Chapter 8 Mura's ivory
Therefore, Shartus does not avoid the gaze with an interesting gaze.
Even though the saturation is low, the deep eyes and the fluidity that descends down the bridge of the nose make you breathless.
'Let's stop.'
Rosentine thought so and scolded Lucien, who was standing next to him and watching the snowball fight between the two.
"You try it, Lucien."
"There are things that are too much for me..."
“Aren’t you going to look anymore?”
The moment she heard a low voice, she felt regret. Shartus twisted his lips slowly, like someone who had enjoyed the situation completely.
Rosentine bit her tongue at his smile-like, relaxed face. She felt like she had been looking at it for a long time. She felt like her Immune system was weakened.
Lucien let out a clumsy smile. Even for him, it was rare to witness someone glaring at his lord. It was an interesting sight to watch, but it was difficult to say anything when he had already heard and knew the inside story.
"It's too much."
"I didn't know there would be something that a shaman would find burdensome."
"It's a bit weird to say this now."
The thought of just closing her eyes and screaming was a strong one. Since she couldn't possibly keep quiet about it anyway, she didn't really have much of a choice.
Clearly, it wasn't a simple matter. Even if they weren't necessarily suspicious of her, they could have been seen as suspecting Count Hermann, who had procured the Mura's ivory. The Second Prince's faction had the greatest influence.
Even as a commoner, she was quite close to being a legend. She had to face the witches' hostility in the early days of the empire, something that others would have been unfamiliar with.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that every event that occurs in the palace is related to a legend, including the poison of Maan itself and the Mura's Ivory.
"Is Mura's ivory more precious than your life?"
In the end, it was a straight ball. Rosentine shook her shoulders, feigning ignorance. Lucien shook his head, and Hostang gave her a suspicious glance.
With eyes that seemed to ask what that meant now, Rosentine abandoned her evasive attitude and stood proudly, facing Shartus again.
Since she threw it once, it only wasted time to avoid it. Despite Rosentine's serious attitude, he just looked up at her at an angle.
'The danger is not over yet.'
It was a meaningful word for the person who came with such a rush.
"What do you mean, shaman?"
Hostang still called her a shaman when he doubted her. Apparently, it was too difficult to call her Roan now.
Rosentine didn't look at Hostang. Now, there was something more important than resisting Shartus's handsomeness. There was one more reason for Rosentine's hesitation.
The fact that held her back more than the nobles' power struggle and the current political situation of Shartus. That is, Shartus continued to help the Crown Prince.
"Since you came here on purpose, you must know the effect."
"Are you even listening to what the wall is saying?"
"You're sharp. I'm interpreting the wall's language."
Ranon laid out information about the Mura's Ivory like a man who had put together old books. She didn't know where all that information came from, but for her, Ranon was like a talking wall.
All the ghosts that might be hiding in the entire palace were her sources. These 'talking walls' transcended time, and each of them had its own knowledge.
Rosentine was led by Ranon to find one of the ghosts known as the Collector.
According to him, the decoration called Mura's Ivory was not the first to appear. Since there was evidence that it existed before, there was a high possibility that the cabinet case was genuine.
It was probably in that context that Shartus took the cabinet. She doesn't know where he got that information, though.
The collector looked at her for a long time at the word "display cabinet," then lifted his motionless glasses.
He even made a fuss, knowing how rare an item it was.
So what she says now will be even more shocking.
"Can I break Mura's ivory?"
"What!"
As expected, Hostang was the first to shout. It was quite a rare sight to see him leap up like a drowning cat.
Rosentine absentmindedly spoke again, even considering pretending to break it. But Shartus, who had been worried, remained fixed on her. He urged her to continue.
"I feel a sense of danger in that display cabinet."
"It's dangerous. Is it another poison ?"
"That's as expected."
According to the Collector Ghost, there are two traps hidden in Mura's ivory. Rosentine didn't tell them how to use the display case first.
Knowing so much so quickly would undoubtedly make her employer uneasy. Of course, her employer was a more generous person than most, but it was still too early to trust her with everything.
Instead, Rosentine's chosen method was shock therapy. As the Korean proverb goes, "give someone a disease and give them a cure."
The method was to first suggest a shocking method, and then, when the other person was shocked, she would clean up the situation in the way she thought.
Rather than simply handling legendary items, it would be better to simply insist on eliminating unknown dangers that we don't know how to use. It's also useful for handling devices in the secondary context of avoiding destruction.
"I have a strong feeling that there is a danger that will arise in that display cabinet."
"How can a cabinet poison someone?"
"It's more dangerous not to know the details. Just break it. No regrets."
"You, you bastard... That's how much I brought it, how much effort I put into bringing it!"
"Isn't it better to break a cabinet than to break a life?"
As Rosentine expected, instead of Shartus, who was silent, Hostang was frightened. Rosentine didn't mind destroying the display case or risking dismantling the trap, but Shartus's efforts were unlikely to be of that nature.
Even in the midst of the chaos, it was a cabinet that he had secretly obtained for his brother. The fact that Count Hermann brought the cabinet was widespread, but it is not yet known for whom the cabinet was intended.
Rosentine thought about what kind of repercussions would occur if this fact became known in the political world.
'Come to think of it, Hermann is also a great person. It would be better for him not to ask for a cabinet.'
As a Second Prince faction, it was in his interest for him to become Emperor, regardless of Shartus' will. Therefore, he must be a very loyal or quick-thinking person.
The answer to Rosentine's question came from Shartus, who seemed to have penetrated her thought. It was a volce that came out of his mind as he stroked his chin with his Index finger.
He twisted his lips as if thinking about the past.
"If there is a danger in the cabinet, does it mean that Hermann installed it?"
"I'm not sure yet, Your Highness."
"When I first got the clue to the cabinet, it was Count Herman who took it upon himself to do a difficult job."
"Why did you leave it to him?"
"Because I was only looking for opportunities that caught my eye."
Shartus rose from his seat, and the three standing eyes turned to him. An elegant, strong hand touched the goddess sculpture that adorned the fine wood desk.
Then, the goddess, who had been looking up at the sky, bowed and greeted him. At the same time, Rosentine saw two perfectly good bookshelves switch places.
There was no creaking or clanking. The secret passage opened so smoothly that Rosentine's mouth opened slightly in surprise.
"Even division is balanced in times of chaos."
"Did you deliberately gain power?"
"It's easier to manage if you put it under your eyes."
"By the way, can you show me this?"
If she had been a hostess, she would have probably shown the second episode of "The Cat in the Water." This time, even Lucien was looking at his monarch with a shocked expression.
Shartus looked at the three blank faces one after the other, the corners of his mouth raised. It was a secret, alluring smile. Rosentine reacted with amused amusement at the man's playful, intimate expression.
The return was also a desperate attempt to hold on to her lost soul. A face with a different aura than usual caught her eye. Without even realizing it, a fever rose in her body.
"Isn't there some kind of law that says that guy can't do that?" Rosentine shook her head vigorously, pretending to shake it, to clear her mind. No, if there's no law, we should create one.
"Don't try to cover it up with a smile."
"It worked well before, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work on you."
"Your Highness..."
The slow tone of his speech was soft, as if shrouded in secrecy. Instead of Hostang, who couldn't continue speaking, Lucien spoke softly.
Even if it was just a call to him, it was worth it. Even she could barely contain her blush, so it couldn't have gone unnoticed by Lucien.
But instead of acknowledging the group, Rosentine scolded Shartus. It was a rather stern attitude for someone who had been given the secret. Lucien and Hostang gave her a comically grateful look.
"What, do you believe me to show me this?"
He moved, his smile a little more bearable than before. His rich voice flowed like a low melody.
"Didn't I tell you to go and break the display case?
She knew he wouldn't listen to a scolding. Shartus's stride was confident. While Rosentine quickly tried to forget his face, he placed a hand on her back, gently pushed her, and led her to the open bookcase door.
She sighed softly at the polite, urging hand. While she was a shaman, she felt more comfortable being treated like one.
When you receive such courtesy and such treatment, it's hard to remain calm. Rosentine, with the same sullen expression as before, followed Shartus's hand and entered.
Just now, because of the smile, she felt unnecessarily nervous about him standing next to her.
'A living chemical weapon.'
She thought to herself as she stepped inside.
To be honest, if she were to break the line she drew without warning like this, it would be a mistake to get involved. It was definitely a dissatisfaction.
"...I didn't know you'd have ivory in your hands."
"It's a precious item, so we shouldn't let rumors spread about its exact location."
He spoke, his gaze fixed on the front. The warmth that occasionally spread across her back made her ears tingle.
Even as the darkness deepened, the hand on her back was gentle, as if he was being careful of the darkness.
While Lucien and Hostang followed them, Rosentine looked around and looked at the stone walls that were more rudimentary than the inside of the palace.
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