Sepia, who saw Remody’s eyes, could tell the true nature of her hesitation.
It was a feeling of guilt that Sepia was very familiar with.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
Remody, who was lying on the floor, begged for forgiveness.
The lady was crying. As if she couldn’t bear to hide it any longer.
Remody, who had been shedding tears for a long time, raised her head. The story that flowed out of her mouth was Roxanne’s past which she had not been able to finish before.
“Actually... I almost believed that rumor at first. There was no reason not to believe it now that there was evidence.”
When the rumor that Roxanne, who was a boy, had summoned a demon and brought disease to the territory reached the capital, Remody was just a young woman who liked rumors.
“Until I heard that story from my mother.”
Remody closed her eyes tightly.
The secret she had kept to survive burst out.
“Didn’t I tell you that my mother was Princess Ludian’s maid? The Princess would visit the Empress’s palace to look after the Empress’s illness until she got married and left the empire. Thanks to that, my mother also visited the Empress’ palace. One day, when my mother came home, she was pale and frightened. She said that she had seen a picture in the basement of the Empress’s palace that was identical to the pattern found in the heir’s room.”
“That means...”
It was a feeling of guilt that Sepia was very familiar with.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
Remody, who was lying on the floor, begged for forgiveness.
The lady was crying. As if she couldn’t bear to hide it any longer.
Remody, who had been shedding tears for a long time, raised her head. The story that flowed out of her mouth was Roxanne’s past which she had not been able to finish before.
“Actually... I almost believed that rumor at first. There was no reason not to believe it now that there was evidence.”
When the rumor that Roxanne, who was a boy, had summoned a demon and brought disease to the territory reached the capital, Remody was just a young woman who liked rumors.
“Until I heard that story from my mother.”
Remody closed her eyes tightly.
The secret she had kept to survive burst out.
“Didn’t I tell you that my mother was Princess Ludian’s maid? The Princess would visit the Empress’s palace to look after the Empress’s illness until she got married and left the empire. Thanks to that, my mother also visited the Empress’ palace. One day, when my mother came home, she was pale and frightened. She said that she had seen a picture in the basement of the Empress’s palace that was identical to the pattern found in the heir’s room.”
“That means...”
No way.
Remody clenched her teeth at Sepia’s shocked eyes.
“...It was the Empress who created the rumor. Before such rumors spread, the Empress had procured charity goods and manpower to help the famine-stricken territory of Leopold. One of the Empress’s maids was in charge of this.”
Remody clenched her teeth at Sepia’s shocked eyes.
“...It was the Empress who created the rumor. Before such rumors spread, the Empress had procured charity goods and manpower to help the famine-stricken territory of Leopold. One of the Empress’s maids was in charge of this.”
It was the Empress’s scheme to drive the enemy King’s successor to the bottom.
The maid who had headed to Leopold at that time passed away from illness that year.
However, now, she doubted whether the maid’s death was really due to illness.
‘It had to go that far.’
Even if the Empress had not done such a thing, Demios could have easily become the Emperor.
As evidence, Demios ascended to the throne shortly after leaving Huron due to the death of the Empress.
However, resenting the Empress could not change the past.
Yerdiel had already crossed the river of oblivion.
“The next day, I ran into Lady Swany coming out of there.”
Swany’s fingertips were stained with something red. She still couldn’t forget the cold sensation she felt at that time.
Remody confessed her feelings from the past.
The reason Remody’s mother, Lady Delsey, went down to the basement that day was because of the Princess’s order.
She had heard that the music box that the Princess had left behind in the Empress’s palace was in the underground supply room. There was a maid’s rest area, various supply rooms, a laundry room, and even a storage room.
The basement of the Empress’s palace was divided into various spaces.
Lady Delsey, who had lost her way there, leaned against the wall of the supply room and discovered a secret space.
“I persuaded my mother to go back to the basement. It was empty. But there was a trace. There was a red handprint in front of the door where the door opened. It was like it was on Madam Swany’s hand.”
Remody firmly believed that it was Swany who had erased the evidence in the Empress’s Palace.
“My mother and I had no choice but to keep quiet about it to survive. Please forgive me for finally speaking out.”
Remody bowed his head.
Sepia looked at her, who was pressed to the floor, with mixed feelings. She must have had no choice but to keep quiet.
The Empress was someone who would do anything to completely drive out the enemy family.
If Remody’s mother had moved to testify, she and her young daughter would have been executed for insulting the imperial family without even recovering the evidence.
‘Besides, I can’t reveal it now.’
It was Madam Delsey, not Remody, who had witnessed the scene, and she had long since passed away.
“Wake up, Madam Remody.”
It must have been a past that was difficult to even bring up.
The lady's fingertips were trembling.
Sepia pushed Remody to sit on the sofa.
The lady smiled bitterly.
"...Actually, I think I wanted to tell you everything. Maybe to relieve my guilt."
"I understand."
Sepia rubbed her back.
The past that had been buried for a long time came back to Remody when she encountered the Duke.
The weight of her emotions sometimes became an unwanted burden.
And that burden did not discriminate between targets.
'Then, the reason Lady Swany came to see me...'
