Chapter 8

Monster Emperor, Kergel (5)

“……refrain myself from going outside? Does that mean that I can’t actually go outside of this Palace?”

“Yes, Princess. Please understand that this is directly related to the security of the Imperial Palace itself.”

Lucy leaned over again while still speaking in a polite manner. However, Roelin’s stiff expression had not loosened itself that easily.

Of course, it wasn’t the fact that she didn’t comprehend Lucy.

Although it had been said that she was the one who received a proposal from the Emperor, ‘Erita’ was still a princess from another country. It was just absurd to say that such a person could wander around in the Imperial Palace without any sort of restraints at all.

But in her heart, a feeling that was understood in her head, yet couldn’t be controlled by herself popped up unwittingly.

‘And once again, to live like that over here as well?’

Just like a bird trapped in a cage—the life she had so far. Since they were the unusually born twins, she had to live in the Separate Palace all because they were deemed as the unlucky twins. Then, she was finally able to leave the cage only as the substitute for her own twin sister.

But she no longer wanted to live that life all over again despite the fact that she still had to move to a strange country that was completely out of Rakain.

That had made Roelin feel absolutely unfair. And that sort of injustice stirred her impulsively.

‘No, I don’t ever want to live like that. Why did I even come here claiming to be the fake bride in the first place? All because I didn’t want to live in such a cage anymore.’

She closed her blue eyes once before parting them open and only then did speak to Lucy.

“I’ll keep my word to everything else, but I don’t think I can really keep the last one.”

“But, Princess, you have already come to Seroif, so you ought to obey Seroif’s own set of rules. What’s more, it’s an order decreed by the Emperor himself.”

Lucy opened her mouth to persuade Roelin while slightly creasing her forehead troublingly. Nevertheless, Roelin just responded back to Lucy calmly.

“Then, let me see His Majesty. I’d like to speak with him in person.”

“……okay. I will try to put up the word for you.”

Lucy said so—along with a rather uncomfortable air.

*   *   *

“You have been quite frivolous, Your Majesty. Shooting those arrows at a member of the delegation—it could have made a problem with the whole of Rakain.”

“That’s exactly why I just shot neatly in the leg. I’m sure there’ll be no problem at all as long as he gets good treatment.”

After drinking another sip of wine held by himself, Kergel, the Emperor who was tolerating with Heinez’s naggings that crept back into his ears, slowly put his glass down.

At the same time, a chestnut head popped out behind those heaps of papers that had piled up on the office desk before stepping into the conversation right away.

“Your Majesty is absolutely right. Earlier, I heard from the servant of the outer Palace that the arrow you shot had penetrated the thigh, but the bone was not damaged—so, there will be no repercussions at all.”

“Look at that. Didn’t he say that there won’t be any aftereffects?”

Kergel giggled and continued shrugging at Heinez. Then, Heinez looked at him and sighed before he started pummeling at the dark-haired man who had entered the conversation senselessly.

“Bert, are you not aware that you are actually His Majesty’s aide? If he were to do that, we shouldn’t have sympathized with him, but we should be truly advising him instead.”

“Oh—no, it’s…… Frankly speaking, don’t you feel really refreshed somehow?”

“……yeah?”

“I heard how they have been fearlessly ignoring our Seroif? If I were right there, I would have shot a bow straight through his mouth—not just his thigh.”

“Phew, Bert.”

Heinez shook his head as if he couldn’t stop Bert at all.

Bert, who was the son of the maid, Lucy, had always been more like a brother—an immature brother—to Kergel ever since childhood. Still, rather than being a real aide to Kergel, he was actually more like a cooperative yet troublemaker brother instead.

He thought that Bert would at least get a little better once he became an adult, but now, it could truly be seen how Heinez had assumed wrongly.

The moment Heinez had sighed while repeatedly shaking his head, a knock could be heard on the door.

“Your Majesty, it’s Lucy.”

It was none other than Lucy who had knocked on the office’s door.

“Mother?”

Bert opened his eyes widely as soon as he saw his mother. It was due to the fact that he wondered why the person, who was currently supposed to be at the Separate Palace, had visited here instead.

And since it was just the same for Kergel and Heinez as well, all of them were looking at her curiously.

“The Princess has requested a meeting with you, Your Majesty.”

“What does she even want to talk to me about?”

Kergel frowned as if he was more suspicious in regards to Lucy’s words. He was dumbfounded at the thought of having to meet with her, himself—considering how long it had just been since she arrived at the Palace.