“My heart will never open to Your Majesty again.”
Especially if Demios does not understand this formula.
And the day will probably never come when this young beast will understand her logic.
Yes. She had that premonition.
“Excuse me.”
Sepia opened the door.
With her back turned to Demios, who was left alone on the terrace.
And someone was waiting for Sepia in front of the door.
“Your body has completely cooled down.”
The warm air that had accumulated inside the hall soothed her body which had become cold.
Roxanne gently caressed her frozen fingertips.
The warmth that spread from his hand soon spread to Sepia’s entire body, embracing her.
The tension that had been building up melted away in the warmth and soon became a veil.
“...I would like to rest for a bit. May I have some warm jasmine tea?”
This was the first time she had ever revealed her fatigue to someone and asked for a rest. She desperately wanted the tea she had drunk in his room.
Roxanne opened her eyes wide for a moment at her request.
“Come this way.”
Roxanne took Sepia to a lounge reserved for the party’s distinguished guests.
There was no one in the empty lounge.
Roxanne sat her down on the sofa and disappeared for a moment before returning with warm tea.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
The fragrant aroma coming from the teacup calmed her heart.
The tea that warmed her insides was gently loosening even her hardened insides.
The teacup in her hand was small and cute.
Suddenly, she remembered the tea she had drunk in Roxanne’s room.
The tea in the large, plain, plain white mug was comforting her just like it was now.
Roxanne was sitting on the sofa across from her.
The tea in front of him had not diminished at all.
Instead of drinking the tea, he rested his chin on his hand as if he were deep in thought, covering the corner of his mouth.
‘He might have been flustered because I suddenly asked him to give me tea.’
Sepia was absorbed in the unfamiliar reaction.
Should I tell him to go back now?
She was hesitating.
“Just now... It was dangerous.”
Dangerous?
Was he talking about heading to the terrace with Demios earlier?
Sepia slowly blinked at the inexplicable remark. Roxanne turned his head to avoid her gaze.
Only then did she realize.
He had covered his mouth with his hand to hide his blushing face.
“What you said a moment ago... It sounded like you were asking me to invite you to my bedroom.”
Especially if Demios does not understand this formula.
And the day will probably never come when this young beast will understand her logic.
Yes. She had that premonition.
“Excuse me.”
Sepia opened the door.
With her back turned to Demios, who was left alone on the terrace.
And someone was waiting for Sepia in front of the door.
“Your body has completely cooled down.”
The warm air that had accumulated inside the hall soothed her body which had become cold.
Roxanne gently caressed her frozen fingertips.
The warmth that spread from his hand soon spread to Sepia’s entire body, embracing her.
The tension that had been building up melted away in the warmth and soon became a veil.
“...I would like to rest for a bit. May I have some warm jasmine tea?”
This was the first time she had ever revealed her fatigue to someone and asked for a rest. She desperately wanted the tea she had drunk in his room.
Roxanne opened her eyes wide for a moment at her request.
“Come this way.”
Roxanne took Sepia to a lounge reserved for the party’s distinguished guests.
There was no one in the empty lounge.
Roxanne sat her down on the sofa and disappeared for a moment before returning with warm tea.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
The fragrant aroma coming from the teacup calmed her heart.
The tea that warmed her insides was gently loosening even her hardened insides.
The teacup in her hand was small and cute.
Suddenly, she remembered the tea she had drunk in Roxanne’s room.
The tea in the large, plain, plain white mug was comforting her just like it was now.
Roxanne was sitting on the sofa across from her.
The tea in front of him had not diminished at all.
Instead of drinking the tea, he rested his chin on his hand as if he were deep in thought, covering the corner of his mouth.
‘He might have been flustered because I suddenly asked him to give me tea.’
Sepia was absorbed in the unfamiliar reaction.
Should I tell him to go back now?
She was hesitating.
“Just now... It was dangerous.”
Dangerous?
Was he talking about heading to the terrace with Demios earlier?
Sepia slowly blinked at the inexplicable remark. Roxanne turned his head to avoid her gaze.
Only then did she realize.
He had covered his mouth with his hand to hide his blushing face.
“What you said a moment ago... It sounded like you were asking me to invite you to my bedroom.”
She almost led him to his bedroom.
Sepia was silent for a moment, understanding the words that were being said.
She couldn’t meet his gaze at all.
Sepia quietly got up from her seat and walked to the window.
“...It’s a little hot.”
She opened the window wide and let the outside airflow in.
It had been so cold on the balcony earlier, but now the cold wind felt pleasant.
The backyard was located beyond the lounge window.
Since it was a place with few people, there were no lights on, so it was dark outside.
As Sepia was looking down at the window, a hand reached out from behind and pulled one window open.
“Be careful.”
Perhaps because of the embarrassing situation just a moment ago, the voice whispering behind her sounded particularly secretive.
“What do you want me to be careful of?”
The only one with her now was Roxanne.
He left the other window open only after leaving a small gap.
“There have been some dangerous rumors going around lately. It would be bad to open the window too wide. And to go out late at night or early in the morning.”
“What’s going on?”
“They say that dead animals have been found one after another in the forests and gardens of the castle. They say that dangerous beasts are roaming around.”
“...Ah.”
She had heard similar news from her maid. They said that several dead animals had been found lying in the forest north of the castle.
The maid was worried about Sepia, who often went out because dead bodies had been found one after another outside the castle.
Although she had such concerns, the northern forest where the first dead beast was discovered was far from the Empress's Palace, and the ones that were seen outside the castle were abandoned in places with very few people.
'I had strange imaginations for nothing.'
She had no idea it was a beast story.
Sepia continued, thinking it was fortunate that she had not shown it.
“I thought it was strange that there would be no beasts within the palace that could kill that many beasts.”
It was the same in the capital city as well as the palace.
She wondered if there were beasts that had come down from the deep mountains to the houses, but most beasts did not leave their territory unless something special had happened.
“Someone might have released the beasts on purpose... Or the cause was not the beasts.”
The dead beasts all had their necks bitten or had large claw marks.
Judging by the identical marks, they were not a group but a single individual.
Beasts do not hunt unnecessarily.
Above all, they never abandoned an individual they had hunted with difficulty. It was not unreasonable for Roxanne to suspect that the culprit of the incident was not a beast but something else.
However, it was also ambiguous to simply conclude that it was the work of a beastman.
It was natural for a normal beastman to maintain reason even after returning to his original body.
If he could not maintain his mind after returning to his original body, it meant that there was a problem even when he was a beastman.
“I hope the culprit is caught soon.”
Sepia doesn’t know why he keeps killing and abandoning animals, but that problem would be solved if they caught the mastermind.
‘By the way, did you find the fox?’
She released the servants into the Empress’s palace garden, but she couldn’t find the fox.
Since she had no news to give, she didn’t need to contact Etennsel separately, so Sepia forgot about it at some point.
She was worried about the fox, but there was a more important matter left.
“Roxanne, I have something to tell you.”
“It seems like this is going to be a serious conversation.”
At her gaze, Roxanne closed the window.
Inside, where not even the sound of the wind could be heard, Sepia told him the truth she had heard from Madame Remodi.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you right away.”
With a sincere apology.
However, Roxanne seemed indifferent as if he already knew.
“I had a suspicion in the past. The Red King and Queen were also wary of Empress Yerdial. So my suspicion was true.”
With a bitter smile that his guess had turned into confirmation.
He was sure that he knew something.
The only one who would have a reason to do something like that was the former Empress.
“Then was it because of the former Empress’s orders that you left for the expedition?”
“...That’s the gist of it, but there was another problem.”
He mumbled as if he was holding something back.
Again.
Roxanne had evaded the question.
‘This is the second time.’
What was he not saying?
And why did he have to hide it?
Sepia lowered her eyes and asked.
“...Is your search for the relics also related to the former empress?”
“Maybe so.”
“The map you borrowed should be helpful.”
In fact, there was one thing that bothered her even while lending him the map.
The imperial maps were slightly different depending on the owner.
‘A perfect map would require combining all the imperial maps.’
The imperial maps even had the locations of the secret rooms in each palace marked, but each map had different parts that were omitted or added.
This was to prevent the complete development of the imperial city from being revealed even if the maps were leaked.
“The Red King said that we would definitely need a map to find the relics. I thought that map was the map of the royal family.”
Sepia muttered at his words that there must be a reason he emphasized the map so much.
“Maybe we need the map more.”
If the royal family had their own map, they were prohibited from borrowing another royal family’s map.
Furthermore, those maps would be kept by Demios.
“But does that map necessarily refer to the imperial castle map?”
Sepia was silent for a moment, understanding the words that were being said.
She couldn’t meet his gaze at all.
Sepia quietly got up from her seat and walked to the window.
“...It’s a little hot.”
She opened the window wide and let the outside airflow in.
It had been so cold on the balcony earlier, but now the cold wind felt pleasant.
The backyard was located beyond the lounge window.
Since it was a place with few people, there were no lights on, so it was dark outside.
As Sepia was looking down at the window, a hand reached out from behind and pulled one window open.
“Be careful.”
Perhaps because of the embarrassing situation just a moment ago, the voice whispering behind her sounded particularly secretive.
“What do you want me to be careful of?”
The only one with her now was Roxanne.
He left the other window open only after leaving a small gap.
“There have been some dangerous rumors going around lately. It would be bad to open the window too wide. And to go out late at night or early in the morning.”
“What’s going on?”
“They say that dead animals have been found one after another in the forests and gardens of the castle. They say that dangerous beasts are roaming around.”
“...Ah.”
She had heard similar news from her maid. They said that several dead animals had been found lying in the forest north of the castle.
The maid was worried about Sepia, who often went out because dead bodies had been found one after another outside the castle.
Although she had such concerns, the northern forest where the first dead beast was discovered was far from the Empress's Palace, and the ones that were seen outside the castle were abandoned in places with very few people.
'I had strange imaginations for nothing.'
She had no idea it was a beast story.
Sepia continued, thinking it was fortunate that she had not shown it.
“I thought it was strange that there would be no beasts within the palace that could kill that many beasts.”
It was the same in the capital city as well as the palace.
She wondered if there were beasts that had come down from the deep mountains to the houses, but most beasts did not leave their territory unless something special had happened.
“Someone might have released the beasts on purpose... Or the cause was not the beasts.”
The dead beasts all had their necks bitten or had large claw marks.
Judging by the identical marks, they were not a group but a single individual.
Beasts do not hunt unnecessarily.
Above all, they never abandoned an individual they had hunted with difficulty. It was not unreasonable for Roxanne to suspect that the culprit of the incident was not a beast but something else.
However, it was also ambiguous to simply conclude that it was the work of a beastman.
It was natural for a normal beastman to maintain reason even after returning to his original body.
If he could not maintain his mind after returning to his original body, it meant that there was a problem even when he was a beastman.
“I hope the culprit is caught soon.”
Sepia doesn’t know why he keeps killing and abandoning animals, but that problem would be solved if they caught the mastermind.
‘By the way, did you find the fox?’
She released the servants into the Empress’s palace garden, but she couldn’t find the fox.
Since she had no news to give, she didn’t need to contact Etennsel separately, so Sepia forgot about it at some point.
She was worried about the fox, but there was a more important matter left.
“Roxanne, I have something to tell you.”
“It seems like this is going to be a serious conversation.”
At her gaze, Roxanne closed the window.
Inside, where not even the sound of the wind could be heard, Sepia told him the truth she had heard from Madame Remodi.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you right away.”
With a sincere apology.
However, Roxanne seemed indifferent as if he already knew.
“I had a suspicion in the past. The Red King and Queen were also wary of Empress Yerdial. So my suspicion was true.”
With a bitter smile that his guess had turned into confirmation.
He was sure that he knew something.
The only one who would have a reason to do something like that was the former Empress.
“Then was it because of the former Empress’s orders that you left for the expedition?”
“...That’s the gist of it, but there was another problem.”
He mumbled as if he was holding something back.
Again.
Roxanne had evaded the question.
‘This is the second time.’
What was he not saying?
And why did he have to hide it?
Sepia lowered her eyes and asked.
“...Is your search for the relics also related to the former empress?”
“Maybe so.”
“The map you borrowed should be helpful.”
In fact, there was one thing that bothered her even while lending him the map.
The imperial maps were slightly different depending on the owner.
‘A perfect map would require combining all the imperial maps.’
The imperial maps even had the locations of the secret rooms in each palace marked, but each map had different parts that were omitted or added.
This was to prevent the complete development of the imperial city from being revealed even if the maps were leaked.
“The Red King said that we would definitely need a map to find the relics. I thought that map was the map of the royal family.”
Sepia muttered at his words that there must be a reason he emphasized the map so much.
“Maybe we need the map more.”
If the royal family had their own map, they were prohibited from borrowing another royal family’s map.
Furthermore, those maps would be kept by Demios.
“But does that map necessarily refer to the imperial castle map?”
The reason Roxanne had borrowed the map from her was because the Red King’s relics were hidden within the imperial castle.
The vast imperial castle.
Some hermits had called it an empire within an empire, looking at the hundreds of palaces.
Suddenly, this thought occurred to her.
The map the Red King was talking about might not necessarily refer to the imperial castle.
“Could it be that you were talking about the imperial map?”
Roxanne muttered as if he suddenly realized something at Sepia’s words.
“...That could be true.”
She thought that she had merely blurted out what suddenly occurred to her mind.
But seeing him seriously thinking about it, she hopes that she can help him find what he wants.
“I hope my words will help.”
“I feel like I’ve already found it.”
Sepia couldn’t help but laugh at his words, which sounded like he had won a million dollars.
When Sepia and Roxanne came out of the break room, the party was almost over.
The vast imperial castle.
Some hermits had called it an empire within an empire, looking at the hundreds of palaces.
Suddenly, this thought occurred to her.
The map the Red King was talking about might not necessarily refer to the imperial castle.
“Could it be that you were talking about the imperial map?”
Roxanne muttered as if he suddenly realized something at Sepia’s words.
“...That could be true.”
She thought that she had merely blurted out what suddenly occurred to her mind.
But seeing him seriously thinking about it, she hopes that she can help him find what he wants.
“I hope my words will help.”
“I feel like I’ve already found it.”
Sepia couldn’t help but laugh at his words, which sounded like he had won a million dollars.
When Sepia and Roxanne came out of the break room, the party was almost over.
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