Erdene’s gaze became even fiercer.
At the moment when she was about to let out an indescribable swear word, Rolls gave up his futile resistance.
“Here, here, here.”
Erdene snatched the paper he held out while bending down at a right angle and immediately read the words written on it.
The silence continued, and while deep wrinkles formed and disappeared between Erdene’s eyebrows repeatedly, Rolls’ face also turned blue and white repeatedly.
“Huh.”
Finally, a laugh burst out of Erdene’s mouth.
Erdene looked back at Rolls with fierce eyes and snapped her fingers to throw the paper away.
Then, before it could fall limply and touch the floor, she stomped on it as if crushing it.
“You must have been bored being locked up all night. You’re quite good at making up stories. You’ve investigated Vetor’s situation in detail. I don’t know who whispered it to you.”
What Rolls was frantically scribbling down was, as she had expected, a brief record and report on Vetor’s situation.
It was probably going to end up in Tenek’s hands, but now it was nothing more than a scrap of paper.
Erdene said,
“It’s not a messenger, it’s a rat.”
At that, Rolls, who had been feeling very intimidated, got angry.
“Wow, Your Highness is also a person of the empire, how could you, ugh!”
Rolls didn’t understand what had happened to him for a moment.
All he could see was a white flash before his eyes, and then he felt a sharp pain in his back.
It was only later that he realized that he had hit his lower back on the corner of the ebony desk, which was as hard as a lump of iron.
Before he could even realize it, he knew that he couldn’t breathe, and his eyes felt like they were going to burst.
“Ugh, ugh...”
“If you don’t want to die right here, just answer the questions. Don’t move your mouth. Got it?”
“Ugh...”
“If you got it, blink.”
Rolls’ eyes blinked three times quickly.
Erdene, who had been staring at his face that had already begun to turn dark in only a few dozen seconds, let go of his hand.
“...Heuk! Ugh! Gulp! Gulp, ugh!”
“Just throw up here.”
Rolls didn’t want to try to see what would happen. It was fortunate that he hadn’t eaten much.
His hands and feet were shaking, and his eyes still felt like they were going to burst. His lower back was aching and sore, making it difficult to raise his upper body.
Erdene looked down at Rolls’ back, which was crawling on the floor, with contemptuous eyes.
“If you ever say ‘Your Highness the Princess’ with that mouth again, I’ll make you sing while biting hot coals.”
“Keuk, yeo, mind... I will keep that in mind.”
“And I tell you again, only answer the questions I’m asked. If you try to talk nonsense, I guarantee I’ll end up in a bad mood. You’ve already made me feel bad. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes. Of course, yeah, no... Ugh, Your Majesty.”
Erdene’s mood was bad, which meant that a huge natural disaster that could not be prevented—a flood, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption—was writhing right before his eyes.
When a disaster seemed imminent, the best policy for humans was to either bow down and pray to the Gods or run away. Rolls had only one of those two options.
“You spent your time as a servant in the golden castle of the empire. You didn’t seem like a particularly trusted person, though.”
Rolls lowered his head and rolled his eyes, not answering.
He had no idea whether to confirm or deny it.
But Erdene did not expect his answer.
She bent down as if to look even closer at Rolls’ face and said,
“Tell me briefly and precisely what the situation was in the palace when my father passed away.”
Rolls’ face, which had suddenly raised its head, was pale and bewildered.
Erdene knew that he was not the type of person to act in a life-or-death situation.
Even if she tried to find out, there would be no useful information...
‘But aside from those three, this guy is the only one who would know the information right now,’
Erdene thought.
“Are you speechless? Or can’t you remember? If you can’t remember, should I rub your head until you remember clearly?”
“Ah, ah, no! Th, that, I, I, that, wa... As Your Majesty the Queen said, I was not in a position to serve the Emperor, no, the former Emperor, so...”
There was a crack!
It was the sound of Erdene's palm hitting the back of Rolls' head.
The officers under her command, including Thelma, were at a level that they had only experienced once, but for Rolls, it was a shock so great that his eyes, which had barely closed, almost popped out.
He retched twice without eating anything, rubbing his forehead and trembling.
Erdene glared at him with annoyed eyes.
“Tell me exactly. Don’t stutter.”
“Hic, sa, save me... Please save me! I really, really don’t know anything. I, I only heard that the Emperor had a sudden illness one day, and although he got better after that, he still had no energy. And it hadn’t even been a month until he fell ill!”
Sudden illness, illness. Erdene felt as if someone was hammering those two words into her ears like nails.
Or as if someone was hitting his head with a thick chisel like someone chiseling wood or splitting stone.
‘Father had a healthy constitution.’
When she heard Rolls' words, the only thought that came to Erdene's mind was this.
Her father, the Emperor of the empire that had returned, was a strong man who had never had a cold in his fifty years.
War and heavy work had followed him all his life, but he was strong enough to never have a headache.
"Father's lying sick because of a sudden illness, is that right? If you don't answer me honestly, I'll bury you here!"
Rolls shook his head like a madman in shock as Erdene's voice grew sharp.
"Really! I really know nothing else! I, I don't know anything else. Your Majesty, please save me! I beg you!"
Tears dripped down onto the carpet, forming a round stain.
The fact that Rolls, who was old enough, was crying and appealing made Erdene feel even more despair.
Rolls was not a man with the courage to lie or distort the truth even at this point.
'Sudden illness... Father lost his strength and became rapidly weaker, and he was bedridden. And he passed away shortly after. Does that make sense?'
Erdene did not know the details of her father's death. The short letter she had sent from the battlefield came back much later with an even shorter reply.
It was about her father, the Emperor, now the late Emperor, who had died of a sudden illness, and that Tenek would take the vacant throne to prevent chaos in the empire.
'It must have been planned that he had sent me here in such a hurry.'
Erdene's fist was wrapped around the loose hem of her sleeve.
The poor-quality fabric quickly crumpled and tore with a cracking sound.
"Stand up."
When she ordered, Rolls sat up as if possessed by something.
Then his waist, which had been pinched by the corner, began to hurt like crazy, but he could not groan.
Erdene said,
"Sit down. Then take out a new piece of paper and write down what I say.”
Rolls immediately did as she commanded. He dipped the nib in ink and gripped her trembling wrist tightly.
“Write it down without missing a single word. ‘Vetor is rich, and Erdene is a Queen in name only, with no work or authority.’”
The sound of the nib brushing against the paper was eerily loud.
Rolls turned around, and Erdene continued.
“The King of Vetor is bright and capable, but he has no interest in Erdene.”
Again, only the sound of writing continued. The nib that had been making a squeaking sound seemed to slow down, and Rolls looked back at Erdene with an anxious expression.
“Ugh... Your Majesty. Why did you... write something like this?”
“Can’t you just shut up and write it down?”
Erdene’s voice was filled with murderous intent as if she had just emerged from hell.
Rolls didn’t ask any more questions and just wrote down what she told him like a puppet.
“Even if we push our demands inland, there’s probably not much we can get from using Erdene as an excuse.”
He finished writing. Erdene looked over what Rolls had written and said,
“Tell this to my brother as it is.”
“Oh, I understand.”
Rolls took out the envelope he had prepared in advance, folded the paper inside, and sealed it with sealing wax as if he were showing off.
However, the anger did not disappear from Erdene’s face.
“Remember. While you’re reporting, my old subordinates will be watching you from all sides. If you say anything nonsensical, I’ll make you beg to be killed.”
“I understand... I understand. Your Majesty, I will do as you say. Please spare me!”
Erdene moved her legs as if she didn’t want his hands brushing against her dress.
Then as if thinking about something, he turned to Rolls, who was lying face down on the floor, and whispered to him,
“Do you think I’ll let you go so easily when you're in my grasp? Of course not. I can return to the empire at any time. I can take the throne that was rightfully mine. So don’t even think about disobeying me. If I hear that you took my advice lightly, I will never let it go. I’ll crack open your skull and make a stool out of it.”
Rolls’ eyes widened in fear.
“So behave yourself. Got it?”
At the moment when she was about to let out an indescribable swear word, Rolls gave up his futile resistance.
“Here, here, here.”
Erdene snatched the paper he held out while bending down at a right angle and immediately read the words written on it.
The silence continued, and while deep wrinkles formed and disappeared between Erdene’s eyebrows repeatedly, Rolls’ face also turned blue and white repeatedly.
“Huh.”
Finally, a laugh burst out of Erdene’s mouth.
Erdene looked back at Rolls with fierce eyes and snapped her fingers to throw the paper away.
Then, before it could fall limply and touch the floor, she stomped on it as if crushing it.
“You must have been bored being locked up all night. You’re quite good at making up stories. You’ve investigated Vetor’s situation in detail. I don’t know who whispered it to you.”
What Rolls was frantically scribbling down was, as she had expected, a brief record and report on Vetor’s situation.
It was probably going to end up in Tenek’s hands, but now it was nothing more than a scrap of paper.
Erdene said,
“It’s not a messenger, it’s a rat.”
At that, Rolls, who had been feeling very intimidated, got angry.
“Wow, Your Highness is also a person of the empire, how could you, ugh!”
Rolls didn’t understand what had happened to him for a moment.
All he could see was a white flash before his eyes, and then he felt a sharp pain in his back.
It was only later that he realized that he had hit his lower back on the corner of the ebony desk, which was as hard as a lump of iron.
Before he could even realize it, he knew that he couldn’t breathe, and his eyes felt like they were going to burst.
“Ugh, ugh...”
“If you don’t want to die right here, just answer the questions. Don’t move your mouth. Got it?”
“Ugh...”
“If you got it, blink.”
Rolls’ eyes blinked three times quickly.
Erdene, who had been staring at his face that had already begun to turn dark in only a few dozen seconds, let go of his hand.
“...Heuk! Ugh! Gulp! Gulp, ugh!”
“Just throw up here.”
Rolls didn’t want to try to see what would happen. It was fortunate that he hadn’t eaten much.
His hands and feet were shaking, and his eyes still felt like they were going to burst. His lower back was aching and sore, making it difficult to raise his upper body.
Erdene looked down at Rolls’ back, which was crawling on the floor, with contemptuous eyes.
“If you ever say ‘Your Highness the Princess’ with that mouth again, I’ll make you sing while biting hot coals.”
“Keuk, yeo, mind... I will keep that in mind.”
“And I tell you again, only answer the questions I’m asked. If you try to talk nonsense, I guarantee I’ll end up in a bad mood. You’ve already made me feel bad. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes. Of course, yeah, no... Ugh, Your Majesty.”
Erdene’s mood was bad, which meant that a huge natural disaster that could not be prevented—a flood, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption—was writhing right before his eyes.
When a disaster seemed imminent, the best policy for humans was to either bow down and pray to the Gods or run away. Rolls had only one of those two options.
“You spent your time as a servant in the golden castle of the empire. You didn’t seem like a particularly trusted person, though.”
Rolls lowered his head and rolled his eyes, not answering.
He had no idea whether to confirm or deny it.
But Erdene did not expect his answer.
She bent down as if to look even closer at Rolls’ face and said,
“Tell me briefly and precisely what the situation was in the palace when my father passed away.”
Rolls’ face, which had suddenly raised its head, was pale and bewildered.
Erdene knew that he was not the type of person to act in a life-or-death situation.
Even if she tried to find out, there would be no useful information...
‘But aside from those three, this guy is the only one who would know the information right now,’
Erdene thought.
“Are you speechless? Or can’t you remember? If you can’t remember, should I rub your head until you remember clearly?”
“Ah, ah, no! Th, that, I, I, that, wa... As Your Majesty the Queen said, I was not in a position to serve the Emperor, no, the former Emperor, so...”
There was a crack!
It was the sound of Erdene's palm hitting the back of Rolls' head.
The officers under her command, including Thelma, were at a level that they had only experienced once, but for Rolls, it was a shock so great that his eyes, which had barely closed, almost popped out.
He retched twice without eating anything, rubbing his forehead and trembling.
Erdene glared at him with annoyed eyes.
“Tell me exactly. Don’t stutter.”
“Hic, sa, save me... Please save me! I really, really don’t know anything. I, I only heard that the Emperor had a sudden illness one day, and although he got better after that, he still had no energy. And it hadn’t even been a month until he fell ill!”
Sudden illness, illness. Erdene felt as if someone was hammering those two words into her ears like nails.
Or as if someone was hitting his head with a thick chisel like someone chiseling wood or splitting stone.
‘Father had a healthy constitution.’
When she heard Rolls' words, the only thought that came to Erdene's mind was this.
Her father, the Emperor of the empire that had returned, was a strong man who had never had a cold in his fifty years.
War and heavy work had followed him all his life, but he was strong enough to never have a headache.
"Father's lying sick because of a sudden illness, is that right? If you don't answer me honestly, I'll bury you here!"
Rolls shook his head like a madman in shock as Erdene's voice grew sharp.
"Really! I really know nothing else! I, I don't know anything else. Your Majesty, please save me! I beg you!"
Tears dripped down onto the carpet, forming a round stain.
The fact that Rolls, who was old enough, was crying and appealing made Erdene feel even more despair.
Rolls was not a man with the courage to lie or distort the truth even at this point.
'Sudden illness... Father lost his strength and became rapidly weaker, and he was bedridden. And he passed away shortly after. Does that make sense?'
Erdene did not know the details of her father's death. The short letter she had sent from the battlefield came back much later with an even shorter reply.
It was about her father, the Emperor, now the late Emperor, who had died of a sudden illness, and that Tenek would take the vacant throne to prevent chaos in the empire.
'It must have been planned that he had sent me here in such a hurry.'
Erdene's fist was wrapped around the loose hem of her sleeve.
The poor-quality fabric quickly crumpled and tore with a cracking sound.
"Stand up."
When she ordered, Rolls sat up as if possessed by something.
Then his waist, which had been pinched by the corner, began to hurt like crazy, but he could not groan.
Erdene said,
"Sit down. Then take out a new piece of paper and write down what I say.”
Rolls immediately did as she commanded. He dipped the nib in ink and gripped her trembling wrist tightly.
“Write it down without missing a single word. ‘Vetor is rich, and Erdene is a Queen in name only, with no work or authority.’”
The sound of the nib brushing against the paper was eerily loud.
Rolls turned around, and Erdene continued.
“The King of Vetor is bright and capable, but he has no interest in Erdene.”
Again, only the sound of writing continued. The nib that had been making a squeaking sound seemed to slow down, and Rolls looked back at Erdene with an anxious expression.
“Ugh... Your Majesty. Why did you... write something like this?”
“Can’t you just shut up and write it down?”
Erdene’s voice was filled with murderous intent as if she had just emerged from hell.
Rolls didn’t ask any more questions and just wrote down what she told him like a puppet.
“Even if we push our demands inland, there’s probably not much we can get from using Erdene as an excuse.”
He finished writing. Erdene looked over what Rolls had written and said,
“Tell this to my brother as it is.”
“Oh, I understand.”
Rolls took out the envelope he had prepared in advance, folded the paper inside, and sealed it with sealing wax as if he were showing off.
However, the anger did not disappear from Erdene’s face.
“Remember. While you’re reporting, my old subordinates will be watching you from all sides. If you say anything nonsensical, I’ll make you beg to be killed.”
“I understand... I understand. Your Majesty, I will do as you say. Please spare me!”
Erdene moved her legs as if she didn’t want his hands brushing against her dress.
Then as if thinking about something, he turned to Rolls, who was lying face down on the floor, and whispered to him,
“Do you think I’ll let you go so easily when you're in my grasp? Of course not. I can return to the empire at any time. I can take the throne that was rightfully mine. So don’t even think about disobeying me. If I hear that you took my advice lightly, I will never let it go. I’ll crack open your skull and make a stool out of it.”
Rolls’ eyes widened in fear.
“So behave yourself. Got it?”
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