Episode 25. Intersecting Nights, Romance, and Something
Renisha looked at Kassius with sparkling eyes.
Her pink eyes were strangely gleaming with the heat of the candlelight.
Or perhaps it was the venom and evil within them.
“Your Majesty...”
Renisha began in a gentle voice.
“I propose negotiations, Sir Kassius.”
“Negotiations...?”
A spark flashed in Renisha’s eyes.
“I will help you survive in Hiloshine. Right now, I am the only one who understands the value of Hiloshine. Those who know nothing about it will find it difficult to maintain the people there.”
Kassius sighed.
Renisha was right.
He had thought that becoming a noble would erase the misfortunes that plagued his life. He had planned to bring all the tribesmen here and let them live in luxury, knowing that he would never have to go hungry again.
But that was nothing more than a dream, a dream that existed only in fairy tales.
Kassius's life was still a cesspool.
The land he had been granted was a vast wasteland in the northwest.
Though it was the largest in the country in terms of territory, it lacked everything.
However, it was one of the fiefdoms of the Lottera family.
Even so, the land had been thriving under the Lottera family's rule, but it had completely collapsed after the Emperor took it away.
If anyone knew the answer to the northwestern land, Hiloshine, then Renisha was the only one.
"...Is there a way to make a living there?"
Renisha smiled faintly.
"The Lottera family didn't hold onto that land for nothing, Kassius. It holds great potential. They simply kept it hidden to avoid the Emperor's attention. I promise you. I will make Hiloshine the greatest in the Hientri Empire."
Kassius's eyes wavered.
In truth, he had no more answers.
Aren't they like flies, their lives swayed by the Emperor's single word?
The current Emperor doesn't even consider what others think.
Thinking about what he's done...
The eyes of a lovely spring flower met those of a golden snake.
"Sir Kassius, you will take me out of here. Take me as your wife and protect me."
Renisha emphasized the word "wife. "
Kassius swallowed and nodded. His earlobes blushed faintly.
"...If it's okay with me."
Renisha let out a languid sigh.
Kassius swallowed again, feeling as if he were swallowing a hot ball of fire.
Renisha opened her mouth.
It felt like a flower petal opening.
However, the words that came out were filled with venom.
Renisha whispered softly,
"Kill the Emperor, Kassius."
Kassius was taken aback by Renisha's words.
He looked around. Even though he knew no one was there, his nerves were palpable.
Renisha held up her slender wrist.
“You wouldn’t even be able to chop a radish with this, Kassius. I’ve heard that human bones are tough and hard, making them difficult to cut. I’ll make the Emperor crawl like a dog, and you’ll behead him.”
For now, even the fear that anyone might be listening had vanished.
Her pink eyes were gleaming with malice, a malice she’d never managed to suppress.
It was hatred.
Renisha’s true feelings were revealed.
Her expression resembled a sweet dream.
“I’ll make him crawl like a dog... I like it.”
It was incredible confidence.
But when Renisha said it, it seemed possible.
While Kassius was lost in thought, Renisha rubbed her eyes, heavy with fatigue, with her palm.
Her red lips closed involuntarily. A small groan escaped her lips.
Renisha opened her eyes again and smiled faintly.
The fatigue she’d shown moments before vanished like a lie.
"Misfortune depends on how you accept it, Kassius."
Renisha smiled coldly.
"I accepted my misfortune with anger, with a desire for revenge."
"Do you have any regrets or sorrow?"
Kassius asked worriedly.
The thought that Renisha might have been hurt again made him furious.
Renisha burst out laughing.
Kassius felt a dryness in her.
Emotions had evaporated without leaving even a crumb.
"Couldn't it be that we're in a relationship where such a thing wouldn't be possible? I wish the Emperor's neck to be broken as cruelly and miserably as possible. Offering his body to the spirits of my parents is my goal and my reason for living."
Kassius's throat throbbed.
For now, it seemed as if Renisha's sorrow was palpable.
Renisha looked truly in pain.
"There's nothing I can do if I have a husband who's worse than a dog. Now, choose. Sir Kassius. Will you save me?"
Renisha asked as if it were her last. Kassius had no choice.
This was a necessary alliance for the two of them.
Kassius needed Renisha, too.
"...Very well. I will marry you."
Renisha asked if he would save her, but Kassius said marriage.
As expected, he was a romantic knight.
Renisha elegantly extended her hand.
Kassius gazed at the small, white hand extended to him.
He carefully took it and shook it up and down.
The soft texture made him unconsciously tense his hand.
Most of the hands Kassius had held were covered in rough calluses.
However, Renisha's hand was as soft as if it had never been through anything rough.
Renisha was the only warmth, the only warmth, that touched Kassius.
Now, it felt like a burn mark was imprinted on his palm.
Renisha burst out laughing.
"Isn't that it?"
Kassius rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.
"It means kiss the back of my hand. That's usually what young ladies and noblewomen mean when they extend their hands."
Startled, Kassius stared at the back of her hand with a subtle expression.
Clearing his throat, he pressed his lips to the back of her hand, then pulled away with a startled expression.
Kassius raised his head, his golden eyes narrowing vertically.
He let go of Renisha's hand and pressed himself against the back of the chair, as if he had been kissed.
"Why?"
Kassius whispered in a suppressed voice.
“Do you always do this? When you meet young masters?”
Renisha narrowed her eyes.
Kassius’s face flushed, as if he had just emerged from a blazing fire.
Renisha pursed her lips.
“What were you thinking?”
Kassius flinched at the gentle tone. He quickly covered his lips with the back of his hand.
Then, raising his head, he shook it vigorously, indicating he didn’t want to say anything.
“Really? You weren’t thinking about anything?”
Renisha deliberately lowered her voice. Then, even the corners of Kassius’ eyes flushed.
Kassius rubbed his lips vigorously.
The skin, soft and sweet like whipped cream, touched his lips and then left them.
He swore he's never done anything like this before.
Renisha said in a cheerful voice.
“You’re not meant for this world.”
Kassius blinked slowly, his condensed vision returning to normal.
'Is that the price of power?'
Every citizen of the empire would have heard of Kassius and the red snake.
Kassius was the 'Knight of the Red Snake,' a hero who gave up his own body in exchange for power.
Even now, Kassius seemed feeble.
The back of his hand fell from Kassius's lips.
"...I was taught not to even touch someone who wasn't going to be my wife."
Kassius seemed to have lived in a very old-fashioned era.
Renisha smiled kindly.
"You've been given a romantic education."
Renisha was always aloof.
She stood tall, her back straight.
"I like that kind of romance, too."
But now Renisha looked fragile, as if she could crumble with a touch. Like in a greenhouse.
The Emperor, that son of a bitch, must have made Renisha like that.
Kassius hesitated in his affection, then knelt on the floor.
Kassius pulled Renisha's white feet.
For the first time, Renisha's composure crumbled.
"What are you doing...!"
"...It's cold."
Kassius took Renisha's small feet in his hands.
He realized it when he held them. Her hands and feet were freezing cold.
The warmth Kassius bestowed upon her soaked through her.
Her frozen toes were gradually warming, just like Kassius's own body heat.
Renisha reached out and stroked Kassius's hair.
Kassius's messy hair flowed through her fingers. It felt thicker and rougher than Renisha's own, yet smooth.
Kassius's cheeks flushed.
His heart pounded.
Night had ripened.
Laxus's eyes were calm as he watched the sleeping Canary.
Tomorrow, Renisha would leave the palace.
What would Renisha and Kassius be talking about in his bedroom right now?
Whispers of love? Or perhaps they were contemplating killing Laxus?
Neither of them was particularly pleasant.
Laxus had locked his bedroom because he couldn't sleep.
He feared that the Duke of Lottera would drag him out.
He knew locking it from the outside wouldn't do much, but it gave him a sense of security.
Inside his bedroom, at least, Laxus felt like he owned the place.
With the door locked and no one else in, Laxus found true freedom.
Renisha, who was practically Lottera's predecessor, would be leaving tomorrow.
Laxus would become Emperor.
Lottera no longer posed any threat to Laxus.
"Hahaha..."
In the end, Laxus had won. In a brutal battle with Lottera.
The ghost of the Duke of Lottera loomed before his eyes.
He was silently rebuking Laxus.
"Don't look at me like that, Duke of Lottera. It's time for the dead to return to their own lands. Admit defeat!"
Laxus muttered.
"Tomorrow, your daughter will be dethroned. She will be married again. To the man I chose. How do you like it?"
The ghost swayed in the candlelight.
"You can no longer interfere with what I do. I won."
Laxus let out a chuckle.
"Wouldn't you regret it?"
The glint in Laxus's eyes seemed to ask.
Regret?
A prickly feeling shook Laxus.
"I won't."
Laxus decided, ignoring his own wavering.
"I won't regret anything, Lord Lottera. You will regret it. Making me Emperor."
But the moment he declared it, he couldn't understand why Renisha came to mind.
He might never see her again.
What did that matter?
He'd thought it didn't matter, but an inexplicable emotion choked his mouth shut.
