Darkholm Translation

CHAPTER 025 The Lotus Garden of the Detached Palace. "Hohoho." "Kakakaka." "Kekeke." The sound of carefree laughter from young ladies, around eighteen to twenty-four years old, filled the garden. Their joyous laughter continued unabated as they found endless amusement. Eleven empress candidates sat around a paulownia wood table, enjoying their lunch. A bit away from their table, the maids attending to the ladies were also gathered, chatting together. However, they were actually busy keeping an eye on the candidates' movements. "The first three are all new faces... Is it true that Lady Arabelle came from the Kingdom of Acreure?" "Wasn't it the Kingdom of Chatel? I heard someone say that the lady was born and raised in Chatel." "Oh, if she had been in Chatel, I would have known. There aren't many noble ladies around Princess Annie's age in our kingdom, so I've met all the young ladies there." "Then she r...

CHAPTER 024 Emperor Maxwell’s Bedchamber Creeeak. A faint metallic sound came from behind the floor-to-ceiling red cherry wood bookshelf occupying one wall of the chamber. It was a sound easily drowned out by the crackling of the nearby blazing fireplace.  From the seventh shelf of the bookshelf, three thick books jutted forward, forming a rectangular door large enough for two adult men to stand inside.  A long foot stepped onto the carpeted floor through the open doorway, followed by the appearance of a tall figure cloaked from head to toe.  Entering the bedchamber, Maxwell pushed the protruding books back into place, and the door seamlessly blended into the bookshelf, leaving no trace.  Throwing his cloak over a nearby armchair, he ran his fingers through his disheveled bangs and let out a short sigh.  ‘What am I doing, sneaking around like a night cat?’ A sudden wave of self-reproach washed over him, and he rubbed his face roughly with both hands.  The h...

CHAPTER 023 The capital of the Helterd Empire was beyond Arabelle's imagination. Even the surrounding satellite cities they passed through before reaching the capital were incomparable to the towns she had seen so far. The population, traffic, bustling streets, and magnificent buildings were on a completely different level than those of Kender, the barony where she was born and raised, and the neighboring towns. It was as if she had encountered a new civilization; everything was astonishing. When the gates of the huge capital's walls opened, an unimaginable new world unfolded before her wide eyes. Athener, the capital of Helterd's largest city. Athener was known as the center of the continent's economy, philosophy, education, culture, and fashion, and under the rule of the 27th Emperor Maxwell, it was experiencing its peak prosperity. The highest nobles from across the empire and the continent flaunted the latest trends, scholars and inventors boasted their knowledge an...

CHAPTER 022 "Marriage is not my will." Emperor Maxwell turned his head to gaze at the distant cathedral bell tower as he spoke. When the wind brushed his slightly lengthened bangs to the side, a lonely expression appeared. Every time the usually confident emperor looked tired and lonely, Arabelle felt a pang in her heart. It was a different feeling from the sympathy one might feel for a pitiful person or animal. It wasn't pity or compassion; it was a sorrowful desire to ease his pain. “It’s because of the imperial family's law. A useless decree stating that the Emperor must marry an Empress before turning twenty-six, for the sake of heirs.” He turned back, his red eyes meeting Arabelle's gentle gaze as he continued. “No matter how much I have lived ignoring human duties and beliefs... I am not such trash as to marry and ruin a woman's life with my cursed body. Unlike previous emperors who married in their early twenties, I have held out until now for this reas...

CHAPTER 021 In the Lotus Palace, one of the residences within the Helterd Imperial Palace, where ten empress candidates reside. Bedroom of the 11th wing. "What is this?" The head maid, Bridgette, showed her finger, which had just swept across the top of a wardrobe, to the maids in front of her. Three young women gulped, exchanging nervous glances. Honestly, it was a tiny speck of dust that one could only see if they looked very closely. However, none of them dared to speak up in front of the meticulous headmaid. "Have you forgotten that cleaning must be done twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening?" "N-no, ma'am. We certainly cleaned both this morning and this evening." In response to Bridgette, the Imperial Head Maid’s question, one of the maids mustered up the courage to answer. The head maid coldly grabbed the chin of the youngest-looking maid among the three and spoke icily. "I'll ask you again. Did you clean the bedroom t...