Chapter 55. Poison!
It was like nothing I’d ever smelled before in my life. It made my nostrils flare, even though I only smelled it for a moment.
It was a burnt, almost fishy odor.
But my thoughts did not last long. My attention was caught by the chamberlain, who, with a stern face, began to cough and huff.
“Lady Perdia, His Majesty dislikes commotion.”
“Yes.”
“Please remember that you are in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Yes.”
“……Then please step inside.”
The chamberlain looked at me impatiently after his repeated reminder and went outside.
I passed through the main hall and entered the emperor’s bedroom, which was just as dark as the corridor. Thick curtains were drawn over the window.
The only light in the vast chamber was the glow of scattered incense burners. Smoke billowed from several censers.
‘The pungent smell must have come from those incense burners.
Apparently the incense was meant to cure the Emperor’s illness, because that would be the only reason to burn incense that wasn’t fragrant.
I wonder where the Emperor is in this spacious bedroom. He’s not feeling well, so he must be in bed.
Before I made my way to the bed, I announced my visit.
“Your Majesty, I have been summoned.”
It was then.
“Cough, cough-!”
I flinched at the sudden sound of a cough and turned my head. The sound came from the direction of the bed, as expected.
I could only make out the silhouette of the Emperor lying on the bed through the canopy. I turned towards him and quickly bowed.
“His Majesty the Emperor. I am Elodie Perdia of the House of Perdia.”
“Come, stand …….closer……”
The crackling voice was precarious to listen to. It was like a candle that might go out at any moment.
It was customary for the health of royalty to be a closely guarded secret, and that was also the case in the Wallentian Empire.
But the Emperor’s absence from public appearances, and the fact that he had entrusted much of his affairs to his son, the Prince, was an open confession of his deteriorating health.
So among the nobles, rumors of the emperor’s deteriorating health had been circulating for some time.
As a member of the upper class, I knew that the emperor’s health was not good, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
‘He’s still going to be around tomorrow, right……?’
I was worried that if I went today, I would be framed for the emperor’s death. I was scared that it would be true, and not some silly fantasy.
[(Is it an) accusation?]
Greed within the seal stone seemed to be thinking the same thing.
‘No, he’s still alive.’
[Sounds more like an open accusation].
Leaving Greed behind, I followed the Emperor’s orders and approached the bedside.
The Emperor lifted his arm with difficulty and drew back the canopy a little. Through it, our eyes met.
” It’s been a long, long time,miss…….”
” I have grown unharmed by your majesty’s radiance over Wallentian.”
“You’ve got a…… a big mouth…..and you speak quite well, I can tell. Cough!”
The Emperor began to cough again, even as he grinned and struggled to get the words out. The coughing fit lasted several minutes before it subsided.
“It’s frustrating, my body, it’s not doing …… what I want it to do.”
Sighing, the Emperor groaned and pushed himself up to his feet.
“The Saviour has come to see me, and I can’t greet her,…….lying down.”
“You jest too much, Your Majesty.”
I would never refer to myself as a ‘savior’. The way the Emperor looked at me was proof.
He may be bedridden, but the way he looks at me is like a big cat staring down its prey.
“Sit down…….”
At the Emperor’s words, I sat down in the chair beside him.
” What happened…… at the meeting, I have been told.”
“…….”
“The High Priest was…… excited, and he said. A savior has appeared……. And someone said, cough, that it was my son’s…… fiancée. That was very interesting, very interesting…….”
As expected, he had summoned me to discuss the incident in which I had breached the temple’s boundaries.
I replied in a polite but firm tone.
“I am not a savior, Your Majesty.”
‘Savior? I can barely keep myself alive.’
But the Emperor didn’t hear a word I said.
“I have also heard, and I know, that you have said so, cough……But that is not for you to decide.”
“…….”
“It’s for the world to decide…….”
The Emperor stared at me, his gaze seeming to pierce my insides.
After a moment of silence, I parted my lips with difficulty.
“So, Your Majesty, you want me to be the savior?”
“As King of Wallentia and Lord of the House of Wallent, I have a duty to uphold…….”
“…….”
“Lately, I’ve heard reports of a wave of strange beasts…… rampaging across the land. They often attack civilian homes….causing a great deal of unrest.”
I remembered seeing this in an article somewhere. New demons that were not registered in the Demonic Records appeared.
I had rarely traveled outside of the imperial capital, Somnia, therefore I had never seen a beast before. So I didn’t pay much attention to the article.
The Emperor continued.
“The High Priest has speculated that the Cult of Irkala is responsible. They’ve been quiet for a while, but they’ve been banding together, cough, and talking about the coming of the End of Days for years now.”
The Wallentian Empire worshipped Ishtar as a god and made it the state religion. Cults that followed Irkala, the god of the underworld, were considered heretical.
The founding myth of Wallentia itself begins with the story of seven heroes empowered by Ishtar to combat the seven deadly sins that Irkala had spread across the land.
As such, the people’s faith was sincere.
In the meantime, the Cult of Irkala had appeared, claiming that the world was about to fall to ruin, and even a demon of a different type had appeared. Demon. What do we want to use?
That is why you are telling me this.
In short, it meant this.
‘Saviors are for show, and they need to be criticized.’
A public figure to take the place of the ineffectual imperial court and temple, a sacrifice to quell the rising tide.
“Your presence will be the hope…… of the people.”
‘Hope? That’s not even funny.’
He thinks I’m just some stupid girl who’ll nod along to the idea of a savior, someone who can give them hope and bright words.
I wasn’t about to be taken advantage of.
