Episode 152. Time to Return
The interior of the department store was in full swing.
Exuding a medieval sensibility rather than a modern one, the interior was breathtakingly beautiful.
“...It's beautiful.”
Rose's head whipped around, looking around.
Though not yet finished, the ornate chandeliers and luxurious interiors were truly striking. The interior would shine even brighter once the renovations were complete.
“Let's start with the lobby.”
Gwen, noticing Rose's expression, raised the corners of his lips and opened his mouth. He smiled, then extended his hand into the department store.
“This way.”
Rose and Gwen walked carefully through the department store. The resonating clatter of footsteps was incredibly refreshing.
“As you mentioned last time, we've expanded the stairs connecting to the stables.”
Gwen said, pointing to the stairs leading down to the basement.
“It's definitely wider than before...”
When her wandering life grew tiresome, she planned to kill the fake Beliana.
After killing her, she suddenly planned to return to the Empire. After all, the Empire was where she belonged.
Of course, she’d also get a proper divorce from Eric, the Count of Wence.
“Pack your bags right now. I’m returning to the Empire today.”
The red-haired woman fiddled with the hijab covering her face.
"And, to avoid any repercussions, I must find the slave who was impersonating me. Whether you find her dead or alive, it doesn't matter."
...I'm going to get rid of her anyway.
Her blue eyes glowed fiercely, and a cold shadow fell over her face.
"It's time for me to return to where I belong."
The red-haired woman.
Her true identity was Beliana, the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Dikar.
The interior of the department store was in full swing.
Exuding a medieval sensibility rather than a modern one, the interior was breathtakingly beautiful.
“...It's beautiful.”
Rose's head whipped around, looking around.
Though not yet finished, the ornate chandeliers and luxurious interiors were truly striking. The interior would shine even brighter once the renovations were complete.
“Let's start with the lobby.”
Gwen, noticing Rose's expression, raised the corners of his lips and opened his mouth. He smiled, then extended his hand into the department store.
“This way.”
Rose and Gwen walked carefully through the department store. The resonating clatter of footsteps was incredibly refreshing.
“As you mentioned last time, we've expanded the stairs connecting to the stables.”
Gwen said, pointing to the stairs leading down to the basement.
“It's definitely wider than before...”
Rose's expression was quite serious as she looked down the stairs, trailing off. She stared blankly at the stairs leading to the underground stables, as if determined not to make a single mistake.
Gwen, watching her, seemed to tense up, perhaps because Rose's expression seemed quite serious.
'If I ask them to redo the stairs again... the department store opening might be delayed.'
"Let's just walk it."
Rose slowly descended the stairs, escorted by Gwen.
'They're quite wide, so it's stable.'
A faint smile played on Rose's face as she took each step.
Last time, the stairs had been narrow, making them quite steep to climb. She had requested a redo, fearing they were dangerous enough to cause an accident if left unattended.
After the redo, she was definitely happier with them.
Even in her flowing dress, she could easily walk up and down them. However, she also felt a sense of regret.
"It would be nice if we had escalators and elevators like in Korea."
Should I ask the scholars and magicians in the mansion to develop this? The principle wasn't that difficult, after all.
Descending the stairs, Rose thought of the mansion's researchers. However, her thoughts quickly faded.
The faces of those who greeted her, sleep-deprived and languid, came to mind.
"... Let's put them aside for now."
They'd worked hard for months on the water and sewage research, and she didn't want to give them another job right after it was over. She didn't want to be labeled a corrupt employer.
"I'll give them a big reward when this project is finished."
The hard work deserved its reward.
Rose suppressed her desire to start a new project.
Before she knew it, she'd descended the stairs. The stables, still under construction, appeared before her eyes.
The stables were comfortable and spacious. Despite being underground, the interior was bright and spacious thanks to the magic stone, and it didn't feel stuffy.
"It's well-ventilated."
"Thanks to utilizing the ventilation principle suggested by Rose. The first basement level is a VIP-only stable. It's a space for the families who achieve the highest department store performance. Behind the stairs, we've created a platform for other customers to disembark."
Rose turned and looked at the other side. The front and back of the stairs were open, but behind them, there was no separate parking lot, only a platform.
"Regular carriages drop off customers there and then descend to the second basement level."
The platform was built in response to Gwen's suggestion that the stable should also be a VIP-only space.
Rose nodded with satisfaction.
"You've utilized the space better than I expected, Gwen."
At first, after hearing Gwen's words, she had worried that the VIP stable would become cramped. However, her worries proved unfounded.
Gwen had used the space behind the stairs to create a comfortable stable for regular customers as well.
"There's a platform on the ground level, so anyone averse to the underground can disembark there. The carriages can drop off customers and then descend to the stable."
For days when it didn't rain or for those who felt uncomfortable with underground transportation, a separate above-ground station was also built.
Since the stables weren't fully completed, Rose also disembarked at the above-ground station.
The stables were being built even more beautifully than Rose had imagined. Rose's face was soon filled with a bright smile. She truly loved the stables.
"Good. Now let's check out the shops."
"I'll take you."
Rose climbed the stairs again with Gwen.
Meanwhile, in the prison where Doana was imprisoned.
"Sir Maroon, take a look at this."
A soldier walked over, sighing and looking tired. He held a piece of paper densely packed with writing.
The knight took the paper the soldier handed him.
As he read, his expression hardened. His once serious expression suddenly twisted into a bewildered expression.
“What is this?”
The knight waved the paper in his hand and questioned the soldier.
“Haa... These are what Doana, imprisoned in the easternmost cell, requested.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“I thought we provided all the necessary items last time. Why are you requesting them again?”
“That...”
The soldier trailed off, as if exhausted. He took a deep breath and muttered softly.
“She said she can’t use those items.”
“?”
“...She said she only uses the brands listed on the paper, and that she needs everything replaced.”
“What?”
The knight chuckled, dumbfounded at the soldier’s words.
The paper listed the necessities of prison life.
Up until this point, it wasn't a problem. Prisoners here were provided with the bare minimum.
The problem was the unusually high standards of demand.
Even basic cosmetics had to be brand-name, and personal spoons, towels, and even underwear.
Doana labeled every item with the brand name, stating that only that brand was allowed.
The soldier and the knight exchanged bemused laughs.
"I've never seen a prisoner make such detailed demands."
"That's right."
Doana had always been treated with more care than the other prisoners. This was due to her alluring beauty and pitiful acting.
All the soldiers guarding this place were men, and it was instinctive to want to give Doana, who stood out from the other women, even a little extra attention.
And since she was pregnant, there was a plausible justification for the extra care.
"Just use what I brought her last time."
“She says she gave everything to the other prisoners.”
“Yes?”
The knight’s face twisted fiercely.
“I told you she was pretty; she must have gone crazy.”
Excess of anything was bad. The knight’s expression turned cold, and he gave the soldier an order.
“I can’t buy her any more, so tell her to live with what she has.”
A sharp voice rang out, and the soldier nodded, understanding. He turned straight to Doana.
He relayed to Doana exactly what his superior had said.
“He told me to live with what you have, because he can’t give you any more.”
Doana, hearing the soldier’s words, began to shed tears as thick as chicken droppings. As her transparent tears flowed unceasingly, a look of bewilderment settled over the soldier’s face.
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m sorry... I was imprisoned innocently, so my emotions got the better of me.”
Even as her tears flowed, Doana glanced at the soldier, studying his expression, trying to gauge how he was reacting to her tears.
Doana rolled her eyes incessantly, stretching out her legs as she looked for a place to lie down.
The soldier's bewildered expression was captured by Doana's eyes. Doana suppressed a crooked smile and thought,
"How embarrassing."
If he was reacting to her acting, it was time to move on to the next plan.
"Ah... ahh!"
A single scream rang out.
It was Doana's own scream.
Doana clutched her stomach and fell to the cold floor, writhing in pain.
"Ah, ahh...! S-please save me.... I, please..."
Doana's acting was flawless. As her cries rang out, the guards of the prison swarmed in. Her screaming, her body in full gear, was dangerous enough to anyone who saw her.
One of the knights watched Doana struggle and gave a command to a soldier.
"Get her out of the prison. And take her to the doctor."
With that order, the prison doors opened.
The iron bars creaked open.
Doana, lying on the floor, stared at the door with bleary eyes.
"It's opening..."
The iron bars, which seemed like they would never open again, swung open wide.
Though the basement was barren of sunlight, the moment the prison door opened, she saw light.
The mere glimmer of hope that she could escape from here sent a surge of hope through Doana's heart.
'You can get out. Come to your senses, Doana.'
She steeled herself and gritted her teeth. Doana, who had been screaming, never forgetting her full-throttle performance until the very end, slowly closed her eyes. She would get out of here.
She would definitely see the sunlight again.
With the child in her womb, definitely.
The desert, blazing with the scorching sun, was bathed in a majestic white temple that caught her eye.
Men wore turbans, women wore hijabs, giving this place an exotic atmosphere, unlike the empire.
This was the Kingdom of Mokok.
Surrounded by the desert, this place was quite a distance from the empire.
A woman, wearing a dress that revealed her belly, sat as if reclining on a chair.
In the bustling crowd of people with bronzed skin, this woman with transparent skin stood out.
Her red hair, peeking out from her hijab, swayed in the wind.
In one hand, the woman held a letter. Her sapphire-like eyes stared at the letter for a long moment.
“...Interesting.”
The woman, having finished reading the letter, muttered to herself.
She muttered something amused, but her gaze remained utterly cold. The letter in her hand crumpled with a crunch.
The corners of her lips, which had been raised in a grimace, lowered. Her pretty face immediately hardened into a cynical expression.
“‘I’ have disappeared...”
The woman, mumbling something incomprehensible, crumpled the letter once more and tossed it to the servant next to her.
“She’s dead?”
“We haven’t found her body, so she’s currently missing.”
“...That’s good. ”
The woman smiled coldly at the mention of his disappearance.
“She disappeared so quietly... Thanks to her, my workload has been reduced.”
Gwen, watching her, seemed to tense up, perhaps because Rose's expression seemed quite serious.
'If I ask them to redo the stairs again... the department store opening might be delayed.'
"Let's just walk it."
Rose slowly descended the stairs, escorted by Gwen.
'They're quite wide, so it's stable.'
A faint smile played on Rose's face as she took each step.
Last time, the stairs had been narrow, making them quite steep to climb. She had requested a redo, fearing they were dangerous enough to cause an accident if left unattended.
After the redo, she was definitely happier with them.
Even in her flowing dress, she could easily walk up and down them. However, she also felt a sense of regret.
"It would be nice if we had escalators and elevators like in Korea."
Should I ask the scholars and magicians in the mansion to develop this? The principle wasn't that difficult, after all.
Descending the stairs, Rose thought of the mansion's researchers. However, her thoughts quickly faded.
The faces of those who greeted her, sleep-deprived and languid, came to mind.
"... Let's put them aside for now."
They'd worked hard for months on the water and sewage research, and she didn't want to give them another job right after it was over. She didn't want to be labeled a corrupt employer.
"I'll give them a big reward when this project is finished."
The hard work deserved its reward.
Rose suppressed her desire to start a new project.
Before she knew it, she'd descended the stairs. The stables, still under construction, appeared before her eyes.
The stables were comfortable and spacious. Despite being underground, the interior was bright and spacious thanks to the magic stone, and it didn't feel stuffy.
"It's well-ventilated."
"Thanks to utilizing the ventilation principle suggested by Rose. The first basement level is a VIP-only stable. It's a space for the families who achieve the highest department store performance. Behind the stairs, we've created a platform for other customers to disembark."
Rose turned and looked at the other side. The front and back of the stairs were open, but behind them, there was no separate parking lot, only a platform.
"Regular carriages drop off customers there and then descend to the second basement level."
The platform was built in response to Gwen's suggestion that the stable should also be a VIP-only space.
Rose nodded with satisfaction.
"You've utilized the space better than I expected, Gwen."
At first, after hearing Gwen's words, she had worried that the VIP stable would become cramped. However, her worries proved unfounded.
Gwen had used the space behind the stairs to create a comfortable stable for regular customers as well.
"There's a platform on the ground level, so anyone averse to the underground can disembark there. The carriages can drop off customers and then descend to the stable."
For days when it didn't rain or for those who felt uncomfortable with underground transportation, a separate above-ground station was also built.
Since the stables weren't fully completed, Rose also disembarked at the above-ground station.
The stables were being built even more beautifully than Rose had imagined. Rose's face was soon filled with a bright smile. She truly loved the stables.
"Good. Now let's check out the shops."
"I'll take you."
Rose climbed the stairs again with Gwen.
***
Meanwhile, in the prison where Doana was imprisoned.
"Sir Maroon, take a look at this."
A soldier walked over, sighing and looking tired. He held a piece of paper densely packed with writing.
The knight took the paper the soldier handed him.
As he read, his expression hardened. His once serious expression suddenly twisted into a bewildered expression.
“What is this?”
The knight waved the paper in his hand and questioned the soldier.
“Haa... These are what Doana, imprisoned in the easternmost cell, requested.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“I thought we provided all the necessary items last time. Why are you requesting them again?”
“That...”
The soldier trailed off, as if exhausted. He took a deep breath and muttered softly.
“She said she can’t use those items.”
“?”
“...She said she only uses the brands listed on the paper, and that she needs everything replaced.”
“What?”
The knight chuckled, dumbfounded at the soldier’s words.
The paper listed the necessities of prison life.
Up until this point, it wasn't a problem. Prisoners here were provided with the bare minimum.
The problem was the unusually high standards of demand.
Even basic cosmetics had to be brand-name, and personal spoons, towels, and even underwear.
Doana labeled every item with the brand name, stating that only that brand was allowed.
The soldier and the knight exchanged bemused laughs.
"I've never seen a prisoner make such detailed demands."
"That's right."
Doana had always been treated with more care than the other prisoners. This was due to her alluring beauty and pitiful acting.
All the soldiers guarding this place were men, and it was instinctive to want to give Doana, who stood out from the other women, even a little extra attention.
And since she was pregnant, there was a plausible justification for the extra care.
"Just use what I brought her last time."
“She says she gave everything to the other prisoners.”
“Yes?”
The knight’s face twisted fiercely.
“I told you she was pretty; she must have gone crazy.”
Excess of anything was bad. The knight’s expression turned cold, and he gave the soldier an order.
“I can’t buy her any more, so tell her to live with what she has.”
A sharp voice rang out, and the soldier nodded, understanding. He turned straight to Doana.
He relayed to Doana exactly what his superior had said.
“He told me to live with what you have, because he can’t give you any more.”
Doana, hearing the soldier’s words, began to shed tears as thick as chicken droppings. As her transparent tears flowed unceasingly, a look of bewilderment settled over the soldier’s face.
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m sorry... I was imprisoned innocently, so my emotions got the better of me.”
Even as her tears flowed, Doana glanced at the soldier, studying his expression, trying to gauge how he was reacting to her tears.
Doana rolled her eyes incessantly, stretching out her legs as she looked for a place to lie down.
The soldier's bewildered expression was captured by Doana's eyes. Doana suppressed a crooked smile and thought,
"How embarrassing."
If he was reacting to her acting, it was time to move on to the next plan.
"Ah... ahh!"
A single scream rang out.
It was Doana's own scream.
Doana clutched her stomach and fell to the cold floor, writhing in pain.
"Ah, ahh...! S-please save me.... I, please..."
Doana's acting was flawless. As her cries rang out, the guards of the prison swarmed in. Her screaming, her body in full gear, was dangerous enough to anyone who saw her.
One of the knights watched Doana struggle and gave a command to a soldier.
"Get her out of the prison. And take her to the doctor."
With that order, the prison doors opened.
The iron bars creaked open.
Doana, lying on the floor, stared at the door with bleary eyes.
"It's opening..."
The iron bars, which seemed like they would never open again, swung open wide.
Though the basement was barren of sunlight, the moment the prison door opened, she saw light.
The mere glimmer of hope that she could escape from here sent a surge of hope through Doana's heart.
'You can get out. Come to your senses, Doana.'
She steeled herself and gritted her teeth. Doana, who had been screaming, never forgetting her full-throttle performance until the very end, slowly closed her eyes. She would get out of here.
She would definitely see the sunlight again.
With the child in her womb, definitely.
***
The desert, blazing with the scorching sun, was bathed in a majestic white temple that caught her eye.
Men wore turbans, women wore hijabs, giving this place an exotic atmosphere, unlike the empire.
This was the Kingdom of Mokok.
Surrounded by the desert, this place was quite a distance from the empire.
A woman, wearing a dress that revealed her belly, sat as if reclining on a chair.
In the bustling crowd of people with bronzed skin, this woman with transparent skin stood out.
Her red hair, peeking out from her hijab, swayed in the wind.
In one hand, the woman held a letter. Her sapphire-like eyes stared at the letter for a long moment.
“...Interesting.”
The woman, having finished reading the letter, muttered to herself.
She muttered something amused, but her gaze remained utterly cold. The letter in her hand crumpled with a crunch.
The corners of her lips, which had been raised in a grimace, lowered. Her pretty face immediately hardened into a cynical expression.
“‘I’ have disappeared...”
The woman, mumbling something incomprehensible, crumpled the letter once more and tossed it to the servant next to her.
“She’s dead?”
“We haven’t found her body, so she’s currently missing.”
“...That’s good. ”
The woman smiled coldly at the mention of his disappearance.
“She disappeared so quietly... Thanks to her, my workload has been reduced.”
When her wandering life grew tiresome, she planned to kill the fake Beliana.
After killing her, she suddenly planned to return to the Empire. After all, the Empire was where she belonged.
Of course, she’d also get a proper divorce from Eric, the Count of Wence.
“Pack your bags right now. I’m returning to the Empire today.”
The red-haired woman fiddled with the hijab covering her face.
"And, to avoid any repercussions, I must find the slave who was impersonating me. Whether you find her dead or alive, it doesn't matter."
...I'm going to get rid of her anyway.
Her blue eyes glowed fiercely, and a cold shadow fell over her face.
"It's time for me to return to where I belong."
The red-haired woman.
Her true identity was Beliana, the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Dikar.
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