The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 78

But if the Princess is a real princess, she certainly has a personality much like the Queen.

I suppose they brought in the ‘Acrobat’ to punish that orange-haired girl from the surface, but… in the end, didn’t she bring joy to most of the people? Such a kind and gentle way of handling things.

Hwa-ran admired the Queen quite a bit back then.

If the daughter resembles the Queen, that’s a good thing.

“Hmm, hmmm. But what to do? It doesn’t seem like they’d give her up easily.”

Hwa-ran casually strolled out into the garden, stretched, and then squatted down.

There are no plants in the sky. These green leaves can only be seen when they come down to the ground.

Hwa-ran intended to enjoy the plants to her heart’s content, now that she was in the Imperial Palace.

“Who are you?”

But that leisure didn’t last long.

A Royal Guard knight, seemingly the captain, was tailing Hwa-ran.

“Sigh, why are kids these days so ill-mannered? Is it because the Taoists who taught etiquette have left…? They seem to get worse every year.”

“Stop talking nonsense and identify yourself.”

Hwa-ran chewed on a foxtail grass, sighing.

The blade against her neck clearly carried murderous intent. They really intended to cut her if she didn’t answer.

‘I knew I couldn’t stay hidden once I entered the Imperial Palace, but still.’

Couldn’t they give me some time to enjoy the garden?

Hwa-ran raised her hand, waving it loosely.

“Your Majesty, please tell your knight to put away that menacing blade.”

Rustle.

Just then, the bushes rustled, and the Emperor emerged from within.

Hwa-ran rose with a grunt and removed the prosthetic mask she had been wearing throughout the performance. Under the bright moonlight, her snow-white hair was revealed. The captain of the guard, upon seeing her crimson eyes, shouted sharply.

“Albino!”

“I am indeed an albino, but I’m usually called by a different name. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

Hwa-ran grinned, and the Emperor’s face, usually so indifferent, changed.

“The next exchange wasn’t supposed to be for quite some time.”

A heavy baritone cut through the chilling air.

As the Emperor expressed his willingness to converse, the captain of the guard stepped back, still looking uneasy.

He found her far too suspicious.

“Indeed. I’m here on personal business.”

“If the representative of the Arkhalik delegation has gone so far as to disguise herself as an acrobat, I must hear the reason why.”

“Well, I may not be able to tell you the reason, but couldn’t we still have a conversation?”

Where the Princess came from, when and how she appeared, and where she is now.

Who is protecting the Princess, what is their character, and what history have they gone through?

What Hwa-ran wanted was that kind of information.

If she is the Princess, the King will want to know about the person protecting her, so it’s good to find out in advance.

“Follow me. As it happens… I have something I wish to ask you.”

The Emperor, with a crooked smile, turned first.

Hwa-ran grinned broadly and followed behind.

“What a coincidence! I’ve been curious about the Driblyane family myself!”

Information for information.

The night of intrigue deepened.

* * *

The night that was joyful for some, sad for others, and fateful for yet others passed, and before they knew it, dawn arrived.

Around the time the Emperor, sharing drinks, conveyed his wish to ‘hold talks in the Principality of Arkhalik,’ and Hwa-ran said she would ask the King but first wanted ‘all information about the Driblyane family.’

The Empress, clutching her hollow belly, collapsed from exhaustion after crying, and those who were taking care of her also fell fast asleep.

About five minutes later, Ian and Inanna, who had been tossing and turning because of the noise of people talking everywhere, finally fell asleep, and even the guards in the hallway began to nod off.

It was a moment of silence when even the sounds of insects faded.

But Kiraxus, still unable to sleep, was smoking a strong cigarette and agonizing over the new future derived from the future he had changed.

Florin and Selena’s animosity to this extent had not existed in the past. Therefore, bringing in the acrobat had not happened either.

At first glance, it might seem trivial, but Kiraxus pondered whether it would be a blessing or a curse, thinking about the power the acrobat was hiding.

Something big was about to change in the future. In a direction he didn’t even know.

“Ah, a shooting star is falling.”

Is the answer still a curse?

‘Even if it’s a curse for me, if it’s a blessing for you.’