“Your Majesty. Do you know my nickname?”
The emperor stared at me, unable to answer my out-of-the-blue question.
I smirked and said, “The madman of Perdia.”
My famous nickname.
“If I suddenly appeared as a divine savior, would they believe me? After all, I’m just a bastard with no powers.”
” ……You really are quite…… bitter towards yourself.”
“I’m pretty good at knowing the subject at hand.”
There was nothing wrong with my words, and this was the moment when my worst reputation shone through.
I poured myself another drink and offered the emperor another option.
“If you need a savior, I think it would be far more effective to discuss it with the temple from the start, and then bring the right person to the forefront. If they’re the right person, everyone will be happy.”
So don’t put me in the middle of that savior rhyme.
I have no intention or desire to be a victim of your political games.
The Emperor’s eyes, clear even in the darkness, met mine. For some reason, there was a certain air about the Emperor, whose complexion was much more relaxed than it had been earlier.
The emperor asked in a heavy, stern tone.
“But… the moment you broke through the temple’s boundaries, the descended oracles…… how do you explain that?”
“It’s up to the Temple to explain that, isn’t it?”
‘First of all, it’s none of my business!’
No matter what he said, it was none of my business, and the Emperor seemed to realize that this was no normal argument.
“‘I guess I didn’t know you well enough.”
‘No. You’ve got me.’
The old me, with no memory of my previous life, would have jumped up and down with joy at being called the Savior of God.
That would have been the me the Emperor knew.
“……… is no longer .I´ve called you here to see your face today.”
I guess you can’t be an emperor without being a bit shameless.
” I heard you hired Ian….. as your bodyguard.”
Caught off guard, the emperor brought up Raeyan.
“He’s a favorite of mine……. I wanted to keep him around, so I offered him a knighthood, but he refused.”
“I see.”
Although I was surprised that the emperor was so fond of him and offered nothing in return, I couldn’t believe that Raeyan would actually turn down a knighthood.
Clearing his throat, the emperor stared into space as if reminiscing.
“I only hired him on a temporary basis.”
“He is not one who belongs to anyone, even temporarily.”
The Emperor seemed to find Raeyan quite a demanding individual. He joked that he could give him a mercenary army, that he could give him the government, that he could give him everything.
The relationship between the Emperor and Raeyan didn’t feel like a simple vassal relationship. I wondered what their relationship was, but I didn’t ask because I wasn’t allowed to ask.
“Did you happen…… to have an encounter with the second one yesterday?”
The second one was Second Prince Beltran. He was referring to the incident at the auction house.
To know such a small matter, I thought, an emperor is an emperor, even if he’s lying in bed.
“The Second Prince seems to have misunderstood something. He thinks I harbor romantic feelings…….”
“An ugly son…… doing an ugly thing.”
The Emperor’s assessment of Beltran was quite harsh. He even clicked his tongue in disapproval of his second son.
“Ignore him, in the future, if he runs around like a colt.”
“Yes.”
Exciting. The emperor personally gave me permission to ignore the second prince. Now that the Emperor had said this, I could deal with the Second Prince more easily.
“Today, after talking to you, I’ve noticed that…… you seem different.”
“I hope you find that to be a good thing.”
It’s not good to pretend with the emperor anyway, so I put on a flattering business smile.
The Emperor eyed me warily, then opened his mouth.
“I didn’t recognize you.”
‘All of a sudden?’
“So, not long ago, I was telling Adenmir to annul your engagement…….”
Even if it wasn’t, the first prince who said he wouldn’t break off the marriage suddenly came and talked about breaking up the marriage, so I was puzzled, but the secret was solved.
The secret was his father wanted us to break up.
‘The first prince, was he a papa’s boy?’
He’s all grown up, and yet he was a papa’s boy.
“But now I accept you-“
Before he could finish his sentence, the Emperor broke into a violent coughing fit. I grabbed the water from the table and handed it to the Emperor, exclaiming.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty, I’ve already spoken to the First Prince.”
“……what?”
“The breakup, Your Majesty. I’m glad to hear that you’re hoping for a breakup as well, and I’m honored to be on the same page as you.”
“…….”
For some reason, the emperor just stared at me. I was suddenly embarrassed by the unfamiliar gaze.
“I shall take my leave, then, Your Majesty.”
Fortunately, the emperor didn’t seem to have anything else to say to me.
“Very well. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to a young lady, and it’s been quite pleasant……. Strangely enough, I feel lighter today…… and my breathing is easier.”
The Emperor’s eyes began to close as drowsiness overtook him.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep soon…….”
The emperor closed his eyes completely. Apparently, he was not well enough to fall asleep with me as a visitor.
Greed, who had been silent during my conversation with the emperor, said.
[I wonder if he’s finally dead].
‘He’s not dead.’
I thanked him for his kindness and turned to leave. Suddenly, the door opened and a familiar figure stepped inside.
“Lady.”
It was Prince Adenmir.
I wondered if being his son gave him free access to the emperor’s bedchamber.
I put my index finger to the corner of my mouth as he started to speak.
“His Majesty is sleeping.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I stood up from my chair to follow the First Prince to the door.
“……Eh?”
Staggering–
I staggered backwards as my body suddenly gave out, and the First Prince grabbed me by the shoulders.
“Are you okay?”
Instead of answering his question, I slowly looked around the emperor’s bedroom.
‘Hold on…….’
This smell.
The smoke from the censer that filled the room.
The long conversation with the Emperor.
And this familiar dizziness and pain.
“……!”
I screamed, clamping my hands over the First Prince’s nose and mouth.
“It’s poison!”