He couldn't say anything else.
Renisha looked at Kassius with sparkling eyes.
Her pink eyes were strangely gleaming with the heat of the candlelight.
Or perhaps it was the venom and evil within them.
“Your Majesty...”
Renisha began in a gentle voice.
“I propose negotiations, Sir Kassius.”
“Negotiations...?”
A spark flashed in Renisha’s eyes.
“I will help you survive in Hiloshine. Right now, I am the only one who understands the value of Hiloshine. Those who know nothing about it will find it difficult to maintain the people there.”
Kassius sighed.
Renisha was right.
He had thought that becoming a noble would erase the misfortunes that plagued his life. He had planned to bring all the tribesmen here and let them live in luxury, knowing that he would never have to go hungry again.
But that was nothing more than a dream, a dream that existed only in fairy tales.
Kassius's life was still a cesspool.
The land he had been granted was a vast wasteland in the northwest.
Though it was the largest in the country in terms of territory, it lacked everything.
However, it was one of the fiefdoms of the Lottera family.
Even so, the land had been thriving under the Lottera family's rule, but it had completely collapsed after the Emperor took it away.
If anyone knew the answer to the northwestern land, Hiloshine, then Renisha was the only one.
"...Is there a way to make a living there?"
Renisha smiled faintly.
"The Lottera family didn't hold onto that land for nothing, Kassius. It holds great potential. They simply kept it hidden to avoid the Emperor's attention. I promise you. I will make Hiloshine the greatest in the Hientri Empire."
Kassius's eyes wavered.
In truth, he had no more answers.
Aren't they like flies, their lives swayed by the Emperor's single word?
The current Emperor doesn't even consider what others think.
Thinking about what he's done...
The eyes of a lovely spring flower met those of a golden snake.
"Sir Kassius, you will take me out of here. Take me as your wife and protect me."
Renisha emphasized the word "wife. "
Kassius swallowed and nodded. His earlobes blushed faintly.
"...If it's okay with me."
Renisha let out a languid sigh.
Kassius swallowed again, feeling as if he were swallowing a hot ball of fire.
Renisha opened her mouth.
It felt like a flower petal opening.
However, the words that came out were filled with venom.
Renisha whispered softly,
"Kill the Emperor, Kassius."
Kassius was taken aback by Renisha's words.
He looked around. Even though he knew no one was there, his nerves were palpable.
Renisha held up her slender wrist.
“You wouldn’t even be able to chop a radish with this, Kassius. I’ve heard that human bones are tough and hard, making them difficult to cut. I’ll make the Emperor crawl like a dog, and you’ll behead him.”
For now, even the fear that anyone might be listening had vanished.
Her pink eyes were gleaming with malice, a malice she’d never managed to suppress.
It was hatred.
Renisha’s true feelings were revealed.
Her expression resembled a sweet dream.
“I’ll make him crawl like a dog... I like it.”
It was incredible confidence.
But when Renisha said it, it seemed possible.
While Kassius was lost in thought, Renisha rubbed her eyes, heavy with fatigue, with her palm.
Her red lips closed involuntarily. A small groan escaped her lips.
Renisha opened her eyes again and smiled faintly.
The fatigue she’d shown moments before vanished like a lie.
"Misfortune depends on how you accept it, Kassius."
Renisha smiled coldly.
"I accepted my misfortune with anger, with a desire for revenge."
"Do you have any regrets or sorrow?"
Kassius asked worriedly.
The thought that Renisha might have been hurt again made him furious.
Renisha burst out laughing.
Kassius felt a dryness in her.
Emotions had evaporated without leaving even a crumb.
"Couldn't it be that we're in a relationship where such a thing wouldn't be possible? I wish the Emperor's neck to be broken as cruelly and miserably as possible. Offering his body to the spirits of my parents is my goal and my reason for living."
Kassius's throat throbbed.
For now, it seemed as if Renisha's sorrow was palpable.
Renisha looked truly in pain.
"There's nothing I can do if I have a husband who's worse than a dog. Now, choose. Sir Kassius. Will you save me?"
Renisha asked as if it were her last. Kassius had no choice.
This was a necessary alliance for the two of them.
Kassius needed Renisha, too.
"...Very well. I will marry you."
Renisha asked if he would save her, but Kassius said marriage.
As expected, he was a romantic knight.
Renisha elegantly extended her hand.
Kassius gazed at the small, white hand extended to him.
He carefully took it and shook it up and down.
The soft texture made him unconsciously tense his hand.
Most of the hands Kassius had held were covered in rough calluses.
However, Renisha's hand was as soft as if it had never been through anything rough.
