Who Stole The Empress (R15) (Completed)

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Table of Contents

  • 1. Chapter 1. Kill The Empress
  • 2. Chapter 2. Tanatos’s Cripple Empress
  • 3. Chapter 3. She's Really Here
  • 4. Chapter 4. The Empress Is Going To Die
  • 5. Chapter 5. How Did This Happen?
  • 6. Chapter 6. Swallowing Eyes
  • 7. Chapter 7. Natasha Roanti
  • 8. Chapter 8. The Crying Sound
  • 9. Chapter 9. Are You Throwing Yourself Away?
  • 10. Chapter 10. Why Did This Woman...?
  • 11. Chapter 11. Then Bite If Off And Kill Me
  • 12. Chapter 12. Ability To Save
  • 13. Chapter 13. The Shadow She Left Behind
  • 14. Chapter 14. Into His Realm
  • 15. Chapter 15. Tamon's Purpose
  • 16. Chapter 16. This Damn Woman!
  • 17. Chapter 17. I've Never Hated You
  • 18. Chapter 18. How About Love?
  • 19. Chapter 19. A Night Walk
  • 20. Chapter 20. How Do You Want To Die
  • 21. Chapter 21. Ronasso's Anxiety
  • 22. Chapter 22. How To Let Go Of Sadness
  • 23. Chapter 23. Lersha Resha
  • 24. Chapter 24. It’s Not Ugly
  • 25. Chapter 25. Where Is The Empress's Treasure?
  • 26. Chapter 26. The Reason For Death
  • 27. Chapter 27. The Consolation Of The Unashamed
  • 28. Chapter 28. A New Name
  • 29. Chapter 29. A Small Change
  • 30. Chapter 30. Out Of Control
  • 31. Chapter 31. There's Always Trouble
  • 32. Chapter 32. Dazzling Silver Hair And Purple Crystal Eyes
  • 33. Chapter 33. My Silver Fox
  • 34. Chapter 34. Is It Okay To Eat This Poisonous Plant?
  • 35. Chapter 35. Don't Be Weak
  • 36. Chapter 36. Don’t Leave Me
  • 37. Chapter 37. An Unfamiliar Peace
  • 38. Chapter 38. Warmth Of The Palm
  • 39. Chapter 39. Give Me Your Right Foot
  • 40. Chapter 40. That’s Right
  • 41. Chapter 41. The Bride's Scream
  • 42. Chapter 42. You Are Like A Gift
  • 43. Chapter 43. Ensemble Drink
  • 44. Chapter 44. I Think It’s Her
  • 45. Chapter 45. Exactly One Month
  • 46. Chapter 46. I’m Disappointed
  • 47. Chapter 47. She Doesn’t Know
  • 48. Chapter 48. To The Lady Of The Pink Rose Forest
  • 49. Chapter 49. Red Stigma On The Chest
  • 50. Chapter 50. That Person Will Come
  • 51. Chapter 51. Smile Next Time
  • 52. Chapter 52. I’m The Owner Of That Leg
  • 53. Chapter 53. The Twins’ Dream
  • 54. Chapter 54. Karen Turasia
  • 55. Chapter 55. Red Passion In The Desert
  • 56. Chapter 56. Cassion Krasis
  • 57. Chapter 57. Brothers
  • 58. Chapter 58. He Did Not Know How To Be Patient
  • 59. Chapter 59. An Unpleasant Visitor
  • 60. Chapter 60. My Brother's Mistress
  • 61. Chapter 61. Tomorrow, Lunch, Together
  • 62. Chapter 62. Roselyn's Anger
  • 63. Chapter 63. Red-eyed Savior
  • 64. Chapter 64. He’s Back
  • 65. Chapter 65. Bloody Master
  • 66. Chapter 66. Welcome Back
  • 67. Chapter 67. I Missed You
  • 68. Chapter 68. Thank You For Staying Alive
  • 69. Chapter 69. It's All Coming Together
  • 70. Chapter 70. Hope That Shine At The End Of Despair
  • 71. Chapter 71. A Mean Woman
  • 72. Chapter 72. Ronasso's Adversity
  • 73. Chapter 73. Preparation To Go Out
  • 74. Chapter 74. Each Person's Heart Flows Differently
  • 75. Chapter 75. Smile, Rosie
  • 76. Chapter 76. Do You Want Me To Show You My Specialty?
  • 77. Chapter 77. Aim And Shoot
  • 78. Chapter 78. The Gap
  • 79. Chapter 79. Arrows That Burn Flesh
  • 80. Chapter 80. I’ll Bring You The Proof
  • 81. Chapter 81. Even If I Die Like This
  • 82. Chapter 82. The Reason She Was Confident In Winning
  • 83. Chapter 83. An Unexpected Guest
  • 84. Chapter 84. Love That Couldn't Overcome Hatred
  • 85. Chapter 85. Aranrosia
  • 86. Chapter 86. The Rightful Owner
  • 87. Chapter 87. Can I Trust You?
  • 88. Chapter 88. A Blind Man
  • 89. Chapter 89. The Wind Lantern Ceremony
  • 90. Chapter 90. If You're There, Come Out
  • 91. Chapter 91. Similar
  • 92. Chapter 92. Ignorance Is Bravery
  • 93. Chapter 93. I Can Tell You
  • 94. Chapter 94. Hartz’s Conditions
  • 95. Chapter 95. If You Kiss Me
  • 96. Chapter 96. Change
  • 97. Chapter 97. Anna
  • 98. Chapter 98. I’ll Have To Remove It
  • 99. Chapter 99. The Prophet's Gamble
  • 100. Chapter 100. Because He's So Good At It
  • 101. Chapter 101. A Mysterious Trend
  • 102. Chapter 102. The Conditions Of The Gift
  • 103. Chapter 103. The Tips Of His Ears
  • 104. Chapter 104. The Meaning Of Yellow Lily
  • 105. Chapter 105. God, Please Take Care Of Them
  • 106. Chapter 106. I'd Like To Meet Him
  • 107. Chapter 107. It’s Beautiful
  • 108. Chapter 108. What Do You Want Me To Do?
  • 109. Chapter 109. There's Only Two Of Us
  • 110. Chapter 110. Even If It Hurts A Little, It Will Last A Long Time
  • 111. Chapter 111. Does This Make Sense?
  • 112. Chapter 112. With Both Feet
  • 113. Chapter 113. Instinct
  • 114. Chapter 114. Did It Happen?
  • 115. Chapter 115. One Step, Two Steps
  • 116. Chapter 116. A Familiar Voice
  • 117. Chapter 117. I See The Glory Of Winter
  • 118. Chapter 118. That's Why It's Not Me
  • 119. Chapter 119. . It Was A Flash
  • 120. Chapter 120. When The Revenge Is Over
  • 121. Chapter 121. What Will He Get?
  • 122. Chapter 122. What Is Your Name?
  • 123. Chapter 123. Sweet
  • 124. Chapter 124. Black Canyon (1)
  • 125. Chapter 125. Black Canyon (2)
  • 126. Chapter 126. A Twisted Doubt
  • 127. Chapter 127. You Have To Save It
  • 128. Chapter 128. The Secret Of The Silver Horned Deer
  • 129. Chapter 129. His Sincerity
  • 130. Chapter 130. Into The Black Fog
  • 131. Chapter 131. Breaking In
  • 132. Chapter 132. Tell Me, Asha
  • 133. Chapter 133. Warmth
  • 134. Chapter 134. Evidence Of Longing
  • 135. Chapter 135. Under The Wheels
  • 136. Chapter 136. Natasha's Crime
  • 137. Chapter 137. Who Left The Flowers?
  • 138. Chapter 138. He Who Sees The Will Of God
  • 139. Chapter 139. Winter Can't Beat The Pines
  • 140. Chapter 140. Let’s Go There Together
  • 141. Chapter 141. Betrayal
  • 142. Chapter 142. A Vanished Home
  • 143. Chapter 143. Finally, At The Imperial Palace
  • 144. Chapter 144. Remove It
  • 145. Chapter 145. Your Worst Nightmare
  • 146. Chapter 146. July 16th
  • 147. Chapter 147. Pretend You Don’t See It. Pretend You Don’t Know It
  • 148. Chapter 148. Take The Child To His Mother
  • 149. Chapter 149. A Crack
  • 150. Chapter 150. Song Of The Fall
  • 151. Chapter 151. Anna’s Situation
  • 152. Chapter 152. Perso’s Anguish
  • 153. Chapter 153. A Suspicious Maid
  • 154. Chapter 154. Whose Baby Is It?
  • 155. Chapter 155. This Is My Answer
  • 156. Chapter 156. The Wild Dog Outside The Fence
  • 157. Chapter 157. The Main Characters
  • 158. Chapter 158. That Day
  • 159. Chapter 159. Let Me Tell You A Secret
  • 160. Chapter 160. Run Away
  • 161. Chapter 161. The Hunt Begins
  • 162. Chapter 162. To The Hell I Got Out Of
  • 163. Chapter 163. Let's Watch
  • 164. Chapter 164. The Crazy Emperor
  • 165. Chapter 165. Rampage
  • 166. Chapter 166. Clash Of Life And Death
  • 167. Chapter 167. Collect
  • 168. Chapter 168. The Banquet Is Over
  • 169. Chapter 169. A World Without The Power Of God
  • 170. Chapter 170. Thorny Hedge
  • 171. Chapter 171. It Was The Night When Winter Ended
  • 172. Chapter 172. Side Story 1 - The World Has Been Turned Upside Down
  • 173. Chapter 173. Side Story 2 - Death In The Dark
  • 174. Chapter 174. Side Story 3 - Monstein
  • 175. Chapter 175. Side Story 4. Tamon's Happiness
  • 176. Chapter 176. Side Story 5. Very Sweet And Tender
  • 177. Chapter 177. Side Story 6. Methods Of Persuasion
  • 178. Chapter 178. Side Story 7. A Night Full Of Peach Scent
  • 179. Chapter 179. Side Story 8. Desired Asha
  • 180. Chapter 180. Side Story 9. Unexpected Fit
  • 181. Chapter 181. Side Story 10. Return
  • 182. Chapter 182. Side Story 11. All Is Well
  • 183. Chapter 183. Side Story 12. Amazing News
  • 184. Chapter 184. Side Story 13. A Very Cute Dream
  • 185. Chapter 185. Side Story 14. What Kind Of Bullsh*t Is This?
  • 186. Chapter 186. Side Story 15. What Will Turn The World Upside Down
  • 187. Chapter 187. Side Story 16. Suspicious Meeting
  • 188. Chapter 188. Side Story 17. Find Me
  • 189. Chapter 189. Side Story 18. You Just Have To Enjoy It
  • 190. Chapter 190. Side Story 19. Time To Become A Family
  • 191. Chapter 191. Side Story 20. Omen
  • 192. Chapter 192. Side Story 21. Became A Family (End)

Chapter 1. Kill the Empress

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 2. Tanatos’s cripple Empress

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 3. She's really here

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 4. The Empress is going to die

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 5. How did this happen?

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 6. Swallowing eyes

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 7. Natasha Roanti

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 8. The crying sound

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 9. Are you throwing yourself away?

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 10. Why did this woman...?

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 11. Then bite if off and kill me

***

Sponsored by medfairy 💖 Thank you (½)

*****

 

“No.”

 

It can’t be.

 

Natasha would never keep a secret from him.

 

Gillotti thought nervously, biting his fingernails.

 

Natasha denied it, but he kept an eye on her in the name of precaution.

 

Looking closely as if to observe her, there were indeed doubts.

 

‘The atmosphere in which she spoke with the Prime Minister was not normal.’

 

Smiling with a wink was a face she would only show in front of a person she liked.

 

The casual eye contact and the greedy look in the Prime Minister’s eyes as he gazed at Natasha were all suspicious.

 

‘No, it can’t be. How could Natasha betray me, the emperor?’

 

But that wasn’t all that was suspicious.

 

Natasha sometimes used her growing belly as an excuse to sleep separately, and she sometimes roamed the castle.

 

More than one or two people claimed to have seen her walking quietly down an empty hallway while everyone else slept.

 

“…… d*mn it. My head hurts.”

 

Gillotti scratched his head in frustration.

 

It wasn’t Natasha whom he needed to care about now.

 

Even though more important and harder tasks awaited, his nerves were focused on Natasha.

 

‘…… d*mn it!’

 

Gillotti threw things around him as he stood up.

 

Beautiful vases, feather stands, books and teacups alike fell to the floor.

 

He staggered and leaned against the desk as he stood amidst the broken and cracked objects.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Johan, the chief chamberlain, startled by a loud noise coming from his office, rushed inside.

 

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. I don’t want to see it, so get them away.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Johan ordered his attendants to quickly finish off the messy office.

 

Meanwhile, Gillotti, who had swallowed a glass of red wine in one gulp, asked Johan sharply.

 

“What happened to the chase?”

 

Johan’s face immediately turned pale.

 

He answered firmly, trying not to be intimidated.

 

“We are still following the trail. It is not easy to find them because they move so stealthily. But they are children already accustomed to the Tanatos’ climate, so they would not have been able to escape the empire.”

 

“What are you waiting for! We must find them before the July festival begins!”

 

Johan bowed deeply at the emperor’s fierce shout and replied, 

 

“I will keep it in mind.”

 

With a sigh, Johan slipped out of the emperor’s office and returned to his office with busy steps.

 

“Ha ……”

 

As soon as he walked into his office, the sigh he had been holding back leaked out.

 

How could he look for those things that had long since disappeared without anyone noticing?

 

Initially, the management of the beasts has been done by the Empress.

 

Until now, the emperor had roughly or carelessly handled most of the important tasks, and it was the job of the Empress to review and adjust them.

 

It was not originally the Empress’s job, but the Emperor handled it so immaturely that it was all transferred to the Empress at some point.

 

So Gillotti had no choice but to stray from Tanatos’ work on big and small matters.

 

It was the same with La Gorreci.

 

The emperor killed the Empress and had already forgotten about her for months, but now they had to prepare the skins and horns of the silver deer for the July Festival.

 

‘It’s driving me crazy……Originally we had to communicate closely with each other every 15 days.’

 

The July Festival was one of the most important festivals in Tanatos.

 

It was a great ‘festival of power’ that showed the majesty of Tanatos to the surrounding countries, not to mention the ritual worship of the winter power that made Tanatos strong.

 

All nations visited Tanatos and presented rare and precious treasures.

 

Tanatos promised peace to the neighboring nations that offered their precious gifts, and to the most sincere of them, the emperor would give a silver deer’s horn, a symbol of exchange, in return.

 

The problem was that now Tanatos did not have enough “silver horns” to use for the festival.

 

What was piled up in the imperial treasury was literally the finest horn used in Tanatos.

 

They could never give that to the guests,  so they had to catch the silver deer….

 

…… but they vanished without a trace.

 

Johan sat huddled deep in his chair, his hand on his forehead.

 

Not a single thing has gone well in this country since the death of the Empress.

 

His gaze reached the emperor’s imperial edict on the desk.

 

The name of the Duke of Gertium was written above the emperor’s clear seal.

 

Johan’s expression grew more serious.

 

No one in the world was unaware of the fact that the emperor loved Natasha Roanti so much that he shunned the empress.

 

Of course it was ridiculous, but no one would be surprised if the emperor gave Natasha the Empress’s position.

 

Moreover, Natasha was probably holding the emperor’s child.

 

Although her origin was low, it was not at all unlikely that she was holding the emperor’s only descendant.

 

However, the emperor had said in his imperial letter that he would not put Natasha but “Gertium” in the empress’s place.

 

The current Duke Gertium’s youngest sister, who had not yet reached adulthood.

 

Perhaps the emperor wanted to restore Gertium’s allegiance, which looks a little different than it did before.

 

It was not that he didn’t know the intention of the emperor at all, but it was too dangerous.

 

Johan rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

 

Unfortunately, the current emperor did not seem to know how dangerous and poisonous Natasha Roanti was.

 

She was a woman who had come up from the lowest to the highest position, using her beautiful, innocent smile as a weapon.

 

The woman was ignorant of the greater good. Nor did she particularly care about justice.

 

All that mattered to her was her safety, her prestige, and the wealth of the children she bore.

 

Probably not including Gillotti Tanatos.

 

“……What in the world is going to happen to this country?”

 

Johan gripped his prickling stomach and let out only a heavy sigh.

 

If he had known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have become a chamberlain, no matter how much money they offered him….

 

‘I should have listened to my wife.’

 

When the previous Empress died, his wife asked him to leave the imperial household.

 

Her voice caught his ear as she pleaded, “Please, get out of there. There should only be blades in the imperial household that no longer have shields.”

 

“Is this why you have to listen to your wife well?” 

 

Johan picked up his pen once more with a sigh.

 

Even if he quit tomorrow, he had to do what he had to do today.

 

First, he had to find the missing La Gorreci as soon as possible.

 

* * * *

 

At first Asha could not believe her eyes.

 

For she could not understand at all how a beast that should not be here was held in Tamon’s arms.

 

“I am not certain since this is the first time I have seen it in living form, but it must be a young silver horned deer, right?”

 

Tamon immediately asked Asha.

 

Asha was the only one among them who knew the most about silver horned deer.

 

Freezing in surprise, she ran to him at once and looked at the little deer on his chest.

 

“Where on earth did you find it? This is not the deer’s habitat……..”

 

“I found him lying in a small patch of grass at the entrance to the canyon, hiding himself. He’s short of breath.”

 

It was a mysterious beast with snow-white fur and shimmering silver horns.

 

The full-grown adult was as huge as a bear, its horns as sharp and hard as the blade of a well-forged sword, and its white leather skin tough enough to withstand the venom of the monsters.

 

But these were only the characteristics of the adult.

 

The young silver deer were a little tougher than ordinary beasts and did not boast as great a stature as the adults.

 

For this reason, the silver deer herd gave top priority to the protection of the young deer.

 

“First, treat this baby first; if it goes on like this, it will die.”

 

Tamon immediately took the deer into his tent.

 

The knights, who had followed Tamon a bit behind, looked like they wanted to know what was going on.

 

Leaving the rustling knights behind, Asha hurried into the tent where Tamon had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know if I can save it.”

 

Asha’s face turned pale and twisted at Tamon’s words as she watched the deer.

 

“You must save it. You have to. Please….”

 

The fact that a young silver deer was found meant that there was most likely a herd of silver deer nearby.

 

And so, their young must be there with them.

 

“We will only listen to the empress.”

 

“So, Empress, please take good care of us. Please feel sorry for the deer. Protect us so that the ruthless emperor cannot slaughter us.”

 

These were the words of the children of the white deer called La Gorreci.

 

They were the survivors of the children who were sacrificed to the greed of the empire.

 

The voices of the Mirah and Lucentia siblings came alive in Asha’s ears.

 

Rough fingertips lifted Asha’s chin.

 

Sharp eyes licked Asha’s face, twisted with remorse.

 

A rough thumb gently swept her tightly closed lips.

 

“Why is your face so desperate, Asha?” (Tamon)

 

Unable to answer, she looked down at the gasping young beast with bitter eyes.

 

“When you look like this, I want to just give you my life……..” (Tamon)

 

The words were said so lightly that they didn’t fit the situation, but Asha was already well aware of how heavy and cruel his intentions were.

 

So Asha grabbed Tamon’s hand when he took out his dagger.

 

“Why?” (Tamon)

 

“…… I’ll do it.” (Asha)

 

“You, yourself?” (Tamon)

 

Surprised, Tamon handed over the dagger he was holding.

 

Tamon was a man who did not know how to take care of himself.

 

He was bound to inflict more wounds than necessary and shed more blood, so Asha took the dagger herself and scratched his fingertip.

 

Tamon couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish small wound.

 

“So small?”

 

Even though Asha drew it with force, there was only a small cut on Tamon’s fingertip.

 

Blood began to trickle from the wound.

 

Asha quickly shoved Tamon’s finger into the deer’s mouth despite Tamon’s taunts.

 

Chapter 12. Ability to save