The feeling that Carson hated so much, the feeling of wanting to end everything right now, was already at its peak.
“I’ve been too soft.”
Everyone standing around shrank their necks at the cold voice.
“It’s time to show how far the Prince who came from outside can go. Isn’t it?”
Carson’s steps gained strength. The Emperor’s patience trembled and eventually overflowed from the glass, daring to do something the day before the wedding he had longed for.
The moment he secured Ines’s new soldier, he would sweep everything away.
His head began to move quickly like that of the most capable hunter.
***
As the curtains were completely drawn, light poured into the room. The first thing that caught his eye was the white dust that had piled up under the dazzling sunlight. Ines squinted her eyes to get used to the bright light.
And then she saw a woman’s face.
It was the former Empress whom she had seen from afar on the day she had hidden in Edmont’s waiting room.
Ines lowered her eyes and looked around. She was worried that Marcus would be revealed because of the brightness. Fortunately, however, he had completely disappeared.
The room was not small. There was a large, though old, bed, and a table and chair.
Ines was dragged in front of the former Empress with her arms tied.
Even though their eyes met, the former Empress just stared blankly at Ines. Ines also did not say anything.
Although not much time had passed, the former Empress had aged a lot in the meantime. No, it would be more accurate to say that she now looked her age.
She was sitting on a wooden chair decorated with floral satin. Even though she was sitting on a shabby chair, her posture was that of an Empress.
“Ines Swenden.”
She called Ines’ name in a low voice. After that, she continued to mutter her name.
Ines, Ines, Ines Swenden.
It was a voice that felt creepy at first.
“If I had dealt with you when you were a temple maid, would I have been able to avoid this?”
The former Empress continued speaking as if there was no need for an answer.
“No, no. Who would have known? That you, a temple maid, would become the Empress of the Keynes Empire.”
Ines would rather close her eyes. They must have thought that Ines was still in a trance due to her drug addiction.
“Someone who doesn’t even know where she came from is now the Empress. The country is in ruins. After all, the eighth person who barely made it to the throne of the Prince is now the Emperor...”
Her curses, which resembled her grumbling, continued after that.
“You’ve already entered the Empress’s palace? How dare you sit on my chair, eat at my table, and sleep in my bed... You.”
“Mother, stop now. You won’t understand.”
Anthony, who had remained silent since entering the room, spoke for the first time.
It was a very neat tone, not like the one who had tapped her face with his gloves a few hours ago. However, Ines thought that his voice sounded quite anxious.
“Yes, Anthony, my son. My flawless Prince who will soon be the Emperor.”
The former Empress smiled as she stroked her son’s face as he approached her. His eyes were somewhat empty, and he did not seem to be in his right mind.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ines had to swallow her laughter as she listened to the conversation between the two. An Emperor and an Empress that no one acknowledged.
“You want to get drunk before you kill me?”
However, Ines closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as the conversation continued. What on earth were they talking about?
“I thought that would make sense.”
“Isn’t that reasonable?”
“Isn’t it reasonable...?”
A faint note of discontent passed through the former Empress’s voice. However, she soon blurted out something like,
“Yes, you are right. Carson took everything you had and enjoyed it, so you should enjoy what’s his too.”
“Yes, mother.”
Anthony’s voice overlapped with Zemern’s as he answered politely.
He pretended to be relaxed, but his breathing was already ragged. She could feel him getting worked up like an animal with food in front of him. He looked like he was going to pounce on her, snorting at any moment.
Ines barely managed to suppress the urge to spit out her breath. This Prince of a country was no different from a lowly guard.
“But son, isn’t it too... filthy? Didn’t you hear how that thing killed the man who was my man?”
When the Empress showed a look as if she was trying to stop him, Anthony stepped closer to her.
“But mother, don’t you remember that day? What did he do in front of so many nobles? Since Carson cherishes that so much, I want to repay him even if it’s dirty.”
“Still...”
“When the late Emperor threw the scepter in front of me, it really was...”
The former Empress furrowed her forehead at the memory of that day that came to mind along with those words.
“Yes, yes. You are right. Drink as much as you want. If that’s the only way to relieve your anger.”
“Yes, mother. You should go back and rest. It seems like it’ll take a long time for my anger to fully subside.”
A strange smile lingered at the end of his words.
“Let’s go. My head hurts, so I should go in and have a glass of wine and go to the bathroom.”
“Go ahead. The Duke of Manisut will sort out everything and come to fetch me and Mother soon.”
She nodded and got up from her seat. As soon as the former Empress moved, Anthony shouted to those standing around him.
“Everyone, leave!”
But the former Empress stopped at those words.
“Son, that’s not right. You don’t know how poisonous it is, so why are you saying something like that!”
“Ha, ha.”
“Keep one of them. If I lose you, this mother will never be able to live.”
