CH 242

The Holy Maiden [Part 2]

As all kinds of speculations grew apace, the Royal Family immediately took Joanna under their protection. Furthermore, a gag order was issued. After that, those who gossip about her would be cracked down on.

According to the baron’s son, who escorted her to the party, she lived alone in the woods. His father, the baron, was helped by her when he got lost in the woods while he was hunting.

Upon noticing her appearance, the baron assumed, ‘This must be the noble princess of the Royal Family.’ Since his son was just going to enroll in the academy, he decided to let them travel together to the royal capital and seek the royal castle’s judgment.

After hearing the story, the King felt like he was going to go mad.

Why didn’t you send a letter?! This is a issue that should be reported in advance. What was your intention when you tossed her into the party without any warning like this?!

♠♠♠

“The Skyte territory does not have the leisure to consider and carefully deal with the Royal Family feuds. Us bringing her here is already something worth being thankful for.”

The baron’s son was cold and indifferent to the fuming King.

“My father lost three of his younger brothers to monsters, and he himself lost his left arm. Even then, he was still not allowed to resign from his post as the Lord of Skyte, a territory with monster appearances. Although the royal capital is full of nobles who like to dress up and dance foolishly, not a single one of them is willing to take over my father’s duty. The monsters have been active recently, yet the Royal Family only sent us the Knight Order, which was not of help at all.”

Any feudal lord who ruled a territory with monster appearances would always have it tough. Not only did monster hunting put their lives at risk, it also put a strain on their finances. The country gave them virtually no aid at all. This was a well-known fact to everyone.

No nobles were willing to give up their life in the royal capital and take up a post as the feudal lord of a territory with monster appearances.

In the midst of all that, a girl with black eyes appeared. The baron and his son were sure that she had to be an illegitimate child of someone in the Royal Family. And right that moment, they just wanted to scream, ‘We’ve had enough of all the mess those royals have made.’

“Anyway, I have brought her here safely. Please take good care of her,” said the baron’s son as he put his hand on the black-eyed girl’s shoulders.

“My name is Joanna. My grandmother, who had been living with me in the woods all this time, died a year ago. Now I am by myself.”

Although she was in the presence of the King, she did not make a vassal bow and began to introduce herself without permission. Rather than being rude, she probably didn’t know any basic etiquette or something like a vassal bow.

She said she had no recollection of her parents and had been living with only her grandmother for as long as she could remember.

A girl with unmistakable jet-black eyes.

Her hair color could still be doubted because it could be colored with charcoal, but eye color couldn’t be changed by hand. 

And so, Joanna was kept under the Royal Castle’s care temporarily.

The king arranged a room for her at the back of the Royal Castle to keep her hidden from the public eye and assigned her an etiquette teacher in case she was later confirmed to be of royal lineage.

The mystery now was…

How did the church know of Joanna?

How did they get wind of her?

♠♠♠

“…She’s not my child, okay?”

The king couldn’t stand the cold stares coming from Rose and Edward and emphasized it again for them.

“No, really, I’m telling the truth…”

“ “…” ”

“R-Rose? You believe me, right?”

“ “…” ”

“Ed?”

“ “…” ”

“H-Heyyy?”

“ “…” ”

“Excuse my interruption, but I have also confirmed this matter with Your Majesty’s older brother, who has been confined to his residence ever since the coup d’etat ended. At that time, ‘How could this honorable one possibly have an affair with a lowly commoner woman from the countryside? How repulsive…’ was his response.”

The prime minister’s report, which the king hoped to be a rescue boat for him to escape all the distrustful stares, turned out to be just another blow to his already questionable integrity.

“True, that is no doubt something he would say. After all, he is someone who will even look down on a Marquis’s daughter because ‘we are too unequal in status’.”

Rose nodded after hearing the king’s older brother, Cain’s, response to the prime minister. What more could she say? She had personally experienced how difficult this person could be after all.

“Well, my uncle does have an extreme sense of elitism.”

Edward agreed with Rose’s remark.

“…Nevertheless, that child is not mine, okay?”

“ “…” ”

“O-Oi! Prime Minister! Say something to Rose and Ed…!!!”

“ “ “…” ” ”

“Prime Minister! Not you too?!”

♠♠♠

Translator’s comment: 

[The baron and his son were sure that she had to be an illegitimate child of someone in the Royal Family. And right that moment, they just wanted to scream, ‘We’ve had enough of all the mess those royals have made.’]

This reminded me again of how bitter it was to be a borderland lord and kinda tempted me to just translate it to ‘We’ve had enough of you royals’ sh*t’.