As I recalled that scene, other memories followed me.
“Your Majesty, I think there’s something on your cuffs.”
A red stain on the Emperor's sleeve.
"Oh, no. Maybe the stew I had for lunch spilled. I was too busy to check it out. This is really embarrassing."
Why didn't I suspect that the mark was blood then?
There is no way that the Emperor or his servants would not have noticed that food had spilled during the meal.
My hands, which were holding the hem of my skirt, began to tremble like an aspen tree.
The thought of the Emperor, who would have been in this room even before he spoke to me, made me feel like I was going to burst.
'Calm down. Calm down.'
Even though he is the Emperor, he cannot kill me so easily.
Because Elizabeth was soon to become the Crown Princess.
I tried to shake off my anxiety by reminding myself of the reasons why the Emperor could not harm me.
Whether he knew of my desperate feelings or not, the Emperor laid the handkerchief down on the floor with a leisurely expression.
A red liquid is seeping into the handkerchief which is as white as snow.
I, who had been quietly looking at the handkerchief that was gradually losing its color, raised my head at the sound of the Emperor's presence.
He walked leisurely through the interior, which could be called a torture chamber.
“Your reaction is somewhat natural. You care for your ‘dog’ quite a bit.”
Meanwhile, Graham was fiddling with a skewer that had a sharp, pointed tip.
On the skewer, which was covered in dried scabs, hung what looked like small pieces of meat that I didn't want to know about.
And then it occurred to me that it was coming from some of the piles on one side.
The fear that had been suppressed burst out all of a sudden.
My tongue was frozen hard as if I was paralyzed, and my feet were stuck to the floor and wouldn't even think about moving.
I would have rather fainted.
As the fear grew stronger, my consciousness became clearer.
I have to go out.
I have to get out of here right now.
'But my body won't move...'
Someone whispered in my ear telling me to run away.
My body showed no intention of moving at all.
“Ellie.”
Graham approached me with a friendly smile.
Contrary to his initial reaction that he had been caught in trouble, the Emperor's attitude was no different from when they had just talked.
“I have a piece of advice for you. When you raise a dog, don’t be too affectionate and pet it. If you do that, the moment you show your weakness, the dog will bite you.”
He continued in a warm voice, similar to Ernest's.
“Since ancient times, when raising a dog, you have to train it to obey its owner unconditionally. To do that, you need appropriate punishment.”
The purpose of the horrible contraption in this room was probably for what the Emperor called 'corporal punishment'.
It might be a stretch to say that it was appropriate corporal punishment, but he didn't seem to mind.
“Well, there are often guys who die during corporal punishment...”
Graham clicked his tongue as he looked at the pile in the corner.
There was not a hint of regret or guilt in his eyes.
“It’s the fault of those weaklings. Tsk.”
And the annoyance of having caused trouble to himself.
It was just a hassle to have to get another dog.
Ding-ding-.
The Emperor threw the skewer he was holding onto the floor.
Then he looked at me as if something had occurred to him.
“Come to think of it, Ellie. I heard your dog is really great.”
Shudder.
For a moment, I shivered as if I had been struck by lightning.
The dog that Elizabeth raises.
Because I knew who it referred to.
“I heard from Jeremy. He was absolutely dominant at L’Arpege’s house. He was rumored to have subdued a hungry Kelmanza tiger in one fell swoop. A dog like that would surely be tougher than the others, wouldn’t it?”
“...”
Graham rubbed his chin as if licking his lips.
“Was that the guy I saw at the Lily Palace the other day?”
At that moment, the Emperor's eyes, which had been scanning Carsis with interest, flashed through my mind.
Surely, Carsis...
As expected, the Emperor's eyes were sparkling with curiosity as if my ominous premonition was not wrong.
'No.'
Carsis is absolutely not allowed.
But what if the Emperor asks for Xarsis?
Could he disobey the Emperor's orders?
No, even if he rebels, will the Emperor accept it obediently?
Carsis was not a nobleman and was nothing more than a slave, worse than a commoner.
