Episode 69. Milliora's sudden action
His Highness Orl's answer was as expected. The essence of the noble language that seemed to be steeped in the experience of Viscount Rene was as follows.
'The abundant amount of iron ore is the Emperor's achievement, so it should be diverted to domestic use and make the Empire rich.'
Then His Majesty the Emperor asked,
"What do you think about the request of the Agael messenger?"
At that moment, my heart pounded. Indeed, the appearance of the Agael messenger was the core of this problem. His Highness Orl answered,
Then His Majesty the Emperor asked,
"What do you think about the request of the Agael messenger?"
At that moment, my heart pounded. Indeed, the appearance of the Agael messenger was the core of this problem. His Highness Orl answered,
"Absolutely not. How can you give the Emperor's iron to the enemy that should be destroyed after the Amata tribe?"
The answer of His Highness Grayon, the commander of the Amata War, was similar in general.
'The iron ore that the Imperial people have obtained through bloodshed must be used solely for the benefit of the Empire.'
However, he did not forget to emphasize that the replenishment of the troops lost in the meantime should be prioritized. It meant that the discontent of the warlords had to be appeased.
When it was her turn, Her Highness the Princess stepped forward.
The answer I had her memorize was the middle ground between the two Princes.
It was a textbook answer that said to antagonize Amata and fairly consider the military and domestic demand, considering the sentiments of the imperial people who had just fought a war.
However, when she opened her mouth, I felt like I had been hit in the head.
“Your Majesty, I have a different argument to make than my brothers. The empire should export iron to Agael.”
His Majesty the Emperor’s face hardened, and Her Majesty the Empress was holding onto the handles of her chair as if she was going to jump up.
“What are you doing, Miss Loire?”
Prince Kydel glared at me, but I was the most surprised person in the room.
However, regardless of my shock, Her Highness the Princess continued to speak in a clear voice.
“Your Majesty has acquired a mine of high-purity iron ore with abundant reserves through this war. However, due to technical issues, we cannot utilize it. The military and domestic demand must compete for priority in iron consumption. Of course, both of my elder brothers are right. Domestic demand and stockpiling weapons are equally important.”
The Princess looked around calmly at the people.
I wish she weren’t so confident and calm at times like this...
I felt a slight dizziness and tried not to let my expression waver.
His Majesty the Emperor asked in a voice that suppressed his anger.
“Milliora, what are you trying to say?”
“So if we increase the production of iron itself, all our problems will be solved.”
“...”
“Agael has better iron smelting technology than we do. They also have a stable supply of limestone and coke. In exchange for receiving smelting technology and materials from them, we can export the iron produced on a limited basis. That will bring much greater profits to the Empire than exporting iron ore.”
Milliora told them almost everything I had told her at the party.
It was painful to confirm her good memory and intelligence in this way.
A heavy silence flowed in the hall, and I felt the sharp gaze of the Princes on my side, and I wanted to faint.
'Milliora, this is really about us dying together!'
When His Majesty the Emperor's narrowed gaze passed over her and me in turn, my face turned red and I lowered my eyes.
After a while, he said,
"Milliora, I thought you were young and immature when I saw you dancing with the god of death. But that was my misunderstanding. The winner of today's competition is Milliora again. I will announce the next competition question later."
His Majesty the Emperor got up and left.
He must have been seriously contemplating the deal with Agael. In order to deal with that first, he postponed the next competition question.
Her Majesty the Empress's angry gaze passed over Her Highness the Princess and me once again. She followed him out without hiding her anger.
He must have been seriously contemplating the deal with Agael. In order to deal with that first, he postponed the next competition question.
Her Majesty the Empress's angry gaze passed over Her Highness the Princess and me once again. She followed him out without hiding her anger.
Then, His Highness Orl approached and glared at Her Highness Miliora.
His gaze was so creepy that I thought I should call Lord Rond.
However, Viscount Rene quietly blocked His Highness Orl and whispered,
“Your Highness!”
“Insolent!”
His Highness Orl left.
However, His Highness Grayon remained. He was also very angry.
He had been glaring at me from the beginning.
As if I were the one who caused all this!
Now, I too was about to cry.
When I looked at Her Highness with resentment, she turned around and went out.
Lord Rond looked at me and followed Her Highness.
I also wanted to get out of here quickly. But someone grabbed my arm.
It was Prince Kydel.
He took me to a corner and asked me very seriously,
“What is your plan, Miss Loire?”
I looked at him with a half-sob face because I was so aggrieved.
“Does this sound like a plan?”
“...”
His face hardened as if he were just as embarrassed as I was.
“I’ll be going now, Your Excellency.”
I quickly walked out of the government hall to catch up with Her Highness the Princess, and Lord Rond.
But two old maids blocked my path.
“Lady Loire?”
“Well?”
“Her Majesty the Empress has called, so please follow.”
His Highness Orl left.
However, His Highness Grayon remained. He was also very angry.
He had been glaring at me from the beginning.
As if I were the one who caused all this!
Now, I too was about to cry.
When I looked at Her Highness with resentment, she turned around and went out.
Lord Rond looked at me and followed Her Highness.
I also wanted to get out of here quickly. But someone grabbed my arm.
It was Prince Kydel.
He took me to a corner and asked me very seriously,
“What is your plan, Miss Loire?”
I looked at him with a half-sob face because I was so aggrieved.
“Does this sound like a plan?”
“...”
His face hardened as if he were just as embarrassed as I was.
“I’ll be going now, Your Excellency.”
I quickly walked out of the government hall to catch up with Her Highness the Princess, and Lord Rond.
But two old maids blocked my path.
“Lady Loire?”
“Well?”
“Her Majesty the Empress has called, so please follow.”
I felt the hairs standing on end.
I watched the backs of Her Highness Milliora and Lord Rond, who had grown so distant that they seemed small, and then followed the maids.
The most vivid memory of violence that remains in my mind is the stone-throwing by the village chief’s son in the village below Tunbar Mountain.
Since I had been beaten more than once by the Countess since I came to the Count’s residences when I was young, I had come to accept any beating. But today’s incident was something I will never forget.
When we arrived at the Empress’s palace, Her Majesty the Empress was silent. The gaze she was looking at me with disgust was the same as the one she had used to look at Her Highness Milliora.
‘This time, I won’t be able to get away easily.’
Her Majesty the Empress’s maid, Viscountess Miriam Horte, pointed to the stool in front of her and said.
“Get up. Lift your calves.”
‘Yum.’
I thought to myself as I climbed onto it. As I lifted my skirt, she stood next to me holding a whip.
I wanted to explain something to Her Majesty the Empress.
However, she was someone who despised even her own daughter. There was no way she would listen to an explanation from an illegitimate maid who was disrespectful.
“Ugh!”
When the first whip flew, I thought my calves might have been split in half.
'The maid's whipping was nothing!'
I gritted my teeth and tried to endure it, thinking, "How did I live like this?" But it hurt so much that my teeth chattered.
While I was shaking like that, two whips broke.
When the maid took out a new whip, my eyes swayed, and I got down from the stool.
Her Majesty the Empress finally spoke to me.
"Do you know what you did today, Loire?"
If she had asked me when the first whip broke, I might have begged her for forgiveness.
But at this point, I wondered what benefit there would be in getting hit less often.
My calves were already bruised. If she had thought of me as a human being, she would have spoken to me before I got to this point.
I raised my head and looked at Her Majesty the Empress. I had clenched my teeth and endured it so long that my jaw ached when I opened my mouth to speak.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I made a mistake in judgment and caused Her Highness to give a foolish answer, so I deserve to die for that sin.”
However, Her Majesty the Empress opened her eyes wide and rebuked me with an even more indignant expression.
“You still don’t know your sin!”
Then the maid shouted.
“Get up!”
When I stumbled as I tried to get up, the maids ran over and helped me up onto the stool.
And then the whip flew again.
“Ugh!”
I was the one who got hit, but Her Majesty the Empress trembled even more indignantly and said,
“Today’s victory should have been Orl’s. He should have all the glory of victory!”
When Her Majesty the Empress said “the glory of victory,” I felt a strange feeling even in the midst of it. The emotion she was radiating felt like a terrible inferiority complex.
She seemed to be angry at everything His Highness Orl had not achieved. Things like a healthy body and the title of war hero.
For His Highness Orl, who would never have such things in his life, winning this competition was extremely important.
I watched the backs of Her Highness Milliora and Lord Rond, who had grown so distant that they seemed small, and then followed the maids.
The most vivid memory of violence that remains in my mind is the stone-throwing by the village chief’s son in the village below Tunbar Mountain.
Since I had been beaten more than once by the Countess since I came to the Count’s residences when I was young, I had come to accept any beating. But today’s incident was something I will never forget.
When we arrived at the Empress’s palace, Her Majesty the Empress was silent. The gaze she was looking at me with disgust was the same as the one she had used to look at Her Highness Milliora.
‘This time, I won’t be able to get away easily.’
Her Majesty the Empress’s maid, Viscountess Miriam Horte, pointed to the stool in front of her and said.
“Get up. Lift your calves.”
‘Yum.’
I thought to myself as I climbed onto it. As I lifted my skirt, she stood next to me holding a whip.
I wanted to explain something to Her Majesty the Empress.
However, she was someone who despised even her own daughter. There was no way she would listen to an explanation from an illegitimate maid who was disrespectful.
“Ugh!”
When the first whip flew, I thought my calves might have been split in half.
'The maid's whipping was nothing!'
I gritted my teeth and tried to endure it, thinking, "How did I live like this?" But it hurt so much that my teeth chattered.
While I was shaking like that, two whips broke.
When the maid took out a new whip, my eyes swayed, and I got down from the stool.
Her Majesty the Empress finally spoke to me.
"Do you know what you did today, Loire?"
If she had asked me when the first whip broke, I might have begged her for forgiveness.
But at this point, I wondered what benefit there would be in getting hit less often.
My calves were already bruised. If she had thought of me as a human being, she would have spoken to me before I got to this point.
I raised my head and looked at Her Majesty the Empress. I had clenched my teeth and endured it so long that my jaw ached when I opened my mouth to speak.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I made a mistake in judgment and caused Her Highness to give a foolish answer, so I deserve to die for that sin.”
However, Her Majesty the Empress opened her eyes wide and rebuked me with an even more indignant expression.
“You still don’t know your sin!”
Then the maid shouted.
“Get up!”
When I stumbled as I tried to get up, the maids ran over and helped me up onto the stool.
And then the whip flew again.
“Ugh!”
I was the one who got hit, but Her Majesty the Empress trembled even more indignantly and said,
“Today’s victory should have been Orl’s. He should have all the glory of victory!”
When Her Majesty the Empress said “the glory of victory,” I felt a strange feeling even in the midst of it. The emotion she was radiating felt like a terrible inferiority complex.
She seemed to be angry at everything His Highness Orl had not achieved. Things like a healthy body and the title of war hero.
For His Highness Orl, who would never have such things in his life, winning this competition was extremely important.
But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered about the inferiority complex hidden in Her Majesty’s anger.
His Highness Grayon was also her son, so why did Her Majesty seem to feel the same emotions that His Highness should feel toward his younger brother?
Her Majesty let out a ragged breath, perhaps because I seemed to be thinking of something else.
“You are so lowly that you are slow to realize.”
At that, the maid’s whip rose higher.
I shut my eyes tightly, shivering at the beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I couldn’t bear it any longer.
‘Damn it.’
“Your Majesty!”
At that moment, Her Highness Milliora came running half-heartedly and fell before Her Majesty.
“I was wrong! Please forgive me.”
Her Majesty said as if she had been waiting.
“Yes. It’s always your fault. Who doesn’t know that? You were born wrong. Why do I have to keep enduring this?”
At that moment, I had to see the life in Her Highness Milliora’s eyes shatter. My teeth clenched again.
Still, Her Highness Milliora refused to back down and tried to hold on to Her Majesty the Empress. She placed both hands on the floor and shouted.
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