Darkholm Translation

CHAPTER 040 "Is there only one exit here?" The emperor asked, his gaze moving from the thick curtains covering the glass windows to the staircase leading downstairs. "No, Your Majesty. There is an emergency exit in my office on the second floor that I and the staff use," replied the jeweler, who had met the emperor a few times at the imperial palace. He hurriedly led the emperor and Arabelle to his office. "Can't I say goodbye to Sir Timothy?" Arabelle asked, still nestled in the emperor's arm, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I'm afraid if we delay, our identities might be discovered, so we must leave immediately," the emperor replied in a low voice. "Besides, Sir Timothy has likely already left." Arabelle nodded, understanding, and followed the emperor toward the emergency exit in the office. The emperor glanced down at Arabelle, almost entirely enveloped in his cloak, and thought. He doubted Timothy had left the first f...

CHAPTER 039 In the bustling street, the jewelry shop stood out, a two-story building made of rugged yet grand white travertine stone. The emblem of a four-leaf clover, a mark permitted only to the Empire's representative jewelers, was intricately carved into the square frame of the main entrance. The long glass windows surrounding the building were all covered with thick satin curtains, but the massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the second-floor balcony sparkled, tempting passersby. Although the interior couldn't be seen, the building seemed to warn that while one could dream by looking at the chandelier, they should not enter recklessly. In front of the main entrance, six or seven sturdy and imposing security guards, who could easily rival the Imperial soldiers, were standing, checking the identities of those entering. As the head of the security team allowed the Emperor and Arabelle inside after seeing their fake lower noble ID cards, he said, “As you know...

CHAPTER 038 The emperor, stepping outside the annex, felt a reassuring sense of superiority knowing he was a full head taller than the guards escorting him. This meant that his lips, twitching with a smile he couldn’t suppress, would remain unseen, preserving his imperial dignity. How could she be so impressive... The image of Arabelle, her little nostrils flaring as she explained everything, lingered in his mind, causing his heart to flutter. The sight of Arabelle clenching her small fists and delivering a powerful blow to Lilibet had been so endearing and beautiful that he nearly scooped her up and stormed the palace.  ‘Since when did I care about others' opinions and procedural fairness? I’d rather take her from the filthy cesspool.’ The emperor had almost reached out to Arabelle, ready to whisk her away from the pond where she was being humiliated. He’d decided he would crush anyone in the palace who dared object. But Arabelle not only cleared her name and that of her maid, but...

CHAPTER 037 The white smoke rising like a mirage from the shattered golden egg in the emperor's hand dissipated into the air. "The Red Chaos bird's golden egg has broken! An egg that can't even be broken with a stone—what is going on?"  One of the candidates couldn't hide her astonishment and exclaimed, causing the other candidates to start whispering among themselves. "Then, this egg must be a fake... Hiccup."  The princess from the Shatel Kingdom voiced what everyone was thinking, and when she met the Empress Dowager's venomous gaze, she started hiccuping. "Oh my, the Red Chaos bird's golden egg has broken so easily. Arabelle, can you explain this?"  The emperor's red eyes flickered with amusement as he looked at Arabelle, who was staring at the powdery gold and red fragments. "Princess Lilibet's golden egg wasn't made from a Red Chaos bird's egg, but from a red-tailed finch's egg."  Uncomfortable wit...

CHAPTER 036 “Your Majesty!” The sudden appearance of the emperor left the people momentarily speechless, but they quickly recovered and began to greet him hurriedly. His crimson eyes briefly lingered on the small brown crown of a maid with bound hands standing beside the maid, then fell away as he spoke, “Well, it seems that Grandmother and Aunt are also present. It seems the Imperial Contest Committee's notice about direct relatives of the candidates refraining from entering the detached palace was not properly communicated.” The emperor spoke with a smirk, prompting Empress Dowager Natalia and Grand Duchess Caroline to step out from the crowd with awkward smiles. “I don’t know how often the grand duchess visits the detached palace, but I haven’t crossed its threshold for the sake of the contest’s fairness. I rushed here upon receiving word that Princess Lilibet had become a victim of a great theft.” “I, too, was merely dropping off books at the front gate for my niece, who loves ...