I Am a Low-Class Aristocrat of a Perishing Country

12 – Protagonist (1)

I ended up giving up half way on quelling the controversy. Ir Elfi did not affirm or deny any more.

Meanwhile, Charles was surrounded by many people. People who wouldn’t have asked us directly went to Charles, who was friendly with Ir Elfi. Charles was unintentionally burying IrLP in real time.

We finished the eventful dance wind and ate food. Ir Elfi shoved six pieces of her cake down her throat and spoke in a voice full of exhaustion.

“Now that it’s like this, let’s just misunderstand.”

“Are you insane?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing, but what about it? It’s not true. Rather, it’s a rumor optimized for monitoring Neffi.”

Irelp was right. If we were a normal male-female relationship. Her relationship, in which the man and woman of her premarriage live together and haunt each day, may become an irreparable fatal scandal for her.

“Are you… Are you really okay?”

“I told you last time? I’m not affected by scandal at all.”

IRLP’s position was consistent. Finally, I scratched my head nervously.

“Ah, that’s okay. It’s all bothersome now. I’m giving up. They say live with a woman who tears people apart.”

“Does Nefi really want to die?”

“Now that it’s like this, I’ll enjoy it. Illelfi, you hurry up and shut Charles’ mouth. If you don’t, you’re going to come out without words.”

“Whew! I have to. And see you later.”

Her skillfully giving her creepy mood was truly her. She was used to living as an elphie by now.

“But what’s the fuss?”

“A commotion?”

Elfi tilted her head as if she didn’t know where she was. I ignore her for a moment and listen to her.

“…”

From the front door of the duke’s residence, the voices of people who were embarrassed and confused were heard. It was still a small commotion that only I, who have good hearing, could hear.

It was the moment when IrLP was trying to press for my answer. A muffled cry from outside filled her hall. She belonged to the two guarding the banquet hall door.

I was completely taken aback by her resounding identity, and Ir Elfi responded that it couldn’t be. The reality was immediately revealed, while our spiritual books were colorless.

“The ruler of the Eld Empire, the owner of the great golden chain, and the King of the Emperor and Empress Mama!”

“Ha?”

The unexpected guest opened the eyes of everyone at the banquet. People who attend banquets know the list of attendees, but the names of great figures such as emperors and empresses did not even exist.

At the appearance of such an unexpected pair, the venue was instantly met with silence. The only one who greeted them unsteadily was the host of the banquet, Duke Trope Peita.

“It’s a great honor to have His Majesty personally visit us and make the event shine.”

“Can’t I miss the banquet of the four dukes, the successors of ?”

“Please stop by often. It’s just nice to remember the faded glory of the past hehehe.”

There was something incomprehensible about Duke Peita’s smile. However, seeing that the emperor’s attitude was limited, it was probably because of his mood.

I turned her head and looked at the empress. She was the woman her emperor loved so dearly, and she was a turning point in the future. The appearance of a more ordinary empress than she thought was quite surprising.

‘I wondered what it would be like to die because the emperor loved it so much, but surprisingly. Charles’s green eyes belong to the empress.’

The emperor had red hair and light crimson eyes, while the empress had light brown hair and her eyes were a soft olivine color.

Then the person who inherited Charles’ blond hair must be the empress’s opponent. My gaze naturally turned to Charles. It was because I was curious about her reaction when she greeted her biological mother.

Charle’s fern-like hands were trembling as they were tightly clenched. The empress coldly headed for the podium without pretending to look at Charles.

‘Isn’t her relationship with the empress not very good?’

If you think about it normally, Charles was the empress’s wife. Even in ordinary society, parents who do not love their children are widespread. Even more so the relationship between the empress and her illegitimate son. It won’t be strange even if it strays a lot.

“Ir Elfi, Charles and Huang…”

My question ended there. It was because Ir Elfi was muttering with a serious look on his face. It was clearly different from the usual attitude of worrying about the emperor’s safety.

“This can’t be the case. Why is Your Majesty here? You shouldn’t be here. Where did the mistake come from?”

“Irlp?”

“Hut.”

To the worrying call, Irlp answered in vain. She met my eyes and grabbed my hand and started dragging me. She was gripped by the mighty grip, and it hurt a little.

“Now, wait a minute, Irlp. What is it? Explain the situation.”

“Something is going wrong. Neither your Majesty nor the Empress can come here.”

“I think you’re oversensitive for some reason. To be honest, His Majesty’s personality is more than enough. Isn’t it the same as usual?”

“Not the same!”

Illelpy screamed. She wasn’t loud, conscious of the eyes around her, but her screams were heard by those around her. I looked at Ir Elfi with a dumbfounded look.

She soon realized her mistake and explained it.

“Hmmm, as you know, I’m the leader of the Nelfrugian Knights, that is, the head of your majesty’s bodyguards. I don’t have all the freedom to do it for you. We taste the food first, and we explore and control where we go. Even human relationships are not free from my information network.”

“I didn’t know that…”

I remembered the secret conversation with the emperor. Wasn’t the ruler of the empire conceding as much as possible to Illelpi in a confidential conversation in a glass greenhouse with an open view?

It was a fact that the emperor refused to enter the Ir-LP’s greenhouse and passed it over, but in fact, it was an act close to Ir-LP’s consideration.

In addition, the documents that Ir Elfi always handled were a collection of the emperor’s itinerary and numerous pieces of information based on it. In a way, the emperor’s life was the subject of IrLP’s management.

“His Majesty didn’t plan to come here today. Just in case, I asked the vice-captain. Unless there is a serious mistake, His Majesty’s very existence is impossible. Not even a knight to accompany her!”

“Hey Ir Elfi. Then wouldn’t it be better to ask the Nelphrugia kids outside about everything first?”

“Certainly, that’s right. A person like me would make a mistake. I’ll be back soon, so please stay nearby.”

“Yes.”

At the same time as the answer, Ir Elfi hurriedly ran outside. Many of her people looked at her curiously, but her interest in her soon waned.

The crowd’s attention was focused only on the Emperor and Empress and the Duke of Trope Peita on the podium. The emperor spoke first.

“Duke Peita, how many times have you faced each other like this?”

“It’ll be close to half a year. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you often.”

“hahahaha, no way. The construction is going to be busy. How often will I see you?”

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty… It’s been a while since the empress. Still, Kang Nyeong-sim is the royal family’s bokbok.”

The empress responded in a thoughtful way to Duke Peita’s greetings.

“It’s nice that the duke still looks devoted. It’s a pity that the eye patch hides his beauty.”

The empress’ praise was mild. The emperor reacts playfully to those words.

“Empress, are you praising another man over me?”

“Whoops, is complimenting on the futon not enough? My husband is really greedy.”

They were a newly married couple. The emperor was passionate enough to fit into the eyes of the empress. The empress blushed as if she found such an emperor lovable.

“Since His Majesty has come here, I would like you to give a congratulatory speech at least once… Will it be all right?”

It was Duke Peita’s suggestion. The emperor accepted it with great pleasure.

“That’s nice. Good thing you brought it just in case.”

What the emperor took out of her bosom was a round sphere-earth. Along with the royal scepter and royal sword, it is one of the sacred objects that represent the authority of the emperor.

As the emperor lifted the orb, it made a weak hum, and the nearby sounds began to amplify.

“As expected, your majesty. Your preparations are thorough. I never thought you would visit us with the symbol of the imperial authority.”

“Actually, I expected a little hahahaha!”

The emperor smiled smirkingly, but I felt intuition that the emperor’s preparations were not simply mindless actions. It was thanks to the information about the trend of the social world that I received from Irlp.

It is said that the Duke of Peita has been at odds with the imperial family since long ago. The reason for this was that even IrLP did not know. However, he vaguely assumed that it was the work of his ancestors.

Perhaps the emperor is trying to highlight the restoration of their relationship by giving a congratulatory speech using the Earth at the banquet at Duke Peita’s residence.

Only the emperor and the duke knew the truth.

Soon, the emperor’s magnificent eloquence, amplified from the earth, began.

“I am very happy to be able to give a congratulatory speech at Duke Peita’s residence, which is rooted in a part of .”

The emperor was looking down on everyone from a high position decorated with jet-black obsidian. Standing next to him were the Duke of Trop Peita, the Empress, and the Duke’s privates.

“Thanks to the contributions of the first Duke Peita, the current Eld Empire exists…”

I looked up blankly at the emperor who was eloquent. The emperor was talking, naturally distracting his gaze, and he accidentally met his eyes with me.

That moment.

The emperor grinned naturally, but I couldn’t. The loose expression hardened, and it felt like the cold was eroding the inside of my body from the tips of my toes.

‘What is…?’

Without any warning, my heart started beating convulsively. All I knew was an earthquake because the whole world shook. Had I not seen the placid crowd, I would never have noticed that it was a solitary symptom.

I can feel the sweat flowing from my forehead to my back, but my consciousness is blurring.

I have already experienced this sensation once. It was the feeling I felt when I first met the emperor. I have attributed that feeling to the fact that I intuitively felt the power of the emperor.

‘I was wrong.’

Now I get it. Abnormal symptoms have nothing to do with the emperor’s abilities. It didn’t take long for me to reach an answer.

This wasn’t a symptom or anything, it was just an intense feeling like an active volcano on the verge of exploding.

‘I’m angry and heartbroken… But to whom? Colossus Why am I feeling this way?’

I looked at the emperor with trembling eyes. It was difficult to focus because the strength of the whole body was relaxed and staggered. I was balancing with superhuman mental strength.

And the sudden change was fleeting. All symptoms were cured as if washed, and my field of vision was clean and contained only the single image.

It is a pedestal that is elegantly decorated with a model of a golden chain, like a work of art in harmony with red and gold.

‘Wait, red and gold? The platform must have been decorated with obsidian.’

Now the emperor was holding the royal scepter and sword, and five men and women were bowing to him on one knee. Until recently, people like that didn’t exist.

I looked at the emperor eagerly. Because he wanted an answer. As I kept my silence and looked up at the unmoving emperor’s profile, I caught my attention.

The blazing red hair was still the same, but the man was much younger and his eyes were as deep indigo as the dawn sky. The current emperor must have had light pink eyes.

He was another person who was infinitely similar to the emperor.

“Astelnerca Euglinus…”

Regardless of my will, the name came out on my lips. I knew instinctively that it was the name of a man who resembled the emperor.

That name wasn’t the only thing muttered.

“Lorian Peita…”

Lorian was a woman who looked very good with black hair, black eyes, and jet-black outfits. Kneeling on her one knee, she stood out because she was the red one of the five people.

But why? Every time I saw her, her heart broke. Her eyes were red, as if she sobbed because she missed and missed her … She was in pain that she could not see her anymore.

When I came to my senses, I continued to recite the names of three people.

“Asseln Meoric.”

“Luceon Estern.”

“Battlante Chester.”

Those I didn’t even know existed, I already knew. It was my memory, but not mine, it was a strange sensation.

Finally I saw her man at the very end. Black hair like Lorian and eyes like ruby. Unlike now, his mind seemed docile, but his identity was clear at a glance.

“Netion Peace…”

He was me.