Thelma jumped up in delight at Aiman’s words.
“This is a great opportunity! Isn’t it? It’ll be noisy at a birthday party. People will drink a lot.”
Merton didn’t say anything, but Aiman nodded vigorously in agreement with Thelma.
“Sir Thelma is right. I think that’s the right time to sneak him out and find out something. What do you think, Merton?”
He added before Merton could answer.
“I’ve almost collected all the records of the guy in the palace where his nephew disappeared. He hid them very well. Doesn’t it stink?”
Thelma said.
“Officially retired, unofficially hid the records of a guy who must have been eaten by crows somewhere... This isn’t normal. The records of the letter of resignation are important, but they are not royal secrets, aren’t they, Sir Merton?”
That’s right, thought Merton. They all came to the same conclusion about the courtier who had done it anyway.
He would have been disposed of without a trace, and his body would have been more than half rotted away.
Perhaps some unlucky farmer might come across his half-rotted hand bone, protruding from a dry furrow...
‘But that won’t do anything. There’s no way to know for sure that it was him. So then, all that’s left is Ayman’s method.'
Ayman urged Merton, looking impatient.
“What can I do? Even if you won’t do it, I’ll do it. Damn it, I can’t stand dragging it out any longer!”
“Me too, Sir Merton. I completely agree with you. Nothing good is coming out of Atelgadis’ house either. How long can we just waste time like this?”
Merton’s mind became even more complicated as Thelma also got involved.
Of course, it was not hard to sneak the problematic palace away from the noisy birthday party and the drunkards who would fill the large house.
Once he got it, it would be easier to get him to confess something.
If he wanted to, he could make him tell in detail how many glass beads he had stolen from his neighborhood friends when he was a pee-wet.
But the one who was on his mind was Empress Roelica.
Although he thought she was not the kind of person to do that, he was even more concerned after hearing Thelma’s words.
If the Empress had decided to join hands with Tenek...
“Look over there, Sir Merton.”
Thelma poked Merton in the side of his thoughts.
Merton turned his head and saw Savina quickly approaching him down the hallway, and he straightened his back, becoming even more nervous.
Savina’s expression did not change even when she saw Aiman with them. She said, giving only a quick nod to Thelma and Aiman.
“Master Merton, the Empress is looking for you.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
Thelma poked Merton’s ribs again. It was meant to ask if he was okay, but Merton didn’t have the time to guess Thelma’s intentions.
“I understand that the Empress is unwell.”
“So please hurry.”
Savina didn’t seem discouraged at all by the three men surrounding her.
Even though the situation was not conducive to that, she felt the pressure of someone who was prepared to die.
Merton hesitated for a moment and nodded.
“Understood. Take the lead.”
Savina quietly lowered her gaze and immediately turned around.
When Merton tried to follow her, Thelma grabbed Merton’s sleeve.
Since Savina was close by, he mouthed the words.
“Be careful. If you see anything, you must immediately turn over.”
It was the moment when the lip-reading technique that Erdene had taught the knight commanders shone, but... In fact, Thelma’s advice was of little use.
Telling me to turn it over, what could I turn over? However, Merton just nodded with a bitter smile.
Thelma, who was watching the backs of Merton and Savina moving away, kicked the carpet in discontent.
“Damn, I’m dying of annoyance. How long do I have to live like this? Just...!”
Aiman said.
“Merton is busy, so wouldn’t it be better for you and me to handle the palace issue? What do you think?”
“I think that would be better. Have you finished talking to Aiman’s nephew?”
“It’s all over. That child is also loyal to Her Highness the Princess. There’s absolutely no way things will go wrong.”
Thelma crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip. It was a habit that came out whenever she was lost in thought.
Thelma said.
“Then let’s do this. First, let the nephew attend the birthday party without any problems. Then, when the party is in full swing and everyone is out of their minds, we can sneak him out. Is there a quiet place around the house where we can handle business?”
“As my nephew said, all palace officials have a warehouse where they store medicinal herbs. Even if they don’t, there are many empty barns. I’ve already been there and checked them out.”
“Good. Then, the role of your nephew, Aiman, is to make him really drunk. When the crowd is bustling, I’ll disguise myself as a villager who came to get a drink and sneak in. You, go to the meeting place early and wait. The two of us will be enough. Isn’t that right?”
Aiman stroked the back of his bumpy head and grinned.
As Erdene often said, it was a burst of laughter like that of a wild beast that has tasted blood for the first time.
“Of course, it’s more than enough.”
Unlike last time, Merton was not guided to the living room but to the bedroom.
Savina let Merton in alone, and he held his breath for a moment as he looked at the bed with its many curtains and swallowed dryly.