That’s enough.

A dry smile was swept away by the smoke. Even though it was spring, it wasn’t summer, so the dawn air was cold. It wasn’t the kind of temperature to step on the marble tiles in the hallway barefoot.

But just as Kiraxus was about to head to the bedroom to catch some sleep, in that very instant. A brief moment, a gap created by chance.

In that time, Florin came down from the bed.

* * *

‘Oh… am I moving as if possessed again…?’

I came to my senses for a moment because my feet were so cold. But my body was still moving. Somewhere… somewhere.

Staggering, I passed through the empty hallway and headed towards the path covered with soft carpets.

‘Like Dante… will I be able to meet Yuri this time…?’

I couldn’t resist, but if that were the case, there was even less reason to resist.

If I could meet Yuri, who I haven’t even seen the tip of his nose.

‘Sleepy….’

I had just been thinking clearly, but in the blink of an eye, drowsiness washed over me, and my mind became hazy. My vision was blurred, and I was moving as if being pushed, but I couldn’t tell where I was.

It seems like I’ve come quite a way from the guest room… is this… the first floor?

That’s when it happened.

I stopped in front of a plain and ordinary door. It was the kind of place I would normally pass by without a second glance, but for some reason, it felt extremely important now.

It sounds like something cute is bubbling….

Click.

Contrary to my expectation that it would be locked, the door opened easily.

I entered as if possessed. Into a place where the blue shadows of a water tank filled the space.

And-

‘Ah. Beautiful.’

Have you ever seen a sight so beautiful that it overwhelms you? Have you ever had the strange experience of not being able to breathe and your chest tightening as soon as you face it?

There was a boy in a huge water tank.

‘A water… spirit?’

He was arching his body like a mermaid, looking up at the distant sky, and when he found me, he smiled softly and swam over.

Deep blue water, a huge temple inside, and Yuri.

It’s as surreal as seeing a masterpiece created by a master with all his might. Is this what happens when beauty reaches its peak?

Blinding platinum blonde hair and a face so pale it’s almost white. Deep dimples and long eyelashes all wet with water.

Yuri in his white shirt looked like a fairy born from pearls and coral.

[Hello, welcome.]

Yuri smiled sweetly like honey and wrote on the tank wall.

I rushed to him as if being pushed and touched the cold surface.

I met him. Finally!

“Yuri!”

[Yes, it’s me. You finally found me.]

“You’ve been… trapped in here, all this time?”

How could this be? How?

An unrealistically beautiful space meant that he hadn’t lived a real life.

I looked around the clean tank, where I couldn’t find any trace of daily life, and trembled.

My mind came back as if I had been splashed with cold water.

You’ve been here all this time…!

[I’ve been waiting for you, Sister, for a long time. For someone to save me from here.]

“Ah….”

[Don’t cry. I can’t wipe them away yet.]

Miserable.

Standing before the pinnacle of dazzling beauty, I could only shed tears.

‘Yuri is on display here.’

From outside the tank, I could clearly see the intention.

[Shark Suins should grow up in the sea as soon as they are born. So… a tank was okay. But now I want to go out.]

Yuri, who had written the last sentence, gently brought his hand to mine, which was endlessly touching the tank.

I couldn’t feel each other’s body temperature at all, but soon I put my forehead on it as well. Then Yuri, smiling so that his dimples showed, followed my actions.

“I’ll get you out.”

You can’t be okay.

I don’t know what unknown force led me here. I didn’t know how Yuri sent me a message either.

Did the adults know but couldn’t do anything?

It seems like common sense that a shark Suin [a race of shark-like humanoids] of royal blood should live in the sea, but I couldn’t understand how this absurd thing was allowed.

I can’t understand how the Imperial Palace works.

‘Ah. While I was smiling happily, what was Yuri feeling as he sent me messages?’

My head was too complicated, and my chest was hot. My nose was also stinging, and I couldn’t see Yuri’s face well because tears were flowing.

‘I’m angry.’

The shock swept over me like a storm. But if there’s one thing that’s clear at this moment….

It was that I wanted to reach over this cold wall and hold Yuri’s hand tightly.