Swany had two purposes for visiting the Empress's palace.
Gratitude for helping to protect the residence.
And a large donation.
The former was understandable, but the donation left her with questions.
At first, Sepia thought it was a way to repay the help.
However, Swany’s words about the Duke kept bothering her.
Clearing past karma or avoiding future misfortune.
Which of the two was closer to Lady Swany’s goal?
When the Empress was alive, the Viscountess had always been blind to her.
‘If she wanted to clear past karma... whose karma was she trying to clear?’
Was it her own?
Or was it the Empress who she had been loyal to her her entire life?
Only the Viscountess knew the truth.
Thanks to Remody’s confession, the puzzle pieces fell into place.
However, it felt like there were more empty spaces than pieces.
‘What else do I not know?’
Based on the information she had heard so far, it was likely that Swany also detested or avoided Roxanne.
The Viscountess was so blind to her that she guarded the palace even after the death of the Empress.
However, Swany did not seem to have any regrets toward the Duke.
Rather, she even quoted Roxanne.
The information she had felt like a puzzle with no matching pieces.
While Sepia tried to piece it together, Madame Remody regained her composure.
Remody, who had caught her breath, continued to reveal her innermost feelings.
“The reason the Duke went to the punitive expedition right after receiving the title was because of the Empress’s order. However, the Duke must have had the right to refuse... Since he went to the battlefield right away, I wonder if the deaths of the enemy King and Queen were the reason for him to go to the battlefield.”
Roxanne left for the land of the savages as if he had been waiting for the Empress’s punitive expedition order.
However, the deaths of the Red King and Queen were not the only reasons that moved him.
‘There must have been something between the Empress and Roxanne.’
Otherwise, there was no way to explain his actions.
Sepia looked down at Swany’s donation certificate with complicated eyes.
Along with the many questions the Viscountess had left behind.
Repetto Palace.
The government’s palace, which had been allocated a budget in advance, became more and more splendid by the day.
As if to prove this, dress designers, jewelers, and furniture dealers were constantly coming and going from the palace.
Among them was a merchant named Blair.
Even the maids of Repetto Palace did not know what he and Titi were doing.
All they knew was that he visited the palace once a month.
The maid who had guided Titi to the reception room quickly retreated.
Titi, who confirmed that the door was closed, hurriedly approached Blair.
“Are you here?”
She smiled brightly and stood in front of the merchant.
Blair was drinking tea with his legs crossed.
The roles were reversed, but both of them took it for granted.
“Yes, hello. You look pretty today.”
Blair put down his glass.
When he raised his head, his long hair spilled out of his robe like night. His dark gaze turned to Titi.
The pitch-black eyes as if they would not allow anything other than a single color, looked eerily clear.
It gave her goosebumps.
He was a black snake, and it was the instinct of herbivores to feel goosebumps at the sight of reptiles.
If you listened closely, you could hear a hissing sound.
As if waiting for the sound to be detected, a black mamba was sticking out its black tongue from Blair’s sleeve.
It was a black venomous snake with deadly venom.
Titi, who tried hard not to see the snake, smiled brightly.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“What, that’s all. Now, sit down quickly.”
Blair smiled and pointed to the seat.
Titi quickly sat down, and he rested his chin on his hand.
The first question that followed was always the same.
“How is the Emperor?”
“He’s crazy about me. He seems to have become more sensitive lately, though.”
It was all because of the Empress.
The Emperor had tried to stop the Empress from doing business, but the Empress had used other means to circumvent the Emperor’s authority and achieve what she wanted.
Thanks to this, the Emperor's temper was more sensitive than ever, but Titi thought it was a good thing.
'Which male in the world would like a female who is better than him?'
The status that was rising day by day would actually be poisonous to the Empress.
After all, the Emperor was the master of the empire.
Although the Emperor was currently feeling uneasy, he would not watch a female superior to him forever.
Although the Empress spread the story about the budget of the Repetto Palace to the outside world, Titi did not pay much attention to it.
The maid who had headed to Leopold at that time passed away from illness that year.
However, now, she doubted whether the maid’s death was really due to illness.
‘It had to go that far.’
Even if the Empress had not done such a thing, Demios could have easily become the Emperor.
As evidence, Demios ascended to the throne shortly after leaving Huron due to the death of the Empress.
However, resenting the Empress could not change the past.
Yerdiel had already crossed the river of oblivion.
“The next day, I ran into Lady Swany coming out of there.”
Swany’s fingertips were stained with something red. She still couldn’t forget the cold sensation she felt at that time.
Remody confessed her feelings from the past.
The reason Remody’s mother, Lady Delsey, went down to the basement that day was because of the Princess’s order.
She had heard that the music box that the Princess had left behind in the Empress’s palace was in the underground supply room. There was a maid’s rest area, various supply rooms, a laundry room, and even a storage room.
The basement of the Empress’s palace was divided into various spaces.
Lady Delsey, who had lost her way there, leaned against the wall of the supply room and discovered a secret space.
“I persuaded my mother to go back to the basement. It was empty. But there was a trace. There was a red handprint in front of the door where the door opened. It was like it was on Madam Swany’s hand.”
Remody firmly believed that it was Swany who had erased the evidence in the Empress’s Palace.
“My mother and I had no choice but to keep quiet about it to survive. Please forgive me for finally speaking out.”
Remody bowed his head.
Sepia looked at her, who was pressed to the floor, with mixed feelings. She must have had no choice but to keep quiet.
The Empress was someone who would do anything to completely drive out the enemy family.
If Remody’s mother had moved to testify, she and her young daughter would have been executed for insulting the imperial family without even recovering the evidence.
‘Besides, I can’t reveal it now.’
It was Madam Delsey, not Remody, who had witnessed the scene, and she had long since passed away.
“Wake up, Madam Remody.”
It must have been a past that was difficult to even bring up.
The lady's fingertips were trembling.
Sepia pushed Remody to sit on the sofa.
The lady smiled bitterly.
"...Actually, I think I wanted to tell you everything. Maybe to relieve my guilt."
"I understand."
Sepia rubbed her back.
The past that had been buried for a long time came back to Remody when she encountered the Duke.
The weight of her emotions sometimes became an unwanted burden.
And that burden did not discriminate between targets.
'Then, the reason Lady Swany came to see me...'
Swany had two purposes for visiting the Empress's palace.
Gratitude for helping to protect the residence.
And a large donation.
The former was understandable, but the donation left her with questions.
At first, Sepia thought it was a way to repay the help.
However, Swany’s words about the Duke kept bothering her.
Clearing past karma or avoiding future misfortune.
Which of the two was closer to Lady Swany’s goal?
When the Empress was alive, the Viscountess had always been blind to her.
‘If she wanted to clear past karma... whose karma was she trying to clear?’
Was it her own?
Or was it the Empress who she had been loyal to her her entire life?
Only the Viscountess knew the truth.
Thanks to Remody’s confession, the puzzle pieces fell into place.
However, it felt like there were more empty spaces than pieces.
‘What else do I not know?’
Based on the information she had heard so far, it was likely that Swany also detested or avoided Roxanne.
The Viscountess was so blind to her that she guarded the palace even after the death of the Empress.
However, Swany did not seem to have any regrets toward the Duke.
Rather, she even quoted Roxanne.
The information she had felt like a puzzle with no matching pieces.
While Sepia tried to piece it together, Madame Remody regained her composure.
Remody, who had caught her breath, continued to reveal her innermost feelings.
“The reason the Duke went to the punitive expedition right after receiving the title was because of the Empress’s order. However, the Duke must have had the right to refuse... Since he went to the battlefield right away, I wonder if the deaths of the enemy King and Queen were the reason for him to go to the battlefield.”
Roxanne left for the land of the savages as if he had been waiting for the Empress’s punitive expedition order.
However, the deaths of the Red King and Queen were not the only reasons that moved him.
‘There must have been something between the Empress and Roxanne.’
Otherwise, there was no way to explain his actions.
Sepia looked down at Swany’s donation certificate with complicated eyes.
Along with the many questions the Viscountess had left behind.
***
Repetto Palace.
The government’s palace, which had been allocated a budget in advance, became more and more splendid by the day.
As if to prove this, dress designers, jewelers, and furniture dealers were constantly coming and going from the palace.
Among them was a merchant named Blair.
Even the maids of Repetto Palace did not know what he and Titi were doing.
All they knew was that he visited the palace once a month.
The maid who had guided Titi to the reception room quickly retreated.
Titi, who confirmed that the door was closed, hurriedly approached Blair.
“Are you here?”
She smiled brightly and stood in front of the merchant.
Blair was drinking tea with his legs crossed.
The roles were reversed, but both of them took it for granted.
“Yes, hello. You look pretty today.”
Blair put down his glass.
When he raised his head, his long hair spilled out of his robe like night. His dark gaze turned to Titi.
The pitch-black eyes as if they would not allow anything other than a single color, looked eerily clear.
It gave her goosebumps.
He was a black snake, and it was the instinct of herbivores to feel goosebumps at the sight of reptiles.
If you listened closely, you could hear a hissing sound.
As if waiting for the sound to be detected, a black mamba was sticking out its black tongue from Blair’s sleeve.
It was a black venomous snake with deadly venom.
Titi, who tried hard not to see the snake, smiled brightly.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“What, that’s all. Now, sit down quickly.”
Blair smiled and pointed to the seat.
Titi quickly sat down, and he rested his chin on his hand.
The first question that followed was always the same.
“How is the Emperor?”
“He’s crazy about me. He seems to have become more sensitive lately, though.”
It was all because of the Empress.
The Emperor had tried to stop the Empress from doing business, but the Empress had used other means to circumvent the Emperor’s authority and achieve what she wanted.
Thanks to this, the Emperor's temper was more sensitive than ever, but Titi thought it was a good thing.
'Which male in the world would like a female who is better than him?'
The status that was rising day by day would actually be poisonous to the Empress.
After all, the Emperor was the master of the empire.
Although the Emperor was currently feeling uneasy, he would not watch a female superior to him forever.
Although the Empress spread the story about the budget of the Repetto Palace to the outside world, Titi did not pay much attention to it.
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