33. Secret Relationship
“Eat this poison and die.”
Asherad looked at the bottle held out in front of him. It was a clear glass bottle. Purple poison caught his eye.
If you eat something that isn't even transparent, you'll die right away.
“I don’t need you, that woman’s son. You’re a nuisance.”
“Oh, father.”
“Come and get sick! Otherwise, I will catch all four of your servants and kill them!”
Asherad picked up the bottle with trembling hands. If it weren't for his mother, he would have died.
“You must be my light!”
Asherad looked at his mother, who was screaming hysterically.
“You got sick for the servants? You should have held on, whether you died or not!”
Her brown hair was tangled, and her dark blue eyes were as dark as the sea in eternal night, when there would be no morning.
“You always have to be perfect! You have to please your father! It’s all your fault!”
Sabrina, who was in the abyss of despair, was always out of her mind. She screamed again in a fit of convulsion at the thought that the Emperor had tried to kill her son.
“No, do we need to live a life of suffering?”
“Oh, Mom!”
“Let’s die together instead!”
Sabrina strangled Asherad. Asherad thought as he was being strangled.
His father feeds him poison, and his mother strangles him. This life is nothing but a shame. Would it be better to die like this?
When Asherad didn't resist, Sabrina was surprised and quickly pulled her hand away.
“Oh, Asherad, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Sabrina kept apologizing while holding the squeaky Asherad in her arms.
“No, no, Asherad, I will save you. I am sorry for this mother. You did nothing wrong.”
His mother, who had been comforting him with her warm embrace, kept mumbling that she was sorry.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry... Asherad, was it that hard to please your father?!”
After a moment of trying to adjust to the warmth, Sabrina quickly pulled Asherad off her body. Asherad rolled on the floor.
“Get out, you worthless little brat who can’t even defeat a bastard! Get out, get out!”
Sabrina screamed.
The mother, who was always a noble and kind Empress to the outside world, had a different side. The Emperor neglected to care for his concubine and regarded her as a hindrance.
“Your Highness, Your Highness, are you alright?”
The nanny and Olga picked up the poor Crown Prince. There were bruises on Asherad's face. The nanny and Olga comforted Asherad as they took him to a safe room.
Asherad said with a grin.
“It’s all because of that girl.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s because of that vile woman and that girl!”
Olga chimed in. She seemed ready to kill the witch and her daughter at any moment. Asherad ground his teeth.
“I want to see that face once.”
“Why that girl’s face?”
“As soon as I see her, I’ll grab her neck and kill her.”
Young Asherad's eyes glowed ominously.
“That girl is coming to the palace. Find out when she will be arriving.”
Young Asherad folded his arms and ordered his attendant.
Asherad woke up. It was a short sleep and a dirty dream after a long time. He blinked slowly. The sunlight stung his eyes.
He would dream whenever he held Daphne. Most of them were about his childhood. Asherad turned his head and looked at the sleeping one.
Daphne was not there.
Daphne...
“Where are you!”
He jumped up from his seat and shouted in anger. Then the door burst open and a servant came running in.
“Your Majesty, what is this...”
“Bring her.”
"Yes?"
“Find that woman quickly and bring her to me!”
Asherad shouted, then, unable to contain his anger, he knocked down the table. How dare you, how dare you, how dare you!
“Eat this poison and die.”
Asherad looked at the bottle held out in front of him. It was a clear glass bottle. Purple poison caught his eye.
If you eat something that isn't even transparent, you'll die right away.
“I don’t need you, that woman’s son. You’re a nuisance.”
“Oh, father.”
“Come and get sick! Otherwise, I will catch all four of your servants and kill them!”
Asherad picked up the bottle with trembling hands. If it weren't for his mother, he would have died.
“You must be my light!”
Asherad looked at his mother, who was screaming hysterically.
“You got sick for the servants? You should have held on, whether you died or not!”
Her brown hair was tangled, and her dark blue eyes were as dark as the sea in eternal night, when there would be no morning.
“You always have to be perfect! You have to please your father! It’s all your fault!”
