Episode 66. Crazy
Renisha leisurely appeared at the coffeehouse.
She casually announced her return to everyone in the empire. Kassius frowned and glared at the liquid in his glass with a grudge.
The black liquid in the glass, smaller than Kassius's palm, swayed gently.
"Don't you like coffee?"
"This is the bitterest coffee I've ever had. It's practically poisonous. How does Renisha drink this?"
It was only natural, since she had ordered the strongest espresso.
Renisha gave a small smile.
"It'll be fine once you get used to it. And doesn't it make you lose sleep?"
Kassius cleared his throat and pushed the glass in front of him towards Renisha.
"Kassius?"
"I don't think I can,"
Kassius said with a solemn expression.
"Drinking this isn't basic decency for nobles, is it?"
Renisha placed a fist in front of her lips and burst out laughing.
She tried to hold it back, but she couldn't.
Kassius loved sweets and avoided bitter things.
Perhaps because he had such clear likes and dislikes, every emotion would show on his face.
Renisha liked Kassius like that.
Being around him made her feel at ease.
“Renisha.”
Kassius scratched his cheek, his earlobe blushing.
“No, no. This is a matter of personal taste. If Kassius doesn't like it, you don't have to drink it.”
Kassius finally looked relieved.
Renisha really was laughing because of Kassius.
“Pfft.”
Renisha, who had been laughing so hard her face turned red, cleared her throat.
“...Do you find it funny?”
Kassius asked seriously.
“Renisha seems to laugh most of the time when she sees me.”
Kassius wanted to be a reliable presence, someone Renisha could lean on.
But he felt like things were going in a strange direction.
Kassius let out a faint sigh.
“I find Kassius amusing.”
“That’s good, but...”
“That’s why I like it. I don’t think I’ll ever be bored when I’m with you.”
Renisha cut him off.
Renisha’s pink eyes were filled with light.
The rich scent of wild roses enveloped Kassius.
Renisha was someone who knew how to use her appearance and aura to her advantage.
It was as if she knew exactly what Kassius would see and feel in Renisha right now. Renisha often felt she wasn’t meant to be subservient to anyone.
She was much better suited to standing at the top and commanding others.
Just being able to stand by Renisha’s side was enough to make him feel grateful.
“Kassius. Do you hate it when I laugh?”
Kassius shook his head.
“I... just wished Renisha could lean on me.”
“I’m fully aware of that, Kassius.”
Renisha pointed to the sword at Kassius's waist.
"That's why I entrusted Ashcarod to Kassius. I don't know when I'll die if Kassius doesn't protect me."
Kassius instinctively grabbed his sword.
"Why are you saying that...?"
"I entrusted my life to Kassius. Is that not enough?"
Renisha slowly tilted her head.
Her golden hair rippled like waves.
Renisha's pink lips parted sweetly.
"If that's not enough, what else can I give you?"
Kassius swallowed.
He wanted to beg her to give him her heart, her heart.
Madame Turiel had advised him that if he truly wanted to be close to Renisha, they had to become family.
A true family, a married couple.
He longed for such thrilling things.
To have children who resemble Renisha and Kassius, and to build a future together.
That was what Kassius longed for.
"You look like you have something to wish for?"
Renisha trailed off.
"Tell me anything, my puppy. I'll give you anything you want."
Kassius took Renisha's hand.
It wasn't that he lacked the courage to speak.
He didn't want to burden Renisha.
Renisha was now walking a path that was daunting even for her own desires.
How could it be easy to drag out the Emperor, who had ensconced himself in the imperial palace like a turtle hidden within a hard shell, and decapitate him?
Furthermore, Renisha was about to carry Hientri on her shoulders.
Hientri, standing at dusk.
Everyone on the continent knew that Hientri was no longer as vibrant as it once was. Just as no flower blooms forever, Hientri, too, was on the path to decline.
Renisha was the one who could make Hientri bloom again.
At least, Kassius believed so.
He worried that Kassius's desires might be too much for Renisha. Kassius, who was only quivering with laughter, was urged on by Renisha.
"Kassius. Say what you want to say. I like your honesty, you know that."
Kassius met Renisha's eyes.
Renisha's eyes burned brightly, as if a layer had been shed.
Despair, pain, rage.
Unlike the past, when she'd harbored a plethora of emotions, it felt much more refined.
How does Renisha view Kassius?
