Episode 75. Enter the Mansion I Left Behind
"It's Lady Renisha...!"
"My goodness. She's coming back?"
"It's understandable. Look at that foolish woman!"
People whispered under their breath.
Their eyes were fixed on Renisha, who had reappeared in the palace after a long absence.
Renisha Lottera.
Her mere presence thrilled people.
Hair woven from gold, eyes like sparkling spring.
A languid gaze, a straight back, and a steadfast walk.
Elegance and dignity radiated from her entire being.
It made no sense that Renisha Lottera wasn't in the palace.
Renisha was perfectly suited to the palace and to the position of ruler.
"It's understandable, since His Majesty the Emperor even built her a residence."
Renisha smirked.
They still believed that Renisha's dream position was that of Empress.
They were confining the world within a small framework.
It was ridiculous to believe that the empire still ruled by Laxus had a future.
“When Lady Renisha returns, everything will be normal.”
It was the height of complacency.
Still relying on Renisha, unable to let go of her.
This is why people only eat what they used to eat.
Renisha slowly looked around the palace.
This place remained unchanged, as if it were a rut.
Perhaps that’s why people didn’t change.
The sunlight filtering through the leaves in the garden tickled Renisha’s eyes.
It felt as if, in a world where nothing had changed, only Renisha had.
Renisha smiled softly.
“Laxus.”
Laxus, running towards her, gasped, his face flushed like a boy’s.
Thinner and more mangled than before.
It was obvious at a glance.
It was a natural consequence of his unstinting use of drugs and alcohol.
Renisha knew everything about what he ate and how he lived.
She had been watching the palace from afar.
People volunteered to be Renisha's eyes and ears, even when she didn't want them to.
"Renisha..."
Laxus murmured.
"Ah."
Renisha shrugged.
"I've been rude, Your Majesty. It's been a while. Renisha of Lottera sends greetings."
“Yes, I will.”
“...What?”
“I told you so, Your Majesty.”
What was strange?
Renisha tilted her head.
It really wasn’t difficult.
Kassius might be offended, but... it was an opportunity to expand the mansion.
Kassius’s current mansion didn’t suit his reputation.
She had been looking for a new one, but this seemed to be a good thing.
“T-True...?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s a gift, so I must accept it.”
Laxus’s will to fight vanished.
Renisha arrived at the mansion that he had given her.
She came within a stone’s throw of him.
If Laxus wanted, he could visit there and meet her whenever he wanted.
He felt satisfied.
Renisha, a woman who lived in the capital, found this natural.
She wasn’t the type to tolerate inconvenience, was she?
She must have been missing the comforts of her time.
“...I’ve prepared everything you need.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. You have bestowed such a generous gift. Now that you have given your permission, I will return to find the remains.”
Before Laxus could engage in any further discussion, Renisha took a step back.
Laxus had never said that only Renisha could enter the mansion.
She was trying to escape before he could even grasp that point.
Renisha smiled and nodded to the chamberlain standing behind Laxus.
He noticed Laxus’s expression and came over at a brisk pace.
“Will you guide me?”
“Yes, Lady Renisha!”
“Then I will be going back, Your Majesty.”
Renisha turned neatly.
Laxus, suddenly left alone, laughed in vain.
He feels like he's been possessed by a siren.
"It's Lady Renisha...!"
"My goodness. She's coming back?"
"It's understandable. Look at that foolish woman!"
People whispered under their breath.
Their eyes were fixed on Renisha, who had reappeared in the palace after a long absence.
Renisha Lottera.
Her mere presence thrilled people.
Hair woven from gold, eyes like sparkling spring.
A languid gaze, a straight back, and a steadfast walk.
Elegance and dignity radiated from her entire being.
It made no sense that Renisha Lottera wasn't in the palace.
Renisha was perfectly suited to the palace and to the position of ruler.
"It's understandable, since His Majesty the Emperor even built her a residence."
Renisha smirked.
They still believed that Renisha's dream position was that of Empress.
They were confining the world within a small framework.
It was ridiculous to believe that the empire still ruled by Laxus had a future.
“When Lady Renisha returns, everything will be normal.”
It was the height of complacency.
Still relying on Renisha, unable to let go of her.
This is why people only eat what they used to eat.
Renisha slowly looked around the palace.
This place remained unchanged, as if it were a rut.
Perhaps that’s why people didn’t change.
The sunlight filtering through the leaves in the garden tickled Renisha’s eyes.
It felt as if, in a world where nothing had changed, only Renisha had.
Renisha smiled softly.
“Laxus.”
Laxus, running towards her, gasped, his face flushed like a boy’s.
Thinner and more mangled than before.
It was obvious at a glance.
It was a natural consequence of his unstinting use of drugs and alcohol.
Renisha knew everything about what he ate and how he lived.
She had been watching the palace from afar.
People volunteered to be Renisha's eyes and ears, even when she didn't want them to.
"Renisha..."
Laxus murmured.
"Ah."
Renisha shrugged.
"I've been rude, Your Majesty. It's been a while. Renisha of Lottera sends greetings."
Renisha bowed politely.
Renisha was no longer Empress. She was forbidden to address Laxus by his name, and they had nothing left. Laxus branded Renisha with infidelity and banished her. Officially, Renisha was the woman who had committed infidelity against the Emperor. Renisha took a step back.
Renisha was no longer Empress. She was forbidden to address Laxus by his name, and they had nothing left. Laxus branded Renisha with infidelity and banished her. Officially, Renisha was the woman who had committed infidelity against the Emperor. Renisha took a step back.
"Thanks to Your Majesty's grace, my life was spared, and I can greet you in peace. How have you been?"
Renisha no longer looked at the Emperor. She fixed her gaze on the ground, staring at Laxus's feet. It wasn't humiliating at all. In fact, she was the one who felt the urge.
"Raise your head, Renisha."
A seething voice was heard. She could feel the suppressed emotion. Renisha chuckled. Her expression softened, her head raised, her expression indifferent. Laxus took another step toward her. Renisha stepped back, her face startled. The comedy was palpable.
“Renisha! How dare you avoid me?”
Laxus’s purple eyes flashed as if they were about to stab her.
“You’re mine! Whenever I desire, you must enter the palace and show yourself. I am the Emperor of this empire, and you are nothing more than a woman who belongs to me. And how dare you...”
Renisha chuckled again. She couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Kassius isn’t that kind of person.”
“What do you know...!”
“We’re married. We share a bed, so shouldn’t I know better?”
Renisha trailed off, knowing her words would provoke Laxus. Laxus was obsessed with Renisha to an unnatural degree. She'd known this before. He could have just thrown her away like trash, but he couldn't, so he hovered around her.
With a small chuckle, Renisha tilted her head.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was Your Majesty’s choice to cast me out. And it was Your Majesty’s choice to cast Lottera out as well. I am now the Duchess of Hiloshine. How can I be called Your Majesty’s woman?”
"Renisha. What is that slave...? How can you be satisfied with him? He's a fool with nothing. A slave! He's drunk on being treated like a hero, thinking he's great!"
With a small chuckle, Renisha tilted her head.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was Your Majesty’s choice to cast me out. And it was Your Majesty’s choice to cast Lottera out as well. I am now the Duchess of Hiloshine. How can I be called Your Majesty’s woman?”
"Renisha. What is that slave...? How can you be satisfied with him? He's a fool with nothing. A slave! He's drunk on being treated like a hero, thinking he's great!"
People treat him like an Emperor, so he can't see anything. Renisha pursed her lips.
That wasn't Kassius's story, but Laxus's own.
It would have been easier to kill her, but he couldn't, trembling as he held Renisha.
He kept her by his side, calling her the empress, and never once visited her...
He had no intention of taking away what he enjoyed.
Things he hadn't seen up close, but from afar, he could see.
Laxus...
"Be honest."
Renisha approached Laxus.
Laxus gritted his teeth.
His face, pale and filled with evil, was pitiful.
Even a child would be smarter and more honest than Laxus.
"Do you love me?"
Disgustingly, she loved Laxus.
Laxus stretched his lips.
"Do you love me, Laxus?"
She drove the wedge in again.
His body, larger than Renisha's, staggered.
Laxus stepped back, his head held high, and Renisha stared coldly.
A fool oblivious to his own feelings could insult Kassius.
In Renisha's eyes, Kassius was far more desirable than Laxus.
Kassius, at least be honest.
“I, I...”
Renisha slowly bowed her head.
“I think I slipped. Please forgive me if I was presumptuous. The truth is, I came here today because I have business.”
Renisha changed the subject.
She was tired of arguing with Laxus like this.
Laxus would continue to act like this fool. He was
trapped by his inferiority complex and delusions, unable to escape.
“Business?”
Laxus asked, barely regaining his senses.
After stepping away from Renisha, he felt better. Being around Renisha made him lose his reason and feel like a 15-year-old boy going through puberty.
A boy suffering from the fever of first love, as if he were dying.
Laxus gritted his teeth.
He had to come to his senses. He might get swept up in Renisha again.
Laxus...
The ghost of the Duke of Lottera passed behind Renisha.
He must trample literally and become the monarch.
Even if it was just to show that damned ghost.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Have you heard about Count Calliot’s death?”
“...Old things go, that’s how Count Calliot has become,”
Laxus said calmly.
True.
As time went on, the old wore out and the new took their place.
And Laxus took his place with what he wanted.
Gale Calliot was a new thing that quite suited his taste.
“The death of Count Calliot is unfortunate. I remember all he did for the palace.”
Laxus forced himself to regain composure.
Seeing Renisha running like this, it was a good thing that he killed Count Calliot.
A hundred times over.
After all, didn’t that fool claim to be Renisha’s dog?
“Now that you mention it, my sadness seems to have subsided.”
“Sadness?”
“I’ve known Count Calliot since I was little.”
Renisha smiled.
"I have come to make a request to Your Majesty on his behalf. If you regret the death of Count Calliot, please grant his wish."
"..."
"I understand that his disloyal and incompetent children are in the palace."
Laxus wiggled his eyebrows.
He had kept Count Calliot's children's remains so he could hold them. They must be abandoned somewhere underground.
They were a handful, contained in jars.
All deaths were so fleeting.
That wasn't Kassius's story, but Laxus's own.
It would have been easier to kill her, but he couldn't, trembling as he held Renisha.
He kept her by his side, calling her the empress, and never once visited her...
He had no intention of taking away what he enjoyed.
Things he hadn't seen up close, but from afar, he could see.
Laxus...
"Be honest."
Renisha approached Laxus.
Laxus gritted his teeth.
His face, pale and filled with evil, was pitiful.
Even a child would be smarter and more honest than Laxus.
"Do you love me?"
Disgustingly, she loved Laxus.
Laxus stretched his lips.
"Do you love me, Laxus?"
She drove the wedge in again.
His body, larger than Renisha's, staggered.
Laxus stepped back, his head held high, and Renisha stared coldly.
A fool oblivious to his own feelings could insult Kassius.
In Renisha's eyes, Kassius was far more desirable than Laxus.
Kassius, at least be honest.
“I, I...”
Renisha slowly bowed her head.
“I think I slipped. Please forgive me if I was presumptuous. The truth is, I came here today because I have business.”
Renisha changed the subject.
She was tired of arguing with Laxus like this.
Laxus would continue to act like this fool. He was
trapped by his inferiority complex and delusions, unable to escape.
“Business?”
Laxus asked, barely regaining his senses.
After stepping away from Renisha, he felt better. Being around Renisha made him lose his reason and feel like a 15-year-old boy going through puberty.
A boy suffering from the fever of first love, as if he were dying.
