Chapter 147 - A Blindfolded Man (2)

Sovieshu’s anger was not resolved the next day, and he ended blowing up on Marquis Karl.

The chief secretary had come into the office holding a new report on “Loss of Mana in Mages,” and he was surprised when he saw Sovieshu crossing his arms and wearing a terrifying look.

“Your Majesty?”

Sovieshu’s expression was so abnormal that the marquis instinctively shrank.

“What is it? Did something happen?”

“Nothing. Nothing.”

‘But your face is…’

Marquis Karl presented his report while looking into Sovieshu’s eyes. The Emperor took the documents with one hand and glanced at it quickly, but his expression did not improve at all once he saw the nature of its contents. Marquis Karl surreptitiously tried to leave the room when Sovieshu called out to him.

“Did you find the certificate of sale yet?”

“Certificate? Ah yes, Rashta’s slave certificate…”

“You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“I haven’t.”

Marquis Karl sighed.

“As you know, we found nothing on the Empress or her brother.”

“So you dropped it?”

“No. Afterwards, I remembered what Lord Koshar said, and checked the knights’ quarters.”

Marquis Karl’s face grew darker.

“But it hasn’t been found.”

A certificate of sale did exist. It was confirmed by Viscount Roteschu, Lord Koshar, and the company that Roteschu had entrusted it to. But Sovieshu hadn’t even seen a shred of that paper yet! Why did he even plan to divorce the Empress?

The uncertainty would never go away unless the sale certificate was completely destroyed, but it was nowhere to be found even after searching every place they could search. As Emperor, he could use his power to search every single citizen’s home in the empire, but giving such an order was tantamount to promoting the existence of such a certificate.

“Haaa…”

Sovieshu sighed and pressed his fingers against his throbbing temples. He pursed his lips and stared at the wall, but he couldn’t come up with anything.

“I don’t have much time. I’m going crazy.”

He needed to finish the divorce and remarriage before Rashta had a baby. The Empress would not go down meekly. His anxiety only grew when he calculated the time he had left for his plan.

“We need to find the certificate quickly and destroy it…”

Marquis Karl just stood there in silence. Meanwhile, Sovieshu murmured to himself as he stewed in his thoughts.

“I didn’t want to use the blindfold method…”

“?”

“If I can’t get rid of the trade certificate, then it can’t be helped.”

“What are you talking about, Your Majesty?”

“I should use the method that previous emperors often use with their concubines.”

Marquis Karl understood immediately.

“You want to wash Rashta’s identity?!”

“Yes. If the certificate of sale comes along, this is the only way to dispute it.”

Sovieshu’s voice was harsh with irritation.

“Bring me the right person from fallen nobility. It would be best if they were a little older. It doesn’t matter if they’re a couple, or just a man or a woman.”

A frequent method used to change a concubine’s status was to have a fake marriage with another noble. However, because Sovieshu had to marry Rashta within a year, he could not take the course of action.

“Yes, Your Majesty ”

“As soon as possible.”

Marquis Karl bowed and left the room, and Sovieshu leaned back in his chair and closed his heavy eyelids. He was still angry about the blue bird. Empress Navier’s pale face kept hovering before him. If he wanted to divorce her…

Marquis Karl bowed and left the room, and Sovieshu leaned back in his chair and closed his heavy eyelids. He was still angry about the blue bird. Empress Navier’s pale face kept hovering before him. Trying to make this divorce happen caused many surprises.

Simply thinking about it made him feel uneasy.

***

After my anger at Sovieshu sending the bird died down, thoughts of McKenna and the blue bird came back to my mind. After giving it some thought, I decided to go to Duke Elgy and ask him myself.

‘I wonder what McKenna’s condition is…’

I went to the southern palace and tapped on Duke Elgy’s door. There was no response. When I knocked on the door again, a voice answered from right behind me.

“Yes.”

It was a voice full of laughter. I turned around, and saw Duke Elgy holding a handful of baby’s breath flowers in his hands.

“Would you like it?”

I glanced at his smiling face as he held out the bouquet of flowers. Instead of accepting it, however, I asked him a question.

“It’s fine. Is Sir McKenna inside?”

Instead of answering, Duke Elgy responded with his own nonsense.

“No one has ever rejected these. I’m embarrassed now.”

“…Sir McKenna?”

Why was this man playing with me? I sighed and accepted the flowers in hope that he would answer me properly.

“You receive flowers with a sigh now? Wow. This is the first time I’ve ever been this embarrassed.”

“Sir McKenna?”

“Very peculiar person.”

“Answer me.”

“Just like a knife.”

Was he joking with me? I tilted my head at him, and he stared at me and laughed. He answered with a wicked smile.

“You stimulate the spirit of a challenge, you know?”

“…”

“Is this why Heinley is attracted to Her Majesty?”

“McKenna mustn’t be here.”

If he were actually in the room, he would have come out as to not be troublesome.

I handed back Duke Elgy the flowers instead of exchanging more words with him. Somehow my hands were full of energy, but I tried to not express them. Duke Elgy held the bouquet of flowers, but as I turned around and walked, he kept following me and babbling.

“McKenna wasn’t as badly hurt as he appeared, so he went back.”

“I wish you had told me earlier.”

Why is this man so slippery? I wondered what Duke Elgy’s and Rashta’s conversations were like. Rashta would say, “Rashta, Rashta,”, and Duke Elgy would say whatever he wanted. Would their conversation ever progress? I wondered about it.

However, I had another inquiry. It was about the reason why McKenna was here in the first place…but if he was gone, could I ask Duke Elgy instead?

“I’d like to ask you a question.”

“Please do.”

“Is McKenna a bird?”

If McKenna was the blue bird as I expected, then Duke Elgy would know it too. Laura said that he had picked up the blue bird from the garden. The duke answered with a giggle.

“Well. He’s close to it, but not.”

“Then, is he part of the Bird Headed Tribe?”

The tribal name sounded like a swear word, so I spoke with as serious expression as I could. The duke suddenly threw back his head and burst into laughter. It was so loud that I looked around in embarrassment. After a time, his laughter finally died down.

“What kind of new insult is that?”

“It’s nothing.”

I was embarrassed, so I spoke in a roundabout way and left.

***

After Empress Navier disappeared, Duke Elgy smiled to himself by the walled fence. He found it amusing the way the Empress said “Bird Headed Tribe” with her distinctive cold expression. Why was Heinley attracted to people who were so plain and uninteresting? Was it her appearance that he liked?

Duke Elgy shook his head. He couldn’t believe that the Empress had already taken a legend so seriously. He murmured to himself, remembering the way she calmly asked about the lost tribe.

“She’s quick on the uptake.”