“How? If the Empress doesn’t adopt my baby, it will become an illegitimate child. It’s so pitiful.”
She dropped her shoulders pitifully.
Before, all she had thought about was resentment and anger toward the Emperor and Empress.
But now, all she had on her mind was worry and pity for the baby in her stomach.
Blair put his lips to Titi’s ear.
He whispered softly as if telling her a secret answer.
“You just have to become the Empress.”
Then, she can protect the baby and not make it an illegitimate child.
Titi raised her head at the merciful grace.
His sparkling black eyes were like a god on earth who existed only for her.
“Do you know that names have special powers?”
Titi nodded.
The beastkin with the other person’s name had the power to heal the other person.
Whether mentally or physically.
The Emperor, who had been having nightmares all along, slept soundly in her arms.
The headache that had been constantly throbbing was also being cured by the name.
Even she was surprised.
She didn’t know that the fake name contained real power.
Blair placed her hand on Titi’s chest.
With the swaying black light, the Emperor’s name, which was briefly visible under the cloth, became darker.
“Poor deer, ask him for what you want most.”
“What... is it that I want most?”
“Yes. Filled with the poison that it will definitely come true.”
Blair’s words were like a mystical spell.
It had the power of a man who made it seem like if she followed this man’s lead, she would definitely get what she wanted.
“I’ll try.”
Titi nodded.
Blair kissed her eyes as if he found her faithful gaze endearing.
“Pretty deer, if you become Empress, will you grant me one thing I want?”
“...What is that?”
Titi, who had stopped crying, blinked.
What Blair wanted.
Titi was genuinely curious.
He had always given her what she wanted and had never received anything in return.
“It’s easy. I’m looking for a book. When you become Empress, bring it to me.”
“Where is it?”
“In the Empress’s palace. Only the Empress can take it out.”
Just a book? It was nothing special, but rather embarrassing.
“Yes. If I can do it.”
“Of course. I know better than anyone what you can and cannot do.”
Titi nodded as if possessed.
Thanks to that, her dizzy heart calmed down.
After the merchant left, Titi washed herself and began to dress up.
In the mirror, she was back to her original beauty. She still resented the Emperor.
However, he was the one who could give Titi what she wanted most.
‘The position of Empress.’
The most noble position a woman can attain.
The tiara was the ultimate goal of Titi.
‘Just wait and see. Your Majesty.’
If he wanted love, she should give him what he wanted.
Not taking what she has.
***
Empress's Palace.
Levro Damil met the Empress.
The noblewoman, who had traveled to warm regions from winter to late spring, looked slightly chubby.
"...I heard that everyone knows."
Levro lowered her eyes like a criminal.
However, Sepia had no intention of blaming her right away.
"Raise your head. Levro."
"...But."
"I want you to answer my questions honestly. Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"
Levro bit her lower lip.
"I wanted to hide this fact from not only the Empress but also all the beasts. So that those who had suffered from rare diseases and succeeded in changing themselves would not be looked at with prejudice when they entered society."
However, Levro apologized, saying that it was also her own fault.
The children were abandoned at a young age and lived like animals with the reasoning power of a beast.
As she took charge of the orphanage and took in these beasts one by one, the number was larger than expected.
"I told you that the Empress was my benefactor. I was able to find my nephew thanks to the Empress, who established a special orphanage.”
The skinny civet cat, which was so skinny that it could be mistaken for a young animal, gave off a very familiar and nostalgic smell.
Levro, who realized that the beast was her nephew from whom she had been separated as a child, cried without even realizing it.
“My nephew, Yaeli, is my sister’s daughter.”
Levro's older sister, Rudina, had married a hyena Count and had a baby.
Although she still looked like a beast, he was a very lovely son.
Levro was also truly happy about the birth of her nephew.
However, even after a month or two, Yaeli had not yet transformed into a beast.
Although he looked like a beast, Revrl truly loved his nephew.
However, something happened later.
“The Countess kept Yaeli hidden until she was seven years old. One day, when I visited to see my nephew, he was nowhere to be found. The Count said that the child had been abandoned in the forest.”
Levro, who found out about this late, searched the nearby forest with her sister like a mouse.
However, the child was nowhere to be seen.
“Since that day, my sister has gone halfway crazy.”
Even if she had chosen to divorce the Count, her lost son would not return.
Levro sincerely comforted her sister.
Many years had passed since she buried her nephew in her heart.
When she first heard the news that a human had become the Empress of the empire, she thought that the world was changing.
She began to have a proper conversation with the human Empress when she established a special orphanage.
“Why are they doing such things?”
At first, she thought that humans were doing useless things.
She thought that it was natural for the weak to be eliminated in the great nature.
However, it was also true that she was curious about what she had seen for the first time.
Unable to overcome her curiosity, she went to the orphanage and encountered her lost nephew.
Her heart sank at the same time as her joy.
She had forgotten that there was such a lovely child and had discriminated against the weak being.
“I was able to hear many stories from my nephew. Fortunately, he had met a being similar to me and lived with me.”
Abandoned beings live as beasts.
Living alone like that, you gradually forget the words of a beast, and only your instincts remain.
You really become a beast.
“That child said that he definitely wanted to turn into a beast when he met me. On that very day, Yaeli successfully transformed.”
Levro wiped away tears as if recalling that day.
Sepia, who had been silently listening to her, opened her mouth.
“...Then.”
“Those who have reason and have safely become adults can transform with strong will.”
It was just as Roxanne had expected.
Levro kept this a secret because her nephew asked her.
“Yaeli wanted to keep their existence a secret. He said that their parents or siblings might come to kill them, saying that they were half-human.”
Most of those staying at the orphanage were those who had run away from their parents who were trying to kill them.
They wander the forest alone and become real beasts.
If he hadn’t met Levro.
“At first, I didn’t know. That I could tell those kinds of beings apart.”
Was it because she desperately wanted to see her nephew?
Levro could smell the 'middle' that other beasts could not.
She wandered around from winter to late spring, looking for beings similar to her nephew.
She also traveled to find them.
"They say that the time when abandoned beings lose their reason is when they give up on themselves. When that happens, even if they become adults safely, they cannot change into beasts."
On the other hand, if they were able to receive continuous protection, they could successfully change.
The story ended.
Sepia held Levro's hand as she waited for the sentencing.
"You must have had a hard time alone. It was hard taking care of the slow being."
Slow being.
It was the first time someone had defined the hidden beings who had been treated as half-dead or as deserving of death in this way.
Levro shed tears as she was held in the Empress's arms.
"I promise that I will find such individuals in the future and create a specialized facility to protect them. Up until now, only adults have changed, but if we educate them from a younger age, the changes may come more quickly."
"...Thank you, Your Majesty."
Levro thanked her several times.
Sepia smirked at the idea of going bare.
Levro sincerely comforted her sister.
Many years had passed since she buried her nephew in her heart.
When she first heard the news that a human had become the Empress of the empire, she thought that the world was changing.
She began to have a proper conversation with the human Empress when she established a special orphanage.
“Why are they doing such things?”
At first, she thought that humans were doing useless things.
She thought that it was natural for the weak to be eliminated in the great nature.
However, it was also true that she was curious about what she had seen for the first time.
Unable to overcome her curiosity, she went to the orphanage and encountered her lost nephew.
Her heart sank at the same time as her joy.
She had forgotten that there was such a lovely child and had discriminated against the weak being.
“I was able to hear many stories from my nephew. Fortunately, he had met a being similar to me and lived with me.”
Abandoned beings live as beasts.
Living alone like that, you gradually forget the words of a beast, and only your instincts remain.
You really become a beast.
“That child said that he definitely wanted to turn into a beast when he met me. On that very day, Yaeli successfully transformed.”
Levro wiped away tears as if recalling that day.
Sepia, who had been silently listening to her, opened her mouth.
“...Then.”
“Those who have reason and have safely become adults can transform with strong will.”
It was just as Roxanne had expected.
Levro kept this a secret because her nephew asked her.
“Yaeli wanted to keep their existence a secret. He said that their parents or siblings might come to kill them, saying that they were half-human.”
Most of those staying at the orphanage were those who had run away from their parents who were trying to kill them.
They wander the forest alone and become real beasts.
If he hadn’t met Levro.
“At first, I didn’t know. That I could tell those kinds of beings apart.”
Was it because she desperately wanted to see her nephew?
Levro could smell the 'middle' that other beasts could not.
She wandered around from winter to late spring, looking for beings similar to her nephew.
She also traveled to find them.
"They say that the time when abandoned beings lose their reason is when they give up on themselves. When that happens, even if they become adults safely, they cannot change into beasts."
On the other hand, if they were able to receive continuous protection, they could successfully change.
The story ended.
Sepia held Levro's hand as she waited for the sentencing.
"You must have had a hard time alone. It was hard taking care of the slow being."
Slow being.
It was the first time someone had defined the hidden beings who had been treated as half-dead or as deserving of death in this way.
Levro shed tears as she was held in the Empress's arms.
"I promise that I will find such individuals in the future and create a specialized facility to protect them. Up until now, only adults have changed, but if we educate them from a younger age, the changes may come more quickly."
"...Thank you, Your Majesty."
Levro thanked her several times.
Sepia smirked at the idea of going bare.
"But it can't just happen. Levro needs to find those children. And it'll take a long time for their perception to change."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind."
Levro nodded.
The lady who had been trembling her fingertips cautiously opened her mouth.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty. Could you return the brooch with my nephew’s portrait?”
“Oh, the Duke has that. I’ll ask him.”
Sepia saw the lady off as she left.
She still smiled at the cat.
“I’ll visit with my nephew next time.”
With those words, Levro finally regained her smile and could leave the palace with lighter steps.
“Slow beings.”
Sepia, sitting alone, paid attention to the stories she had left behind.
Her conversation with Levro had made her think about many things.
Finding her nephew was a coincidence, but in the end, Levro changed the child.
Abandoned beings need stronger support.
“Oh, the brooch.”
Judging from the way she opened her mouth with difficulty, it seemed like it was something she treasured very much.
"Let’s go and look for it.”
It was still afternoon, so it wasn’t a rude time.
This was the first time she had visited the palace where Roxanne resided.
“Betty, I’m going out for a bit. Can you get me dressed up?”
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