Chapter 97

“Just now… What?”

Evelina looked at Kaiden as if she could not understand what she heard. Kaiden’s face was stiff, perhaps surprised by the sudden news.

– Knock, knock.

“Your Majesty!”

“Come on in.”

Two people opened the door and came in at Kaiden’s voice. Duke Ruskun of Weimar and Baron Orpence, an aide to Kaiden.

“Explain what you mean.”

When Kaiden felt Evelina’s white face and trembling to hold his hand, he hoped that his subjects would quickly explain and reassure her.

“…that is…”

But seeing that they were rather sparing to look at Evelina, Kaiden said, thinking he made a mistake.

“Let’s go to the office.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do it here! Kaiden!”

Evelina grabbed him and said as if she had forgotten to blood on her feet.

“Call Lina a doctor.”

“Kaiden!”

She stood up and grabbed Kaiden by the arm. He couldn’t resist when she caught and stopped him. Her feet were already bloodied, and she was so fragile that if he shook her off hard, she would fall to the floor.

Her condition prevented him from being able to tear her apart.

“Your Majesty.”

Duke Ruskun grabbed Evelina by the arm and said,

“You have to go quickly.”

“Let go! Kaiden! Please explain what you mean! Please…!

When Evelina began to cry, Kaiden was more confused. What the hell is going on here?

He sent Marquis Logias to Tenesi to help Evelina despite opposition from ministers. Because that was originally Evelina’s plan. He could have forgiven the Marquis of Logias for Evelina.

“Is it something you can’t say in front of the Empress?”

The Duke of Ruskun nodded at Kaiden’s words. Evelina looked at him in surprise that he called her Empress.

“I’ll… I’ll be back for a moment. I’ll take care of everything and come back after I fix it.”

It was strange for her to look at Kaiden as if she wanted to believe him. She couldn’t believe it, but his eyes were so serious.

In addition, she realized that there was no one to expect mercy from or anyone to help her except her in this situation.

Two of her connections have already gone to Tenesi. Neither Ianathas nor Usher Fronen. All she had was a maid and an aide.

It was not a minister.*

*TN: as in not a minister she could trust

“I’m so scared.”

“It’ll be all right.”

“I want to stop being scared, please.”

At Evelina’s screaming voice, Kaiden held her tight. Ruskun Weimar sighed as he looked at them and wondered what to do with this situation.

~~~~

“Explain what the hell you mean.”

Kaiden wiped his face and stared at the Duke of Ruskun and Baron Orpence.

“I didn’t know the Imperial Queen was with you.”

“I said, Empress.”

“She hasn’t officially become an Empress yet.”

Ruskun Weimar said that and continued as if he was frustrated.

“You have to climb a mountain to get to Tenesi.”

“If you’re trying to explain the topography, don’t do it. Do you think I don’t know? I’m sure you didn’t forget that I went to war with you.”

“…Yes.”

The Duke of Ruskun was more troubled by Kaiden’s words. How was he supposed to say this?

“I think something happened while crossing the Balkans.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t think there’s a better road than the Balkans?”

“…It said it rained while crossing the mountain range. Because of the rain…”

Kaiden seemed to know the end of the story even if Duke Ruskun didn’t talk much. The Duke of Ruskun opened his mouth to his stiff expression.

“It’s all been swept away by the landslide.”

“…what?”

“The Prince of Tenesi and other envoys say it’s okay! But the Marquis of Logias…”

Baron Orpence reported as Duke Ruskun continued to hesitate.

“Your Majesty, you must send the knights immediately!”

Baron Orpence brought up the subject right away.

“Send them. Send the Royal Guard, too. No, I personally….”

“Your Majesty.”

As Kaiden tried to move immediately, Weimar Ruskun interrupted him and said.

“I heard the Queen was pregnant.”

“….”

“You can’t go.”

“But then Lina….”

Kaiden agonized. Evelina would be relieved if he went and found them. Besides, she was pregnant now.

“You must not leave Her Imperial Majesty alone. And do you think there will be any change if Your Majesty goes?”

“Ruskun.”

“He’s already dead. The landslide hit only the Marquis’ carriage.”

“….”

“Someone was aiming for Marquis Logias. Isn’t he a person who has bought a lot of resentment besides from Your Majesty?”

Ruskun Weimar said, looking straight at Kaiden. Kaiden looked at him, suspecting that he was involved in it. But he knew it wasn’t the case when he saw his hard expression, and the determined eyes that he thought were false.

Ruskun would have killed and confessed. He wouldn’t use this tactic.

“There was a lot of discontent from the ministers. The people who were attacked by the Marquis of Logias… It wasn’t a few.”

“Then what should I do with Lina? Do you think Lina’s gonna be all right when she hears this?”

“The Empress has His Majesty. And if she even has a child, she would be better off.”

“What does a man who’s not married know?”

Baron Orpence, who listened to Duke Ruskun, also opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, my wife went through a similar thing. Although I dare not compare the humble me with the Emperor, my wife also lost her parents in an accident the day after we got married.”

At Baron Orpence’s words, Kaiden looked at him with a confused look.

“So I stayed with her longer. Thanks to that, my wife was able to stay as bright as she is now. A child was also born then. There is truth in what Duke Ruskun said.”

Kaiden clenched his fist.

“I’ll go find the Marquis of Logias.”

However, Kaiden had to find the body of Marquis Logias for Evelina. No matter what his subjects said.

