CH 78

Who is the Fake Bride? (20)

“Are you disappointed in me?”

Kergel asked while looking at Heinez and Bert alternately. Heinez was silent for a while, then he smiled before bowing down politely.

“No way. On the contrary, I’m grateful that you’ve enlightened this me, who had been thinking foolishly.”

“Me too, Your Majesty! You’re cooler than ever!”

Bert was jiggling his thumb. Kergel smiled at them again before he turned to the Palace.

His eyes were most affectionate. And there was no longer any sign of trembling anywhere in that gaze of his.

* * *

“They said that the maid was so thrilled to see the Empress that she had exhausted herself from crying and I never imagined that the attendant who got aided would be the Empress herself. I just thought that she was a loyal person who had already been with the Empress for a long time back in Rakain. I’m so sorry. Had I just paid a little more attention, the Empress would have never suffered such an ordeal.”

Silloa was sobbing as she bowed her head. Lucy also bowed her head and pleaded guilty in silence.

Although they had thought that it was strange and wondered if it was someone else, they still had no other choice but to blame themselves for their own foolishness: the fact that they had never doubted anything.

“If I could just notice, the Empress wouldn’t have to suffer this much at all.”

Lucy closed her eyes tightly in shame. Silloa began sobbing even more loudly as well. Roelin, who was witnessing it, instantly waved her hand.

“It’s not your fault. It’s all right.”

“But…”

“How could you even know? I could have looked like a completely different person just with a wig and makeup on. Besides, I couldn’t even call out for you.”

Roelin said so before she slowly stepped down from the bed. Then Lucy and Silloa, who had been kneeling while lowering their heads, simultaneously panicked along with their mouths gaping wide. .

“Empress! You’re not fully recovered yet……”

“Also, I have something to apologize for. Since I’ve been deceiving every one of you.”

“Ah, Empress. How could you bow your head to us?”

Lucy instantly lowered her head to the point where her forehead could even touch the floor as she wondered what to do as soon as Roelin bowed to herself and also to Silloa.

Roelin, who noticed that, eventually approached Lucy and grabbed her hand before lifting her up. Then, she reached out to Silloa and hoisted her up while taking both if their hands and continued:

“Lucy, Silloa, I am truly sorry for you. I apologize, not only to you, but also to everyone else in the Empire.”

“…Empress.”

“I may not be eligible to be the Empress of the Empire. Nevertheless, I didn’t come here for such a grandiose reason. I merely wanted to live properly, just like another human being.”

Roelin opened up what she had to keep on hiding. Lucy and Silloa were all in tears while facing such a Roelin.

The thought of the time she had struggled through made their heart ache. Lucy eventually grabbed Roelin’s hand with her other hand. It didn’t even matter if it was called an act of profanity.

Right now, she simply wanted to do what she wanted to. Rather than having such a formal instance, she wanted to sincerely comfort her sweet and warm Master.

“You are fully qualified.”

“Lucy.”

“The Empress is the only one we serve. And it will continue to remain like that.”

Lucy and Silloa bowed their heads and immediately swore allegiance to Roelin. Unlike the time when they thought that she should be served simply because she was the Empress, they now took an oath because they sincerely wished them to serve her.

Tears flowed down from Roelin’s eyes once again as she began to feel the sincerity.

At that moment, Kergel’s voice had broken the ice.

“What am I looking at right now?”

“Your Majesty!”

Lucy and Silloa were startled by Kergel’s sudden voice and immediately rose themselves. Roelin, too, blinked at his voice before looking straight at the bedroom door.

Kergel simply strode into the bedroom and  approached Roelin right away. Then, Roelin, who was embarrassed for a moment, regained her senses before she bowed slightly towards him.

“Have you arrived?”

“Why were you crying?”

Kergel did not accept Roelin’s greeting, but narrowed his brows and posed the question first instead.

“Oh, this is, I mean……”

Roelin felt awkward when she realized there were tear stains left on her cheek. But when she didn’t answer properly, Kergel had misunderstood it and looked back at Lucy with a frown.

“Lucy, you answer me. Why was the Empress crying?”

“What? That’s…”

Lucy was embarrassed by the sudden question from Kergel and couldn’t open her mouth easily. Then, Kergel scrunched his face up even more grimly in return.

“What did you even say to the Empress; she’s crying! Did you say anything that could hurt the Empress about this…….”

“Oh, it’s not! It’s not like that at all, Your Majesty!”

Roelin listened vacantly to Kergel and shook her head in surprise before she grabbed him by the arm. Kergel glanced down at the little hand that was already clinging to his arm as she shut his own mouth.

She hurriedly continued so that he wouldn’t have any more useless misunderstandings.

“You’ve misunderstood. I merely wanted to thank Lucy and Silloa……”

Roelin didn’t really know what she was talking about. She just rambled on with what had come to mind.

About their sincerity and also their feelings.

“……That’s why tears had rolled down from my eyes.”

After she had finished her explanation, she glanced at him. She could see that Kergel was still looking a bit stiff.

“Really.”

Roelin added again while wondering if he still had misunderstood. Then, Kergel stared at her before he finally nodded.

“I understand everything you say. So, you don’t have to look at me like that for nothing.”

Her face brightened with relief at his words. Nevertheless, Kergel’s expression was not that easy to relax.