85. What to do
“Ahh!”
John listened in the direction of the sound. The rich man was looking toward the Emperor's bedroom. He spoke to his father, the Duke of Turbol.
“Was Asherad there all day?”
"No."
Duke Turbol continued speaking, looking at the closed door with a displeased expression on his face.
“As the Emperor, he has to do what he has to do, but... whenever he gets the chance, he spends time with that woman here.”
The intermittent voice of a small woman came from beyond the door. They did not know it. Ioannis's eyes narrowed even further. The Duke of Turbol clicked his tongue and said.
“When I see that, I can tell that he definitely resembles the former Emperor.”
“What are you talking about...”
“I’m talking about what I’ve seen and grown up with.”
Duke Turbol looked into the Emperor's bedroom. Among the leaking sounds, there seemed to be a sound of crying. As soon as Ioannis listened to the sound, the Duke grumbled.
“I wonder if I’ll end up having a grandson like this.”
“...”
Daphne's screams and cries seemed to be nothing to him. Ioannis thought of Asherad smiling and kissing Daphne as she was taken out of the coffin. Asherad's obsession was not normal, but he thought it was love. But if it was love, he was obsessed like that again.
He was holding Daphne whenever he had the chance. Sometimes when he passed by and saw Daphne, her neck was covered with red marks. It was the same even now. They probably won't come out of their beds until tomorrow morning. The sun is just setting now.
“I don’t know if it’ll be okay.”
“I see,” said Ioannis with a bitter smile, looking at Duke Turbol, who nodded in agreement.
“Miss Daphne.”
“That woman won’t care...”
“You have to be careful.”
“Are you saying I should kill her?”
Ioannis frowned as if he was frustrated with Duke Turbol, who still didn't know anything.
“Don’t you understand yet, Father? For Asherad, that woman is his last tether to reason.”
“It must be a turning point that will make him lose his mind.”
Ioannis agreed with that statement as well.
“Ugh!”
In an instant, a loud, sharp sound spread outside the room. The duke clicked his tongue and shook his head. Ioannis looked at the room. Asherad's anger was beyond imagination. Ioannis secretly thought that he might cut off one of Daphne’s arms.
The sight of him returning to the palace was just like that of a grim reaper, overflowing with murderous intent. Those sparkling eyes made me think he might kill Daphne.
However, Asherad failed to kill Daphne. He even left her wounded.
What he did was to hug Daphne whenever he had the chance. It was to the point where he thought Daphne might die if he continued like this.
If he's that worried, he can just go and see her. But Ioannis hasn't visited Daphne since then. In fact, there's probably no reason to go.
His brown eyes darkened.
“Eat.”
Daphne turned her head at the blunt voice. It was bread and soup that Sarah had casually offered. Asherad really had bad taste. He had asked Sarah, who had betrayed her, to serve her.
Sarah didn't hide her malice. Daphne looked at the torn bread and the soup spilled all over the plate. Daphne looked at Sarah.
Do you think that was malicious? If it were someone else, she would have brought rocks instead of bread, and water instead of soup with so many ingredients. Of course, she would have spit on it. Sarah was clumsily teasing Daphne. She did that for several days.
Daphne asked cautiously.
“Did His Majesty say that if the food isn’t wholesome, he will execute you?”
Daphne picked up a piece of bread. She thought she might chew on sand, but the bread was intact.
“It’s noisy.”
Sarah said through gritted teeth. She laughed out loud as she watched Daphne chewing on her bread.
“Daphne, you can still eat bread even though Amanda is dead?”
Daphne chewed it hard and swallowed it, saying it was incredible. In fact, she didn’t swallow it well. She just ate it because she didn’t know what Asherad would do if she didn’t eat. As she chewed it hard and swallowed it, tears welled up in Daphne’s eyes.
She didn't deserve to live like this. The thought of it made her feel like she was going to vomit. Sarah looked at his face and said in annoyance.
“Your face is really disgusting. Do you know that?”
“...”
“I didn’t want to be your maid because I hated that face.”
Daphne bit her lip at Sarah's muttering. The reason she couldn't say anything to Sarah was that her eyes were red. Sarah was mourning Amanda's death. And as much as she was mourning, she hated Daphne. Daphne couldn't say anything when she saw her.
Just then, the door flew open.
“If you want to blame someone, find someone else.”
She turned her head at the sound of the voice and saw Ioannis. He frowned at Sarah.
“Hello, Your Excellency.”
“Raise your head.”
Amanda looked at him cautiously at Ioannis' words.
“The one we should blame here is not her, who killed that maid, but His Majesty the Emperor.”
“...”
“What on earth did this girl do wrong?”
At those words, Sarah bit her lip and spoke indifferently.
“Existence itself is a sin. How many people have died because of that act...”
“Did Miss Daphne kill them? Shouldn’t we blame the person who caused their deaths with that action?”
Daphne was surprised. When he said 'the one who killed', she meant Asherad or the late Emperor. Could such a word come out so naturally from a knight?
Is it because they are nobles that they are different?
Sarah's face turned red. Her eyes changed, and for someone as gentle as her, she glared at Ioannis with a rather fierce gaze before walking away.
“If something like that happens, it’s better to get angry.”
“...”
Daphne did not look at Ioannis. She remembered the moment when his sword coldly pierced Amanda. The moment Amanda died will never be forgotten. Daphne closed her eyes, and tears fell from them. She turned away from Ioannis.
“I won’t say such cowardly things as telling you not to blame me for the same thing.”
Yes, that's right. Daphne begged him not to do that, but Ioannis pierced her with his sword. He could have stopped Asherad, but he killed her as if it were only natural.
“Why, why did you do that?”
Daphne asked Ioannis in a trembling voice. He did not answer Daphne's question, but looked at her and then averted his gaze before speaking.
“Well, I had to kill her.”
What the... Amanda was not someone who should be killed. He said, looking into her angry eyes.
“Isn’t that obvious? His Majesty could have killed you, too. He instructed me on how to relieve his anger without killing you, so I followed suit.”
Daphne opened her mouth slightly. Is that right? Is that right?
What about Amanda's life that is sacrificed there?
“When you ran away, didn’t you essentially give up that woman’s life?”
Ioannis was so cruel. When he told her the painful truth, her eyes turned red.
"No!"
Daphne shook her head in denial and cried out, tears streaming down her bloodshot eyes again.
“No, no, no.”
That's right. She knows very well. Ioannis was right. Daphne did contribute to Amanda's death. Daphne sobbed. She should have just stayed still, but she ran away for no reason... Her tears fell and soaked the floor. Ioannis watched it.
“You were a kind person.”
Ioannis looked at her with a puzzled look. Daphne bit her lip to suppress her tears and said.
“You let me draw, and you taught me how to behave in the palace. You did everything for me, even though I was worthless.”
Daphne was resentful. She knew full well that the object of her resentment was Asherad. Still, she resented this man. She should have treated him kindly instead.
“Well, aren’t you the bird that Asherad caught?”
"Yes?"
Daphne looked at him blankly. Ioannis continued with the coldest expression he had ever seen.
“Asherad loves you.”
“...”
“It is natural to help someone who is going crazy with love.”
Daphne slightly parted her lips. She felt betrayed somehow. It was natural that Asherad was his priority. He was his subject and his friend. Still, she couldn't figure out why she felt this way.
“You tried to run away from him, so I told him to make a fancy cage, and I also tried to give you some breathing room.”
“...”
“Asherad is clumsy and jealous, so I gave him some convenience.”
Daphne's face turned pale. Ioannis spoke to Daphne with an expression that showed he could not understand her.
“If you had stayed like that, Asherad would have devoted himself to you. You could have even married and become an official Empress. But why...”
“Because I didn’t want it.”
At those plain, tearful words, Ioannis looked at Daphne with a stern expression. The woman, with tears streaming down her face, forced a smile and said,
“I... don’t want a relationship with him anymore.”
At those words, tears fell again.
“Even if Your Majesty treats me well... what about me? Do I have to follow him unconditionally?”
Looking at Daphne, who boldly spoke of free will in front of the Emperor, Ioannis was speechless. The blue eyes that had lost their light due to hatred became lively when she mentioned the freedom to escape from him. However, the problem was that it was made of hatred.
“Well, what good would this do?”
Daphne smiled bitterly. The light disappeared from Daphne’s face as if a light had gone out. Looking at her face, Ioannis was overcome by an impulse. A feeling of guilt that he should help the person he had thought was a bird. He was startled by the thought that came to him.
What should I do, Asherad? She thinks she is free to get away from you.
“By the way, what brings you here?”
Ioannis was momentarily speechless. He stood outside the room, hesitated, and then came in after hearing Sarah's harsh words. He had no business.
What should you do, and what should I do, Askeraad?
“Ahh!”
John listened in the direction of the sound. The rich man was looking toward the Emperor's bedroom. He spoke to his father, the Duke of Turbol.
“Was Asherad there all day?”
"No."
Duke Turbol continued speaking, looking at the closed door with a displeased expression on his face.
“As the Emperor, he has to do what he has to do, but... whenever he gets the chance, he spends time with that woman here.”
The intermittent voice of a small woman came from beyond the door. They did not know it. Ioannis's eyes narrowed even further. The Duke of Turbol clicked his tongue and said.
“When I see that, I can tell that he definitely resembles the former Emperor.”
“What are you talking about...”
“I’m talking about what I’ve seen and grown up with.”
Duke Turbol looked into the Emperor's bedroom. Among the leaking sounds, there seemed to be a sound of crying. As soon as Ioannis listened to the sound, the Duke grumbled.
“I wonder if I’ll end up having a grandson like this.”
“...”
Daphne's screams and cries seemed to be nothing to him. Ioannis thought of Asherad smiling and kissing Daphne as she was taken out of the coffin. Asherad's obsession was not normal, but he thought it was love. But if it was love, he was obsessed like that again.
He was holding Daphne whenever he had the chance. Sometimes when he passed by and saw Daphne, her neck was covered with red marks. It was the same even now. They probably won't come out of their beds until tomorrow morning. The sun is just setting now.
“I don’t know if it’ll be okay.”
“I see,” said Ioannis with a bitter smile, looking at Duke Turbol, who nodded in agreement.
“Miss Daphne.”
“That woman won’t care...”
“You have to be careful.”
“Are you saying I should kill her?”
Ioannis frowned as if he was frustrated with Duke Turbol, who still didn't know anything.
“Don’t you understand yet, Father? For Asherad, that woman is his last tether to reason.”
“It must be a turning point that will make him lose his mind.”
Ioannis agreed with that statement as well.
“Ugh!”
In an instant, a loud, sharp sound spread outside the room. The duke clicked his tongue and shook his head. Ioannis looked at the room. Asherad's anger was beyond imagination. Ioannis secretly thought that he might cut off one of Daphne’s arms.
The sight of him returning to the palace was just like that of a grim reaper, overflowing with murderous intent. Those sparkling eyes made me think he might kill Daphne.
However, Asherad failed to kill Daphne. He even left her wounded.
What he did was to hug Daphne whenever he had the chance. It was to the point where he thought Daphne might die if he continued like this.
If he's that worried, he can just go and see her. But Ioannis hasn't visited Daphne since then. In fact, there's probably no reason to go.
His brown eyes darkened.
***
“Eat.”
Daphne turned her head at the blunt voice. It was bread and soup that Sarah had casually offered. Asherad really had bad taste. He had asked Sarah, who had betrayed her, to serve her.
Sarah didn't hide her malice. Daphne looked at the torn bread and the soup spilled all over the plate. Daphne looked at Sarah.
Do you think that was malicious? If it were someone else, she would have brought rocks instead of bread, and water instead of soup with so many ingredients. Of course, she would have spit on it. Sarah was clumsily teasing Daphne. She did that for several days.
Daphne asked cautiously.
“Did His Majesty say that if the food isn’t wholesome, he will execute you?”
Daphne picked up a piece of bread. She thought she might chew on sand, but the bread was intact.
“It’s noisy.”
Sarah said through gritted teeth. She laughed out loud as she watched Daphne chewing on her bread.
“Daphne, you can still eat bread even though Amanda is dead?”
Daphne chewed it hard and swallowed it, saying it was incredible. In fact, she didn’t swallow it well. She just ate it because she didn’t know what Asherad would do if she didn’t eat. As she chewed it hard and swallowed it, tears welled up in Daphne’s eyes.
She didn't deserve to live like this. The thought of it made her feel like she was going to vomit. Sarah looked at his face and said in annoyance.
“Your face is really disgusting. Do you know that?”
“...”
“I didn’t want to be your maid because I hated that face.”
Daphne bit her lip at Sarah's muttering. The reason she couldn't say anything to Sarah was that her eyes were red. Sarah was mourning Amanda's death. And as much as she was mourning, she hated Daphne. Daphne couldn't say anything when she saw her.
Just then, the door flew open.
“If you want to blame someone, find someone else.”
She turned her head at the sound of the voice and saw Ioannis. He frowned at Sarah.
“Hello, Your Excellency.”
“Raise your head.”
Amanda looked at him cautiously at Ioannis' words.
“The one we should blame here is not her, who killed that maid, but His Majesty the Emperor.”
“...”
“What on earth did this girl do wrong?”
At those words, Sarah bit her lip and spoke indifferently.
“Existence itself is a sin. How many people have died because of that act...”
“Did Miss Daphne kill them? Shouldn’t we blame the person who caused their deaths with that action?”
Daphne was surprised. When he said 'the one who killed', she meant Asherad or the late Emperor. Could such a word come out so naturally from a knight?
Is it because they are nobles that they are different?
Sarah's face turned red. Her eyes changed, and for someone as gentle as her, she glared at Ioannis with a rather fierce gaze before walking away.
“If something like that happens, it’s better to get angry.”
“...”
Daphne did not look at Ioannis. She remembered the moment when his sword coldly pierced Amanda. The moment Amanda died will never be forgotten. Daphne closed her eyes, and tears fell from them. She turned away from Ioannis.
“I won’t say such cowardly things as telling you not to blame me for the same thing.”
Yes, that's right. Daphne begged him not to do that, but Ioannis pierced her with his sword. He could have stopped Asherad, but he killed her as if it were only natural.
“Why, why did you do that?”
Daphne asked Ioannis in a trembling voice. He did not answer Daphne's question, but looked at her and then averted his gaze before speaking.
“Well, I had to kill her.”
What the... Amanda was not someone who should be killed. He said, looking into her angry eyes.
“Isn’t that obvious? His Majesty could have killed you, too. He instructed me on how to relieve his anger without killing you, so I followed suit.”
Daphne opened her mouth slightly. Is that right? Is that right?
What about Amanda's life that is sacrificed there?
“When you ran away, didn’t you essentially give up that woman’s life?”
Ioannis was so cruel. When he told her the painful truth, her eyes turned red.
"No!"
Daphne shook her head in denial and cried out, tears streaming down her bloodshot eyes again.
“No, no, no.”
That's right. She knows very well. Ioannis was right. Daphne did contribute to Amanda's death. Daphne sobbed. She should have just stayed still, but she ran away for no reason... Her tears fell and soaked the floor. Ioannis watched it.
“You were a kind person.”
Ioannis looked at her with a puzzled look. Daphne bit her lip to suppress her tears and said.
“You let me draw, and you taught me how to behave in the palace. You did everything for me, even though I was worthless.”
Daphne was resentful. She knew full well that the object of her resentment was Asherad. Still, she resented this man. She should have treated him kindly instead.
“Well, aren’t you the bird that Asherad caught?”
"Yes?"
Daphne looked at him blankly. Ioannis continued with the coldest expression he had ever seen.
“Asherad loves you.”
“...”
“It is natural to help someone who is going crazy with love.”
Daphne slightly parted her lips. She felt betrayed somehow. It was natural that Asherad was his priority. He was his subject and his friend. Still, she couldn't figure out why she felt this way.
“You tried to run away from him, so I told him to make a fancy cage, and I also tried to give you some breathing room.”
“...”
“Asherad is clumsy and jealous, so I gave him some convenience.”
Daphne's face turned pale. Ioannis spoke to Daphne with an expression that showed he could not understand her.
“If you had stayed like that, Asherad would have devoted himself to you. You could have even married and become an official Empress. But why...”
“Because I didn’t want it.”
At those plain, tearful words, Ioannis looked at Daphne with a stern expression. The woman, with tears streaming down her face, forced a smile and said,
“I... don’t want a relationship with him anymore.”
At those words, tears fell again.
“Even if Your Majesty treats me well... what about me? Do I have to follow him unconditionally?”
Looking at Daphne, who boldly spoke of free will in front of the Emperor, Ioannis was speechless. The blue eyes that had lost their light due to hatred became lively when she mentioned the freedom to escape from him. However, the problem was that it was made of hatred.
“Well, what good would this do?”
Daphne smiled bitterly. The light disappeared from Daphne’s face as if a light had gone out. Looking at her face, Ioannis was overcome by an impulse. A feeling of guilt that he should help the person he had thought was a bird. He was startled by the thought that came to him.
What should I do, Asherad? She thinks she is free to get away from you.
“By the way, what brings you here?”
Ioannis was momentarily speechless. He stood outside the room, hesitated, and then came in after hearing Sarah's harsh words. He had no business.
What should you do, and what should I do, Askeraad?
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