'Does Your Majesty the Empress know that little wyvern?'
Joseph heard about his brother's wedding from Commander Macrom, Secretary Raphael, and Chamberlain Stian, who came to check on his condition. They told him about Her Majesty the Empress as they left. However, no one mentioned that the Empress from the Kingdom of Shattonil had anything to do with the Wyvern. Joseph wanted to meet Her Majesty the Empress more than anyone else, but he couldn't.
I replied, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.
“If I weren’t so cool, would you have completed your mission? Tell me.”
“I guess I finished it...”
“Ha, you’re being too picky about appearances when you’re the acting Empress?”
“Your Majesty, please don’t be so picky.”
“What are you talking about? I’m so picky.”
Linel snorted and argued. We both sighed and looked into each other's eyes. I looked away again with guilt and apologized again, and he shrugged and said,
“It’s not pure love, is it?”
His conclusion that I was the 'acting Empress' was ridiculously simple. But the more he did so, the heavier my heart became.
“Aren’t you angry?”
I asked him carefully, watching his expression, and he spoke firmly.
“Yeah. I’m embarrassed because I’m not angry.”
“Linel...”
“I wonder how it must have been inside. In the library, I mean. That’s what you were trying to say with that face that looked like you were going to die, but I didn’t care then or even now.”
So I added that I felt even more sorry. The speed of forgiving this huge lie was faster than an arrow, so I was left even more helpless.
“I’m so sorry...”
“I remember the look in your eyes, your expression when you were about to tell me the truth.”
He took my face in both hands and made me look into his eyes again. Then he closed my eyes and kissed me softly. It was a kiss full of meaning. It was comforting, it was trusting... it was love.
“That’s enough. You were going to tell me the truth. I was the one who said I’d listen later.”
“But I...”
He shook his head slowly, interrupting me.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. It was the kid out there who did it.”
Linel said, looking sharply at the break room door.
“He dares to mess with Emperor Lapion. And he even threatened my wife.”
The gaze was so cold that I could feel the chill. Suddenly, something worrying came to mind and I cautiously opened my mouth.
“If this fact becomes known to the Minister...”
“There will be trouble. Not only the ministers, but even the priests will rise up.”
Linel's expression darkened even more when I revealed that I was the 'Acting Empress'.
“I’m telling you to replace the Empress.”
Joseph heard about his brother's wedding from Commander Macrom, Secretary Raphael, and Chamberlain Stian, who came to check on his condition. They told him about Her Majesty the Empress as they left. However, no one mentioned that the Empress from the Kingdom of Shattonil had anything to do with the Wyvern. Joseph wanted to meet Her Majesty the Empress more than anyone else, but he couldn't.
Three years had passed since all growth stopped on the ice. The ice that had initially surrounded Joseph's body was not as large as it is now. However, as the wizard who cursed Joseph had predicted, the ice gradually grew in volume over time. That's why, as soon as Joseph was cursed in the Valley of Death, Linel's aides immediately moved him to this secret location in the library of the Lapion Palace. Fortunately, they succeeded in creating a barrier to prevent the ice from growing any bigger in this secret location, but there was no way to dispel or reduce it. The only people who knew about Joseph's condition were his older brother Linel, Commander Macrom, Secretary Raphael, Chamberlain Stian, and a few knights. Linel had not been able to meet his younger brother Joseph since the Valley of Death. When Linel, who was also cursed, approached him, the ice surrounding Joseph became harder and larger. This was also a curse from the Southern Continent wizards to torment the two brothers.
His three closest associates often visited Joseph in his stead, but they could not withstand the cold chill from the cursed ice for long. Whenever they came in, they would wrap themselves in thick coats and chat briefly with Joseph, who would only blink his eyes, before leaving. When Joseph heard the news of Linel's state wedding, he wanted to ask what the Empress looked like. However, the three of them did not tell him about the Empress's appearance. They simply often mentioned how beautiful the two of them were, and as the days went by, they talked about that more and more.
Could his brother really have opened his heart to Her Majesty the Empress? Joseph recalled a conversation in which Linel had once sat him down and earnestly urged him...
“Joseph, listen carefully. You should not give your heart to others carelessly. And you should always beware of betrayal.”
“Then can I trust the wife I marry later?”
