CH 14

14. Twenty Four Hours (2)

Fuck!

The culprit was a school of fish. As if reading Lasilia’s mind, the school of fish living in the canal swam quickly and burrowed under the boat. Just at that moment, Ryan was about to jump on her feet. The boat capsized in an instant as a school of fish lifted the other side.

“Caw!”

Fortunately, the black bird flew away safely. It was the humans who were not safe.

She fell into the water with a splash!

‘Ah… I don’t know how to swim.’

As soon as she thought she was leaning, she was in the water. As if being sucked in, she was submerged in the water.

“Cartagena!”

“Ah, Your Majesty!”

She heard a name that wasn’t hers. Lasilia instinctively flung her limbs. Choking her breath, she became the weight of water, crushing her whole body. It felt like her unbound body was tied up. She had to struggle more, but her eyes closed.

“Cartagena!”

When she couldn’t even feel that she was suffocating anymore, someone snatched her body.

* * *

It was a very different dream this time.

-This.

The gold eyes were dazzling. At first she thought he was the Emperor. But he was a little different from the Emperor. They looked similar, but the tips of his ears were pointed. In the middle of his forehead was a wound that looked very painful and had not yet healed.

-It is a gift.

-Gift?

What the man similar to the Emperor handed over was a red stone smaller than an egg. The fingernails handing the stone were red like the stone. Transparent scales sprouted around the fingernails, which looked as hard as steel.

So she knew he wasn’t human.

-Because I need something to protect you when I’m not there.

At her cowardice, he reached out his hand and took the stone. The stones were warm. And she felt the slightest heartbeat.

-I know.

It was an egg, not a stone.

-What is born from this?

-It will be born with the image you like.

At first, the golden eyes, which were dazzling like the eEmperor’s but felt very cold and insensitive, were a little different at this moment. It was affectionate and tender, enough to be polite.

-Made by cutting out part of my heart. As long as you exist, once born, it will not die. It will be with you forever.

That tenderness broke her heart.

-That’s kind of sad.

She reached for the heart he said he had cut out to give to her and placed hiser hand on his chest. Since he’s not human, the position of his heart would be different, but that didn’t matter. Because it would be in there anyway.

-You must have been sick. I’m sorry that you hurt yourself for me.

-It’s okay to be sick.

He placed his hand on his chest and placed it on her chest.

-If pain is the price I have to pay to be by your side, it can hurt as much as it likes.

So she thought.

If he couldn’t avoid being sick, she’d rather be sick together.

* * *

“…Cool, kuck!”

After vomiting up water, she caught her breath.

“Live!”

A large hand wrapped around the back of her head. Her body was crushed by the weight of others. She was able to breathe, but she was choking again.

“Your majesty. Then I will really go back. Rest a little.”

“…”

Fortunately, after hearing Ryan’s voice, her body loosened up a bit.

“Ha…”

Lasilia let out her breath.

“I… I fell into the water.”

“Yes, Her Majesty. Fortunately, His Majesty rescued you.”

It wasn’t just her who was soaked, but also the Emperor and the Shadow Knight. The Emperor, who was drenched in water, was wearing all of that splendid growth that looked heavy just by looking at it. His body temperature had cooled, and her white, wet face looked especially cold.

“Your Majesty saved me. Thank you.”

“…”

The Emperor just stared at this side with his lips tightly pursed, motionless. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him make that expression. But this time, for some reason, her heart was pounding.

‘Strange. They look alike.’

The golden eye in her dream came to mind. It was somehow painful, and somehow kind. So somehow her heart ached.

‘That wasn’t the Emperor.’

Then who was it? Why did the Prophet have such a dream? The dream was not at all like the prophecies one usually had. It felt like a very long past, not something in the future.

“Heh heh… Wow, Her Majesty the Empress really drowned me… Whoops.”

At some point, people were pouring in. They were the guards and attendants who accompanied them to the entrance of the garden, and among them was a court physician who was dragged by the guards with a twisted wrist. The court physician, whose face was pitifully bluish from running with all his strength to match the speed of the royal guards, changed his complexion in another way and muttered gasping for breath.

“No, absolutely, absolutely, why did someone who hated boats go into the water… Oh, anyway, you have to move it inside. Gotta warm up…”

Before she could finish her words, the Emperor suddenly hugged Lasilia.

“Your majesty!”

When he lifted her body, the clothes that had soaked in water dripped and poured out.

“Move.”

The Emperor raised a low voice. At the low, quiet voice, the guards surrounding them split in half in an instant.

“You can walk, Your Majesty.”

Lasilia put her hand on Lescal’s chest, which touched his cheek, and pushed away. Of course, he wasn’t pushed.

“Make an exception this time.”

“…? An exception?”

“You can’t remember, it’s unfamiliar, but you hate it when I touch you. Let’s make an exception for that.”

“How could that be? It’s not like my memory suddenly came back.”

“I almost lost you the other day.”

Those words made Lasilia’s mouth shut. Somehow sad, and somehow kind.

“…”

When she raised her eyes, she could see the Emperor’s teeth pulling and biting, soaring jaw muscles.

“When I thought I might lose you, everything else went out of my head. Nothing came in until I was sure that you’re alive and in my arms right now.”

