Late awakening (9)
"Kalit..."
"If you take this as a joke again. I'll get hurt."
"..."
"Let's get married when the Great Rift ends. That's my wish."
I stared straight at Kalit.
If he is my benefactor, then why can't I marry him? I'd even give my life for him.
"Let me ask you just one thing."
"Yes, tell me."
"The tattoo on your back. Can you tell me why you keep it a secret?"
Kalit looked puzzled at the unexpected question. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.
"This is a story from a time when imperial power was not as strong as it is now. At that time, the greatest source of anxiety for the Emperor was his family."
Even in the early days of the empire, it was common for Emperors to die at the hands of their older brothers or younger brothers immediately after ascending to the throne.
This tragedy of family members killing each other continued for quite some time until the imperial power was stabilized.
"There was an Emperor who stopped the history of the imperial family that was stained with blood. You will know who he is since he is so famous."
600 years ago?
There was an Emperor who, as soon as he ascended to the throne, killed not only his brothers, but also his older sisters, younger sisters, and even his collateral bloodlines.
There are records that the blood of the imperial family did not dry on the guillotine for a year.
Although his actions were cruel and ruthless, he was also considered to be the Emperor who stabilized the imperial power the most. From then on, blood feuds between blood relatives for the throne were greatly reduced.
"At that time, there was only one person who survived in the imperial family that was on the verge of destruction."
"I thought all of the Emperor's relatives were dead?"
"No, his youngest sister lived. She was eighteen years younger than him."
"Oh, I guess she was too young to kill."
Kalit giggled, saying that was a cute answer.
"Would he have spared the life of a person who killed a newborn baby because she might pose a threat to his son in the future just because she was only eighteen years old?"
"Then why..."
"The youngest sister was not of the Emperor's bloodline."
Was the Empress Dowager having an affair at the time? I held my breath at the unexpected fact.
"He kept his youngest sister alive as an excuse to threaten his mother. At the time, the Empress Dowager had quite a lot of power."
"But she couldn't have made the affair public?"
"Of course. It is a disgrace to the royal family."
Kalit smiled cynically.
"The Emperor secretly abducted his youngest sister and had her marry a nobleman. In return, he demanded an oath of loyalty and had the eldest son of the imperial family and the relevant family leave a secret pact as a token of their agreement. So that they would never betray him."
"..."
"The tattoo on my back is proof of my forced loyalty and the corruption of the royal family and their family. Do you know why this is a secret?"
My mind went blank. It took me a while before I opened my mouth.
"Then... someone must have the exact same tattoo as Kalit."
"When I see him, I feel both relief and guilt. No matter what happens, I know he will never betray me, but I know it's forced loyalty...”
Kalit laughed bitterly.
"That's why I treat him colder. Because I feel bad."
Suddenly, I remembered when I asked Ian about his relationship with Kalit.
"Do we look familiar?"
"... Isn't it?"
"His Highness is only my lord."
At that time, Ian's voice was strangely cold.
Was it because it was a relationship that was forced rather than one that was truly sincere?
Kalit patted the back of my hand, which was frozen with my eyes wide open.
"Why do you look like that? Do you hate men with tattoos?"
"No, that's not it..."
I shook my head blankly and then grabbed Kalit's hand.
"Could you please show me?"
"A tattoo?"
"Please."
He blinked a few times in surprise and then scratched his cheek.
"I want to, but it's impossible. It's a special tattoo, so it won't be visible unless your body temperature rises above a certain level. You can feel the shape if you touch it, but..."
"...!"
The scattered puzzle pieces came together.
lan and Kalit's shoulder tattoos.
Their relationship seemed intimate yet there was a strange sense of distance.
'So both men had the same shape and location of the scar.'
A question that could not be solved has now been finally solved.
"Kalit, I have one more question for you."
"Are you testing me? Is he a man worth marrying? Feel free to ask me questions like that."
"When you got the tattoo, didn't you get it treated by someone?"
"Of course I got treatment. But why are you asking that?"
"This is a very important issue to me. Please tell me who treated you, so I won't tell anyone."
Kalit's eyes changed. It was clearly an expression of knowing something.
After a long silence, Kalit opened his mouth.
"You did it for me."
"...!"
Weird.
Why am I not happy when I finally find the benefactor I've been looking for so desperately? Is it because it doesn't feel real?
I even wanted to check again. Did I really cure you?
But before I could ask, the sound of military boots rang loudly outside.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Kalit and I stood side by side.
The Emperor and his chamberlain entered the waiting room through the lobby. Among the knights who escorted the Emperor to this place was Chevio.
As Chevio nodded to the solemn face of the Knight Commander, the knights retreated in unison.
Only then did the Emperor look at Kalit and wiggle his eyebrows.
"Why is the First Prince here?"
"I stopped by for a moment because I have a matter that requires Lady's advice."
Naturally, the Emperor did not believe Kalit's blatant lies.
The Emperor made a knowing expression and clicked his tongue.
"Just go ahead and do it. Wouldn't the soldiers feel safe if the commander-in-chief stays in his position?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Kalit answered politely, winked at me, and quietly left.
Then Count Illuis came in and handed me a piece of paper with the order of the ceremony written on it.
"When you leave the waiting room, there is a carpet laid out up to the podium. Your Majesty, please walk between them while escorting the Young Lady."
"I will do so."
"I have prepared a separate speech just in case. Please let me know if you need it."
This was in case I got so nervous that I forgot the speech I had prepared.
The Emperor smiled at Count Illuis's preparedness.
"I'm fine, but what about the 'First Walker'?"
"I would also like to decline."
The content I prepared wasn't so long that I forgot it.
"That's great. The inauguration ceremony starts in 20 minutes. I'll pick you up shortly."
Count Illuis greeted him politely and then turned around and left.
The atmosphere in the waiting room suddenly became awkward.
It was my first time alone with the Emperor since my private meeting a few months ago.
At that time, I was so overwhelmed by the feeling of pressure that I could hardly raise my head...
The Emperor asked me as I stood there reminiscing about the past.
"Lady Astrod."
"Please speak, Your Majesty."
"How about getting some fresh air before the inauguration ceremony?"
"... Yes?"
"Actually, the Third Prince requested an audience before leaving for Tragos. He wanted to meet alone, and as a father, I should grant that wish."
"Oh, I will do that..."
Before I could answer, a strange smell hit my nose. My stomach turned for a moment.
"Ugh!"
As I covered my mouth and retched, the Emperor opened his eyes wide.
"Young lady?"
"T, what is that smell... Ugh!"
"Smell?"
The Emperor took a deep breath and tilted his head.
"Your Majesty, where does the smell come from?"
"I am sorry, Young Lady, that my sense of smell is rather dull."
"I don't know. What on earth does it smell like?"
Are you really saying that this smell doesn't exist? Is it this bad?
But the Emperor did not take it seriously.
"It seems that our guardian is nervous because of the departure ceremony. The museum is well-decorated, so go and visit. Show her around, Chief Chamberlain."
"Young Lady, follow me."
I had no choice but to hand the end of my cane to the attendant and walk into the lobby.
Strangely enough, the closer you get to the entrance, the stronger the smell seems to get.
"Haa, haa, why is it like this... ugh!"
"Young lady?"
The chamberlain examined my complexion with the door half-open. A terrible stench poured in through the gap, stinging my eyes.
I stopped walking without even being able to open my eyes properly.
"Now, just a moment, Your Majesty."
"Are you feeling that bad?"
I couldn't answer.
Because I saw an unbelievable person right in front of the entrance.
She stands next to Oslo.
'Vivi?'
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