If the Emperor had wanted to, bringing Carsis here would have been a piece of cake.
I barely opened my parched lips.
“Your, Your Majesty. Carsis...”
It was when I, who was becoming anxious, opened my lips to come up with some kind of excuse.
The Emperor burst into hearty laughter again.
The Emperor glanced at my pale face and grumbled.
Just kidding.
Would anyone really take that as a joke?
My hands became soaked with sweat at the Emperor's not-so-joke joke.
I didn't want to be with the disgusting smell of blood that stung my nose any longer, and I didn't want to be with the Emperor, who was even more disgusting than that.
“By the way, why are you still in the palace? Didn’t you just go back?”
“I... got lost...”
My answer came in staccato bursts, but the Emperor paid it no mind.
“Ah. It’s been a while since you’ve seen Sollerian, so I guess you're lost. Jeremy.”
Then, Jeremy, the chief chamberlain, who had been there for some time, approached the Emperor.
“Get Ellie out safely.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Jeremy, with an example, approached me.
“Come this way.”
In that way, I was able to escape that hellish place with stiff steps.
'Is it just going to pass like this?'
Even though you showed me that kind of behavior, you're just going to let me go?
While I felt relieved, I also felt a sense of doubt.
He just let me go after seeing the terrible hobbies of the Emperor I thought was kind.
I thought you'd at least give others a warning to watch their mouths.
The Emperor seemed to have no interest in his own reputation. Or perhaps he did not realize that his actions were wrong.
'By the way, what on earth was the point of stopping the Perot auction earlier?'
Didn't that mean that he could no longer watch the atrocities of the nobles?
My mind was a tangled mess of thread.
At the same time, my stomach, which I thought was getting better, started to feel nauseous again.
At that moment, I was barely able to stop myself from gagging by covering my mouth with my hand.
Jeremy, who was leading the way in front of me, recited.
“I heard from Leila. She said she was very close to Young Lady Cretian.”
Leila was the name of the daughter of Count L'Arpege.
“Perhaps, the reason Young lady asked His Majesty the Emperor to stop the business of the Marquis Verdi family was because of Leila.”
“...”
I listened to Jeremy in silence to get a grasp of the situation.
“We, L’Arpege were already having a lot of trouble because of the Verdi family. Thanks to Young Lady, for giving His Majesty a word, we are relieved.”
And then I realized what Jeremy was saying.
'The chamberlain was from the L'Arpege family.'
At the same time, I realized that the Emperor's words did not mean to stop the 'Perot Auction' itself, but only to prevent the Verdi family from doing so.
“Our family is not a family that does not know gratitude. In that sense, let me say one thing...”
Jeremy stopped walking and looked at me
“His Majesty has been showing a lot of interest in Young Lady’s dog lately. And if His Majesty wants something, he will do anything to get it.”
“...”
“Young lady is a smart person, so you must have understood what I meant.”
It seemed like he hadn't expected an answer from me in the first place, so he didn't say anything else.
The Emperor wanted Carsis.
As his next toy.
After that, I didn't even know what was on my mind when I left the palace.
I just sit in the rattling carriage and stare blankly out the window.
The evening after the sun has set.
As darkness fell over the orange-tinged sky, the carriage arrived at the mansion.
But whether I knew that fact or not, I just sat there blankly.
Until the coachman, unable to stand seeing this, coughed in vain.
“Miss. Is there anything wrong with you? Your complexion is very gloomy.”
The butler, who was waiting for me at the carriage door, asked worriedly.
Only then did I come to my senses and raise my head.
“...It’s nothing. Where are my father and mother?”
“The two of them went together to the Marquis of Kart today. They will probably arrive late at night.”
"Yes."
It was rather fortunate.
If the Duchess had been there, she would have asked what His Majesty and I discussed at the palace today.
I let out a breath, unable to tell the truth about what I had seen today, nor confident enough to lie either.
“What would you like to eat?”
“I don’t have an appetite today. I’ll call you later when I’m hungry.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The butler nodded, noticing my wish to be alone and quiet.
