Is it really so empty for her to just step down? Locard made a sullen expression.
Lorisha, who had been to the store, handed him a heavy book wrapped in cloth.
When Locard accepted it and smiled, Lorisha turned away with a blank expression and went inside.
“Be careful!”
Locard laughed lowly as if scratching his neck and started his horse.
When he arrived at the palace, he untied the cloth.
[The Life of a Happy Empress - Autobiography of Empress Quinna]
Locard also stopped by Whined's study. Whined did not surrender like Lorisha.
He held the book containing the last symptoms of the previous Emperor, whose cause of death was rumored, and handed it over with a face as if he were about to cry. The two hands holding the book were trembling.
“And, just a few more days..."
“Tsk.”
“Ugh.”
Only then did Locard head to the imperial library with the two books in his arms.
He thought he would just put the books back where they belonged and go home to rest. After taking the final exams that had been like guerrilla warfare for several days, he was indeed tired.
However, he entered the library, opened the autobiography of Empress Queenna, and sat down at the reading desk. He left the palace late at night.
Empress Queenna was the previous Empress. The death of the former Emperor gave rise to various suspicions in later generations, but the empire prospered during his reign.
The reason she titled her autobiography “The Happy Empress” was not to show off her personal happiness, but to reveal the former Emperor’s achievements.
Some of the contents of the autobiography revealed the emotional rift between the former Emperor and his daughters. Perhaps this autobiography was not made public for that reason and remained in the imperial library.
Locard rubbed his heavy eyes and rode his horse slowly.
'Why did Lorisha choose that book?'
Locard thought that question was foolish.
Just as he had to live fiercely, trapped in the frame of being the successor of the Kydel family, Lorisha had fought desperately, trapped in her birth as an illegitimate child from the Tunbar mountain village.
It was self-evident even if he had never asked or she had never said it. Her threat on the shores of Zebron, telling him not to make a mistake because she was an illegitimate child, was not a statement of confidence, but rather a threat to not hurt her.
A person like that chose to peek into the life of a great woman because he wanted to know the true nature of happiness that he had never had. It was a sad scene to watch.
If she had known that he felt sorry for her, she would have cursed.
'If she had been the legitimate daughter of the Loire family...'
Locard clicked his tongue. It was shameful to spend time on assumptions or fantasies that the one who would lead the Kaydel family in the future would not be able to do.
He hoped that Lorisha would continue to deliver the medicine. The shop was within easy reach of him, where he could often kidnap her when he needed her.
The battle that was to come would be a bloodbath of both mind and emotion. To win it, he needed the help of someone capable.
And it was even more perfect because it was fun to watch.
The Countess jumped up from her seat at the words of her husband, who had returned from the palace.
“Misha? As the maid of Her Highness?”
“Keep your voice down. It is not time to expose it yet.”
“The Princess is not worthy of any position in the palace. She is not even with the First Prince. How could we send our Misha to such a position? Moreover, she has only just secured a position at the Academy. It is absolutely not possible, Count.”
“The First Prince has made a special request. You must know that his request is the will of Her Majesty the Empress and also the will of Her Highness.”
“That is...!”
The Countess bit her lip. She was happy that Misha had miraculously avoided being expelled from the academy, but what a bolt from the blue!
She spoke tearfully.
“Why, why on earth is he persecuting our family?”
"He doesn't want a handmaiden for Her Highness Miliora. He wants to make sure I'm doing him a favor."
Lorisha, who had been to the store, handed him a heavy book wrapped in cloth.
When Locard accepted it and smiled, Lorisha turned away with a blank expression and went inside.
“Be careful!”
Locard laughed lowly as if scratching his neck and started his horse.
When he arrived at the palace, he untied the cloth.
[The Life of a Happy Empress - Autobiography of Empress Quinna]
Locard also stopped by Whined's study. Whined did not surrender like Lorisha.
He held the book containing the last symptoms of the previous Emperor, whose cause of death was rumored, and handed it over with a face as if he were about to cry. The two hands holding the book were trembling.
