IARMDH - Chapter 73

While Cain and Erne were arguing, Judith toured the palace.

She didn't know that she would be able to tour the palace after being possessed by Judith's body. Originally, Judith was not a character in the original work.

"Wow."

On her way to the Sun Palace where the Emperor conducted state affairs, Judith kept looking around. She had visited many of the residences of the high-ranking nobles in the capital while delivering incense, so she thought there was nothing more to admire.

The palace was different. Even a single blade of grass was luxurious.

“Madam, this must be your first time at the palace.”

“Yes, it’s my first time.”

And this might be the last time. This time, Judith came to catch a gang of traitors, but it didn't seem like she would be coming again.

“This is where the road diverges?”

“If you go straight ahead, you will reach the Sun Palace where His Majesty resides. If you follow the road to the right, you will reach the banquet hall and greenhouse where the imperial banquets are held. If you follow the road to the left, you will reach the Rose Palace where Her Majesty the Empress resides, and the Knights Templar building.”

“I guess there are a lot of roses in the Rose Palace.”

“It lives up to its reputation. The Lizabel Rose, a hybrid of the wild rose and the rose with a soft purple hue can only be found in the Rose Palace on this continent.”

Judith let out an exclamation of wonder. Cain was excited by her reaction and explained more excitedly. Where to go, what is there, what is in the pond, what is the legend, etc.

Cain, as excited as Judith, promised to show her around the palace after meeting the Emperor and asking for permission.

'Promise? But why did that guy do it?'

Erne was very annoyed by the excited Cain. He also didn't like Judith who was exclaiming admiration next to him.

But what bothered him most was the seating arrangement, with Cain standing right in the middle of Judith and Erne.

When they first got out of the carriage, they walked with Erne in the middle. But at some point, Cain was between Erne and Judith.

Cain stayed close to Judith, who was busy sightseeing in the palace and explained to her diligently about this and that, the history and traditions.

The palace isn't even his home, so why is he so passionate about it?

If you look closely, Cain and Judith were out on a palace outing, and Erne seemed like an uninvited guest who had unknowingly joined them.

“Can I get a rose?”

“Yes, Her Majesty the Empress sometimes gives roses as gifts. Madam, since you have made great contributions to capturing the Roam gang, Her Majesty the Empress will give you roses as much as you want.”

Judith's eyes sparkled. Cain must have thought that Judith liked flowers and wanted them.

But no.

Judith was probably thinking about how much she could sell the precious roses for if she made them into a scented candle.

Tsk tsk, look at him pounding his chest and saying he'll get her a rose without even knowing that.

It was the moment when Erne clicked his tongue inwardly.

“If you want to make a rose, the Lisabelle rose would be a good choice. It’s a hybrid of wild roses, so the petals are tough and they dry beautifully when dry.”

“...?”

Ern flinched and looked back at Cain. You know that? You know what's in his head?

“Would you like to make a scented candle with Lizabel roses and give it to Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Haha, if it were my lady, I think you would want to supply candles to the royal family as well.”

Was that so? Erne hadn't even thought of that.

“I will definitely get you some roses for your plan, Madam.”

“Thank you very much, Marquis.”

Those two are a match made in heaven. Erne knows it even without you saying anything. When on earth did they become so close?

Erne was always there, and Judith and Cain had never seen each other alone, but they looked like they had known each other for years.

He frowned as he looked at Cain and Judith, who were a perfect match. A strange sense of discomfort rose up in him. A sense of discomfort that was clearer than ever. The cause was also clear.

“Be careful, Ma’am. Now, hold my arm.”

Erne grabbed Cain by the back of his neck as he was about to give her his arm when Judith almost tripped over a rock and fell, and threw him aside.

“Ugh.”

“Your Grace!”

Cain stumbled sideways and barely managed to keep his balance. Judith looked at him with surprised eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Haha, it’s okay. This kind of thing happens quite often when you hang out with Erne.”

“Oh my...”

It's so heartbreaking, you two. Maybe you'll start to develop feelings for each other?

Erne stood between Cain and Judith with a face that grew colder and colder as he became more and more irritated. No, he was about to do so. If it weren't for the raspy voice that interrupted him.

“What is this commotion in His Majesty’s presence, tsk tsk tsk.”

***

“Tsk tsk tsk, Sir Erne, why are you making such a fuss as soon as you arrive?”

The aide, that aide. The very same person who called Erne a mad dog in the original work.

I, who was seeing the person for the first time other than Erne in the original work, looked up and down at the aide in curiosity.

“How many times have I told you that violence is not allowed in the palace?”

“I said it enough to make your ears ring.”

“Then at least pretend to listen, tsk tsk tsk.”

A skinny body, hollow eyes, blood vessels in the whites of the eyes, fierce eyes, and even a monocle. It was just like the original description.

Actually, when I saw Erne, I didn't feel this kind of new and interesting feeling because the situation was what it was.

But, encountering him in such a peaceful environment felt strange and amazing. It was so strange that I wanted to poke him to see if he really existed.

“Please don’t make a scene in front of His Majesty, okay? Be careful with your words and actions.”

“When were I not careful?”

“Yes, not once! Not even once! Have you ever been careful!”

The aide was on the verge of exploding.

“Why are you yelling like that? Who told you not to make a fuss in the palace?”

When Erne frowned and touched his ear as if he was being noisy, the aide became so angry that even the nape of his neck turned bright red.

“You have to set an example. You're the Emperor’s aide now, huh?”

“To hear such words from Lord Erne, today is the greatest shame of my life. No, it is a shame to our family!”

“Why are you going to the family?”

The aide's fierce gaze rose higher. At first glance, it could be said that the aide was reacting unusually.

As soon as I saw Ern, I was like, “Oh, my God, he's got a tongue,” and I wondered if his tongue was still intact.

However, I understood his feelings. In the original work, the aide suffered mentally, physically, and in all kinds of hardships because of Erne.

The male protagonist, who is now the Emperor but was a Crown Prince at the time, is deeply in love with the female protagonist and wants to spend time with her alone.

However, Erne, who was the female protagonist's watchman, did not stay more than ten steps away from the female protagonist. However, he did not guard the female protagonist like other knights, holding on tightly to her.

He would just stand, lean over, sit, or lie down whenever he had space to. To others, it looked like Erne was slacking off in front of his boss.

When the male and female leads moved to a different place because Erne seemed to be sleeping, Erne followed them in an incredibly unbelievable manner.

Then, the male protagonist, who was very angry, ordered his aide to distract Erne. The aide tried to seduce Erne with things like drinking and card games.

However, Erne sends the aide on all sorts of errands and later follows the female protagonist with only a bottle of alcohol. Then, the aide got scolded by the male protagonist for failing in his mission that day.

'Rather than being mad directly, he had to listen to the male lead throwing a tantrum.'

Actually, that's more annoying than saying something out loud.

I felt a sense of sympathy for the aide, who was being tossed around between the two. Anyone who has ever had a superior would feel this kind of pity.

I looked at the aide with eyes that said I understood him.

But the aide who saw me for the first time today felt a little, no, a little too burdened by my gaze.

'Why are you looking at me like that? They say you married a crazy dog, and that person too...'

The aide thought about that and clicked his tongue. Of course, he was in his right mind, so why would he marry a crazy dog?

The aide clicked his tongue inwardly, but Erne suddenly stopped walking.

“This isn’t the direction to the audience room.”

“His Majesty told me to call you to the reception room, tsk tsk tsk.”

“Why are you clicking your tongue when you say His Majesty called me to the reception room? What does that mean? It sounds like a curse word.”

Erne kept arguing with the aide until they reached the reception room. I thought that the aide might start crying, but luckily, we were able to arrive before that happened.

“Your Grace Count and Countess Rhineland.”

The aide's loud voice echoed through the reception room door. I had not noticed it when I was touring the palace, but now that I was about to meet the Emperor, I felt a little nervous for no reason.

“What are you so nervous about?”

Erne looked at the frozen me and let out a hollow laugh.

“Yes, Madam, don’t be nervous. His Majesty is a good man.”

Previous                Next

Support Novellate!