According to imperial rules, it was absolutely impossible for a man who was not even the captain of the guard to dare enter the Empress’s bedroom alone. Merton wondered again if this was a trap, and unconsciously reached out to the handle of his sword, thinking that Tenek’s soldiers might be hiding somewhere.
“Don’t worry.”
At that moment, Roelica’s voice was heard from beyond the curtain.
It was a weaker, hoarse voice than last time. A faint shadow swept over, and the canopy curtain was lifted.
“Your Majesty!”
A single, astonished groan escaped from Merton’s mouth, who was usually surprised by nothing.
Roelica, who had barely managed to sit up, looked extremely haggard in just a few days.
Her body, which was already free of fat, became even thinner, and her cheeks became sunken like a sick person. In the midst of all this, her stomach bulged even more, making her look strangely painful.
“Come closer, Sir Merton. I... have difficulty speaking loudly.”
Merton immediately approached her bed. Seeing Roelica in front of his eyes, her appearance became even more miserable. Her pale cheeks looked as if they would crumble at any moment.
“Your Majesty, what is happening? What on earth are the court ladies doing...!”
A smile passed across Roelica’s lips.
The moment he saw that expression, Merton felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. What appeared on her face was anger.
The vivid, living, and maddening hatred was sharp as a blade.
“This is not a problem that the court ladies can solve. Thank you for your concern.”
“I remember you weren’t so weak a few days ago.”
The corners of Roelica’s dry mouth twisted.
“Yes.”
“What happened...? Maybe with Hie Majesty...?”
At that moment, Roelica’s eyes, looking back at Merton, flashed sharply like broken glass.
But that was only for a moment, and as if to prove that even hatred requires energy, Roelica collapsed in exhaustion. Her trembling lower lip, her eyes that looked like they would burst into tears at any moment, and her smile that tried not to lose her dignity as a human being, not as an Empress, strangely combined to make her look even more miserable.
“The fact that he loves me so much that he can’t stand it drives me crazy.”
Merton held his breath without realizing it and stared blankly at Roelica.
She had an expression that made it seem like she could scream and burst into tears at any moment, but she never did.
That kind of determination was very similar to Erdene's.
Support Novellate!
“This is a great opportunity! Isn’t it? It’ll be noisy at a birthday party. People will drink a lot.”
Merton didn’t say anything, but Aiman nodded vigorously in agreement with Thelma.
“Sir Thelma is right. I think that’s the right time to sneak him out and find out something. What do you think, Merton?”
He added before Merton could answer.
“I’ve almost collected all the records of the guy in the palace where his nephew disappeared. He hid them very well. Doesn’t it stink?”
Thelma said.
“Officially retired, unofficially hid the records of a guy who must have been eaten by crows somewhere... This isn’t normal. The records of the letter of resignation are important, but they are not royal secrets, aren’t they, Sir Merton?”
That’s right, thought Merton. They all came to the same conclusion about the courtier who had done it anyway.
He would have been disposed of without a trace, and his body would have been more than half rotted away.
Perhaps some unlucky farmer might come across his half-rotted hand bone, protruding from a dry furrow...
‘But that won’t do anything. There’s no way to know for sure that it was him. So then, all that’s left is Ayman’s method.'
Ayman urged Merton, looking impatient.
“What can I do? Even if you won’t do it, I’ll do it. Damn it, I can’t stand dragging it out any longer!”
“Me too, Sir Merton. I completely agree with you. Nothing good is coming out of Atelgadis’ house either. How long can we just waste time like this?”
Merton’s mind became even more complicated as Thelma also got involved.
Of course, it was not hard to sneak the problematic palace away from the noisy birthday party and the drunkards who would fill the large house.
Once he got it, it would be easier to get him to confess something.
If he wanted to, he could make him tell in detail how many glass beads he had stolen from his neighborhood friends when he was a pee-wet.
But the one who was on his mind was Empress Roelica.
Although he thought she was not the kind of person to do that, he was even more concerned after hearing Thelma’s words.
If the Empress had decided to join hands with Tenek...
“Look over there, Sir Merton.”
Thelma poked Merton in the side of his thoughts.
Merton turned his head and saw Savina quickly approaching him down the hallway, and he straightened his back, becoming even more nervous.
Savina’s expression did not change even when she saw Aiman with them. She said, giving only a quick nod to Thelma and Aiman.
“Master Merton, the Empress is looking for you.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
Thelma poked Merton’s ribs again. It was meant to ask if he was okay, but Merton didn’t have the time to guess Thelma’s intentions.
“I understand that the Empress is unwell.”
“So please hurry.”
Savina didn’t seem discouraged at all by the three men surrounding her.
Even though the situation was not conducive to that, she felt the pressure of someone who was prepared to die.
Merton hesitated for a moment and nodded.
“Understood. Take the lead.”
Savina quietly lowered her gaze and immediately turned around.
