It was clearly meant for the Emperor, but it was his government that received the warning.
Titi, who had frozen for a moment, was held in Demios’ arms.
“Your Majesty, let’s go somewhere else.”
Titi urged the Emperor as if she was afraid of the argument.
Demios caught his breath. Before turning around, he warned Sepia.
“You should keep this in mind, Empress. The end for those who are involved with the Duke is ruin.”
The sneer he left at the end of his warning was directed at Roxanne.
Roxanne’s eyes were frozen cold. The Emperor smiled and showed his teeth as if he was pleased with such a reaction.
The Emperor and the government left the balcony.
The surroundings became quiet again. Roxanne stared at the closed door for a long time.
The fierce victory celebration of the week ended.
At the same time, winter came to the empire.
The empire’s winter begins with snow.
The snow that had been falling one or two at a time soon covered the roof and painted the palace white.
Sepia also successfully finished the grand banquet and was able to rest for a few weeks.
Even during the rest period, the dinner with Demios continued.
He, who she thought would never attend, attended the dinner with Sepia without fail.
That was surprising.
However, conversation was extremely rare, and there were times when they didn’t even say a word.
It was different from before.
The suffocating silence made Sepia uncomfortable.
This week, they had dinner at the Empress’s Palace.
Demios got up first, and Sepia also finished her meal.
“I feel like I’ve had a cold.”
Even though she hadn’t eaten much, she felt suffocated.
It was snowing outside the window. The snow that had started to fall two days ago had started to pile up in earnest since last night.
“Your Majesty, the garden is covered in snow. Let’s all go and look!”
“Yes.”
Sepia turned her steps toward the garden at the urging of her maids.
The garden, which had been autumnal, had already turned white.
It was quiet and beautiful.
The maid came over and put a shawl on Sepia’s shoulders.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Yes. It was good that I came. The snow has piled up beautifully.”
It did snow in the Huron Empire during the winter, but it never piled up like this.
The most amazing thing Sepia found when she came to the Beastkin Empire was the snow that fell so much that it covered her ankles.
The two empires shared the same four seasons, but they looked different.
Sepia looked at the pure white garden and lost herself in thought.
“Why did Demios say that?”
Roxanne’s reaction was too much to dismiss as a passing remark.
It didn’t seem like Demios would tell her even if she asked him.
Roxanne’s past.
There were no records left in documents, so she had to hear them through word of mouth.
It was when Sepia was thinking about the method.
Something crimson shimmered in the pure white world.
“Did I see something wrong?”
While Sepia closed and opened her eyes, the maid pointed to one side of the garden.
“Your Majesty, look over there!”
A red fox emerged from the grass.
The fox with its luscious fur swung its tail and stared intently at Sepia.
“What is this?”
All that could be seen in the Empress’s palace were birds.
Since Sepia’s maids were bird beasts, various kinds of birds gathered there.
She wondered if that fox was a beast, but she quickly decided that it couldn’t be.
Beasts are born with the ability to hide their true selves.
That beast was a fully grown fox.
There was no way that an adult beast could wander around the palace as its true self.
The red fox had come up to Sepia at some point.
The paw prints that had been left from afar were adorable.
Kiing, king.
The fox, whose ears had been twitching, suddenly stuck its head in.
“Touch you... Are you asking me to touch you?”
She thought it might bite, but its green eyes looked very docile.
Sepia cautiously reached out.
As she stroked it slowly, the fox rubbed its head.
The red beast’s fur was surprisingly soft.
The surprised maids surrounded the fox and said one by one,
“Oh my, this is the first time I’ve seen a full-grown fox follow people so unapologetically!”
“It’s amazing. Isn’t it, Your Majesty?”
The fox was rolling around in the snow as if it was very happy to be touched by Sepia. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the innocent beast.
Sepia stroked the fox’s belly and said,
“It could have been raised and lost.”
“Should we look for its owner? Such a lovely fox, it might be desperately looking for its owner.”
“Please.”
The fox played for a while and then disappeared into the grass. She thought about catching it, but she didn’t try because she was worried that it might arouse its guard.
Just in case, the fox was in the garden the next day.
After their first meeting, the fox visited the garden at the same time every day as if it had made a promise, hanging out with Sepia and the maids, and then disappeared before the sunset.
It had already been a week.
However, no one had shown up to claim the fox’s owner.
The maid who was stroking the fox’s belly suddenly asked,
“Since it likes the Empress this much, why don’t we just raise it in the palace?”
“Should we?”
Titi, who had frozen for a moment, was held in Demios’ arms.
“Your Majesty, let’s go somewhere else.”
Titi urged the Emperor as if she was afraid of the argument.
Demios caught his breath. Before turning around, he warned Sepia.
“You should keep this in mind, Empress. The end for those who are involved with the Duke is ruin.”
The sneer he left at the end of his warning was directed at Roxanne.
Roxanne’s eyes were frozen cold. The Emperor smiled and showed his teeth as if he was pleased with such a reaction.
The Emperor and the government left the balcony.
The surroundings became quiet again. Roxanne stared at the closed door for a long time.
***
The fierce victory celebration of the week ended.
At the same time, winter came to the empire.
The empire’s winter begins with snow.
The snow that had been falling one or two at a time soon covered the roof and painted the palace white.
Sepia also successfully finished the grand banquet and was able to rest for a few weeks.
Even during the rest period, the dinner with Demios continued.
He, who she thought would never attend, attended the dinner with Sepia without fail.
That was surprising.
However, conversation was extremely rare, and there were times when they didn’t even say a word.
It was different from before.
The suffocating silence made Sepia uncomfortable.
This week, they had dinner at the Empress’s Palace.
Demios got up first, and Sepia also finished her meal.
“I feel like I’ve had a cold.”
Even though she hadn’t eaten much, she felt suffocated.
It was snowing outside the window. The snow that had started to fall two days ago had started to pile up in earnest since last night.
“Your Majesty, the garden is covered in snow. Let’s all go and look!”
“Yes.”
Sepia turned her steps toward the garden at the urging of her maids.
The garden, which had been autumnal, had already turned white.
It was quiet and beautiful.
The maid came over and put a shawl on Sepia’s shoulders.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Yes. It was good that I came. The snow has piled up beautifully.”
It did snow in the Huron Empire during the winter, but it never piled up like this.
The most amazing thing Sepia found when she came to the Beastkin Empire was the snow that fell so much that it covered her ankles.
The two empires shared the same four seasons, but they looked different.
Sepia looked at the pure white garden and lost herself in thought.
“Why did Demios say that?”
Roxanne’s reaction was too much to dismiss as a passing remark.
It didn’t seem like Demios would tell her even if she asked him.
Roxanne’s past.
There were no records left in documents, so she had to hear them through word of mouth.
It was when Sepia was thinking about the method.
Something crimson shimmered in the pure white world.
“Did I see something wrong?”
While Sepia closed and opened her eyes, the maid pointed to one side of the garden.
“Your Majesty, look over there!”
A red fox emerged from the grass.
The fox with its luscious fur swung its tail and stared intently at Sepia.
“What is this?”
All that could be seen in the Empress’s palace were birds.
Since Sepia’s maids were bird beasts, various kinds of birds gathered there.
She wondered if that fox was a beast, but she quickly decided that it couldn’t be.
Beasts are born with the ability to hide their true selves.
That beast was a fully grown fox.
There was no way that an adult beast could wander around the palace as its true self.
The red fox had come up to Sepia at some point.
The paw prints that had been left from afar were adorable.
Kiing, king.
The fox, whose ears had been twitching, suddenly stuck its head in.
“Touch you... Are you asking me to touch you?”
She thought it might bite, but its green eyes looked very docile.
Sepia cautiously reached out.
As she stroked it slowly, the fox rubbed its head.
The red beast’s fur was surprisingly soft.
The surprised maids surrounded the fox and said one by one,
“Oh my, this is the first time I’ve seen a full-grown fox follow people so unapologetically!”
“It’s amazing. Isn’t it, Your Majesty?”
The fox was rolling around in the snow as if it was very happy to be touched by Sepia. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the innocent beast.
Sepia stroked the fox’s belly and said,
“It could have been raised and lost.”
“Should we look for its owner? Such a lovely fox, it might be desperately looking for its owner.”
“Please.”
The fox played for a while and then disappeared into the grass. She thought about catching it, but she didn’t try because she was worried that it might arouse its guard.
Just in case, the fox was in the garden the next day.
After their first meeting, the fox visited the garden at the same time every day as if it had made a promise, hanging out with Sepia and the maids, and then disappeared before the sunset.
It had already been a week.
However, no one had shown up to claim the fox’s owner.
The maid who was stroking the fox’s belly suddenly asked,
“Since it likes the Empress this much, why don’t we just raise it in the palace?”
“Should we?”
The fox had already become tame.
It seemed like it would have a hard time surviving even if it were released into the wild.
'I worry about where I'll sleep every night.'
While Sepia was worrying, the fox shook off the snow and stuck to its fur.
"Oh, don't shake it off on me!"
The maid shook off the snow stuck to her clothes.
In the meantime, the fox, who had licked its front paws and finished dressing, sat down in front of Sepia.
Sepia patted the fox's head and asked,
"Are you cold? Should we come inside?"
However, the fox's gaze was elsewhere.
The fox growled, showing its white teeth. When she turned around in surprise, she saw.
"Roxanne."
It seemed like it would have a hard time surviving even if it were released into the wild.
'I worry about where I'll sleep every night.'
While Sepia was worrying, the fox shook off the snow and stuck to its fur.
"Oh, don't shake it off on me!"
The maid shook off the snow stuck to her clothes.
In the meantime, the fox, who had licked its front paws and finished dressing, sat down in front of Sepia.
Sepia patted the fox's head and asked,
"Are you cold? Should we come inside?"
However, the fox's gaze was elsewhere.
The fox growled, showing its white teeth. When she turned around in surprise, she saw.
"Roxanne."
The fox, who had not been heard from since the victory ceremony, was standing in the garden of the Empress's Palace.
"Are you raising that fox?"
"No. It showed up in the garden a week ago. I think someone must have caught it alive and let it go."
After saying that, she became more worried about the fox.
'Do I really have to raise it?'
As she thought that, the docile fox growled at the Duke.
"You don't really like me."
"That's right. I think it's probably a male."
The beasts tended to be sensitive to those of the same sex.
Or maybe they recognized Roxanne as a stronger enemy than them.
Karuk.
“Ah...!”
The fox jumped to its feet and disappeared beyond the bushes.
Sepia sighed in regret as she looked at the footprints in the white snow.
“It’s gone.”
If only she knew where it spent its nights, she could help it.
That was a real shame.
Sepia was looking at the spot where the fox had disappeared.
“It seems like you like the fox more than me.”
“How could you say that?”
Sepia looked up at Roxanne in confusion.
She had been crouching with her knees bent to deal with the fox.
Roxanne reached out his hand to her. When Sepia took it, Roxanne pulled her up.
“Do you know that jealousy can arise even between friends?”
Their visions grew closer.
After the victory ceremony, Sepia did not attend any other gatherings.
She wanted the scandal of that day to last a little longer so that the rumors would completely spread.
But this was the garden of the Empress's Palace, and since there were no eyes to see, there was no need to act.
"You're talking as if you're jealous of the fox."
It meant that it was okay not to help here.
Roxanne would also be uncomfortable with acting without purpose.
He seemed to have noticed Sepia's intentions, but he smiled as if he didn't know.
"Yes. A little. No, a lot. Because I want you to like me the most."
It was a strange answer.
If anyone else had heard it, they would have mistaken it as an intimate relationship.
She was momentarily shaken, but she thought that she shouldn't misunderstand.
'As friends.'
Or maybe it was a kind of acting.
Roxanne had a knack for making others misunderstand.
Soon, something like pure white fluff fell under the cloudy sky.
The snow that had stopped for a moment seemed to be pouring down again.
'It's going to fall quite heavily.'
Probably much more than it had piled up so far.
The falling snow was wetting his hair and shoulders.
"Would you like to come inside for a moment?"
"If you'd like to invite me, I'd be happy to."
He happily answered Sepia’s call.
Sepia guided Roxanne to the reception room of the Empress’s palace.
As if her guess was right, a heavy snowfall was falling outside the window.
Before the tea was prepared, the maids brought out refreshments first. They seemed to have been very energetic, perhaps because they thought Roxanne had helped them during the victory ceremony.
