“Amelia Escliffe said she wanted to kill the Emperor?”
The Duke of Russell asked Aaron with a look of surprise on his face. Aaron nodded.
“It seemed that she was so impressed by the fact that he had saved her child that she fell in love with him alone, but was rejected by the Emperor and held a grudge.”
The Duke of Russell burst into laughter. And soon after, he clicked his tongue, saying that this is why emotional women are not allowed.
“He said he would make you Emperor.”
The Duke of Russell made a grunting sound as he ran his hand through his beard.
“Of course I want to do that too. Right now, if possible.”
The foolish Amelia didn't know that she was offering to kill Ivan and make him the Emperor. He just didn't want to take too many risks and was thinking of taking his time and making his move.
He was not a direct descendant of the imperial family. Even the collateral line had its share of troubles, so for him, who was not even a member of the imperial family, to break everything and take the throne, he needed a moral and rational justification.
So what he wanted most was the abdication. Ian becoming the Crown Prince, Ivan dying, and Ian becoming the Emperor abdicating to him.
“But there is no reason for that. Amelia Escliffe’s son is not dead, and the Emperor has even declared that he will accept him as the Crown Prince.”
The Duke of Russell clicked his tongue as if Amelia's words were unrealistic. It was as if he was saying that there was nothing Amelia could do, but Aaron thought that the Duke of Russell's words were right.
“You foolishly didn’t know about the power struggle between the temple and the imperial family, so you fell for the Emperor and confessed to him, only to be rejected. What did you do then?”
Aaron guessed that Amelia wasn't very smart. However, that didn't mean that Amelia was born stupid. Amelia only learned what they taught her within the walls of the temple. Everything else was just awkward. She wasn't a woman who would be stupid even after learning. That's why she covered her eyes and ears even more viciously.
“If you mention the Emperor’s seat to Your Excellency, you may have figured out something.”
“Yes. What does she know? There’s nothing more dangerous than doing something reckless and raising suspicion, so at least warn her not to do anything reckless.”
The Duke of Russell also knew what Aaron was thinking. However, it is better not to expect that an ordinary person will suddenly become a genius. So he coldly rejected Aaron's persuasion.
“And please note that we will soon be stopping at a nameless land.”
"...All right."
Aaron reluctantly gave up trying to persuade the Duke of Russell.
But the image of Amelia that he had met during the day was still vivid in his mind. Her pale face. Her hands were clenched and trembling. Her eyes were tightly shut as if his touch was terrible. And yet her body did not run away, as if showing her determination. The will that was revealed was so terrible, but still wrapped up in revenge against the Emperor.
I felt like I was going crazy. As Amelia had guessed, the feelings Amelia had for the Emperor were not much different from Aaron's feelings for Amelia. Although he tried to hide his feelings with words like revenge and hatred, it seemed to mean that she loved the Emperor just as much.
He wanted to kill the Emperor. So he wanted to erase everything Amelia loved from the world and slaughter everyone. If Amelia could not repay his love, he wanted to be the only one who showed his feelings.
She couldn't sleep. Amelia blinked, wiping her hands over the empty space. Today, she had left Ian with Mrs. Howard, so the bed felt especially spacious and comfortable.
“...”
It was a loneliness that she had to adapt to. She would die alone anyway. Ian would live a decent life in Ivan's shadow. That was all she had to think about.
But when she thought about Ian having a new mother, she felt a lump in her throat. She was the one who gave birth to Ian, but it felt like someone else was taking that role away from her. It was a tragedy that she couldn't always be herself, that she couldn't be honest with anyone.
Amelia curled up quietly and closed her eyes. She was curling up like a baby in its mother's womb, trying to comfort herself by wrapping herself in her own body heat.
Click.
A small sound made Amelia open her eyes. The sound of the door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps following behind, caught Amelia's attention.
“Are you asleep?”
