《There Were Times When I Wished You Were Dead》


 Chapter 0 - [Prologue]

    Chapter 0 ¨C [Prologue]


    Today marks the first year anniversary of the marriage between the Emperor, Karloi Croisen, and the Duchess of Delois, Yvonne Delois.


    To mark their first anniversary, a party was held inside the Capital¡¯s Imperial Palace, which in turn, made the Capital filled with a festive mood.


    People wandered around the festival and party that was surprisingly well-organized.


    But, no one in the Capital was aware of the fact that the Emperor despised the Empress.


    Of course, the Emperor expected the people to ignore their wedding anniversary and let it pass by quietly, but after seeing the grand festival, it made people wonder.


    However, at the party held at the Imperial Palace on the day of their wedding anniversary, people began to notice something odd between the two¡¯s relationship. For the reason that the Emperor and the Empress did not even exchange one word, it was embarrassing for anyone to say that the party was held for the commemoration of the national marriage.


    The Emperor only danced with other women, yet the Empress was only seen waiting with the palace¡¯s maids at a corner of the banquet hall with an expressionless face as if she was familiar with such things happening.


    The Duke of Delois resented His Majesty¡¯s unfair treatment to his beloved daughter, but he had no other choice but to endure it.


    Especially since her job was to be his wife in name only.


    The nobles, who had noticed the Duke of Delois countenance, approached and talked to the Empress, but the Empress gave no response as if she didn¡¯t see nor hear anything.


    The nobles found it difficult to know whether or not she was resolute or cold.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to let you know today.¡±


    The Emperor raised his voice on the joyful day alone. His smiling face lives up to his reputation of being the most beautiful man since the country was found, but his expression soon hardened.


    The Emperor¡¯s sudden brazen apprising on such a happy day alone wasn¡¯t fine.


    Moreover, the expression on his face at that moment was the one the nobles disliked the most.


    ¡°As you may know, it has been a year since the Empress and I got married, yet we still have no heir. It¡¯s an important matter. Of course, it is.¡±


    The Emperor began to speak in a calm manner as he lifted the glass and moistened his throat. After that, the nobles glanced at the Duke of Delois, who no longer hid his hostility towards the Emperor.


    The fact that the Emperor did not sleep with the Empress was something even the little rats in the palace knew. It was shameless of him to talk about his successors as if he isn¡¯t in the wrong.


    On the other hand, the Empress remained expressionless as if she was listening to other people¡¯s affairs. It was as though her soul was somewhere else.


    ¡°Since our relationship is so estranged, I think we need to make some changes in celebrating the mark of the anniversaries of our national marriage. Perhaps if the surrounding environment changes, things may start to change for the better as well.¡±


    ¡°Would you please specify the change you¡¯re referring to¡­..?¡±


    Someone among the crowd asked in an uneasy tone. The Emperor touched a servant, who was standing behind him, without giving a response.


    The servant hesitated and reluctantly passed on the order to the servant who was standing next to him. The order was passed down until it reached the servant at the entrance of the banquet hall.


    The servant cried out.


    ¡°The young lady Roden, the daughter of Marquis Roden, enters!¡±


    The door of the banquet hall opened and a woman with black hair gracefully entered in a colorful dress.


    A cold silence followed afterwards.


    The woman¡¯s dress, which was filled with decorations, could be perceived by anyone as equal to the Empress¡¯.


    ¡°No, what are you doing¡­..?¡±


    Upon seeing the woman entering like an Empress, the aristocrats, who were aides of the Duke, turned pale and looked alternatively at the Duke of Delois and Yvonne Delois.


    Now, the Duke of Delois turned red to the point that it seemed like his head would burst. Likewise, the Empress finally changed her emotionless face.


    It changed to an expression that showed boredom.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I told you it will be embarrassing of me to do such a thing!¡±


    Kaena Roden, ignoring all eyes on her, lightly approached the Emperor¡¯s voice and spoke in a charming voice.


    The Emperor, who was affectionately holding Kaena Roden¡¯s waist, said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make Kaena my Empress.¡±


    At the Emperor¡¯s proclamation, cries of ¡°Your Majesty¡± resounded in the banquet hall.


    The Emperor smiled affectionately at Kaena as he fed her fruits, as if he could not hear them.


    Then, as an explanation, he used the system that disappeared 200 years ago as a reference as he smiled and drank wine with his useless good-looking face.


    ¡°I apologize, but I cannot agree. I¡¯ve already taken a precious possession of hers, so it will be rude of me, especially since I¡¯m the Emperor, not to take responsibility.¡±


    Does that mean they slept together? That was how the nobles interpreted the Emperor¡¯s words of taking a precious possession of hers.


    The Emperor was starting to lose consciousness, yet he was still showing off his affection for Kaena.


    Eventually, the Duke of Delois couldn¡¯t suppress his anger anymore and shouted.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    His sudden and loud voice shook the banquet hall of the old Imperial Palace. Then, the Emperor looked at the Empress thoughtlessly.


    ¡°Empress, you¡¯re not jealous, are you? I¡¯m doing this so that I will have a successor who will lead the Empire in the future.¡±


    It was no different from saying that the Empress didn¡¯t have the ability to get pregnant and have a child. Even if so, Empress Yvonne¡¯s expression stayed the same, showing no emotion.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Yvonne answered briefly in a low, dry voice.


    Although the people didn¡¯t care much, the Empress¡¯ indifferent voice seemed to have incited his anger. It seemed as if the Emperor hated the Empress by simply breathing.


    ¡°I see, I¡¯ll do as I please then. I¡¯ll be taking care of the procedures in turning Kaena into the Empress. I¡¯ll be taking my leave. I have work to do.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    The Emperor placed his drink on the table and left with Kaena in his arms. From the looks of it, anyone could guess what ¡®work¡¯ he will be doing.


    On a wonderful day at a party held on the anniversary of the nation¡¯s marriage between Korea and China, the Emperor left with a new woman, leaving the Empress alone.


    Even the splendor and grandeur of the party considered it as a bad joke even if it was done for the entertainment of everyone.


    When all eyes were on the Empress, Yvonne opened her mouth with a bored face and said in an annoying tone.


    ¡°What are you staring at? Do as you are told.¡±


    So, in the first year of their marriage, Emperor Karloi brought a new woman whom he slept with and proclaimed her as the Empress.

 Chapter 1 - The Emperor Hates The Empress

    Chapter 1 ¨C The Emperor Hates The Empress


    Yvonne Delois was the only daughter of the Duke of Delois, whose power was above the Emperor.


    There were rumors stating that the Duke always carried his daughter, who had been weak since birth, throughout her childhood so that she didn¡¯t have to walk. It was also said that he gave her a huge number of servants so that she didn¡¯t have to lift a finger.


    Anyway, Yvonne Delois was the only daughter of the Duke of Delois, who cared about her so much that she wasn¡¯t allowed to go out of their mansion, not even once, and was raised finely.


    And that was why Karloi Croisen, the Emperor of Croisen, hated Yvonne Delois very much.


    ¡°Yve¡­..¡±


    ¡°Father, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    On their wedding day, Karloi yawned at the back of the crying father and daughter. It was irritating to look at it.


    It was abominable to see the Duke holding his daughter¡¯s hand and wiping her tears.


    It was as if she had been forced into a marriage she didn¡¯t want to. However, it was evident that it was Karloi himself who hated this marriage, not them.


    It was the Duke of Delois who forced Karloi to marry his daughter by making a trap enough for him to do so as his life was involved.


    That¡¯s why Karloi couldn¡¯t figure out why the two were crying.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I know you hate me. But, my daughter is just a weak child who knows nothing. Please be nice to her.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so worried, why not let her marry someone else?¡±


    Karloi could never bring himself to be nice towards the Duke of Delois¡¯ daughter. It was crazy of him to send her daughter to him even when he knew of that fact clearly.


    Whenever he saw the sight of Karloi being sarcastic, the Duke of Delois would smile nonchalantly.


    ¡°What can I possibly do? My daughter is the best woman in the Empire, so she has no equal match but you.¡±


    It was not entirely wrong to say that as he was the greatest Duke in the Empire, but the Emperor was very angry once he heard those words. He coveted the position greedily as if he looked down on the imperial family.


    In any case, Yvonne Delois made her first appearance as the Empress on their wedding day. Everyone who saw the Empress was convinced of the reason.


    Yvonne Delois was an impressive beauty with beautiful platinum white hair that shimmered like the light formed when sunlight reflects on water and green eyes that shimmered like waves.


    Overall, however, she looked awfully fragile.


    A beautiful but pale face, slender limbs, and a slim body made it possible for them to understand why she was raised with so much caution.


    It seemed as though she¡¯d fly if the wind blew.


    Besides that, she was also the only daughter of the Duke, who always scared all the nobles who¡¯d go near her. All the nobles, who had seen Yvonne¡¯s face, had already guessed that this marriage would not be smooth, even if the Emperor or the Duke wasn¡¯t present.


    The Emperor might have caused a quarrel by simply looking at his wife¡¯s face.


    ¡°Now, I see you at last.¡±


    The Emperor took Yvonne¡¯s hand from the Duke and grumbled.


    Even after the marriage was decided, the Emperor sarcastically said that they had never seen each other before the ceremony itself.


    Yvonne stared at the Emperor with her green eyes without saying anything. She looked at him with a serious look as if she was waiting for something.


    Karloi became displeased and started getting goosebumps when he noticed that the eyes staring at him didn¡¯t falter, not even once.


    I hated her platinum white hair and green eyes that always reminded me of the Duke of Delois, but what I hated the most was those arrogant eyes of hers that always seemed to expect something. It¡¯s exactly the same as the eyes of the Duke whenever he looked at me.


    Does she think I¡¯m going to start whispering sweet nothings in her ears? Where does she get such confidence?


    I also couldn¡¯t understand why this woman, who would have continued to be treated like a princess by the Duke, wanted to become an Empress.


    Besides that, does she think that this is her palace? She rejected all the imperial servants I have offered and brought along 100 employees from her own family.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long after Yvonne answered that Karloi¡¯s face became distorted. With no further greetings or criticism, that simple brief answer came to an end.


    Karloi interlocked his cold hand with mine with an unpleasant face. At his actions, Yvonne looked surprised for a moment, but Karloi continued to hold her hands.


    At the end of the ceremony, Karloi left immediately and never once even looked back at Yvonne. The nobles had left the ceremony chattering, even if the two didn¡¯t kiss.


    ¡°Yve¡­..!¡±


    The Duke, who was sitting in front, approached Yvonne, who was left alone. Yvonne then grabbed the Duke¡¯s hand, who spoke in a stern voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±


    The Duke vented his anger towards his daughter through words, but the other nobles were stunned for a moment by Yvonne¡¯s words.


    What on earth is she thinking? It was a statement revealing her desire to tame the Emperor.


    The aristocrats, who were on the side of the Emperor, resented and told Karloi about the arrogant attitude of Yvonne Delois, who resembled her father.


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Thus, Karloi, who disappeared right after the wedding ceremony, came to their bedroom with a cold face.

 Chapter 2.1 - [Part 1]

    Chapter 2 ¨C [Part 1]


    He came in without a word and said, ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.What?¡±


    Yvonne, who had her long platinum white hair untied and was wearing a negligee, sat embarrassed on the bed and looked up at Karloi.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d talk to me, right? So, tell me what you have in mind.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­Your Majesty, that was just¡­..¡±


    ¡°Are you aware of how I feel towards the Duke?¡±


    That was an ambiguous question. Karloi¡¯s face was calm and so was his voice, but nevertheless, it felt as though he felt angry towards her.


    Yvonne gazed at the man, who had become her husband, for a long time, whereas Karloi looked patiently at her eyes, waiting for an answer.


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m aware.¡±


    Only after a while did the answer come out from Yvonne¡¯s lips. She said it in a lower voice than she had thought.


    Karloi smiled unconsciously at her answer as he thought it was funny.


    ¡°You¡¯re aware? Are you saying that you know I despise the Duke so much that if I can, I would get rid of all the people who have Delois as their last name in the Empire?¡±


    It was a rather intense conversation between the newlyweds on their first night. Usually, newlyweds would have had a different kind of intense conversation.


    TL/N: What different kind of intense?


    But Yvonne answered calmly, seemingly indifferent.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I asked Your Majesty if you can get rid of the Delois household as you please?¡±


    Unlike her weak-looking appearance, her voice was dry without any emotion.


    At the seemingly disparaging question asked in a clerical manner, Karloi laughed in dismay.


    Yvonne looked indifferently at Karloi, who seemed as though he was filled with anger.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t be too bad to have a child with me. At least, my father will be satisfied.¡±


    Her words meant that if he couldn¡¯t get rid of the Duke, he should just shut up and accept their marriage.


    TL/N: OH, OH, OH-


    Karloi, who felt insulted, gritted his teeth. Yvonne stroked her hair as if she didn¡¯t care a bit and continued her words with a look telling him to face reality.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so foolish to come here hoping for love from Your Majesty. Even if we¡¯re not children, it¡¯s okay to pretend to be on good terms. If it benefits Your Majesty, you should do it.¡±


    Karloi understood her words. If he marries the Duke¡¯s daughter and takes her son as his successor, the Duke¡¯s ambitions will be put to an end.


    That crazy old man, who was eager to become the Emperor, would perhaps be satisfied if his grandson becomes the Emperor instead.


    But it wasn¡¯t acceptable. The Duke killed half of Karloi¡¯s family.


    He even tried to kill himself. I didn¡¯t want to listen to what that madman wanted.


    Even if the Empire becomes destroyed, that old man¡¯s blood could not be put on the throne at any cost.


    ¡°You look weak, but in reality, you¡¯re so cocky.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also for your sake.¡±


    ¡°Let me give the Empress a word of advice. This is not the territory of the Duke, where you used to live. You¡¯ll have to be prepared to lose your neck if you get caught doing something stupid.¡±


    At his sudden threat, his anger was evident. Karloi said each word with emphasis and turned away from the Empress.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    Yvonne called him quietly, but he didn¡¯t turn around.


    ¡°I have now received the last name of Croisen. I¡¯m not a Delois anymore.¡±


    Earlier, he said he wanted to get rid of all those who had the last name of Delois. Upon hearing her words, Karloi just snorted.


    ¡°Alright, let me say it once again. I want to kill each and every one of those who have the Delois¡¯ blood running in their veins.¡±


    At his words, Yvonne no longer stopped him.


    Yes, no matter how much she tries, she wouldn¡¯t be able to deny the fact that she had the blood of that disgusting noble. At that thought, Karloi barely managed to hold back the sneer that was about to come out of his mouth.


    ¡°You could be the Empress of this country, but that would be the end.¡±


    Those were the last words Karloi said to Yvonne on the first night of their wedding. And it became true.


    ***


    The Empress has already been excluded from all the imperial affairs shortly after their marriage.


    Aside from the fact that it was difficult for her to see the face of the Emperor, she was not able to preside over any of her imperial duties. All she could do was bring along 100 employees from her own family.


    However, as if she found it fun to play with her own people in the palace, the Empress never once went out and continued her daily life carelessly and at ease.


    Such an attitude of the Empress was simply described by people as ¡®a well-fed person and well-lived life¡¯.


    As if the handmaidens of the Empress didn¡¯t care at all that Yvonne Delois was an Empress who acted so arrogantly, they walked around with their head up high with all their heart and soul, too.


    For those reasons, it provoked Karloi Croisen even more.


    Which, in turn, made it unbearable for him to even look at the Empress¡¯ face for more than 5 seconds.


    TL/N: I apologize as it was very short. Part 2 will be posted this week too!


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 Chapter 2.2 - [Part 2]

    Chapter 2 ¨C [Part 2]


    At imperial events where they were forced to endure each other¡¯s existence, the Emperor always brought a new woman and ignored the Empress.


    ¡°Karloi.¡±


    The whispers of the woman Karloi brought reached the ears of Yvonne and her handmaidens.


    The royal attendant Gorten covered his mouth in shock. She just called the Emperor by his name!


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a nickname. If she had called him by a nickname, Gorten would have never allowed it.


    In Croisen, even the commoners didn¡¯t give out their nicknames to random strangers. There is a legend in Croisen that if you secretly repeat the nickname of your crush for 100 days, your love will come true.


    Gorten wondered if he should be grateful that the Emperor did not cross the line, and glared as if to finish off that woman.


    However, Karloi looked at the woman with a gentle expression that would never exist again.


    ¡°Is there anything you want to have?¡±


    ¡°If I did, would you give it to me?¡±


    Yvonne Delois wasn¡¯t particularly responsive, even when she saw the Emperor and the women whispering in front of her.


    Seeing the Empress, who seemed to be suffocated with boredom by her yawning, people thought that the Emperor wasn¡¯t the only one who ignored the Empress.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if I could see the ¡®Wolf¡¯s Tears¡¯ once!¡±


    The woman shouted innocently from the side.


    All of the attendants, including the royal attendant Gorten, were shocked and gasped, but the Empress made no movement.


    ¡®Wolf¡¯s Tears¡¯ was an imperial necklace that had been handed down to the empress from generation to generation, but Karloi didn¡¯t give it to Yvonne, even though it had been quite a while after their wedding.


    Gorten stared at the woman with a reddish face as if he was about to explode, but Karloi laughed as if it was amusing.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d rather you wear it than have it collect dust. I don¡¯t have anyone who would wear it anyway!¡±


    Was he saying he¡¯d give it to the person next to him?


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    An unheard-of nobleman called out to him, but Karloi ignored him and tilted his beautiful face.


    ¡°Why? The Empress wouldn¡¯t want to wear that anyway. Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    When Karloi asked the last question, he turned his head slightly and looked at the Empress. Yvonne¡¯s face, with her chin elegantly resting on one hand, remained unchanged and her gaze remained unfazed.


    The people around him were quiet for a moment. They wanted to hear the Empress¡¯ answer, but the answer never came.


    After a moment of uncomfortable silence, a maid next to her whispered to the unbothered Empress, and Yvonne blinked as if she had just awoken from a dream.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    She seemed to have never listened to Karloi¡¯s question. In the first place, it was rather questionable whether she was aware of Karloi¡¯s existence or not.


    Caught off guard, Karloi laughed weakly and left the banquet hall with the girl he brought.


    Despite the subsequent scoldings of the maids, the Empress fell into her own thoughts with her chin folded again.


    As their routine remained unchanged, it was impossible to expect any improvement between the Emperor and the Empress.


    In addition to the imperial event, the Emperor had a meal with the Empress once or twice a month.


    During those moments, the middlemen would always freeze to death. It was because the Emperor and the Empress never share a single word with each other.


    Anything similar to dialogue would always bring about catastrophic consequences.


    ¡°I hope you refrain from making personal contact with the Duke.¡±


    After a bitter confrontation with the Duke of Delois at a political meeting, Karloi spoke in a low voice.


    Yvonne replied late, as she was not sure what he was thinking. It seemed that she had just realized that Karloi was eating in front of her.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether she understood what he said or not, but she answered with her head down.


    ¡°Please refrain from calling it the Empress¡¯ Palace.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°In public, your father always¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°¡­.what is wrong with you? I haven¡¯t finished talking yet.¡±


    Only then did Yvonne raise her head. Seeing as she felt a subtle embarrassment creep up on her impregnable face, she knew she had made a mistake.


    Karloi, who found out for the first time that the Empress also had facial expressions, instead of being upset, was just dumbfounded.


    In a different way from Duke Delois, his empress was ignoring him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick of your father attacking me over marital affairs. I even have to report to the Duke how many times I have dinner with the Empress.¡±


    ¡°¡­It was just a conversation between men.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s surveillance.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not a secret. Everyone in the Palace knows that Your Majesty hates me.¡±


    Contrary to the content of the words, Yvonne¡¯s face and voice showed no signs of resentment. She spoke with a calm tone as if only stating the facts.


    Her lack of regret or dissatisfaction made him even angrier.


    However, there was also something strange with what she said. Was it only Karloi who hated Yvonne? Yvonne didn¡¯t seem to like Karloi either.


    Suddenly, the image of the Duke of Delois at the political meeting came to mind, and Karloi lost his appetite.


    He stopped eating, throwing the tableware, and ended up leaving the table.


    He didn¡¯t even want to look back.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    Joint meals weren¡¯t held that often, but it was always filled with silence. About four months after their wedding, Yvonne finally managed to strike up a conversation.


    ¡°Your Majesty, how about sleeping in my bedroom today?¡±


    Yvonne asked in a modest way as if she would only ask once.


    ¡°Why should I do that, Empress?¡±


    ¡°I think it might be a good idea to sleep together at least once.¡±


    It was a dull and boring reason.


    ¡°Why, does your father compel you to do so?¡±


    The Emperor grumbled as he answered her question with another. Karloi was well aware that the Duke¡¯s visit to the Empress¡¯ palace had increased rapidly.


    The Empress replied after a long period of silence.


    ¡°¡­My father is just worried about his child.¡±


    ¡°The Empress knows better than anyone that I don¡¯t want to relieve that worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also saying this for you, Your Majesty. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but I mean it.¡±


    The Empress¡¯ tone came off as a warning to Karloi, ¡®If you don¡¯t listen to me, you will be seriously hurt.¡¯


    ¡°I know best what¡¯s good for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­..Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t intend to spoil the food, you should stop.¡±


    The atmosphere sank further by the sarcastic tone that didn¡¯t hide signs of irritation.


    Even the handmaidens and servants who were far away from the cold atmosphere began to tremble.


    Yvonne continued to eat quietly for a while, as if to accept the Emperor¡¯s response, but soon opened her mouth again.


    ¡°What do I have to do to get you to my palace?¡±


    Her whispering voice was too soft to be heard. It was then that Karloi saw Yvonne¡¯s face properly for the first time.


    There was a subtle emotion on the face he hated because of her usual arrogant expression, but it was difficult to read exactly what it was.


    However, her eyes remained the same. A deep, unpleasant green with a resolute gaze that resembles the Duke¡¯s. In those eyes, Karloi felt something familiar. It was an unpleasant¡­.familiarity.


    ¡°¡­..Well, if the Empress were to disappear, I would probably go.¡±


    TL/N: Insert sound of my heart breaking

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    It¡¯s hard to understand when she always ignored him, and he doesn¡¯t even know why she often stares at people like that. Every time she did that, Karloi hated Yvonne even more.


    Karloi urged Yvonne for an answer without hiding his boredom.


    ¡°What will change if you look at me like that? Don¡¯t complain that there¡¯s no work¡­ Please do it as soon as possible, Empress.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    As Yvonne answered, Keana replied cheerfully.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty!¡±


    The handmaidens gulped in relief.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for lunch. I want to spend some time alone with Kea, so I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    Keana looked up at Karloi, who got up and opened her eyes wide. She didn¡¯t notice that Karloi got up from his seat and hasn¡¯t eaten anything.


    When Karloi nudged her, Keana snapped out from a daze and politely bowed to Yvonne.


    The emperor and the lady folded their arms together and left the palace. Being left alone with the handmaidens, Yvonne quietly ate the food alone. The handmaiden, Jean Mary Ann, approached Yvonne with a worried face.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Isn¡¯t that what happened every time.¡±


    Even if it¡¯s something that already happened, she couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling of Karloi bringing a new woman, but Mary Anne wisely changed the subject.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got the job, I¡¯ll have to go prepare. Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Yvonne, speaking in a quiet voice, suddenly burst into laughter.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m in trouble, Mary Anne.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    ¡°As His Majesty said, I don¡¯t know how to deal with being an Empress. I came in with my father¡¯s help, so it¡¯s really big trouble.¡±


    Yvonne shook her head, as Mary Anne stood with a puzzled look, not knowing what to do. Though it seems like a joke, the muttering says otherwise.


    That day, the Empress left after eating all the food by herself.


    ****


    ¡°You, what was that about?¡±


    Karloi, who entered Kiana¡¯s temporary residence in the palace, asked with a look of disapproval. Kiana opened her eyes wide as if she didn¡¯t know what he was talking about.


