CH 130

“The Emperor didn’t love the Empress who was bound by power.”

A nostalgic voice broke through the memories that had sunk to the bottom of the sea and resounded in her mind.

His loving voice is soft and warm. She felt emotional for no reason.

“But she respects it. The Empress who loved the Emperor was heartbroken, but she had no choice but to be satisfied there. Then the Emperor met his fateful mate. He welcomed her as wife, but the happiness didn’t last long.” 

“Queen Consort Velia, who came from a powerless local aristocrat, fell ill without knowing the cause, and then she went to heaven. Leaving his young son alone, the Emperor, in a sense of loss, grew colder, and the Empress tried to comfort him, but the favor was not accepted.” 

“The Empress, tired of love, gave up the Emperor’s attention. Instead, he began to become obsessed with power and his son.”

“At the same time, she was wary of Queen Consort Debor, who sat in the seat of wife with the support of the aristocracy. And as expected, the Queen Consort Debor also hate the Empress. The two fought invisibly, and many people were killed.”

‘The invisible fight and sacrifice….’

Looking back, the content of the fairy tale was short, and there was no ending.

If it were a normal fairy tale, it would end with the words, “They lived happily ever after.” But her mother, who was her “brother” at the time, didn’t end the story with those words.

Since her mother had good foresight and had already made plans with the Lord of the Wizard Tower, it’s unlikely that she didn’t tell her because she didn’t know how the story ended.

‘She must have been unable to tell me more because of her restrictions.’

She still can’t even guess who put the restrictions on her.

Serdel opened her eyes and put her hand on her chin.

She listened thoughtlessly as a child and was quite focused when she recently moved from a state of the soul to the past.

Nevertheless, it is also true that she paid the most attention to the Emperor and Empress.

Although she never completely forgot about Queen Consort Debor, she found thinking about her to be less uncomfortable.

On the matter of her subject, when she started giving orders to Dell to find out about her and her followers through his bugs as well.

Even just before Queen Consort Debor dropped her bracelet at her feet, her vigilance towards her was not as high as that of the Emperor or Empress.

‘Is this why stereotypes are scary?

It was like that in the past as well.

When Queen Consort Debor was driven out by the poisoning of the Emperor, Serdel wondered if she had been falsely accused.

She did this because she secretly thought the Empress must have done it.

Without any proof of her, she looked down on her, seeing Falden, who couldn’t even set foot on Capital because of the Empress. 

Serdel looked at the corpse of Count Sollette lying on the floor.

A living person can play with their tongues, but a corpse without a will can’t.

So he wouldn’t have told her a lie.

‘The Empress hated Queen Consort Velia, but she didn’t kill her….’

She also felt sorry for young Falden and used to care for him in secret, but the Empress’s family didn’t like it.

Does that mean Marquis Caloas, the Empress’ brother, killed Queen Consort Velia?

‘No. If that was the case, the name of Marquis Caloas would have come out of Count Sollette’s mouth.’

So the death of Queen Consort Velia has nothing to do with the Empress and her family. 

However, the Emperor only threw him out because he was afraid that he would be killed in the palace, even if he was alone in a situation where he didn’t even know who the enemy was.

After Carlos, who recognized that his interest and affection were being directed at Falden, he must have threatened to avoid becoming an obstacle to the destiny of the young Prince. 

Until now.

‘Falden overcame the crisis of death many times, but he didn’t die.’

No matter how secretly the Emperor had attached the shadow, it was far from a young child who had only held the sword for two years to survive on the battlefield. 

‘Did the Empress spare Falden?’

She doesn’t let Falden’s blood get on her brother’s sword.

By treating him harshly and pushing him out of the palace.

‘Why?‘

Why would she put herself through all that trouble? 

Before leaving for the nursing home, Queen Consort Velia, who knew she would die, fell on her knees and didn’t even have a situation—.

“Ha–!” 

She burst into laughter.

As she was washing her face dry, the words of Count Sollete rang. 

Can the 1st Prince become Emperor? The Empress who asked whether the 2nd or 3rd Prince would be a threat must have known her mother’s abilities. 