Ivan asked. Amelia opened her eyes as if responding to the question, but did not answer aloud. Then one side of the bed tilted. It seemed as if Ivan was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Amelia Escliffe.”
Amelia blinked slowly. Even though it was dark, Ivan knew that Amelia wasn't asleep, since he wasn't a man who couldn't see that much.
But Amelia stubbornly refused to get up. She was in a bad mood. She didn't want to try to displease Ivan.
“Did you sleep?”
Amelia didn't answer, not knowing what he was asking. Perhaps because he thought that was a good way to keep her mouth shut, Ivan placed one arm on the side of Amelia's head. Amelia's eyes were drawn to Ivan's strong arm, which was stretched out like a tree trunk.
“I asked you if you slept with Aaron Skipper.”
Then, the gaze staring intently at her side of the face felt intense. Amelia felt as if his gaze was going to pierce her skull and turned her head away.
“You drank alcohol.”
Every time Ivan exhaled, she could smell strong alcohol. It was a type of alcohol that Amelia had smelled before. Although she could not say that she drank it, she spat it out almost immediately, so all she remembered was the bitter taste.
“Answer first. Did you sleep with Aaron Skipper?”
Ivan pressed for an answer again.
“What’s so important about that?”
“...”
“Whether I spent the night with Aaron Skipper or slept with the guards guarding the palace in a dark forest, what does that have to do with Your Majesty?”
Amelia's gruff reply came out of her mouth. It was natural, since she didn't like anything Ivan did. With Ian not there and Ivan looking drunk, she was even more reckless.
“If I slept with Aaron, wouldn’t that be beneficial to Your Majesty?”
Amelia looked straight into Ivan's eyes and asked.
“I'm making them trust me, just like you ordered me to. Trying to make it look like I’m a woman who’s desperate to kill you.”
“...”
“You must be satisfied.”
For him, what's the problem if she's doing as he says?
“Mixing bodies? Kissing? What could be so difficult?”
Amelia raised the corners of her lips as if mocking him, and reached out to Ivan's face. Her fingertips touched the smooth skin and bone of his jaw.
“I can do it for you right now.”
“Go ahead, then.”
Ivan spoke softly, as if he knew that Amelia was an incapable woman. For a moment, he felt his stomach turn. He knew that she was such an easy person to deal with, and he felt like she had been used by everyone the whole time.
The moment she felt that unpleasant feeling, Amelia wrapped her hand around the back of Ivan's neck and pulled him down to her.
“...”
Just like the moment they first kissed, both of them had their eyes open. Their eyes met, with their lips still warmly touching. At the same time, a cracking sound of teeth was heard. It was Ivan’s sound.
“Open your mouth.”
"Don't do it...!"
The man spoke forcefully, unlike before. And before Amelia could even force her lips together, he forcefully pushed them apart and came in.
“No, no...”
All expressions of dislike were swallowed by him. Amelia pinched and twisted Ivan's shoulder with her fingers, squirming as if she wanted to get away from him. In the end, she even pounded his shoulder with her fist.
But Ivan did not back down. He tried to conquer Amelia's mouth one by one. When Ivan finally grabbed her round chest, Amelia could not hold back her anger and bit his tongue.
“You said you could do it?”
Only after tasting the pungent taste of blood did Ivan stop his rude behavior of poking Amelia's mouth. Amelia roughly wiped his blood from the corner of her mouth with her hand at Ivan's calm question.
“What's the problem?"
“...”
“You will get married, have children, and I will die without being a hindrance to your life.”
Amelia spat out the words, her chest heaving with her panting breaths.
“If you’re drunk, go and sleep.”
“...”
“You have nothing to lose, so why do you have so many complaints about me?”
I hated Ivan. I felt like I was going crazy. I hated the man in front of me from head to toe, but I couldn't narrow it down to just one reason.
I couldn't look into it for too long because I thought that if I dug deeper into the reason, I would realize that it wasn't just a feeling of hate or hatred.
The Duke of Russell asked Aaron with a look of surprise on his face. Aaron nodded.
“It seemed that she was so impressed by the fact that he had saved her child that she fell in love with him alone, but was rejected by the Emperor and held a grudge.”
The Duke of Russell burst into laughter. And soon after, he clicked his tongue, saying that this is why emotional women are not allowed.
“He said he would make you Emperor.”
The Duke of Russell made a grunting sound as he ran his hand through his beard.
“Of course I want to do that too. Right now, if possible.”
The foolish Amelia didn't know that she was offering to kill Ivan and make him the Emperor. He just didn't want to take too many risks and was thinking of taking his time and making his move.
He was not a direct descendant of the imperial family. Even the collateral line had its share of troubles, so for him, who was not even a member of the imperial family, to break everything and take the throne, he needed a moral and rational justification.
So what he wanted most was the abdication. Ian becoming the Crown Prince, Ivan dying, and Ian becoming the Emperor abdicating to him.
“But there is no reason for that. Amelia Escliffe’s son is not dead, and the Emperor has even declared that he will accept him as the Crown Prince.”
The Duke of Russell clicked his tongue as if Amelia's words were unrealistic. It was as if he was saying that there was nothing Amelia could do, but Aaron thought that the Duke of Russell's words were right.
“You foolishly didn’t know about the power struggle between the temple and the imperial family, so you fell for the Emperor and confessed to him, only to be rejected. What did you do then?”
Aaron guessed that Amelia wasn't very smart. However, that didn't mean that Amelia was born stupid. Amelia only learned what they taught her within the walls of the temple. Everything else was just awkward. She wasn't a woman who would be stupid even after learning. That's why she covered her eyes and ears even more viciously.
“If you mention the Emperor’s seat to Your Excellency, you may have figured out something.”
“Yes. What does she know? There’s nothing more dangerous than doing something reckless and raising suspicion, so at least warn her not to do anything reckless.”
The Duke of Russell also knew what Aaron was thinking. However, it is better not to expect that an ordinary person will suddenly become a genius. So he coldly rejected Aaron's persuasion.
“And please note that we will soon be stopping at a nameless land.”
"...All right."
Aaron reluctantly gave up trying to persuade the Duke of Russell.
But the image of Amelia that he had met during the day was still vivid in his mind. Her pale face. Her hands were clenched and trembling. Her eyes were tightly shut as if his touch was terrible. And yet her body did not run away, as if showing her determination. The will that was revealed was so terrible, but still wrapped up in revenge against the Emperor.
I felt like I was going crazy. As Amelia had guessed, the feelings Amelia had for the Emperor were not much different from Aaron's feelings for Amelia. Although he tried to hide his feelings with words like revenge and hatred, it seemed to mean that she loved the Emperor just as much.
He wanted to kill the Emperor. So he wanted to erase everything Amelia loved from the world and slaughter everyone. If Amelia could not repay his love, he wanted to be the only one who showed his feelings.
***
She couldn't sleep. Amelia blinked, wiping her hands over the empty space. Today, she had left Ian with Mrs. Howard, so the bed felt especially spacious and comfortable.
“...”
It was a loneliness that she had to adapt to. She would die alone anyway. Ian would live a decent life in Ivan's shadow. That was all she had to think about.
But when she thought about Ian having a new mother, she felt a lump in her throat. She was the one who gave birth to Ian, but it felt like someone else was taking that role away from her. It was a tragedy that she couldn't always be herself, that she couldn't be honest with anyone.
Amelia curled up quietly and closed her eyes. She was curling up like a baby in its mother's womb, trying to comfort herself by wrapping herself in her own body heat.
Click.
A small sound made Amelia open her eyes. The sound of the door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps following behind, caught Amelia's attention.
“Are you asleep?”
Ivan asked. Amelia opened her eyes as if responding to the question, but did not answer aloud. Then one side of the bed tilted. It seemed as if Ivan was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Amelia Escliffe.”
Amelia blinked slowly. Even though it was dark, Ivan knew that Amelia wasn't asleep, since he wasn't a man who couldn't see that much.
But Amelia stubbornly refused to get up. She was in a bad mood. She didn't want to try to displease Ivan.
“Did you sleep?”
Amelia didn't answer, not knowing what he was asking. Perhaps because he thought that was a good way to keep her mouth shut, Ivan placed one arm on the side of Amelia's head. Amelia's eyes were drawn to Ivan's strong arm, which was stretched out like a tree trunk.
“I asked you if you slept with Aaron Skipper.”
Then, the gaze staring intently at her side of the face felt intense. Amelia felt as if his gaze was going to pierce her skull and turned her head away.
“You drank alcohol.”
Every time Ivan exhaled, she could smell strong alcohol. It was a type of alcohol that Amelia had smelled before. Although she could not say that she drank it, she spat it out almost immediately, so all she remembered was the bitter taste.
“Answer first. Did you sleep with Aaron Skipper?”
Ivan pressed for an answer again.
“What’s so important about that?”
“...”
“Whether I spent the night with Aaron Skipper or slept with the guards guarding the palace in a dark forest, what does that have to do with Your Majesty?”
Amelia's gruff reply came out of her mouth. It was natural, since she didn't like anything Ivan did. With Ian not there and Ivan looking drunk, she was even more reckless.
“If I slept with Aaron, wouldn’t that be beneficial to Your Majesty?”
Amelia looked straight into Ivan's eyes and asked.
“I'm making them trust me, just like you ordered me to. Trying to make it look like I’m a woman who’s desperate to kill you.”
“...”
“You must be satisfied.”
For him, what's the problem if she's doing as he says?
“Mixing bodies? Kissing? What could be so difficult?”
Amelia raised the corners of her lips as if mocking him, and reached out to Ivan's face. Her fingertips touched the smooth skin and bone of his jaw.
“I can do it for you right now.”
“Go ahead, then.”
Ivan spoke softly, as if he knew that Amelia was an incapable woman. For a moment, he felt his stomach turn. He knew that she was such an easy person to deal with, and he felt like she had been used by everyone the whole time.
The moment she felt that unpleasant feeling, Amelia wrapped her hand around the back of Ivan's neck and pulled him down to her.
“...”
Just like the moment they first kissed, both of them had their eyes open. Their eyes met, with their lips still warmly touching. At the same time, a cracking sound of teeth was heard. It was Ivan’s sound.
“Open your mouth.”
"Don't do it...!"
The man spoke forcefully, unlike before. And before Amelia could even force her lips together, he forcefully pushed them apart and came in.
“No, no...”
All expressions of dislike were swallowed by him. Amelia pinched and twisted Ivan's shoulder with her fingers, squirming as if she wanted to get away from him. In the end, she even pounded his shoulder with her fist.
But Ivan did not back down. He tried to conquer Amelia's mouth one by one. When Ivan finally grabbed her round chest, Amelia could not hold back her anger and bit his tongue.
“You said you could do it?”
Only after tasting the pungent taste of blood did Ivan stop his rude behavior of poking Amelia's mouth. Amelia roughly wiped his blood from the corner of her mouth with her hand at Ivan's calm question.
“What's the problem?"
“...”
“You will get married, have children, and I will die without being a hindrance to your life.”
Amelia spat out the words, her chest heaving with her panting breaths.
“If you’re drunk, go and sleep.”
“...”
“You have nothing to lose, so why do you have so many complaints about me?”
I hated Ivan. I felt like I was going crazy. I hated the man in front of me from head to toe, but I couldn't narrow it down to just one reason.
I couldn't look into it for too long because I thought that if I dug deeper into the reason, I would realize that it wasn't just a feeling of hate or hatred.
Comments
Post a Comment