Renisha says she likes Cassius's honesty.
How honest is Renisha with Kassius?
Kassius's lips trembled.
"I... want to be family with you, Renisha."
"Family?"
"As your husband, and as the father of your children. That's how I want to live. That's all I want."
Renisha's eyes widened.
She'd never imagined Kassius would say something like this.
When people asked Renisha what they wanted, some said revenge, others fame, and still others power.
No one had ever desired something as simple and precious as Kassius.
Renisha, too, had grown up freely, surrounded by her parents' immense love.
Renisha's world was confined to the mansion, but within it, she had been a Princess, an Empress, and even a bird.
Renisha knew the preciousness of family.
Kassius was asking for something more precious and weighty than anything else in the world from Renisha.
“I didn’t mean to burden you. It doesn’t have to be right now. Even after I’ve accomplished everything Renisha wants.”
Renisha gazed at Kassius with a calm gaze.
Since when? He couldn’t be certain.
At some point, Kassius had become more afraid of Renisha than anything else.
Carefully and affectionately.
Kassius didn’t want to be a burden to Renisha, and he didn’t want to hurt her.
He couldn’t rely on her himself, and instead, he wanted Renisha to rely on him. Renisha knew the name of the feeling she attached to that feeling: love.
Kassius loved Renisha.
Perhaps Renisha had sensed it much earlier than Kassius.
Kassius hated Renisha with Meteo and the mention of Laxus’s name.
Kassius wanted to be a man of far greater value to Renisha than those men.
“Renisha, please give me an answer...”
“Do so,”
Renisha cut Kassius off again.
“If there’s anyone I can lean on comfortably, it’s Kassius. If I’m going to start a family with someone and have children, it’s going to be with Kassius.”
“Renisha...”
Kassius covered his lips with his palm.
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
Renisha had practically given Kassius permission to confess.
Did that honest man even know that?
Renisha drank her iced espresso.
The espresso that Kassius had pushed aside swayed gently as if it were infused with a spring breeze.
Renisha’s eyes furrowed.
“Are you saying Renisha has arrived in the capital?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The chamberlain, exhausted as he was, bowed his head.
Laxus kept calling the servants every hour to ask when Renisha would arrive, making them want to blasphemously add sleeping pills to the Emperor’s food.
And finally, the long-awaited Renisha had arrived.
"Where is Renisha now? She arrived before Count Calliot. She must have received the gift I sent. Is she currently staying at the mansion I gave her?"
"...No, Your Majesty. Lady Renisha is currently staying at Lord Kassius's mansion."
Isn't that natural? They're a married couple.
The chamberlain swallowed his words.
Laxus's face hardened.
"Is he with her?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Why hide something that would be known anyway?
The chamberlain told him everything he knew.
The story of Renisha's arrival in the capital and her date with Kassius, and how people saw them as a perfect match.
Laxus reminisced about those stories.
How Renisha had laughed like a child, how they had walked down the street holding hands affectionately.
How he had witnessed Renisha and Kassius enter the mansion together.
These were all things Laxus had never experienced with Renisha.
He thought of Renisha.
The woman who had always pushed him to his limits.
Renisha had never been docile. She had always rebelled, and she had infuriated him.
It was because of Renisha that Laxus had begun to pursue other women.
“...Tell Renisha. If you don’t want to see that mansion burn down, then move it.”
Renisha leisurely appeared at the coffeehouse.
She casually announced her return to everyone in the empire. Kassius frowned and glared at the liquid in his glass with a grudge.
The black liquid in the glass, smaller than Kassius's palm, swayed gently.
"Don't you like coffee?"
"This is the bitterest coffee I've ever had. It's practically poisonous. How does Renisha drink this?"
It was only natural, since she had ordered the strongest espresso.
Renisha gave a small smile.
"It'll be fine once you get used to it. And doesn't it make you lose sleep?"
Kassius cleared his throat and pushed the glass in front of him towards Renisha.
"Kassius?"
"I don't think I can,"
Kassius said with a solemn expression.
"Drinking this isn't basic decency for nobles, is it?"
Renisha placed a fist in front of her lips and burst out laughing.
She tried to hold it back, but she couldn't.
Kassius loved sweets and avoided bitter things.
Perhaps because he had such clear likes and dislikes, every emotion would show on his face.
Renisha liked Kassius like that.
Being around him made her feel at ease.
“Renisha.”
Kassius scratched his cheek, his earlobe blushing.
“No, no. This is a matter of personal taste. If Kassius doesn't like it, you don't have to drink it.”
Kassius finally looked relieved.
Renisha really was laughing because of Kassius.
“Pfft.”
Renisha, who had been laughing so hard her face turned red, cleared her throat.
“...Do you find it funny?”
Kassius asked seriously.
“Renisha seems to laugh most of the time when she sees me.”
Kassius wanted to be a reliable presence, someone Renisha could lean on.
But he felt like things were going in a strange direction.
Kassius let out a faint sigh.
“I find Kassius amusing.”
“That’s good, but...”
“That’s why I like it. I don’t think I’ll ever be bored when I’m with you.”
Renisha cut him off.
Renisha’s pink eyes were filled with light.
The rich scent of wild roses enveloped Kassius.
Renisha was someone who knew how to use her appearance and aura to her advantage.
It was as if she knew exactly what Kassius would see and feel in Renisha right now. Renisha often felt she wasn’t meant to be subservient to anyone.
She was much better suited to standing at the top and commanding others.
Just being able to stand by Renisha’s side was enough to make him feel grateful.
“Kassius. Do you hate it when I laugh?”
Kassius shook his head.
“I... just wished Renisha could lean on me.”
“I’m fully aware of that, Kassius.”
Renisha pointed to the sword at Kassius's waist.
"That's why I entrusted Ashcarod to Kassius. I don't know when I'll die if Kassius doesn't protect me."
Kassius instinctively grabbed his sword.
"Why are you saying that...?"
"I entrusted my life to Kassius. Is that not enough?"
Renisha slowly tilted her head.
Her golden hair rippled like waves.
Renisha's pink lips parted sweetly.
"If that's not enough, what else can I give you?"
Kassius swallowed.
He wanted to beg her to give him her heart, her heart.
Madame Turiel had advised him that if he truly wanted to be close to Renisha, they had to become family.
A true family, a married couple.
He longed for such thrilling things.
To have children who resemble Renisha and Kassius, and to build a future together.
That was what Kassius longed for.
"You look like you have something to wish for?"
Renisha trailed off.
"Tell me anything, my puppy. I'll give you anything you want."
Kassius took Renisha's hand.
It wasn't that he lacked the courage to speak.
He didn't want to burden Renisha.
Renisha was now walking a path that was daunting even for her own desires.
How could it be easy to drag out the Emperor, who had ensconced himself in the imperial palace like a turtle hidden within a hard shell, and decapitate him?
Furthermore, Renisha was about to carry Hientri on her shoulders.
Hientri, standing at dusk.
Everyone on the continent knew that Hientri was no longer as vibrant as it once was. Just as no flower blooms forever, Hientri, too, was on the path to decline.
Renisha was the one who could make Hientri bloom again.
At least, Kassius believed so.
He worried that Kassius's desires might be too much for Renisha. Kassius, who was only quivering with laughter, was urged on by Renisha.
"Kassius. Say what you want to say. I like your honesty, you know that."
Kassius met Renisha's eyes.
Renisha's eyes burned brightly, as if a layer had been shed.
Despair, pain, rage.
Unlike the past, when she'd harbored a plethora of emotions, it felt much more refined.
How does Renisha view Kassius?
Renisha says she likes Cassius's honesty.
How honest is Renisha with Kassius?
Kassius's lips trembled.
"I... want to be family with you, Renisha."
"Family?"
"As your husband, and as the father of your children. That's how I want to live. That's all I want."
Renisha's eyes widened.
She'd never imagined Kassius would say something like this.
When people asked Renisha what they wanted, some said revenge, others fame, and still others power.
No one had ever desired something as simple and precious as Kassius.
Renisha, too, had grown up freely, surrounded by her parents' immense love.
Renisha's world was confined to the mansion, but within it, she had been a Princess, an Empress, and even a bird.
Renisha knew the preciousness of family.
Kassius was asking for something more precious and weighty than anything else in the world from Renisha.
“I didn’t mean to burden you. It doesn’t have to be right now. Even after I’ve accomplished everything Renisha wants.”
Renisha gazed at Kassius with a calm gaze.
Since when? He couldn’t be certain.
At some point, Kassius had become more afraid of Renisha than anything else.
Carefully and affectionately.
Kassius didn’t want to be a burden to Renisha, and he didn’t want to hurt her.
He couldn’t rely on her himself, and instead, he wanted Renisha to rely on him. Renisha knew the name of the feeling she attached to that feeling: love.
Kassius loved Renisha.
Perhaps Renisha had sensed it much earlier than Kassius.
Kassius hated Renisha with Meteo and the mention of Laxus’s name.
Kassius wanted to be a man of far greater value to Renisha than those men.
“Renisha, please give me an answer...”
“Do so,”
Renisha cut Kassius off again.
“If there’s anyone I can lean on comfortably, it’s Kassius. If I’m going to start a family with someone and have children, it’s going to be with Kassius.”
“Renisha...”
Kassius covered his lips with his palm.
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
Renisha had practically given Kassius permission to confess.
Did that honest man even know that?
Renisha drank her iced espresso.
The espresso that Kassius had pushed aside swayed gently as if it were infused with a spring breeze.
Renisha’s eyes furrowed.
***
“Are you saying Renisha has arrived in the capital?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The chamberlain, exhausted as he was, bowed his head.
Laxus kept calling the servants every hour to ask when Renisha would arrive, making them want to blasphemously add sleeping pills to the Emperor’s food.
And finally, the long-awaited Renisha had arrived.
"Where is Renisha now? She arrived before Count Calliot. She must have received the gift I sent. Is she currently staying at the mansion I gave her?"
"...No, Your Majesty. Lady Renisha is currently staying at Lord Kassius's mansion."
Isn't that natural? They're a married couple.
The chamberlain swallowed his words.
Laxus's face hardened.
"Is he with her?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Why hide something that would be known anyway?
The chamberlain told him everything he knew.
The story of Renisha's arrival in the capital and her date with Kassius, and how people saw them as a perfect match.
Laxus reminisced about those stories.
How Renisha had laughed like a child, how they had walked down the street holding hands affectionately.
How he had witnessed Renisha and Kassius enter the mansion together.
These were all things Laxus had never experienced with Renisha.
He thought of Renisha.
The woman who had always pushed him to his limits.
Renisha had never been docile. She had always rebelled, and she had infuriated him.
It was because of Renisha that Laxus had begun to pursue other women.
“...Tell Renisha. If you don’t want to see that mansion burn down, then move it.”
He didn’t want to see Renisha happy.
At the very least, she should be as unhappy as Laxus was.
Since losing Renisha, Laxus hasn’t been able to sleep properly!
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the chamberlain barely swallowed a sigh, Canary appeared.
Unlike before, Canary had regained her composure.
Canary, who entered with her dress fluttering, gestured to the chamberlain, indicating that she could step back.
The chamberlain quickly ran away.
“Your Majesty, why are you so angry?”
“Canary.”
Canary, with her usual pretty smile, embraced Laxus.
“I’m here. I’ll grant you what you want. Why are you upset when you have Canary, who even holds the successor in my arms?”
Laxus closed his eyes at the voice that caressed him affectionately.
It felt like his nerves, which had been on edge, were calming down.
Canary seemed to have recognized her place and her duty.
She was content with what Laxus gave her and complied with his will.
Just like before she became Empress.
'She's so different from Renisha.'
Renisha, who had never understood, no matter how much he tried to teach her, was still the same.
"Renisha dares to go against the Emperor's will."
"Aha."
Canary snickered. Crazy bastard.
At the very least, she should be as unhappy as Laxus was.
Since losing Renisha, Laxus hasn’t been able to sleep properly!
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the chamberlain barely swallowed a sigh, Canary appeared.
Unlike before, Canary had regained her composure.
Canary, who entered with her dress fluttering, gestured to the chamberlain, indicating that she could step back.
The chamberlain quickly ran away.
“Your Majesty, why are you so angry?”
“Canary.”
Canary, with her usual pretty smile, embraced Laxus.
“I’m here. I’ll grant you what you want. Why are you upset when you have Canary, who even holds the successor in my arms?”
Laxus closed his eyes at the voice that caressed him affectionately.
It felt like his nerves, which had been on edge, were calming down.
Canary seemed to have recognized her place and her duty.
She was content with what Laxus gave her and complied with his will.
Just like before she became Empress.
'She's so different from Renisha.'
Renisha, who had never understood, no matter how much he tried to teach her, was still the same.
"Renisha dares to go against the Emperor's will."
"Aha."
Canary snickered. Crazy bastard.
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