CH 74

Who is the Fake Bride? (16)

“Keug, kugh…”

Then, there was a sound coming out of Erita. However, Kergel just continued quietly while still strangling her with an expressionless face.

“How long do you think I was going to fall for your lies? Are you sure that you can deceive me like this?”

“Cough! Cough! What do you mean, deceive?”

Erita tried to release his hand with both of her own in order to escape the clutches of Kergel. But as if her attempts were just amusing to hin, Kergel opened his mouth once again while throttling her even further.

“Who are you? Where is she? How dare you imitate her!”

“Cough, cough! What the……”

Erita’s face instantly turned pale. And she could now see that her focus was gradually fading away from her eyes. At this rate, she could have even lost her own mind.

“Your Majesty! It’s the Empress, how could you do this to her?”

At that moment, Lucy grabbed a hold of Kergel once more. Then, the knight as well as his servants, who had been absent-minded for a while, also proceeded to grab him and began clinging to him too.

“Let me go! Let go of me!”

As a result, Kergel was eventually forced to release his hand from strangling Erita. Of course, he could have thrown them all out if he wanted to. He had just enough power to do so.

However, he didn’t. All because he refrained himself from exerting force that might hurt his own people.

Instead, he looked at Erita who was blatantly showing her desire to live.

“Ugh, ahhh!”

Erita could no longer stand the murderous intent as she immediately wrapped her hands around her head and crouched down on the spot.

“Empress!”

“Empress, are you doing okay?”

The ladies were startled and straight away began to inspect her condition. However, Kergel just looked at her with his keen eyes before approaching her once again.

“Your Majesty!”

When Erita noticed that Kergel was drawing close to her, she called out to him in a mournful voice.

Her appearance would gain sympathy from anyone who could see her. She already had a blue bruising on her neck, which just seemed lethargic as well, while her white face was all covered with tears.

“Your Majesty, why are you doing this to me? What did I do so wrong? I was wrong to slap the gardener, but it was also a mistake that came from my very own heart towards you. Nevertheless, you didn’t even understand my heart……”

Erita’s blue eyes were already welling up with tears. Those who had seen it then would just be talking about His Majesty’s profanity in response.

So did Lucy and all the ladies, who had already felt confused as well as betrayed by the Empress herself.

Either way, the Empress was no longer the arrogant Princess of Rakain, but their very own lovely Master instead.

However, it was rather hard to believe that her own companion, the Emperor, was still consistent with his cold gaze.

“I ask you again. Where is she? Erita, I asked where she is right now.”

Kergel’s voice sounded so low. Then, Erita’s mouth twitched as she heard it. It was such a momentary change in expression that no one except for Kergel himself could have noticed it.

“I’m Erita. You know, your wife—Erita. Erita, the Empress of this country, it’s me.”

Erita immediately appealed with all her heart. It was such a voice that one could never believe it to be false at all.

“Your Majesty, what’s the matter?”

At that moment, a calm voice could be heard from behind. Kergel glared as if to kill Erita before he looked back. Heinez and Bert, who were supposed to be in the office, had been rushing close. Maybe someone had informed them of the news—or perhaps this uproar had already reached the office as well.

That wasn’t the whole point anyway. Kergel looked away once again and declared to Heinez.

“We need to find her, Heinez.”

“……What?”

“We need to find the Empress. Chief of Staff, I’m taking back the order that I’ve just given you earlier. Send over the knights and soldiers right now to surround the Outer Palace where the delegation is currently staying so that no one can act recklessly at all. Anyone who acts suspiciously is welcome to be detained even if it is the representative of the delegation itself.”

“Your Majesty!”

Heinez’s expression grew disturbed as he listened to Kergel’s words. It was because of the order that was issued to the Chief of Staff. He couldn’t believe that he was allowed to detain the delegation of a foreign country. It had been such a difficult command to accept even for him, who was usually calm.

“What are you talking about, Your Majesty? Moreover, you even wish to harm the very own delegation from the motherland of the Empress itself!”

“I have no heart to show mercy towards those who dared kidnap the Empress!”

Kergel instantly raised his voice to Heinez’s words. Then, Heinez continued while shaking his head as if he was being absolutely absurd.

“What do you mean by kidnapping… The Empress is here with you right now.”

“This woman is not the Empress! It’s not Erita!”

Kergel couldn’t overcome his frustration and raised his voice once again when even Heinez was refusing to believe in him.

“What happened to your eyes? Is she not the Empress? Does this woman look like the Empress to you? Lucy, is that the same for your eyes as well? It’s your job to help Erita! But you can’t even tell who your Master really is?”

Kergel’s anger turned towards all directions, but no one would believe him at all. Lucy also looked at him confusedly, but she still did not reply, as if she could not agree with him entirely.

Moreover, even his subjects and his old friends as well—Heinez and Bert. They just looked at him like he was crazy and utterly miserable.

“Do you think I’m stupid enough to not even recognize my own woman?”

Kergel asked in astonishment as he clenched his teeth. Then, he stared at Erita with a look of disgust before turning himself away.