"You'd better not do that, Empress. If you don't want trouble here."
The tips of his long silver hair swayed in the hall where not a single breeze blew.
Right now, the signs of the beast were so slight that no one noticed, but if things went any further, the sensitive herbivores would definitely notice the threatening change.
Roxanne blocked Sepia's path.
He warned her, hiding her behind his back.
"Stop."
"Stop? Are you giving orders to the Emperor?"
Two cries boiling up from below confronted each other.
Those who were already sensitive to the presence of others were whispering to each other while looking at Roxanne and Demios.
'We have to stop them.'
The Duke and the Emperor's bodies were not just any beasts, but divine beasts.
If the two divine beasts fought as their own bodies, there would be no room left in the hall.
Sepia stepped between the two water men. She looked at Demios and said,
"It seems like you have something to tell me, so let me hear it."
“...Yes.”
Demios shook his head several times in front of her as if trying to calm down his excitement.
In the meantime, Sepia informed Roxanne of her brief absence.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“... I’ll wait. I think it would be better to talk on the terrace.”
Sepia nodded at Roxanne’s words.
Titi rolled her eyes in embarrassment and clung to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty? Then I....”
“Wait here.”
Demios pulled out his caught sleeve and followed Sepia.
Titi looked at Demios with a bewildered look, but he didn’t look at her a second time.
The nobles who saw Titi left alone began to whisper.
Roxanne then confirmed the check with Elon and said to Titi.
“His Majesty is the only one who donated. It would be best for you to leave now, Young Lady.”
Roxanne blocked Sepia's path.
He warned her, hiding her behind his back.
"Stop."
"Stop? Are you giving orders to the Emperor?"
Two cries boiling up from below confronted each other.
Those who were already sensitive to the presence of others were whispering to each other while looking at Roxanne and Demios.
'We have to stop them.'
The Duke and the Emperor's bodies were not just any beasts, but divine beasts.
If the two divine beasts fought as their own bodies, there would be no room left in the hall.
Sepia stepped between the two water men. She looked at Demios and said,
"It seems like you have something to tell me, so let me hear it."
“...Yes.”
Demios shook his head several times in front of her as if trying to calm down his excitement.
In the meantime, Sepia informed Roxanne of her brief absence.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“... I’ll wait. I think it would be better to talk on the terrace.”
Sepia nodded at Roxanne’s words.
Titi rolled her eyes in embarrassment and clung to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty? Then I....”
“Wait here.”
Demios pulled out his caught sleeve and followed Sepia.
Titi looked at Demios with a bewildered look, but he didn’t look at her a second time.
The nobles who saw Titi left alone began to whisper.
Roxanne then confirmed the check with Elon and said to Titi.
“His Majesty is the only one who donated. It would be best for you to leave now, Young Lady.”
“...What did you say?!”
Perhaps because she had been suddenly abandoned, Titi couldn’t hide her emotions.
She tried to shout, but no one in the party took her side.
Many of the nobles knew that the budget Titi received came from charity.
It was a year when good deeds were perceived as preventing misfortune.
The government’s attitude of taking others’ donations and satisfying its own selfish desires was an act of creating misfortune, and no nobles worried that if they sided with the government, misfortune would spread, and did anything to come forward.
“Count Elon. You will escort Lady Titi to the door.”
“Understood. Now, let’s go.”
It was like being escorted, but in reality, it was no different from being kicked out.
Titi’s face turned bright red and she glared at Roxanne and Elon.
“I will definitely remember this.”
She turned around, saying that she didn’t need any escorts.
No one stopped Titi as she left the hall.
While the Emperor’s government was being kicked out, Sepia and Demios arrived at the terrace in front of the hall.
As she opened the glass door, a cold wind poured in.
Even though it was spring, the outside at night was like winter.
The cold air bit into her skin, but Sepia did not show the dreary cold.
'It'll be okay here.'
If she just pulled back the curtains, the terrace was clearly visible, and even a small commotion could easily be heard from inside the hall. She could understand why Roxanne had recommended this place for their conversation.