“There are no exceptions. That is the fate of the royal family. We must always maintain our composure.”
He certainly used to say that... But the news about him that Linel’s three closest associates relayed was unexpected.
“These days, His Majesty always keeps His heart in the Empress’s Palace.”
“If Her Majesty the Empress says so, he would believe it even if she told him that a crow is a wyvern?”
“It may be hard to believe, but lately, His Majesty’s mood seems to be swayed by every word Her Majesty the Empress says. In addition, he has started laughing to himself for no reason.”
...Joseph was becoming more and more curious about Her Majesty the Empress, who had changed his cold-hearted brother like that. Then, a young wyvern suddenly appeared and spoke of Her Majesty the Empress. He addressed her as 'Master'.
'How could His Majesty's wife, the Empress of the Lapion Empire, become the master of a wyvern?'
I heard that the war had stopped on the day he received his curse in the Valley of Death. No continent had yet claimed the wyverns’ habitat. So there was no way Her Majesty the Empress had a wyvern egg. Joseph wanted to ask the baby wyvern who introduced herself as ‘Moiya’ directly, but his mouth wouldn’t move, so he was frustrated. Anyway, Moiya had been bragging and saying he would break the cursed ice, so he was expecting it, but it seemed like it was just a bluff.
“Joseph, listen carefully. You should not give your heart to others carelessly. And you should always beware of betrayal.”
“Then can I trust the wife I marry later?”
“There are no exceptions. That is the fate of the royal family. We must always maintain our composure.”
He certainly used to say that... But the news about him that Linel’s three closest associates relayed was unexpected.
“These days, His Majesty always keeps His heart in the Empress’s Palace.”
“If Her Majesty the Empress says so, he would believe it even if she told him that a crow is a wyvern?”
“It may be hard to believe, but lately, His Majesty’s mood seems to be swayed by every word Her Majesty the Empress says. In addition, he has started laughing to himself for no reason.”
...Joseph was becoming more and more curious about Her Majesty the Empress, who had changed his cold-hearted brother like that. Then, a young wyvern suddenly appeared and spoke of Her Majesty the Empress. He addressed her as 'Master'.
'How could His Majesty's wife, the Empress of the Lapion Empire, become the master of a wyvern?'
I heard that the war had stopped on the day he received his curse in the Valley of Death. No continent had yet claimed the wyverns’ habitat. So there was no way Her Majesty the Empress had a wyvern egg. Joseph wanted to ask the baby wyvern who introduced herself as ‘Moiya’ directly, but his mouth wouldn’t move, so he was frustrated. Anyway, Moiya had been bragging and saying he would break the cursed ice, so he was expecting it, but it seemed like it was just a bluff.
Since it was still a baby, the firepower it was currently emitting was not enough to break the ice. Furthermore, this wasn’t normal ice, but ice that had been cursed by a wizard, so it wouldn’t melt easily. Even before that, Commander Macrom and Secretary Raphael had tried countless times to break the cursed ice, but they had all failed. Perhaps because of this history, Joseph wasn’t too disappointed. Still, since it was a wyvern, he had some expectations.
“I’ll come here often and melt you. Since you’re already here, just bear with it for a bit!”
Moiya shouted at Joseph even louder, feeling sorry for no reason.
“Meow? (But can I come here often? It seems a bit dangerous.)”
“You scared little furball! If it’s dangerous, I’m more dangerous than you. Are you dangerous? Even if you get caught, people will just pat you.”
“Meow. (Yeah, that’s true.)”
“Cold child, I’ll stop here for today. I overdid it and my throat hurts so much.”
Moiya cleared his throat and spoke to Joseph.
“Oh, by the way, you mustn’t tell anyone that we came here... especially that you saw this great wyvern! Do you understand? Blink if you understand.”
Joseph blinked once at Moya's command.
“Meow. (Saying all sorts of things to a kid who can’t even move his mouth.)”
Aoshi looked up at Joseph with pitiful eyes and gently stepped on Moiya's foot.
“I’ll come here often and melt you. Since you’re already here, just bear with it for a bit!”
Moiya shouted at Joseph even louder, feeling sorry for no reason.
“Meow? (But can I come here often? It seems a bit dangerous.)”
“You scared little furball! If it’s dangerous, I’m more dangerous than you. Are you dangerous? Even if you get caught, people will just pat you.”
“Meow. (Yeah, that’s true.)”
“Cold child, I’ll stop here for today. I overdid it and my throat hurts so much.”
Moiya cleared his throat and spoke to Joseph.
“Oh, by the way, you mustn’t tell anyone that we came here... especially that you saw this great wyvern! Do you understand? Blink if you understand.”
Joseph blinked once at Moya's command.
“Meow. (Saying all sorts of things to a kid who can’t even move his mouth.)”
Aoshi looked up at Joseph with pitiful eyes and gently stepped on Moiya's foot.
***
I hugged him tightly again before telling him the whole truth.
“Zelda, this is too intense.”
He didn't shake my arm off, even though he was joking that his ribs looked like they were out of alignment. So I hugged him tighter, and then I heard a real snap.
“...Is it me, or is it you?”
We could hear the sound of bones breaking, but we couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. We stared at each other blankly and quickly checked our physical condition.
“I’m fine?”
"Me too."
He chuckled and whispered, “Thank goodness.” We hugged each other again, but this time my arms were completely relaxed. There was no time to delay any longer. I took a step back from him and slowly opened my mouth.
“Prince Tesla is trying to blackmail me by using Bonis.”
“Threats? What threats?”
“Prepare to step down from the position of Empress.”
"...What?"
His straight eyebrows twitched several times.
“I... am fake.”
My voice seemed to pierce me. His face, which had been calm just a moment ago, was gradually cracking and breaking. It seemed as if the betrayal was changing him. And the words he uttered softly made my heart feel like it was being torn apart in all directions.
“Are you saying that you are the acting Empress...?”
Linel's voice was lower than usual. They say that when people are shocked by something too much, they become calmer, and that's exactly what he was like. He stared at me with complex eyes that I couldn't describe in words.
“Yes, I am the one who was sent that way.”
How much trouble and how much fear I had before I could say those words... Every time he looked at me with loving eyes, every time he called my name in a voice full of joy while making love to me, those words dangled from the tip of my tongue and were swallowed again.
“I am not the Empress...”
I felt a pain as if something was ripping my heart out. Every word had a heavy weight hanging on it, and I felt like I was falling into the abyss with every word I uttered. I just lowered my head. I held my breath and stared down at his shiny shoetips.
“Zelda, this is too intense.”
He didn't shake my arm off, even though he was joking that his ribs looked like they were out of alignment. So I hugged him tighter, and then I heard a real snap.
“...Is it me, or is it you?”
We could hear the sound of bones breaking, but we couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. We stared at each other blankly and quickly checked our physical condition.
“I’m fine?”
"Me too."
He chuckled and whispered, “Thank goodness.” We hugged each other again, but this time my arms were completely relaxed. There was no time to delay any longer. I took a step back from him and slowly opened my mouth.
“Prince Tesla is trying to blackmail me by using Bonis.”
“Threats? What threats?”
“Prepare to step down from the position of Empress.”
"...What?"
His straight eyebrows twitched several times.
“I... am fake.”
My voice seemed to pierce me. His face, which had been calm just a moment ago, was gradually cracking and breaking. It seemed as if the betrayal was changing him. And the words he uttered softly made my heart feel like it was being torn apart in all directions.
“Are you saying that you are the acting Empress...?”
Linel's voice was lower than usual. They say that when people are shocked by something too much, they become calmer, and that's exactly what he was like. He stared at me with complex eyes that I couldn't describe in words.
“Yes, I am the one who was sent that way.”
How much trouble and how much fear I had before I could say those words... Every time he looked at me with loving eyes, every time he called my name in a voice full of joy while making love to me, those words dangled from the tip of my tongue and were swallowed again.
“I am not the Empress...”
I felt a pain as if something was ripping my heart out. Every word had a heavy weight hanging on it, and I felt like I was falling into the abyss with every word I uttered. I just lowered my head. I held my breath and stared down at his shiny shoetips.
What was he thinking right now? He must have a look of betrayal on his face. I had expected some silence. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to hear Linel’s affectionate voice anymore. Linel’s silence was longer than I thought. I wanted to raise my head and look into his blue eyes, but I held it in. However, the tears flowing from regret could not be held back and fell to the marble floor.
“It feels different when I actually hear it in person.”
I raised my head without realizing it at his quiet, brain-numbing tone.
"Yes?"
“I had a guess. Isn’t this what Rabbit was going to say before?”
"...that's right."
“So, is the point that your existence is a lie? Or is the point that you have been lying to me?”
After a long silence, he asked. There was bitterness in his voice. My heart ached again.
“My existence is a lie, but I have never acted in front of Your Majesty.”
“Really not there?”
I confessed like an idiot when Linel questioned me.
“...Come to think of it, just once.”
"When."
“On the first night... when the priests came in.”
“Ah, that time.”
Linel sighed briefly and closed his mouth again. It seemed like a deliberate silence. Or maybe he was thinking of a question to ask me.
“Wasn’t it really just acting after that? No, we don’t have to go that far. What was it that we shared last night...?”
“...”
It seemed like he was asking that question on purpose, even though he knew everything and felt my heart.
“Hey, acting Empress. You will respond to the Emperor’s words immediately.”
Linel urged me on, casually mentioning the 'acting Empress'.
“It was love... you know.”
As the acting Empress, I answered him with sincerity in my voice.
“Yeah, if it wasn’t love, it would be strange. It wouldn’t make sense.”
He muttered with a sigh.
“Me too... I couldn’t help it.”
“What, where did you sleep last night?”
“Oh, no! What I mean is... the story of how I came here.”
“Look here, Your Majesty the Empress. Do you know? More than 90% of the people who have done wrong to me, the Emperor, and ask for forgiveness start with that. They say they couldn’t help it, that it was unfair.”
“You may not believe it, but it’s true.”
Somehow, my voice came out a little husky because I felt aggrieved.
“That’s just an excuse that always comes up as a side note.”
I was speechless for a moment, but then I carefully argued back.
“It’s true. I was checking the supplies in the bathroom storage room until the morning of the day I left for the Lapion Imperial Palace!”
Anyway, when I stopped talking, thinking that maybe I raised my voice too much, he twirled one hand around.
“Keep going.”
“It was Prince Tesla’s compulsion, and I had no choice. Even if I had refused, I would have been dragged in by force in the end.”
I couldn't bring myself to say anything about magic potions. I really didn't want him to know about the burn scar on the right side of my face...
“Hmm, if you are the acting Empress, then that means there was originally a designated Empress. Do you know who that was?”
"Yes..."
“Who is it? She’s my wife.”
When I heard Linel refer to a woman other than me as 'my wife', the veins in my forehead almost burst out.
“It was Princess Resilia.”
I answered hesitantly.
“I thought so...”
He nodded as if he had expected it.
“Let’s say you had no choice but to marry me because of the Prince’s threats.”
Excuse me, Your Majesty? I am the acting Empress, you know? He was brushing this off as if it were no more serious than the lunch menu being wrong.
“It must be one of the two.”
He paused and asked with a serious look in his eyes.
“Either you’ve been acting perfectly up until now, or you’ve completely botched your duties as the acting Empress from the beginning. Which is it?”
“You already know.”
I mustered up my courage and looked straight into his eyes.
“Honestly, yes. But for me who was deceived all this time, wouldn’t it be comforting to hear it directly from the person involved?”
He deliberately crumpled his expression into a grim one and shook my shoulders gently with both hands.
“It was completely doomed from the start. The duties of the acting Empress...”
“It feels different when I actually hear it in person.”
I raised my head without realizing it at his quiet, brain-numbing tone.
"Yes?"
“I had a guess. Isn’t this what Rabbit was going to say before?”
"...that's right."
“So, is the point that your existence is a lie? Or is the point that you have been lying to me?”
After a long silence, he asked. There was bitterness in his voice. My heart ached again.
“My existence is a lie, but I have never acted in front of Your Majesty.”
“Really not there?”
I confessed like an idiot when Linel questioned me.
“...Come to think of it, just once.”
"When."
“On the first night... when the priests came in.”
“Ah, that time.”
Linel sighed briefly and closed his mouth again. It seemed like a deliberate silence. Or maybe he was thinking of a question to ask me.
“Wasn’t it really just acting after that? No, we don’t have to go that far. What was it that we shared last night...?”
“...”
It seemed like he was asking that question on purpose, even though he knew everything and felt my heart.
“Hey, acting Empress. You will respond to the Emperor’s words immediately.”
