“I’m easy and funny?”
Amelia asked in a trembling voice.
“Because I was a stupid woman who spread my legs after being fooled by a few words? In the end, because I was a woman who couldn’t give up ny child and had no choice but to beg and plead?”
Her words were occasionally interrupted by the emotions boiling inside her. She wanted to scratch Ivan's face and swear at him.
“Did I sleep with him? Yes, I did. I could sleep with that son of a bitch a few more times.”
“....”
“He did better than I expected. It’s hard to believe that he's been living like a pure priest all this time. Did that answer your question?”
But she had a gut feeling that this would be more efficient. And that gut feeling was right. Amelia noticed Ivan’s face turn terribly cold. A spark flew from his eyes.
“So now I don’t like you. It’s horrible.”
The more they have, like Ivan, the more they can stand sharing with others. That must be why he was so angry at the news that the woman he had slept with and had a child with was sleeping in the same bed with another man.
“Take care of the woman who will become your wife.”
“...”
“Not me.”
Amelia advised, pulling up the clothes that had fallen below her shoulders. She continued to try to calm her breathing, which was threatening to panic. She wanted to remain calm. She didn’t want to get angry and get involved with Ivan. So she didn’t open her mouth again, even though the eerie silence in the bedroom seemed to be suffocating her.
Finally, Ivan got up from the bed, leaving Amelia behind. And he left Amelia's bedroom. The sound of the door closing coolly left no trace of regret. Only a faint anger remained.
Her vision was distorted. But Amelia clenched her teeth and held back her tears. You are nothing. She said so stubbornly, like someone who didn’t know what to do. Foolishly, like someone who didn’t know that it was another kind of foolishness.
“Did I sleep with him? Yes, I did. I could sleep with that son of a bitch a few more times.”
Ivan, who was walking through the underground passage, suddenly stopped walking. The smile and words Amelia had thrown at him as if mocking him remained vivid in his mind.
She said she slept with Aaron Skipper.
Aaron had seen the same sight. Flesh that would crumble when held in his hand, and soft, white flesh that easily left marks. As soon as he thought of that, his jaw tightened and popped out. His heart rose and fell with an indescribable feeling.
“If I slept with Aaron, wouldn’t that be beneficial to Your Majesty?”
Amelia was right. She was just doing her best to carry out the task he had ordered her to do. When he thought about it, it wasn't that big of a deal. Ivan would also spend the night with Jane Clarke if she came to visit. Regardless of whether he was sexually attracted to her or not, it was part of his duty. Amelia could have also had sex with Aaron with that kind of intention.
“...”
But now he was so angry he couldn't stand it. Amelia Escliffe, that woman...
Ivan, who had been chewing on the branch that reached the top of his head, shuddered. This was because he realized in an instant where the anger he was feeling came from. Ivan was clearly engulfed in anger as if something that was his had been taken away.
In his head, he thought that Amelia Escliffe was a woman who would not be his wife, but in his heart, he considered her his. Because he thought that she was a woman that no one else could have or hold.
The moment he realized that, his head, which had been burning like a wildfire, suddenly cooled down. Even the intoxication that had been secretly flowing through his veins completely disappeared.
"Ha..."
Ivan let out a low laugh. There was something rather bizarre about the laughter echoing through the empty underground passage.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The laughter stopped. Ivan walked away with a blank expression on his face. His face was clear about what he wanted and what he was going to do next.
Aaron's hands tapped the table irregularly. His face was deep in thought. After all, he had been deep in thought ever since he met Amelia.
Amelia wanted to kill the Emperor. And Aaron himself wanted to kill the Emperor. After chewing over that fact over and over again, he suddenly realized something.
Why does Amelia Escliffe hate the Emperor so deeply?
When he came to his senses and was able to look at the situation objectively, that fact was the most incomprehensible. He must have seen her face often since she entered the palace, but how much time had they spent together? How on earth did she come to like him so much?
“...”
Of course, Amelia was the type who was thirsty for someone's attention and affection, as she had not grown up relying on someone's affection. However, she was not the type to sell her soul to someone who only passed her by for a moment.
But he also knew very well that love could suddenly drive a person crazy one day. So he couldn't say that it was completely impossible.
Nevertheless, a corner of his heart continued to feel uneasy. An ambiguous feeling of having missed something kept nagging at his mind.
But that was a problem for later. Aaron had not yet figured out the identity of the person who had impersonated Ricky. Duke Russell had said that there was no point in finding out the identity of a dead man, but it seemed that this uneasy feeling could only be resolved after he was certain that he was completely dead.
“I went to the place where the priest Ricky lived. I heard that his mother had already passed away.”
He already sent someone to where Ricky lived once, but it didn't yield much result.
“I think he came by the house once in a while to check on her condition, but he stopped coming for a month before she died.”
Ricky had not been in the house for a long time, and his mother had died. If that was the case, then the real Ricky was likely dead. However, if he was not dead and was hiding somewhere, he might have some information about the person who had impersonated him. In that case, he had to track him down and find out the information somehow.
“Mr. Marcus.”
Aaron, who thought so, went straight to the priest's room. This was because he was the only one in the priest's office who knew about the apprentice priest Ricky.
“High Priest, why are you here?”
The gentle and sorrowful old priest greeted Aaron affectionately.
“I came here to ask you something. I would like to know more about the apprentice priest named Ricky.”
“Even after he’s dead, that guy keeps causing trouble.”
The old priest reproached himself, saying that his sins were great. Aaron consoled him, saying that he had sinned against God.
“Do you happen to know where his hometown is?”
“I think he was called Recton. I heard that he ran away with his mother in the early morning because he couldn’t pay the debt his father owed him before he died.”
Recton was a town name Aaron had never heard of before. It seemed like they had run away from a rather remote village.
“I remember the name because I once tried to look it up on a map.”
Aaron nodded. It was fortunate that he knew where Ricky was from, so he could send someone there.
“It breaks my heart that Marcus, with all his care, has gone down the wrong path.”
Aaron left his room after comforting the old man for the last time. He then wrote a letter to the Duke of Russell, asking him to send someone to the town of Recton to find out if anyone knew Ricky and if he had returned to the town.
“Come here.”
As Aaron opened the window, a bird flew in. It wasn't a large, conspicuous species like a hawk. The royal family was always keeping a close eye on the Duke of Russell and the temple, so it was common courtesy for them to do a little trickery.
“Please take care of me.”
Aaron tied a small, rolled-up letter to the bird's ankle, fed it a treat, and sent it flying.
“...”
His head was tangled with various thoughts. The fake priest, Ian's birth, Amelia's first love, blonde hair and green eyes, Amelia's excessive and strange affection and hatred...
Aaron's eyes, which had been meaninglessly groping the spot where the bird had left, suddenly became clear.
When everything was tied to one character, it wasn't that strange. Rather, the incomprehensible parts were connected so well that it felt natural.
Amelia asked in a trembling voice.
“Because I was a stupid woman who spread my legs after being fooled by a few words? In the end, because I was a woman who couldn’t give up ny child and had no choice but to beg and plead?”
Her words were occasionally interrupted by the emotions boiling inside her. She wanted to scratch Ivan's face and swear at him.
“Did I sleep with him? Yes, I did. I could sleep with that son of a bitch a few more times.”
“....”
“He did better than I expected. It’s hard to believe that he's been living like a pure priest all this time. Did that answer your question?”
But she had a gut feeling that this would be more efficient. And that gut feeling was right. Amelia noticed Ivan’s face turn terribly cold. A spark flew from his eyes.
“So now I don’t like you. It’s horrible.”
The more they have, like Ivan, the more they can stand sharing with others. That must be why he was so angry at the news that the woman he had slept with and had a child with was sleeping in the same bed with another man.
“Take care of the woman who will become your wife.”
“...”
“Not me.”
Amelia advised, pulling up the clothes that had fallen below her shoulders. She continued to try to calm her breathing, which was threatening to panic. She wanted to remain calm. She didn’t want to get angry and get involved with Ivan. So she didn’t open her mouth again, even though the eerie silence in the bedroom seemed to be suffocating her.
Finally, Ivan got up from the bed, leaving Amelia behind. And he left Amelia's bedroom. The sound of the door closing coolly left no trace of regret. Only a faint anger remained.
Her vision was distorted. But Amelia clenched her teeth and held back her tears. You are nothing. She said so stubbornly, like someone who didn’t know what to do. Foolishly, like someone who didn’t know that it was another kind of foolishness.
***
“Did I sleep with him? Yes, I did. I could sleep with that son of a bitch a few more times.”
Ivan, who was walking through the underground passage, suddenly stopped walking. The smile and words Amelia had thrown at him as if mocking him remained vivid in his mind.
She said she slept with Aaron Skipper.
Aaron had seen the same sight. Flesh that would crumble when held in his hand, and soft, white flesh that easily left marks. As soon as he thought of that, his jaw tightened and popped out. His heart rose and fell with an indescribable feeling.
“If I slept with Aaron, wouldn’t that be beneficial to Your Majesty?”