~~~~

Three days.

Evelina was waiting for Kaiden. She didn’t go out of her bedroom, she was just looking out the window, hoping that time would pass.

She was anxious. In this situation where she didn’t know when she was going to die, she was afraid she would die without knowing whether her parents were alive or not.

Evelina cried so much during those three days that she couldn’t even cry anymore.

She couldn’t trust Kaiden. But Kaiden was the only one she could trust. Because all her precious people were there.

She had a strange feeling that the shards of glass were still lodged in the soles of her feet. The shards of glass seemed to travel through the veins in the soles of her feet and eventually lodged in her heart.

Looking out so blankly, the beautiful scenery seemed to wither. Her heart burned day by day, but no matter how pretty she looked, she didn’t feel pretty.

She didn’t mind seeing the fresh peony at the end of her gaze and the fragrant rose vine. She was just waiting to hear from Kaiden.

She wanted him back with her adoptive parents. Aside from his use of her, even if he didn’t love her and pretended to love her.

She felt she could do anything if her adoptive parents came back alive. She thought she could even trade them for her life.

Even if she couldn’t die like this and lived next to Kaiden like a doll. She seemed to be able to live like that.

If only her adoptive parents would come back.

– Knock knock.

“Your Majesty…”

“Come on in.”

Evelina told them to come in before the maid finished speaking. She turned around ignoring the painful soles of her feet. Someone was standing with the maid.

“Ah…”

“It’s an honor to see you again, Your Majesty.”

It was the fortune-teller that Kaiden brought.

“Welcome back.”

It was a person that Evelina forgot about, but she felt very glad to see her. It was only natural to forget the fortune-teller because Evelina was suffering from shock.

“Give me the tea.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Come this way.”

“Yes.”

The maid left, and Evelina gestured to the fortune-teller in the Emperor’s bedroom as if she were the hostess. She wasn’t aware of it, but the fortune-teller thought she was the owner of the room.

Peony that suited her was placed everywhere in a vase, and she was wearing a white sky-high negligee. Plus the traces of a man under her thin negligee.

The only thing that seemed to be hers was the color of the room. Because almost all the furniture was white and black.

– Knock knock.

“Come on in.”

In the meantime, the maid prepared the tea. Evelina beckoned as she sat on the sofa, and the fortune-teller sat opposite.

“The tea came fast.”

She was already making tea when she brought the fortune-teller.

“Drink.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The fortune-teller said so and took the card. Then she looked at Evelina and said,

“Give me your orders, Your Majesty.”

The fortune-teller said so as if she knew what she was trying to ask. Then Evelina couldn’t calm down her fluttering chest like arrhythmia and said, clenching her fist tightly in front of her.

“Didn’t you say my life expectancy was until July 7th?”

“…Yes.”

“But it’s mid-July now.”

Evelina’s hands trembled.

“When it comes to life expectancy…”

“Before you live, tell me about my parents.”

“Which parents are you talking about? Is it the mother who died and the father who is a thief? If not, the adoptive parents who took you in from the poorhouse and raised you?”

Evelina opened her eyes wide at the fortune-teller’s words. Because she knew everything.

“How can you…”

“I just found out. You can only see them when you see them in person.”

“Tell me the fate of my adoptive parents.”

Then the fortune-teller said, Then she pulled out a card and showed it to her.

“He’s still alive.”

“Ah…”

Evelina was relieved by the words.

Then the fortune-teller, who picked another card and read it, said to correct her previous mistakes.

“The reason why Your Majesty couldn’t return on July 7th is that fate has changed.”

“What are you talking about?”

The fortune-teller looked at her reaction and said with relief.

“Your Majesty is with child. His Majesty’s.”