Chapter 1. Kill the Empress
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Sponsored by Mar 💖 (¾)
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“Why hasn’t she come yet? Don’t tell me she escaped?”
…It can’t be.
Theo paced around the office and ran outside.
Even though she was deliberately distracted by the meeting this morning, her nerves didn’t die and it reminded her of Tamon and the woman.
Theo barged into the palace’s administrative office and turned them inside out once.
The sun set dimly as she checked each one of them with her eyes of a hawk for irregularities and corruption, and to see if the numbers were well written.
She got out of there by the time a dozen administrative officials groaned.
Behind her, aides and servants, Lucy and Haxen, and three attendant knights followed one after another.
“You’re in my way. Everyone gets out except for Lucy!”
Only Lucy Liliana, the entourage attendant, was left. Theo looked around and asked Lucy as if talking to herself.
“What if he doesn’t come? If Tamon flees, it’s hard to catch him.”
Lucy looked at Theo and said, “He’s not the most obvious of men. Rumor has it that the Empress of Tanatos is not one to run away.”
Theo ruffled her hair nervously at Lucy’s words.
“I think so too, but why aren’t they here!”
“Please wait, Your Majesty. It’s not a good habit to be in a hurry.”
Lucy politely offered her a sweet treat. Shoving something sweet into Theo’s mouth worked wonders when it came to soothing her.
Today’s snack was a red bean paste cake cut into thin slices and topped with fragrant fried walnuts.
Theo shoveled it into her mouth in one gulp.
“…… It’s delicious. Bring more.”
Theo even ordered tea to eat with it.
By the time all the dessert and the cup of tea were all gone.
“Your Majesty, the General of Foreign Affairs* is here.” (*it’s Tamon’s position)
The people, who Theo was so anxious about, came.
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Boom!
Without any notice, the door to the audience hall suddenly opened.
The four who had been waiting turned around, startled by the king’s appearance.
In fact, only the cloaked Lana and Targen were surprised, while Tamon and Roselyn looked calm, as if they had expected it to some extent.
Theo lifted her chin in a showy manner and walked past Tamon and Roselyn.
She walked with such force in her legs that her cloak fluttered violently with each step she took.
Sitting stolidly on her throne, Theo leaned her upper body forward and stared at the four people standing in front of her.
“You are late.”
“The sun hasn’t set yet, Your Majesty.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Tamon.”
Smiling, Roselyn replied lightly.
“I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.”
“…. Nothing in particular, I wasn’t waiting for you.”
“That’s good then.”
Theo was disturbed by Roselyn’s more than relaxed attitude.
It was that woman who might get her head cut off if the king of the enemy country found out who she was, so why was it her (Theo) and not her (Roselyn) who was anxious all day long?
‘She’s a strange woman.’
When Theo looked at the woman like this, Theo could understand why Tamon was so fascinated by that woman every time he went to Tanatos.
She has a way of revealing people’s hearts without them having to do anything.
Theo, who had been staring at Roselyn with narrowed eyes, looked at the two people standing behind her and asked,
“Are they the ones who will make me believe what you said?”
Theo wondered what in the world Roselyn was going to bring to the table, but at most she brought two people with her.
Theo sobered, disappointed in herself for expecting something so amazing.
Roselyn nodded and led the people who stood behind her.
At first glance, the two people wearing cloaks were a man and a woman p.
The woman was small and slender, while the man was large, no smaller than Tamon.
“Yes, let’s take a look to see who on earth it is that can move me.”
Beneath the shadows that hid her face, the woman began to smile.
The woman slowly took off the hood of her cloak with a hand that was never hurried.
When she did so, her face was completely revealed, and Theo, who had been elbowing her knees in a bent-over position, jumped out of her seat.
“What……..”
Theo’s voice trembled.
She had never been so surprised in her entire life. The surprise was too great for her to get used to, so she forgot how she should react.
“You, you …… you!”
She exhaled intermittently and ran all the way down the stairs where the throne was.
“Lana! Oh, oh my gosh! Are you really Lana?”
Theo’s hands that didn’t know what to do squeezed both cheeks of her sister who had parted when she was a child.
What tugged at her pale fingers was the warmth of a living person.
“Is this true? Tell me! Is it you? Say your name! Tell me you’re not fake!”