Linel urged me on, casually mentioning the 'acting Empress'.
“It was love... you know.”
As the acting Empress, I answered him with sincerity in my voice.
“Yeah, if it wasn’t love, it would be strange. It wouldn’t make sense.”
He muttered with a sigh.
“Me too... I couldn’t help it.”
“What, where did you sleep last night?”
“Oh, no! What I mean is... the story of how I came here.”
“Look here, Your Majesty the Empress. Do you know? More than 90% of the people who have done wrong to me, the Emperor, and ask for forgiveness start with that. They say they couldn’t help it, that it was unfair.”
“You may not believe it, but it’s true.”
Somehow, my voice came out a little husky because I felt aggrieved.
“That’s just an excuse that always comes up as a side note.”
I was speechless for a moment, but then I carefully argued back.
“It’s true. I was checking the supplies in the bathroom storage room until the morning of the day I left for the Lapion Imperial Palace!”
Anyway, when I stopped talking, thinking that maybe I raised my voice too much, he twirled one hand around.
“Keep going.”
“It was Prince Tesla’s compulsion, and I had no choice. Even if I had refused, I would have been dragged in by force in the end.”
I couldn't bring myself to say anything about magic potions. I really didn't want him to know about the burn scar on the right side of my face...
“Hmm, if you are the acting Empress, then that means there was originally a designated Empress. Do you know who that was?”
"Yes..."
“Who is it? She’s my wife.”
When I heard Linel refer to a woman other than me as 'my wife', the veins in my forehead almost burst out.
“It was Princess Resilia.”
I answered hesitantly.
“I thought so...”
He nodded as if he had expected it.
“Let’s say you had no choice but to marry me because of the Prince’s threats.”
Excuse me, Your Majesty? I am the acting Empress, you know? He was brushing this off as if it were no more serious than the lunch menu being wrong.
“It must be one of the two.”
He paused and asked with a serious look in his eyes.
“Either you’ve been acting perfectly up until now, or you’ve completely botched your duties as the acting Empress from the beginning. Which is it?”
“You already know.”
I mustered up my courage and looked straight into his eyes.
“Honestly, yes. But for me who was deceived all this time, wouldn’t it be comforting to hear it directly from the person involved?”
He deliberately crumpled his expression into a grim one and shook my shoulders gently with both hands.
“It was completely doomed from the start. The duties of the acting Empress...”
I replied, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.
“If I weren’t so cool, would you have completed your mission? Tell me.”
“I guess I finished it...”
“Ha, you’re being too picky about appearances when you’re the acting Empress?”
“Your Majesty, please don’t be so picky.”
“What are you talking about? I’m so picky.”
Linel snorted and argued. We both sighed and looked into each other's eyes. I looked away again with guilt and apologized again, and he shrugged and said,
“It’s not pure love, is it?”
His conclusion that I was the 'acting Empress' was ridiculously simple. But the more he did so, the heavier my heart became.
“Aren’t you angry?”
I asked him carefully, watching his expression, and he spoke firmly.
“Yeah. I’m embarrassed because I’m not angry.”
“Linel...”
“I wonder how it must have been inside. In the library, I mean. That’s what you were trying to say with that face that looked like you were going to die, but I didn’t care then or even now.”
So I added that I felt even more sorry. The speed of forgiving this huge lie was faster than an arrow, so I was left even more helpless.
“I’m so sorry...”
“I remember the look in your eyes, your expression when you were about to tell me the truth.”
He took my face in both hands and made me look into his eyes again. Then he closed my eyes and kissed me softly. It was a kiss full of meaning. It was comforting, it was trusting... it was love.
“That’s enough. You were going to tell me the truth. I was the one who said I’d listen later.”
“But I...”
He shook his head slowly, interrupting me.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. It was the kid out there who did it.”
Linel said, looking sharply at the break room door.
“He dares to mess with Emperor Lapion. And he even threatened my wife.”
The gaze was so cold that I could feel the chill. Suddenly, something worrying came to mind and I cautiously opened my mouth.
“If this fact becomes known to the Minister...”
“There will be trouble. Not only the ministers, but even the priests will rise up.”
Linel's expression darkened even more when I revealed that I was the 'Acting Empress'.
“I’m telling you to replace the Empress.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment