Chapter 1. Kill the Empress
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The chaos in the square was quickly brought under control.
Fortunately, there were no casualties, which did not add to the people’s fear.
The Knights and Infantry swarmed in and took control of the disordered streets, and the nobles involved in the administration were called the Royal Court.
“How in the world there’s a gap?”
“How am I supposed to know? I’ve never even seen a gap in the capital before!”
“Look here, Marquis Ralph! How much money did you take to study the “gap” phenomenon and that’s the answer!”
How much money did you take with you to study the ‘crevice phenomenon’ and you think that’s the answer to ——?”
“Come on! That’s not what’s important right now! First of all, we need to add expenses so that there is no gap again during the rest of the festival. How much did you invest in this festival? You can’t end it like this, right?”
“If we add expenses unnecessarily………….”
“But still, just in case….!”
“Then let’s fix the situation first.…………”
The lights in the royal palace conference room became brighter. The voices exchanging opinions were more divided than ever.
They were called to come in at dawn, out of breath, but no one could complain.
They arrived at the square later, for they had only seen the scene of the king sweeping away the monsters with her power.
The nobles, who had been told that people with abilities were scary but had no idea that it was such a powerful force, woke up.
They thought it would only affect a good harvest, but it was a scary enough skill to sweep away the monsters.
Since they were only wary of the king’s swords, Ronasso and Tamon, they had no idea that the king herself possessed such a terrifying power! The nobles bent down and put their heads together to put this incident to rest.
When it came down to it, the king they cared about was not there, but elsewhere, guarding the others.
***
Dark reality and high ceilings.
Theoransha sat on her throne and leaned forward.
She had returned to the royal palace as soon as the incident in the square was under control, and an unfazed-looking Roselyn and Tamon were with her.
Glancing at them, Theo lost her energy again.
“Ha.”
She was silent for a moment as she leaned on her sword, which she had brought from the square, for support.
She was speechless with dismay.
“I’m a fool.” (Theo)
Theo pressed her throbbing forehead against the handle of her sword.
“I’m the idiot who fell for your funny skit!” (Theo)
She raised her head quickly with a toothy grin.
“You two fooled me well.”
Theo’s voice, low and raspy, flowed like scratching iron.
“I did it to survive.”
Roselyn replied nonchalantly. Indeed, she didn’t do anything wrong.
For there was not a single reason for a woman who was the empress of an enemy nation to show Theo any faith and trust.
Tamon, however, was different.
Theo glared at Tamon.
“I am greatly disappointed in you, Tamon.”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
Tamon replied with a bow.
He understood her disappointment, but he was confident that he had not done anything wrong.
Maybe not, but that’s how Theo saw it anyway.
Theo gritted her teeth as she grabbed the handle of her sword.
‘Shall I just kill you?’
‘Would it make me feel any better?’
Despite such betrayal, Theo felt ridiculous that she was not able to pull out her sword.
She didn’t know if it was because of the triviality of their friendship, or because of her own stupidity in believing it nonetheless.
“You betrayed me!” ( Theo)
“I make no excuses.” (Tamon)
“This is such high treason that I could cut off your head and no one can say anything!”
Tamon recited calmly, keeping his gaze downcast even in the face of Theo’s seething anger.
“Please, have mercy on me like the River Sea.”
His nonchalant attitude instead caused Theo’s heart burn.
Oh, no.
Whatever the case, she had to cut off that child’s neck to feel better.
“You, you punk…!”
Theo picked up her sword with shaky hands and started running.
It seemed like she had to run at once like she was going to kill him, whether or not she could.
It was Roselyn Sunset, former Empress of Tanatos, who stopped her from attacking Tamon with deadly eyes.
“Wait a minute, why don’t you listen to what I have to say first?” (Roselyn)
“Don’t try to confuse me with your useless words!” (Theo)
Theo gritted her teeth as she glared fiercely at Roselyn.
“It’ll only take a moment.”
Roselyn raised her hands as if blocking her.
At that moment, Theo’s eyes caught sight of her burned and sore fingers.
“…”
All of the red flesh was revealed, and the hands were swollen with insufficient concentration.
It was a hand whose skin had completely melted from the flames.
Burns were said to be the highest pain when quantifying human pain.
Even if it was only the size of a fingernail, burns made even a trained knight cry out in pain.
However, this woman had not once moaned or shown any sign of pain while coming here from the square.
‘I heard she’s strong. Very different.’
The image of the woman in the square, running around by herself against those horrible monsters and shooting fire arrows, came to Theo’s mind.
She didn’t think her own generals could do that well.
What kind of courage and guts did that woman have to take on those monsters, when she had never been in a proper war?
Slowly looking at Roselyn’s condition, Theo’s excited heart slowly subsided. It was because she couldn’t get angry anymore when she looked at Roselyn’s haggard complexion, her torn skirt, her sore and shabby figure, and her cheeks that were covered with ashes and blood.
No matter how much she hated the empress of the enemy country, she was not so narrow-minded as to forget the fact that Roselyn had fought so desperately for the sake of Amor’s own people.
‘…damn it.’
Roselyn’s justice was adamant, but Theo valued hers that much.
Her country, her bloodline, her people.
And she was generous to those who cared for her as much as she did.
Clank!
Theo threw her sword on the floor.
Then she crossed her arms and said belligerently.
“Did you say you tricked me to survive?mOkay, then…… Even now, try to live somewhere. If you know how much hatred I have for your country and in the imperial family of that country, I hope you know that I’m enduring a lot even in this moment.” (Theo)
Roselyn knew about it.
It was the humiliation of that day, known among the Amorites as the Day of Sorrows.
It happened when Roselyn was very young, but it was a famous incident because of the poor and brutal way it had been done.
She was told that the current king of Amor was one of the people who witnessed it.
Theo could not forget the humiliation of that day, so she executed the traitor and regained the authority of the country.
She was a king filled with pride and love for Amor.
Perhaps hef hatred for Tanatos should have been that much more overflowing.
Perhaps as much as Roselyn’s hatred for …… Gillotti.
“I will kill Gillotti Tanatos.” (Roselyn)
“……What?”
“So…..” (Roselyn)
Roselyn held out her tattered hand towards Theo.
“Let’s join hands with me.” (Roselyn)
Roselyn’s tattered hand was again placed in front of Theo’s eyes.
The hand that had come to save the people of her (Theo’s) country now wanted to shake her (Roselyn’s) enemy’s hand.
Is this some kind of ridiculous comedy?
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! Hahahahaha!”
Theo, who was staring at Roselyn’s hand in a daze, burst into laughter.
She even spilled a few tears, but then stopped and glared at Roselyn.
“You’ve gone mad. Do you think I’ll believe you?” (Theo)
“There’s no reason why you can’t believe it, right?” (Roselyn)
“Have you forgotten who you are?” (Theo)
—It couldn’t be.
Roselyn laughed.
“Born the eldest daughter of the House of Sunset, forced to become the Empress of Tanatos, and lost my family, my best friend, and my people at the hands of my husband, the Emperor… ……..”
Never forget. Can’t never forget.
It’s a person called “I.”
“It was Roselyn V Sunset.”
“…”
“…And already. I want to abandon the name I once had, drag down the incompetent and greedy emperor of Tanatos, and avenge the deaths that have passed….”
Roselyn felt out of breath, even though she wasn’t doing anything.
It was only when she got here that she fully accepted her changed name, her fate.
“Aranrosia …… That’s who I am now.”
Roselyn took a slow breath.
Yes, Roselyn died completely in the snowfield at that day.
The soul was dead, and Tamon Krasis had finally brought what was left of it, only the shell.
Only resentment and revenge remained in the emptiness.
Regretting the past made her boil.
She won’t die. Not now, anyway.
She was going to end all this revenge, relieve the injustice of her people, and die laughing while strangling Gillotti Tanatos.
Her heart ached.
Every time she thought about dying, her heart ached,, as if to remind her not to forget something that was etched there.
The place where the mark of the engraving was carved, of all places.
“If you give me two days, I will bring you proof that you can trust me.” (Roselyn)
“………… Two days?” (Theo)
“Everything’s already been revealed. I’m not a rat in a trap now. So, please wait two days. It will never be your loss.” (Roselyn)
Two days.
In just two days, the seeds of the past she had sown will arrive here.