The high priest who had recited the royal family's funeral prayer yesterday was today placing the Emperor's coffin on Illeon.
Even on the day of his coronation, Illeon appeared with his long hair cut short.
When he cut off his long hair, the image of a gentle saint disappeared, leaving only a handsome man with sharp lines.
Seliya watched the scene before her eyes with a complex expression on her face.
“O infinite glory and shining sun of Abelon. I give you the Emperor’s crown and the castle of Basilisk.”
The high priest with a warm look blessed Illeon by placing a golden crown studded with various jewels on his head.
“May God’s blessings and grace always be with you, Your Majesty. May there be no hardships or adversities on the way. I hope you can overcome everything with bright and clear wisdom. May the new sun be filled with only brilliance.”
The high priest who blessed Illeon knelt on both his knees on the floor.
“As a servant of God, I bow to the new Emperor, His Majesty Illeon Gregrick Basilisk.”
Starting with the high priest kneeling, everyone present at the coronation ceremony knelt on the floor and paid homage to the new Emperor, Illeon.
But, just one person.
Seliya did not kneel on the floor or worship.
People looked at Seliya with a puzzled look, but Seliya sat quietly in her seat with her back straight.
One of them, who was kneeling on the ground, looked at Seliya and tried to criticize her for being blasphemous, but a slow voice came out of Illeon's mouth one step ahead of him.
“Is Lady Seliya dissatisfied with me becoming Emperor?”
Illeon, who became Emperor, no longer spoke respectfully to Seliya.
Many people's eyes turned to Seliya.
Seliya clenched her fists. If she used her supernatural ability in front of so many people, not only would it not be able to reach Illeon, but she might immediately bleed out.
There has never been a time when she felt more resentful of her terminally ill body than she did today.
“I asked if you had any complaints.”
It was a slow voice, but it carried weight.
Seliya found it funny.
He was a very prepared Emperor.
He seemed to have been waiting for this moment from the beginning. The first reason was that he sat on the throne the day after the funeral of a member of the royal family. The second reason was the way he looked down at her as if she were an ant for not worshiping him.
“Now, is this the funny thing you told me yesterday?”
Everyone in the room looked shocked at Seliya's question.
After hearing that question, Illeon was the only one staring at Seliya with a simple smile on his face.
"Then?"
Illeon rested his chin on one hand and watched Seliya's reaction.
“I’m just going to leave. It’s not as fun as I thought.”
With those words, Seliya tried to escape the breathtaking coronation ceremony.
Illeon's subordinate tried to stop Seliya by force, but Illeon raised a hand to stop him.
“Leave her alone. Nothing will change just because one person leaves.”
***
Seliya thought that even if things went wrong, they were wrong.
To be exact, it seems to have been from the time Illeon came to the imperial palace.
Illeon, who ruined a person's face without any sense of guilt, has now taken over the throne.
Everything seemed to be going as he thought.
During the coronation ceremony, someone next to her was so moved that he even shed tears.
“Long live Your Majesty the new Emperor!”
Seliya seemed to lose her mind at the sight of a group being possessed.
In fact, there was a separate reason for Seliya to attend the coronation ceremony.
Just before the coronation, Illeon imprisoned Dietrich for failing to protect the royal family.
Illeon left a note on the table in Seliya's room saying that he would release Dietrich from prison if she came to where he was now.
Before Selya could even think about how Illeon had broken into the mansion and whether the note was genuine, there was a knock on the door.
Knock knock.
- This is an order that you must attend.
When Seliya did not open the door, those who forcibly opened the door and entered were knights from Ileon.
- If you don’t come, you will be at a disadvantage.
If Seliya didn't move, it looked like they were going to drag her by force.
When the knight of Illeon entered Dietrich's mansion without hesitation, Seliya began to think that the contents of the note saying that he was imprisoned might be true.
Seliya was worried about Dietrich, so she followed Illeon's knights somewhere.
She didn't know it would be Illeon's coronation.
Seliya could not understand Illeon, and she had no intention of understanding.
The plan was to use her supernatural powers to steal the key and release Dietrich from prison if Illeon did not keep his promise. Her body may be a little damaged, though.
As she was wondering whether she should go to prison or return to Dietrich's mansion, Seliya noticed something strange.
‘Dietrich is not a man who will be easily thrown into prison. What is your intention?'
It didn't make sense that Dietrich could be put in prison so easily.
Seliya pondered what she had missed.
“What are you doing loitering around?”
At that time, a huge shadow appeared in front of her.
Because of thr rumor that men who touch her die, the men only glance at her and rarely speak to her.
Seliya lifted her head and looked up at the master of the shadow.
The man with bronze skin and massive muscles was Balt.
“Aren’t you going to the coronation?”
“Why am I going there? I don’t even want to see that bastard Illeon anymore.”