Laxus gritted his teeth.
He had to come to his senses. He might get swept up in Renisha again.
Laxus...
The ghost of the Duke of Lottera passed behind Renisha.
He must trample literally and become the monarch.
Even if it was just to show that damned ghost.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Have you heard about Count Calliot’s death?”
“...Old things go, that’s how Count Calliot has become,”
Laxus said calmly.
True.
As time went on, the old wore out and the new took their place.
And Laxus took his place with what he wanted.
Gale Calliot was a new thing that quite suited his taste.
“The death of Count Calliot is unfortunate. I remember all he did for the palace.”
Laxus forced himself to regain composure.
Seeing Renisha running like this, it was a good thing that he killed Count Calliot.
A hundred times over.
After all, didn’t that fool claim to be Renisha’s dog?
“Now that you mention it, my sadness seems to have subsided.”
“Sadness?”
“I’ve known Count Calliot since I was little.”
Renisha smiled.
"I have come to make a request to Your Majesty on his behalf. If you regret the death of Count Calliot, please grant his wish."
"..."
"I understand that his disloyal and incompetent children are in the palace."
Laxus wiggled his eyebrows.
He had kept Count Calliot's children's remains so he could hold them. They must be abandoned somewhere underground.
They were a handful, contained in jars.
All deaths were so fleeting.
"I think I'm becoming human again. I see things I couldn't before. Perhaps it's all thanks to Kassius, Your Majesty. Kassius knows things I don't."
Laxus gritted his teeth. He didn't even like the fact that Renisha called his name. He paced in one spot. If Laxus refused, how would Renisha react? Would she turn away and leave?
He might as well just hand over the remains and give them to Renisha...
"I, too, am saddened by the death of Count Calliot, so I can grant his request. However, I have a condition."
"What condition?"
Renisha slowly tilted her head.
"Come into the mansion I have bestowed upon you."
"The mansion Your Majesty has bestowed upon me."
Renisha's eyes widened.
"So?"
"Would you return them? I want to make sure Count Calliot's journey isn't lonely."
Renisha's eyes furrowed. As if on the verge of tears.
"Don't be lonely. You're so kind. The you I know wasn't so affectionate."
“Yes. Isn’t there a mansion I’ve given you? Come live there. Then...”
"So?"
"Would you return them? I want to make sure Count Calliot's journey isn't lonely."
Renisha's eyes furrowed. As if on the verge of tears.
"Don't be lonely. You're so kind. The you I know wasn't so affectionate."
“Yes. Isn’t there a mansion I’ve given you? Come live there. Then...”
“Yes, I will.”
“...What?”
“I told you so, Your Majesty.”
What was strange?
Renisha tilted her head.
It really wasn’t difficult.
Kassius might be offended, but... it was an opportunity to expand the mansion.
Kassius’s current mansion didn’t suit his reputation.
She had been looking for a new one, but this seemed to be a good thing.
“T-True...?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s a gift, so I must accept it.”
Laxus’s will to fight vanished.
Renisha arrived at the mansion that he had given her.
She came within a stone’s throw of him.
If Laxus wanted, he could visit there and meet her whenever he wanted.
He felt satisfied.
Renisha, a woman who lived in the capital, found this natural.
She wasn’t the type to tolerate inconvenience, was she?
She must have been missing the comforts of her time.
“...I’ve prepared everything you need.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. You have bestowed such a generous gift. Now that you have given your permission, I will return to find the remains.”
Before Laxus could engage in any further discussion, Renisha took a step back.
Laxus had never said that only Renisha could enter the mansion.
She was trying to escape before he could even grasp that point.
Renisha smiled and nodded to the chamberlain standing behind Laxus.
He noticed Laxus’s expression and came over at a brisk pace.
“Will you guide me?”
“Yes, Lady Renisha!”
“Then I will be going back, Your Majesty.”
Renisha turned neatly.
Laxus, suddenly left alone, laughed in vain.
He feels like he's been possessed by a siren.
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