    ¡°Me? What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You raised it earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about my hand? Your Majesty held my hand as he pleased, and also put your hand on my waist. You¡¯re supposed to stop doing that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. I¡¯m talking about what you said at that time. Why would you suddenly leave the job to the Empress? And on that topic, what do you think the Empress will do?¡±


    Kiana, who was adjusting her headdress, looked at Karloi through the mirror.


    ¡°I want to check Her Majesty¡¯s reaction, and¡­ What about you, Your Majesty?¡±


    The small face looking at Karloi showed a sign of displeasure.


    ¡°Please tell me in advance that it was lunch with the Empress, and I must go with you. I heard rumors that your Majesty is a cruel husband, but this is beyond my imagination.¡±


    ¡°You are the one who shows the Empress no mercy. I wasn¡¯t wrong to make you a queen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, be careful. I¡¯m not the queen, yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­.Did you know that you are very ruthless? If you were a normal person, you would hear from Gorten already.¡±


    Kiana just laughed at Karloi¡¯s words.


    ¡°It¡¯s already overwhelming just to be in a contract with the Emperor. It won¡¯t hurt if we happen to add one or two more things in there.¡±


    ¡°Your role is to keep the Empress in check in public.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve been using me too much for your private affairs. Don¡¯t tell me you are trying to make the Empress jealous?¡±


    Karloi¡¯s face was horribly distorted. That statement was ridiculous to hear.


    Jealousy was a word that would be used between people with feelings for each other. There was no such thing between Yvonne and himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken. I have to pretend that all this is a private thing that happened because of love so we can avoid the interference from the nobles.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t you know what kind of person the Empress is? How could you make someone who wouldn¡¯t even shed a drop of blood when you stab them jealous?¡±


    ¡°How would you know?¡±


    Kiana suddenly turned away from the mirror and stared at Karloi.


    ¡°When you see the Empress¡¯s reaction, it doesn¡¯t seem like a person who¡¯s emotionless at all. Has your Majesty never thought of the Empress¡¯s position? You could choose who your wife is, but not the Empress who has the Duke as the father. You shouldn¡¯t be so cold¡­¡±


    When Karloi waved his hand dismissively, Kiana bit her lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Does the Empress seem to be a person like that? It would be faster to seduce a stone on the street since it would likely have more emotions than her,¡±


    ¡°What a pity.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a useless waste of emotions considering there is someone else you should feel sorry for. It¡¯s likely because I hurt her heavenly pride. How can the Duke endure such an insult like today?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°He would be the one who didn¡¯t blink even if I was beaten by the empress. Even if I died, he would be joyful and get a luxurious steak to the news of my death.¡±


    It was an unnecessarily extreme statement.


    Why is he so repulsed by an Empress, who he has no interest in, after bringing her into the palace?


    (Hmmmm¡­¡­Hmmmm¡­..Hmmmmmm¡­¡­.)


    Kiana ponders what went wrong between the Emperor or the Empress emotionally. Though, it was already too late when she realized that she was now caught up in such a dangerous and complicated situation.


    ¡°What about the Marquis?¡±


    ¡°Father? He would probably flip out by now. It¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t faint. You know that he was afraid of Duke Delois¡¯s retaliation, right? No one dares to bring their daughter into the Imperial Palace.¡±


    ¡°Marquis Roden is the head of the Aristocratic faction, but he doesn¡¯t have a lot of courage.¡±


    Karloi clicked his tongue.


    ¡°My father is as big as a simple bean. Astonishingly, he doesn¡¯t choose the Duke¡¯s side, rather His Majesty¡¯s.¡±


    [Editor¡¯s Note: The nickname Bean, comes from the Middle English ¡°bene¡± which means friendly. It has been used as a nickname given to a person that is pleasant. The meaning of Bean is fair-skinned. It is said that people with this name valued truth and justice and are quick to anger with those who do not.]


    Kiana muttered as she recalled her weak father.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Duke have a history of kidnapping members of the Imperial family?¡±


    When Karloi was a young prince, he had been kidnapped by an unknown assailant for over ten days. It was a forest belonging to the Duke of Delois, and the assailants even tried to assassinate him.


    Even though it seemed apparent who was behind the scenes, there was no evidence left in the case as the Duke killed all the people involved without reporting it.


    ¡°Did you tell your father? I want to investigate the matter again.¡±


    The reason for bringing Kiana onto the throne was to avoid the Aristocratic factions¡¯ eyes and make getting in contact with the Marquis of Roden easier.


    ¡°I told you I did, several times already. All the people who could potentially be witnesses of the incident are dead. No one survived, and the village was a total mess. There is no evidence left because the whole area was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Then tell him to keep searching until he finds something.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ looking for someone?¡±


    Karloi hesitated to answer.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°¡­Nonsense. I¡¯m just trying to find the evidence that the Duke did it.¡±


    Kiana knew the Emperor was lying.


    Anyone could tell that it¡¯s a face that¡¯s eagerly searching for someone, but Kiana Roden was a quick-witted woman with enough common sense and vowed not to get involved in this more than necessary. So she answered smoothly without any fuss.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kiana, who answered carefreely, reminded him of Yvonne for some reason.


    No matter what he says or what he does, she would always reply yes with short answers. That made her look incredibly awkward and annoying.


    Karloi messed with his hair nervously.


    ****


    The Empress¡¯s Palace was busy for a long time. It was ironic. The first job for the Empress was to prepare the Queen¡¯s ceremony with her own hands.


    Even the handmaidens worked quietly without saying anything, as Yvonne, who was the person concerned, did the same. However, Yvonne¡¯s father, the Duke of Delois, lost his composure.


    He walked in and out of the palace with a red-green face three times a day.


    Still, after he saw Yvonne, his beloved daughter, he looked a little calmer leaving. However, he went into the palace with an angry face, yet again the next day.


    ¡°A crazy old man goes in and out of the Imperial Palace like it¡¯s his own house.¡±


    Of course, all of this was reported to Karloi. The head attendant recounted the facts he had heard of the Duke shouted at Karloi with an angry face.


    ¡°The handmaidens say that the Duke is crying and raging, which could even be heard outside the door. He also said, how could you do this to her.¡±


    ¡°Stop. I¡¯m tired of hearing it.¡±


    ¡°It was also said that the progress of the work had been noticeably slowed down as the Duke enters and exits the palace. Your Majesty, wasn¡¯t the date of the ceremony set? What would we do with this setback?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the fault of the Duke? If the Empress makes up her mind, the work could¡¯ve been done quickly, but she is dragging her feet.¡±


    As a look of deep disgust appeared on Karloi¡¯s face, the head attendant, Gorten, quietly closed his mouth.


    ¡°Send someone to the Empress. Tell her, don¡¯t forget what I told her, and finish the job as soon as possible. I¡¯ve finally given her a job, don¡¯t make me regret it.¡±


    ¡°¡­I will word it more suitably.¡±


    ¡°If you do that, I won¡¯t let you go. Gorten. Send it as I said.¡±


    ¡°Her Majesty is also a human, Your Majesty. What if she gets upset and tells the Duke about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Gorten!¡±


    The office shook as Karloi shouted angrily. Gorten got startled and shook his head.


    ¡°Do you think I want to hear about the Duke¡¯s prying eyes even inside my office?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. I made a slip of the tongue. I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±


    ¡°¡­get out.¡±


    As Gorten left the office, Karloi swept his tired face.


    The Duke of Delois was a terrible specter, living vividly, not even dead¡­


    The memory of the duke whispering on his shoulder was vivid. He wasn¡¯t wrong. Even his father acknowledged that it was a duke. But what could he have done as a child?


    (T/N: So we finally got to know more about the backstories! This chapter certainly brought up even more questions >.<)

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    Even after the terrifying kidnapping incident, there are still constant attempts to poison him with poisons extracted from plants.


    Fortunately, Croisen was one of the most knowledgeable on all things botanical, including botanical magic on the continent. So the Croisen¡¯s descendants would carry all kinds of poisons and antidotes, making them not an easy target.


    Anything that could be poisonous was filtered through a thorough inspection. Consequently, Karloi developed resistance to poison, though it¡¯s not something to be thankful for.


    After the assassination attempt, he would go to the Imperial Palace and see the specter smiling the next day.


    There were days that he felt like he would lose his mind if he ever let go for a moment. Every time he had an urge just to let go of everything, there was only one reason why Karloi didn¡¯t go insane.


    Because it might be the price of someone else¡¯s life that he lived, so he couldn¡¯t simply give up with that in mind.


    ¡°The one who¡¯s going to be damned¡­¡±


    It was unknown when the hell he would be able to see the end of that specter. So in order not to fall again, Karloi had to strengthen his mind.


    ****


    The Empress, who received the Emperor¡¯s message to speed up the process, sent a brief reply that she will keep it in mind, without saying anything else. The answer was very much like Yvonne.


    But contrary to the answer, the work was still sluggish. After two weeks of entrusting the job, there was no progress. That caused Karloi to become furious, and went directly to the Empress¡¯ palace.


    The handmaids were surprised to see the Emperor, who hated the Empress, step in the Empress¡¯s palace entrance and walk into the bedroom himself.


    Karloi felt a lingering sense of the uneasiness circulating throughout the Empress¡¯s palace among the commotion.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where is the Empress?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the Empress is in the bedroom¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m entering now.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty! I¡­¡±


    The handmaids guarding the entrance tried to stop the Emperor.


    Before Karloi could say anything, the attendant, Gorten, yelled at the maids and asked if they were crazy for trying to stop the Emperor, and told them to step back.


    The bedroom was dark since not a single light was turned on. Karloi couldn¡¯t see well, as the curtains were also closed.


    Karloi frowned and glanced at Gorten, so he quickly turned the lights on. As soon as the lights were on, Gorten was shocked.


    ¡°Oh! Your Majesty, please be careful. The floor is¡­¡±


    The floor was covered with shattered glass. Karloi tried looking around to see what the hell happened. All the mirrors in the bedroom were broken.


    ¡°No, what is this¡­¡±


    A sharp voice was heard from inside the bedroom, causing Karloi to come back to his senses.


    ¡°I told you not to turn on the lights!¡±


    If he wasn¡¯t in the Empress¡¯s bedroom, Karloi would never have thought the voice was Yvonne¡¯s.


    It was a sharp and sensitive voice that he never imagined Yvonne could make.


    The handmaid, Mary Ann, approached Karloi, who stopped in surprise. Mary Anne couldn¡¯t believe that it was Karloi who turned on the lights. She gasped and closed her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­! How did you¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I look stupid? How is this nothing? Why is the Empress like that?¡±


    Mary Ann didn¡¯t know what to do, and while her feet were moving, the sharp voice shouted back.


    ¡°Mary Ann! Turn off the lights!¡±


    Another sound of something breaking was heard inside. Karloi eventually couldn¡¯t stand it and went in.


    Mary Ann and Gorten were startled to see Karloi stepping on the glass without fear. They followed him while roughly sweeping the shards to make a path.


    ¡°Empress, what the hell is going¡­¡±


    Karloi couldn¡¯t finish the sentence.


    Mirror fragments were scattered around the bed with the drapery removed, and liquor was lying on the floor. It seemed that the sound earlier was a glass of wine she threw.


    On the bed was a small figure, sitting. Karloi approached her unconsciously.


    ¡°Mary Ann! Mary Ann¡­¡±


    Yvonne wasn¡¯t speaking how she usually does. Her eyes, which had no soul in them, found Karloi standing in front of her.


    There was a silence between the two of them. Karloi slowly glanced at Yvonne.


    Karloi¡¯s gaze passed Yvonne¡¯s messy hair and touched her pale hand with blood flowing, cut by the glass. Contrasting to her pale skin, the flowing blood looked even more horrifying.


    By the time Karloi came to his senses, he had already grabbed Yvonne¡¯s bloody hand with his hand.


    Yvonne couldn¡¯t breathe and looked up at Karloi with her eyes wide open. Both were confused as Karloi¡¯s hands reached out, and stood still without saying a word.


    It was the first time since the wedding that their hands met.


    Karloi realized that he, too, also forgot to breathe. He couldn¡¯t understand the reason.


    Was it because he was surprised by the blood? Or was it an instinct?


    The silence, which was as precarious as the broken glass, ended when Yvonne pulling her hand away coldly.


    ¡°¡­Why did you come without a message.¡±


    Suddenly, his left hand felt empty. No, it was beyond empty. Karloi was feeling disgusted. It was a wave of indescribable anger.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting as if you¡¯ve touched a bug. I didn¡¯t like it either.¡±


    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you usually act like this? I guess you¡¯re not ashamed of others seeing you in this state.¡±


    Yvonne grinned without an answer. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but she seems different than usual. The usual Yvonne would never smile at Karloi like that.


    ¡°I came here because of the Queen¡¯s ceremony. When you think about it, it¡¯s too cruel. Not even the date, place, and scale have been decided.¡±


    After knowing the only reason why Karloi came to see the Empress was purely for the ceremony. Instead of Yvonne, Mary Ann shot a resentful stare at Gorten, who avoided her eyes.


    ¡°¡­I apologize. I¡¯m not capable enough, so things are slow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good enough excuse, but I¡¯m glad to hear you know your capability. No matter how much the Duke interferes, if the Empress knows how to work efficiently, the ceremony would¡¯ve been done quicker.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Again! With that short reply!


    What does ¡®yes¡¯ mean? What does that mean? So, are you saying that you were slowing down when you could have done it quicker?


    Karloi barely endured shaking Yvonne¡¯s shoulder and said what he wanted to say.


    ¡°This is unacceptable. Stop slacking and just do what you have to do.¡±


    Yvonne, who had been looking down this whole time, suddenly raised her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Gorten and Mary Ann, who were standing behind, faced each other in astonishment from the shocking response.


    They weren¡¯t the only ones that were surprised. Karloi looked at Yvonne, speechless.


    Mary Ann looked at Yvonne and desperately shook her head, but Yvonne seemed to have already lost her reason.


    ¡°Cruel? Your Majesty treats me as a shameless evil, emotionless wicked Empress with her father on her back.¡±


    Yvonne smiled weakly at the situation, funny how he says she¡¯s cruel.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that funny? You presume that the only daughter of the Duke, whose power is so powerful, is evil.¡±


    ¡°Empress!¡±


    ¡°Is it evil enough to cancel the Queen¡¯s ceremony altogether? Or to oust Lady Roden without reason? Or to be able to ignore His Majesty¡¯s words, without handling all the work in the Empress¡¯ palace?¡±


    This time Gorten grabbed Mary Anne and shook her. Stop her!


    Mary Ann shook her head in tears.


    Yvonne stared straight at Karloi, as if she has no care in the world. As Yvonne¡¯s words got harsher, Karloi, on the contrary, became calmer.


    ¡°Has your Majesty ever thought about that? I had been trying to live in this palace quietly enough that I wouldn¡¯t even hear my own breathing. Not interfering with your life, and living like a scarecrow Empress to benefit your Majesty.¡±


    Yvonne¡¯s speech was a little droopy, indicating that she was drunk. Karloi asked.


    ¡°So now you are saying that you are doing all this for me?¡±


    Yvonne, who had been talkative, suddenly went quiet at Karloi¡¯s question. As if she just realized something.


    Well, she¡¯s not doing it only for Karloi. So she guesses he does have a little conscience.


    Karloi talked slowly, looking at Yvonne¡¯s hand. He noticed the blood was now dry.


    ¡°Yeah, the Empress is definitely¡­ not behaving like the Duke. I know that.¡±


    Karloi, who would typically yell at the Empress right now, was speaking unexpectedly casually. Yvonne was observing him dumbfoundedly.


    ¡°However, the Empress seems to have some kind of big misunderstanding. You¡¯re right, you¡¯re the Duke¡¯s precious only child, who is more powerful than the emperor, and you can ignore me if you want, but you aren¡¯t doing this just for me¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the goodness in your heart. And I appreciate that heart, but you can do more than that if you are really doing it for me. You really don¡¯t know that?¡±


    Yvonne blinked slowly. The green eyes were like leaves, limp, and rustling.


    If it¡¯s such a great position, she didn¡¯t see why he pretended to be so unhappy and defeated by it. What the hell are you complaining about?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying, then I¡¯ll tell you. If you don¡¯t dare to stop your father, the Duke, you can at least keep him out from the palace, so you can do your job without him interfering.¡±


    Karloi could feel Yvonne shivering in his hand, but he didn¡¯t stop talking.


    ¡°If there is only one thing I want from you, then it¡¯s for you to disappear. To get out of my sight.¡±


    The calm and friendly voice sounded relentless. Yvonne couldn¡¯t answer anything and shook her head. Karloi looked at her and smiled, but it was a cold smile.


    ¡°I knew it, Empress. You have no intention of doing that.¡±


    Karloi, who spoke coldly, soon wiped his forced smile off his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect anything else from you, so stop being so kindhearted and finish the Queen¡¯s ceremony.¡±

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    Yvonne felt helpless when she heard Karloi¡¯s cold words. She didn¡¯t even want to look at him.


    Karloi turned his back on Yvonne, and sharply called Gorten.


    ¡°Punish all the employees in the Empress¡¯ Palace!¡±


    ¡°But Your Majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°They are the ones who caused this mess because they can¡¯t properly serve the Empress. Make sure to educate them, so this matter doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Mary Ann followed the emperor, who mercilessly stepped on the glass without looking back.


    As she followed him outside the Empress¡¯ Palace and continued to beg for forgiveness, Karloi stopped abruptly.


    ¡°Does this happen often?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, Your Majesty! Absolutely not!¡±


    Seeing Mary Ann¡¯s firm denial, it was apparent that this was a frequent occurrence. Karloi¡¯s face distorted, and he made a stride.


    ¡°Woman, you shouldn¡¯t be out here. Go tend the Empress¡¯ hands.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it your job to serve the Empress closely? And now you come all the way out here, knowing that the Empress¡¯ hands are bleeding.¡±


    Mary Ann was startled. She bowed and quickly returned to the palace.


    Karloi stood still and took a few deep breaths. Anger would be a waste for the Empress. He hated the fact that his emotions were stirred by the Empress.


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    Gorten called in an anxious tone. Karloi began walking again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be able to handle this matter unless you¡¯re a fool.¡±


    Gorten felt that the Emperor¡¯s speech was sharper than the pieces of glass scattered across the floor.


    Even the daughter of the Devil Duke would be hurt after getting stabbed by those harsh words without blood flowing.


    Even the situation seemed grim. Gorten shook his head to himself.


    To the Emperor, who was horribly affected by the Duke, this was not a good idea.


    Besides, the Empress is someone who resembles the Duke remarkably.


    He often thought that their personality wasn¡¯t all similar except for their arrogance, but seeing how the Empress responded today, he now felt that they are truly alike.


    The faithful attendant hurried along with the Emperor.


    A quiet silence enveloped the place again after the Emperor left. It was a stillness that resembled a graveyard, instead of a palace.


    * * *


    Karloi¡¯s words seemed to be effective. After leaving the Empress¡¯ Palace, the work was carried out with great haste. As soon as the Queen¡¯s ceremony¡¯s date was set, everything was finished like beads being threaded into a thread.


    Thus, causing Gorten to doubt whether the Empress was deliberately delaying work. He also wondered how she persuaded the Duke, since he was no longer visiting the palace anymore.


    ¡°I told you. If the Empress made up her mind, things would be proceeding quickly.¡±


    Karloi looked very uncomfortable saying that, so Gorten decided not to say anything, which was a wise choice.


    In fact, after visiting the palace, Karloi was feeling stuffy. He often caught himself remembering Yvonne¡¯s appearance, who seemed to have been out of her mind.


    Why the hell is she doing that to herself? What is the point of self-harm? What is her reason for acting like a maniac?


    Karloi, who was reading the report from the Empress¡¯s Palace, paused for a moment.


    ¡°Gorten. Is the date of the Queen¡¯s ceremony set?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking into it. I¡¯m sure it was already set.¡±


    ¡°¡­Did the Empress choose it herself?¡±


    ¡°The Empress must have. Why, what day is it?¡±


    The date for the Queen¡¯s ceremony was the same date as the anniversary of the Duchess of Delois¡¯ death. It¡¯s the day the Duke¡¯s wife, the Empress¡¯s mother, died.


    Karloi didn¡¯t want to know this useless information. However, there was an incident that made the day unforgettable.


    Shortly after Karloi was enthroned, he turned the Delois estate upside down under various pretexts, from tax investigations to investigations on the possession of illegal imports.


    The first thing he did with the troops he had taken from the Duke of Delois, was to investigate the Duke¡¯s land and house, unfortunately, nothing was useful. All of them were small charges, and nothing could lead to confiscation of property or deprivation of position.


    But that day was the anniversary of the Duchess¡¯s death.


    The Duke of Delois did something crazy for a few days, asking how Karloi would give him this ordeal on the anniversary of his wife¡¯s death. He self-consciously believed that Karloi deliberately picked this date.


    Due to the Duke of Delois¡¯s unfortunate circumstances, Karloi sent him the blade from a guillotine used at the execution site. Sending a message that he would not stop until he dies. Then the nobles rose up as if they were waiting for the right moment.


    Such actions stem from Karloi being a reckless Emperor. They claimed they will not serve the Emperor who is walking the path of defeat, and demanded him to apologize to the faithful Duke and honor the faithful servant.


    Karloi would never forget that day. Since the Duke was so peculiar, the same would go for his daughter. However, the date of the Queen¡¯s ceremony is the same date as the Duchess¡¯s death. Are you saying she¡¯s going to have a party on the day her mother died?


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s announce it as is.¡±


    There is no way she could forget the day her mother died.


    From the time when Karloi ascended as the Emperor, their relationship has been ice-cold from the time of the incident as he tried to capture the Duke whenever he could.


    It was hard to tell whether this was the Imperial Palace or a place where wild animals were fighting.


    However, after the Empress was brought in, there was an unparalleled ferocity in the Duke¡¯s life. It would not be surprising if Karloi would be poisoned right away.


    It was a day when it, unfortunately, rained for several days, and as the ceiling of the palace where the original Imperial affairs meeting was held collapsed. The meeting about the Queen¡¯s ceremony was held at a separate palace on the rear side.


    Karloi, who hated the rain, became even less happy as he went there.


    The same could be said for the Duke of Delois, who was in low spirits. The other nobles who watched the Duke sitting silently with a grim face, raised their voices little by little.


    From bringing in a Queen¡­ How can he bring back such a shallow Imperial system? That makes no sense¡­ This is disrespecting the nobility¡­


    Despite the voice rising as loud as the sound of the rain, Karloi only laughed as if he were missing a screw like a crazy man in love.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone see Keana? How can I be rational over such beauty? Seeing that you don¡¯t understand how I feel, it seemed like it was all political marriage with your wives?¡±


    As if what he said was entirely true, the nobles were silent.


    They could tell the Emperor that his actions were wrong/the Emperor¡¯s actions were wrong, but they couldn¡¯t/would dare to ask if he is crazy. They would be treated with the guillotine later.


    The nobles remembered clearly when Karloi personally presented the guillotine to the Duke of Delois. Though the Duke can refuse the gift, the other nobles are obligated to thank and receive it as a gift from the Emperor.


    Besides, even the Marquis of Roden, whose daughter became Queen, has yet to say or do anything about this situation, so other people have nothing to say.


    When the pawns couldn¡¯t do their job, the Duke of Delois finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°Your Majesty, there is no point of bringing in another woman as a Queen.¡±


    ¡°Is the country going to collapse because I bring in a Queen? If so, then it would be better if it collapsed.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Even if the country does not collapse, orders can. This is unprecedented for 200 years! What are you going to do with the fuss that will arise in the process?¡±


    Karloi only looked at the Duke with a quiet smile.


    ¡°In addition, there are rumors in the capital that your Majesty will entrust all the Imperial family¡¯s affairs to Lady Roden. Even with her Majesty the Empress being here¡­¡±


    ¡°Duke, Duke, Duke.¡±


    Duke Delois shut his mouth at Karloi¡¯s carefree calls.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you worried because the Empress is weak? Not once or twice have you bothered me about this? Also, aren¡¯t you the one who brought in a private physician to the palace just because you don¡¯t like the palace physician?¡±


    The Duke of Delois bit his lips, lost for words.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t entrust the complicated work of the imperial family, especially considering this empress. What the hell does the Duke want?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, what I said¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it a lie?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not a lie.¡±


    Karloi¡¯s face, as if he didn¡¯t know anything, looked genuinely innocent. The duke frowned openly to show he was annoyed by the awkward attitude. Though, Karloi continued to speak eloquently.


    ¡°Because she understands my feelings, the Empress has never had any complaints.¡±


    ¡°But the Empress is definitely¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I understand. I understand. The Empress deserves to do her job¡­¡±


    Karloi cut off the words of the nobles with a sour face.


    ¡°I tried to entrust the work to the Empress, but I was worried she would fall ill with that frail body.¡±


    The Duke bit his lip, as his blood boiled when he saw Karloi lying naturally, pretending he had done it for the Empress.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be good when Keana came in as the Queen? They can share the work between themselves, so I can freely entrust the Imperial affairs with ease.¡±


    It was obvious that he would subtly rule out the Empress.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I leave the Queen¡¯s ceremony to the Empress. She was competent. I should have listened to the words of the officials and entrusted the work.¡±


    Karloi was shamelessly showing off. But he was the Emperor, and there was certainly nothing wrong with him doing so. It was Karloi who made the best use of the law in Croisen.


    The nobles avoided glances with uncomfortable faces.


    But the Duke of Delois was a man who couldn¡¯t ignore it. He blushed with rage and shouted.


    ¡°How can you be sure that Her Majesty is preparing for the Queen¡¯s ceremony? Would the Empress do this ceremony on the day of my wife¡¯s death?¡±


    ¡°¡­What the hell are you trying to say? That I am pretending that the Empress chose the date, while it was actually me?¡±


    ¡°It means my daughter is crazy to set the date on her mother¡¯s death anniversary then. Your Majesty chose that day to insult this old man again!¡±


    A terrifying silence came. Screaming in front of the Emperor is something the Duke of Delois sometimes does, but it¡¯s been a while since he¡¯s been this loud.


    Everyone seemed to be swallowing gulps between the cold silence and looking at each other. It wasn¡¯t until a while later that Karloi opened his mouth.


    ¡°¡­Duke. Are you crazy?¡±

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    Crazy or whatever, the Emperor¡¯s words weren¡¯t exactly elegant, but it was understandable this time around.


    From calling the Empress privately as ¡®my daughter¡¯ in a public setting to treating the Emperor as a man who plays tricks behind the Empress, it was the Duke who went too far.


    If it was five years ago, it might have been easier to let this slide, but now that Karloi is expanding his presence, this has crossed the line.


    ¡°The Duke called himself an old man, and at last, he¡¯s finally old.¡±


    ¡°Old man? Your Majesty! This¡­!¡±


    ¡°When are you going to admit that, I don¡¯t care about the anniversary of your wife¡¯s death? I can¡¯t stand this any longer, this is so unpleasant.¡±


    No one dared to stop Karloi from leaving the conference hall, as he was venting his daunting anger everywhere.


    Crazy old man. Karloi mumbled.


    He was angry, and couldn¡¯t stand the Duke¡¯s ridiculous nonsense.


    All the blood from men that were killed by the Duke was enough to fill the river, so what¡¯s the big deal about his wife¡¯s death? She just died in an accident.


    Gorten struggled to follow Karloi, who had accelerated in anger.


    Karloi stopped at the entrance to the annex, where the rain was creeping in. When Gorten glanced, the attendants brought large umbrellas.


    ¡°¡­Your Majesty, the reason you hesitated then is because you knew it was the anniversary of the Duchess¡¯s death, right?¡±


    Gorten asked between the sound of the rain. Karloi didn¡¯t reply, but Gorten knew he was right.


    ¡°How could the Empress¡­ maybe she did it on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Deliberately?¡±


    ¡°To give the Duke an excuse to blame His Majesty.¡±


    It was a reasonable doubt, but Karloi didn¡¯t agree easily. He thought she was unlikely to do this, but Karloi laughed at his own thoughts.


    What does he actually know about Yvonne?


    Karloi was harsh to her at the Empress¡¯s palace the last time. She might have felt hurt by it and wanted to empower the Duke.


    The more he thought about it, the more it felt like a well-grounded hypothesis. Why else would she choose that day?


    A servant approached and whispered to Gorten.


    ¡°Lady Roden wants to see you, Your Majesty. She has something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tell her to meet me at the indoor garden. I don¡¯t want to see any nobles on the way.¡±


    Entuarum, the indoor garden of the annex, was famous for its beautifully crafted glass ceiling and was the most beloved by the Emperors of the Croisen Dynasty.


    He wasn¡¯t particularly interested in the place, so he didn¡¯t usually visit it. Though only those allowed by the Emperor could enter, so it seemed quite symbolic to go there.


    Karloi, who was heading through the Emperor¡¯s passage to the indoor garden, suddenly stopped, causing Gorten and other attendants to untangle their steps and stop as well.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    Karloi looked through the indoor garden¡¯s front door and saw Yvonne in front of an ornate door, which was decorated with various ivy plants.


    With his hand reached out from the rain covers, countless raindrops fell on his pale hands and shattered terribly.


    There was no way Karloi would allow the Empress to enter this place, where she wasn¡¯t allowed. Gorten, of course, was terrified thinking about that fact after noticing Karloi¡¯s glance, but Karloi stood blankly.


    ¡°¡­Rain.¡±


    The appearance of him muttering unknown words to himself seemed peculiar.


    It¡¯s indeed raining, but Gorton doesn¡¯t understand what he meant. Karloi was looking at the Empress with a serious face, as if possessed by something.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±


    Gorten¡¯s cautious call caused his facial expression to change as if the veil had been removed. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was doing.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I saw something weird because of the rain. Why is the Empress here, without my permission?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­Your Majesty doesn¡¯t visit here, so it¡¯s not very well maintained. The servants seem to have just opened the door because it is the Empress.¡±


    As Karloi¡¯s face hardened, Gorten instinctively felt that something was on his mind.


    ¡°Well. I could just go and ask her myself, so I wouldn¡¯t have to keep wondering.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you mean, if she deliberately set the date for the Queen¡¯s ceremony to be that day?¡±


    Karloi took the lead and strides ahead. The sound of the raindrops hitting the ceiling was more intense with each step taken. It has been raining for three days.


    The land that the wolf loved most, so they made the continent, Croisen, nicknamed heavenly. However, the only flaw would be its rainy season.


    Even in Croisen, it was the first time since fourteen years ago that such heavy rain was so severe that everyone admitted in unison.


    Palaces were poorly repaired, and old buildings that were not used were all in bad condition.


    Today, the third day, it didn¡¯t rain as hard, so Karloi was able to walk outside, but the intensity of the rain was still strong enough to make leaves fall.


    You could tell by just looking at the soaked leaves around Yvonne.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    The maid, Mary Ann, and some of the handmaids were the first to notice Karloi approaching. Yvonne was surprised to find Karloi after their last meeting. She grabbed the hem of her dress with her hand soaked from the rain.


    The water droplets that had accumulated in her hands flowed down the creases of the dress, weakly and wet the floor.


    Karloi couldn¡¯t take his gaze off her hand. He could remember clearly that it was the left hand that got injured the last time, but to reach it out to the rain without a bandage, is she really crazy or does she just not care at all?


    The rainy sky was a dull gray light, and Yvonne, who was there, stood helplessly as if going to be swallowed up by the dullness. That was irritating to Karloi.


    Since the ground Karloi was standing on was lower than the ground the Empress, and her companions were standing on. The Empress and others all bowed their knees low after seeing Karloi.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    When asked, Yvonne habitually hesitated for a moment and replied.


    ¡°I was just taking a walk.¡±


    ¡°In this weather? You have a weird hobby, Empress. Besides, this is a place where you can¡¯t enter without my permission, did you not know that?¡±


    When he saw the Empress and her companions¡¯ surprised reaction, it seemed that they were not aware.


    ¡°No one told me¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, no one at the Imperial Palace works for the Empress, so who could tell you that?¡±


    It was a remark to point out the fact that she refused to have the Imperial servants, and brought people from her own family instead. Yvonne returned to her blank expression, casting her eyes down.


    Instead of Yvonne, who seemed to have no intention of making excuses, Mary Ann, the maid, carefully opened her mouth.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s¡­ Even the servants here didn¡¯t know because no one stopped us.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? No one stopped you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If we knew, we wouldn¡¯t have come in without permission.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then it was definitely not the Empress¡¯s fault. Gorton.¡±


    Karloi, who listened carefully to Mary Ann, gently called the attendant¡¯s name.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send everyone who works in the indoor garden to somewhere else, and I¡¯ll make sure people who work here are smarter and know who they serve.¡±


    Karloi had an unnecessary knack for sweetening cruel words.


    In a low voice, Gorten gave the order without saying anything as he had expected it. Mary Ann was surprised by the afflicted results she had brought.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    Yvonne quietly called Karloi.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault that I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯ll never come to the Entuarum again, so don¡¯t punish these innocent servants that way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying it as if I¡¯m irritated. I¡¯m not kicking them out at all. Since the Empress shouldn¡¯t be here, I¡¯m just making sure they know they were told.¡±


    The sharp conversation between them was like exchanging knives, added to the tension with the sound of rain hitting a thin screen. The moisture was stifling enough to choke.


    Yvonne sighed lightly, as though she was exhausted and did not respond any further. It was Karloi who opened his mouth again nonchalantly.


    ¡°¡­Is the date of the Queen¡¯s ceremony deliberately set that way?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. I just chose the earliest suitable day.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the anniversary of the death of your birth mother?¡±


    Though Karloi was the person who asked the question insignificantly, as soon as Yvonne heard the question, her face turned pale and she started falling, rather, Karloi was surprised and took a step up.


    ¡°Empress?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look too well, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°No, no. No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    It was awkward to see her speak hastily. It was strange to see the Empress¡¯s unexpected appearance after her expressions seemed to be uncaring and unemotional.


    First was her drunk appearance, her resentful expression, and now this.


    Seeing the pale, bewildered figure, Karloi frowned. Is she blaming herself for forgetting the death anniversary of her birth mother?


    Looking at it made him wonder if she was doing that on purpose.


    ¡°Did you really not know? The Duke thought I chose that day on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m out of my mind. I will¡­¡±


    Karloi frowned suspiciously. Does this even make sense? No matter how busy she was, he couldn¡¯t understand how she could forget such a day.


    ¡°If you¡¯re doing this deliberately because of last time at the palace¡­¡±


    Karloi approached Yvonne and whispered.


    ¡°You better think carefully. If you do this again, I will find a way to kick you out of this place.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to be an excuse to drive your father out. If you don¡¯t want to be a shameful Empress, stay still.¡±


    Hearing that, Yvonne¡¯s complexion became paler, but Karloi didn¡¯t even feel sympathy for her. It only made him believe that she was good at acting because she resembled the Duke.


    ¡°The Empress¡¯s complexion is quite ridiculous.¡±


    Karloi said in a voice without containing any emotions. It was unsure how he actually felt from the tone.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    ¡°Were you not in good health? Why do you go for a useless walk, while roasting people every day? It seems like the Queen¡¯s ceremony still leaves you with the energy to go for a walk, doesn¡¯t it? Take your maids and go back to the Empress¡¯s palace.¡±


    When she saw Karloi shaking his hand, as if he didn¡¯t want to look at her, Yvonne couldn¡¯t answer. It was even more abominable to see him standing there, hurting her.


    What is there to be hurt about it.


    Mary Ann nodded after Yvonne was standing still for a while, without replying.


    As Yvonne stood up to leave, a loud noise suddenly came from something breaking from above.


    Karloi was surprised by the sound and raised his head up to see. But at that moment, his vision was blocked, and he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    Yvonne wrapped around Karloi¡¯s head.


    There was a sense of tension that made him forget even the sound of the rain for a moment. No one could make a sound and was surprised to see the Emperor and the Empress.


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­?¡±


    It was Keana Roden¡¯s voice, who had just arrived, that broke the silence.


    As soon as the slightly high voice was heard, Yvonne moved away from Karloi, startled, as though she had just awakened from a dream. Grabbing the hem of her dress, Yvonne lowered her knees again.


    ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty. I unconsciously¡­.¡±


    Karloi was looking down at Yvonne blankly, unable to answer as he was shocked.


    Then, a large twig, the size of a human¡¯s leg, fell to the floor.


    One of the branches from a large spruce tree that covered the indoor garden had fallen due to the rain. Yvonne seemed to have initially mistaken the sound of falling branches, as something collapsing.


    ¡°¡­Why?¡±


    Karloi¡¯s voice came out hoarsely. As if he was holding his breath for a long time.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just thought something was falling.¡±


    Again, the silence enveloped them. Kiana, who just arrived, was rolling her eyes seeing the unexpected situation.


    Eventually, Yvonne raised his head slightly and spoke.


    ¡°¡­I was surprised. I thought Your Majesty might get hurt.¡±


    It seemed that Keana could hear the sighs of the maids behind Yvonne. She could have made the atmosphere worse, but Keana clicked her tongue instead of saying anything.


    Soft laughter flowed from Karloi as he thought the same thing. It was a laugh that couldn¡¯t tell whether he thought it was absurd or ridiculous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish, Empress. You don¡¯t need to do that the next time. Anyway, go ahead.¡±


    Karloi muttered, roughly brushing off something from the spot Yvonne had touched, as if it was dirty. Yvonne got up and slowly walked away.


    Yvonne, who passed by Karloi, smelled like heavy rain and flowers. She must have stayed here for quite some time.


    Yvonne¡¯s gaze stayed on Keana for a while, Keana gave a bow. Even with Keana bowing down, Yvonne¡¯s gaze did not fall from her.


    ¡°I told Keana to come.¡±


    Karloi threw the word bluntly. He assumed that the reason she looked at Keana was because he said the indoor garden could only be accessed by those authorized by him.


    Yvonne replied without looking back.


    ¡°Of course you did, Your Majesty.¡±


    (T/N: she replied this in a sarcastic manner of speech.)


    After replying to Karloi, Yvonne left. Keana, who was bowing her head, raised her head when Yvonne was out of sight.


    She can see Karloi staring towards where Yvonne left.


    ¡°Your Majesty, why are your ears red?¡±


    Keana asked innocently.


    ¡°I guess the Empress must have pressed my ears when she grabbed my head without thinking.¡±


    Seeing Karloi answer without being embarrassed and remaining indifferent, Keana tilted her head.


    ¡°Why did you ask me to see you? Let¡¯s head in and talk.¡±


    Keana walked along Karloi into the indoor garden. All attendants, including Gorten, waited outside the indoor garden. As soon as he entered, he could smell a strong floral scent. Karloi hated it and sighed for a moment.


    ¡°My father found something strange when he was investigating.¡±


    ¡°For the case?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not certain. It was fourteen years ago when Your Majesty¡¯s kidnapping took place.¡±


    When an unforgettable memory was mentioned, Karloi stiffened his face for a moment.


    ¡°Not long after Your Majesty¡¯s return to the palace, the Duke fired all other Dukes, and some of his employees.¡±


    ¡°Why the employee?¡±


    ¡°After the dismissal order, it appears they all vanished. Not one was found from the two-hundred people. It was assumed that they could be dead, or that they ran off somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the Duke killed all of them.¡±


    Keana nodded. The harsh conversation was contrasting the indoor garden, where all kinds of flowers are in full bloom.


    ¡°What is your opinion?¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a connection between the Duke and those employees who were fired. Otherwise, it would not make sense for him to get rid of them, as though he¡¯s trying to destroy the evidence.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too.¡±


    Karloi nodded and stopped.


    White lilies bloomed and settled beautifully. Since it was a flower that was forced to bloom by magic, it had a strong scent.


    Karloi stares at the lily, it somehow reminds him of someone. Keana sneezes beside him.


    ¡± Ugh, pollen. Anyway, this is what I thought, Your Majesty.¡±


    Keana spoke as she rubbed her red nose with her fingers.


    ¡°The Duke changed all of the employees since the incident. Now the current employees have no clue about the incident.¡±


    ¡°So it would be wise to focus on finding traces of the former employees.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will try to do that, but it might take a while for the result. Though if the Duke had killed them all, it would be impossible to find the traces.¡±


    ¡°Then what would you do?¡±


    Keana looked down at a bunch of white lilies.


    ¡°You know one person. One person who hasn¡¯t been replaced in the mansion except for the Duke. The person who has been here the whole time.¡±


    Although Karloi¡¯s face was blatantly crumpled, Keana didn¡¯t care and spoke.


    ¡°Even if she doesn¡¯t know anything about the incident, she is the only one who has access to the Duke or Duke¡¯s house. The only person the Duke would not be wary of is right next to you, Your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Lady Roden, it sounds like you are telling me to seduce the Empress and make her mine.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a side issue that I hate the Empress. The empress also hates me, so it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°The issue is that I hate the Empress. The Empress also hates me, so it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Your Majesty treats her that way.¡±


    When Karloi looked at Keana silently, she quickly lowered her head. Although realizing that she had crossed the line, she didn¡¯t stop talking. Keana spoke carefully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Empress hates Your Majesty. I felt it during the meal, but¡­ the way she looks at you. You can call it intuition.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, but I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to try to kill the Empress¡¯s father. How would the Empress be blinded by love and choose me, a person who is so insensitive.¡±


    ¡°¡­My father, unlike the Duke of Delois, was a kind man. He was indecisive, but compared to other people, he allowed me to freely do whatever I wanted.¡±


    Karloi raised her eyebrows when Keana started telling her story all of a sudden.


    ¡°But look what I did, Your Majesty.¡±


    Keana¡¯s face turned bitter.


    ¡°I broke my father¡¯s will to marry someone I didn¡¯t want, and I signed a contract with Your Majesty for the reason that I wanted to love whoever I want, knowing it would put my father at risk.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I could do all that, but what about Her Majesty the Empress? Unless you¡¯re an idiot, you know that the Duke is garbage.¡±


    Understanding what Keana wanted to say, Karloi sighs annoyingly with a tired face.


    ¡°Okay, fine, I understand, so stop talking about this. I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    What a joke. This is a crazy plan. It was annoying enough to touch Yvonne. What kind of temptation and love is she talking about?


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. That¡¯s all I have to say. May I go now? It¡¯s difficult to stay here because there are so many flowers.¡±


    As Karloi nodded, Keana exhaled a big sigh of relief and bowed. She darted towards the door but was called by Karloi once again. Keana paused and looked back.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Do you know that the offer could be very cruel to the Empress? It could be even crueler than me.¡±


    Keana had no answer.


    ¡°If I do what you say, the Empress will sell her father out of love and drive him to his death. Even so, that love would be a lie. I will never love the Empress.¡±


    Keana listened to Karloi without any response.


    ¡°Then there will be no family, love, status, anything left to the Empress. Without her father, she wouldn¡¯t even be the Empress.¡±


    It was then that Keana smiled at Karloi¡¯s words.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, because my love is more important to me.¡±


    Keana politely bowed again.


    ¡°If you are blinded by love, you¡¯ll lose sight, Your Majesty. There is nothing in sight¡­ so it¡¯s good to use that to your advantage.


    After saying that, Keana left the Enturarum.


    Karloi smelled the strong scent of lilies and chewed the words long. To say that he is blinded by love. He knew the meaning of it better than anyone else.


    The reason why the Dynasty was eaten by the Duke of Delois, was because of that crazy love.


    Karloi¡¯s grandfather, who was brilliant, was blinded by love, so he ignored everyone¡¯s opposition and fought a war forcibly to win the love of a foreign Princess.


    The long-lasting war brought defeat, the kingship was weakened, and the Duke of Delois became influential.


    As long as he remembered his memory instead of his grandfather, as long as he remembered whose life was sacrificed for his¡­ Karloi would never be a man who could love someone.


    Whether it was fortunate or not, Karloi does not know himself.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    The day of the Queen¡¯s coronation ceremony has arrived. In the meantime, Karloi tried to intensify the meals that were served to him and combined them with antidote elements. It had been limited to plants that could only be used for poison.


    When he saw Duke Delois, Karloi felt that there would likely be more attempts to poison him.


    Doing this might not avoid all poisoning attempts, but it was better than doing nothing. The Duke had a terrifying effort, so it couldn¡¯t be forgotten how he would often try his best to assassinate him.


    After his marriage to Yvonne, Duke Delois never thought of him as his son-in-law, and after a year, he no longer felt safe.


    Luckily, his predictions were wrong, Karloi¡¯s meal was fine, and there were no assassins targeting him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the benefit to the Duke of Delois to harm Your Majesty now? He¡¯s not a person who behaves so recklessly, that Duke.¡±


    Gorten said calmly, as if to reassure him. He wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    At Gorten¡¯s words, Karloi nodded unconsciously.


    The duke was a man who had his own procedures for dealing with his silence. It¡¯s a problem because he doesn¡¯t know what the damn procedures could be.


    ¡°What about the Empress?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s quiet. She seems to be busy preparing for the Queen¡¯s ceremony.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of the Duke, and I don¡¯t know what kind of tricks she¡¯s got up her sleeve.¡±


    ¡°What else can the Empress do to Your Majesty? She¡¯s not even close to Your Majesty, anyway.¡±


    That made sense.


    However, at the time when Karloi was feeling relieved, a secret letter was delivered to Keana, informing her of something. It was two days before the ceremony.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m an easier target than Your Majesty. Well, getting my support would take a lot of effort for the Duke. I¡¯m not that strong against poison.¡±


    Keana muttered after reading the letter. The letter mentioned the Duke of Delois plans to poison Keana at the Queen¡¯s ceremony.


    Neither Karloi nor Keana was particularly surprised. It was obvious for the Duke of Delois to do. Considering the Duke¡¯s actions, it would be rather unusual if he did not try this.


    Rather, it was even more surprising that someone had ratted him out. This has never happened before.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a trap.¡±


    ¡°A trap?¡±


    ¡°There has never been a secret letter like this. Who among the Duke¡¯s servants could send us something like this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but what kind of trap would you think this could be?¡±


    Well¡­.I need to get my evidence sorted, I can¡¯t do an investigation if I don¡¯t know in advance. It¡¯s more difficult if I investigate and then plan changes. So I don¡¯t know if this is indeed a trap or not.


    So they held their breath and waited for the ceremony as if they had become bait themselves.


    On the day of the ceremony, it wasn¡¯t only Karloi and Keana that focused all of their attention on the coronation ceremony.


    The Emperor¡¯s nobles opened their eyes wide and tried to catch a fault with the Empress. Though they couldn¡¯t do anything with Yvonne, the daughter of the Duke, they still wanted to find fault in her / that didn¡¯t stop them from wanting to find faults in her.


    But the coronation ceremony was perfect. There was nothing to blame, from the procedure to the scale. Rather, it was the Emperor who was to be blamed because Karloi didn¡¯t dance with the Empress, let alone exchange a single glance with her.


    ¡°You seem more beautiful today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Your Majesty, you also look more handsome.¡±


    The Emperor and the Queen¡¯s love affair continued, which no one was pleased about.


    Keana was more glamorous than anyone else in the banquet hall. Colorful trinkets hanging here and there seemed to show off Karloi¡¯s affection.


    Yvonne did not glance at Karloi, who talked and danced only with Keana. Like always, she just sat still, without any motion, in her own seat, breathless.


    The nobles felt frustrated just by looking at her, wanting to beat their chests for no reason as it felt stuffy.


    It would be nice to do something to recover the relationship, but the Empress was sitting like a noble crane, as if she had never given a thought about it, even in her dreams.


    ¡°Your Majesty, isn¡¯t the Empress is behaving too bluntly? What¡¯s the reason she became an Empress?¡±


    A noble muttered fearlessly, and Duke Delois glared at him fiercely. The nobleman, who had spoken, hurried to evacuate. The Duke¡¯s gaze at Karloi and Keana was spiteful, but the gaze to his daughter Yvonne wasn¡¯t too favorable either.


    Karloi, who dances at the ceremony, was not feeling particularly comfortable.


    Nonetheless, he and Keana had drank the antidote in advance, but it was stressful to worry about whether the information in the letter was true or not, and if so, worrying about when and who would be poisoned.


    It¡¯s annoying to see Yvonne sitting peacefully, whether she does or doesn¡¯t know her father¡¯s disgusting intentions.


    It was also possible for the Duke to make such a grand plan because the ceremony was in the hands of the Empress.


    In addition, the Empress might have been planning to poison Keana herself. At least, she might not be unaware of the plan.


    ¡°¡­You prepared well for the ceremony. I think it must have been difficult for the Empress to do it alone.¡±


    Yvonne narrowed her eyes and looked at Karloi next to her. Since it was the first time that Karloi didn¡¯t make criticism or sarcastic remarks at an official event.


    ¡°It¡¯s your first time, so there must have been a lot of things you didn¡¯t know, did you do it alone?¡±


    It was a question that implied that she was helped by the Duke. Yvonne seemed to have noticed the meaning in the cold atmosphere from Karloi to accept it as a pure compliment.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It sounded like a dry answer, or an answer indicating him to drop it off. Karloi was at a loss for words and turned his head forward again.


    However, he spoke with feeble anger soon after.


    ¡°You better remember what I said.¡±


    Yvonne looked at him with an expression, suggesting that she did not understand his words.


    ¡°I mean, if you do anything wrong, I will take you off the Empress¡¯ seat.¡±


    Karloi¡¯s profile was as cold as always. The thick lines made him look sharper. It was completely different from the expression that he looked at Keana with earlier.


    ¡°What kind of things are you referring to?¡±


    As if not understanding. Karloi looked back at Yvonne, frowning at her.


    ¡°If you¡¯re planning to do something to Keana, I¡¯m telling you to stop right now. The coronation ceremony was the Empress¡¯s job, so if anything happens, you¡¯ll be held accountable.¡±


    Yvonne looked at Karloi without answering, there was silence again between the two.


    ¡°Leave Keana alone.¡±


    Karloi said once more firmly. Yvonne opened her mouth a few times, then sighed.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d do something like that?¡±


    ¡°Is that even a question? I think you are capable of doing more than that.¡±


    Karloi replied as if he didn¡¯t even need room to think.


    ¡°So don¡¯t even try.¡±


    ¡°Why? Listening to the words, if the Queen is wronged, it would rather benefit Your Majesty. Since you could make me take responsibility and kill me, the one you hate so much.¡±


    At her unexpected response, Karloi glared at Yvonne with a ferocious look. The expression on her face did not change even in front of Karloi¡¯s eyes.


    It seemed somewhat unfair that Karloi was dumbfounded.


    ¡°¡­Give it a try. I won¡¯t kill you easily..¡±


    Upon hearing that, Yvonne¡¯s face changed slightly to more annoyed. She is the first to come up with a dog-like answer, so why do you have that face.


    Karloi seemed bored and left his seat that was next to Yvonne.


    Amid an unknown tension, the order of the coronation ceremony quickly progressed. A toast cup was placed side by side in front of the Emperor and the Empress, the Queen, and the nobles. The moment he looked at the glass, Karloi had a hunch.


    ¡°¡­For the glory of Croisen.¡±


    Karloi raised the glass and shouted. Not much flowed into his throat. While Karloi slowly lowered the glass, he remained calm.


    Watching it, Keana gulped from the tension. She thinks this would be the goal, as written in the secret letter.


    Yvonne lifted the glass as Karloi put it down.


    ¡°For the glory of Croisen.¡±


    Yvonne spoke in her heartless voice, and without hesitation, she held her cup to her mouth. It was a face that seemed to hope for destruction, not glory.


    Seeing that, Keana grabbed her cup with her trembling hands since it was her turn next.


    He repeatedly said that it would be okay because she drank the antidote that Karloi had carried around, but she couldn¡¯t help but be afraid. First off, Keana wasn¡¯t a poison-tolerant human like Carlo.


    She still thought it was dangerous, and couldn¡¯t believe that she had to risk her life this quickly. Keana sighed anxiously.


    As Yvonne lowered her cup, Keana raised her toast cup in front of her. The moment when the cup was about to touch her lips.


    ¡°Empress!¡±


    ¡°Aaaaahhh!¡±


    Yvonne, who was sitting next to Karloi, vomited blood.


    In an instant, the hall turned into a chaotic mess. The Duke was surprised and stood up from his seat and shouted, all of the nobles screamed.


    Keana took out the silver rod, which she had put under her arm, and put it in her own cup, which she did not drink. There was no change in the color of the drink.


    Yvonne fell sideways onto Karloi¡¯s shoulder. Yvonne¡¯s blood was smeared on his shoulder. Her hand was shaking as if she was still conscious.


    Her ears felt like they were about to burst because of the noise.


    Karloid grabbed Yvonne, grasping her lightly with his trembling hand, and then, he pulled out a bottle with his other hand. He was so scared to open the bottle because his hands were trembling.


    Karloi struggled to put the antidote into Yvonne¡¯s mouth. After the antidote entered, Yvonne lost consciousness and drooped in Karloi¡¯s arms.


    Karloi again took out the silver rod he had always carried under his arm. When the silver rod went into Yvonne¡¯s glass and was soaked in the remaining liquor, he could quickly see the darkened rod.


    ¡°¡­ The Empress.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t muster his voice, so Karloi cleared his throat.


    ¡°The Empress is poisoned! Block all entrances to the Imperial Palace!¡±


    As Karloi shouted in a trembling voice, the soldiers quickly surrounded the entrance of the banquet hall, and the head of the bodyguards left the hall. Karloi checked Yvonne¡¯s pulse.


    She was alive.


    He ran out of strength.


    _______________________


    T/N:


    Theories! Theories! Does anybody have theories? XD


    Who do you think poisoned Yvonne? Not what Karloi and Keana are out of the picture? The Duke? Or even ¡­¡­. Yvonne herself?


    Or is this just a pure mistake?

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    The Empress was poisoned, and the Imperial Palace was flipped over. The investigation began, but there were no traces.


    People who might have been involved were all found dead, with no evidence. Not even the Empress¡¯s attendants.


    From what Karloi saw, he was even more convinced that it was definitely the Duke¡¯s work. Even in the Imperial Palace, there was no one who could do this so thoroughly except for the Duke. It was something he had been familiarized with.


    ¡°What is going on? Who would dare poison her Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the coronation ceremony is the Empress¡¯s job¡­ who could try to do that?


    ¡°No? Then did the poison go into the glass by itself? Honestly, it¡¯s obvious that someone would try to harm the Empress.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Marquis of Roden screamed as it was unfair that the suspicion was on the Queen. Karloi sighed and dismissed the meeting.


    The investigation was slow, and the nobles attacked continued to attack each other, divided between the Duke and the Emperor.


    The Duke claimed that the Marquis of Roden must have poisoned the Empress, but none of the evidence came out supporting his claim so it was not accepted. It was a self-inflicted blow.


    There was no lead, and things ended.


    Nevertheless, the Duke could not intentionally try to poison his daughter. That was what Karloi gathered from his reaction. His face was as surprised as a person who had been in an unexpected situation.


    No matter how much he thought about it, there were two possibilities. The Duke made a mistake, or someone changed the glass.


    But the Duke wouldn¡¯t make a mistake, and he didn¡¯t have anyone to change glasses. Except for only one person.


    [She drank only a small amount, and it was fortunate that Your Majesty made her drink the antidote right away. Her condition is not critical, so it seems that she will be conscious within a few days.]


    Recalling Yvonne¡¯s dedicated physician, Karloi wiped his face with his hands. He gazed at Yvonne¡¯s face, lying on her bed.


    Her face was so colorless that it felt like a lie. Her closed eyes showed no sign of opening.


    It was already the third day. Karloi couldn¡¯t figure out why he was here himself.


    He doesn¡¯t even know why he had so hastily fed the antidote in the first place. ¡®Didn¡¯t you always wish she was gone?¡¯ If he chose not to do anything, Yvonne would have died.


    With the unconscious Empress in front of him, Karloi struggled to come up with an excuse to make himself understand.


    Yes, it must be an impulse. Anyone would instinctively act if a person is dying before their eyes.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about Yvonne. There was no reason for him to do that, but he kept returning to her bedroom for three days, continually, like birds returning to their nests.


    When he closed his eyes, he vividly remembered Yvonne vomiting blood, causing him to not be able to sleep comfortably. He remembered her small body trembling with her face on his shoulder.


    False rumors were circulating among the people of the Imperial Palace that the Emperor seemed to have finally realized the preciousness of the Empress.


    There were rumors, rumors, and rumors. He grumbled in his own ridiculous doubts; Yvonne was the only one who knew this in advance, and she could¡¯ve changed the glasses.


    But it¡¯s not like she was throwing the glass away, she drank it herself. It¡¯s just a ridiculous guess.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Karloi unwittingly put his finger under Yvonne¡¯s nose. Since Yvonne was lying down as if she¡¯s dead.


    He felt her breath on his hand. It seemed that she was still alive. As his hand touched her cheek, he felt cold skin. It was so cold that he suddenly got goosebumps.


    It was a moment when Karloi, who had been so fascinated for a while, was about to move his hand. Yvonne¡¯s eyelashes were weakly trembling, and Yvonne opened her eyes.


    Karloi couldn¡¯t take his hand away and paused. Yvonne blinked her eyes very slowly a couple of times. Her eyes were confused as if seeing something strange.


    She was too close. Her green eyes, which he hated so much, were right in front of him.


    ¡°¡­Kal?¡±


    Yvonne whispered.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    Karloi muttered blankly. After the death of the Emperor, Karloi became stiff upon hearing his nickname for the first time. He couldn¡¯t answer and just stared at Yvonne blankly.


    Yvonne¡¯s eyes, as she watched Karloi, who wasn¡¯t even moving, slowly closed again, like it was a dream. Even after Yvonne fell asleep again, Karloi didn¡¯t move for a while. He didn¡¯t understand what had happened.


    It was only after the handmaid came in and called him with her puzzled face before Karloi could sit back unnaturally.


    It was apparent that the Empress was really insane.


    He kept thinking that she must have gone crazy for calling him by his nickname.


    Or did she have another man named Kal? Karloi couldn¡¯t believe his ears to the point of coming up with such absurd speculation.


    The feeling of being called by his own nickname reminded him of a person he missed, but he shook his head. He must have gone crazy himself. They are not alike. Why the hell did he think that?


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    Karloi took a long breath and grabbed his trembling hands. It was then when Yvonne¡¯s words suddenly came to mind.


    [This is for your sake.]


    [I was going to live in this palace quietly, so you wouldn¡¯t even hear my breathing. This would benefit to Your Majesty, for me to do nothing and live as a scarecrow Empress.]


    Feeling suffocated, Karloi swept his hand over his mouth. Yvonne¡¯s gaze, which sometimes grows bold as she looks at him, reminds him of Yvonne, who was protecting him in the garden.


    [Do you think I would do that?]


    Yvonne¡¯s unhappy look when asked the question. The face changed after hearing Karloi¡¯s answer.


    Yvonne was poisoned and fell instead of Keana.


    A thought squeezed through him with a tight breath.


    [I think the Empress does not hate Your Majesty.]


    Keana¡¯s words hit him hard in the head, but still, it didn¡¯t make sense. Yvonne had no reason not to hate him. He¡¯s not stupid.


    But what if that one thing, out of a thousand, is really correct?


    Yvonne opened her eyes again, figuring how much time had passed. She saw Karloi alone, deep in his thoughts.


    ¡°¡­Your Majesty, why are you here?¡±


    Karloi was surprised by her poorly rested voice and looked at Yvonne. She was looking at him with subdued eyes as if she couldn¡¯t even remember waking up for a while.


    She couldn¡¯t believe the first thing she saw as she opened her eyes was Karloi, and Yvonne continued to inspect Karloi. As if trying to see if this was a dream or reality


    Karloi tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out. Yvonne looked around for a moment, then exhaled a long breath, trying to grasp the situation, but confusion was shown on her face when she looked at Karloi.


    It was only after he cleared his throat several times that Karloi was able to speak.


    ¡°¡­Three days have passed since you were unconscious from the poison. How is your body, Empress?¡±


    ¡°Apart from feeling a little dizzy, I¡¯m all right.¡±


    Although she was speaking slowly, she was overly calm for someone who was poisoned. Her appearance fueled Karloi¡¯s suspicion or even speculation.


    It was strange that she was poisoned and didn¡¯t ask anything.


    ¡°Did you know the Duke¡¯s plan?¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°You acted like you knew what I meant when I told you to leave Keana alone.¡±


    Yvonne briefly closed her eyes. Seeing her trembling eyelids, Karloi asked again.


    ¡°Are you aware of the poisoned glass in advance and swapped it? What did you do after knowing the Duke¡¯s plan¡­ No one other than you can know such a thing in advance¡­¡±


    Yvonne slowly opened her eyes again. Even with his very unkind and blatant questions, Yvonne looked straight at Karloi without feeling surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about, Your Majesty. Unless I¡¯m crazy, I wouldn¡¯t poison myself.¡±


    It was an unemotional tone, as usual. However, it gave Karloi a firm conviction.


    Yvonne Delois is crazy, he doesn¡¯t know why, but she¡¯s not sane, so she must have drunk the poison herself. She doesn¡¯t even ask who the perpetrator is.


    Yvonne turned her head to see if what she said was burdensome for Karloi, though he looked at her without saying anything. Even that was suspicious.


    ¡°¡­The Empress mumbled in her sleep and called my nickname.¡±


    Karloi did not miss seeing Yvonne¡¯s face hardened for a moment. She responded too quickly that it felt impatient.


    ¡°Your Majesty must have misheard.¡±


    It was really ridiculous. Yvonne¡¯s strange attitude instead fueled Karloy¡¯s crazy speculation.


    The more he became convinced by his ridiculously strange conviction, the more distorted Karloi¡¯s face became.


    The reason she informed the Duke¡¯s plan, drank the poison, and lied this way. There was only one reason that came to Karloi¡¯s mind.


    [If you are blinded by love, you¡¯ll lose sight.]


    Keana¡¯s voice hovered in Karloi¡¯s head. The image of his grandfather, who sold the country for his love, was there too.


    [There would be nothing in sight¡­]


    Even before the rational judgment was over, Karloi acted instinctively. He grabbed Yvonne¡¯s cold hand on the bed.


    At his unfamiliar appearance, Yvonne turned her head back with surprised eyes and looked at Karloi.


    There was a strange tension in the silence between the two.


    ¡°¡­ I was worried.¡±


    At Karloi¡¯s words, Yvonne¡¯s eyes grew wide, unbelieving the current situation. Karloi gave Yvonne a little more strength to hold his hand by placing his other hand over hers.


    She could feel the warmth from Karloi¡¯s hand transferred to Yvonne¡¯s hand. Perhaps because of that unfamiliar touch, Karloi¡¯s heart pounded unpleasantly.


    It was a very strange feeling he first felt. His heartbeat overwhelmingly, and his body felt hot and not in his control.


    Karloi told himself it was the excitement of the one who foresaw victory. The excitement that his turn to finally get to kill Delois has arrived.


    Karloi Croisen was a man who couldn¡¯t love anyone, but he knew he could be the one who uses love instead.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    Part 2 ¨C The Empress Can¡¯t Hate the Emperor


    Yvonne Delois was the illegitimate child of the Duke of Delois, who is said to control the fate, even of the Royal family.


    From the time she entered the Duke¡¯s family at the age of 12, it was common for her to be confined in the basement. She couldn¡¯t walk a step outside, or she would get beaten by the Duke to the point where she couldn¡¯t even lift a finger.


    To tell the truth, this Yvonne Delois wasn¡¯t even the real Yvonne Delois. When the Duke¡¯s daughter, the real Yvonne, died, he brought in someone who was nothing but an illegitimate child from the slums, whose real name was Lilian Lou.


    And this was the reason why Yvonne Delois was hated by the Duke right now.


    ¡°Keep in mind. More than a hundred eyes are guarding you in the Imperial Palace. This will be the end for you and your mother if you get caught fooling around.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The short answer has become a habit. It was a habit that occurred because she couldn¡¯t know what kind of criticism the Duke would have if she talked too much. The shorter the words, the shorter the violence.


    Her marriage to the Emperor also came with a sudden warning, and it was only a week before the wedding, the Duke of Delois told Yvonne the same thing.


    She was told to do what he demands and to not be ¡®foolish¡¯ with the Emperor.


    If the Duke told her to ask the Emperor to treat her kindly, she must do it. If he asked her to get to know the Emperor lightly, she must do so. And if he asked her to have children, she must follow his demand, and live like a doll.


    The Duke was not feeling relieved, even though he held her sick mother hostage. He searched the continent because the whole Empire wasn¡¯t enough to find a high-level wizard to cast a spell, stopping her from leaking the secrets.


    A magic that will never disappear unless the Duke or the wizard dies.


    There was still a lot of nagging on the subject because he still had doubts about it. Lunatic.


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    In response to Yvonne¡¯s answer, the Duke laughed openly. Yvonne thought to herself that the character that was revealed from this old face was incredibly disgusting.


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t worry? A girl who can ruin it once can ruin it again.¡±


    Yvonne wanted to rip her ears off because the Duke never got tired of talking about what happened fourteen years ago, but she hid her feelings.


    If she could, she would have torn her ear, or even her neck, fourteen years ago. Instead, Yvonne always imagined in her head. The image of her mercilessly beating the Duke, the image of her brutally killing the Duke.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know anything back then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s more alarming now. You didn¡¯t know he was the Crown Prince, but now he¡¯s the Emperor.¡±


    How can he distort the word ¡®foolish you¡¯ to the fact that she saved a boy who was almost killed by being kidnapped? For Yvonne, she couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    Well, it is true that she felt affection for him, even in such a short time like a moron, is that so wrong?


    ¡°Watch him closely and be respectful, do him a favor. Do you get it? He¡¯ll try to coax you. Blood doesn¡¯t change. Croisen is like that.¡±


    Blood doesn¡¯t go anywhere. Yvonne wanted to deny it, as she considered receiving the Duke¡¯s blood as a curse, but Yvonne was familiar with the answer.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a normal man, too, but there¡¯s probably something wrong with him.¡±


    The Duke, who was speaking to her nervously, threw a book, and Yvonne knew it was time for her to get out.


    ¡°*******.¡±


    Yvonne muttered alone in her empty room.


    The day before her wedding, Yvonne thought while lying on her bed. If, as the Duke says, if she ¡®jumps out¡¯ like a madwoman, will Karloi respond?


    Would he react because she was his enemy¡¯s daughter? When she imagined Karloi in her childhood, but it was unlikely that he would be the same.


    [ There is a demon here. Obviously, this has to be the demon¡¯s work. He tried to kill my uncles and my father too. ]


    On that day, a face that became bloody, with limbs being tied up, was Karloi. He was talking while shedding tears. That hate and spite were visible on his face.


    [ Why is that person doing that to you? ]


    [ ¡­My house is rich, so he wanted to covet Our fortune. ]


    [ You said he¡¯s a Duke. Isn¡¯t the Duke rich? ]


    [ Ah, he is something like that! ]


    Even if she thought about it now, he was in a bad mood. He still had the energy to get his mouth twisted and angry.


    Meanwhile, she felt that it was smarter not to tell the truth about who she was.


    [ I¡¯m going to come back here alive and kill that demon. ]


    He¡¯s not going to come back alive. What confidence is it even though the captains are sharpening their swords every meal, thinking about when they will kill him?


    But, contrary to his solemn words, tears were continually flowing from his young eyes. How harsh must it be for him, who was young to be in such tears?


    ¡°¡­ Kal.¡±


    She recalled a name she hadn¡¯t called for a long time. The feeling of it rolling on her tongue was awkward.


    Even at a young age, the determination that was full of hatred is still so vivid. Is Karloi going to give that favor to the enemy¡¯s daughter? If she pretended to be crazy, will he fall for it?


    Yvonne lied on her bed and shook her head.


    With that personality? No way. It was safe to assume that there was no possibility that Karloi would behave favorably to her. It was as fictitious as escaping the Duke.


    Then she had to think about something else. In the first place, is there any chance that Karloi would notice that she was that Lilian at that time? Yvonne weighed her possibilities in a drooping position like a dead body.


    When Lilian wiped away the tears from Little Karloi, who was crying and muttering. He said.


    [ What, put your dirty hands away. ]


    She remembered Karloi, who was shouting sharply. It was so ridiculous that she thought, ¡®I may have dirty hands, but you have a dirty temper¡¯.


    However, during her days as Lilian Lou when she was a child, Yvonne was good at controlling her temperament. She did not give up and rubbed Karloi¡¯s face even more to show who was really dirty.


    Her touch was rough, but Lilian¡¯s eyes were soft because she felt sorry for Karloi at the time.


    [ Boy, why are you looking at me like that? Put your hands away! ]


    Karloi frowned and grumbled at her. Yes, Karloi initially thought Lilian was a boy.


    It wasn¡¯t really Karloi¡¯s fault. He thought that Lilian was a skinny boy because not everyone could afford to eat then.


    [ You idiot! ]


    [ Wh-What? How old are you! ]


    Karloi asked back with a childish strike, but Lilian did not answer. Lilian has a habit of not correcting such misunderstandings because she was not raised to be girly.


    Poor dry limbs and short hair that didn¡¯t even reach her neck was grayish-brown, and her skin was black as a child in a coal mine unable to see the sun all day¡­ The clothes she wore were too thin. It was more like a piece of cloth rather than clothes.


    At the time, it had to be that way. She couldn¡¯t afford anything else.


    But now?


    Yvonne, who was lying on her bed, stared into space blankly, lifting her hair with her arm.


    Her slender wrists held a bright, shiny white-blond hair that even looked transparent. Her skin was so pale as if she had never received sunlight and her luxurious silk clothes.


    Her arms and hair fell powerlessly onto the bed. She was hopeless. Unless he has ancient wizard-class eyes, there is no way he would know it was Lilian back when by looking at her now.


    Even now, whenever she looked in the mirror, she felt unfamiliar with herself. No, she was rather disgusted with the appearance that resembled the Duke too much.


    It was funny. The real Yvonne, the Duchess, and the Duke¡¯s daughter was a child who looked just like her mother as if half of the seed had disappeared.


    [ When I go back, I will definitely find you. I will never forget, I promise you, Lou. ]


    But, still. I.


    Yvonne slowly closed her eyes. She forgot how to shed her tears a long time ago. Since she realized early on that, it wouldn¡¯t help.


    Though she still can¡¯t forget his promise.


    The cold breeze constantly blowing from the open window hit her cheeks painfully.


    Yvonne prayed, gathering her hands neatly and placing them on her chest. Without knowing who she was praying to, Yvonne said eagerly.


    ¡®Please give me a miracle. I will forgive all the misfortunes so far, I would only ask for a miracle this time¡¯, and she pleaded.


    ¡°Kal.¡±


    Yvonne whispered as if reciting her prayer.


    Perhaps miracles could happen, and he might remember her.


    [ Lou, I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t suffer anyone. I will protect you. ]


    She wonders if he¡¯ll keep the promises from his youthful days when he didn¡¯t know anything.


    Maybe it¡¯s not going to happen.


    When Yvonne saw Karloi at the wedding, she realized it once again. Hope is nothing more than a useless illusion grasped by humans, with a very low probability.


    ¡°Always remember that your mother¡¯s life is up to me.¡±


    It was a familiar threat that came and went at the wedding like her father wished for his daughter¡¯s happiness.


    Yvonne nodded a little and kept walking. When she entered the hall, Yvonne was so nervous that she almost collapsed while walking.


    The Duke saw her staggering and grabbed her hand so hard that it hurt, thinking that she was doing something nonsensical.


    She couldn¡¯t groan, so she looked at the Duke, and he was already acting.


    ¡°Yv¡­¡±


    It was a terrifying, acting ability that made her cry. She was disgusted, and she was feeling nauseous. Yvonne barely swallowed her swelling weights and smiled.


    Well, if she¡¯s the daughter he loves, she can¡¯t make a fool of herself. What face could she make if that¡¯s the case?


    Yvonne moderately matched the rhythm to the performance as she walked towards Karloi.


    She looked at Karloi in his eyes with an intense desire for him to recognize her, but his expression only got more and more ugly.


    He didn¡¯t recognize her.


    It was obvious, but something inside her broke. Karloi even shook off her hand and left the ceremony alone.


    Yvonne was left alone. She blankly thought, ¡®You said you wouldn¡¯t forget, you filthy idiot.¡¯


    The Duke approached Yvonne at a rapid pace. He could not tolerate even a moment for her to be lost in a daze.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    It was evident that she would say nonsense again if left alone. No, it would be fortunate if she spouted nonsense, but she didn¡¯t know if she would bother Karloi and hurt his pride.


    Yvonne shook her head and grabbed the Duke¡¯s arm. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was going to get on Karloi¡¯s nerves.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    It was strange and awkward to see Karloi expressing his anger as he suddenly came into the bedroom. Yvonne felt it then. As she wasn¡¯t the old Lilian Lou, Karloi is also not the old Kal.


    The Kal at the time was clumsy, but he was an honest, hot-tempered little boy, not a frighteningly quiet, cold-tempered man.


    ¡°I hate Delois terribly and know that if I can, I want to get rid of all those who received the castle from this Empire.¡±


    Even if he did not raise his voice, she felt cruel anger from Karloi.


    She thought she had become accustomed to the pain, but it didn¡¯t seem so from the pain Karloi gave her. Every word he spits pricked her chest.


    His brutal sincerity touched Yvonne, so she couldn¡¯t even ignore him.


    Karloi wants to kill me now.


    Yvonne was forced to give up. If he is full of hatred to this extent, there is no way he will favor her, and he would never remember her.


    The only option left was to believe in Karloi¡¯s rationality. She had to make Karloi realize that it was beneficial to get out of the Duke¡¯s interference by doing the least of their duties.


    ¡°You could be the Empress of this country, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    Though Yvonne soon learned that she couldn¡¯t even do that. Karloi¡¯s hatred seemed to have erased all options other than ¡®hostility.¡¯


    When Karloi left, leaving only his cold words, Yvonne fell to the bed like a wooden doll with broken limbs.


    ¡°Now I can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Yvonne muttered to herself.


    She can¡¯t be honest with Karloi, and she can¡¯t comfortably side with him. Nevertheless, it is impossible to win Karloi¡¯s favor by listening to the Duke¡¯s words.


    She can¡¯t do anything about that either, so she¡¯s probably going to rot away here.


    Her eyes were wet. Yvonne slowly rubbed her eyes. It was strange since she hadn¡¯t cried in a long time.


    She seemed to be expecting too much with her useless hope. She was hoping that she might have been able to escape from hell, but she just walked into another nightmare.


    ¡°¡­Mom.¡±


    In her crying voice, Yvonne muttered, calling her mother like a child. She was scared and lonely.


    On the day she sat in the noblest position, Yvonne fell into a bottomless pit of despair.


    She barely fell asleep, remembering when she was the happiest and when happiness and misery crossed.


    ***


    Yvonne did not understand the many ways of the Duke of Delois, who suddenly appeared as her father.


    For example, why he is harsh to her but so generous to her mother.


    ¡°Oh, Denise. The physician said that it¡¯s bad for your body if you stay out for such a long time.¡±


    ¡°This is all right, Duke. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to see much of Lou when she gets married, I want to spend a lot of time with her.


    ¡°Yes, you should¡­ Lou will live well, so don¡¯t worry too much about her. Just take care of yourself. You need to be healthy to be with Lou for a long time.


    The Duke patted Denise with a creepy friendly face.


    Even though he took her mother hostage like that, she couldn¡¯t understand why he dared to risk his life in illegal no-leak magic.


    When the Duke¡¯s actions were finally clear, Yvonne became more frightened and disgusted with him.


    ¡°My only daughter is getting married, but she can¡¯t do anything¡­¡±


    Yvonne¡¯s mother, Denise, muttered with her haggard face. Denise¡¯s condition has become much better since she came to the Duke¡¯s residence.


    The luxurious bed in a spacious and comfortable room with colorful curtains, there were many servants who took care of them. It would be even weirder if the condition didn¡¯t improve.


    ¡°I know I told you that I really wanted to go to the wedding, but the Duke said going that far with this body is too dangerous. Also, since it¡¯s too far, you can¡¯t come often anymore¡­¡±


    Denise stamped her tears with her white handkerchief.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad my husband is a good man.¡±


    Denise knew nothing. Even though she got pregnant and ran away because she was scared of the duke, she did not have doubts why the Duke was kind and generous now.


    She wanted to do things he didn¡¯t get to do with the dead Duchess and his daughter. She believed in the Duke¡¯s lie that he was lonely without a family.


    Her judgment was also blurred due to her terminal illness, but the Duke was a person who could manipulate people with his acting as well.


    Even Yvonne initially believed in the Duke. How happy she was to have a father.


    [ Now, I¡¯ll be your father. ]


    The Duke held the hand of young Lilian Lou with a friendly face in the dark forest.


    In such a beautiful image, she was dazed by the Duke¡¯s enviable power. Since he was the one who took Yvonne out from Hell.


    ¡°They said he gave you all the best education you could get. When did you become such an elegant lady? Are you happy, Lou?¡±


    Denise grabbed her daughter¡¯s hand with her dry hand. The innocent questions choked her breath.


    But Yvonne smiled. What she had endured for fourteen years was no longer difficult.


    Maybe this also resembles the Duke she hates so much? The ability to hide away her feelings so well.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, Lou. If you are not happy, I¡­ What¡¯s the point of living this life?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Then, I would be all alone.¡±


    ¡°Now you have the Duke too.¡±


    Oh, the Duke was a really meticulous and terrifying person.


    If Denise learns that Yvonne is being threatened by the Duke, Denise would jump out the window without a second of hesitation.


    The Duke showed only a beautiful lie to Denise. It was the perfect plan with Yvonne to control Yvonne, who had only her mother left to protect in this world. Since she would not be able to tell the ugly truth with her own mouth.


    ¡°Take this. I wanted to make it a little bigger, but I was too weak.¡±


    The thin, embroidered lace fabric originally had intended to be used as a blanket, but its small size made it look more like a throw.


    She had no idea how long it must take for Denise to do it, with her fragile arms, to make it this big. Her weak body caused her not to have any energy.


    ¡°Lou, are you crying? I guess it¡¯s true that brides cried that way before their marriage.¡±


    ¡°Mom, please take care. I will visit often.¡±


    ¡°You should worry about yourself. It¡¯s better now since I¡¯m not keeping you from getting married forever.¡±


    Though Yvonne never regretted her decision. She couldn¡¯t regret it.


    Everytime she sees her mother now, it isn¡¯t her coughing like death in the dusty wooden bed, but the mother who is able to receive medication every day.


    Now she sees the Duke giving her healthy and delicious food, not her starving in order to feed her.


    Now she sees her mother, who holds her hand warmly while looking at the flowers in her garden, not her hungry mother, who eats flowers to live.


    She was able to list endless moments that made Yvonne not regret it. She honestly thought that it was a no-loss choice. It was only a while to please the Duke, and her future was guaranteed long.


    The Duke didn¡¯t ask for anything other than to vent anger to Yvonne. As long as her mother could live that way, Yvonne didn¡¯t mind, even if the Duke ordered her to dance on a tightrope like a crazy clown.


    Yvonne couldn¡¯t understand the Duke¡¯s tribulation. After her marriage was decided, the Duke started looking for the wizard like crazy. She wondered who the hell would be her husband, but the Duke seemed to have no intention of telling her until he cast the magic spell.


    ¡°If you are saying something you shouldn¡¯t be saying, your voice would not come out. If you are trying to write something that you are not supposed to, nothing will be written.¡±


    Said the wizard wearing a robe.


    The Duke, who secretly brought a high-ranking wizard with a massive amount of money, cast a secret spell on Yvonne and other employees.


    There was no one in Croisen who was capable of such high-ranking magic, so he had to bring someone from the Kingdom of Bernie, which was one of the felonies that could go from the death penalty to execution.


    Besides, like many magic spells on the continent, there was also the hassle of having to re-cast it periodically.


    Yvonne thought it was more effective to intimidate her mother than to use illegal magic, which had such a high risk.


    As long as Denise was in the Duke¡¯s hand, she wouldn¡¯t tell the truth even in her sleep. Besides, who the hell would she be telling it to? She had no one to talk to and no reason to talk about it too.


    But only now Yvonne understands the Duke¡¯s intentions.


    The Duke probably knew.


    ¡°He thinks I can do more than that.¡±


    He knew the time would come when she couldn¡¯t stand Karloi, who looked at her like a bug.


    To Karloi, Yvonne is a cruel and evil Empress, who resembles the disgusting Duke, who was able to do whatever he wanted, without hesitation.


    The Duke knew if she met Kal again this way, the time could come when she would want to leave her mother and run away.


    Yvonne laughed senselessly alone.


    When the only hope left in her life was right in front of her, she couldn¡¯t say a word, she went crazy.


    He must have known that there will be a time when she will forget her mother and everything else. So, he needed the spell as a backup.


    ¡°For Croisen.¡±


    Yvonne realized this fact when she drank the poison that was intended for Keana without hesitation.


    She really wanted to run away. Even running away meant death, she was willing to accept it.


    Though it was strange because Karloi¡¯s expression was unexpected, she obviously knew that he always wanted her to disappear, but what kind of expression was that?


    His frightened face was just like a child. He¡¯s like a stupid idiot, but he had Yvonne in his arms. Did this person grow up this way?


    Yvonne thought, vomiting her blood. If she dies now, it is very¡­ easy.


    It wasn¡¯t Denise nor Karloi, or anything that remained in the blurring consciousness.


    Only the longing for freedom remained.


    ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    She had a long ongoing dream.


    It was her dream as Lilian Lou¡¯s days,


    Twelve-year-old Lilian Lou was a young child who lived in a slum, set in a barely inhabited dark forest with her mother in the Duchy of Delois.


    The way she lived wasn¡¯t exactly how a normal ¡®young child¡¯ would be raised, but life wasn¡¯t bad.


    She was never hungry, though she was never full either. She still had a mother even if she didn¡¯t have a father.


    ¡°Lou, my baby.¡±


    A loving mother¡¯s voice hugged and whispered to her every night.


    ¡°Lou, come and get something to eat.¡±


    The only neighbor who took care of the mother and daughter, Aunt Mariel.


    Lilian Lou was living a decent life with what she had.


    But people don¡¯t realize if their life was terrible.


    They only realize that face when they are in misery, but they eventually feel better.


    Just as Yvonne, who believed there would be no greater misfortune than the Duke, realized that real misfortune was after marrying Karloi.


    Even taking into account that her misfortunes are not so diverse, the misfortunes that came to Lilian Lou were overly banal.


    A terrible illness fell upon Denise, who needed expensive medicine for an illness that could not be cured.


    Sickness and poverty were easy things that mated. No, maybe misfortune brings in other misfortunes.


    Lilian Lou suddenly became responsible for her livelihood at a young age. She didn¡¯t have many options.


    There were thugs living in the dark forest who would not refuse any job as long as you provide them with money. Those thugs often needed young children who looked naive, so Lilian used to work for them often.


    She helped them avoid the security forces¡¯ suspicion, deliver things for them, clean their dwelling place, and a small amount of labor. Then she would get her hand on a small amount of money.


    For Lilian, who was in a rush for money, she had no feelings of guilt, conscience, or a sense of justice, so the thugs got it easy. Besides, she was a child with big guts.


    The day she first saw Karloi was a normal, usual day for her. She had just found a young boy tied up as she went to clean the place for the thugs, which was dirty like a pig¡¯s den.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The embarrassed Lilian groaned without her knowledge. She wasn¡¯t surprised that there were people there.


    This was originally a place where thugs often locked people up. Threatening, beating, or torturing.


    However, it was the first time she had ever seen such a young child.


    The boy let out a deep yell.


    ¡°Run away! Get out of here! This is a dangerous place!¡±


    It seemed that he thought Lilian was a child who entered innocently without knowing anything.


    Lilian was shocked. If she was in that situation, she thought she would shout ¡®save me¡¯ first.


    Some people don¡¯t usually think about their own livelihoods and their own lives first. They can afford to care for others and do the right things.


    Lilian stood as if she was nailed to the spot and looked at the boy who was worried about others without considering his situation. How could this be?


    As Lilian stood still for a while, one of the thugs came in and shouted.


    ¡°Lou! Why are you caring about useless things? If you don¡¯t, you won¡¯t get any money, and you¡¯ll have to be prepared to get kicked out of here.¡±


    Lilian nodded roughly and pretended to wipe the floor. The thug turned his gaze lightly.


    Since Lilian never ratted about their business to anyone.


    The expression that appeared on the boy¡¯s face when he looked at her then was buried in her mind. The look of betrayal, contempt, and all kinds of negative emotions was shown on his face.


    ¡°What, you are in the same gang? You¡­¡±


    A terrifyingly dull sound echoed. The thug gave a relentless blow to the boy¡¯s head.


    In fear, Lilian Lou ran out. It felt completely different than seeing a grown-up beat a child at her age.


    ¡°What, Lou, why did you come out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you turn right past the witch¡¯s tree, a man in black will be standing there. Get some stuff from him.¡±


    The witch¡¯s tree was at the entrance to the dark forest.


    ¡°When it comes to medicinal herbs, the security forces won¡¯t say anything. Everyone here knows that you¡¯re struggling with your mother¡¯s disease.¡±


    Lilian listened to him because it was better than cleaning. It wasn¡¯t until she realized that the goods she brought were a massive number of gold coins.


    The boy, who seemed to be beaten all day, became quiet until the evening was over. At that time, Lilian went into the place again, but the boy was tied up and shedding tears.


    ¡°If you rebel, it¡¯s worse. You better just shut up.¡±


    Lilian¡¯s helpful advice wasn¡¯t appreciated at all, and the child glared with his tearful eyes. His bloody face was terrifying, so Lilian rubbed the child¡¯s face with her hand without her knowledge.


    ¡°What, put your dirty hands away.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Your face right now is a lot dirtier than my hands.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that dirty¡­ Boy, why are you looking at me like that? Put your hands away!¡±


    ¡°What? You idiot!¡±


    ¡°Wh, what? How old are you! You¡¯re a criminal!¡±


    She wanted to squeeze the boy with his bursting open mouth, but Lilian couldn¡¯t do that because he looked so miserable.


    Instead, she took a clean wipe and wiped his face. As she wiped it, it was bloody, but his face didn¡¯t fit the situation as much as she thought.


    His lips seemed to burst, but the face was not that swollen except for his right cheek, as they hit his head and body a lot.


    The boy stared at the floor with a piercing glance, as if he was not thankful for this kindness at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re just pretending to be nice to me, too.¡±


    Lilian Lou wasn¡¯t very patient. She replied,


    ¡°Then, should I hit you, too?¡±


    The child bit his mouth. After all, he doesn¡¯t like being hit.


    After wiping his face, Lilian exclaimed without knowing it.


    The boy is so¡­pretty.


    Although he was matted and covered with dust, the black hair must have been naturally shiny and the beautiful golden eyes. She had never seen such eye color before, and she had never seen such a pretty boy as well.


    No, he is the prettiest of all things she has seen in her life. More than her mom, Denise. Even after being beaten, if he¡¯s still pretty like this, he must be prettier when he¡¯s not wounded.


    ¡°You keep staring unpleasantly.¡±


    Though his tone wasn¡¯t as beautiful as his face.


    ¡°All pretty things have thorns¡­¡±


    ¡°What nonsense¡­¡±


    Lilian stuffed the bread she had snuck from the kitchen into his mouth. If he has to close his mouth to be pretty, she¡¯ll make it that way.


    The boy who frowned at her looked like he wanted to swear, but he was starving so he ate the bread in his mouth.


    ¡°¡­What is this bread?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what this is? It¡¯s hordui.¡±


    ¡°¡­What is that?¡±


    Lilian frowned. She guesses he is more treasured than expected.


    He had never eaten hordui bread in his life? The only bread that commoners can eat is hordui, a bread that was made with barely any dough.


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time trying this bread. What kind of bread is this? It¡¯s dry.¡±


    Somehow, the unlucky boy had an appetite even though he was complaining that it was tasteless. He¡¯s eating so fast it contradicts what he is saying.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know my name.¡±


    ¡°If you tell me, I¡¯ll give you another bread.¡±


    If he hadn¡¯t eaten or tasted it at all, he might be able to endure it, but it is difficult to resist when he already tasted it. No matter how great a family is, both rich and poor, feel hunger.


    And Lilian knew this better than anyone.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m a dog!¡±


    But it wasn¡¯t easy with this guy.


    ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ll call you kid.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me anything! Why are you calling me!¡±


    ¡°I have jam, but do you know pinata jam? Have you tried this? You must not know what it tastes like? It¡¯s really difficult to explain but it¡¯s very delicious.¡±


    ¡°Ka¡­ Kal¡±


    Of course, it was a child who was hungry and beaten. The boy didn¡¯t give a full answer, but he couldn¡¯t have eaten pinata jam. So what kind of jam do rich kids eat?


    Lilian, who had been thinking alone, put the bread covered with jam in his mouth with a happy face.


    ¡°Why do you do this? Are you going to save me?¡±


    Kal asked. Lilian couldn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Look at you. Then, don¡¯t pretend to be a good person and get lost. You¡¯re equally bad.¡±


    ¡°You have a lot of breadcrumbs in your mouth. I guess it was delicious. But you pretend it¡¯s not tasteful¡­ Why are you so shy?¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Kal¡¯s red face was pretty bright, so Lilian laughed out loud. Lilian gave all of the bread she had to Kal. Of course, his hands were tied so she had to put it in Kal¡¯s mouth.


    Lilian, who was eagerly observing the dirty Kal, asked again.


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Thirteen. You?¡±


    He was one year older than her.


    Lilian, who knows how strange boys act even one year apart, decided not to tell him her age. So, she decided not to tell the truth.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m fourteen.¡±


    ¡°Lies. You don¡¯t seem to have one more hair than I do.¡±


    Without a reply, Lilian took her ointment and applied it to Kal¡¯s mouth. He groaned in pain. After applying the ointment, Lilian worked hard to put some dust onto Kal¡¯s hard-cut face.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°If they find out I¡¯m being nice to you, I die too.¡±


    ¡°It was good what you gave me some bread. But don¡¯t do it! Clean it up and dirty it again, are you crazy?¡±


    Yes. Lilian pondered for a moment. Why was she doing this for him?


    However, unlike his harsh words, there was fear in Kal¡¯s eyes. She knew those eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t much different from Lilian¡¯s eyes as she was desperately looking for money.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°Get lost quickly.¡±


    As if swearing, the boy said while clenching.


    Lilian got up without any regrets, and she turned back. She started walking towards the door. She took the first step, second step, and the third step. Lilian walked counting the steps. Fourteen steps.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡±


    Lilian turned around to where the sound was from. Kal cried out again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone.¡±


    A sad cry was heard. Even if you are a pretty and precious child, there¡¯s nothing you can do when you¡¯re standing in front of fear. He looked no different from her.


    It was inevitable.


    Lilian approached Kal and squatted next to him. Only then he began to feel like his tension was slowly relieved.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Individual advanced chapters now available on our ko-fi shop!


    Kal kept crying with Lilian beside him. He even muttered something while crying.


    She couldn¡¯t hear him because of his cries, but he seemed to be calling to his parents.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    Even if Lilian fluttered her body for a little, she could hear his pitiful voice. Eventually, Lilian listened to Kal¡¯s murmurs until the sun came up.


    Kal no longer felt lonely.


    ***


    She regrets that day. The day she went to stay by his side without leaving Kal while he was crying alone.


    ¡°¡­Kal?¡±


    It seemed that the Kal she saw then was stuck inside her cloudy eyes. This couldn¡¯t be true.


    In front of Yvonne, who drowned herself with poison, she saw Kal with a distorted expression. A look that resembled the boy from the past.


    But¡­ that¡¯s not Kal. He¡¯s Karloi. This is also a dream, as there is no way that Kaloi would make that expression.


    Yvonne closed her eyes again. She was in a dream, a place where no one can bother her.


    ***


    By the time the sun had risen, she had found out a few things about Kal.


    That he was a very precious child and someone wanted something from his house, causing him to be kidnapped.


    ¡°How long do we have to hold on to that little boy? We haven¡¯t been contacted since we received the advance payment.¡±


    ¡°I told you to wait just a little. Besides, don¡¯t you know? If things go wrong, our necks will fly.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I¡¯m so unlucky¡­¡±


    However, she found out a few things while running errands for the thugs these past few days. The deal with Kal¡¯s parents is not very good.


    She thought that the time might come when the thugs had to kill Kal.


    Kal took Lilian¡¯s advice several days to shut up and stay quiet, but he began to rebel again after a while.


    He seemed to have noticed that the situation was not going in his favor.


    Being so persistent, Kal was caught trying to escape three times and got beaten.


    Kal, whose mouth was violently shut when he was struck, acted tough and cried only after the thugs disappeared. He was a man with dirty pride.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    The harsh words flowed through the sound of his cries. It seemed to be a curse to Lilian.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    No matter how much Lilian took care of his wounds, brought him food, and stayed with him at night, his fundamental resentment against Lilian did not disappear.


    In a place full of blood and tears, Lilian, the only one who had humanity, seemed to not be enough for him as if he hates her for not giving much help.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    Then, if Lilian tried to leave again, Kal would catch her without fail. Sometimes, Lilian used to think, is this the feeling of a mother bird watching a baby bird?


    ¡°I was wrong¡­don¡¯t go.¡±


    Who can walk away from a boy who showed such pretty golden eyes filled with tears?


    Perhaps, if Kal showed this side to the thugs, they might release him. No matter how much blood or tears there is, isn¡¯t there a sense of beauty?


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to get out soon. No matter how long you¡¯ve been here, you¡¯ll be back home in the end.¡±


    Lilian comforted him awkwardly. It was actually a lie.


    Some people returned as corpses, and some people couldn¡¯t return and were thrown into the dark forest somewhere.


    The dark forest was the place where the trees grew from the body as nourishment.


    Kal¡¯s cry stopped as if the lies he heard were comforting him.


    ¡°¡­ Why are you helping those bastards.¡±


    ¡°My mother is very sick. She needs medicine, but I have no other place to get money.¡±


    Lilian replied coldly as though she had prepared the answer. She doesn¡¯t know if she had to be so detailed about it.


    Lilian probably wanted to keep making excuses to this boy, that she¡¯s not a bad person, and she can¡¯t help it because her mother is sick.


    She didn¡¯t expect a response. She thought he¡¯d laughed or be sarcastic.


    She thought he might say something like, ¡°Oh yeah, my bad, I forgot you¡¯re the only person with a sick parent, so you have to do something like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­How sick is she?¡±


    Though Kal didn¡¯t, his expression became strange. The words that were lined up as excuses stabbed Lilian in the face due to Kal¡¯s sincere acceptance.


    Lilian¡¯s mother, Denise, was indeed very sick.


    Her throat choked up, trying to explain how sick she is.


    ¡°She¡¯ll get better soon.¡±


    Kal said awkwardly. Is it consolation, or is he sincere? It seemed to feel like the comfort Lilian had told him previously.


    Seeing Lilian, who had become gloomy without an answer, Kal wriggled in discomfort.


    ¡°How much money do you need?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. A lot. They said that she would need more expensive medicine later on.¡±


    Lilian¡¯s words were blurred, and there was no longer a sound coming out from her mouth.


    Lilian¡¯s feelings of depression and despair could be felt from her sudden silence.


    Kal thought maybe there was a reason why Lilian spent time with him each time.


    As the person talking next to him kept her mouth shut, Kal became more uncomfortable since the silence makes the fear more vivid.


    ¡°¡­Search my pants.¡±


    What Kal asked after a long silence was strange. Search for what? Lilian hesitantly grabbed his pants pocket, but Kal shook his head.


    ¡°Not in my pocket, in my pants.¡±


    Seeing Lilian¡¯s face turned red, Kal frowned at her.


    ¡°What are you thinking? It¡¯s not in my underwear. It¡¯s in my pants.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s the difference if it¡¯s not in your underwear, you idiot.¡¯


    However, Lilian, as if he was a bold boy who knew no shame, put her hand inside Kal¡¯s pants.


    There was something around the waist. It was a pocket.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Open it.¡±


    Inside, there was a brooch that looked very expensive.


    Even for Lilian, who knows nothing, it had a sparkle that only the real thing could exude. The brooch alone sparkled in a dark room.


    When he was being beaten, he would crouch too much. It seems he had something to protect.


    ¡°If you take it and sell it, you¡¯ll get money.¡±


    Kal¡¯s way of speaking was blunt as if he was not the giver, but some that had torn it off.


    Lilian stared at him blankly, not understanding Kal¡¯s tone and what he said.


    ¡°Are you stupid? You said you need money!¡±


    As Kal screamed due to frustration, Lilian realized that he was indicating that he was giving it to her, but why?


    Lilian was a street child. She was also well aware that these things don¡¯t come for free unless she steals them.


    ¡°Even if you give me something like this, I can¡¯t release you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be so obvious that I¡¯m the one who freed you, and those thugs wouldn¡¯t leave my mom and me alone.¡±


    Lilian handed the pouch back nicely, but Kal turned his head, annoyed.


    ¡°Who wants something? It¡¯s better than being taken by them anyway, so keep it yourself!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Really? I really can¡¯t let you go.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d expect anything from a guy like you who cares for the bad guys?¡±


    Wow¡­ Seeing him speak so harshly, it looked like she could get it for free. Kal really didn¡¯t seem to expect anything from her.


    Lilian felt strange again. Like the day she first saw Kal. How could she do this?


    When he¡¯s caught, he still has the spirit to tell her to run away, and even now, he¡¯s giving her something that she can¡¯t even guess how expensive it is, something he cherished even while getting beaten.


    He¡¯s a crazy guy.


    He¡¯s a weird guy.


    How could she?


    The thought of Kal getting caught up in her little head. Whether he knows or not, he still has a distinctive blunt face.


    ¡°You said I¡¯ll be able to go out anyway. So, I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Does he believe Lilian¡¯s lies? Lilian¡¯s chest tightened because of guilt, but she had to take what she needed.


    Kal snorted as seeing her finely putting the pouch in her pocket.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t expect anything from me, right?¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t!¡±


    Kal muttered to himself as he looked at Lilian¡¯s smile without any shame with his annoyed face.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t just come at night. Come often.¡±


    It was a whisper that wouldn¡¯t have been heard if it wasn¡¯t for the quietness. Lilian nodded when she saw Kal¡¯s red ears.


    Selling this would make her mother better, so she was able to accompany Kal for the night. It was a surplus business. Lou was good at calculating.


    Lilian Lou wasn¡¯t materially affluent, but there were a few personality traits to be proud of. She is agile, gutsy, and has a sense of profit and loss.


    However, fourteen years after Lilian Lou became Yvonne Delois, her good traits changed naturally.


    Fourteen years was by no means a short time, and it was also possible for one person to become a very different person.


    Yvonne Delois was able to reach the highest level of her numbness by enduring the Duke for fourteen years.


    To kill emotions, sensations, and even thoughts without a single reaction. To put it nicely, it might just be called patience.


    With her dull sensation, the pain seemed to feel like someone else¡¯s, so she was comfortable with it.


    It seems like she can¡¯t see anything that she was able to see¡­ that has nothing to do with her¡­


    She whispered to herself as if she couldn¡¯t see Karloi¡¯s disgusting look towards her.


    ¡°Well, Her Majesty. His Majesty has ordered not to participate in this event¡­¡±


    She can¡¯t seem to hear anything she doesn¡¯t care about.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing to become an Empress and not give money to the Imperial property.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress listens.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of my business.¡±


    In a place where there are so many people, she deceived herself as though she couldn¡¯t hear the sharp words of Karloi, who wanted to insult her.


    Like she endured all the violence of the Duke.


    ¡°If you look carefully, it seems that you are still the daughter of the Duke, not the Empress.¡±


    This is nothing. If you stay still, this will also pass.


    ¡°Your father, the Duke, has made a public outcry that you and I don¡¯t even eat together. Is the Empress not surprised how he knows so much about our affairs?¡±


    Someday it will pass, so just be quiet¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel well. Let¡¯s just have a meal together.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, yes? I haven¡¯t even finished my words.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Yvonne woke up and lifted her head at the cold sensation that stopped even her brainwashing herself.


    Karloi was looking at Yvonne with a stiff face. Yvonne only realized her mistake.


    Oh no, the answer was too quick.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Karloi glared at Yvonne, who couldn¡¯t help but keep her usual cold face.


    Even if he looked like that, she had nothing to say. Karloi was yelling about how she didn¡¯t listen to him.


    ¡°You openly ignore me. Even if it¡¯s not for appearance, I can¡¯t help realizing that you¡¯re the Duke¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°¡­I was thinking about something for a while. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing this just once or twice? You answer that every time.¡±


    Karloi wasn¡¯t very angry, and now he used a softer tone to criticize her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what else a woman, who is only in the Empress¡¯s Palace, has to think about. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not doing anything special.¡±


    Ah.


    Fourteen years of tact and patience were of no use before Karloi.


    Every time she saw him, Yvonne had to use all of her strength to suppress the urge to grab Karloi by the collar.


    Among many and many people, why the Emperor? If it weren¡¯t for him being the Emperor, she would have pretended to be crazy at least once.


    Even when she was young, she wasn¡¯t a very gentle person, but she doesn¡¯t know how things have changed this way.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting like this, but still asking me to eat meals¡­¡±


    Karloi muttered in an annoyed voice.


    For fourteen years, Karloi seemed to have a knife in his mouth instead of a tongue. The invisible sword sometimes felt more painful than the Duke¡¯s hand.


    The pain was so painful. She came here with determination, but it was painful enough that the determination was overshadowed.


    No one else but the Kal of her childhood hates her with all his heart. Hate.


    She still vividly remembers the reddish face that held her, that child is nowhere. The only person remaining was a man who wanted her to disappear.


    Maybe you want me to die? Or do you want to kill me?


    Yvonne wondered about it every day.


    It was hard to deal with Karloi, who exudes hatred even when she was staying still when mixed with his words. It ate all of Yvonne¡¯s energy.


    ¡°¡­ Your Majesty doesn¡¯t come here often. If you don¡¯t like this, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Then it would be better for the Empress to tell the Duke that. He might ignore my words, but he might listen to you.¡±


    Yvonne had nothing more to say.


    It¡¯s always been this way with Karloi. It was hard to ignore his words openly, and if she did listen to his words, the feelings she had forgotten resurfaced.


    But she didn¡¯t have much to say in the first place other than, ¡®yes.¡¯


    Unlike Yvonne, whose appearance changed from then like heaven and earth, Karloi grew up just as he was.


    Of course, Yvonne was more distressed. When Karloi sees her, he wouldn¡¯t be thinking of Lilian Lou.


    ¡°¡­Get going first.¡±


    Karloi arose with a cold face. Yvonne sat there, dazed, and ate alone.


    How good would it be if he had been a boy who could be seduced by a piece of bread with jam-like before?


    Being next to Karloi, having to keep seeing him was a war for Yvonne.


    The fight against herself that she wanted to kill, the fight against the memories she had forgotten, the battle against the emotions she had been struggling with, and several fights occurred every day. It wasn¡¯t easy to ignore everything in front of her.


    Obviously, she didn¡¯t expect anything from him. She was hopeful, but she was disappointed. She understood his hatred for the Duke, so she thought she would not blame him, but sometimes she hated it so much.


    ¡°What? I sent you in as the Empress with the most expensive price. Now you say I don¡¯t need to come?¡±


    Because the Duke went in and out of the Empress Palace, Karloi dislikes it since he comes and goes as if it was his house.


    As the Duke touched Yvonne¡¯s nerves from both sides, her patience was running thin. It seemed that she could go crazy at this rate.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that because the Emperor made people so angry.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to say yes? Half of the things you used to do when you were younger would be better than this.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to see my face because he hates the Duke so much. If the Duke stops pressing Karloi for a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a bother and be good. Stop talking nonsense.¡±


    Even the Macea Mountains, which can never be passed through, would be better at communicating than the Duke.


    ¡°You¡¯re not even paying for your mother¡¯s medicine right now.¡±


    The Duke bringing up Denise after four months was a hard blow.


    ¡°¡­I will try my best.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to work harder. If the result isn¡¯t good, you¡¯ll see your mother again when she enters the coffin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! You said I could see her soon!¡±


    ¡°Make it work. Then I¡¯ll let you see her!¡±


    Whenever the Duke yells, Yvonne would always shrink out of habit because of the bad memories her body remembers.


    The Duke, staring at Yvonne without an answer, growled once again.


    ¡°There must be a change in something.¡±


    Yvonne got nervous, but there was nothing else she could do.


    The Duke seemed to want Yvonne to take her feet off and spring at Karloi, but everyone knew it would be useless, except the Duke.


    ¡°Your Majesty, how about sleeping in my bedroom today?¡±


    This was the best Yvonne could do. She wanted to get down on her knees and pray.


    ¡°Why does your father dictate you?¡±


    The Duke was threatening her. Threatening. So, please stop being so angry, close your eyes just once and come to bed, she wanted to say so. If you don¡¯t, I don¡¯t know what the Duke will do to me.


    Her words hovered narrowly on her tongue, but the servants of the Empress¡¯s Palace were glistening their eyes, watching Yvonne¡¯s every step of the way.


    All of them are the Duke¡¯s watchdogs.


    Yvonne was forced to repeat the best she could, asking if he would come to bed at least once, even if Karloi refused.


    Since she became Empress, Yvonne could not see Denise. She never did.


    Because Karloi has never allowed Yvonne by his side.


    ***


    Everything Yvonne struggled to leave behind was often revived fiercely in the dark nights and struck her. For instance, her revenge, intense memories, and terrible feelings would break into her dreams and shatter Yvonne.


    Like a living, breathing monster, in her dreams holding and shaking her, she woke up gasping and panting. Yvonne felt fortunate that she didn¡¯t sleep with Karloi.


    Karloi would not miss this opportunity. He might have tried to get her out on the charges of madness.


    Instead of Yvonne, the women who went to Karloi¡¯s bedroom were usually maids working in the Imperial Palace. Sometimes they were maids, and sometimes they were women who seemed to be brought from outside.


    The message he conveyed was transparent, but on the other hand, it was as clumsy as he was suddenly seeing someone when he had never even looked at women before marrying Yvonne.


    Occasionally, some women, who were feared of the Duke¡¯s power than their Emperor, Karloi, would spit out that when they face Yvonne in her palace, they pray on their hands and feet.


    ¡´ Nothing really happened! I swear the Emperor didn¡¯t touch even the tip of my hair! ¡µ


    It seemed to them that Yvonne would carry the Duke on her back and kill them without even knowing.


    It was no surprise that they thought so. Especially, since Karloi isn¡¯t a person who is rumored to kill someone for fun, while the Duke is notorious for killing people like flies.


    She doesn¡¯t know if they¡¯re talking that way because nothing happened really with Karloi, or if they¡¯re scared and lied, but either way, it wasn¡¯t bad for Karloi.


    He must have sternly ordered that what happened in the bedroom should never be told outside, but it¡¯s useless. Even the Imperial Palace can¡¯t seem to be a space completely for Karloi.


    Karloi quickly stopped calling in the women to his bedroom as he realized that this clumsy thing did not have an effect.


    So, when Karloi suddenly appointed Keana as the Queen, she vaguely thought it would be just an extension of that stupid thing.


    It was more effective to turn the country upside down rather than play around in the bedroom.


    Of the four continents, only Croisen and Lartua allowed it, but Croisen¡¯s system was ineffective for two-hundred years.


    The Queen was an unrealistic institution in Croisen, to the point no one remembered its existence.


    What changed her mind was when Karloi brought Keana to lunch.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of it so far because I was so absorbed by the feeling of love that I was experiencing for the first time.¡±


    Karloi looked happy with Keana Roden¡­ She doesn¡¯t know how to feel.


    She thought that Yvonne, herself, would love to be someone like Keana Roden.


    Yes, her thoughts struck her about how much she wanted to be his wife.


    She suddenly remembered what Kal had said in her childhood. Kal said he wanted to live well with his loved ones. Yvonne thought at the time that it was a very trivial and insignificant dream for a child to dream of such a precious family.


    ¡´ Do you want to have a family? I want nothing much. It¡¯s okay if I only have my mother. ¡µ


    ¡´ There¡¯s no reason not to have it. I want to know what it means to have someone on my side. That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t think you can make it with money or riches. ¡µ


    His current voice overlaps with the old voice she didn¡¯t want to recall. Karloi shows a side to Keana that she had never seen before.


    Strangely, her hands kept shaking.


    It¡¯s not even nighttime, so why would the things come back to haunt her? Yvonne struggled to hold on to her hand, giving it strength.


    She endured Karloi¡¯s smile to Kiana, and she struggled to pretend that she didn¡¯t see the smile she only saw as a child.


    She thought she couldn¡¯t help it if his heart were really comforted by the Queen. Karloi will need a haven in this palace. Yvonne was a person who could never be that for him.


    Unfortunately, there was a limit to her brainwashing herself. After the helpless fourteen years, she felt the sensations, which had been pressed for many years, wriggling.


    Yvonne was really on the verge of going crazy.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    Lilian Lou did not look at the mirror. There was no reason to look because the child who lives in the dark forest didn¡¯t need such external elements like cleanliness or beauty.


    Denise said that Lilian was a beautiful child, but Lilian thought Denise was a worse liar than herself. Or maybe her eyes were bad because she was sick.


    ¡°Why do you keep staring at people? Don¡¯t look at me like that with your eyes wide open? What do you know?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I don¡¯t want you to! You take everything you receive and don¡¯t listen to a word.¡±


    So, when Kal suddenly got angry at her and told her not to look at him, she thought he hated ugly kids.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s okay just to open my eyes and stare?¡±


    ¡°¡­No. just don¡¯t look and don¡¯t laugh.¡±


    Lilian put her hand on Kal¡¯s forehead with an unusual face.


    A little over a week after being imprisoned, people will begin to behave more unusually. Several people have committed suicide. Has Kal finally settled?


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°In any case, does it hurt anywhere? Let me see.¡±


    ¡°Who are you treating like a madman!¡±


    His ears were red again.


    Perhaps Lilian is Kal¡¯s taste¡­ She doubted, but she soon laughed at her speculation. She was on her way to see her face¡¯s reflection in the water.


    Gender taste can vary, but she, who is only dirty, can¡¯t be anyone¡¯s taste. Lilian Lou was a kid who knew that subject well, and she was pretty proud of it.


    ¡°You are saying that I am dirty and ugly? Anyway, good-looking things like you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, when did I ever say that¡­ Why are you making things up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of kids like you. It¡¯s obvious, well. But I don¡¯t care. I know, I¡¯m ugly¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! Your eyes are pretty!¡±


    She thought it was a curse, not a compliment because he was so angry.


    Lilian stared at Karloi, who said the exact opposite, with the tone of ¡®Yes, you¡¯re ugly!¡¯ It was because she took a long time to accept the content of his words.


    Karloi yelled without knowing and was avoiding her gaze as if regretting.


    Lilian, who finally understood, turned around, and there was a moment of silence. As the tail of Lilian¡¯s mouth gently raised, Kal suddenly muttered bluntly.


    ¡°Give me something to eat! I¡¯m going to die from starvation.¡±


    Lilian smiled and went into the kitchen.


    Kal has a cute side, too. She knows that he¡¯ll be humiliated by saying that. Or, are my eyes pretty?


    Lilian took out the brooch that Kal gave her from her waist. It was a brooch that Lilian kept in her pocket because she doesn¡¯t want to sell it yet.


    She put her eyes on the back of the transparent, shining brooch, and saw sparkling green eyes. ¡®I think it¡¯s okay.¡¯


    A hum came from the kitchen, and the tied boy still has red ears.


    There were such days. It¡¯s been a while.


    ***


    ¡°Lady Chief! Lady Chief!


    Lady Ansen, the lady in waiting, hastily visited Mary Ann. Mary Ann was talked about a lot in the palace. The main reason is that she was a commoner who became the lady-in-waiting.


    The only reason Yvonne enlisted Mary Ann as the lady-in-waiting, was because she had served Yvonne from her days with the Duke.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Her Majesty, the Empress is suddenly acting strange!¡±


    The ladies who used to be from the aristocracy hated Mary Ann, but in the end, they came to acknowledge her.


    Because Yvonne, who was especially cold to them, was too generous to Mary Anne, and the only one to understand Yvonne well was Mary Ann.


    That is why she was urgently looking for Mary Ann.


    Mary Ann didn¡¯t ask twice, but just got up from her seat and she ran to the Empress¡¯s bedroom. It was dark, so she couldn¡¯t see anything.


    She heard a shrill sound from the inside when Mary Ann tried to turn on the light, the maid next to her trembling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn on the lights¡­ If you turn it on, she¡¯ll throw and break the mirror.¡±


    ¡°Did the Empress drink alcohol?¡±


    When Mary Ann asked sharply, Lady Ansen nodded carefully. While nodding her head, she wondered how Mary Anne knew.


    Lady Anssen sniffs her nose. Did she smell alcohol in the bedroom?


    Mary Ann sighed and carefully approached Yvonne. Yvonne did not like the dark. However, when she saw this, it was clear that Yvonne was drunk and must have lost her mind.


    ¡°Your Majesty, how can you do this.¡±


    A bottle of liquor rolled around on the bed. There were broken mirror pieces all over the floor, and Yvonne sat on the bed as if she was one of them.


    She glanced and could see how much Yvonne had been broken down.


    ¡°Remove all the mirrors. I don¡¯t want to look at it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already broken it all, so there¡¯s nothing left.¡±


    ¡°Get rid of everything that reflects my face. I told you not to use glass.¡±


    She seemed to be talking to Mary Anne and also to herself. There is no child to look at in the mirror.


    Yvonne would often do this whenever she remembered the Duke and how her face resembled his.


    She was the Duchess¡¯s daughter, and it was ironic to Mary Anne, who remembers the real Yvonne.


    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy. I want to die every time I see it. I want to stab him in the face.¡±


    Yvonne murmured like a madman.


    The Duchess¡¯ daughter didn¡¯t resemble the Duke at all, but Yvonne seemed to have inherited the physical characteristics of the Duke because of her lack of appearance.


    The Duke was sensitive to only two things so that he couldn¡¯t get close to them, the peaches and the Rituna flowers. Even in that case, Yvonne is very similar.


    In Croisen, a country famous for its flowers, if you were to pick only one flower as the King of flowers, everyone would say rituna.


    Among the rituna flowers, the white flower was said to be the most gorgeous on all continents.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that only the royalty and nobles can see rituna fresh flowers in full bloom with hundreds of petals in one flower, as it was challenging to grow them until they bloomed.


    Because of its beauty, people often decorate with imitation ones, but royals and high-ranking nobles used to decorate their house with real flowers.


    However, it has not been used for decoration since thirty years ago at official banquets at the Imperial Palace, because the Duke of Delois has a sensitive reaction to the scent of fresh rituna flowers.


    So, there were a lot of flowers in the Duke¡¯s residence, but rituna was not one of them.


    It was a flower that wasn¡¯t even in the Duchy, so Yvonne didn¡¯t know it herself until she entered the Imperial Palace.


    Yvonne found out after she entered the Imperial Palace and she walked through a garden full of rituna flowers.


    On that day, Yvonne drank like she was now and fell asleep crying.


    Though it was a long time ago. Yvonne hadn¡¯t done this for a while as she had become accustomed to life in the Imperial Palace.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Your Majesty. Tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mary Ann? Are you asking me because you don¡¯t really know what the problem is?¡±


    Mary Ann turned her gaze, burdened by the suddenly raised head, angry eyes, and sharp voice attack. The guilt pierced through Mary Anne¡¯s chest.


    Mary Ann was the only one who cared about Yvonne among the Duke¡¯s many employees. The Duke was well aware of that fact.


    ¡´ If I tightened the leash, she may go crazy. Don¡¯t forget that Mary Ann, you are the one who loosens the collar, but you should never let go. Whatever she does. ¡µ


    Is it worth doing this? She was still a human being, even if she used it. As she recalled the order from the Duke that day, Mary Ann got goosebumps and stroked her arm. Yvonne, who looked at it, covered her face.


    ¡°Mary Ann, I¡¯m sorry. Please go somewhere where I can¡¯t see you. I don¡¯t want to shout at you because it¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Mary Ann nodded and settled away. Yvonne can¡¯t see her, but she can see Yvonne.


    Yvonne seemed to have lost her reason when the Emperor and the peacock were in a riot at the same time.


    Yes, the problem was the Queen¡¯s coronation ceremony.


    The Emperor asked Yvonne to prepare for her coronation ceremony, but Mary Ann knew that he was waiting to find fault. And it was already her fault that it had been delayed like this.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to ask the attendant and staff, so when the Emperor saw Yvonne, he would scold her himself.


    ¡´ Are you doing this on purpose? Even if you do this, Keana will become Queen anyway. ¡µ


    The Emperor¡¯s words were so cold that even if her voice was gone, Mary Ann wanted to say something to him.


    On the other hand, the Duke screamed at Yvonne, saying she should not accept the Queen. He said that the coronation ceremony should not be done at any cost.


    After the Emperor criticized her for what she was doing, the Duke came and verbally abused her repeatedly.


    Yvonne was at a loss between them. She understood that Yvonne must be going crazy because of that.


    Mary Anne tried to wait calmly because she was drunk. She would feel better after falling asleep and waking up.


    Until Karloi suddenly struck, obviously.


    From the time Karloi came upon Mary Anne, her heart was full and nervous that she could not remain still.


    Yvonne didn¡¯t look sane to anyone. Since the Emperor saw all of this with his own eyes, she did not know what kind of criticism she would get.


    The power of the Duke and the reputation of the Empress were different stories. She could not know what the Duke would do to Yvonne if rumors spread that the Empress had lost her mind.


    ¡°Mary Ann! Mary Ann, I told you¡­!¡±


    Yvonne shouted nervously in her bedroom, which was suddenly lit up.


    She pledged not to be angry with Mary Ann, but when she thought Mary Ann wouldn¡¯t listen to her, anger and despair overwhelmed Yvonne.


    Yvonne was plagued by the urge to stab both the Duke and Karloi with a glass.


    No, it¡¯s a lie. Not the Duke and Karloi. It was an impulse to want to end herself with glass. She didn¡¯t know if Yvonne would really do that in a bright place.


    Though it was not Mary Anne but Karloi who saw her desperate eyes, Karloi made an unknown look as he stood in front of her.

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    Yvonne didn¡¯t want to show this side of hers to Karloi, but she didn¡¯t want to show this sloppy figure even more.


    Yvonne was lost for words and looked up at Karloi. He looked down at her in the same way¡­


    He suddenly grabbed her hand.


    As soon as she touched his flesh, her breath choked. The memories of her past, which she tried to forget, shattered again, and Yvonne could not exhale.


    < You don¡¯t care about getting hurt like that? >


    < It¡¯s not a big deal. Living in a place like this, you¡¯ll at least get hurt this much. It¡¯s unusual to be sulking over it. >


    < Oh, it¡¯s not that¡­ Won¡¯t it hurt? >


    It reminded her when one day Kal wiped her bloody feet. Yvonne¡¯s wound hurts more than his.


    She was going crazy because he was holding her hand the way he did then.


    Yvonne managed to pull the rest of her mind back to the present. There is nothing to benefit from thinking about this.


    However, the reason she became so weak, was because she got scattered again by Karloi¡¯s sharp remark.


    As her soul returned to its place, it was after Yvonne lost her mind and poured out words to Karloi.


    Was it a lie that she didn¡¯t expect anything from Karloi, or was it because she didn¡¯t blame him?


    She knows that she can pour her feelings out and put them in front of him when he was close enough to reach her breath. It was a rage she could not believe in herself.


    ¡°So now you¡¯re doing this for me, that¡¯s what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    Upon hearing Karloi¡¯s question, Yvonne¡¯s head finally cooled down.


    Because she knew so well that she wasn¡¯t doing this for Karloi.


    If it had been for Karloi, she would have disappeared and died on her own, and if she had tried to be the Duke¡¯s faithful dog, she would have ignored Karloi¡¯s words.


    She was just doing nothing because she can¡¯t do anything.


    Her whole body was sore that she couldn¡¯t breathe. Yvonne sat on the bed, covered with pieces of glass, and shed her tears.


    After Karloi¡¯s departure, Yvonne impulsively proceeded to prepare for the Queen¡¯s ceremony. She could help but do nothing. She could no longer stay like this anymore.


    ***


    Selling the brooch that Kal gave was more difficult than she thought. One of the neighboring rural grocers refused to buy it.


    Since it was too valuable, it was dangerous to take it. Besides, they said they didn¡¯t have the ability to pay for it.


    Lilian was able to sell it only by going to a small city jeweler, a little further from the dark forest.


    ¡°Oh, Lou, where did all this come from?¡±


    Denise couldn¡¯t hide her doubts when she saw Lilian coming home with a load of medicine. Regardless, Lilian laughed excitedly.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s not a bad thing!¡±


    ¡°But why can¡¯t you tell?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know, mom. As far as the physician says, we¡¯ll be able to get by for a year! So, you don¡¯t have to sew anymore!¡±


    Denise continued questioning Lilian, but a person with a weak body like hers couldn¡¯t beat a healthy child.


    Besides, the medicine was even better than her old medicine. How great are the effects of expensive drugs!


    Denise¡¯s cough died down immediately after two days of taking medicine, and she was able to move a little more. As soon as she got up, Denis started looking for a job.


    Denise was surprised and delighted. Lilian wanted to grab Kal and kiss him wildly.


    Lilian was excited about it and ran to the thug¡¯s place, humming. In one hand, she held gold coins, and in the other, expensive food for Kal.


    However, unlike usual, the thugs gathered seriously in front of the place where Kal was locked up.


    For days the thugs left Kal untouched, and seeing them this way, it looked like something had happened.


    Lilian held her breath and sneaked in.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too dangerous? He¡¯s not just a kid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, but with that much money, you think there¡¯s a choice? Now, if we couldn¡¯t do it, do you know what would happen?¡±


    ¡°Well. He¡¯s still a little kid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you enough money to get out of here completely. We can cross over to the Mach. Don¡¯t you know that this is the end to this poor damn life?¡±


    ¡°Okay. ¡±


    ¡°In three days.¡±


    She didn¡¯t hear well, but she could notice all the important things. Looking at the faces of the thugs, Lilian was convinced.


    The deal didn¡¯t end well, and it was clear that they were ordered to kill Kal accordingly. She hadn¡¯t seen anything like this just once or twice.


    Lilian stared at the gold coin in her hand.


    It could be said that this is not a bad thing. Turning away from the trapped boy, she could keep the money she received from him, but if she let him die, this money would eventually become bad money.


    At least, Lilian didn¡¯t give or receive anything from the people before him.


    ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±


    As Lilian entered, the guilt grew stronger as she saw his face brighten noticeably.


    Kal moved his head in the direction of Lilian¡¯s movement. The only free place among his bound bodies was his head, and even that head was only directed to Lilian. It looks like the kid could only see Lilian.


    Seeing it, Lilian decided.


    Lilian Lou doesn¡¯t get anything for free unless she steals it, and Lilian had no intention of stealing Kal¡¯s goodwill.


    Lilian made a decision while looking at the face of a boy who seemed to be a little bit bigger in the meantime, seeing only Lilian with a slightly thin and tired face.


    I¡¯ll save this kid.


    ***


    ¡°The rain is no joke. It¡¯s going to get worse as time passes.¡±


    ¡°I have to be prepared for the house to collapse. I think it would be hard to avoid this rain without a magic stone. Croisen is great, but the rain goes back and forth like this.¡±


    ¡°Where is the magic stone that you can get easily? What should I do if the house collapses¡­¡±


    Lilian picked up the stories from the adults as she emptied buckets of rainwater.


    Raindrops have fallen since yesterday, and today it¡¯s getting stronger. Lilian thought this was luck. It was like heaven gave a revelation to release Kal.


    If we go straight to typhoon level like this¡­


    Lilian quickly went downtown before she would be unable to get around.


    ¡°Hey, little kid!¡±


    The jeweler who sold the brooch saw Lilian passing by and called out. Although Lilian frowned as she was busy, the jeweler ran out of the store and grabbed her.


    Still, the jeweler came out with an umbrella, so Lilian got less rain.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Where did you get the brooch you sold that time?¡±


    ¡°Do you have to know that?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a well-made fake?¡±


    It seemed that the city jeweler wasn¡¯t even capable. How the hell do you think it¡¯s fake by looking at its luxury?


    ¡°Did you think it was fake? No, wait a minute. Uncle! Then the money you gave me was the money you thought it was fake?¡±


    ¡°Hmm-hmm. What are you talking about? Don¡¯t say that to me because I¡¯ve given you a lot of money. Anyway, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Lee¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee? What¡¯s your name? Last name?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡±


    ¡°Where do you live?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird. What is uncle going to do by knowing this? I just live in a poor place.¡±


    She thought she shouldn¡¯t tell her name right away. The jeweler in town could use her name after they know it.


    The jeweler, who looked suspiciously at Lilian, looked around, nodded as if he understood Lilian¡¯s behaviour.


    ¡°Tsk. Where did you spend all the money you got? You have to buy some clothes. Buy an umbrella.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t worry about it, and don¡¯t block the road.¡±


    ¡°What a temper. What¡¯s in your hand, isn¡¯t it magic stones? Are you crazy? It¡¯s obvious that heavy rain will come, but why do you buy something expensive and carry it in such heavy rain? The heavy rain isn¡¯t stopped by the flumen stone alone. You have to buy a sparsio stone!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I bought sparsio stone, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    This time, to see if her words have worked, the jeweler squeezed Lilian¡¯s and headed into his shop.


    After removing the leech-like jeweler, Lilian held the magic stones she had bought at the store in her arms as if they were precious jewels.


    In Croisen, where it rained irregularly, flumen stone was often used among magic stones when it rained.


    It was because rainwater concentrates wherever the flumen stone was attached.


    On the contrary, the sparsio stone, which spreads the rain elsewhere, is a necessity when heavy rains came. It was thanks to Kal¡¯s brooch that she was able to buy them all.


    There was only one way for Lilian to release Kal without being suspected, for that place to collapse in the rain.


    ¡°No.¡±


    However, this was an unexpected direction for Lilian.


    Though she was ambitiously explaining her plan, Kal said that curtly. He doesn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spend your energy on something useless.¡±


    Have you been trapped here for so long that you forgot, or have you finally gone crazy? He said he doesn¡¯t want it, even though she said she would save him.


    ¡°Are you crazy? You have to get out of here. Now or there¡¯s no chance!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden? Why did they say they would kill me?¡±


    Seeing Lilian, who couldn¡¯t answer quickly, Kal seemed to have noticed the answer.


    However, Kal¡¯s expression was still calm.


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    ¡°What do you think would happen?¡±


    ¡°I knew no one would come to save me. It means that it was decided that I was better off dying. Honestly, I know they would decide this way.¡±


    With Kal¡¯s image, along with his words, she couldn¡¯t find any signs of a child who was nervous a while ago.


    Lilian became more nervous since he was like an adult who understood everything.


    And she didn¡¯t understand. What kind of family is making this kind of decision? Abandoning a thirteen-year-old child like this?


    ¡°So, doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re going to die? You can get out of here. It¡¯s stupid not to get out when you can. Don¡¯t be stubborn!¡±


    ¡°Go out? Where do I go when I go out? Where I was from, it¡¯s decided that it¡¯s better not to have me. There¡¯s nowhere for me to go.¡±


    Kal took a short rest as if annoyed all of a sudden.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything useless either. You said it would be bad for you if you release me.¡±


    It would be better if he cursed and fretted at Lilian. She¡¯s not used to him giving up in such a calm manner like this.


    On the one hand, it wasn¡¯t surprising. Karloi was tired of long imprisonment.


    He was no longer a child who said they would go back alive. Now, there was only a person who was just tired.


    ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    Not knowing how to persuade this poor kid, Lilian spins around and sinks into her thoughts.


    Looking at his resigned look, it seemed that he was going to die without saying a word if he is killed right now.


    After long contemplation, Lilian decided to use the most effective persuasion method she knew.


    ¡°Ah! What!¡±


    Lilian hit Kal¡¯s head as hard as she could. It made a loud noise.


    There is no more convincing method than violence.


    ¡°You said you wanted to get revenge, didn¡¯t you? Then do something about it, other than sitting there and die. Are you a fool?¡±


    ¡°What do you know.¡±


    Slap!


    She hit him one more time.


    ¡°If you die, wouldn¡¯t it be good for that person? If you live, you can do back and do something, idiot.¡±


    Though he was pretending to be fine, anger burned in Kal¡¯s eyes from Lilian¡¯s words. He may have been upset about being beaten. However, Lilian hit him again with a strong force.


    ¡°Go back. Go back and see for it yourself. See who made that decision and make them regret it.¡±


    ¡°What do you know? If I go back, it would be hell there. I would just die again.¡±


    Should I hit him again?


    ¡°And you won¡¯t here? I¡¯m asking you one last time. Are you going to die here, or are you going to do something?¡±


    Lilian shook her head, looking down at Kal, who wasn¡¯t answering. But as soon as Lilian turned away, a hasty voice sprang out behind her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll go!¡±


    Lilian turned around, and her smile returned as well. It was a relief. She couldn¡¯t hit that pretty face anymore.


    ¡°I told you not to laugh!¡±


    ¡°Again, another argument.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you going to come too? My house¡­ It¡¯s spacious. There¡¯s a physician too, so you and your mother can live together.¡±


    ¡°My house is here, and how can I take my sick mother there? Where is your house? Are you going to bring a carriage or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°See. Just take care of yourself first.¡±


    Seeing Kal looking visibly sullen, Lilian added.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you run away.¡±


    ¡°This debt¡­ I will definitely pay it off.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, and the brooch was enough.¡±


    Lilian smiled wide. Lilian laughed as she saw Kal¡¯s red ears again.


    Yeah, I shouldn¡¯t let such a pretty boy die like that. The sound of the rain hitting the ceiling blended with the sound of Lillian¡¯s laughter.


    ***


    The rain poured down much harder than people expected. Everyone said it was the first time they saw such heavy rain.


    Lilian regretted for a moment for attaching the flumen stone on the roof for no reason.


    This amount of rain seems to be enough to sweep down the house, or even the entire village, without the flumen stone.


    She came home with a bunch of sparsio stones, but she was still worried. Aunt Mariel offered to stay with her mother in exchange for the sparsio stone, but her little anxiety remained.


    ¡°Hey. Let¡¯s not talk about leaving, aren¡¯t we dying here too?


    Kal asked with a suspicious face as the rain was pouring in.


    Lilian put flumen stones all over the lair while the thugs were busy checking the other places in this mess.


    Or maybe Kal doesn¡¯t care because he¡¯s getting killed anyway.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be killed like that.¡±


    Lilian mumbled, attaching the sparsio stone to her body and Kal¡¯s body. Then, she released Kal.


    His body was released after two weeks. It was awkward for him to freely move his limbs because it felt quite unfamiliar.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, a tremendous sound was heard, and one of the ceilings above Lilian collapsed. Lilian closed her eyes and wrapped her arms over her head, but she didn¡¯t feel any pain.


    As she opened her eyes slightly with a puzzled look, she saw Kal covering her.


    [ T/N: A-ha!! Remember this scene? ]


    ¡°Hey, are you crazy?!¡±


    It was quite crazy to think that he got hit by a collapsed ceiling instead of her. She was reminded of how he was yelling at Lilian to run away when they first met.


    A weak groan flowed out from Kal¡¯s mouth, as his back was hit directly.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just did it because there was a person in front of me. You are also crazy for trying to save me as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±


    When Lilian said a gentle thank you, Kal bit his lips.


    Lilian felt that it was time for them to get out of here. Soon, the place would collapse, and the thugs would come.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have to go out now.¡±


    Karloi eagerly and firmly held Lilian¡¯s hand as if it was his only rope.


    ¡°¡­Your hands are so warm.¡±


    She could hear Kal muttering alone from behind, but Lilian was focused on getting out.


    No one has seen her coming here today, so she won¡¯t be doubted. Lilian opened the back door carefully and dragged Kal out.


    ¡°Do you know where to go?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking something obvious. This is my area.¡±


    ¡°But why are you saving me?¡±


    Lilian put strength to his hand she touched. It was awkward and strange to feel the touch of his hand.


    In fact, it was Lilian who wanted to ask Kal why he ¡®kept saving.¡¯


    He was worried and told her to run away, gave her a brooch to save Denise, and protected her from a collapsing ceiling.


    ¡°It¡¯s just because they are people. That¡¯s why I did it.¡±


    She could hear Kal laughing from behind her back. Since Kal does not laugh very often, such laughter was very rare.


    The quiet voice was strangely good to hear.


    Lilian felt her ears were getting hot for some reason.


    Outside, it rained so badly that she couldn¡¯t see ahead. If went the wrong way, he might be swept away.


    Lilian swallowed her saliva and grabbed Kal, leading him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Rain poured heavily.


    Lilian Lou did not like rain. The name Lou was derived from the rain, but Lilian Lou didn¡¯t like it. In fact, she hated it.


    However, since she met Kal, Lilian would look outside on rainy days. It was the same when she entered the Duchy and lived as Yvonne Delois.


    So, the time she was with Kal was the only time Lilian Lou could be Lilian Lou.


    Not Denise¡¯s daughter Lou, not the hard-working Lou, but just a twelve-year-old Lilian Lou who talks to a child of her age.


    Lilian never forgot the time she spent with the boy who left, who promised to do many things and do more.


    Because Kal was the only good deed Lilian Lou ever did in her life. The only thing she was proud of in her own life. Which was beautiful and shining.


    On rainy days, she used to think of it, the short periods of time when she could laugh and talk without anyone noticing.


    Now, it became Yvonne¡¯s habit, so her body would follow the rain even if she could no longer recall the past.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining a lot today, so it¡¯s difficult to take a walk. Everyone is just going crazy because even the radish got damaged.¡±


    Mary Ann said carefully to Yvonne as she got ready to go for a walk as usual.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not alright. The Imperial Palace is a little¡­¡±


    It was not unreasonable for Mary Ann to stop her.


    Purdue Palace, Croisen¡¯s first Imperial Palace, was famous across the continent for its grandeur and splendor. Since ¡®Purdue¡¯ meant gold in the ancient language, so it was deserving of its name.


    However, the structure was not sturdy since it was focused on splendor, and buildings became weaker as they suffered frequent wars from the past.


    On a rainy day like this, she could know better.


    ¡°The garden is okay.


    ¡°You think the garden is not in Croisen, and it doesn¡¯t rain? Why do you like the garden so much, every day¡­¡±


    Nevertheless, the only thing Purdue Palace still boasts was the Palace¡¯s gardens.


    In the huge garden divided into one hundred-seventy-two zones, you could see all kinds of plants. Despite the war, the garden was the only part that retained its beauty.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to go to the outdoor garden.¡±


    Yvonne did not give up and persuaded Mary Ann.


    Yvonne used to see the garden when she was walking. It was on rainy days.


    It¡¯s not like she likes flowers. Denise was the one who liked flowers. Since she was in a bad situation, she didn¡¯t like it, though Denise liked and always wanted to collect flowers.


    To Yvonne, flowers were a kind of deed. Beautifully blooming flowers showed what she had gained in return for listening to the Duke.


    Unlike when she was Lilian Lou, Yvonne Delois and Denise were in a position to relax and enjoy the flowers.


    In addition, flowers constantly imprinted the existence of Denise to Yvonne as to not forget that her mother is still in the hands of the Duke.


    Again, the flowers are not¡­ no, let¡¯s not think about it.


    Mary Anne looked at Yvonne¡¯s increasingly complicated expression and bowed her head as if she had lost.


    ¡°¡­Okay. Then, I¡¯ll take you to Entuarum.¡±


    The indoor garden, called the Entuarum, was one of the most spectacular gardens in the Purdue Palace.


    It was the pride of Purtu, even the envoys and royal families from all over the world wanted to see.


    Even though Karloi left it, she heard that it was because he hated the garden, but Yvonne thought it was unexpected. Kal, whom she knew when she was young, liked flowers very much.


    Yvonne sat silently when she reached the indoor garden through the deafening sound of the rain on her ears.


    Unsure what Yvonne was thinking, Mary Anne simply assumed Yvonne was disturbed by the Queen¡¯s coronation ceremony and the Duke¡¯s visit.


    It was because she did not know what conversation Yvonne had with the Duke.


    ¡°¡­Can I go outside for a while?¡±


    A strange request popped out of her mouth, which happened a while later. Mary Ann gazed at the turbulent outside for a moment and shook her head. No, she¡¯s not going to allow it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just be at the door. I¡¯ll be there for a minute. I¡¯m feeling a little stuffy.¡±


    For Mary Anne, Yvonne¡¯s requests were also orders, so she had no power to refuse.


    Yvonne couldn¡¯t do anything she would like to do, and even this much, she had to ask her lady-in-waiting.


    As Mary Anne did not answer, Yvonne slowly stepped out to see if she could. As she breathed in the wind outside, she finally was able to breathe comfortably.


    Yvonne often thought that if she died, she would probably die of suffocation since it had been hard for her to breathe.


    Luckily, the screen was large and wide, which provided adequate protection from the rain.


    The raindrops falling on her palm through the screen were cold. Yvonne recalled a conversation with the Duke as she stared at the water droplets falling down.


    Yvonne briefly responded to the Duke, who was raging about why she was arranging the Queen¡¯s ceremony.


    < You can poison the Queen then. >

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    Poisoning.


    She couldn¡¯t believe the brutal words that came out of his mouth.


    < Are you serious? >


    < I don¡¯t know when the Emperor will entrust a job to me again, so when else would it be possible. Moreover, the Emperor prevents Lady Roden from meeting me alone. >


    < Oh, crazy. This would be a hell of a mess. >


    < You have to get rid of the Queen anyway. It would be better to do so before she becomes the Queen. >


    < But, if the Queen is poisoned at the coronation ceremony you prepared, they would, of course, think it was me. >


    < You¡¯re a person who can handle that much pressure, Duke. The woman who was neither the Royal Family nor the Queen yet is killed. >


    Halfway, the Duke seemed to rather like the harsh words she spits out.


    Did he finally think she was useful? Or did he believe that she had a similarity to himself, not just his appearance?


    It seemed like he was already excited and prepared to kill Keana Roden, he even received the list of people working at the Queen¡¯s Coronation Ceremony and all the documents related to the preparation of the Ceremony.


    She couldn¡¯t do it.


    Yvonne thought so as she felt the raindrops. It is as inevitable as the water falling from top to bottom.


    She cannot continue to postpone the Queen¡¯s Coronation Ceremony, and she cannot ignore the Duke¡¯s dictation.


    She would rather be washed away by the rain. The rain looked just like fourteen years ago. It was similar to the day where there seemed to be a hole in the sky.


    There was no Lilian Lou at the time who cried out loud, not knowing what could be done without dying. Only the fake Yvonne Delois who lived.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±


    As she turned to where the maids¡¯ voice was, she saw Karloi standing there.


    She was thinking of young Kal just now, so she felt strange. It would have been nice if Kal hadn¡¯t grown up, she had a useless thought.


    Karloi, who had grown up, was still apathetic to seeing the rain pouring horribly that nothing came to mind.


    He blames her for going to and from a garden he doesn¡¯t care about. He seemed to have left because he wasn¡¯t interested in Yvonne.


    And he said he wouldn¡¯t let her go. She hated it, and she felt like dying.


    ¡°Were you not in good health? Why do you go for a useless walk while annoying people every day? Does the Queen¡¯s Ceremony leave you with the energy to do a walk, or what? Take your maids and go back to the Empress¡¯ Palace.¡±


    Every word he said was a thorn that stabbed people. He didn¡¯t say any good things.


    Yes, stupid Karloi. Let¡¯s ignore him. Yvonne decided to do so.


    But her body didn¡¯t keep up with the idea. Yvonne hugged Karloi even though her decision was ridiculously wrong.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    He asked, but she had no answer.


    Yvonne said to herself that she was just paying her debts. She said that when they were young, she just copied the actions that Kal did.


    In reality, she just wanted him to remember. She hopes he remembers similar situations, similar words, anything.


    Though, disregarding the memories, seeing Karloi brushing his body as if he had touched something dirty, Yvonne really wanted to hang her neck.


    Would you believe me when I die?


    She could see Lady Keana standing with her eyes shining behind him.


    Even if she wasn¡¯t there, her mind became more uncomfortable for no reason. Does that woman have no concerns? Is there something she is troubled with? Yvonne was envious.


    On the other hand, she felt sorry when she remembered the words she said about poisoning.


    Will someone who has lived without any hard work die because of me? She thought she couldn¡¯t help it, but she couldn¡¯t kill an innocent lady.


    Besides, if Karloi loved her, she imagined them feeding each other something to eat like a sweet new couple.


    Yvonne grumbled inside.


    She was, indeed, his fated mate. Yvonne can¡¯t even eat peaches, so they couldn¡¯t do anything like that.


    She looked at Keana with all kinds of thought, and Keana looked away as if she was embarrassed.


    As she looked more innocent, Yvonne wondered how to secretly obtain an antidote and try to feed her in advance.


    She barely pressed her soaring irritation and exited the indoor garden.


    Kal didn¡¯t keep any promises.


    A promise to take her to the garden, a promise to remember, and a promise to keep her.


    The sound of the rain became boring.


    ***


    Yvonne couldn¡¯t sleep well as the Queen¡¯s Coronation Ceremony was approaching and eventually sent a secret letter to Keana¡¯s residence.


    She managed to persuade Mary Ann that Keana couldn¡¯t die, and if she was caught, it would be a big deal


    .


    She would rather pretend to be sick, hoping that she would not appear at the Coronation Ceremony.


    Because Yvonne couldn¡¯t kill a girl who knew nothing in her life, and the appearance of Karloi, who seemed to like Keana sincerely, was always in her mind.


    She couldn¡¯t let the only woman Karloi cared for in the Imperial Palace disappear into the hand of the Duke.


    However, despite the fact that she was at risk, Karloi didn¡¯t do anything. He didn¡¯t even ask Yvonne how her Emperor¡¯s censure was going. He didn¡¯t even say anything.


    It was only a day before Yvonne, while almost giving up, thought to put the poison in her own cup instead.


    Yvonne was watching flowers in the twenty-eighth garden, where exotic plants were planted.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that flower creepy? It¡¯s pretty, but it¡¯s a flower that kills itself.¡±


    Mary Ann whispered to Yvonne, seeing the gorgeous red flowers beautifully set on the clear, clean water.


    ¡°Flowers committing suicide? A flower?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know why? That¡¯s a sorano flower that only blooms in the Mach Empire. When an insect touches it, it spits out the liquid and commits suicide.¡±


    ¡°Then why is the flower fine here.¡±


    ¡°It could be because it magically smokes something that only blooms on Mach, or it could be because there are no insects.¡±


    The intensely beautiful flowers left a dark afterimage on Yvonne. She was shocked to know that even flowers could choose to end their own life.


    But what about me?


    Upon hearing Yvonne¡¯s new decision, Mary Ann shouted in fright.


    ¡°Absolutely not! Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I can take the antidote in advance.¡±


    ¡°What would you do if the antidote didn¡¯t work! The Duke is not a fool!¡±


    ¡°We know the poison. We can figure it out in advance.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I¡¯d rather give Lady Roden the antidote instead.¡±


    Yvonne bit her mouth at Mary Anne¡¯s sharp voice. Mary Ann was anxious, and she struck Yvonne as if she was the Duke.


    ¡°Look at it. Your Majesty also knows that an antidote cannot guarantee safety! Besides, you are weak.¡±


    ¡°¡­Not like that. How do you approach Lady Roden even if there is an antidote?¡±


    Yvonne quickly spoke as Mary Ann tried to nag her with something else again.


    ¡°And in case one goes wrong, the Duke will not hurt her. He won¡¯t even think I did it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is ridiculous¡­.¡±


    ¡°Mary Ann, would you think I would have done something like that?¡±


    Mary Ann looked at Yvonne with her shocked face. She didn¡¯t answer the question but instead asked a question.


    ¡°Do you really want to die?¡±


    She tried to answer Mary Anne¡¯s question. But strangely, the words did not come out easily.


    Does she really want to die as Mary Anne said?


    Seeing Yvonne unable to answer, her face turned blue. Mary Ann began to persuade her in the other direction.


    ¡°He¡¯ll notice that you swapped glasses, the Duke.¡±


    Yvonne shook her head with her indifferent face.


    ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about it, but we wouldn¡¯t know. As always, he¡¯ll kill all the people involved as well.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t help, I¡¯ll do it with another maid, so it¡¯s easier to spot, and the Duke won¡¯t let me go.¡±


    Mary Ann looked up at Yvonne with her glaring face from her threatening words.


    ¡°Why the hell¡­are you doing this? Did you care about the Emperor?¡±


    Yvonne shook her head once more. She can¡¯t care for Karloi. Not in this situation, but if she cherishes him as a child, she probably cannot.


    ¡°I just¡­ I just want to try it. At least this will be my choice.¡±


    She wanted to have a choice. Yvonne muttered blankly. The last choice she made was a long time ago.


    Mary Ann, who hadn¡¯t answered for a while, eventually whispered very quietly.


    ¡°You have to take the antidote no matter what. I¡¯ll figure it out somehow.¡±


    After Yvonne heard that, she smiled after a very long time. She was somewhat proud. It¡¯s been a long time since the choice she made was to save another innocent person.


    She may not be as disgusting as the peacock. She was not like that person.


    Only Mary Anne, who saw Yvonne¡¯s smile, was tormented for no reason. At least, she didn¡¯t want to see her smile because of this.


    Yvonne continued to smile whether she knew Mary Anne¡¯s heart or not.


    ***


    Lilian and Kal¡¯s escape was not easy at all.


    The biggest problem was heavy rain. The heavy rain made it easier for them to escape, but it prevented them just as much as well.


    The plan to escape through the remote areas of the dark forest has become extremely difficult due to heavy rain.


    The rain mercilessly wet the children¡¯s clothes. If there were no sparsio stone attached to their body, they would have died in the rain.


    It took more than a day to get out of the forest. The rain wasn¡¯t at its peak, but it was still strong.


    .


    Meanwhile, Lilian and Kal were getting hit and swept around, causing their bodies to hurt.


    ¡°No, be careful! What if it gets rained on and it gets worse?¡±


    Whenever she bleeds, he stops and heals Lilian¡¯s wounds. Lilian always thought that children from precious families were picky.


    Lilian also says it would take time to go through these wounds one by one. Kal ignored the grunting Lilian.


    ¡°Hey, people who ignore their wounds aren¡¯t healthy.¡±


    Even the nagging was harsh. Lilian replied that it was normal for her, but Kal didn¡¯t take it at all.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Kal, who was walking in front of Lilian, groaned a little. Blood was leaking from his back.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    ¡°What, when did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    It was apparent that he was injured when he was hit by the collapsed ceiling while protecting Lilian. Kal frowned when Lilian looked at him with an indecisive face.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been failing since it¡¯s slippery, really.¡±


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t lie. It must have gotten worse because you fell. We need to apply some medicine.¡±


    Lilian couldn¡¯t figure out why he was doing that to his body after being so respectful of other people¡¯s wounds.


    No, he said that those who ignore their wounds are not healthy. You idiot!


    Even after seeing Lilian grunting, Kal didn¡¯t care about his body at all.


    The children, tired from the rain, hid in a cave. Near the cave¡¯s entrance were flowers swaying dangerously from the rain and wind.


    ¡°This looks like you.¡±


    Lilian, who was applying medicine at Kal¡¯s back, looked at Kal pointing to a wildflower that bloomed at the entrance. Lilian simply frowned, not knowing how he looked at the white flowers, and it reminded him of Lilian.


    If he wanted to compare someone who looked like the flower, it would be him rather than Lilian.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen it bloom outside. What was in my pala¡­ house was forcibly lit by magic, so the color wasn¡¯t like this.¡±


    Lilian shrugs her shoulders. Instead, isn¡¯t the flower blooming with magic more colorful? Karloi didn¡¯t seem to like the magical flowers.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to make wildflowers bloom the same way with magic, according to the gardener¡¯s words. No matter how similar it is, there¡¯s still something different.¡±


    She didn¡¯t ask, but seeing the way he talked, it seemed that Kal liked flowers.


    Lilian¡¯s expression became a little grim as she recalled Denise. Kal, who was looking at Lilian¡¯s face, asked quietly.


    ¡°Do you not like flowers?¡±


    ¡°Not like or dislike, I guess I like it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see them. It¡­ helps me stand up. No matter how much I lose, if I watch it keep blooming¡­¡±


    Kal¡¯s speech gradually faded over what he was thinking. Lilian tried to change the topic in a bright voice.


    ¡°My mom likes flowers, too. She said her wish was always to have a big garden. She even wants to make a small flower bed.¡±


    ¡°There was a big garden in my pala¡­house. If you see it, you¡¯ll probably like it, your mom as well. I¡¯m the only one watching the place, but I¡¯ll definitely show you someday.¡±


    Lilian smiled unknowingly, his face that looked as though he wanted to invite her over was funny.


    Though as her clothes started to dry, she felt chilly, and a cough flowed through her laughter.


    She coughed up from her blue lips, and Kal asked Lilian.


    ¡°How much more do we need to go?¡±


    ¡°A little bit. If you pass this place, you will see Markia Delansi. It¡¯s a safe place, and it¡¯s not with the duchy, so we¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°Markia? Is that a¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Then, you wait for the rain to stop here and go back to your house.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Kal?¡±


    ¡°I can go alone.¡±


    In fact, a part of Lilian¡¯s mind was focused on her mother. Aunt Mariel is a good person, and she is a person who does as much as she received, but still.


    Kal placed some of the food and other items that Lilian had brought that were slightly wet down.


    Lilian looked at him with anxious eyes, but somehow Kal¡¯s face looked calm.


    ¡°By now, they would probably have noticed that I¡¯m missing.¡±


    ¡°Why does that matter? They¡¯re going to give up, thinking you are dead anyway.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the Duke. If he finds out that things aren¡¯t going his way, he¡¯ll destroy all of the people involved or even the whole town.¡±


    Lilian¡¯s face turned white. The child that helped him was terrified by these words, Kal felt strange.


    There were many people other than Lilian, but none of them helped him.


    There were many people taller and stronger than Lilian, but none of them offered to save him.


    There were many people who have known him longer than Lilian, but no one had been protecting him.


    Kal slowly caught the little saviour, who suddenly appeared in front of him, examining her from head to toe.


    A skinny, malnourished body, non stop coughing, and matted hair.


    Still, she looked at him straightly, as if she was worried about him, with her sparkling green eyes. The emeralds scattered in the Imperial Palace seemed to be less shiny than those eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything right now because of the heavy rain, so I don¡¯t know when it¡¯s going to be risky. You need to get back to where you live quickly. Your mom will be worried as well. If you go, leave the duchy immediately.¡±


    ¡°Leave?¡±


    ¡°If you can, you can go to Markia. Did you sell the brooch I gave you? You would be able to get gold coins that would last for a few months. Then¡­ I¡¯ll find you soon.¡±


    ¡°You, what about you?¡±


    ¡°I can go alone from now on. I¡¯ll just borrow some gold coins, just in case.¡±


    Kal grabbed a few gold coins and put the rest next to Lilian. And that was not enough, he even took off his coat and covered Lilian.


    ¡°Are you crazy? If you wear such thin clothes in the rain, you¡¯ll freeze to death.¡±


    ¡°The rain that will stop in two days. You should get some rest here and go back when the rain stops moderately.¡±


    Lilian grabbed Kal¡¯s hem¡¯ without realizing. He looked down at her little hand for a while and smiled for the first time.


    It was the warmest, most beautiful smile that Lilian had ever seen.


    It was awkward because she felt like he had become someone else. So, maybe that¡¯s why Lilian¡¯s face started feeling hot.


    ¡°Lou, you did enough. You did more than I could ask of you. Now, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    It was the first time that Kal called her name. As Lilian¡¯s hand felt weak, Kal gently wrapped it around his.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll come find you when I come back. I might not be able to find you right away, but¡­ knowing what I¡¯m doing will put you in danger. I will find you as soon as possible.¡±


    It¡¯s a dangerous place. Lilian suddenly regretted her plan to return Kal to a place that was too reckless.


    ¡°I had never had anything I wanted to keep or protect¡­¡±


    ¡°Kal?¡±


    ¡°When I go back, I will definitely find you. I will never forget that you saved me. Even if I want to, I will never forget.¡±


    ¡°You should stay here for a while, too. It¡¯s still raining a lot.¡±


    Kal bit his lips. He had never been so regretful that he had nothing with him.


    He¡¯d like to give her something, anything. However, the brooch had been sold, and he had nothing, really, nothing right now.


    ¡°I have to go as fast as possible. If you stay with me, you¡¯ll just be in danger. It would be fine if they find you alone.¡±


    ¡°Kal.¡±


    ¡°Really, I promise you, Lou.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what he was promising. His resolute expression forced Lilian to simply relax her hands.


    ¡°My name, Lilian Lou. Lilian Lou.¡±


    Kal, who thought to ask what the boy¡¯s name was, just laughed.


    ¡°Your name is pretty. Lou suits you better, but it¡¯s a name that reminds me of rain.¡±


    Lilian was embarrassed and looked up at Kal.


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Laughing at the golden eyes, Lilian finally realized. Hey, you knew I was a girl.


    ¡°When the hell did you know?¡±


    Kal continued to laugh at Lilian¡¯s question. He released Lilian¡¯s hand and once again tightened the coat on Lilian¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back alive.¡±


    Lilian thought Kal¡¯s words were a little nasty.


    ¡°Lou, I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t envy anyone. I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t a little. It was terrible. It was really nasty to behave so kindly only when it¡¯s time to separate, after being blunt all this time.


    Separating was not easy. Now, he even says her name. Rather, she would have told him to go without regrets if he had not been kind like the first time.


    However, his expression and his hands were warm, so Lilian couldn¡¯t open her mouth easily. The sound of the rain filled the silence.


    As if trying to engrave it into his eyes, Kal came closer to her and stared at Lilian for a while.


    ¡°So, you have to be alive, too. Don¡¯t forget about me.¡±


    The words rang in Lilian¡¯s ears like a spell. His cold lips touched her forehead. Lilian felt like crying for some reason.


    It¡¯s strange. He was a boy who she has known for ten days. In just two weeks, Kal seems to have grown from a child to an adult. Lilian barely nodded her head.


    Kal finally got up from his seat, determined. After looking back at the cave entrance for a while, Kal eventually left the cave and started running.


    Lilian held the flower in her hand and looked out for a while, now, seeing nothing.


    She thought that when the rain stopped, everything would disappear together as though it was a dream.


    ***


    As the rain stopped, Yvonne Delois awoke from her dream.


    What she could see was not the rough ceiling of the cave but the splendid ceiling of the Imperial Palace. The masterpiece on the ceiling caught her eye.


    A picture of an emperor and an empress, who died together because they loved each other so much.


    With the blink of an eye, the picture became clear, and her mind returned.


    Her initial thoughts were complex. She couldn¡¯t believe how she could have forgotten her mother and made such a frightening gamble. On the one hand, she thought she eventually lived again.


    After blinking a few more times, the person next to her came into her sight.


    ¡°¡­Your Majesty. Why are you here.¡±


    It was Karloi. The face that she continued to see in her dreams could be seen after waking up. Her dizzy head became more confused.


    ¡°¡­The Empress was sleeping and muttering about a Kal.¡±


    Her heart sank with a thud. On the other hand, it was selfish. What kind of idiot would completely forget his name when he was the one who told her not to forget about it first.


    She thought that if she answered harshly, he would disappear, but unexpectedly, Karloi suddenly grabbed Yvonne¡¯s hand.


    Yvonne¡¯s heart jumped anxiously. It was as if the distant warmth felt in her dreams became reality.


    ¡°¡­I was worried.¡±


    Yvonne¡¯s heartbeat harder from those words. She couldn¡¯t even believe what she was hearing. Maybe she hasn¡¯t woken up from her dream yet. This might be another dream.


    However, Karloi¡¯s hands on her skin were too hot. Are dreams this vivid?


    Her heart jumped anxiously. Yvonne Delois was no longer Lilian Lou. Everything about Lilian Lou died inside Yvonne. There is no Lilian Lou.


    Her heart continued to pound with an emotion of either fear or excitement.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    3 ¨C The emperor does not know the empress


    ¡°¡­I was worried.¡±


    A tense silence filled the gap between the emperor and the empress.


    Yvonne, who looked at Karloi with a face that seemed to have had a hallucination, pulled away her hand after a while. She couldn¡¯t afford to give her heart to something ephemeral like a dream.


    As her little hand was relentlessly slipping away, Karloi was also plagued with a strange feeling of emptiness.


    ¡°You wasted your time despite being busy because of me¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The words had a chill to them. If her words had a form, it was probably an icicle pointed towards him.


    With cold resolve, as if she wasn¡¯t the person who survived death, Karloi became suspicious of his judgment.


    Maybe it was a mistake to think that Yvonne liked him? He wondered if he was trying to do something useless.


    ¡°It¡¯s not absurd for a husband to be worried about his wife. I¡¯m glad you woke up safely.¡±


    At Karloi¡¯s words, Yvonne¡¯s face crumpled.


    Karloi couldn¡¯t figure out what words he said went against Yvonne¡¯s feelings. Did he offend her or something? She had never been friendly, so he wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your mind and body are well because your Majesty has witnessed something that was not pleasant.¡±


    Now, Yvonne was treating him like a madman.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, so why don¡¯t you take a rest, Your Majesty.¡±


    Karloi, trying to add to what he said, looked at Yvonne¡¯s pale face and bit his mouth.


    It was Yvonne, not him, who needed to rest. And he needed time to reconsider his hasty judgments, not rest.


    ¡°¡­.Then, I¡¯ll be on my way, so the Empress can rest. The physician that the Duke brought in took care of you. Do you really not want an Imperial physician?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that physician knows my condition best.¡±


    Strictly speaking, he was also a servant of the Duke. At Yvonne¡¯s resolute demeanor, Karloi left her bedroom silently.


    It was only after he left that Yvonne exhaled a deep, long breath.


    What¡¯s wrong with him all of a sudden?


    Yvonne was seriously worried that Karloi might have also taken poison.


    Shouldn¡¯t he be crying with regrets that she¡¯s not dead right now?


    Or maybe he was shocked to see her vomiting blood. Since he was young, Kal behaved like that when he saw blood.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    Yvonne¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by Marlone, the physician who soon entered.


    Seeing the physician, Yvonne refined her expression. The physician was the duke¡¯s faithful hand. She survived from the poison, it was obvious that he would doubt her. He will certainly ask beforehand if she took the antidote, why did she take it, how did she know, how was she able to get the antidote, and if she had switched the poison.


    She had to lie to trick Marlone, she will say she doesn¡¯t know how she survived. Yvonne took a deep breath and called the physician.


    ¡°Marlone.¡±


    ¡°The heavens have helped.¡±


    But the words from the physician¡¯s mouth were unexpected.


    ¡°Shortly after drinking poison, His Majesty the Emperor poured the antidote, so you could escape death. I¡¯ve been dizzy¡­¡±


    ¡°Antidote? His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you know? He always carries an antidote.¡±


    Fortunately, Marlone didn¡¯t seem to have noticed that Yvonne had already had the antidote beforehand.


    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising. It¡¯s Croisen, which surpasses most botanists when it comes to poison, but the Emperor is more sensitive.¡±


    Yvonne was confused since it was Karloi who saved her.


    He would rather be compassionate if he felt bad at all, but Karloi seemed unable to even do that. Is there anything as cruel as ambiguity?


    ¡°Anyway, you have to be careful for a few weeks. You need to choose your food and take medicine well.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Lift your arms.¡±


    As Yvonne extended her arm, the physician rolled her sleeves and examined her skin.


    Yvonne, who had long suffered from the physical violence of the Duke, had many indelible scars here and there.


    When the marriage to the emperor was settled, the duke hurriedly called the physician. He took a servant and threatened to use the now-illegal transfer magic, asking him to move the wounds to them, but unfortunately, the scar cannot be transferred.


    Marlone was afraid of the duke¡¯s anger, keeping the scar from being seen as a temporary measure.


    Physicians knew how to deal with basic medical magic and also knew how to cover up blemishes on the skin.


    But it doesn¡¯t last forever, like almost all magic on the continent, it required a periodic prescription.


    ¡°I was worried that the poison would affect it, but it¡¯s still all right. If you ever get scars, you need to call me right away.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    So, the Duke rejected the Imperial healers and sent the physician to follow Yvonne on the pretext of Yvonne¡¯s condition.


    Seeing Yvonne answering softly, the physician got up from his seat with a sigh.


    ¡°The Duke was worried. I told him that I¡¯ll let him know when your condition improves. He knows you¡¯re awake, so he¡¯ll be back in a few days.¡±


    The choice of the word ¡®worry¡¯ was hilarious, but Yvonne nodded without any expression. When the physician left her bedroom, Yvonne was alone.


    She had to rest for now. That way, she would be able to face the Duke.


    ***


    Karloi sat in the office with a stern expression.


    ¡°Gorten, what do you think the Empress thinks of me?¡±


    The unexpected question confused Gorten.


    ¡®What do you mean, what do you think? No, what would the empress think about the emperor in the first place?¡¯


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t answer that way.


    ¡°Ah¡­ um, what do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think she hates me?¡±


    It was a new question. There was a very obvious answer, but Gorten didn¡¯t say the answer right away because of his years of experience. If the answer is obvious, it is a question with a trap.


    It was also a question that had a lot of room for other answers when you ponder on it. The empress had a lot of strange corners, even for the chief attendant himself.


    ¡°Looking at the position or the way Her Majesty treats you¡­ I guess it¡¯s true that she doesn¡¯t like your Majesty.¡±


    Gorten slowly picked his words.


    ¡°But to say she didn¡¯t like? There is a sense of ambiguity. If she really hates you, you will likely see a violent attitude like the duke or Your Majesty.¡±


    Karloi thought between himself and the Duke without saying anything. If she makes the feelings of hostility and hate visible, it would be shown.


    ¡°If you think about these things, the empress¡¯s attitude was extremely moderate. She did not take any action other than ignoring your Majesty.¡±


    To be honest, the Empress didn¡¯t hate the Emperor. She just seemed to have no interest in him.


    Of course, Gorten thought only to himself.


    Karloi nodded slowly.


    Gorten¡¯s opinion about the Duke¡¯s attitude to the Emperor, and the Emperor to the Empress without going far seemed reasonable at first glance.


    Even though Karloi thought it was. Had Yvonne truly hated Karloi, she would have shown what true hate and violence really looks like.


    Karloi¡¯s face got even more serious.


    ¡°Though, why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡±


    Gorten was suspicious whether the rumors he had heard in the Imperial Palace these days were correct. People were already talking in such a way that the relationship between the two was different because Karloi stayed in her palace the entire time she was unconscious.


    Already in a swamp of his own thoughts, Karloi had no answer.


    He acted impulsively and doubted himself for a moment, but the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it was.


    Keana¡¯s words were not wrong. As the confrontation between the Duke and Karloi continued, there was nothing better, and Yvonne Delois was the best chance to catch the Duke.


    The way to use Yvonne, who was bound by blood, the way he wanted, was to use her emotions.


    But he wasn¡¯t certain yet. Yvonne¡¯s attitude was vague, so it was questionable whether she would follow Karloi if he ever wanted to use her.


    ¡°¡­..We need to get closer to the empress.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    Gorten couldn¡¯t keep up with Karloi¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Do you know what to do first?¡±


    Gorten clicked his tongue as he saw Karloi with a perplexed expression. You must meet a woman before knowing how to get close to her.


    ¡°It would be impossible for you to treat women, or just people well since you have never been friendly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that no one taught me what that is¡­ You haven¡¯t been here for a while.¡±


    Despite being a bit blunt, Karloi responded quietly to Gorten without criticizing him.


    For a while? So when did this happen? It was difficult for Gorten to ask, and Karloi was already lost in his thoughts.


    This was what Gorten often saw over the past fourteen years. At some point, he didn¡¯t look as if he was thinking about something.


    Oh, no. He had seen that face once recently.


    Gorten moved his eyebrows around and tried to remember. Gorten, who recognized it before long, almost clapped his hands.


    On a rainy day, seeing the Empress in the indoor garden, Karloi had that expression.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Nothing.¡±


    It looked like nothing at all, but Gorten didn¡¯t ask twice. In the past 14 years, Karloi has never answered properly.


    Gorten did not know who the owner of this expression was.


    ***


    The day after Yvonne woke up, the Duke visited the Empress¡¯s Palace. It was patient for the duke not to come immediately on that day.


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    A person almost died after drinking poison, but there was no empty question of if she was okay. Not everyone could be this cold-blooded, but on the other hand, she felt that the Duke was really great at being cold-blooded.


    Expecting all this, Yvonne casually faced the alleged evil face of the Duke.


    Whenever the duke came and talked about things, she always thought it was such nonsense. She wishes she could kick that bastard¡¯s important part before she dies.


    Of course, there would be no regrets if she could kill him, but now she doesn¡¯t even want to do such a thing. She just wanted to give him a lot of pain.


    Yvonne slowly opened her mouth, thinking it was fortunate that the Duke could not read her thoughts.


    ¡°I have no idea. Did the Duke make some mistake?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I would do that? This is ridiculous.¡±


    The Duke, screaming nervously, suddenly flashed his eyes and looked at Yvonne.


    It was scary to see him glancing over as if he was trying to find fault, though Yvonne did not avoid the gaze.


    He asked in a lowered voice.


    ¡°By any chance, did you try to do something stupid?¡±


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