‘Did my mother say that?’

Or was she caught by accident?

She doesn’t know anything else, but when she puts her mother in her mouth, she seems to understand why she is so obsessed with the Empress.

‘She relied on my mother.’

That’s pretty deep too.

What stimulated Cartal the other day may have been an expression of resentment.

She, whom the Count’s family failed to protect. For the arrogant Empress, it would have been nothing more or less the object of her dissatisfaction.

When she thought this far, she got goosebumps. 

‘When the Empress finds out that I have the same foresight ability as my mother…’

It is obvious that she will try to rely on her as she did on her mother.

Shaking her head, Serdel turned her body.

“I have to go back now. Count Sollette’s body… please put it back in the abandoned place. Please take care of it.” 

“I will.”

The Lord of the Wizard Tower reached out to Serdel, who looked complicated.

“Hold it. I will take the Lord first.” 

“…Thank you, as always.” 

His hands were still full of warmth. It felt as if the chilly sensation she had received from Count Sollette had disappeared at once.

This time, the light came as she and the Lord of the Wizard Tower walked down the corridor full of manas. 

When she opened her eyes again, it was her office. Serdel looked around, feeling the heat of the glass in her hand. 

There was no the Lord of the Wizard Tower. 

[So many things happened today. It won’t be easy because you have a lot on your mind, but it’s late, so get some rest.]

Instead, his voice echoed through her mind.

“Thank you.”

[If you are so grateful… Well, I can’t ask you to go shopping with me. I can’t be a purple person. I heard dessert cafes are popular. Let’s go together]

Pft, thanks to this situation, laughter came out of nowhere.

Even though he knows that Serdel, who is always busy, can’t afford it. He was considerate, suggesting in a light tone so that she wouldn’t feel pressured.

“I will.”

At the same time as the answer, the voice of the Lord of the Wizard Tower. 

Serdel trudged and stood in front of the desk. The bracelet appeared when she unfolded her handkerchief while holding something heavy. 

Count Sollette’s last words echoed through Serdel’s ears.

“…That day, before the Countess met… not the Empress… Queen Consort Debor.”

Strength entered the hand holding the bracelet. The sharp part of the ornament pierced through the soft skin, causing a stinging pain.

Why did her mother go to see Queen Consort Debor?

Knowing that the Empress and Queen Consort Debor are not on good terms.

Without realizing that the Empress might misunderstand her. 

Tok. After healing the scars on her palm with a potion from her drawer, she pulled out a fine piece of stationery interspersed with dried flowers.

It was impossible to accept Queen Consort Debor’s suggestion before the Empress’s suggestion to have a cup of tea. 

If she does that, she may get caught up in a troublesome emotional fight.

First of all, Serdel, who wrote a letter to the Empress to save her face and then met her at the Queen Consort’s Palace while she was there, filled the letter paper with all kinds of rhetoric. 

When the ink is dry, she carefully folds it so that the press prints don’t fall off, puts it in an envelope, and seals it.

Serdel buried herself in the back of the chair as she was about to pull the string and realized it was dawn.

She was tired but not sleepy.

Her mind was still complicated.

As if she had taken a step forward, dozens of questions came up like waves again and hit her.

Life itself felt contradictory with so many facts mixed in with hundreds of lies. 

And she felt trapped in it.

Serdel stood up with a tight chest and opened the door to the terrace wide.

A cold wind blew. 

Her hair fluttered wildly. She roughly tied it together and looked down at her—.

‘Hmm?’

Maybe he was out for a walk in the morning, which is why Blenn was there. 

“It’s too late. Lady.”

Their eyes met each other. 

In the cold night sky, his silver hair shone brightly in the moonlight. 

“If that’s okay with you, would you like to walk for a while?” 

“Okay.” 

As Serdel answered by jumping without fear, he hugged her and landed on the floor again. Then, as she walked ahead, Blenn followed quietly from behind.

The sinking silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

How could they have walked without a word like that?

Serdel, who stopped in front of the annex she had arrived unknowingly, looked at the place for a moment and then turned around.

No, she tried to turn around.