Amelia was right. She was just doing her best to carry out the task he had ordered her to do. When he thought about it, it wasn't that big of a deal. Ivan would also spend the night with Jane Clarke if she came to visit. Regardless of whether he was sexually attracted to her or not, it was part of his duty. Amelia could have also had sex with Aaron with that kind of intention.
“...”
But now he was so angry he couldn't stand it. Amelia Escliffe, that woman...
Ivan, who had been chewing on the branch that reached the top of his head, shuddered. This was because he realized in an instant where the anger he was feeling came from. Ivan was clearly engulfed in anger as if something that was his had been taken away.
In his head, he thought that Amelia Escliffe was a woman who would not be his wife, but in his heart, he considered her his. Because he thought that she was a woman that no one else could have or hold.
The moment he realized that, his head, which had been burning like a wildfire, suddenly cooled down. Even the intoxication that had been secretly flowing through his veins completely disappeared.
"Ha..."
Ivan let out a low laugh. There was something rather bizarre about the laughter echoing through the empty underground passage.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The laughter stopped. Ivan walked away with a blank expression on his face. His face was clear about what he wanted and what he was going to do next.
***
Aaron's hands tapped the table irregularly. His face was deep in thought. After all, he had been deep in thought ever since he met Amelia.
Amelia wanted to kill the Emperor. And Aaron himself wanted to kill the Emperor. After chewing over that fact over and over again, he suddenly realized something.
Why does Amelia Escliffe hate the Emperor so deeply?
When he came to his senses and was able to look at the situation objectively, that fact was the most incomprehensible. He must have seen her face often since she entered the palace, but how much time had they spent together? How on earth did she come to like him so much?
“...”
Of course, Amelia was the type who was thirsty for someone's attention and affection, as she had not grown up relying on someone's affection. However, she was not the type to sell her soul to someone who only passed her by for a moment.
But he also knew very well that love could suddenly drive a person crazy one day. So he couldn't say that it was completely impossible.
Nevertheless, a corner of his heart continued to feel uneasy. An ambiguous feeling of having missed something kept nagging at his mind.
But that was a problem for later. Aaron had not yet figured out the identity of the person who had impersonated Ricky. Duke Russell had said that there was no point in finding out the identity of a dead man, but it seemed that this uneasy feeling could only be resolved after he was certain that he was completely dead.
“I went to the place where the priest Ricky lived. I heard that his mother had already passed away.”
He already sent someone to where Ricky lived once, but it didn't yield much result.
“I think he came by the house once in a while to check on her condition, but he stopped coming for a month before she died.”
Ricky had not been in the house for a long time, and his mother had died. If that was the case, then the real Ricky was likely dead. However, if he was not dead and was hiding somewhere, he might have some information about the person who had impersonated him. In that case, he had to track him down and find out the information somehow.
“Mr. Marcus.”
Aaron, who thought so, went straight to the priest's room. This was because he was the only one in the priest's office who knew about the apprentice priest Ricky.
“High Priest, why are you here?”
The gentle and sorrowful old priest greeted Aaron affectionately.
“I came here to ask you something. I would like to know more about the apprentice priest named Ricky.”
“Even after he’s dead, that guy keeps causing trouble.”
The old priest reproached himself, saying that his sins were great. Aaron consoled him, saying that he had sinned against God.
“Do you happen to know where his hometown is?”
“I think he was called Recton. I heard that he ran away with his mother in the early morning because he couldn’t pay the debt his father owed him before he died.”
Recton was a town name Aaron had never heard of before. It seemed like they had run away from a rather remote village.
“I remember the name because I once tried to look it up on a map.”
Aaron nodded. It was fortunate that he knew where Ricky was from, so he could send someone there.
“It breaks my heart that Marcus, with all his care, has gone down the wrong path.”
Aaron left his room after comforting the old man for the last time. He then wrote a letter to the Duke of Russell, asking him to send someone to the town of Recton to find out if anyone knew Ricky and if he had returned to the town.
“Come here.”
As Aaron opened the window, a bird flew in. It wasn't a large, conspicuous species like a hawk. The royal family was always keeping a close eye on the Duke of Russell and the temple, so it was common courtesy for them to do a little trickery.
“Please take care of me.”
Aaron tied a small, rolled-up letter to the bird's ankle, fed it a treat, and sent it flying.
“...”
His head was tangled with various thoughts. The fake priest, Ian's birth, Amelia's first love, blonde hair and green eyes, Amelia's excessive and strange affection and hatred...
Aaron's eyes, which had been meaninglessly groping the spot where the bird had left, suddenly became clear.
When everything was tied to one character, it wasn't that strange. Rather, the incomprehensible parts were connected so well that it felt natural.
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