62. Beloved
King Cyrus of Thalassa was irritated by the letter. As the King ignored it, Kalista's letters became more frequent. The contents of the letters were similar.
Emperor Peneus, Asherad, is angry with her. She is imprisoned by the Emperor and cannot move, so send her money and a dress. Or pressure Asherad to let go of his anger.
There was only such pitiful content.
“I think it’s pathetic!”
Cyrus shouted.
Even though she was adopted, he didn't feel satisfied when he brought her in as his daughter and made her the Empress of the empire.
It would have been best if she had the Emperor's seed, but the Emperor was sick and Asherad was off to war, and she seemed to be leading the state affairs, but eventually she was pushed out by the new Emperor in the power struggle.
Who would have thought that that stupid Emperor would die so soon?
He cursed Belenus for being dead. While Belenus was a puppet and the Duke of Turbol was leading the state affairs, Kalista should have made the palace completely her own. It would not have been easy for a foreigner, but it could have been done with the help of the Kingdom of Thalassa.
Kalista ignored all of his advice and ended up as an old woman in the back room at such a young age.
“Cyrus, what is it?”
Lydia, Kalista's mother and Queen, snatched the King's letter away. It was a mother's instinct.
Cyrus frowned and meekly handed over the letter. It was because he felt sorry for Lydia, who had been sick in bed because of the lack of contact from Kalista lately.
“Oh my goodness, poor thing.”
As expected, Lydia began to sob when she saw Kalista's tear-stained letter.
“Honey, please help Kalista.”
As expected, Lydia said so. The King loved Lydia, but her stupidity sometimes annoyed him.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Although he was the one doing the courting, the King was essentially the one with the upper hand in the relationship.
That was also the reason why he sent Kalista to another country. All of Kalista's aid was decided by him as the King.
He did love Kalista, but he wanted to get rid of her quickly.
“She said it herself. The Emperor became angry when she tried to kill his beloved lover.”
“...”
“I would be angry if someone tried to kill the lover I cherish. She's not even the Emperor, so what qualifications does she have...”
At that reprimand, tears began to fall from Lydia's eyes. They were the tears of the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom of Thalassa. A beauty that seemed like falling jewels, and a sadness that seemed like it would soon disappear. The King's heart weakened when he saw it.
“When will she grow up...”
Just as he was about to quietly suggest sending an amount that wouldn't hurt Kalista's feelings, Lydia suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“That kid loves the Emperor!”
“What the hell are you talking about!”
Lydia cried loudly. If what she just said was true, then she wasn't just immature; she was just plain unintelligent!
“She sent that to you again?”
“What’s wrong with love! Even though we have such a big age difference, we still love each other!”
“Don’t go around saying things like that!”
"Why!"
Ugh! The King wanted to pull out all the hair he had left. The mother and daughter drove him crazy. It was a disaster.
At first, Kalista made a ridiculous claim that she wanted to be Asherad's wife. When she gradually became quiet, he thought she had come to terms with the reality, but it seemed she was still whining.
Will that work?
Love between someone who is old enough to be a mother and someone who is old enough to be a son? Even the Emperor doesn't seem to have any feelings for him?
Are you planning to have the Kingdom of Thalassa criticized as a country of immorality, uncivilized people, and unfilial people who do not know morals or ethics?
Incest is something that all the gods forbid. Even though not a single drop of blood is shared, how filthy is that relationship!
“If you don’t want the whole country to accuse Kalista of being a witch, then tell her to shut up right now!”
“Cyrus!”
“Don’t you know how dirty it is for Kalista to let her feelings out? Me too.”
The King tried to calm his blushing face. Lydia sobbed. But this time, he could not follow her advice.
The King cursed Kalista, but then his thoughts turned to Asherad.
“It’s all because of that little brat.”
The King was also aware of this. Why would the Emperor suddenly become a vegetative man? It was not hard for him to guess that the half-faced guy had seduced Kalista.
“That cocky, arrogant bastard.”
In any case, if the innocent Kalista had taken care of the country while he was away at war, shouldn't he have covered up her shortcomings to that extent? If it weren't for that damned gun, he wouldn't have been so humble. He ground his teeth.
“Your Majesty! An official letter has arrived from the Empire.”
“Official letter?”
Not long after delivering Kalista's letter, a letter bearing the royal seal arrived. Was this an official condemnation of Kalista's actions? He frowned, then lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Asherad's letter truly pleased him.
A word of concern that Kalista's actions might upset him, a reassurance that her punishment would not be long. And...