When he still hesitated for a moment, the former Empress whispered.
“They’re not human after all.”
When Anthony quickly nodded obediently, the former Empress patted his shoulder twice.
“Yes, I will follow your orders.”
Ines took a deep breath, anticipating the terrible things that were about to happen. Those beasts.
The anger that was welling up inside her burned her eyes. When the former Empress and the two men following her left, a thick silence fell over the room.
“You go to the corner over there.”
At Anthony’s command, a man’s movements were heard. Ines still had her eyes closed.
Soon, the smell of the unpleasant man came rushing to her. Anthony’s hand grabbed Ines’ chin and shook it back and forth. She shook it for a moment as he shook it.
“This is no fun...”
He lifted Ines’ clothes as if he were pushing through the bushes.
“But there’s nothing I can do.”
Just before Anthony’s rough hands touched her collar, Ines opened her eyes wide, catching her breath.
“What, what’s wrong? You’re awake?”
Anthony, who she met, looked younger than she had thought. Seeing the firm determination in Ines’ eyes, he looked greatly surprised.
But that was only for a moment, and soon a lowly smile appeared on his face. The incongruous expression on his young face somehow made her feel a greater gap.
“That’s better. What fun is there in seeing a woman who can’t feel anything, right?”
He reached out and squeezed Ines’ cheek tightly.
“You're definitely pretty. That’s why that bastard Carson is going crazy.”
Ines lowered her eyes and assessed the situation. There were two opponents. But she was tied up.
Ines rolled her lowered eyes and glanced at where Marcus was. Marcus was a knight. He would definitely assess the situation accurately.
“You made that bastard the Emperor?”
He roughly grabbed Ines’ dress and babbled.
“I didn’t plan on doing this from the beginning. The moment I saw you getting out of the carriage, I thought of a perfect way to get revenge on that bastard.”
“...”
“The person who has been annoying me since I was little is finally taking my place?”
Ines hoped that Marcus would subdue another enemy other than Anthony. She believed that Marcus would do so, but it was hard to suppress her increasingly anxious heart.
“Are you?”
He squeezed Ines’s exposed shoulder hard and snickered. Ugh, the strong grip made her scream out.
“Ha, I’m going crazy. You have a knack for driving men crazy. That’s for sure.”
Anthony whispered in Ines’s ear, his breath mixing in.
“Say something. I want to hear your voice.”
When Ines just stared at him without saying anything, Anthony grabbed Ines’ neck tightly. Gasp, a scream-like sound came out of Ines’ throat.
“Yeah, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to say it. It’s enough to hear you say that.”
He lifted Ines’ skirt and brushed her calves.
“It’s too bad that little bastard Carson can’t hear how you cried under me.”
Ines jerked her body violently and roughly got away from him. She recoiled with her bound arms and fell to the floor. Then she saw Marcus’ feet hiding behind the wardrobe. Ines shook her head desperately.
Not yet, not yet.
She heard Anthony chuckling behind her. Ines took a deep breath. And before the former Empress and Anthony came in, she twisted her wrist to free it from the loose rope.
In this situation, the way a man moves is set. The moment the woman lies down, the man will come over to her. He will press her thigh hard with his knee to prevent her from moving. Then he will thrust his hand out. It was all the same as if it were a formula for trash. Ines clenched her teeth.
“But don’t worry,”
Anthony babbled as he fell over Ines.
“Carson will be hanged soon.”
He pressed his knee hard against Ines’ thigh. It was painful enough to make her groan, but Ines twisted her wrist frantically. Even in the midst of this, Anthony’s nauseating voice continued.
“I will tell you myself right before I hang him.”
“...”
“How he trembled and cried.”
Anthony pressed his body against hers. Ines barely managed to free her hands from the ropes, and immediately struck his side with her elbow. Ugh, with a loud noise, Marcus jumped out of the closet and ran towards the man standing in the corner of the room.
“Isn’t it reasonable...?”
A faint note of discontent passed through the former Empress’s voice. However, she soon blurted out something like,
“Yes, you are right. Carson took everything you had and enjoyed it, so you should enjoy what’s his too.”
“Yes, mother.”
Anthony’s voice overlapped with Zemern’s as he answered politely.
He pretended to be relaxed, but his breathing was already ragged. She could feel him getting worked up like an animal with food in front of him. He looked like he was going to pounce on her, snorting at any moment.
Ines barely managed to suppress the urge to spit out her breath. This Prince of a country was no different from a lowly guard.
“But son, isn’t it too... filthy? Didn’t you hear how that thing killed the man who was my man?”
When the Empress showed a look as if she was trying to stop him, Anthony stepped closer to her.
“But mother, don’t you remember that day? What did he do in front of so many nobles? Since Carson cherishes that so much, I want to repay him even if it’s dirty.”
