SILHN Chapter 72

Chapter 72

It hadn’t even been a few hours since Gregory and she had spoken alone!

And how long had Lisiansherus been reported to be outside the temple? What? There’s a fire? The sword was stolen?

Hadn’t they heard that the princess was quietly inside the temple? And there were people guarding her—what had they been doing all this time?

“I thought I wouldn’t burn to death because there’s water! But the water’s all gone! I can’t breathe! Oh, I thought I was going to die, and when I lost my senses and came to… the sword is gone! The sword that His Majesty the Emperor so highly praised…!”

The princess cried in a wretched, almost pitiable manner, as if she had long sold her dignity.

Normally, except for a few attendants, no one would enter or leave the temple. Whether the princess cried or shouted, the possibility of news leaking outside the temple was slim.

But the fire had grown massive.

Curious onlookers and residents who had rushed from afar to help put out the fire had crowded in, creating a sea of people. They whispered among themselves as they watched the beautiful princess bawling and wailing without any trace of dignity.

“Is that… that sword, the famous one?”
“The one that saved the palace?”
“The one where just one swing made the monsters disappear?”
“Seeing the noble princess cry like that… it must be true that it’s gone…”
“Oh, she’s still so young. How sad…”

And here was Kronen, essentially shooting himself in the foot.

The citizens weren’t fools.

Kronen, who didn’t have a bad relationship with the Empress, had treated Titania somewhat coldly.

He hadn’t announced in advance the day of Titania’s visit so that citizens could eagerly welcome her, nor had he gathered the faithful at the temple to show her face.

But just last year, when Prince Brian had arrived with full pomp and circumstance, parading through the city as if he were the emperor, calling local officials and nobles to a lavish banquet at the temple, the difference in treatment was stark.

From the moment Titania’s carriage arrived in the city, rumors spread like wildfire.

‘Is that the princess?’
‘Really?’
‘Thomas saw her in the last street! There weren’t many carriages, so it wasn’t noticeable.’
‘Completely different from last year.’
‘And yet the temple hasn’t announced anything…’

Of course, not all the rumors about Titania had been dispelled.

Some said she had suddenly become kind, or that she had used the sword to defeat monsters and save the emperor. But the long-standing rumors of her being arrogant and foolish were hard to erase.

Nevertheless…

Titania cried out, tears streaming.

“What will I do if His Majesty the Emperor finds out! Waaaah… I can’t even face him, so I… my life ends here…”

“Your Highness!”

“Hold still!”

She’s crying!

The proud, arrogant princess was rolling on the ground in despair over the lost sword!

Titania was not yet of age. And she was beautiful. Seeing a young, pretty girl with swollen cheeks from crying, thrashing as if her world had ended, made people gasp in shock. They clicked their tongues and murmured.

“Goodness, that sword must really have been important.”
“More importantly, the temple burned like this—what about the dedication ceremony?”
“How could such a famous sword be stolen from the temple?”
“And the princess nearly died too. No wonder she’s crying…”
“Poor thing…”

Hearing the citizens whispering, Kronen felt a surge of panic.

‘The… the dignity of the royal family… and yet they behave so… so disgracefully!’

If the princess had scolded Kronen, the situation might have been better.

He could have argued how the officials allowed such a valuable item to be stolen, how they nearly got her killed. He could have pointed out that they had done their best to save her despite the fire, injuries to the priests, and all the chaos.

Given that the temple had never had issues before, he could have suggested that perhaps the sword had somehow caused this disaster.

In this city, his position was more secure than that of any royal visitor, even the youngest member of the imperial family, visiting for the first time.

Yet now, he was eliciting the citizens’ sympathy.

Taking a deep breath, Kronen knelt before Titania.

“This is all my fault!”

“…”

Titania, face buried in her hands, sobbed. Her head jerked slightly, but no one noticed.

“You should have been safe in the temple, yet… some unforgivable person set fire to the sacred temple and stole the holy sword! This is inexcusable!”

Her voice was nothing but a sorrowful wail.

“Sniff… sob…”

“By any means, we will catch the culprit and ensure Your Highness is never in danger again…”

“But in a place where the princess doesn’t even have a room to sleep, what are you saying?”

Footsteps approached. Kronen gritted his teeth.

‘How did he get here?’

A clean, confident young man appeared, his face full of pride. People murmured.

“Isn’t that Viscount Flux?”
“He hasn’t been seen outside for a while…”
“I thought something might be wrong with him.”
“Shh! He looks fine!”

Flux ignored the people and spoke confidently.

“The place where the princess was staying caught fire, and even the ceremonial room for the dedication burned… The relics may or may not be safe. Should Your Highness remain here?”

What a nuisance! Kronen ground his teeth. And where on earth was Gregory in all this? Without him, even if Kronen spoke, it wouldn’t matter!

“…This matter concerns the temple and the princess, so Viscount Cortez…”

“Since it also concerns the city, I may intervene. Especially since you don’t seem to know who set the temple on fire or what their plan was, I don’t think Your Highness would refuse my help.”

Flux sneered. At that moment, a disheveled man ran toward them as if he had heard Kronen’s thoughts.

“Sir Gregory!”

Kronen’s face brightened.

“What have you been doing, Sir Gregory?”

“Cough… cough! Sorry I’m late.”

Gregory coughed as he walked between Kronen and Flux, his entire body blackened as if he had rolled in an ash pit.

Far from the neat, refined Gregory they knew, he looked utterly wrecked.

Flux, surprisingly, was not unsettled by Gregory’s appearance; if anything, he looked down on him.

Still, Kronen decided to use Gregory’s presence to keep the princess at the temple.

“Viscount Cortez. I understand what you mean, but isn’t Sir Gregory the chief of the princess’s guards? You have nothing to do with her…”

“Cough, cough. That’s correct! I am the chief of her guards! Even as a viscount…”

Listening to Gregory cough and insist, Kronen shivered at a sudden ominous premonition.

He had sent the few remaining guards with Gregory under some flimsy pretext to meet him, leaving the temple vulnerable.

If anything went wrong at the temple, he would be questioned.

But as long as Gregory was the chief responsible for the temple, he could prevent most issues—on the condition that the truth didn’t come out in front of everyone.

Flux spoke, taunting.

“Oh, really? Even as Your Highness nearly died, you and your carefree soldiers enjoyed the hunt from afar, Sir Gregory?”

Gregory shouted indignantly.

“Do not tarnish my honor! I sent the subordinates to secure the temple’s safety, and I guarded the entire temple!”

“But if you guarded the temple, why weren’t you beside Your Highness at her most dangerous moment?”

At Flux’s sharp question, Gregory’s shoulders slumped.

When the fire started and chaos erupted, Gregory had been worried:

‘Has Kronen already screwed things up? No way… already?’