“Who should I take this time?”
It was about selecting an Empress. A personal letter saying that he would find an Empress for Peneus.
This clearly meant that he would form a relationship with the Kingdom of Thalassa. Asherad was a man who provided tasty prey at the right time.
“Now that you’ve read it, can you throw it away?”
Daphne sighed and handed the book to Amanda. Amanda frowned. It was Daphne's new hobby.
Amanda looked around with the book in her hand, wondering why she insisted on throwing it away.
“Sister! Did you bring the book?”
"Yes."
"Thank god."
“Do you find this kind of thing fun?”
“Of course. Studying writing is the best.”
The stable boy spoke to Amanda as she was about to throw away the book. He asked if she could give it to him if she was going to study and throw away the book.
The moment Amanda saw the coin the boy held out, she thought of her own little brother and started to give him the book.
The boy who received the book made a bright expression, but then quickly erased his expression and handed the book over to someone. This is how all communication took place.
Daphne knew that Amanda was secretly cruel. She knew that Count Locania had taken a huge risk by coming to see her.
The royal court always had a set place to purchase books, and Daphne had only to purchase the books that Count Locania had specified. Inside them was his coded message, and Daphne deciphered it.
As she accepted the book, Daphne felt somehow reassured. It felt like the ignorant maid who had no idea what to do had become a great person. In addition, she felt hopeful.
However, the Count's message was met with a sigh.
'Go quickly to the Emperor.'
It was a word that urged reconciliation with Asherad. Daphne sighed. She thought back to her last conversation with Count Locania.
“Become the concubine that the Emperor literally cannot live without.”
Finally, Count Locania spoke. That was okay, since Daphne also felt the need for it.
“But the Emperor does not love me, Count.”
"What?"
The Count made a deflating sound as if he found it funny.
“You, even after causing all that trouble, don’t you still have a mind of your own?”
“Your Majesty is... fond of the Empress Dowager.”
Count Locania tried hard to suppress his laughter.
“What the hell are you talking about! It’s obvious to everyone. Just like his father, Emperor Asherad is obsessed with you.”
“...”
“The Emperor loves you.”
Daphne looked confused at that assertion.
“But I don’t know how long that favor will last. Do you know what the Emperor is doing right now? He is about to welcome the Empress.”
“...”
The Count said, looking at Daphne's surprised expression.
“So, we have to hurry.”
The Count of Locania then clearly had a look of conviction on his face. The Count smiled cruelly and said.
“You must make the Emperor love you the most. Then, he will go mad after losing you.”
Love is revenge. It was such a sweet temptation.
Daphne looked out the window and clutched the hem of her skirt. It seemed that Asherad would not come today either. Now she had made up her mind. She decided to use the method that Count Locania had told her.
“I want to take a walk in the garden.”
Daphne said to Amanda with a smile. Daphne chose a pair of heels among the many, many shoes.
“This is pretty.”
“You can’t wear high heels.”
“But people are wearing them and walking around, so I want to try wearing them too.”
“...”
Sarah looked at Daphne with concern. The walk to the garden was not easy.
Daphne's steps were unsteady in her high heels. After wearing low-heeled leather shoes for so long, her steps felt unnatural in these high heels.
Daphne looked at the high stone steps in the garden. She bit her lip and held her breath as she stepped carelessly onto them, as if the steps were in midair.
“Whoa!”
Daphne's body fell forward. Her body rolled down the stairs. It hurt as if she had been hit.
“Oh, Daphne!”
Sarah screamed in surprise. The knights escorting her also came closer in surprise.
Daphne tried to get up, but her legs didn't have the strength to move. Blood flowed out from her knee where she had hit the stone.
Daphne looked pained.
There was little she could do, other than abuse her body like this.
Daphne, who had barely made it back to her room with help, looked at her injured leg. Fortunately, it was only a sprained ankle and a scrape on her knee.
Her whole body was startled and sore. Her body was covered in bruises. Daphne laughed at her own appearance.
What if Asherad doesn't come even after doing all this? It would be more than enough time for Asherad to hear about it.
Daphne smoothed the bandages around her. Would he blink an eye if a dog were injured? It was clear that the Count of Locania had no idea.
As Daphne stood up from her seat, looking uneasy, the door slammed open.
Daphne stared blankly at the person who had barged into the room. It was Asherad. The moment she saw his disheveled hair, Daphne's eyes widened.
Her heart started pounding.
Why did this person come here?
'The Emperor loves you.'
Count Locania's voice rang in her ears.
King Cyrus of Thalassa was irritated by the letter. As the King ignored it, Kalista's letters became more frequent. The contents of the letters were similar.
Emperor Peneus, Asherad, is angry with her. She is imprisoned by the Emperor and cannot move, so send her money and a dress. Or pressure Asherad to let go of his anger.
There was only such pitiful content.
“I think it’s pathetic!”
Cyrus shouted.
Even though she was adopted, he didn't feel satisfied when he brought her in as his daughter and made her the Empress of the empire.
It would have been best if she had the Emperor's seed, but the Emperor was sick and Asherad was off to war, and she seemed to be leading the state affairs, but eventually she was pushed out by the new Emperor in the power struggle.
Who would have thought that that stupid Emperor would die so soon?
He cursed Belenus for being dead. While Belenus was a puppet and the Duke of Turbol was leading the state affairs, Kalista should have made the palace completely her own. It would not have been easy for a foreigner, but it could have been done with the help of the Kingdom of Thalassa.
Kalista ignored all of his advice and ended up as an old woman in the back room at such a young age.
“Cyrus, what is it?”
Lydia, Kalista's mother and Queen, snatched the King's letter away. It was a mother's instinct.
Cyrus frowned and meekly handed over the letter. It was because he felt sorry for Lydia, who had been sick in bed because of the lack of contact from Kalista lately.
“Oh my goodness, poor thing.”
As expected, Lydia began to sob when she saw Kalista's tear-stained letter.
“Honey, please help Kalista.”
As expected, Lydia said so. The King loved Lydia, but her stupidity sometimes annoyed him.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Although he was the one doing the courting, the King was essentially the one with the upper hand in the relationship.
That was also the reason why he sent Kalista to another country. All of Kalista's aid was decided by him as the King.
He did love Kalista, but he wanted to get rid of her quickly.
“She said it herself. The Emperor became angry when she tried to kill his beloved lover.”
“...”
“I would be angry if someone tried to kill the lover I cherish. She's not even the Emperor, so what qualifications does she have...”
At that reprimand, tears began to fall from Lydia's eyes. They were the tears of the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom of Thalassa. A beauty that seemed like falling jewels, and a sadness that seemed like it would soon disappear. The King's heart weakened when he saw it.
“When will she grow up...”
Just as he was about to quietly suggest sending an amount that wouldn't hurt Kalista's feelings, Lydia suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“That kid loves the Emperor!”
“What the hell are you talking about!”
Lydia cried loudly. If what she just said was true, then she wasn't just immature; she was just plain unintelligent!
“She sent that to you again?”
“What’s wrong with love! Even though we have such a big age difference, we still love each other!”
“Don’t go around saying things like that!”
"Why!"
Ugh! The King wanted to pull out all the hair he had left. The mother and daughter drove him crazy. It was a disaster.
At first, Kalista made a ridiculous claim that she wanted to be Asherad's wife. When she gradually became quiet, he thought she had come to terms with the reality, but it seemed she was still whining.
Will that work?
Love between someone who is old enough to be a mother and someone who is old enough to be a son? Even the Emperor doesn't seem to have any feelings for him?
Are you planning to have the Kingdom of Thalassa criticized as a country of immorality, uncivilized people, and unfilial people who do not know morals or ethics?
Incest is something that all the gods forbid. Even though not a single drop of blood is shared, how filthy is that relationship!
“If you don’t want the whole country to accuse Kalista of being a witch, then tell her to shut up right now!”
“Cyrus!”
“Don’t you know how dirty it is for Kalista to let her feelings out? Me too.”
The King tried to calm his blushing face. Lydia sobbed. But this time, he could not follow her advice.
The King cursed Kalista, but then his thoughts turned to Asherad.
“It’s all because of that little brat.”
The King was also aware of this. Why would the Emperor suddenly become a vegetative man? It was not hard for him to guess that the half-faced guy had seduced Kalista.
“That cocky, arrogant bastard.”
In any case, if the innocent Kalista had taken care of the country while he was away at war, shouldn't he have covered up her shortcomings to that extent? If it weren't for that damned gun, he wouldn't have been so humble. He ground his teeth.
“Your Majesty! An official letter has arrived from the Empire.”
“Official letter?”
Not long after delivering Kalista's letter, a letter bearing the royal seal arrived. Was this an official condemnation of Kalista's actions? He frowned, then lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Asherad's letter truly pleased him.
A word of concern that Kalista's actions might upset him, a reassurance that her punishment would not be long. And...
