“She even gave you a gift.”
I picked up the small vial Roxana had left on the table.
I uncapped it and spilled some of its contents onto the wooden table.
The emergency medicine that fell on the table sizzled for a few seconds, then the affected area turned pitch black.
Yulina watched in shock.
“If you drink this, you’ll die in seconds, not a minute?”
I capped the vial again and handed it to her.
“Don’t throw it away. Keep it safe, like Roxana said.”
“No, I want to throw it away right now!”
“You can’t. It’ll be used as evidence later. I’d like to keep it, but Roxana might find it again, so for now, you should keep it.”
Yulina nodded.
“Yes...”
But Yulina, who seemed to get goosebumps just from touching the vial, took out a handkerchief and placed it back on the table.
“We don’t have much time.”
I took out my pocket watch and checked how much time was left until my appointment with Linel.
I had to hurry.
I was certain Roxana would come to visit Yulina again tonight.
So I asked Bellos to use teleportation and visited Yulina’s cabin.
Fortunately, I was able to speak with Yulina before Roxana arrived.
However, I had a bit of a hard time persuading Linel before we got here. I even reassured him by floating flames on my fingertips and telling him that no one on this ship could beat me in one-on-one combat.
I didn’t really like showing off my fire powers like that, but I had no choice.
He held his hands close to the flames I had raised, as if warming them, and for a moment, the heat seemed to have lifted his body temperature and made him feel better, and only then did he reluctantly consent.
This time, since I wasn't traveling with Bellos, I had to lure the knight guarding the door before leaving Yulina's room.
I left the responsibility of temporarily luring the sentry away to Commander Macrom.
By now, Commander Macrom would be hovering near Yulina's room, timing the time.
"I never thought the Empress would do this to me... No, what kind of Empress is this, a freezing Empress!"
Yulina gritted her teeth and vented her anger.
"In any case, you were the one who pushed Pecilini."
"That's because Roxana told me..."
"Yes. There must have been some deal, or some kind of threat. But ultimately, the choice was yours. So you must take responsibility for it, right?"
"Yes, I will gladly accept my crimes!"
Yulina glared at the emergency medicine Roxana had left behind, then wiped her tears.
"Very well. Tomorrow morning at the earliest, or by this afternoon at the latest, His Majesty will personally interrogate you about the events that occurred tonight."
Yulina listened to me with an anxious expression.
“Tell him honestly what Roxana ordered you, and what your plans are for today. If you don’t want to die without Roxana knowing.”
“My, my life will be guaranteed, right?”
“Of course.”
I don’t know if you’ll even retain your position.
A question rose to my throat, but I swallowed it for the sake of her cooperation.
“His Majesty must dislike me, right?”
Her expression was so gloomy that I thought it was guilt over Pecilini, but I was wrong.
“It’s like he never thought well of you.”
Oh dear. The truth spilled out before I knew it.
“How... cruel,”
Yulina said, giving me a look as if she’d been struck.
Isn’t it Roxana who’s cruel?
“I’m being honest.”
“Your Highness Zelda, is it really necessary to be so honest right now?”
She looked at me, but her frustration was palpable.
“Yes.”
Seeing your current state.
Even in this situation, seeing Yulina yearning for Linel's favor made me sigh.
"Get some rest today. Keep your emergency medicine safe."
"Are you going? It's a bit scary..."
As I was about to leave the guest room, Yulina grabbed my arm.
"I have to go. If it were Pecilini, I would have stayed with her in a time like this, but I'm different."
"Her Highness Pecilini... Is she really okay?"
When I deliberately mentioned Pecilini, Yulina asked with a guilty expression.
"You're asking too soon. There's nothing wrong with Pecilini or the baby in her womb."
"I'm so relieved..."
“You’ll be locked up here until we reach Pasha’s Empire, so apologize properly when you see Pecilini later. She won’t accept your apology, though.”
“Yes, of course you will.”
“And let me tell you in advance, even if Pecilini forgives you, your punishment will be...”
“I will gladly accept it!”
Yulina raised one hand and spoke hastily, then continued in a timid voice.
“So, Your Highness Zelda, I have a favor to ask.”
“What favor?”
“Couldn’t you speak nicely to His Majesty about me?”
“Um... She managed to pry Pecilini’s finger off the railing, but she didn’t pinch it, something like that?”
“T-That’s not what I meant! She's not a very cruel concubine, she’s more delicate than I thought... Huh?”
“His Majesty doesn’t like delicate women.”
I whispered.
Pecilini’s eyes widened, and he asked me again.
“...Is that so?”
“Look at my face carefully,”
I replied firmly.
“I don’t think he really cares about your appearance...”
Yulina muttered, carefully studying my face.
I pretended not to hear her and put my ear to the cabin door.
At the appointed time, Commander Macrom’s voice could be heard from the cabin corridor.
“Excuse me, His Majesty wants to see you for a moment.”
Commander Macrom spoke to the knight guarding the cabin door.
“Huh? His Majesty?”
“Yes. It seems he has something to ask of you. Go to the ship’s lounge right away. I’ll be there.”
“Oh, yes! Then, I’ll be off.”
As the footsteps of the sentry knight faded away, a knock came, followed by Commander Macrom’s low voice.
Knock, knock.
“Come out now.”
I left Yulina with another word, “See you tomorrow,” and left the cabin door.
“Is His Majesty really in the lounge?”
“Yes, Your Highness. His Majesty has ordered you to return to your cabin immediately.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I left Commander Macrom behind and returned to my room.
I returned to my room and showered in the bathroom, and Linel came in.
“What happened?”
“Other than the fact that Yulina almost fainted because of me suddenly appearing using teleportation, everything went well. And Roxana didn’t catch me either.”
“Did you hide in the bathroom?”
Linel asked, kissing my wet hair.
“No, I thought the bathroom wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation very well, so I hid somewhere close by.”
“Where?”
“In the closet. It was stuffy, but I could hear the conversation well.”
“It’s the perfect place to get caught.”
He said, looking at me disapprovingly.
I picked up the small vial Roxana had left on the table.
I uncapped it and spilled some of its contents onto the wooden table.
The emergency medicine that fell on the table sizzled for a few seconds, then the affected area turned pitch black.
Yulina watched in shock.
“If you drink this, you’ll die in seconds, not a minute?”
I capped the vial again and handed it to her.
“Don’t throw it away. Keep it safe, like Roxana said.”
“No, I want to throw it away right now!”
“You can’t. It’ll be used as evidence later. I’d like to keep it, but Roxana might find it again, so for now, you should keep it.”
Yulina nodded.
“Yes...”
But Yulina, who seemed to get goosebumps just from touching the vial, took out a handkerchief and placed it back on the table.
“We don’t have much time.”
I took out my pocket watch and checked how much time was left until my appointment with Linel.
I had to hurry.
I was certain Roxana would come to visit Yulina again tonight.
So I asked Bellos to use teleportation and visited Yulina’s cabin.
Fortunately, I was able to speak with Yulina before Roxana arrived.
However, I had a bit of a hard time persuading Linel before we got here. I even reassured him by floating flames on my fingertips and telling him that no one on this ship could beat me in one-on-one combat.
I didn’t really like showing off my fire powers like that, but I had no choice.
He held his hands close to the flames I had raised, as if warming them, and for a moment, the heat seemed to have lifted his body temperature and made him feel better, and only then did he reluctantly consent.
This time, since I wasn't traveling with Bellos, I had to lure the knight guarding the door before leaving Yulina's room.
I left the responsibility of temporarily luring the sentry away to Commander Macrom.
By now, Commander Macrom would be hovering near Yulina's room, timing the time.
"I never thought the Empress would do this to me... No, what kind of Empress is this, a freezing Empress!"
Yulina gritted her teeth and vented her anger.
"In any case, you were the one who pushed Pecilini."
"That's because Roxana told me..."
"Yes. There must have been some deal, or some kind of threat. But ultimately, the choice was yours. So you must take responsibility for it, right?"
"Yes, I will gladly accept my crimes!"
Yulina glared at the emergency medicine Roxana had left behind, then wiped her tears.
"Very well. Tomorrow morning at the earliest, or by this afternoon at the latest, His Majesty will personally interrogate you about the events that occurred tonight."
Yulina listened to me with an anxious expression.
“Tell him honestly what Roxana ordered you, and what your plans are for today. If you don’t want to die without Roxana knowing.”
“My, my life will be guaranteed, right?”
“Of course.”
I don’t know if you’ll even retain your position.
A question rose to my throat, but I swallowed it for the sake of her cooperation.
“His Majesty must dislike me, right?”
Her expression was so gloomy that I thought it was guilt over Pecilini, but I was wrong.
“It’s like he never thought well of you.”
Oh dear. The truth spilled out before I knew it.
“How... cruel,”
Yulina said, giving me a look as if she’d been struck.
Isn’t it Roxana who’s cruel?
“I’m being honest.”
“Your Highness Zelda, is it really necessary to be so honest right now?”
She looked at me, but her frustration was palpable.
“Yes.”
Seeing your current state.
Even in this situation, seeing Yulina yearning for Linel's favor made me sigh.
"Get some rest today. Keep your emergency medicine safe."
"Are you going? It's a bit scary..."
As I was about to leave the guest room, Yulina grabbed my arm.
"I have to go. If it were Pecilini, I would have stayed with her in a time like this, but I'm different."
"Her Highness Pecilini... Is she really okay?"
When I deliberately mentioned Pecilini, Yulina asked with a guilty expression.
"You're asking too soon. There's nothing wrong with Pecilini or the baby in her womb."
"I'm so relieved..."
“You’ll be locked up here until we reach Pasha’s Empire, so apologize properly when you see Pecilini later. She won’t accept your apology, though.”
“Yes, of course you will.”
“And let me tell you in advance, even if Pecilini forgives you, your punishment will be...”
“I will gladly accept it!”
Yulina raised one hand and spoke hastily, then continued in a timid voice.
“So, Your Highness Zelda, I have a favor to ask.”
“What favor?”
“Couldn’t you speak nicely to His Majesty about me?”
“Um... She managed to pry Pecilini’s finger off the railing, but she didn’t pinch it, something like that?”
“T-That’s not what I meant! She's not a very cruel concubine, she’s more delicate than I thought... Huh?”
“His Majesty doesn’t like delicate women.”
I whispered.
Pecilini’s eyes widened, and he asked me again.
“...Is that so?”
“Look at my face carefully,”
I replied firmly.
“I don’t think he really cares about your appearance...”
Yulina muttered, carefully studying my face.
I pretended not to hear her and put my ear to the cabin door.
At the appointed time, Commander Macrom’s voice could be heard from the cabin corridor.
“Excuse me, His Majesty wants to see you for a moment.”
Commander Macrom spoke to the knight guarding the cabin door.
“Huh? His Majesty?”
“Yes. It seems he has something to ask of you. Go to the ship’s lounge right away. I’ll be there.”
“Oh, yes! Then, I’ll be off.”
As the footsteps of the sentry knight faded away, a knock came, followed by Commander Macrom’s low voice.
Knock, knock.
“Come out now.”
I left Yulina with another word, “See you tomorrow,” and left the cabin door.
“Is His Majesty really in the lounge?”
“Yes, Your Highness. His Majesty has ordered you to return to your cabin immediately.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I left Commander Macrom behind and returned to my room.
***
I returned to my room and showered in the bathroom, and Linel came in.
“What happened?”
“Other than the fact that Yulina almost fainted because of me suddenly appearing using teleportation, everything went well. And Roxana didn’t catch me either.”
“Did you hide in the bathroom?”
Linel asked, kissing my wet hair.
“No, I thought the bathroom wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation very well, so I hid somewhere close by.”
“Where?”
“In the closet. It was stuffy, but I could hear the conversation well.”
“It’s the perfect place to get caught.”
He said, looking at me disapprovingly.
“Roxana even gave Yulina emergency medicine.”
“What?”
I casually asked what would have happened if I hadn’t used teleportation to Yulina’s room, and his disapproving gaze softened.
“She told Yulina to kill herself if you questioned her or thought there would be torture. She even brought up the destruction of Yulina's family.”
“Ha, blackmail seems to be her thing. Thanks to that, we finally have some evidence.”
He smiled bitterly.
“And Roxana knew Pesilini’s unborn child was Prince Tesla’s. I think someone outside the Bellos’s cabin overheard our conversation and relayed it to Roxana.”
Roxana clearly hadn’t known about this until this evening.
If she had, she wouldn’t have bothered to get rid of Pesilini.
“If you link her involvement in Emperor Adrian’s plan with Yulina’s order to kill Pesilini... Roxana will be stripped of her position as Empress.”
He looked at me with a gentle gaze.
“Yulina’s testimony will be important.”
“Hetor’s testimony will be important too.”
“When will Emperor Adrian give the order to release Galaco?”
“On the last night. Hetor expected that too.”
“With only one head left, killing the Galacos is much easier, but... the attack will be in the middle of the night, and we’ll be facing a monster in the middle of the sea. Even if we know the plan in advance, we can’t let our guard down.”
His eyes were serious as he listened to me.
But after a few nods, the seriousness vanished, replaced by a look of desire.
“Then tonight will be the last night we can let our guard down.”
Linel wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his lap.
“I think so too.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and parted his lips, which always seemed to let me down.
A sound sharper than the waves gently rippled through the cabin.
“I was wondering what it would be like on a boat.”
“Me too. Let’s find out.”
I climbed into bed first and threw off the covers.
“You’re in a hurry. There’s a sequence to everything. Let’s untie this first.”
Linel spoke leisurely, but his hands were busy untangling the ribbon tied behind my back.
I reached out and turned off the light next to the bed.
As my vision faded, my other senses returned.
“The boat is rocking a lot. I think I’m going to get seasick.”
“Zelda, why the sudden, weak sound?”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. We’re trained. This level of rocking is nothing, right?”
“Where on earth did we train?”
“In bed.”
“Ah...”
It was an unanswerable question.
“Sorry for being so weak,”
I apologized, giggling.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, his determined eyes came into focus.
His eyes, as blue as the sea, overflowed with love.
Everything about him began to move slowly, as if in rhythm with the rocking ship.
The next morning.
The celebratory delegation headed to the dining room at the end of the guest room corridor for breakfast.
After exchanging good morning greetings, they each brought up the previous night's events and whispered.
The incident where Pesilini and Grand Duke Martins fell overboard the previous night was a hot topic.
Emperor Adrian listened to their conversation, then slowed his pace and watched their backs.
More than half of them would never even set foot on Pasha Empire soil, perishing on the ship as food for Galaco. It was amusing to see them rushing to the dining room in the morning, eager to fill their bellies.
"Have you had a comfortable night?"
A familiar voice called from behind Emperor Adrian, who was snickering and shaking.
Turning around, Emperor Adrian almost asked, "Master?"
“...Ah, Magic Tower Master.”
Emperor Adrian barely managed to speak, hiding his embarrassment.
Even after twenty years, whenever he saw his old master’s face, which always looked the same, he would often flinch, reminded of his younger self.
“Don’t be nervous. You won’t be able to figure out my identity easily.”
Emperor Adrian had used black magic, not ordinary shape-shifting, to enter someone else’s body.
The aura he felt was somehow unnatural and unstable, but even for a Magic Tower Master, it wasn’t easy to read black magic with the naked eye.
Emperor Adrian momentarily composed himself and spoke to Bellos, who was walking beside him.
“I heard you examined Her Highness Pecilini and Grand Duke Martins yesterday. Are you both alright?”
“Yes, thanks to the quick rescue.”
“Thank goodness.”
Emperor Adrian wanted to turn back and head to his room.
Seeing someone uncomfortable so early in the morning made his appetite disappear.
“You’ll be passing through the Valley of Death tomorrow. I heard the wyverns returned a while ago. Did you hear?”
Bellos deliberately brought up the subject of wyverns.
“I heard. It’s been three years since I’ve seen a herd of wyverns again...”
Emperor Adrian muttered, his face soaked with anticipation, like someone about to reunite with a long-lost lover.
“Your Majesty seems to be interested in wyverns, too.”
Bellos asked casually in passing.
“If I could control the wyverns, I could conquer the world. Well, even if you’re not the Emperor, everyone has thought that at least once. Haven’t they? Hahaha.”
Emperor Adrian let out a helpless laugh, feeling like he’d revealed too much sincerity.
“Yes, now that you mention it, there was someone I know who had a crush on a wyvern.”
Bellos jokingly stared at Emperor Adrian.
“Were you close?”
Emperor Adrian forced a squint and asked,
"We were meant to be apart. He was my disciple, but he was crazy about wyverns. He was so greedy, despite his lack of skill. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Bellos clicked his tongue.
"Wyvern crazy" was referring to himself.
Emperor Adrian's insides boiled at the sight of Bellos's disgusted expression.
Besides, his master's assessment of him had been harsh.
"There was such a disciple... so there was."
Emperor Adrian, who had been glancing at Bellos, turned back to face him and walked.
He tried to offer his old master a calm smile, but he wasn't sure if it would have appeared that way.
"Philike."
At the sound of his name from Bellos's lips, Emperor Adrian's steps suddenly stopped.
“What?”
I casually asked what would have happened if I hadn’t used teleportation to Yulina’s room, and his disapproving gaze softened.
“She told Yulina to kill herself if you questioned her or thought there would be torture. She even brought up the destruction of Yulina's family.”
“Ha, blackmail seems to be her thing. Thanks to that, we finally have some evidence.”
He smiled bitterly.
“And Roxana knew Pesilini’s unborn child was Prince Tesla’s. I think someone outside the Bellos’s cabin overheard our conversation and relayed it to Roxana.”
Roxana clearly hadn’t known about this until this evening.
If she had, she wouldn’t have bothered to get rid of Pesilini.
“If you link her involvement in Emperor Adrian’s plan with Yulina’s order to kill Pesilini... Roxana will be stripped of her position as Empress.”
He looked at me with a gentle gaze.
“Yulina’s testimony will be important.”
“Hetor’s testimony will be important too.”
“When will Emperor Adrian give the order to release Galaco?”
“On the last night. Hetor expected that too.”
“With only one head left, killing the Galacos is much easier, but... the attack will be in the middle of the night, and we’ll be facing a monster in the middle of the sea. Even if we know the plan in advance, we can’t let our guard down.”
His eyes were serious as he listened to me.
But after a few nods, the seriousness vanished, replaced by a look of desire.
“Then tonight will be the last night we can let our guard down.”
Linel wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his lap.
“I think so too.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and parted his lips, which always seemed to let me down.
A sound sharper than the waves gently rippled through the cabin.
“I was wondering what it would be like on a boat.”
“Me too. Let’s find out.”
I climbed into bed first and threw off the covers.
“You’re in a hurry. There’s a sequence to everything. Let’s untie this first.”
Linel spoke leisurely, but his hands were busy untangling the ribbon tied behind my back.
I reached out and turned off the light next to the bed.
As my vision faded, my other senses returned.
“The boat is rocking a lot. I think I’m going to get seasick.”
“Zelda, why the sudden, weak sound?”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. We’re trained. This level of rocking is nothing, right?”
“Where on earth did we train?”
“In bed.”
“Ah...”
It was an unanswerable question.
“Sorry for being so weak,”
I apologized, giggling.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, his determined eyes came into focus.
His eyes, as blue as the sea, overflowed with love.
Everything about him began to move slowly, as if in rhythm with the rocking ship.
***
The next morning.
The celebratory delegation headed to the dining room at the end of the guest room corridor for breakfast.
After exchanging good morning greetings, they each brought up the previous night's events and whispered.
The incident where Pesilini and Grand Duke Martins fell overboard the previous night was a hot topic.
Emperor Adrian listened to their conversation, then slowed his pace and watched their backs.
More than half of them would never even set foot on Pasha Empire soil, perishing on the ship as food for Galaco. It was amusing to see them rushing to the dining room in the morning, eager to fill their bellies.
"Have you had a comfortable night?"
A familiar voice called from behind Emperor Adrian, who was snickering and shaking.
Turning around, Emperor Adrian almost asked, "Master?"
“...Ah, Magic Tower Master.”
Emperor Adrian barely managed to speak, hiding his embarrassment.
Even after twenty years, whenever he saw his old master’s face, which always looked the same, he would often flinch, reminded of his younger self.
“Don’t be nervous. You won’t be able to figure out my identity easily.”
Emperor Adrian had used black magic, not ordinary shape-shifting, to enter someone else’s body.
The aura he felt was somehow unnatural and unstable, but even for a Magic Tower Master, it wasn’t easy to read black magic with the naked eye.
Emperor Adrian momentarily composed himself and spoke to Bellos, who was walking beside him.
“I heard you examined Her Highness Pecilini and Grand Duke Martins yesterday. Are you both alright?”
“Yes, thanks to the quick rescue.”
“Thank goodness.”
Emperor Adrian wanted to turn back and head to his room.
Seeing someone uncomfortable so early in the morning made his appetite disappear.
“You’ll be passing through the Valley of Death tomorrow. I heard the wyverns returned a while ago. Did you hear?”
Bellos deliberately brought up the subject of wyverns.
“I heard. It’s been three years since I’ve seen a herd of wyverns again...”
Emperor Adrian muttered, his face soaked with anticipation, like someone about to reunite with a long-lost lover.
“Your Majesty seems to be interested in wyverns, too.”
Bellos asked casually in passing.
“If I could control the wyverns, I could conquer the world. Well, even if you’re not the Emperor, everyone has thought that at least once. Haven’t they? Hahaha.”
Emperor Adrian let out a helpless laugh, feeling like he’d revealed too much sincerity.
“Yes, now that you mention it, there was someone I know who had a crush on a wyvern.”
Bellos jokingly stared at Emperor Adrian.
“Were you close?”
Emperor Adrian forced a squint and asked,
"We were meant to be apart. He was my disciple, but he was crazy about wyverns. He was so greedy, despite his lack of skill. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Bellos clicked his tongue.
"Wyvern crazy" was referring to himself.
Emperor Adrian's insides boiled at the sight of Bellos's disgusted expression.
Besides, his master's assessment of him had been harsh.
"There was such a disciple... so there was."
Emperor Adrian, who had been glancing at Bellos, turned back to face him and walked.
He tried to offer his old master a calm smile, but he wasn't sure if it would have appeared that way.
"Philike."
At the sound of his name from Bellos's lips, Emperor Adrian's steps suddenly stopped.
Comments
Post a Comment