“…”

“So make an exception for now. Because I don’t know anything else.”

“…”

While Lasilia finally couldn’t say anything, the power to push Lescal gradually disappeared.

Jerk, jerk.

Only the muddy footsteps that were wet with water carried on in silence to the Empress’ palace.

* * *

The road to the Empress’ palace was too long. She couldn’t even breathe properly in the arms of the emperor, so that was understandable. She recognized her body shaking as he walked, and the breath that was too close, the body temperature that directly touched her skin, was vivid every time, so it was embarrassing.

So, when they arrived at the Empress’ palace, she felt completely exhausted. In addition, when she appeared hugged by the Emperor, the astonished gazes directed at her were burdensome. It seemed that the courtiers of the Empress’ palace would have many surprises until the Blue Moon passed.

“Please put me down now. I will go to the bathroom.”

When the door to her bedroom opened, Lasilia said in a weary voice.

“You look tired. Wouldn’t it be better to lie down?”

“I want to dry myself first.”

“Can’t you dry yourself while lying down?”

“Then I’d throw the bed away.”

“What does it matter? You are tired.”

“…”

Even if Lasilia was a bit tired, she stared blankly at the Emperor, who told her to throw away at least one bed.

‘The imperial family seems to have a lot of wealth.’

There was no such royal family in Delarta. If there was such a crazy person, God would have shown it through prophecy long ago. The royal family would have been punished for dreaming of ridiculous waste in the name of the Prophet.

“I hate that. Please drop me off.”

“Why do you say you don’t like it?”

“Because I don’t like it.”

“Is the bed you’re using now no good?”

No way.

“… no. It seems so. Even if I don’t remember.”

The Emperor touched her chin as if thinking about something, and he said:

“In that case, I will wash you in the bathroom. Then there is no need to abandon the bed, and there is no need for me to be away from you. That would be great.”

Good? What part of that was good? She looked at the Emperor wondering if he was seriously saying that, but the Emperor was very serious.

Seriously.

“I don’t like it.”

“Why this time?”

Did  she have to put it into words for him to know? …It seemed that during the Blue Moon, people became a little, no, very strange.

“Because there is no reason for that. Isn’t it the work of courtiers?”

“Hmm… Can’t we make an exception for this?”

What was he saying, really.

“It’s not possible.”

“…”

The Emperor twitched his lips and finally set Lasilia down. But it wasn’t just a quiet drop off.

“Don’t overwork yourself for too long. I will be waiting here until you come out.”

“…? Your Majesty will have to change your clothes too. You are wet.”

“I’m strong, so it’s okay.”

How could it be okay?

“The carpet is wet.”

“If it’s wet we will change it, how much will it costs?”

“I love the carpet in my bedroom. I hate it being replaced.”

“…”

“Please change and come after then.”

Afraid that the Emperor would interrupt with another nonsense, Lasilia quickly went to her bathroom.

“Whoa…”

When she closed the door and leaned against it, breathing became easier.

“It got worse.”

No matter how ignorant she was, she couldn’t help but notice that the Emperor was getting weirder. He did it from the time he tried to sit next to her, even lying about how they got along.

“He said today.”

The black bird told her that the moon would rise today

“So I just have to hold on for today. The problem is that there is still a lot of time left for the moon to rise and set.”

Even now, he said nonsense that he would follow her to the bathroom, but was it really okay?

“I can’t help it. For now, I have no choice but to believe in the oath.”

Rather than that, now she had to find a way to take off these wet clothes. She could not borrow the hands of courtiers. She couldn’t increase the number of witnesses that knew about the mark. So she had to undress herself anyway.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

However, the empress had been going through this situation before. From changing her clothes to taking a bath, she would not have been able to hide the secrets engraved on her body every time she was in the position of being served. So the method she chose was the Marquess of Fashad.

“…? What happened?”

“I thought you would use the bathroom, so I prepared it in advance. Here.”

From her familiar demeanor, Lasilia guessed that the Empress and the Marquess de Fashad shared a secret.

“You don’t have to be too vigilant. There is no one else.”

“…then.”

There was no point in trying to hide it if she already knew about the mark. Lasilia obediently stood in front of the bathtub as the Marquess led her. She opened the dense pearl buttons on the back of the Marquess with her deft hand. Just as the weight of her wet clothes seemed to be slowly decreasing, the Marquess whispered quietly in her ear.

“You will be in great trouble. His Majesty the Emperor is out of here. Even if it’s a blue moon, it’s like that, you’re going to change the place to watch it.”

“…?”

“But don’t worry, Her Majesty. As before, I will protect you well. When it comes to cracking down on my mouth, no one will follow me in this palace.”

It’s a mouth lock… Was he referring to the courtiers who quietly disappeared from the empress’ palace?

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to worry about anything. Just like before.”

The Marquess repeated her words. What she really wanted to say was that she had always been there.

“I’m glad that’s the case.”

As Lasilia responded slowly, the Marquess Fashad’s voice became more subdued.

“So, Her Majesty, when will the inheritance of Count Iyef, which was promised at that time, be resolved?”

“…?”

The Marquisess’ presence was no way for the Empress to conceal her secrets. Rather, she was the opposite. The Marquess was taking advantage of the Empress’s secret.

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