“Who should I take this time?”
It was about selecting an Empress. A personal letter saying that he would find an Empress for Peneus.
This clearly meant that he would form a relationship with the Kingdom of Thalassa. Asherad was a man who provided tasty prey at the right time.
***
“Now that you’ve read it, can you throw it away?”
Daphne sighed and handed the book to Amanda. Amanda frowned. It was Daphne's new hobby.
Amanda looked around with the book in her hand, wondering why she insisted on throwing it away.
“Sister! Did you bring the book?”
"Yes."
"Thank god."
“Do you find this kind of thing fun?”
“Of course. Studying writing is the best.”
The stable boy spoke to Amanda as she was about to throw away the book. He asked if she could give it to him if she was going to study and throw away the book.
The moment Amanda saw the coin the boy held out, she thought of her own little brother and started to give him the book.
The boy who received the book made a bright expression, but then quickly erased his expression and handed the book over to someone. This is how all communication took place.
Daphne knew that Amanda was secretly cruel. She knew that Count Locania had taken a huge risk by coming to see her.
The royal court always had a set place to purchase books, and Daphne had only to purchase the books that Count Locania had specified. Inside them was his coded message, and Daphne deciphered it.
As she accepted the book, Daphne felt somehow reassured. It felt like the ignorant maid who had no idea what to do had become a great person. In addition, she felt hopeful.
However, the Count's message was met with a sigh.
'Go quickly to the Emperor.'
It was a word that urged reconciliation with Asherad. Daphne sighed. She thought back to her last conversation with Count Locania.
***
“Become the concubine that the Emperor literally cannot live without.”
Finally, Count Locania spoke. That was okay, since Daphne also felt the need for it.
“But the Emperor does not love me, Count.”
"What?"
The Count made a deflating sound as if he found it funny.
“You, even after causing all that trouble, don’t you still have a mind of your own?”
“Your Majesty is... fond of the Empress Dowager.”
Count Locania tried hard to suppress his laughter.
“What the hell are you talking about! It’s obvious to everyone. Just like his father, Emperor Asherad is obsessed with you.”
“...”
“The Emperor loves you.”
Daphne looked confused at that assertion.
“But I don’t know how long that favor will last. Do you know what the Emperor is doing right now? He is about to welcome the Empress.”
“...”
The Count said, looking at Daphne's surprised expression.
“So, we have to hurry.”
The Count of Locania then clearly had a look of conviction on his face. The Count smiled cruelly and said.
“You must make the Emperor love you the most. Then, he will go mad after losing you.”
Love is revenge. It was such a sweet temptation.
***
Daphne looked out the window and clutched the hem of her skirt. It seemed that Asherad would not come today either. Now she had made up her mind. She decided to use the method that Count Locania had told her.
“I want to take a walk in the garden.”
Daphne said to Amanda with a smile. Daphne chose a pair of heels among the many, many shoes.
“This is pretty.”
“You can’t wear high heels.”
“But people are wearing them and walking around, so I want to try wearing them too.”
“...”
Sarah looked at Daphne with concern. The walk to the garden was not easy.
Daphne's steps were unsteady in her high heels. After wearing low-heeled leather shoes for so long, her steps felt unnatural in these high heels.
Daphne looked at the high stone steps in the garden. She bit her lip and held her breath as she stepped carelessly onto them, as if the steps were in midair.
“Whoa!”
Daphne's body fell forward. Her body rolled down the stairs. It hurt as if she had been hit.
“Oh, Daphne!”
Sarah screamed in surprise. The knights escorting her also came closer in surprise.
Daphne tried to get up, but her legs didn't have the strength to move. Blood flowed out from her knee where she had hit the stone.
Daphne looked pained.
There was little she could do, other than abuse her body like this.
Daphne, who had barely made it back to her room with help, looked at her injured leg. Fortunately, it was only a sprained ankle and a scrape on her knee.
Her whole body was startled and sore. Her body was covered in bruises. Daphne laughed at her own appearance.
What if Asherad doesn't come even after doing all this? It would be more than enough time for Asherad to hear about it.
Daphne smoothed the bandages around her. Would he blink an eye if a dog were injured? It was clear that the Count of Locania had no idea.
As Daphne stood up from her seat, looking uneasy, the door slammed open.
Daphne stared blankly at the person who had barged into the room. It was Asherad. The moment she saw his disheveled hair, Daphne's eyes widened.
Her heart started pounding.
Why did this person come here?
'The Emperor loves you.'
Count Locania's voice rang in her ears.
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