However, even though she knew it was a safe place, her heart was beating unsteadily.
The memory of being strangled was rejecting the situation where she was alone with him.
Sepia watched him close the door, took off her brooch and, hid it in her hand.
'If it happens, I can just break the glass.'
Then the nobles would hear the commotion and come rushing in.
Then Demios would also leave her.
Sepia knew that he valued the dignity of the Emperor, pretending not to.
Without knowing what Sepia was looking at, Demios stood facing her and sighed openly.
“Oh, it’s so hard to even exchange a word with the Empress. Isn’t this strange between a married couple?”
The tone was gentle as if he had never threatened Sepia before.
However, Sepia was neither fooled nor felt guilty.
“What do you have to say?”
To Sepia, Demios had become someone who could change at any moment.
She also noticed that Demios’s change was accelerating as she experienced the threat a little while ago.
Demios narrowed his eyes.
He muttered softly as if he didn’t like Sepia’s reaction.
“... You seem quite anxious. Like prey that is only thinking about running away.”
Perhaps because she had been suddenly abandoned, Titi couldn’t hide her emotions.
She tried to shout, but no one in the party took her side.
Many of the nobles knew that the budget Titi received came from charity.
It was a year when good deeds were perceived as preventing misfortune.
The government’s attitude of taking others’ donations and satisfying its own selfish desires was an act of creating misfortune, and no nobles worried that if they sided with the government, misfortune would spread, and did anything to come forward.
“Count Elon. You will escort Lady Titi to the door.”
“Understood. Now, let’s go.”
It was like being escorted, but in reality, it was no different from being kicked out.
Titi’s face turned bright red and she glared at Roxanne and Elon.
“I will definitely remember this.”
She turned around, saying that she didn’t need any escorts.
No one stopped Titi as she left the hall.
While the Emperor’s government was being kicked out, Sepia and Demios arrived at the terrace in front of the hall.
As she opened the glass door, a cold wind poured in.
Even though it was spring, the outside at night was like winter.
The cold air bit into her skin, but Sepia did not show the dreary cold.
'It'll be okay here.'
If she just pulled back the curtains, the terrace was clearly visible, and even a small commotion could easily be heard from inside the hall. She could understand why Roxanne had recommended this place for their conversation.
However, even though she knew it was a safe place, her heart was beating unsteadily.
The memory of being strangled was rejecting the situation where she was alone with him.
Sepia watched him close the door, took off her brooch and, hid it in her hand.
'If it happens, I can just break the glass.'
Then the nobles would hear the commotion and come rushing in.
Then Demios would also leave her.
Sepia knew that he valued the dignity of the Emperor, pretending not to.
Without knowing what Sepia was looking at, Demios stood facing her and sighed openly.
“Oh, it’s so hard to even exchange a word with the Empress. Isn’t this strange between a married couple?”
The tone was gentle as if he had never threatened Sepia before.
However, Sepia was neither fooled nor felt guilty.
“What do you have to say?”
To Sepia, Demios had become someone who could change at any moment.
She also noticed that Demios’s change was accelerating as she experienced the threat a little while ago.
Demios narrowed his eyes.
He muttered softly as if he didn’t like Sepia’s reaction.
“... You seem quite anxious. Like prey that is only thinking about running away.”
“Is it Your Majesty who treats me like prey?”
Even his attitude of buying time with donations.
Sepia knew well that depending on how one perceives the other person, one’s actions would be appropriate.
From the beginning, he was the one who viewed her as inferior rather than equal.
Demios continued speaking as if he was happy with her sharp reaction.
“To be honest. I feel sorry for the Empress.”
“What...?”
Sepia asked back at the difficult words.
“I mean, I feel sorry. So much that it makes my eyes spin.”
The bloodshot eyes looking at Sepia gleamed dangerously.
She froze and clenched her fist.
Feeling the sensation of the brooch in her hand.
Demios roughly ran his hand through his hair after washing his face. He confessed with his eyes burning as if he was going to bite Sepia.
“I have waited for the Empress to come to me for a long time. I also understood that the Empress created an absurd organization and built up her position and status. But Empress... has you ever truly opened her heart to me?”
Even his attitude of buying time with donations.
Sepia knew well that depending on how one perceives the other person, one’s actions would be appropriate.
From the beginning, he was the one who viewed her as inferior rather than equal.
Demios continued speaking as if he was happy with her sharp reaction.
“To be honest. I feel sorry for the Empress.”
“What...?”
Sepia asked back at the difficult words.
“I mean, I feel sorry. So much that it makes my eyes spin.”
The bloodshot eyes looking at Sepia gleamed dangerously.
She froze and clenched her fist.
Feeling the sensation of the brooch in her hand.
Demios roughly ran his hand through his hair after washing his face. He confessed with his eyes burning as if he was going to bite Sepia.
“I have waited for the Empress to come to me for a long time. I also understood that the Empress created an absurd organization and built up her position and status. But Empress... has you ever truly opened her heart to me?”
It was a voice mixed with resentment, hatred, and love and hate. His eyes, filled with jealousy, were appealing to his feelings of being unacknowledged. They were like the eyes of a child. As she faced his two-faced attitude, Sepia realized what the true nature of his feelings was.
Yes. This was no different from a childish tantrum.
‘... You didn’t ask if I was nervous when I first met Titi.’
Demios used his government to corner Sepia to gain her jealousy and attention. And when things didn’t go his way, he resorted to cruelty and even threatened her using a deal. Now she could see why he had done such a thing.
In fact, it was to attract attention. He had been putting the imperial people aside and strangling Sepia with his childish heart. When she found out the reason, she felt empty and angry. And she was no longer afraid of Demios.
“There was. In the distant past.”
Her voice was so calm that it made the fear she had felt a little while ago seem meaningless. Sepia’s lover, who she had once wanted to tell everything to and give everything to, had now become the person she wanted to distance herself from. However, Demios easily denied her words.
“No. I don’t need a past that I don’t remember. The important thing is the present, isn’t it? Right, Empress?”
He was appealing, choosing only words that the Demios of the past would never have said. Sepia couldn’t help but laugh in vain.
‘Has this man ever made a sincere effort to regain his lost memories?’
Just as he had asked if she had ever opened his heart even once, Sepia wanted to ask the same question. She slowly shook her head.
“No. The past I’ve built up is also important to me. That time has accumulated to become who I am today.”
Thanks to the time that has shattered and broken dozens of times and become strong again, Sepia was able to stand up even from the trauma that was strangling her. At this moment, Sepia could no longer hide her resentment toward him.
“You made the people of the empire die to win my heart. How could you, as an Emperor who rules the empire, do something like that...”
Demios was taken aback by the cold criticism that was incomparable to before. He tried to calm Sepia down by making excuses urgently.
“...No, no. Listen carefully, Empress. I opposed the charity organization all for you.”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
You stole last year’s fund so that the people of the empire would freeze to death, and now you’re doing it for me?
In front of Sepia who was completely angry, Demios continued to speak to make her understand.
“Most animals shed their fur. The imperial people who freeze to death throughout the winter are like plucking out dead fur. Yes, as the Empress said, it is important to keep the lower classes alive. However, if the mouths grow too much, it will affect the other classes. Excessive changes in the classes will destroy the ecosystem.”
Winners and losers. The relationship between eating and being eaten. The laws of nature. On the surface, it seemed like a fairly logical description.
“Yes. Your Majesty is right.”
Sepia nodded at his explanation.
Demios, delighted by this, extended his hand to Sepia.
“You finally understand me. If you understood, then leave charity organizations as private organizations...”
“If the people of the empire that Your Majesty governs are beasts, then.”
Sepia avoided his hand and approached the door.
She retorted with a cold face.
“I will not treat the people of the empire as beasts.”
Even if their bodies were close to animals, the beastmen were a race that had reason and wisdom.
The empire, the royal family, and the nobility existed to prevent the people of the empire from living as beasts.
To Sepia, the people of the empire were not beasts.
Rather, those who did not understand this formula were the beasts of ignorance.
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