Seliya felt puzzled that Illeon and Balt did not seem to be very close.
“Aren’t you two close friends?”
“...What is friendliness? It only looks that way because it’s the same Duke.”
Balt, who clicked his tongue, looked at Seliya.
“Now that I think about it, you.”
Balt's dark gray eyes shined brightly.
“Where did you leave your lover?”
“... Yes?"
“I heard you’re dating Dietrich. Why are you walking around alone?”
Seliya blinked her eyes several times. She never thought it would even reach the ears of the man who posed as her false lover.
“Have you seen where Dietrich went? The Duke of Gregrick says Dietrich is in prison.”
Seliya lowered her eyelids, pretending to be troubled, and glanced at Balt.
“Dietrich? Stuck in jail? He’s not in jail right now?”
Balt raised his eyebrows as if wondering what she was talking about.
“Then where is he? Duke Gregrick clearly says that Dietrich is in prison...”
“Hey, is he going to be imprisoned somewhere? He has similar swordsmanship skills to me.”
“...”
“You fool, he fooled you. To that snake bastard. Just by looking at it, when Dietrich was away for a while, that snake-like bastard lied to you.”
Balt made a noise.
“Go to the mansion. He’s probably looking for you like a crazy person right now.”
"...”
“Hey, he comes over there as soon as I say it.”
Balt pointed behind Seliya's back. When I turned my head along the way, I saw that Dietrich was indeed coming towards Seliya at a fast pace.
“If you believed Illeon and went to prison, you would have been in big trouble. Pay this debt later.”
Balt said those words and disappeared like the wind.
Dietrich glared at the spot where Balt had disappeared, then turned his gaze to Seliya and said.
“Why are you leaving the mansion on your own?”
“...”
“How worried were I?”
Worry?
Seliya thought Dietrich's words were very strange.
If he really cared about her, he shouldn't have caused it to happen.
If only he had told her in advance where he was going.
If he had, she wouldn't have had to watch Illeon's coronation or worry about how to get Dietrich out of prison.
“You’re the one who didn’t tell me where you went first.”
Said Seliya, staring at Dietrich with her calm face.
“Don’t act like you’re worried about me now without telling me first.”
“Do you know why I left?”
“How do you know that? You didn’t say anything.”
Seliya was a little annoyed. She believed Dietrich's words and thought that the Three Dukes were her enemies.
She didn't think he would ever deceive her, having once been her former lover.
But for her, that thought itself was a trap.
It occurred to her that Dietrich might be lying to her.
They had no proper sign of betrothal, and there was no way to confirm whether he was truly her ex-fiancé or not.
In fact, the Emperor she killed was her enemy, but isn't Dietrich trying to make her bleed like this on behalf of that Emperor's revenge?
It was to the point where she even had these ridiculous thoughts.
“Come to the mansion. I have something important to say.”
Seliya looked at Dietrich with a disapproving face.
As soon as she arrived at the mansion, a deep silence fell between them.
After a while, Dietrich showed no sign of opening his mouth, so Seliya had no choice but to speak first.
“What do you have to say?”
Dietrich slowly closed and opened his eyes as if organizing his thoughts.
“I’m sure you know that Illeon has become emperor this time.”
When Seliya nodded his head, Dietrich continued.
“He gave me two options this morning. I will either abandon you or go to the battlefield and come back with merit.”
“...”
Seliya thought that Dietrich would naturally choose the former.
Because to him she was a collaborator, nothing more, nothing less.
“I chose neither. I won’t abandon you, and I don’t want to go to the battlefield for something like Abelon and come back with merit.”
Seliya didn't know why Dietrich made that choice.
“Then do you know what they say?”
Seliya shook her head sideways.
“He said he would make you the Empress.”
“...”
Seliya couldn't say anything. Because she had no idea what to say.
“Since I was against it, he offered me another option.”
“...What are your options?”
“His younger sister said she would provide herself to me whenever she wanted.”
Dietrich slowly closed and opened his eyes as if organizing his thoughts.
“I’m sure you know that Illeon has become emperor this time.”
When Seliya nodded his head, Dietrich continued.
“He gave me two options this morning. I will either abandon you or go to the battlefield and come back with merit.”
“...”
Seliya thought that Dietrich would naturally choose the former.
Because to him she was a collaborator, nothing more, nothing less.
“I chose neither. I won’t abandon you, and I don’t want to go to the battlefield for something like Abelon and come back with merit.”
Seliya didn't know why Dietrich made that choice.
“Then do you know what they say?”
Seliya shook her head sideways.
“He said he would make you the Empress.”
“...”
Seliya couldn't say anything. Because she had no idea what to say.
“Since I was against it, he offered me another option.”
“...What are your options?”
“His younger sister said she would provide herself to me whenever she wanted.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment