“You always fill me up.”
“Because Your Majesty is my joy.”
The obedient voice melted the Emperor’s heart.
He rubbed the name on Titi’s chest and said.
“I can’t take you to the purification ceremony, but if there’s anything else you want, let me know. I’ll also increase the number of guards at the Repetto Palace.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. But you’ve already done so much for me. You even took out my brother... My parents are looking for a place to stay in the capital.”
“I know. I’ll give you a servant, so you can get help. You can bring in a jeweler while I’m away. What else do you want?”
“And...”
The beast, whose belly was full of possessiveness, became very generous.
Titi, who thought it wasn’t a bad deal even though she didn’t get everything she wanted, became even more docile.
Looking at Titi, the Emperor estimated the date.
“...How much is left until the purification ceremony?”
“It’s a little over half a month, Your Majesty.”
The new year is coming soon.
He didn’t like the purification ceremony, but the years will continue to change.
‘The same goes for the Empress’s position.’
Titi hid in the Emperor’s arms to hide her smile.
The Emperor, who was holding her, pressed his forehead and narrowed his brows.
“What’s wrong?”
“...My head hurts.”
“Should I call the palace doctor?”
It seems that you’ve been saying that your head hurts a lot lately.
The Emperor shook his head at Titi’s concern.
“No, that’s enough. I’ll go back to the palace.”
“Yes. I’ll tell them to get ready.”
Titi put on her clothes. She was sad to leave the villa, but she thought that since it was hers anyway, she could come back anytime.
Titi returned to the Repetto Palace. Perhaps because of the purification ceremony, the Emperor went straight back to his residence.
She changed into comfortable clothes and went straight to bed.
‘I should get some rest now.’
It was nice to be with the Emperor, but she was tired because she had to devote all her energy to him.
However, her rest was soon cut off.
“Lady Titi, we have a guest.”
“What’s this again!”
Titi was irritated by the maid’s announcement.
After Titi had been officially recognized as the government’s position, the number of guests visiting her increased.
Those who flattered her and brought her gifts were nice, but they were also annoying. The Count’s family was especially worse.
‘It was nice that they didn’t come looking for me when I was at the villa.’
Support Novellate!
“Because Your Majesty is my joy.”
The obedient voice melted the Emperor’s heart.
He rubbed the name on Titi’s chest and said.
“I can’t take you to the purification ceremony, but if there’s anything else you want, let me know. I’ll also increase the number of guards at the Repetto Palace.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. But you’ve already done so much for me. You even took out my brother... My parents are looking for a place to stay in the capital.”
“I know. I’ll give you a servant, so you can get help. You can bring in a jeweler while I’m away. What else do you want?”
“And...”
The beast, whose belly was full of possessiveness, became very generous.
Titi, who thought it wasn’t a bad deal even though she didn’t get everything she wanted, became even more docile.
Looking at Titi, the Emperor estimated the date.
“...How much is left until the purification ceremony?”
“It’s a little over half a month, Your Majesty.”
The new year is coming soon.
He didn’t like the purification ceremony, but the years will continue to change.
‘The same goes for the Empress’s position.’
Titi hid in the Emperor’s arms to hide her smile.
The Emperor, who was holding her, pressed his forehead and narrowed his brows.
“What’s wrong?”
“...My head hurts.”
“Should I call the palace doctor?”
It seems that you’ve been saying that your head hurts a lot lately.
The Emperor shook his head at Titi’s concern.
“No, that’s enough. I’ll go back to the palace.”
“Yes. I’ll tell them to get ready.”
Titi put on her clothes. She was sad to leave the villa, but she thought that since it was hers anyway, she could come back anytime.
Titi returned to the Repetto Palace. Perhaps because of the purification ceremony, the Emperor went straight back to his residence.
She changed into comfortable clothes and went straight to bed.
‘I should get some rest now.’
It was nice to be with the Emperor, but she was tired because she had to devote all her energy to him.
However, her rest was soon cut off.
“Lady Titi, we have a guest.”
“What’s this again!”
Titi was irritated by the maid’s announcement.
After Titi had been officially recognized as the government’s position, the number of guests visiting her increased.
Those who flattered her and brought her gifts were nice, but they were also annoying. The Count’s family was especially worse.
‘It was nice that they didn’t come looking for me when I was at the villa.’
They kept nagging at her so much that she had to give them a place to live.
Her head was throbbing as if the Emperor’s headache had spread to her
Titi pressed her temples and asked nervously.
“Who is it?”
“That’s a merchant named Blair.”
“What?!”
Titi jumped out of bed and hurriedly put on her shawl.
She quickly finished getting ready and headed to where the guest was waiting.
Strangely, Titi was more nervous than when she had faced the emperor.
“Are you here?”
Titi closed the door.
The figure wrapped in a black cloak got up from his seat.
His pitch-black eyes, which had seen Titi, showed a hint of laughter.
“Hello, white deer. Is your name okay?”
The black man stretched out his hand.
To be exact, towards the place where the name was engraved on Titi’s body.
New Year’s Day.
The day of the sacred purification ceremony dawned.
Sepia’s eyes were complicated as she looked into the mirror.
She was wearing a pure white dress like snow.
It was the dress for the purification ceremony that Demios had sent her a few days ago.
‘Promise, you remembered.’
After last year’s purification ceremony, Demios had promised to make Sepia a purification ceremony dress.
Sepia remembered that promise, but of course, she expected that he would not come, so she planned to wear the one she had worn last year again.
A purification ceremony dress had to be flawless and pure white.
The dress Demios had sent wrapped around Sepia’s body without allowing even a single bit of color.
It was a little big, but fortunately, it wasn’t too noticeable.
“You are beautiful, Empress.”
“Take care.”
The maids who had adjusted Sepia’s clothes chirped like birds.
Everyone knew that the Emperor and Empress had fallen out, but they hoped that this would be the opportunity to mend things.
“It’s only been a day. And it’s even inside the palace.”
She wanted to lower the expectations of the maids, but the Empress’s maids didn’t listen to her.
“Still. No one but His Majesty and the Empress can enter this place.”
“That’s right. His Majesty even sent you this dress.”
It was probably because of the formal attire she was wearing.
To the maids, this dress seemed like a product of reconciliation, but to Sepia, it wasn’t.
‘Perhaps it had a different meaning.’
A warning to be aware of the duties of an Empress.
When she recalled the last day she had met him, the buttons that were fastened all the way to her neck felt like they were choking her.
Finally, the Emperor’s attendant announced the visit.
“His Majesty has arrived.”
“Let’s go now.”
Sepia went out of the Empress’s palace with her maids.
There, Demios, who had arrived earlier, was waiting for her.
The formal attire he was wearing had the same design as the Empress.
Red eyes scanned Sepia.
Demios, who confirmed that she was wearing the ceremonial clothes he had sent, extended his hand.
“...Let's ho.”
“Yes.”
Sepia put her hand on him.
She almost hesitated, but the gloves covering her hands made her feel less repulsive.
The two boarded the pure white carriage.
They were sitting across from each other, but they were looking away.
The path leading to the underground temple was under the memorial hall where the previous Emperors were enshrined.
The carriage stopped.
The servants who had been waiting in advance opened the door leading to the underground, not the memorial hall.
The door opened again after a year.
“Here it is.”
The servant handed Demios a lantern.
It was the day to decide the good and bad fortune of the year.
The entire palace was quiet, perhaps because of the custom of the purification ceremony.
Sepia held his hand and stepped down the stairs to the underground.
‘This is already my fourth visit.’
It was a place she knew more than she was familiar with.
The dark cave was dark without the lantern.
Since Demios had gone ahead, Sepia had to go down the stairs with her senses rather than her eyes.
Did they walk like that in silence for a long time?
At the entrance to the underground, a shining pillar was visible.
The temple made of giant coral from the sea shone mysteriously even in the dark. The abbreviated temple in the underground was surrounded by water like a small island and connected to the underground by a coral bridge.
The water flowing under the bridge was not groundwater, but seawater.
'The groundwater that enters this cave changes into seawater.'
Even the sea beasts could come out to the surface.
However, if they did not soak in seawater for a certain amount of time, they would lose their strength.
This place was originally created for the high priest of the sea, and it became a national memorial day after the Emperors and Empresses of the past began soaking in it as a means of washing away evil.
"Let's go in."
Sepia nodded at Demios's guidance.
Crossing the bridge and entering the temple, there were stairs leading down further.
After soaking your whole body in a small lake, you would sit in the shallow water and wait until this time the next day for all the evil to be washed away.
On the day of the purification ceremony, the Emperor and Empress were not allowed to eat or drink.
Demios dipped his feet in the small sea they arrived at.
Sepia followed him inside.
'It's cold.'
The cold sensation on her toes gave her goosebumps.
However, once she fully immersed her body, she didn’t feel cold.
Perhaps because it was seawater, its unique salty scent faintly stimulated her sense of smell.
‘Is the real ocean like this?’
She heard that the real ocean is a vast land of water filled with life. They say that you can't see the end no matter how far you go.
The place where she was immersed was a small ocean, but there was no life there.
“You’re thinking differently.”
Sepia, who had been looking under the clear water, raised her head.
Demios, who had been walking ahead, stopped and looked at her.
His gaze was filled with suspicion as if he was mistaken.
“It’s nothing. I was just wondering what the real ocean would look like.”
Demios made a puzzled face as if his prediction had been wrong.
“...Have you never been to the ocean?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“Because I told you first.”
Sepia smiled faintly.
In fact, they had said this when they were lovers.
Sepia, who had been locked up in the imperial palace of Huron, had been curious about the sea and the world.
Demios had promised to go see the sea together after taking Sepia as his bride, but he now did not remember.
Sepia was no longer hurt, nor did she correct his memories.
This was because the past Demios and the current him seemed completely different from the point where he had warned them.
“...If you fulfill your duties as an Empress, there will be a chance to go together.”
Demios’s eyes, which had been sharp, softened considerably as he took her smile for what it meant.
He started moving again. It was to head towards land.
Sepia silently followed Demios.
‘Can that really be possible?’
Sepia did not answer his words.
Even now, she wanted to take off the gloves that had touched Demios and let them fall into the water.
The duty of an Empress, as Demios said, was to give birth to descendants of the imperial family.
Will I be able to accept him?
If I continue to reject Demios, I will...
Her head was throbbing as if the Emperor’s headache had spread to her
Titi pressed her temples and asked nervously.
“Who is it?”
“That’s a merchant named Blair.”
“What?!”
Titi jumped out of bed and hurriedly put on her shawl.
She quickly finished getting ready and headed to where the guest was waiting.
Strangely, Titi was more nervous than when she had faced the emperor.
“Are you here?”
Titi closed the door.
The figure wrapped in a black cloak got up from his seat.
His pitch-black eyes, which had seen Titi, showed a hint of laughter.
“Hello, white deer. Is your name okay?”
The black man stretched out his hand.
To be exact, towards the place where the name was engraved on Titi’s body.
***
New Year’s Day.
The day of the sacred purification ceremony dawned.
Sepia’s eyes were complicated as she looked into the mirror.
She was wearing a pure white dress like snow.
It was the dress for the purification ceremony that Demios had sent her a few days ago.
‘Promise, you remembered.’
After last year’s purification ceremony, Demios had promised to make Sepia a purification ceremony dress.
Sepia remembered that promise, but of course, she expected that he would not come, so she planned to wear the one she had worn last year again.
A purification ceremony dress had to be flawless and pure white.
The dress Demios had sent wrapped around Sepia’s body without allowing even a single bit of color.
It was a little big, but fortunately, it wasn’t too noticeable.
“You are beautiful, Empress.”
“Take care.”
The maids who had adjusted Sepia’s clothes chirped like birds.
Everyone knew that the Emperor and Empress had fallen out, but they hoped that this would be the opportunity to mend things.
“It’s only been a day. And it’s even inside the palace.”
She wanted to lower the expectations of the maids, but the Empress’s maids didn’t listen to her.
“Still. No one but His Majesty and the Empress can enter this place.”
“That’s right. His Majesty even sent you this dress.”
It was probably because of the formal attire she was wearing.
To the maids, this dress seemed like a product of reconciliation, but to Sepia, it wasn’t.
‘Perhaps it had a different meaning.’
A warning to be aware of the duties of an Empress.
When she recalled the last day she had met him, the buttons that were fastened all the way to her neck felt like they were choking her.
Finally, the Emperor’s attendant announced the visit.
“His Majesty has arrived.”
“Let’s go now.”
Sepia went out of the Empress’s palace with her maids.
There, Demios, who had arrived earlier, was waiting for her.
The formal attire he was wearing had the same design as the Empress.
Red eyes scanned Sepia.
Demios, who confirmed that she was wearing the ceremonial clothes he had sent, extended his hand.
“...Let's ho.”
“Yes.”
Sepia put her hand on him.
She almost hesitated, but the gloves covering her hands made her feel less repulsive.
The two boarded the pure white carriage.
They were sitting across from each other, but they were looking away.
The path leading to the underground temple was under the memorial hall where the previous Emperors were enshrined.
The carriage stopped.
The servants who had been waiting in advance opened the door leading to the underground, not the memorial hall.
The door opened again after a year.
“Here it is.”
The servant handed Demios a lantern.
It was the day to decide the good and bad fortune of the year.
The entire palace was quiet, perhaps because of the custom of the purification ceremony.
Sepia held his hand and stepped down the stairs to the underground.
‘This is already my fourth visit.’
It was a place she knew more than she was familiar with.
The dark cave was dark without the lantern.
Since Demios had gone ahead, Sepia had to go down the stairs with her senses rather than her eyes.
Did they walk like that in silence for a long time?
At the entrance to the underground, a shining pillar was visible.
The temple made of giant coral from the sea shone mysteriously even in the dark. The abbreviated temple in the underground was surrounded by water like a small island and connected to the underground by a coral bridge.
The water flowing under the bridge was not groundwater, but seawater.
'The groundwater that enters this cave changes into seawater.'
Even the sea beasts could come out to the surface.
However, if they did not soak in seawater for a certain amount of time, they would lose their strength.
This place was originally created for the high priest of the sea, and it became a national memorial day after the Emperors and Empresses of the past began soaking in it as a means of washing away evil.
"Let's go in."
Sepia nodded at Demios's guidance.
Crossing the bridge and entering the temple, there were stairs leading down further.
After soaking your whole body in a small lake, you would sit in the shallow water and wait until this time the next day for all the evil to be washed away.
On the day of the purification ceremony, the Emperor and Empress were not allowed to eat or drink.
Demios dipped his feet in the small sea they arrived at.
Sepia followed him inside.
'It's cold.'
The cold sensation on her toes gave her goosebumps.
However, once she fully immersed her body, she didn’t feel cold.
Perhaps because it was seawater, its unique salty scent faintly stimulated her sense of smell.
‘Is the real ocean like this?’
She heard that the real ocean is a vast land of water filled with life. They say that you can't see the end no matter how far you go.
The place where she was immersed was a small ocean, but there was no life there.
“You’re thinking differently.”
Sepia, who had been looking under the clear water, raised her head.
Demios, who had been walking ahead, stopped and looked at her.
His gaze was filled with suspicion as if he was mistaken.
“It’s nothing. I was just wondering what the real ocean would look like.”
Demios made a puzzled face as if his prediction had been wrong.
“...Have you never been to the ocean?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“Because I told you first.”
Sepia smiled faintly.
In fact, they had said this when they were lovers.
Sepia, who had been locked up in the imperial palace of Huron, had been curious about the sea and the world.
Demios had promised to go see the sea together after taking Sepia as his bride, but he now did not remember.
Sepia was no longer hurt, nor did she correct his memories.
This was because the past Demios and the current him seemed completely different from the point where he had warned them.
“...If you fulfill your duties as an Empress, there will be a chance to go together.”
Demios’s eyes, which had been sharp, softened considerably as he took her smile for what it meant.
He started moving again. It was to head towards land.
Sepia silently followed Demios.
‘Can that really be possible?’
Sepia did not answer his words.
Even now, she wanted to take off the gloves that had touched Demios and let them fall into the water.
The duty of an Empress, as Demios said, was to give birth to descendants of the imperial family.
Will I be able to accept him?
If I continue to reject Demios, I will...
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment