“I’m sorry.”
The Emperor didn’t answer.
Is it because he’s disappointed? If it’s not, is he waiting for a detailed explanation?
The guard who headed for Rodante opened his mouth with his lower jaw shaking.
“I disguised myself as one of the audience at the concert. I also located the target and approached it at close range. But suddenly the power went out… Someone with the same mission suddenly appeared.”
The Emperor still hasn’t said anything.
“It appears that he is disguising himself as a page-turner. Perhaps he saw the power outage as an opportunity, and he tried to assassinate him hastily but failed. The target was already on alert, and the guards, trying to minimize the risk, quickly sent all the visitors away, so we couldn’t try to approach it again.”
“….”
“I could have cooperated if you had told me in advance about the other person performing the overlapping mission, but that’s my failure….”
“….”
The Emperor turned around.
The moment he saw his cold blue eyes, the guards felt it.
“Overlapping mission.”
The Emperor murmured lowly.
“I’ve never given anyone a similar mission.”
“T, then, who on earth is that guy?”
“You should find out for yourself, not ask me.”
Slash—.
A cold, disturbing metallic sound was heard.
“Y, Your Majesty. I, I, if you had left it to me, I would have succeeded and returned! Please have mercy…!”
“Didn’t you tell me with your own mouth that you would come back with success?”
“T, that’s true but…!”
“There are two kinds of disloyalty because you didn’t succeed and you came back even though you failed.”
In the end, the words of the guards didn’t continue.
The Emperor arrogantly put a sword in his mouth and lowered it. He then wiped away some blood and spoke briefly.
“You said I won’t be able to kill him and he would become stronger, Radanum.”
The Emperor, who swept his hair, spoke in a low voice.
“Should I consider the fact that a person with a similar appearance appeared at that point was the fulfillment of the prophecy? Or, should I consider it as your arrangement?”
As the Emperor drank the red wine, power entered his fingertips.
*****
“This is… I mean.”
Luce, who had been opening her mouth for a while, groaned.
“A present from the Duke Ximel family? All of this?”
“There was a message saying don’t feel pressured and take it.”
She is so surprised that her jaw is stiff.
Today, there were no classes, and her mother, Chelsea, was out early in the morning because she had to go to work.
She was going to get some herbs after she got out of bed, but Yohan knocked on the door and called for Luce.
Luce opened the door with a wrinkled face.
The first thing she saw was Yohan’s panting face. And—.
“There are a lot of gold coins and jewels in a sack the size of the aide’s torso. But don’t feel pressure to accept this?”
“I only moved the words… Well, of course I moved the sack too.”
Of course, she thought it was a small sign of sincerity to send a gift.
Isn’t there such a thing as quality meat, herbs, or mushroom sets?
Something a little better than a holiday gift set.
‘But what is this?’
A sack full of dazzling gold coins and jewels.
If she opens that gold coin, it’s not chocolate, is it?
She bit the gold coin as if possessed.
Seeing that her teeth hurt and, most of all, Yohan was freaking out, it seemed like this was a real gold coin.
“Why would you bite it? It’s your first time seeing gold coins?”
“It’s not my first time seeing it, but I can’t believe it because it’s my first time seeing so many at once.”
“They said that if there was only a bank in Rodante’s estate, they would have opened a checking account for Miss Lucete… It would have been better to have a bank and set up an account for you. Of course, with this It would have been better for my languid waist.”
“…Do you want a glass of cold water?”
“Can I?”
Even as she brought water to Yohan, who secretly appealed to the offering, it was still unrealistic.
There must be two reasons for giving so much money and jewelry.
One is because the Duke of Ximel is a family with a lot of money.
Of course, if they are from one of the few Duke-level families in the country, they will have a lot of money, but there is an eternal truth in the world.
No matter how much money I have, it is always a waste to come out of my pocket.
Even if she thinks about the old company president, even in years when sales were in the tens of billions, didn’t he give a small amount of bonuses?
‘The second reason is probably bigger.’
The second reason they probably gave so much money.
She saved the mysterious boy from the assassination plot, and it turned out that he was a very important and valuable person.