Theo’s words and actions gradually became more and more extreme, to the point that Targen’s body twitched as he watched.
As if searching for a sister she had lost long ago, Theo urged Lana to respond.
Taking a short, deep breath, Lana reached out and patted Theo’s right forehead.
“It’s still there. The scar when you and I fought without each other.”
“….!”
“Mother scolded me a lot at that time…”
‘That’s right. It’s my sister Lana Lantifu.’
Theo closed her eyes and hugged Lana.
At that moment, Lana said, pushing Theo away and said.
“If you hug me that much, my baby will be surprised.”
“….. baby?”
Theo looked down at the space between Lana and her. She didn’t notice because Lana was wearing a big cloak, but the thickness of the front was unusual.
Startled, Theo couldn’t help but reach out and touch the rounded, raised area.
“What?!”
Lana gave a small laugh as she stepped back.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“You’re pregnant? Now you’re in this ………… Oh, you’re married?”
“Yes. I did, with this guy.”
Lana laughed softly and held out her hand to Targen, who stood behind her.
Targen took her hand and took off his cloak.
With the corners of his eyes downcast and his hair short, Targen reminded Theo of a huge, obedient puppy when she glanced at him.
This way or that, it was never a strong impression.
“‘Nice to meet you. My name is Targen Oheim.”
Unable to dare to ask for a handshake, Targen gladly knelt on one knee to extend his courtesy to the neighboring king.
Theo, who was looking at him blankly, wrinkled her face grimly and grabbed Targen by the chest.
“You punk!”
“Sister! What are you doing!” (Lana)
“Who do you think you are? How dare you to my sister? Do you know what family she came from?” (Theo)
“Let him go, sister!” (Lana)
Lana screamed in a high-pitched voice and wrapped her arms around her stomach.
“Oh….”
As soon as Lana let out a faint moan with a pale face, Targen, who was helplessly holding onto Theo, moved.
“Are you okay? Lean on me. Please don’t ever overreact.”
“….”
Theo stared at her crouched sister, unsure of what to do.
Her face was in a state of confusion.
It wasn’t enough that she was reunited with her sister, who had left over a decade ago, without preparation, and now she was even married and pregnant without her knowledge.
Her little sister, whom she had thought to be dead.
Theo was surprised, happy, and angry.
All the emotions she had felt in the past, worrying about Lana, came together with the faces of her parents who had died without seeing her.
There must have been some reason for this, but none of it came to Theo’s mind.
Theo’s face contorted and she covered her eyes with her hands.
She took a short breath and shook her head, trying her best to shake off the distractions.
What mattered now was not the past, but the state of her sister, who was holding her big belly.
“I’m sorry. I’m… I’m too excited… are you okay? I’ll call the doctor….” (Theo)
“Sister was always like that.” (Lana)
Hmmm.
Sighing briefly, Lana slowly straightened up.
There was a light blush on her face, but her complexion wasn’t bad.
As soon as the thought of relief passed through Theo’s head, Lana opened her mouth again.
“You always run looking ahead, like a racehorse that doesn’t measure the front and back. The royal family, the people, and the country are more important than anything to you, right?”
“That’s a given as a royal born………” (Theo)
“Yes. That’s why my sister is more deserving of being king than anyone else. That’s why father and mother sent me to Tanatos instead of you.” (Lana)
Theo held her breath at the first mention.
The word “instead” contained the word “originally” in it.
So it was Theoransha who was originally supposed to go to Tanatos?
“What do you mean? Please tell me exactly what you mean.”
“It’s exactly what you heard. But it’s okay. I already made up my mind when I left Amor, and I’d be lying if I didn’t feel sad, but I’ve been able to accept it to some extent.” (Lana)
“Lana!”
“I haven’t seen you in a long time, are you going to keep yelling?”
Lana pretended to hide in Targen’s arms as if she was scared, glancing coyly.
“Please don’t look at me like that. And don’t be rash with my husband, I understand that my sister is the king, but Targen is my whole world. He was the life that sustained me, the roof that held me. And then….”
Lana turned and smiled at Roselyn, who was silently watching the two sisters bickering.
“Her Majesty, no, Aranrosia, was a benefactor of my life, my roof, and my future.”