“Your Majesty, I think there’s something on your cuffs.”
A red stain on the Emperor's sleeve.
"Oh, no. Maybe the stew I had for lunch spilled. I was too busy to check it out. This is really embarrassing."
Why didn't I suspect that the mark was blood then?
There is no way that the Emperor or his servants would not have noticed that food had spilled during the meal.
My hands, which were holding the hem of my skirt, began to tremble like an aspen tree.
The thought of the Emperor, who would have been in this room even before he spoke to me, made me feel like I was going to burst.
'Calm down. Calm down.'
Even though he is the Emperor, he cannot kill me so easily.
Because Elizabeth was soon to become the Crown Princess.
I tried to shake off my anxiety by reminding myself of the reasons why the Emperor could not harm me.
Whether he knew of my desperate feelings or not, the Emperor laid the handkerchief down on the floor with a leisurely expression.
A red liquid is seeping into the handkerchief which is as white as snow.
I, who had been quietly looking at the handkerchief that was gradually losing its color, raised my head at the sound of the Emperor's presence.
He walked leisurely through the interior, which could be called a torture chamber.
“Your reaction is somewhat natural. You care for your ‘dog’ quite a bit.”
Meanwhile, Graham was fiddling with a skewer that had a sharp, pointed tip.
On the skewer, which was covered in dried scabs, hung what looked like small pieces of meat that I didn't want to know about.
And then it occurred to me that it was coming from some of the piles on one side.
The fear that had been suppressed burst out all of a sudden.
My tongue was frozen hard as if I was paralyzed, and my feet were stuck to the floor and wouldn't even think about moving.
I would have rather fainted.
As the fear grew stronger, my consciousness became clearer.
I have to go out.
I have to get out of here right now.
'But my body won't move...'
Someone whispered in my ear telling me to run away.
My body showed no intention of moving at all.
“Ellie.”
Graham approached me with a friendly smile.
Contrary to his initial reaction that he had been caught in trouble, the Emperor's attitude was no different from when they had just talked.
“I have a piece of advice for you. When you raise a dog, don’t be too affectionate and pet it. If you do that, the moment you show your weakness, the dog will bite you.”
He continued in a warm voice, similar to Ernest's.
“Since ancient times, when raising a dog, you have to train it to obey its owner unconditionally. To do that, you need appropriate punishment.”
The purpose of the horrible contraption in this room was probably for what the Emperor called 'corporal punishment'.
It might be a stretch to say that it was appropriate corporal punishment, but he didn't seem to mind.
“Well, there are often guys who die during corporal punishment...”
Graham clicked his tongue as he looked at the pile in the corner.
There was not a hint of regret or guilt in his eyes.
“It’s the fault of those weaklings. Tsk.”
And the annoyance of having caused trouble to himself.
It was just a hassle to have to get another dog.
Ding-ding-.
The Emperor threw the skewer he was holding onto the floor.
Then he looked at me as if something had occurred to him.
“Come to think of it, Ellie. I heard your dog is really great.”
Shudder.
For a moment, I shivered as if I had been struck by lightning.
The dog that Elizabeth raises.
Because I knew who it referred to.
“I heard from Jeremy. He was absolutely dominant at L’Arpege’s house. He was rumored to have subdued a hungry Kelmanza tiger in one fell swoop. A dog like that would surely be tougher than the others, wouldn’t it?”
“...”
Graham rubbed his chin as if licking his lips.
“Was that the guy I saw at the Lily Palace the other day?”
At that moment, the Emperor's eyes, which had been scanning Carsis with interest, flashed through my mind.
Surely, Carsis...
As expected, the Emperor's eyes were sparkling with curiosity as if my ominous premonition was not wrong.
'No.'
Carsis is absolutely not allowed.
But what if the Emperor asks for Xarsis?
Could he disobey the Emperor's orders?
No, even if he rebels, will the Emperor accept it obediently?
Carsis was not a nobleman and was nothing more than a slave, worse than a commoner.
If the Emperor had wanted to, bringing Carsis here would have been a piece of cake.
I barely opened my parched lips.
“Your, Your Majesty. Carsis...”
It was when I, who was becoming anxious, opened my lips to come up with some kind of excuse.
The Emperor burst into hearty laughter again.
“Ha ha! Just kidding, just kidding. I don't think I would covet what belongs to my daughter-in-law-to-be.”
Just kidding.
Would anyone really take that as a joke?
My hands became soaked with sweat at the Emperor's not-so-joke joke.
I didn't want to be with the disgusting smell of blood that stung my nose any longer, and I didn't want to be with the Emperor, who was even more disgusting than that.
“By the way, why are you still in the palace? Didn’t you just go back?”
“I... got lost...”
My answer came in staccato bursts, but the Emperor paid it no mind.
“Ah. It’s been a while since you’ve seen Sollerian, so I guess you're lost. Jeremy.”
Then, Jeremy, the chief chamberlain, who had been there for some time, approached the Emperor.
“Get Ellie out safely.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Jeremy, with an example, approached me.
“Come this way.”
In that way, I was able to escape that hellish place with stiff steps.
'Is it just going to pass like this?'
Even though you showed me that kind of behavior, you're just going to let me go?
While I felt relieved, I also felt a sense of doubt.
He just let me go after seeing the terrible hobbies of the Emperor I thought was kind.
I thought you'd at least give others a warning to watch their mouths.
The Emperor seemed to have no interest in his own reputation. Or perhaps he did not realize that his actions were wrong.
'By the way, what on earth was the point of stopping the Perot auction earlier?'
Didn't that mean that he could no longer watch the atrocities of the nobles?
My mind was a tangled mess of thread.
At the same time, my stomach, which I thought was getting better, started to feel nauseous again.
At that moment, I was barely able to stop myself from gagging by covering my mouth with my hand.
Jeremy, who was leading the way in front of me, recited.
“I heard from Leila. She said she was very close to Young Lady Cretian.”
Leila was the name of the daughter of Count L'Arpege.
“Perhaps, the reason Young lady asked His Majesty the Emperor to stop the business of the Marquis Verdi family was because of Leila.”
“...”
I listened to Jeremy in silence to get a grasp of the situation.
“We, L’Arpege were already having a lot of trouble because of the Verdi family. Thanks to Young Lady, for giving His Majesty a word, we are relieved.”
And then I realized what Jeremy was saying.
'The chamberlain was from the L'Arpege family.'
At the same time, I realized that the Emperor's words did not mean to stop the 'Perot Auction' itself, but only to prevent the Verdi family from doing so.
“Our family is not a family that does not know gratitude. In that sense, let me say one thing...”
Jeremy stopped walking and looked at me
“His Majesty has been showing a lot of interest in Young Lady’s dog lately. And if His Majesty wants something, he will do anything to get it.”
“...”
“Young lady is a smart person, so you must have understood what I meant.”
It seemed like he hadn't expected an answer from me in the first place, so he didn't say anything else.
The Emperor wanted Carsis.
As his next toy.
***
After that, I didn't even know what was on my mind when I left the palace.
I just sit in the rattling carriage and stare blankly out the window.
The evening after the sun has set.
As darkness fell over the orange-tinged sky, the carriage arrived at the mansion.
But whether I knew that fact or not, I just sat there blankly.
Until the coachman, unable to stand seeing this, coughed in vain.
“Miss. Is there anything wrong with you? Your complexion is very gloomy.”
The butler, who was waiting for me at the carriage door, asked worriedly.
Only then did I come to my senses and raise my head.
“...It’s nothing. Where are my father and mother?”
“The two of them went together to the Marquis of Kart today. They will probably arrive late at night.”
"Yes."
It was rather fortunate.
If the Duchess had been there, she would have asked what His Majesty and I discussed at the palace today.
I let out a breath, unable to tell the truth about what I had seen today, nor confident enough to lie either.
“What would you like to eat?”
“I don’t have an appetite today. I’ll call you later when I’m hungry.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The butler nodded, noticing my wish to be alone and quiet.
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