“Still...”
“When the late Emperor threw the scepter in front of me, it really was...”
The former Empress furrowed her forehead at the memory of that day that came to mind along with those words.
“Yes, yes. You are right. Drink as much as you want. If that’s the only way to relieve your anger.”
“Yes, mother. You should go back and rest. It seems like it’ll take a long time for my anger to fully subside.”
A strange smile lingered at the end of his words.
“Let’s go. My head hurts, so I should go in and have a glass of wine and go to the bathroom.”
“Go ahead. The Duke of Manisut will sort out everything and come to fetch me and Mother soon.”
She nodded and got up from her seat. As soon as the former Empress moved, Anthony shouted to those standing around him.
“Everyone, leave!”
But the former Empress stopped at those words.
“Son, that’s not right. You don’t know how poisonous it is, so why are you saying something like that!”
“Ha, ha.”
“Keep one of them. If I lose you, this mother will never be able to live.”
When he still hesitated for a moment, the former Empress whispered.
“They’re not human after all.”
When Anthony quickly nodded obediently, the former Empress patted his shoulder twice.
“Yes, I will follow your orders.”
Ines took a deep breath, anticipating the terrible things that were about to happen. Those beasts.
The anger that was welling up inside her burned her eyes. When the former Empress and the two men following her left, a thick silence fell over the room.
“You go to the corner over there.”
At Anthony’s command, a man’s movements were heard. Ines still had her eyes closed.
Soon, the smell of the unpleasant man came rushing to her. Anthony’s hand grabbed Ines’ chin and shook it back and forth. She shook it for a moment as he shook it.
“This is no fun...”
He lifted Ines’ clothes as if he were pushing through the bushes.
“But there’s nothing I can do.”
Just before Anthony’s rough hands touched her collar, Ines opened her eyes wide, catching her breath.
“What, what’s wrong? You’re awake?”
Anthony, who she met, looked younger than she had thought. Seeing the firm determination in Ines’ eyes, he looked greatly surprised.
But that was only for a moment, and soon a lowly smile appeared on his face. The incongruous expression on his young face somehow made her feel a greater gap.
“That’s better. What fun is there in seeing a woman who can’t feel anything, right?”
He reached out and squeezed Ines’ cheek tightly.
“You're definitely pretty. That’s why that bastard Carson is going crazy.”
Ines lowered her eyes and assessed the situation. There were two opponents. But she was tied up.
Ines rolled her lowered eyes and glanced at where Marcus was. Marcus was a knight. He would definitely assess the situation accurately.
“You made that bastard the Emperor?”
He roughly grabbed Ines’ dress and babbled.
“I didn’t plan on doing this from the beginning. The moment I saw you getting out of the carriage, I thought of a perfect way to get revenge on that bastard.”
“...”
“The person who has been annoying me since I was little is finally taking my place?”
Ines hoped that Marcus would subdue another enemy other than Anthony. She believed that Marcus would do so, but it was hard to suppress her increasingly anxious heart.
“Are you?”
He squeezed Ines’s exposed shoulder hard and snickered. Ugh, the strong grip made her scream out.
“Ha, I’m going crazy. You have a knack for driving men crazy. That’s for sure.”
Anthony whispered in Ines’s ear, his breath mixing in.
“Say something. I want to hear your voice.”
When Ines just stared at him without saying anything, Anthony grabbed Ines’ neck tightly. Gasp, a scream-like sound came out of Ines’ throat.
“Yeah, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to say it. It’s enough to hear you say that.”
He lifted Ines’ skirt and brushed her calves.
“It’s too bad that little bastard Carson can’t hear how you cried under me.”
Ines jerked her body violently and roughly got away from him. She recoiled with her bound arms and fell to the floor. Then she saw Marcus’ feet hiding behind the wardrobe. Ines shook her head desperately.
Not yet, not yet.
She heard Anthony chuckling behind her. Ines took a deep breath. And before the former Empress and Anthony came in, she twisted her wrist to free it from the loose rope.
In this situation, the way a man moves is set. The moment the woman lies down, the man will come over to her. He will press her thigh hard with his knee to prevent her from moving. Then he will thrust his hand out. It was all the same as if it were a formula for trash. Ines clenched her teeth.
“But don’t worry,”
Anthony babbled as he fell over Ines.
“Carson will be hanged soon.”
He pressed his knee hard against Ines’ thigh. It was painful enough to make her groan, but Ines twisted her wrist frantically. Even in the midst of this, Anthony’s nauseating voice continued.
“I will tell you myself right before I hang him.”
“...”
“How he trembled and cried.”
Anthony pressed his body against hers. Ines barely managed to free her hands from the ropes, and immediately struck his side with her elbow. Ugh, with a loud noise, Marcus jumped out of the closet and ran towards the man standing in the corner of the room.
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