The table full of refreshments was a little embarrassing.
Sepia asked to hide her embarrassment.
“What kind of tea would you like?”
Although Sepia had a limited selection of teas, there was a wide variety for guests.
Demios only liked mint tea. Could that be the case?
However, Roxanne’s choice was unexpected.
“Do you have any Bremin tea?”
Sepia looked surprised.
Bremin tea is a tea with a slightly sweet flavor, made from dried and roasted tea leaves that are only found in the Huron Empire.
Sepia had been drinking that tea since she was young.
Even after becoming the Empress of another empire, that habit did not change, and she had been importing tea from the Huron Empire.
'How do you know this?'
It would not be an exaggeration to say that this tea was enjoyed only by Sepia in the Beastkin Empire. Not only did the Beastkin not even know that such a tea existed, but more importantly, it did not suit their tastes.
"Are you raising that fox?"
"No. It showed up in the garden a week ago. I think someone must have caught it alive and let it go."
After saying that, she became more worried about the fox.
'Do I really have to raise it?'
As she thought that, the docile fox growled at the Duke.
"You don't really like me."
"That's right. I think it's probably a male."
The beasts tended to be sensitive to those of the same sex.
Or maybe they recognized Roxanne as a stronger enemy than them.
Karuk.
“Ah...!”
The fox jumped to its feet and disappeared beyond the bushes.
Sepia sighed in regret as she looked at the footprints in the white snow.
“It’s gone.”
If only she knew where it spent its nights, she could help it.
That was a real shame.
Sepia was looking at the spot where the fox had disappeared.
“It seems like you like the fox more than me.”
“How could you say that?”
Sepia looked up at Roxanne in confusion.
She had been crouching with her knees bent to deal with the fox.
Roxanne reached out his hand to her. When Sepia took it, Roxanne pulled her up.
“Do you know that jealousy can arise even between friends?”
Their visions grew closer.
After the victory ceremony, Sepia did not attend any other gatherings.
She wanted the scandal of that day to last a little longer so that the rumors would completely spread.
But this was the garden of the Empress's Palace, and since there were no eyes to see, there was no need to act.
"You're talking as if you're jealous of the fox."
It meant that it was okay not to help here.
Roxanne would also be uncomfortable with acting without purpose.
He seemed to have noticed Sepia's intentions, but he smiled as if he didn't know.
"Yes. A little. No, a lot. Because I want you to like me the most."
It was a strange answer.
If anyone else had heard it, they would have mistaken it as an intimate relationship.
She was momentarily shaken, but she thought that she shouldn't misunderstand.
'As friends.'
Or maybe it was a kind of acting.
Roxanne had a knack for making others misunderstand.
Soon, something like pure white fluff fell under the cloudy sky.
The snow that had stopped for a moment seemed to be pouring down again.
'It's going to fall quite heavily.'
Probably much more than it had piled up so far.
The falling snow was wetting his hair and shoulders.
"Would you like to come inside for a moment?"
"If you'd like to invite me, I'd be happy to."
He happily answered Sepia’s call.
Sepia guided Roxanne to the reception room of the Empress’s palace.
As if her guess was right, a heavy snowfall was falling outside the window.
Before the tea was prepared, the maids brought out refreshments first. They seemed to have been very energetic, perhaps because they thought Roxanne had helped them during the victory ceremony.
The table full of refreshments was a little embarrassing.
Sepia asked to hide her embarrassment.
“What kind of tea would you like?”
Although Sepia had a limited selection of teas, there was a wide variety for guests.
Demios only liked mint tea. Could that be the case?
However, Roxanne’s choice was unexpected.
“Do you have any Bremin tea?”
Sepia looked surprised.
Bremin tea is a tea with a slightly sweet flavor, made from dried and roasted tea leaves that are only found in the Huron Empire.
Sepia had been drinking that tea since she was young.
Even after becoming the Empress of another empire, that habit did not change, and she had been importing tea from the Huron Empire.
'How do you know this?'
It would not be an exaggeration to say that this tea was enjoyed only by Sepia in the Beastkin Empire. Not only did the Beastkin not even know that such a tea existed, but more importantly, it did not suit their tastes.
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