Sword of Salvation-Chapter 89: - Fourth Princess

It was the fourth day Mariel had been in Vallhamoza.

In the previous three days, he and Oz had done many things. They had freed the prostitutes who wished to be free, implemented new rules and protocols that treated them more humanely, met with Prince Vincent, and even taken control of one-third of the criminals and underground businesses operating in Vallhamoza.

Of course, that was still far from enough to be used as a weapon to control the empire. Before the criminals could become useful, they first had to understand the new rules and protocols. Mariel wanted every criminal working under Oz to become an elite criminal. Only then would they be truly valuable.

Mariel left the luxurious inn where he had been staying as the sun greeted the western horizon.

From this day forward, he no longer needed to be personally involved in criminal affairs.

Oz’s position was strong enough. He already had more than ten subordinates who were both fairly powerful and loyal. Even without his interference, Prifulfer Criminal Organization (their new organization) would continue to grow unhindered under Oz’s leadership.

Mariel could now focus on more important matters—the one thing he had been anticipating ever since he left Celinee at the gates of Iresvilea.

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

If there was one word to summarize the individual known as Athenia Moskvallha, "ambitious" was the most fitting.

The fourth daughter of Emperor Zalestino had a dream—to turn the empire of her birth into a perfect nation, just like the utopian lands in her favorite fantasy tales. She had held that dream since she was seven years old, when her mother read her first utopian story.

Athenia understood that her dream was nearly impossible to achieve. She was not naive like her eldest sibling. She knew that the world was not a fantasy tale where the plot conveniently unfolded to fulfill the protagonist’s desires. Even if this world were the setting of a fantasy story, Athenia doubted she would be chosen as the protagonist.

However, the golden-eyed princess did not despair over the impossibility of her dream. There was no straight and easy road to achieving one’s goals. Life always demanded struggle and hard work. Athenia always remembered her mother’s words. That was why the sixteen-year-old girl with long golden hair had no reason to give up.

She knew that crime ran rampant throughout Moskvallha. Aside from her eldest half-brother, all of Athenia’s half-siblings committed crimes behind the public’s back. The third prince and second princess were the two biggest offenders. And then, there were the crimes committed by the emperor himself. Athenia would have to work extremely hard to make her dream a reality.

But there was nothing she could do. She did not possess the power of the second prince. She had neither the wealth of the first princess nor the influence and riches of the second princess. The third prince had both money and an army; Athenia had neither. The beautiful, fair-skinned girl had nothing but her title and the monthly allowance granted by the emperor.

That was also why Athenia had no choice but to turn to the common people. The nobles and other influential figures would not listen to her voice. If any of them approached her, it was only for one reason—to make Athenia their wife or their son’s wife.

"Your Highness, are you ready?"

The question pulled Athenia’s gaze away from the mirror in her room. She had just finished changing—her usual dress had been replaced by an elegant dark blue gown. Her hands were covered in black gloves that extended to her elbows. The princess was now fully dressed to reflect her royal status.

"Rea," Athenia said as she turned and approached her maid. "I’m ready. Let’s go."

The maid named Rea nodded and followed her mistress as she stepped out of the room.

Two soldiers were already waiting in the hallway. Athenia nodded at them. They returned the gesture and promptly fell in line behind the princess and her loyal attendant. Within minutes, the group had stepped outside the villa.

The villa was located in the western section of Moskvallha Palace.

There were a total of eight villas surrounding the palace, corresponding to the number of wives the emperor had. No two wives were allowed to live in the same house—hence the eight villas. Though Athenia’s mother had passed away two years ago, the emperor allowed the princess to continue living in the villa. His newest wife resided in the palace itself.

"Please step in, Your Highness."

A luxurious four-wheeled carriage awaited in front of the villa, pulled by two white stallions. A soldier had already opened the door. He was accompanied by another soldier and a coachman. Along with the two soldiers following the princess, there would be a total of four guards escorting her.

Athenia offered a word of thanks before stepping into the carriage. Rea followed closely behind.

The soldier shut the door and quickly took his place beside the coachman, along with the other guard. Meanwhile, the two remaining soldiers positioned themselves at the back of the carriage.

The horses began moving as soon as the coachman gave the command. In less than two minutes, they had already left the palace grounds.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Your Highness."

Athenia, who had been gazing out the carriage window, turned her attention to Rea. The shoulder-length brunette was seven years older than the princess. She had served as Athenia’s loyal maid since the princess was eleven.

"You think Brother Vincent is setting me up?" Athenia asked.

Rea nodded quickly. "This is the first time that man has ever supported you," she explained. "And he’s doing it personally. I don’t believe he truly arranged for Your Highness to meet one of the great nobles who also wants to abandon war in favor of a more subtle conquest, as you proposed."

Athenia was not surprised by her loyal maid’s opinion. She had suspected the same thing. Especially considering that someone had recently attempted to poison the prime minister. Her eldest half-brother might not believe Vincent or one of their sisters was behind it, but Athenia had no doubt that one of them was responsible. So it was hardly surprising that Vincent might want to trap her.

"Not to mention, he met with Your Highness in secret. It’s not hard to conclude that he did so to ensure there were no witnesses. If something happens to us, that man will once again walk away without punishment."

Rea once again said something logical—something that had already crossed Athenia’s mind.

"I think we shouldn’t go to that place. Or at the very least, we should inform the prime minister about this meeting. He may fully support the emperor’s wishes, but no one cares about you more than he does."

Athenia understood Rea’s words. However, this time, she only agreed with the first sentence. The second and third were flaws in Rea’s reasoning. It was true that Viertino Moskvallha was the kindest to her, but Athenia knew exactly what kind of person her second half-brother was.

Viertino had not committed as many crimes as Vincent and Linea—the second imperial princess. However, he was far more dangerous than both of them. The man was not only intelligent but also possessed strength that rivaled the emperor. The reason the culprit behind the assassination attempt on Viertino had never been revealed was not that no one knew, but because the prime minister had deliberately allowed it.

Athenia was a vocal opponent of the empire’s planned invasion. Viertino was the number one supporter of that plan. The prime minister had taken no action because Athenia’s voice held no power. However, if she gained the support of influential figures, her voice would grow stronger.

If that happened, Prime Minister Viertino would not remain idle. She was certain he would not kill her.

However, Athenia feared he would arrange for the emperor to marry her off to a noble who supported the war. Until now, she had been able to avoid forced marriages due to Viertino’s support. But what if he was the one who orchestrated the forced marriage this time?

"You have a point, Rea." Athenia spoke after a moment. "Honestly, I’m also worried this could be a trap. But what if it isn’t? I can’t pass up the chance to gain noble supporters. Even if the chance is no more than one percent, I still have to try." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Athenia did not want the empire to deploy its military forces to invade the Kingdom of Denland. Because of that, even if there was a 99 percent chance that this was a trap, she had no choice but to place her hopes on the remaining one percent. She had to do whatever she could to prevent an unnecessary war.

Of course, she understood that all the support she gained would mean nothing if the emperor decided to ignore her words. However, as long as there was a chance—no matter how small—Athenia would take it.

"I also can’t tell Brother Viertino," the princess continued. "There are several reasons. The first and most important one is that if Brother Vincent is truly setting a trap, he will make sure I can’t inform Brother Viertino. If I order you or someone else to do it, his men will kill you."

"Then how about we hire a few mercenaries? Someone from Ultores, perhaps?"

That would have been the ideal option. Mercenaries were significantly stronger than regular soldiers. Hiring their services was the perfect solution. However, Athenia was not in a position where she could waste money. Even though she knew her life might be at stake, she still couldn’t spend her funds.

"It would still be pointless," the princess replied—she could not reveal the real reason. "We wouldn’t have enough time."

"We don’t have to change direction; we could have one of the soldiers find a mercenary."

"That would be a waste of effort, Rea. If this is a trap, the mercenary would arrive too late. If it isn’t, then it would be meaningless. Right now, all we can do is hope this won’t turn out to be a trap."

Rea sighed, indirectly admitting her resignation. There was nothing she could do but hope for the best. Athenia gave her an apologetic smile before turning her gaze back to the window.