Renisha was the only warmth, the only warmth, that touched Kassius.
Now, it felt like a burn mark was imprinted on his palm.
Renisha burst out laughing.
"Isn't that it?"
Kassius rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.
"It means kiss the back of my hand. That's usually what young ladies and noblewomen mean when they extend their hands."
Startled, Kassius stared at the back of her hand with a subtle expression.
Clearing his throat, he pressed his lips to the back of her hand, then pulled away with a startled expression.
Kassius raised his head, his golden eyes narrowing vertically.
He let go of Renisha's hand and pressed himself against the back of the chair, as if he had been kissed.
"Why?"
Kassius whispered in a suppressed voice.
“Do you always do this? When you meet young masters?”
Renisha narrowed her eyes.
Kassius’s face flushed, as if he had just emerged from a blazing fire.
Renisha pursed her lips.
“What were you thinking?”
Kassius flinched at the gentle tone. He quickly covered his lips with the back of his hand.
Then, raising his head, he shook it vigorously, indicating he didn’t want to say anything.
“Really? You weren’t thinking about anything?”
Renisha deliberately lowered her voice. Then, even the corners of Kassius’ eyes flushed.
Kassius rubbed his lips vigorously.
The skin, soft and sweet like whipped cream, touched his lips and then left them.
He swore he's never done anything like this before.
Renisha said in a cheerful voice.
“You’re not meant for this world.”
Kassius blinked slowly, his condensed vision returning to normal.
'Is that the price of power?'
Every citizen of the empire would have heard of Kassius and the red snake.
Kassius was the 'Knight of the Red Snake,' a hero who gave up his own body in exchange for power.
Even now, Kassius seemed feeble.
The back of his hand fell from Kassius's lips.
"...I was taught not to even touch someone who wasn't going to be my wife."
Kassius seemed to have lived in a very old-fashioned era.
Renisha smiled kindly.
"You've been given a romantic education."
Renisha was always aloof.
She stood tall, her back straight.
"I like that kind of romance, too."
But now Renisha looked fragile, as if she could crumble with a touch. Like in a greenhouse.
The Emperor, that son of a bitch, must have made Renisha like that.
Kassius hesitated in his affection, then knelt on the floor.
Kassius pulled Renisha's white feet.
For the first time, Renisha's composure crumbled.
"What are you doing...!"
"...It's cold."
Kassius took Renisha's small feet in his hands.
He realized it when he held them. Her hands and feet were freezing cold.
The warmth Kassius bestowed upon her soaked through her.
Her frozen toes were gradually warming, just like Kassius's own body heat.
Renisha reached out and stroked Kassius's hair.
Kassius's messy hair flowed through her fingers. It felt thicker and rougher than Renisha's own, yet smooth.
Kassius's cheeks flushed.
His heart pounded.
***
Night had ripened.
Laxus's eyes were calm as he watched the sleeping Canary.
Tomorrow, Renisha would leave the palace.
What would Renisha and Kassius be talking about in his bedroom right now?
Whispers of love? Or perhaps they were contemplating killing Laxus?
Neither of them was particularly pleasant.
Laxus had locked his bedroom because he couldn't sleep.
He feared that the Duke of Lottera would drag him out.
He knew locking it from the outside wouldn't do much, but it gave him a sense of security.
Inside his bedroom, at least, Laxus felt like he owned the place.
With the door locked and no one else in, Laxus found true freedom.
Renisha, who was practically Lottera's predecessor, would be leaving tomorrow.
Laxus would become Emperor.
Lottera no longer posed any threat to Laxus.
"Hahaha..."
In the end, Laxus had won. In a brutal battle with Lottera.
The ghost of the Duke of Lottera loomed before his eyes.
He was silently rebuking Laxus.
"Don't look at me like that, Duke of Lottera. It's time for the dead to return to their own lands. Admit defeat!"
Laxus muttered.
"Tomorrow, your daughter will be dethroned. She will be married again. To the man I chose. How do you like it?"
The ghost swayed in the candlelight.
"You can no longer interfere with what I do. I won."
Laxus let out a chuckle.
"Wouldn't you regret it?"
The glint in Laxus's eyes seemed to ask.
Regret?
A prickly feeling shook Laxus.
"I won't."
Laxus decided, ignoring his own wavering.
"I won't regret anything, Lord Lottera. You will regret it. Making me Emperor."
But the moment he declared it, he couldn't understand why Renisha came to mind.
He might never see her again.
What did that matter?
He'd thought it didn't matter, but an inexplicable emotion choked his mouth shut.
He couldn't say anything else.
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