Sabrina, who was in the abyss of despair, was always out of her mind. She screamed again in a fit of convulsion at the thought that the Emperor had tried to kill her son.
“No, do we need to live a life of suffering?”
“Oh, Mom!”
“Let’s die together instead!”
Sabrina strangled Asherad. Asherad thought as he was being strangled.
His father feeds him poison, and his mother strangles him. This life is nothing but a shame. Would it be better to die like this?
When Asherad didn't resist, Sabrina was surprised and quickly pulled her hand away.
“Oh, Asherad, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Sabrina kept apologizing while holding the squeaky Asherad in her arms.
“No, no, Asherad, I will save you. I am sorry for this mother. You did nothing wrong.”
His mother, who had been comforting him with her warm embrace, kept mumbling that she was sorry.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry... Asherad, was it that hard to please your father?!”
After a moment of trying to adjust to the warmth, Sabrina quickly pulled Asherad off her body. Asherad rolled on the floor.
“Get out, you worthless little brat who can’t even defeat a bastard! Get out, get out!”
Sabrina screamed.
The mother, who was always a noble and kind Empress to the outside world, had a different side. The Emperor neglected to care for his concubine and regarded her as a hindrance.
“Your Highness, Your Highness, are you alright?”
The nanny and Olga picked up the poor Crown Prince. There were bruises on Asherad's face. The nanny and Olga comforted Asherad as they took him to a safe room.
Asherad said with a grin.
“It’s all because of that girl.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s because of that vile woman and that girl!”
Olga chimed in. She seemed ready to kill the witch and her daughter at any moment. Asherad ground his teeth.
“I want to see that face once.”
“Why that girl’s face?”
“As soon as I see her, I’ll grab her neck and kill her.”
Young Asherad's eyes glowed ominously.
“That girl is coming to the palace. Find out when she will be arriving.”
Young Asherad folded his arms and ordered his attendant.
***
Asherad woke up. It was a short sleep and a dirty dream after a long time. He blinked slowly. The sunlight stung his eyes.
He would dream whenever he held Daphne. Most of them were about his childhood. Asherad turned his head and looked at the sleeping one.
Daphne was not there.
Daphne...
“Where are you!”
He jumped up from his seat and shouted in anger. Then the door burst open and a servant came running in.
“Your Majesty, what is this...”
“Bring her.”
"Yes?"
“Find that woman quickly and bring her to me!”
Asherad shouted, then, unable to contain his anger, he knocked down the table. How dare you, how dare you, how dare you!
“Would you rather kill it or let it kill you?”
Askeraad gritted his teeth. The next attendant spoke cautiously.
“Your Majesty.... The Empress Dowager has arrived here.”
“What happened?”
“You didn’t attend breakfast...”
He nervously made a rake with his hand and raked his hair. His black hair, which had been neatly combed despite lying down, was swept away.
“Tell her I’ll change my clothes and meet her.”
A murderous look flashed in Asherad's eyes. Asherad clenched his teeth. She ran away again? Leaving me behind, again?
He had no intention of leaving Daphne alone today.
***
“His Majesty has summoned you!”
Daphne, who had been lightly asleep, woke up with a start. Asherad's attendant opened the door and started screaming.
“Come out, come out! The king has spoken!”
Is this something to be so angry about? Daphne got up from her seat. She tried to straighten her clothes, but was just dragged away.
“Then why did you run out of the room so carelessly! It seems like you’re unlucky!”
The servant cursed Daphne, as if he were greatly offended by Asherad. Daphne bit her lip. She had thought he would be upset if she went back to her room first, but she had not expected this kind of reaction.
Only a few hours had passed. But what the heck.. Wasn’t the Emperor too busy to call in a doll to satisfy his lust for sex?
The servant left her in front of the Emperor's chamber. He had run away for fear of sparks flying. Daphne sighed and quietly entered his chamber.
***
“Did His Majesty hug that woman again?”
Someone asked the attendant who had emerged from the Emperor's bedroom, which would become the center of the storm. The voice was solid and heavy like a rock.
The servant turned his head toward the sound and bowed. A man with black hair and golden eyes was standing there. His face was sharp, and his mouth was firm. And the marks of time were engraved on his face. Despite his age, he still had an imposing size that overwhelmed the young.
He was the second military leader of the empire, the Duke of Turbol.
“Your Excellency! How can we enter His Majesty’s bedroom?”
“I have come to report something to His Majesty.”
His flawless, upright posture and stern face, which seemed to reveal his personality, naturally created tension in the viewers, even though he was not doing anything.
“So, I asked if His Majesty had held the woman again.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
A slight discomfort appeared in the corner of Duke Tourbol's eyes. The attendant did not dare to raise his head.
While Asherad went to war with Duke Turbol's eldest son, Ioannis Turbol, Duke Turbol led the government with Kalista.
The members of the Turbol family, who served as a shield for the protection of the country and a sword for its prosperity, always pursued strict uprightness.
So, an affair with a maid would not be to one's liking.
“He didn’t talk about marriage separately, did he?”
"Yes."
“Now we have freedom.”
The Duke of Turbol muttered in a displeased tone. The servant also thought the same. Asherad had not even welcomed the Crown Princess for a long time.
It was because the Emperor gave all sorts of reasons for not making a Crown Princess. He probably had the intention of not creating a strong maternal family.
“Are they still together?”
"... Yes."
In fact, Daphne had returned to her room and then returned at Asherad's call, but the servant decided to omit a detailed explanation.
“I'll go check it out.”
“Oh, oh, Your Excellency!”
The Duke of Turbol walked to the Emperor's bedroom without listening to the servant's dissuasion.
***
Daphne had a blank expression on her face. She didn't know what was happening before her eyes. As she was about to enter the open door, she saw something she shouldn't have seen.
“Oh my, Asherad!”
Malista took Asherad's hand in a flirtatious voice. Daphne's nerves were pulled taut.
Nothing else mattered. The voice, just that voice, made her feel something intuitively. Daphne took a step back, but thanks to that, the angle was different, and she could see the scene clearly.
“Why don’t you come to me?”
“...”
“Do you know how hard it has been for me while you’ve been away? And yet you don’t even spend time with me.”
“...”
“It was bad, really.”
That whiny voice gave her goosebumps.
“Mom, people have eyes.”
“People’s eyes? Huh! Is there anything more fleeting than that? Those who ignore me no matter what happens to me, but then slander me as if they’re going to kill me when they find my faults. Can that be an absolute standard?”
“Mother.”
“Asherad. Show me sincerity. You know what I have done for you.”
“Of course... I know what my mother did for me.”
His voice became deeper and softer. He lifted his fingers and stroked Malista's beautiful face.
As Daphne stepped back, Asherad turned his head. Acknowledging Daphne’s presence through the crack in the door, Asherad raised the corners of his mouth.
Those sharp eyes seemed to be telling her to look at them. Daphne couldn't move an inch.
Asherad kissed the lips of the woman in front of him without hesitation. His sharp jawline was visible from his slightly tilted head. His throat rose and fell.
She had to move her body. But her body was stuck to the floor and wouldn't move. She doesn't want to see. She doesn't really want to know. Her head kept whispering.
Asherad continued to look at Daphne with his eyes open.
Asherad kissed the Empress Dowager. Didn't they have a mother-child relationship? Do they love each other?
Or was it that Asherad was just matching the rhythm? She didn't know. What she could tell was that Asherad was looking at her until the kiss ended.
As she stood there watching, she felt someone roughly push her. Daphne fell to the floor.
When she raised her head, a large man was standing there. The man shouted, not caring about the fallen Daphne.
“Your Majesty, what nonsense is this!”
The furious voice sounded like the roar of a tiger.
Asherad kissed the Empress Dowager. Didn't they have a mother-child relationship? Do they love each other?
Or was it that Asherad was just matching the rhythm? She didn't know. What she could tell was that Asherad was looking at her until the kiss ended.
As she stood there watching, she felt someone roughly push her. Daphne fell to the floor.
When she raised her head, a large man was standing there. The man shouted, not caring about the fallen Daphne.
“Your Majesty, what nonsense is this!”
The furious voice sounded like the roar of a tiger.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment