Chapter 4

Monster Emperor, Kergel (1)

“We must have finally arrived in the capital, Princess.”

The maid, who had come along with her in the carriage, looked out through a small window before opening her mouth joyfully. Roelin peered out the window with her hands still in order and turned her head while replying in a rather indifferent tone.

“I see.”

It had been raining all the way through the Samalta Mountains from the border of Rakain and the sun was now finally shining.

Roelin’s eyes were glazed by the sunlight that poured through the small window of the carriage, making her frown her forehead slightly. Then, she glanced out of the window before closing the curtains in a hurry as if she had just realized her mistake then.

Only when the sunlight had been blocked did her eyes become more comfortable. However, Roelin still had her eyes closed once again. She didn’t close them because it was dazzling or even uncomfortable. Rather, it was just to calm her mind while organizing her own thoughts.

The maid, who was sitting right at the opposite of her, did not even make a single, tiny sound as if she had noticed the real intention.

The inside of the carriage was ultimately quiet. On the other hand, many sounds continued to flow outside of the carriage itself. The clopping of horseshoes, the voices of people and even the sound of laughter.

“Draw the curtain.”

Roelin opened her eyes again before ordering the maid. The maid responded positively and immediately began to open the curtain.

The direction of sunlight had already changed since then, following the fact that it was no longer pouring directly into the carriage. Roelin slowly looked outwards.

The capital of Seroif Empire.

It was quite different from the capital of Rakain. The styles of people were different and the architectural designs were disparate as well.

And above all, the contrast was, however, the atmosphere within this capital.

‘Everyone looks so happy.’

Those who had been reflected in her eyes looked absolutely lively. The speed of the carriage hadn’t made it easy to notice in detail, but it was just evident that a flood of life had been imbued completely amidst the crowd.

It was so much different from the people whom she had seen on the streets of Rakain.

No one looked happy at all. Even the nobles over there had never appeared content.

A woman whose face was terribly dry as she pranced in a luxurious dress under an umbrella that had been aided by a maid. Furthermore, the faces of those aristocratic men while talking with tobacco pipes in their mouths, which patently revealed the signs of boredom.

And the faces of those commoners who had been dressed in some old, shabby clothings were seemingly distorted by life itself. On one hand, they marveled while not approaching the nobility, but on the other, they had this rush to hide all those gazes of anger and hatred towards that same nobility.

But what about the people right here—right now?

“You said that Seroif was a place of chance for you to rise in your position, no?”

“Yes?”

As soon as Roelin had involuntarily muttered to herself, the maid immediately asked before murmuring and soon looked out the window.

Roelin shook her head as if it was nothing.

That was one of the reasons why her twin sister and the Royal Family along with the nobles of Rakain had mocked Seroif Empire as simply barbaric.

The fact that the Seroif Empire’s identification system hadn’t been firmly established at all.

In Rakain, it was in the moment of birth that would determine the nobility or the low-born status and it would continue until one’s life ended.

Seroif, on the other hand, was entirely different from that of Rakain as although the Emperor was the highest monarch, people were still much more free to shift their statuses—only with the exception of himself.

If you could build up your skills according to your own efforts and prove them, you would definitely get a chance to improve your status in the end.

Such was a dreamy story.

‘If I had been born in Seroif, would I ever have lived differently?’

The moment she had been born, she was immediately branded as the ominous twin and now, she finally thought that she wouldn’t have to live in that Separate Palace anymore.

She kept on looking outside with a complicated kind of gaze.

Perhaps such a difference had brought in that divergence through all the streetscape.

She inadvertently continued to think but the carriage rattled suddenly before coming to a stop.

“From here onwards, you can’t proceed with neither a horse nor a carriage.”

Roelin could hear someone’s loud voice just outside the carriage. It was probably someone from the Seroif Empire. It was followed by a rise and fall from the Rakain delegation to see if anyone was really protesting.

“……maybe they’re arguing right now.”

The maid looked out the window carefully and opened her mouth while gazing at Roelin with a look that pondered the things she should be doing instead.

“We have to reapply the makeup at once.”

Roelin spoke calmly while not giving any concern to the persistent racket outside. The maid then began to move herself busily.

It might have been inconvenient being in a carriage, but the maid’s movements were simply adept.

This hadn’t been ‘Erita’s’ own maid. In fact, there was no way that would actually happen.

If this maid was close to ‘Erita’, she might have already noticed that the one who was right here hadn’t been the real Erita herself.