chapter 22
22 – Two big kids (2)
Turb, tumble, tumble!
“Ugh…”
I wondered if there was anyone nearby, so I looked around even though I was widening my senses. The maze-like structure of the garden blocks the gaze of others by completely sealing off the surroundings.
Still, I finally put my mind at ease after checking it twice or three times just in case.
Because you can comfortably fall into a sense of shame.
“Aww…! Why am I like that?”
I’m sure not even a day has passed since you said you would trust Neffi!
No, no. Neffi who tries to hide and evade with something insignificant is bad.
Of course I trust him.
Even burying something in the ground must have been done with good intentions. It’s just that I feel bad that I have to know unconditionally.
“I was just going to end it with a complaint… But suddenly my emotions surged like a torrent!”
As usual, I was in a situation where I was going to shoot Neffi a little bit.
Once the grumbling started, it gradually became more and more like ‘Huh? Come to think of it, is it really unfair?’ I called on the same evil mind, and my emotions naturally intensified.
It was good until he coldly shook off Nefi, who was trying to follow him, but after that was the problem. When I regained my senses and looked back, I wondered if it was something to be angry at.
“Haa, Charles is in danger, but he fights with useless emotions.”
No matter what the future plan is, the rescue of Charles will inevitably be me and Nefi. Conflicts with personal feelings will make the easy road difficult.
“I should… Apologize. Apologize. Yes, I should… Apologize…”
I twisted the white hair that tumbled under my ears. Like curling hair, my mind was spinning.
I had already come to a conclusion with my cold head, but my heart still radiated heat.
“I don’t want to apologize first! After all, it’s not my fault, so why should I? Always hide it to make people feel bad! They talk about irrational creatures and all, and treat people like monsters! And… They can even give proper compliments. Unwittingly!”
I feel even more indignant as I recall the conversation I had with Nefi the night before.
“What? You subconsciously pass over the unimpressive? Who says it’s ironclad!”
No matter how much Nefira didn’t say the last word, it didn’t matter. Isn’t that the word!
Of course… I’m a bit inferior to my younger brother, Charles, but that’s the case! Candy coating is like a man who can’t die soon.
“Besides, for some reason, Your Majesty trusts Nephi before me! If that’s the case, it’s like I’m the only one who doesn’t notice… What did you really mean when you gave the order to subdue Nephi in the first place! Did I do something wrong? Did I notice? Is it okay not to?”
In conclusion, I end up with a self-defeating introspection that my eyes for seeing people are not as good as knotholes.
I slowly faced the reality that nothing would be solved by enduring here.
Now was the time to enter the main palace and discuss the interrogation of Duke Peita and the rescue of Charles.
As usual, calm your emotions and think rationally. Haven’t you lived like that up until now? You have to do that in order to do your job.
“It’s unfair…”
The complaint that came out of my lips without knowing it left a deep aftertaste.
◇
“Irelp…”
I whispered her name near the main palace. The workers had already disappeared after all the things they had already asked for.
‘Sorry, I heard all of them!!!’
I put my forehead on my hand and closed my eyes.
The five senses of Netion Peace usually reach the realm of the outside world. If you mobilize sensory activation there, you have the ability to sense vibrations even deep underground.
An example was detecting a secret underground passage in the banquet hall of Duke Peita’s residence.
‘I kept my senses open to keep in mind when apologizing, but this is…’
She also had a reason why Irfi, who said she was going to the main palace, suddenly turned to her garden.
I could never have thought that Ir Elfi had already settled her feelings. After all, it was an Ir-LP-style mind study.
So I’m even more sorry. It was because I had listened to all the cute appeals of Illelpi without saying anything wrong.
It has been a long time since the emperor who gave the order to subdue me changed his stance with the ability to read emotions. It would be absurd in the position of the person who received the order and the captain of the escort, Irlp.
‘Especially that biting evaluation…’
Hiding it all the time was a reason that made me feel bad enough, even if there was a reason for the possessor. She thinks that Ir Elfi has been patient with her so far.
“But to be honest, I feel a bit unfair about treating people as monsters.”
At the point of quelling the catastrophe called the Chainreach phenomenon alone, he has already successfully cast off the human bondage.
Going further, in the original work, he was the one who destroyed the Eld Empire. In addition, Ir Elfi in the period of the annihilated was the strongest boss in the world even though it was in a period of decline.
All of this was obtained without a single chance, just being born that way. It is not strange to see it as a world error.
“The old man inside got this much power after all sorts of nonsense.”
A last fitting compliment… Is it? At that time, I should have pretended to be embarrassed when I saw IrLP’s breasts.
With a little compliment?
I don’t understand it, but if it’s a human physiology, it can’t be helped.
“Haa. I don’t know what to say anymore.”
Embracing my confused mind, I entered the main palace.
Trop Peita was confined to a spacious and tidy room in the main palace, considering her status as the head of the four major dukes.
I knocked on the door of the emperor’s office before I saw him.
“Come in.”
The Emperor sat straight in his chair with a tired complexion. At the banquet hall, he had a big problem and stayed up all night, so it was understandable.
“Your Majesty, interrogate Trope Peita…”
At that moment, a knock was heard from outside the door.
Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”
IrLP approached with an extremely businesslike greeting.
“Oh, um, come on, Marquis Justiha.”
Her emperor greeted her awkwardly without realizing it. That would be the case, and the current appearance of Ir Elfi was quite surprising.
Her Until now, she was the one who kept her dignity so that she would not be ashamed in the eyes of others. But what is the attitude of Irelpi now?
‘I know why, but…’
The gait is ambiguous, and the eyes are turned diagonally, avoiding me consciously. The way she tugged her white hair under her ears was deeply unnatural.
And then, by chance, when he tries to turn his eyes toward me, he turns his head away.
‘If I didn’t know anything, I’d be shocked too, right? The faculties of my hearing will drag me to the grave.’
It’s wrong to hide it, but I can’t confess this even as a joke. If found out, that day will be the sewing day of the founding nobility.
“You guys… What are you doing?”
The emperor asked as if he was dumbfounded. I immediately understood the emperor’s intentions.
‘Even if it’s not the stupid gestures of the Elf, it’ll all show up when you look at your emotions… How do we look in the eyes of the emperor?’
Even if he knew his intentions, there was no way he could say anything else. It’s strange to hold Irelpi’s hands together and reconcile with each other at this place.
Elfi also thought the same thing, only her hair was becoming curly.
“I don’t know what happened while I wasn’t looking, but…”
The emperor was speechless. He seemed to be choosing the right words for a moment of silence.
The words that came out of the emperor’s mouth again were rather vulgar.
“Are you guys stupid?”
“Hut.”
“Yes.”
We all flinched at the emperor’s quiet belittling. It was concise, but it was a word that accurately penetrated the current situation.
“Looking at the two marquises with an honest heart is like watching 10-year-olds.”
“Your Majesty…?”
“That’s not it…”
The Emperor cut us off adamantly.
“Should I hold the two of them’s hands, lift them up, and hold a reflection party? I’m begging you, so please do it in moderation in this situation.”
“Yes… Sorry.”
“Your Majesty, I’m sorry.”
Me and Irelp had no choice but to apologize without shame. The emperor’s words were so correct that he did not even have the will to refute them.
I glanced at Ir Elfi standing side by side on the right.
‘Oh.’
Ironically, at that moment, Ir Elfi also turned his eyes towards me who was standing on the left.
When our eyes met by chance, we shook our heads in embarrassment.
Elfie also averted her gaze so strongly that her soft hair brushed against my arm.
Looking at the appearance, it was no different from a childish fight protesting that each other was angry.
“Man, the only thing that changes as you get older is the price of toys, but Marquis Justiha… I never imagined that there would be such a side.”
“Ugh… Uh… I don’t have anything to say.”
“If I say more, it will only hurt my ears. Let the parties come to an amicable agreement.”
“Yes…”
“I will…”
After hearing our exhausting answers, the emperor brought up the main topic.
“I’m going to go see Duke Peita now. Several imperial investigators are already on standby, so please wake up.”
◇
The place where Duke Peita was imprisoned was a large and splendid room, one of the five best in the main palace.
From the outside, you would get the impression that Duke Peita is being treated very kindly, rather than guessing that he has been placed under a pension.
I could feel the dignity of Duke Peita, who treated the investigators surrounding him as nothing and lazily drank tea and read.
The eyepatch covering his right eye covered much of his face, but it did not hide his devoted appearance.
Duke Peyta spoke first to us as we just entered the room.
“Here, greetings. And the Marquis of Justiha and the Marquis of Alteon… It hasn’t even been a day or two since we greeted each other, but it seems like it’s been a long time.”
Emperor and Ir Elfi frowned as if they were offended by the unconcerned trope Feyta. On the other hand, the other party smiled smirkingly, as if the reaction of the two was rather willing.
“The duke is really bold. He should be aware of his situation.”
“How can you behave like a small person without a guilty conscience? The work of the banquet hall is due to the negligence of security… But I don’t know if that’s a matter of arresting the descendant of the founding contributor.”
Trop Peyta sips her tea leisurely.
“It is regrettable that the ‘tiny’ commotion in which one of the count’s daughters was kidnapped was a ‘tiny’ commotion. Who would have known that such an insignificant family’s daughter would be the target? It wasn’t, but it’s deplorable.”
‘This guy… Is deliberately scratching the emperor openly.’
Trope Feyta was obviously provoking the emperor. I don’t know if he’s confident that he’ll never get caught by his tail or if he doesn’t have a back.
Thanks to this, Ir Elfi had to stop the emperor from standing with convex veins on his temples.
“If you are trying to persecute the descendants of the oldest family devoted to the imperial family, I don’t know if you can help but feel unfair because you are from a different family. God is worried that you will lose the trust of the nobles.”
‘Oh, that’s sophistry. It’s to the point where I want Netion Peace to come out right away and make a joke.’
When I heard his one-sided provocation, my anger naturally soared. He pretended to be polite and worried about the imperial family on the outside, but in reality he was threatening.
I took a step towards trope feita and said.
“Duke Peita is very confident.”
“There is nothing to be ashamed of, but there are many things to be proud of, so isn’t it natural?”
Trop Peita shrugs. I looked at him mockingly.
“A family name, for example.”
“The virtues of the ancestors have been defending the empire so far, so I can only imitate them.”
“Thanks to the first patriarch, Laurian Peyta. I think he wouldn’t be very happy if he saw the duke?”
“What do you know?”
In an instant, a crack appeared in Trop Feita’s composure. At that point, I guessed the boundless reverence for the ancestors inherent in Trope Peita. That’s why he spoke even more shamelessly.
“Well, maybe more than you dukes know together?”
This body is the motive of your ancestors.
I wanted to swap my personalities with the netion piece right away and have them face each other.
“Big.”
The emperor’s complexion, which had been full of anger, turned to joy before he knew it.
Early Elf was also laughing, so he covered his mouth with his hand. I could guess the shape of the mouth covered by the curved corners of the eyes.
From the point of view of a person who knows the situation, Trop Peita’s reaction was like crouching in front of a chrysalis. Of course, it would be impossible for him to realize the meaning of the ridicule of the emperor and the Elfie even if it took his whole life.
Trop Peyta, unaware of our circumstances, counterattacked with a sneer.
“Whoops, even your Majesty’s eyesight has deteriorated. To think that you have an honorable marquis with no roots who goes wild ignorant of the world.”
“Sigh…”
At his behest, the emperor and the clowns of the Illelpie loosened up again.
‘My body is the root of the empire, and there are elders of the imperial family inside…’
The founding aristocracy, who existed above the first head of the four major dukes, had no roots. He was unwittingly insulting his ancestors.
“I, who have never seen you before! I apologize for this kind of disrespect to the Duke! I’m so sorry, what do I do with this?”
I conveyed my apology with theatrical gestures as if reading a Korean book. I was no longer a trope feita who would not know that I was openly sarcastic.
“You bastard… Aren’t you afraid of repercussions?”
“You should be afraid of the future, not me.”
“Is there a reason I would?”
‘If I scratched this much, it would have been fine, right?’
I smiled kindly at him and said casually.
“If I colonize Siegharun right in front of you, then a duke with a 500-year history will perish. In your generation, no one else.”
“You?”
As soon as he brought out the keyword Zikharun, troph Feita’s face was completely immersed in the shadows.
I made a clear declaration to the man in front of me while singing for joy inside.
“I will make it that way. Definitely.”