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nThe light in the communication crystal ball darkened.

n“Aslan, you cheeky bastard…”

nAt the eerie muttering of the Emperor, the servant who was beside him trembled.

n“Everyone get out. Now!”

nThe Emperor’s condition wasn’t good enough to think that he was lucky to have escaped from the previous Emperor’s subsequent congratulatory orders.

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nEven if he played a gentle Emperor, his true nature couldn’t be hidden.

nHe was quite twisted as could be seen by everyone around him. Which could seem to be viewed as worthless.

nIt was a face they had not seen in many years, but his cocky and indifferent attitude to the point of anger was still there.

nThe Emperor always wanted the nobles to sit at his feet.

nIn the first place, the Grand Duke Aslan, who was always superior to him, always existed.

nHe did nothing but be a threat to the Emperor just by being there.

nThat was the power of the Krovachatz, the family and the power of Aslan, the most powerful in the Empire.

nHe was the Emperor, but the feeling of inferiority that Aslan has brought since the days of the Great Emperor.

nHe ascended to the highest position, but his ugly sense of inferiority only increased in size.

nHow satisfied he was that he lost his wife and daughter and didn’t even set a foot in the capital.

n“…But that daughter wasn’t dead.”

nFor the whole time, I only thought that she was dead seven years ago.

nThe Emperor muttered, rubbing his throbbing head.

nThe strange air that has been circling inside the Imperial Palace since the last few days.

nThe disturbing news he had just heard made him sensitive.

n‘I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.’ ᵁˡʸˢˢᵉˢ

n✿

nA laughter was heard in the greenhouse where the roses were blooming.

nA place where pretense, flattery, and words as swords come and go.

nIt was tea time, a miniature version of society.

n“You even invited me to the greenhouse you’ve been putting so much effort into these days. It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”

n“It’s like looking at your Majesty the Empress, with the roses gracefully lit up.”

nAt those words, the Empress smiled satisfactorily and lifted the glass with an elegant touch.

nThe teacup that had touched her red lips was placed on the table.

n“It’s worth the effort you put into your eyes to see it that way.”

nRather than being vulgar, the appearance of the alluring mouth curve was just elegant.

nThe topic of the tea party, which started with a simple story, has turned into a naked content as time went on.

n“I heard that Count Antoine’s mistress has changed.”

n“Oh! I heard that too. This time I heard it was a fifteen-year-old baron…”

nThe noble women, who covered their mouths with fans, smiled gracefully and spoke ill of others.

nIt could be said that there are no secrets in the society, but the story they’re sharing now was even lower.

n“You found a ruby mine in Delta’s house this time, right? That it’s a high-quality product, so it’s enough to be offered to the Imperial Family.”

n“Oh, then, your Majesty the Empress might be the first to see it.”

nOccasionally, a lot of pretense of flattery flowed out, but each time the Empress smiled with only the corners of her eyes curled.

nTo be honest, the Empress didn’t like the people who were gathered at the table now.

nNo, exactly, it was close to contempt.

nThey were so foolish that she could not find the dignity of the nobility in them.

nHowever, there were no people who were rumored to be as fast in society as they were, so it was necessary to have regular meetings.

nThe Empress felt disgusted every time she met them, but it was inevitable.

n“…How vulgar.”

nThe Empress, who was holding the teacup with her fingertips, pulled up one corner of her lips behind her fan to ridicule them.

nIt was then…

n“Come to think of it, did you all hear about that rumor?”

n“What kind of rumor are you talking about?”

nThere were a lot of rumors she could hear. The Empress, who was first to speak about the reactions of other ladies, spoke with a slightly more cautious voice than before.

n“The news that the Grand Duke’s… daughter of Krovachatz has returned.”

n“Oh my God. I thought she was dead!”

n“I thought so too, but I don’t think she died, she must have been growing up in an orphanage.”

n‘Oh my!‘

nEach of the ladies exclaimed little by little.

nThey were all well-respected people in the society, but the situation right now wasn’t as common.

nHe wasn’t a noble man as much as he was, and the only Grand Duke of the Empire.

nAt least none of the nobles in the capital today were unaware of the accident that had taken place seven years ago.

nThe fact that the Grand Duchess died and the Grand Duke’s daughter disappeared in the accident was also known.

nBut they couldn’t believe that the Grand Princess, who was missing and who everyone thought had died, had been in an orphanage until now.

nIt couldn’t help but be shocking. The ladies excitedly spoke faster.

n“I couldn’t believe that the grand princess was in an orphanage all this time. How could you have imagined it?”

n“I mean… I heard that the place where the Grand Princess lived was more than three weeks away from the Grand Palace.”

n“Oh my! How did she get so far?”

nThe ladies, who fell in love with the topic, brought up the stories they had heard so far one by one.

nIt was difficult to open the water the first time, but once the water was opened, they didn’t know how to stop it.

n“There must be a lot of people who think it’s strange.”

n“What?”

n“Wasn’t it a bit unusual for the Grand Princess, who was young at the time of the accident, to be found in an orphanage at the eastern end of the road?”

n“Hmm… That’s right.”

nThe story that one of them brought up was enough to attract the attention of others.

nIn a society full of conspiracies and trickery, incidents like this have always been an interesting topic.

nThat was the moment when they were trying to get the right number and start the story.

n“So…”

n“Hello.”

nThe elegant voice of the Empress came in after a soft interruption.

nAt the words of the Empress, the maids who were bowing their heads from behind replaced the cooled goggles.

nAfter a while, a steaming tea was placed in front of all the ladies.

n“You interrupted the story unintentionally. You have to drink this tea before it cools down to reveal its true value.”

n“Oh really?”

nTheir natural flow turned their attention back to the tea.

nWhile sipping tea, they began to chatter with each other about aroma and taste.

nThe fact that the topic had changed all of a sudden didn’t really matter to them.

nThey didn’t know.

n“Aaaah!”

n“Her Majesty the Empress!”

n“Get out! Get everyone out!”

nThe fact that the Empress’s eyes were glistening with anger and uncontrollable anxiety when she returned from tea time.

nClink!

nPottery made by a famous craftsman hit the wall, shattered, and expensive jewelry was scattered on the floor.

nHowever, that alone didn’t resolve the anger.

nThose words that just came out of the mouths of vulgar ladies.

nIt couldn’t have happened. Why’s the girl who fell into the sea with a foreign noble?

n“Argh!”

nAfter pouring out her emotions for a long time, the Empress collapsed in front of the bed while breathing heavily.

nEven the silk blanket that was softly wrapped around her hand, she wanted to rip it off.

nIt was impossible, no, it shouldn’t have happened.

nHowever, the letter sent by her father, the head of the family, contained the same content.

nIt’s true that the daughter of Krovachatz, who was left in an orphanage, was adopted.

nAfter seeing the letter, the Empress couldn’t stop her anger.

nHowever, I thought it couldn’t be helped because a foreign nobleman took her.

nIf they stop him, it may cause diplomatic problems.

nWhen she was told that the girl drowned and died, she thought it was rather fortunate.

nEven if the plan was broken, Krovachatz’s daughter died and the younger generation disappeared.

nI tried tracking just in case, but there was nothing strange at all.

nIt was strangely annoying, but after that, the movement of the Grand Duke was also the same as usual.

nBut what’s this situation right now?

nIt would have been completed in just one more year.

nShe hadn’t died before then, and she fell into the hands of the Grand Duke!

n‘I ordered the tail to be cut off, so the Grand Duke wouldn’t know. So this anxiety must be in the air.’

nThe Empress bit her lip in the rising anxiety.

nSting, snap…

nThe manicured nails were messed up and bleeding, but there was no pain.

nThe Empress bit her red lips.

nThe memories of seven years ago that she had forgotten so far came to mind vividly.

n‘I should have killed her then.’

nWhether the girl was born with the black hair of the Grand Duchess or not, she should have just been killed anyway.

nHe didn’t care about old superstitions.

nThe Empress only now realized.

nHow foolish the past was when they were somehow reluctant to use the demon blood that they say flows in their blood.

nIf that curse existed, it would certainly be a curse now.

nBloody eyes are now starting to stand in full bloom.

n‘Yes. It was already seven years ago that Serbia died… We never know.’

nEven if they found the girl, they won’t know the truth because I cut off all the tails.

n“Yeah. Even Krovachatz wouldn’t know.”

nThe Empress’ face, seen through her scattered hair, was dotted with anger and fear.

nThe Empress ignored the anxiety she was struggling with and repeated that she would be fine.

nLike if she doesn’t, she’ll be in big trouble.

n“I could finish it before he finds out.”

nA glimpse of madness flashed in the eyes of the Empress, who continued to mutter.

nThe air shook unsteadily. She felt something ominous.

n✿

nA room in which the vitality of a living person couldn’t be found.

nOnly the sound of slow breathing resounded.

nOn the bed, a woman with a face as pale as her silvery hair that lost its gloss was lying.

nThe face, which obviously looked ill, was that of a sick person on the verge of death.

nThe woman’s gaze, who was looking around slowly, stopped at the child who was a little away.

n“Calion, wait, come closer…”

nThe child followed his mother’s gesture and put one ear close to his mother’s lips.

nHer dry lips twitched slowly.

nThe faint sound that seemed to break at any moment was so small that no one could hear it except for the child.

nAfter she had finished speaking, the woman gently stroked the head of her child, who struggled to hold back his tears.

nBut the given time was soon approaching. Her hand, which was stroking the child’s silver hair, fell helplessly.

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nBreath that no longer exists.

nSeeing that, the child’s tears fell as he trembled.

nThe moment when even the faint breath stopped. “Mother, don’t go,” the child begged, dripping tears that he had been holding back in the end.

nBut time passed equally for everyone, and so did death.

nIt was a moment when the original story was twisted once again.

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