“And, just a few more days..."
“Tsk.”
“Ugh.”
Only then did Locard head to the imperial library with the two books in his arms.
He thought he would just put the books back where they belonged and go home to rest. After taking the final exams that had been like guerrilla warfare for several days, he was indeed tired.
However, he entered the library, opened the autobiography of Empress Queenna, and sat down at the reading desk. He left the palace late at night.
Empress Queenna was the previous Empress. The death of the former Emperor gave rise to various suspicions in later generations, but the empire prospered during his reign.
The reason she titled her autobiography “The Happy Empress” was not to show off her personal happiness, but to reveal the former Emperor’s achievements.
Some of the contents of the autobiography revealed the emotional rift between the former Emperor and his daughters. Perhaps this autobiography was not made public for that reason and remained in the imperial library.
Locard rubbed his heavy eyes and rode his horse slowly.
'Why did Lorisha choose that book?'
Locard thought that question was foolish.
Just as he had to live fiercely, trapped in the frame of being the successor of the Kydel family, Lorisha had fought desperately, trapped in her birth as an illegitimate child from the Tunbar mountain village.
It was self-evident even if he had never asked or she had never said it. Her threat on the shores of Zebron, telling him not to make a mistake because she was an illegitimate child, was not a statement of confidence, but rather a threat to not hurt her.
A person like that chose to peek into the life of a great woman because he wanted to know the true nature of happiness that he had never had. It was a sad scene to watch.
If she had known that he felt sorry for her, she would have cursed.
'If she had been the legitimate daughter of the Loire family...'
Locard clicked his tongue. It was shameful to spend time on assumptions or fantasies that the one who would lead the Kaydel family in the future would not be able to do.
He hoped that Lorisha would continue to deliver the medicine. The shop was within easy reach of him, where he could often kidnap her when he needed her.
The battle that was to come would be a bloodbath of both mind and emotion. To win it, he needed the help of someone capable.
And it was even more perfect because it was fun to watch.
***
The Countess jumped up from her seat at the words of her husband, who had returned from the palace.
“Misha? As the maid of Her Highness?”
“Keep your voice down. It is not time to expose it yet.”
“The Princess is not worthy of any position in the palace. She is not even with the First Prince. How could we send our Misha to such a position? Moreover, she has only just secured a position at the Academy. It is absolutely not possible, Count.”
“The First Prince has made a special request. You must know that his request is the will of Her Majesty the Empress and also the will of Her Highness.”
“That is...!”
The Countess bit her lip. She was happy that Misha had miraculously avoided being expelled from the academy, but what a bolt from the blue!
She spoke tearfully.
“Why, why on earth is he persecuting our family?”
"He doesn't want a handmaiden for Her Highness Miliora. He wants to make sure I'm doing him a favor."
“...”
The Countess bit her lip, trembling, as she understood the meaning of those words.
The competition that was about to begin was not a competition between the Princes and Princesses. It was an event that would quietly shake the entire empire, with all the nobles fiercely watching each other.
The power structure of the next generation would be determined by this competition.
The Countess shook her head.
“But not Misha. Once you become the imperial maid, you will also be labeled as a faction.”
“No one will care about Misha’s faction, so there is no need to consider that part.”
The Countess looked at her husband with tears in her eyes.
Even though she had sent her to the academy, the Count still did not acknowledge Misha. He did not believe that his daughter would continue the reputation of the Loire family by dominating the political and social world.
However, she had set her life’s goal of raising Misha well and marrying her off to a powerful family, so she could not utter a word of resentment to her husband.
The important thing now was to prevent Misha from becoming the Princess’s maid.
“What exactly did His Highness Orl say?”
“He asked me to send my daughter as the maid of Miliora.”
“...”
The Countess’s eyes flashed. She studied her husband’s face and opened her mouth resolutely.
“You have two daughters, Count.”
“...!”
The Countess stood right in front of her husband and suppressed her agitated voice.