When Merton tried to follow her, Thelma grabbed Merton’s sleeve.
Since Savina was close by, he mouthed the words.
“Be careful. If you see anything, you must immediately turn over.”
It was the moment when the lip-reading technique that Erdene had taught the knight commanders shone, but... In fact, Thelma’s advice was of little use.
Telling me to turn it over, what could I turn over? However, Merton just nodded with a bitter smile.
Thelma, who was watching the backs of Merton and Savina moving away, kicked the carpet in discontent.
“Damn, I’m dying of annoyance. How long do I have to live like this? Just...!”
Aiman said.
“Merton is busy, so wouldn’t it be better for you and me to handle the palace issue? What do you think?”
“I think that would be better. Have you finished talking to Aiman’s nephew?”
“It’s all over. That child is also loyal to Her Highness the Princess. There’s absolutely no way things will go wrong.”
Thelma crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip. It was a habit that came out whenever she was lost in thought.
Thelma said.
“Then let’s do this. First, let the nephew attend the birthday party without any problems. Then, when the party is in full swing and everyone is out of their minds, we can sneak him out. Is there a quiet place around the house where we can handle business?”
“As my nephew said, all palace officials have a warehouse where they store medicinal herbs. Even if they don’t, there are many empty barns. I’ve already been there and checked them out.”
“Good. Then, the role of your nephew, Aiman, is to make him really drunk. When the crowd is bustling, I’ll disguise myself as a villager who came to get a drink and sneak in. You, go to the meeting place early and wait. The two of us will be enough. Isn’t that right?”
Aiman stroked the back of his bumpy head and grinned.
As Erdene often said, it was a burst of laughter like that of a wild beast that has tasted blood for the first time.
“Of course, it’s more than enough.”
***
Unlike last time, Merton was not guided to the living room but to the bedroom.
Savina let Merton in alone, and he held his breath for a moment as he looked at the bed with its many curtains and swallowed dryly.
According to imperial rules, it was absolutely impossible for a man who was not even the captain of the guard to dare enter the Empress’s bedroom alone. Merton wondered again if this was a trap, and unconsciously reached out to the handle of his sword, thinking that Tenek’s soldiers might be hiding somewhere.
“Don’t worry.”
At that moment, Roelica’s voice was heard from beyond the curtain.
It was a weaker, hoarse voice than last time. A faint shadow swept over, and the canopy curtain was lifted.
“Your Majesty!”
A single, astonished groan escaped from Merton’s mouth, who was usually surprised by nothing.
Roelica, who had barely managed to sit up, looked extremely haggard in just a few days.
Her body, which was already free of fat, became even thinner, and her cheeks became sunken like a sick person. In the midst of all this, her stomach bulged even more, making her look strangely painful.
“Come closer, Sir Merton. I... have difficulty speaking loudly.”
Merton immediately approached her bed. Seeing Roelica in front of his eyes, her appearance became even more miserable. Her pale cheeks looked as if they would crumble at any moment.
“Your Majesty, what is happening? What on earth are the court ladies doing...!”
A smile passed across Roelica’s lips.
The moment he saw that expression, Merton felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. What appeared on her face was anger.
The vivid, living, and maddening hatred was sharp as a blade.
“This is not a problem that the court ladies can solve. Thank you for your concern.”
“I remember you weren’t so weak a few days ago.”
The corners of Roelica’s dry mouth twisted.
“Yes.”
“What happened...? Maybe with Hie Majesty...?”
At that moment, Roelica’s eyes, looking back at Merton, flashed sharply like broken glass.
But that was only for a moment, and as if to prove that even hatred requires energy, Roelica collapsed in exhaustion. Her trembling lower lip, her eyes that looked like they would burst into tears at any moment, and her smile that tried not to lose her dignity as a human being, not as an Empress, strangely combined to make her look even more miserable.
“The fact that he loves me so much that he can’t stand it drives me crazy.”
Merton held his breath without realizing it and stared blankly at Roelica.
She had an expression that made it seem like she could scream and burst into tears at any moment, but she never did.
That kind of determination was very similar to Erdene's.
“The way he loves me and covets my body kneels before me to win my heart, opens the storehouse of the golden castle to build a splendid villa, and throws away the mistresses he cherishes like cats on his lap like trash drives me crazy. Do you understand, Sir Merton? Do you understand?”
“Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty.”
“What I can’t stand the most is that...”
Roelica paused, biting her lip. The sound of her flesh breaking seemed to be clear to Merton’s ears.
“...What I can’t stand the most is that the Emperor truly loves me. It drives me crazy that he would do anything to win my sincerity. He believes without a doubt that it’s love. Every time I hear him say that he takes me and rapes me again because he loves me, I imagine putting a knife to his throat.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment