden Empire is massive. And if we dispatch hunters to various regions simultaneously, it’ll be far too conspicuous. Once people realize hundreds of our men have entered the empire, the royal palace will be informed.”

 

Felixius shook his head.

 

“Winstaine is isolated enough that we could sneak in through the border. That was basically our only real chance.”

 

“If someone turns a blind eye, it could still work.”

 

Samuel didn’t give up on his proposal.

 

“What if we approach the Second Prince? I’ve heard he’s desperately trying to take the crown from his older brother.”

 

“The Second Prince?”

 

“Yes. He wants the throne but lacks both legitimacy and power. If we propose an alliance—he turns a blind eye to our presence in the empire, and we lend him military aid in return.”

 

“Oh…”

 

The idea was tempting. Felixius fell into thought for a moment.

 

“Would that really work?”

 

“I believe it has a high chance of success.”

 

“Move quietly. Make sure no one finds out.”

 

“Yes, sir. Don’t worry about the approach.”

 

Samuel responded confidently.

 

“But about the hunters who were killed… You don’t think the Duke of Winstaine personally stepped in, do you?”

 

“I don’t think so. If he had, things wouldn’t be this quiet. Winstaine would’ve said something, or the capital would’ve been informed.”

 

“Yeah… that makes sense.”

 

“But it’s likely that it was one of the knights in the territory. The one who cut down the hunters showed remarkable skill. I’ll report anything else we discover.”

 

“Understood. You may go.”

 

After dismissing his subordinates, Felixius slowly approached the box. As he opened it, his face darkened.

 

“My divine beast… Damn it.”

 

Upon the white cloth lay the corpse of a white fox, its blood long dried. Rage swelled within him. A divine beast without fresh blood was useless. Yet he stared at it, as if doing so was the only way he could accept his failure.

 

“…Wait.”

 

His eyes narrowed as he studied the fox’s corpse. Between the unbloodied fur at its waist, something unusual stood out. Felixius reached for it.

 

“Hmmm…”

 

A long red hair. Slightly wavy—likely a woman.

 

“Red hair… Dear gods.”

 

A grin crept across Felixius’s lips. He had found a vital clue. So, there’s still hope, huh, dear gods?

 

He had to find the red-haired woman in Winstaine. Such vivid red hair was rare—surely it wouldn’t take long to find her.

 

 

“Step left twice, please.”

 

Grace moved her feet as instructed.

 

“Lift your right foot a little higher.”

 

“Like… this?”

 

“No, not quite. Like this. Light as a butterfly.”

 

What exactly does “like a butterfly” feel like…?

 

She tried to imitate her teacher’s movements, but it didn’t go well. Grace awkwardly stepped again. Though she had been practicing for several days, she still couldn’t get a good sense of it.

 

“Not like that—try lifting your heel a bit more.”

 

“Okay…”

 

This was really hard. Frederick’s casual comment about it was starting to feel a little frustrating. Grace let out a small sigh, quietly, so no one would hear.

 

“Is your dance practice going well?”