CH 40

RJR11-14 minutes 19.11.2023

“What is going on? What are you talking about?”

With bloodshot eyes, Yvette spoke quickly.

“Nothing happened. I have to take off Her Majesty’s clothes.”

“No, I will measure it later. Everyone, please leave.”

“No, Your Majesty! I need to measure you!”

Yvette burst into tears and grabbed her coat.

Squeak!

There was a long tear near the shoulder of her dress.

“Princess Shryden!”

“Please stay still, Your Majesty!”

Sigh!

The clothes were torn longer.

“Stop it now! Why are you doing this!”

“Because I have to take off your clothes!”

It was difficult to stop Yvette with force alone. Even though she held onto both of her hands and pulled them apart, Yvette was still clinging to the torn hem of his clothes. Lasilia shouted out the door of the drawing room.

“Lord Sergen! Come in and get these people out!”

What was even stranger was what happened next. Upon hearing Lasilia’s voice, Serven entered the living room. The imperial tailor blocked his path and said:

“Your Majesty the Empress needs to take measurements. Only then can we make clothes properly.”

“Ah…? That… go?”

Serven, who heard those words, quietly stretched out his hands.

“Lord Serven?”

“I said it should be so, Your Majesty. Please stay still.”

“What?”

It was strange. It was really strange. Yvette came over and forcibly pulled down her clothes.

“Look. Even Sir Serven said the same thing. Her Majesty just needs to stay still. I will take care of everything.”

Everyone seemed to be possessed by something. Lasilia snatched back the torn piece of her dress and looked Yvette straight in the eyes.

“Princess Shryden. No, Yvette.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

It was only bloodshot, but there was no hesitation in the gaze looking at her. She could tell by looking at it. Yvette had no intention of harming her. Something strange was just happening. Lasilia calmed her mind. Now she had to get Yvette to come to her senses.

“I am displeased with what you are doing. You tried to force me to take off my clothes against my will in front of other people. This is unacceptable.”

“But we still have to make the clothes properly. You have to take off your clothes to measure your size.”

“Are you going to keep making me uncomfortable? Is that what you mean?”

“Uh…? I am… I thought it would be nice for Her Majesty the Empress to wear pretty clothes…”

“If you don’t listen to me for that reason, I don’t need your service. You don’t have to be my maid anymore.”

“Uh, that…”

Yvette’s eyes wavered. Lasilia witnessed the strange phenomenon of bloodshot eyes turning white again and then turning red again. She looked bloodshot, but that wasn’t it.

“That is… No, I have to make clothes for Her Majesty the Empress… So I…”

“Take your hands off my body.”

“Well, I… Oh, no!”

At one point, Yvette cried out and clung to Lasilia.

“No! Don’t do that to me! Then I… uh?”

Yvette shook her head with a confused expression.

“Why… why…? Why do I… am doing this? Her Majesty’s clothes… Wow, I did! I took her Majesty’s clothes…!”

Yvette was shocked, having finally realized what she had done. Looking at it, she was sure. It wasn’t normal just now. It also meant that both the imperial tailor and Serven were insane.

“Get up first. Stand behind me.”

Lasilia did not take her eyes off the two and hid Yvette behind her back. Yvette still couldn’t believe what she had done.

“Why on earth did I…?”

“I think that tailor is doing something strange.”

Jerk.

As soon as she finished speaking, Serven came right in front of her. Serven’s eyes were red and bloodshot, just like Yvette’s.

“Your Majesty the Empress. I don’t know why you’re rejecting it. Don’t you have to take your measurements to make clothes?”

Slurp!

While speaking his words, Serven at the same time touched the hilt of his sword and made a sound. Lasilia turned to face Serven, wrapping her hands around Yvette behind her.

“So? Are you saying you’re going to use a knife to take off my clothes?”

“Because you have no choice but to measure.”

“Haha. Why do I have to measure myself?”

“That’s it, to make clothes for Her Majesty the Empress…”

“Okay. To make my own clothes. Why do I have to make those clothes in a way that I find offensive?”

“Ah…?”

Serven tilted his head. There seemed to be some confusion.

“If you’re offended, I won’t… No, you have to measure it. You can’t make clothes if you don’t know the measurements.”

“Please come to your senses right now. Do you think it makes sense to put a knife to me to make my clothes?”

“Umm… Of course it doesn’t make sense… ah?”

Then the tailor shouted.

“You have to measure! Certainly!”

Serven’s eyes, which were shaking like Yvette’s, turned red again.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Slurp!

Serven pulled out his sword.

“If you keep insisting, I will take it off for you. Oh, you don’t have to worry. If you stay still, I can take it off without scratching a single hair.”

Shish!

The tip of Serven’s sword moved over the dress.

“Oh! No!”

Yvette rushed forward and tried to block Serven’s sword with her palm.

“No! Yvette!”

Lasilia pulled Yvette.

Tsk!

Blood splattered out from somewhere.

“Ah…”

Yvette, who suffered a long cut from her palm to her forearm, sat down with a groan. Serven thrust his blood-covered knife in front of Lasilia, not even knowing what he had done.

“I will take off your clothes for you, Empress…”

“Listen to me! I told you not to!”

Lasilia became impatient and looked into Serven’s eyes and shouted. No, she tried to scream, but her voice wasn’t loud enough. Instead, it was deep. The words she uttered with as much force in her throat left a strange ringing sound in her ears.

“Ah…”

…Clang.

Serven suddenly twisted his body and dropped his sword. It was then.

Knock, knock.

The chamberlain of the Emperor’s palace knocked on the closed drawing room door.

“Your Majesty the Empress. Now His Majesty the Emperor has eaten it. May I open the door?”

Now was not the time to discuss other matters.

“Open the door.”

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Thud!

It was the moment when the door opened on both sides. The tailor, who had been watching this and that since Serven dropped his sword, hurriedly blocked the chamberlain’s path.

“Close the door. Her Majesty must take off her clothes and measure her now.”

“Umm…? Ah, then…”

The chamberlain tried to close the road gate.

Swish!

At that moment, Lescal reached out and grabbed the tailor by the back of his neck.

“Your Majesty! How dare you do that!”

Everyone looked at Lescal in surprise. Lescal threw the tailor he had lifted into the air onto the floor.

“Hold on. Don’t let me die with my own hands.”

“Yes-yes? Yes, Your Majesty?”

The next moment, Lescal was in front of Lasilia. Lescal, who looked at the knife on the floor, Serven’s body frozen in embarrassment, and the bleeding maid, grabbed Serven back.

Puck!

Just like that one day, Serven flew away and landed against the wall. Serven, who hit his back so hard, was unable to stand on his own two legs and collapsed on the floor.

“Are you okay?”

Lescal grabbed Lasilia.

“Yes. My clothes are a little torn, but it’s no problem. However…”

The calmness she had been trying so hard to maintain instantly melted when Lescal grabbed her. Lasilia stumbled and put her head on Lescal’s shoulder. She could feel her hand shaking as he held her. Leskal rubbed Lasilia’s back. If she wasn’t mistaken, his hands seemed to be shaking too.

“It doesn’t look okay.”

“No. No injuries whatsoever… Ah, Princess Shryden. The princess is injured.”

Yvette shook her head, holding her injured arm.

“I am okay. Even though I was injured, I was only slightly injured. I’ve been hurt like this before.”

“Don’t say it’s okay. You need to get treatment quickly.”

Lescal turned Lasilia’s head from Yvette back to him.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“Do you not need treatment?”

“Ah… I wasn’t hurt.”

“She is hurt.”

“No. I wasn’t hurt.”

“You’re hurt. Even if you can’t see it, you’re probably hurt.”

Lescal continued to insist that she was injured and held Rasilia’s body. Lasilia panicked and she hit him on the shoulder.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Your hands are shaking. It’s because you got hurt.”

“No. This… in amazement,”

“Okay. I mean, I got hurt.”

Lescal, holding Lasilia, opened the door to his bedroom. Before that, he looked at Serven and left a short message.

“Call Ryan.”

He also said that he would not deal with Serven.

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Serven lowered his head with a deathly look on his face. It became Ryan’s job to clean up the strange things that happened today.

* * *

“The tailor is in bad shape, Your Majesty.”

Ryan said while holding back his teeth.

“Did I make that happen?”

“No, absolutely not. Her eyes rolled back and purple foam flowed from her mouth. It looks similar to the reaction of witchcraft, but according to Deccan, there are no traces of witchcraft. Now I can barely breathe. But it seems difficult to act like a person again.”

“So you’re saying it’s not witchcraft?”

“It’s similar to witchcraft, but it’s not witchcraft… That is the conclusion, Your Majesty.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Lescal’s blood clotted at his temple. Someone tried to use the imperial tailor to put their hands on the Empress. The exact purpose was unknown. All he could tell was that he was trying to remove her clothes under the pretense of taking her measurements again.

“Who were you in contact with before coming here?”

“Deccan is looking into it. I will let you know as soon as the news comes.”

“Tell them to hurry. I don’t plan on waiting long.”

Ryan bent her waist straight.

“Of course, Your Majesty. I also know Deccan well.”

“Have you chosen the Empress’s escort?”

“I made a list. Would you like to check it yourself?”

“I’ll check tonight.”

“All right.”

The place where Lescal was located was Lasilia’s bedroom. After the previous incident, Lescal had no intention of leaving Lasilia’s side. Ryan’s mind was busy answering his questions, choosing what to say to the Empress and what to hide.

“Then what happens to Lord Serven?”

Lasilia asked, lying still on her bed while Lescal was by her side.

“…I thought you were sleeping.”

Lescal turned his head and looked at Lasilia. Yes, she did pretend to sleep. Because she was uncomfortable being around the Emperor. Moreover, it was known that the cold was not completely cured. Still, she couldn’t pretend not to know the obvious.

“I woke up. Will Sir Sigress be disciplined?”

“Yes.”

Lescal nodded his head once. The light nod seemed somehow heavy.

“He has set a sword against you. We will never meet him again in the palace.”

Lasilia’s eyes turned to Ryan. Ryan turned her head to the side to hide her distressed expression. Serven was the one who foolishly fell under what seemed like a spell, but the results were quite severe. Lescal’s last mercy was not to go to the execution site. As the brother and sister, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

“I do not wish for Lord Serven to be punished.”

So when Lasilia said these words in a calm voice, Ryan was surprised by her sincerity.

“Just now… What did you say, Your Majesty?”