‘The Duke Ximel’s husband said that the child was a distant relative. But… that’s not what Duke Ximel’s husband said when I was pretending to faint. It’s good, of course, to try to be quiet, but it doesn’t make sense if I think about it in common sense.’
In a situation where he was about to be assassinated, even non-nobles would go on a rampage.
Moreover, it is safe to overturn the whole territory right now to say that the assassination aimed not at an adult but a child.
But Duke Ximel’s husband did not. It wouldn’t be because the assassin was already dead.
During the investigation, the actions of Duke Ximel’s husband inevitably come to light. What he was trying to hide, maybe.
‘He introduced him as a distant relative, but he might be a child out of wedlock.’
For now, that guess felt the most reasonable.
But the question is if he didn’t want his whereabouts to be found, why did he reveal his identity in the first place?
‘Anyway, this excessive amount of money is a silent pressure.’
Take this and shut her mouth.
“There must be more water to drink on the floor than to give me, Lucette.”
“Ah.”
The cup overflowed as she was lost in her thoughts, and she poured water all over the table and floor.
“You should’ve told me earlier!”
“I called you several times, but Miss Lucette couldn’t hear me.”
Then she heard a clatter.
Nox was licking the flowing water as if it had entered through the crack in the door.
Why is it drinking this when it already has a water bowl? As soon as she hugged it, she immediately lowered her jaw.
“Maybe it’s because it looks like its owner, but it’s coy.”
“Nox is a very gentle cat. It doesn’t like Aide Yohan.”
In a way, it was Nox’s credit that Luce, who fell asleep after the incident, woke up again.
She heard a loud sneeze, and when she opened her eyes, Chelsea was covering her nose, and Nox was sleeping, curled up on her stomach.
“When did this cat come in?”
“I just woke up, so I don’t know… And mom, shouldn’t you ask me how I’m doing first?”
“Looking at how well you talk, you look fine, don’t you think? Achoo.”
Like all of Chelsea’s answers, this one was also reasonable.
Chelsea, who eventually kicked Nox out and stopped sneezing after taking an antidote, wiped her face with a wet towel while saying so.
“I didn’t like the Lord from the beginning. What the hell were the guards doing there…!”
Even though she told her roughly what was happening, she didn’t seem to believe her.
As a mother, she can’t help but worry.
However, everyone was okay, but it was around when Luce thought it was a bit excessive to be angry for two hours.
“The family you saved is Ximel? They said they wanted to show their gratitude to you there?”
Chelsea, who lost her temper and lost her voice, said. Luce nodded.
“If someone comes from there, say you won’t take anything.”
It was strange that they were both thinking the same thing, but it also made her curious.
If it’s her mother’s personality, she thought she’d say she should be compensated since her daughter almost died while saving them.
When asked why Chelsea just shook her head and said briefly.
“There is nothing free in this world.”
Then she thought she should learn more about her mother’s thoughts, but Chelsea went back without saying anything else.
In front of Yohan’s eyes, who was suddenly having a staring contest with the cat, Luce waved her hand and cleared her throat.
“Excuse me, aide.”
“Hmm.”
After looking at the splendid jewels for a while, Luce closed her eyes tightly.
Oh, I never thought I would say this.
“I can’t take this.”
“Huh, why? With this amount, your house could be expanded to the size of the Lord’s castle! Of course I won’t give you a building permit, but anyway!”
Luce shook her head at Yohan, who was startled as if he had seen a ghost.
“What I did wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s ridiculous to be rewarded with such a large amount of money.”
She shouldn’t be greedy for anything.
It makes her feel even more out of place.
“It’s a lot of money for Lucette, but it probably won’t be that much for the Duke of Ximel. Since they said they would give it to you, just accept it. If you don’t agree, I’ll be in the middle of a problem.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“So why?!”
Luce, who smiled slightly, added a little.
“My mom doesn’t like it. She said that money that was not earned through labor would escape their grasp someday. With interest on that too.”
“…”
“It’s right to give rewards based on who gets them, not who gives them. Compared to what I’ve done, this is too much. In my mother’s words, there may be a situation where I have to pay back with interest…that’s what she thought.”
Luce poured more water into his glass and said.
“I’m sorry, but I make it a little more difficult you, aide.”
And he narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I’m sorry.”
The Emperor didn’t answer.
Is it because he’s disappointed? If it’s not, is he waiting for a detailed explanation?
The guard who headed for Rodante opened his mouth with his lower jaw shaking.
“I disguised myself as one of the audience at the concert. I also located the target and approached it at close range. But suddenly the power went out… Someone with the same mission suddenly appeared.”
The Emperor still hasn’t said anything.
“It appears that he is disguising himself as a page-turner. Perhaps he saw the power outage as an opportunity, and he tried to assassinate him hastily but failed. The target was already on alert, and the guards, trying to minimize the risk, quickly sent all the visitors away, so we couldn’t try to approach it again.”
“….”
“I could have cooperated if you had told me in advance about the other person performing the overlapping mission, but that’s my failure….”
“….”
The Emperor turned around.
The moment he saw his cold blue eyes, the guards felt it.
“Overlapping mission.”
The Emperor murmured lowly.
“I’ve never given anyone a similar mission.”
“T, then, who on earth is that guy?”
“You should find out for yourself, not ask me.”
Slash—.
A cold, disturbing metallic sound was heard.
“Y, Your Majesty. I, I, if you had left it to me, I would have succeeded and returned! Please have mercy…!”
“Didn’t you tell me with your own mouth that you would come back with success?”
“T, that’s true but…!”
“There are two kinds of disloyalty because you didn’t succeed and you came back even though you failed.”
In the end, the words of the guards didn’t continue.
The Emperor arrogantly put a sword in his mouth and lowered it. He then wiped away some blood and spoke briefly.
“You said I won’t be able to kill him and he would become stronger, Radanum.”
The Emperor, who swept his hair, spoke in a low voice.
“Should I consider the fact that a person with a similar appearance appeared at that point was the fulfillment of the prophecy? Or, should I consider it as your arrangement?”
As the Emperor drank the red wine, power entered his fingertips.
*****
“This is… I mean.”
Luce, who had been opening her mouth for a while, groaned.
“A present from the Duke Ximel family? All of this?”
“There was a message saying don’t feel pressured and take it.”
She is so surprised that her jaw is stiff.
Today, there were no classes, and her mother, Chelsea, was out early in the morning because she had to go to work.
She was going to get some herbs after she got out of bed, but Yohan knocked on the door and called for Luce.
Luce opened the door with a wrinkled face.
The first thing she saw was Yohan’s panting face. And—.
“There are a lot of gold coins and jewels in a sack the size of the aide’s torso. But don’t feel pressure to accept this?”
“I only moved the words… Well, of course I moved the sack too.”
Of course, she thought it was a small sign of sincerity to send a gift.
Isn’t there such a thing as quality meat, herbs, or mushroom sets?
Something a little better than a holiday gift set.
‘But what is this?’
A sack full of dazzling gold coins and jewels.
If she opens that gold coin, it’s not chocolate, is it?
She bit the gold coin as if possessed.
Seeing that her teeth hurt and, most of all, Yohan was freaking out, it seemed like this was a real gold coin.
“Why would you bite it? It’s your first time seeing gold coins?”
“It’s not my first time seeing it, but I can’t believe it because it’s my first time seeing so many at once.”
“They said that if there was only a bank in Rodante’s estate, they would have opened a checking account for Miss Lucete… It would have been better to have a bank and set up an account for you. Of course, with this It would have been better for my languid waist.”
“…Do you want a glass of cold water?”
“Can I?”
Even as she brought water to Yohan, who secretly appealed to the offering, it was still unrealistic.
There must be two reasons for giving so much money and jewelry.
One is because the Duke of Ximel is a family with a lot of money.
Of course, if they are from one of the few Duke-level families in the country, they will have a lot of money, but there is an eternal truth in the world.
No matter how much money I have, it is always a waste to come out of my pocket.
Even if she thinks about the old company president, even in years when sales were in the tens of billions, didn’t he give a small amount of bonuses?
‘The second reason is probably bigger.’
The second reason they probably gave so much money.
She saved the mysterious boy from the assassination plot, and it turned out that he was a very important and valuable person.
‘The Duke Ximel’s husband said that the child was a distant relative. But… that’s not what Duke Ximel’s husband said when I was pretending to faint. It’s good, of course, to try to be quiet, but it doesn’t make sense if I think about it in common sense.’
In a situation where he was about to be assassinated, even non-nobles would go on a rampage.
Moreover, it is safe to overturn the whole territory right now to say that the assassination aimed not at an adult but a child.
But Duke Ximel’s husband did not. It wouldn’t be because the assassin was already dead.
During the investigation, the actions of Duke Ximel’s husband inevitably come to light. What he was trying to hide, maybe.
‘He introduced him as a distant relative, but he might be a child out of wedlock.’
For now, that guess felt the most reasonable.
But the question is if he didn’t want his whereabouts to be found, why did he reveal his identity in the first place?
‘Anyway, this excessive amount of money is a silent pressure.’
Take this and shut her mouth.
“There must be more water to drink on the floor than to give me, Lucette.”
“Ah.”
The cup overflowed as she was lost in her thoughts, and she poured water all over the table and floor.
“You should’ve told me earlier!”
“I called you several times, but Miss Lucette couldn’t hear me.”
Then she heard a clatter.
Nox was licking the flowing water as if it had entered through the crack in the door.
Why is it drinking this when it already has a water bowl? As soon as she hugged it, she immediately lowered her jaw.
“Maybe it’s because it looks like its owner, but it’s coy.”
“Nox is a very gentle cat. It doesn’t like Aide Yohan.”
In a way, it was Nox’s credit that Luce, who fell asleep after the incident, woke up again.
She heard a loud sneeze, and when she opened her eyes, Chelsea was covering her nose, and Nox was sleeping, curled up on her stomach.
“When did this cat come in?”
“I just woke up, so I don’t know… And mom, shouldn’t you ask me how I’m doing first?”
“Looking at how well you talk, you look fine, don’t you think? Achoo.”
Like all of Chelsea’s answers, this one was also reasonable.
Chelsea, who eventually kicked Nox out and stopped sneezing after taking an antidote, wiped her face with a wet towel while saying so.
“I didn’t like the Lord from the beginning. What the hell were the guards doing there…!”
Even though she told her roughly what was happening, she didn’t seem to believe her.
As a mother, she can’t help but worry.
However, everyone was okay, but it was around when Luce thought it was a bit excessive to be angry for two hours.
“The family you saved is Ximel? They said they wanted to show their gratitude to you there?”
Chelsea, who lost her temper and lost her voice, said. Luce nodded.
“If someone comes from there, say you won’t take anything.”
It was strange that they were both thinking the same thing, but it also made her curious.
If it’s her mother’s personality, she thought she’d say she should be compensated since her daughter almost died while saving them.
When asked why Chelsea just shook her head and said briefly.
“There is nothing free in this world.”
Then she thought she should learn more about her mother’s thoughts, but Chelsea went back without saying anything else.
In front of Yohan’s eyes, who was suddenly having a staring contest with the cat, Luce waved her hand and cleared her throat.
“Excuse me, aide.”
“Hmm.”
After looking at the splendid jewels for a while, Luce closed her eyes tightly.
Oh, I never thought I would say this.
“I can’t take this.”
“Huh, why? With this amount, your house could be expanded to the size of the Lord’s castle! Of course I won’t give you a building permit, but anyway!”
Luce shook her head at Yohan, who was startled as if he had seen a ghost.
“What I did wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s ridiculous to be rewarded with such a large amount of money.”
She shouldn’t be greedy for anything.
It makes her feel even more out of place.
“It’s a lot of money for Lucette, but it probably won’t be that much for the Duke of Ximel. Since they said they would give it to you, just accept it. If you don’t agree, I’ll be in the middle of a problem.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“So why?!”
Luce, who smiled slightly, added a little.
“My mom doesn’t like it. She said that money that was not earned through labor would escape their grasp someday. With interest on that too.”
“…”
“It’s right to give rewards based on who gets them, not who gives them. Compared to what I’ve done, this is too much. In my mother’s words, there may be a situation where I have to pay back with interest…that’s what she thought.”
Luce poured more water into his glass and said.
“I’m sorry, but I make it a little more difficult you, aide.”
And he narrowed his eyes slightly.