“Let’s be honest, Count. If we send Misha to the palace, you will be the one who will be laughed at the most. It will be revealed that Misha is not a child fit for such a job.”
“Madam.”
“But what about Lorisha? She’s shameless enough to stand up to the Princess, and educated enough to handle one or two necessary tasks. And she has no future to protect. It’s as if God has helped us!”
“...”
The Countess broke two of her taboos at the same time: ignoring Misha’s shortcomings and denying Lorisha’s existence. She was so desperate.
But Count Loire remained deeply silent. The Countess felt frustrated because she couldn’t see the expression on her husband’s face as he turned away from her.
Was he angry, calculating, or both? She couldn’t tell.
“I don’t think there will be any criticism of having an illegitimate child as a maid?”
“Do you think His Highness Orl would care about that? After all, this contest is between His Highness Orl and His Highness Grayon. The situation will end with a gesture of accepting His Highness Orl’s request, as you said.”
“...”
The Countess’s remark was sharp. When the Count, who would have flatly refused in the past, remained silent for a long time, the countess thought that was enough of an answer.
“Henrietta! Bring Lorisha.”
***
The maid, Teria, whispered to me in surprise.
“Miss Misha is destroying everything in the room.”
“It’s vacation, but her mind is also on vacation? What the hell are you talking about?”
Teria shook her head.
“I don’t know, except for an invitation from a fellow student, nothing happened.”
“She seems to really not want to go. Do you want some roasted peanuts? I got some good peanuts this time.”
Teria held a handful of peanuts in her palm and asked, munching on them.
“Are peanuts also used as medicine?”
“They use the shells, too.”
“That’s strange. They’re really delicious.”
“Right?”
“But the Countess is angry too.”
“Huh?”
“The Count doesn’t look so good either, and I don’t know why the atmosphere in the house is like this. Miss Misha will be at the mansion during the vacation, but if the atmosphere continues like this...”
“Ugh. Take care, Teria.”
“I’ll do as much as you do.”
When Teria answered awkwardly, the maid Henrietta came to visit.
“Miss Lorisha, the Count and Countess are looking for you.”
“...Yes.”
I got angry as soon as Henrietta left. Misha was acting crazy, and now she’s finally gotten the blame on me.
“Again, again, I’m the only one being easy! What did I have to find fault with today?”
Teria looked at me with pity.
“Take care, Miss Lorisha.”
“Haa..”
I walked to the living room.
When I got there, the Countess was sitting elegantly on the sofa, giving me a gentle expression.
Normally, she would have glared at me and said that all the problems in this house were my fault.
On the other hand, the Count was standing with his back to me. I felt ominous.
“You called?”
When I said that, the Countess smiled faintly at me.
Damn, how much of a X have I become?
“Lorisha. You’ve been looking for a job lately, right?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
I broke out in a cold sweat.
Are you trying to take away my livelihood? Did they find out about my dealings with the palace apothecary?
“Independence as an adult trying to become independent is commendable.”
“Thank you. But what brought you up...?”
“I’ve always been concerned about you giving up on entering the academy. You’ve been preparing for the entrance exams for years, haven’t you? Even if you didn’t make it to the end.”
Oh, really?
I strained my face.
I tried not to make a mocking expression, thinking, “You were the one who threatened to ruin everything I cherished, the few things I had.”
It would be better to let go of anger and hatred in front of such people. That is their power. Instead, I should focus on what I want.
I stared intently at the Countess’s beautiful red lips moving.
“That is why the Count and I have been thinking. What could be done that would guarantee your future as much as graduating from the Academy?”
“...”
Why is that woman talking about my future?
I didn’t want to hear it because of the ominous feeling. I wanted to turn around and leave the drawing room right away.
But I couldn’t do that. Even at the moment when she was trying to turn my life upside down again. Fuck. I wish she would just die.
She smiled brightly and said,
“The Count has found a position for you as a maid in the royal family. Lorisha.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment