chapter 97
97 – Later Story – Emperor & Empress (2)
They were young in the past. He believed that he was a seeker who cut the world based on himself and deviated from the law alone.
Richarm, Lenian, and Rodrick arrogantly concluded that anything would be possible if they came together. I only knew that the surroundings would be beautiful just by realizing what I believed was right.
Did they really guess? The truth is that the seemingly peaceful daily life is the result of narrowly avoiding the hatched lines on the glass floor.
It was Lenian who first put his weight on the incontinence of the glass floor spread over the far-off floor.
A flower that grew innocently within the fence of love and consideration of the two men did not know the ripple effect that their choice would bring.
“Rodrick. I have something to tell you.”
“Yes, talk.”
The sunset to the west. Against the background of the slowly darkening sky, she hesitated. Soon, Lenian, who had a strong will, revealed her inner thoughts to the outside.
“I like Rodrick.”
“Renian!?”
“From the first time you saved us, until now… I like you.”
“…”
“Rodrick… Hates me?”
“I…”
Just as Lee Harm looked into her feelings, Rodrick had a deep crush on her. But her crush had to end with a crush.
Renian’s position is too far to express honest love. It is unknown what status she was, but as long as Roderick was a commoner, the barriers between them were strong.
Roderick closed his eyes and communicated his refusal.
“Your heart can’t take it.”
“Why… Why? Because I’m an aristocrat and you’re a commoner?”
“Yes.”
“Is that all?”
“Need more reasons?”
“Not because you hate me, but because of the difference in status?”
“…”
Rodrick pondered for a moment. Will she hurt her by denying all the elements that make up her? Or will you follow your conscience and emotions that you have suppressed inside?
Rodrick did not choose the former. Roderick’s love was deep enough to hurt her more than necessary.
“Because the world we live in is different.”
“Then I’ll give up the status of nobility.”
“Renian!”
“I’m sick of it. I don’t like learning things that are far from reality when I’m not interested in them, and living my whole life calculatingly.”
“Calm down, Lenian. You’re losing your temper.”
“No, I’m calm. Take me with you. Roderick. Huh? I’m begging you. With you, I can live in a place no one knows…”
Rodrick has lost his mind. In fact, he wanted to kiss Lenian, who was dripping with tears, while wiping her cheeks. The feeling of desiring the impossible drives people to madness.
At that time, a familiar man approached me in the shade of the sunset. Lenian felt resentful of Lee Ha-reum’s steps reminding her of the time to return.
She was aware that it was a fleeting resentment, but the absurdity of emotion ran rampant at the top of her head.
Maybe that’s why.
On her way back, the reason Lenian spat harsh words at Lee Ha-reum… Was such a stupid emotional game.
◇
During the conversation, I asked a question while Ir Elfi caught her breath.
“Ir Elfi, is that Rodrick the real father of Charles?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“No matter how hard I try, I think I accepted it in the end.”
“Unbelievable.”
Irelpi was cynical as he recalled the next part of the story. I was drawn into her story again.
◇
The reunion of Roderick and Lenian took place only ten days later. As soon as Rhenian saw Roderick’s face, he covered his mouth with his hand and spoke up. This is because he saw the traces of violence in his swollen cheeks and chapped lips.
“Rodrick?! A scar on his face…!”
“Quite a lot?”
“What happened!”
“It was just a fight between friends. That’s about it.”
“It’s a lie! There’s no way you could get hurt that much just because you had a fight with your friends, right?”
“Hmm. To be honest, I thought I could take care of it a little bit, but they didn’t show any mercy. After all, elites are different. They’ve gotten stronger compared to before.”
Rodrick scratches his nose awkwardly. Lenian’s body trembled as if he was displeased with the leisurely commentary.
“Who is…”
“Renian? What…”
“Who is it? The friend who hurt Rodrick.”
“I can’t tell you. It’s just a fight between friends.”
Rodrick’s will was not something that could be overturned by a few words of conversation. Lenian felt that, so he asked reluctantly.
“… Did you win?”
“I was completely defeated. To the point of being refreshed.”
“Rodrick is an idiot… An idiot…”
“You’re right. Seeing as you forgot what you said earlier and try to be so blatant…”
Roderick smiled bitterly at Lenian, who couldn’t understand his intentions. While Lennian was puzzled by her meaningless wry smile, Rodrick held her hands.
After three or four gulps of saliva, Rodrick raised the heat in his throbbing heart and let out his true feelings.
“I’m sorry for the subject I rejected that day… But I’ll ask you again. Will you follow me, such a fool? Lenian.”
She always had only one answer. A simple answer, stranded in reality and buried in the ground.
“Yes…!”
With tears in his eyes, Rhenian happily cradled him into Rodrick’s muddy arms.
◇
“Does this seem like a happy ending?”
“It’s a different point of view. I think I’m the alpha of predestined misfortune.”
“Really?”
“Neffi will know people whose love itself is a sin.”
“Ah…”
I immediately recognized the object that the Illelpi suggested. Along with that, the outline of the planned misfortune that she expressed was gradually drawn.
“So the empress started a life of escape with the person she loved.”
◇
f*ck!
A thick fist struck the boy’s face. He stumbled to his feet, but his legs gave way to the further beating.
The wounded boy on his knees was Riharm, the only crown prince of the empire. And the place where Lee Harm knelt down was the Emperor’s throne room. In other words, it was the palace of the emperor of the time.
“Have you lost your temper, Count?”
“If this child hadn’t been the one and only crown prince, it wouldn’t have ended like this.”
“I sympathize with you fiercely.”
The Count, who had been beating Riharm in the midst of it, took a step back with a huff. Her Count, as her Renian father, was taking her anger out on Lee Harm for losing her.
If it weren’t for Hareum Lee’s hobby of stealth, her daughter wouldn’t have left home without knowing the world.
It’s just not official. She was a girl who had been appointed as the country’s crown princess and had run away. The family had to take on unprecedented shame, and all sorts of scandals attached to Lee Harm.
What was the usual behavior of the Count and Crown Prince Lee Harm? How could the Count’s Geum Ok-yeop have escaped? People were very fond of vague guesses.
Besides, what an obscene scuffle between families to appoint a new crown princess. At a time when internal stability had to be strengthened, the emperor did not like it.
‘Renian…’
Is she living happily? She wishes so I’ll cover you with shame and violence instead. I hope you live laughing somewhere with Rodrick.
The odd bet sprouted from my memory like a new sprout. A bet that Rodrick and I met together and presented. They put aside all identities and backgrounds, and talked only with fists.
Riharm saw through Rodrick’s relationship with his special eyes, but Roderick reversed his relationship with his keen observation.
As much as Richard thought of Rodrick as a friend, the opposite was also true. She hoped that her friend’s love would be reciprocated by her.
In the end, the duel ended with the loser taking Renian. The winner was Lee Harm and the loser was Rodrick.
Even then, Lee Harm fell into the conceit of jumping on the natural flow. She herself was just and right. As she led her sore body, she fell into intoxication.
With ignorance of what kind of misfortune this uncontrollable arrogance will cause…
Just like that, time passed helplessly.
Three years have passed since the day Lee Harm humiliated her on her knees.
Sometimes I was worried about Roderick and Lenian, and I was also curious. Every time that happened, Harm reminded himself of the principle that no news is good news.
That reason was definitely an old saying with Seonghyeon’s intellect. Harm realizes that in the worst form.
“You guys… What did you just say?”
“Wow, Your Highness the Crown Prince!?”
“Tell me now! What did Lenian do?”
“That, that’s…”
It all started with a conversation between maids overheard by chance. Among the ladies-in-waiting at the imperial palace, there were many women from prominent families.
The information that spreads through the chatter of such ladies-in-waiting usually points to the truth. Some may have been exaggerated, but the essence was clear.
“Renian… Returned to the family…?”
“Yes? Yes… Your Highness.”
“If it’s nonsense, I’ll hold you accountable. So I’ll ask again. Did you mean that Lenian returned to the family?”
“That’s right. My father is a vassal of the count’s family, so that’s for sure.”
“When… When did you come back?”
“It must have been a little over 15 days.”
“Fortnight…?”
Lee Harm stood still in her place as if time had stopped, trembling at her anger.
How could this be? It’s not the daughter of the evaluation, but Lenian has returned, but there can be no hemisphere. It means that there must be a subject who controls the information. The subject of control is probably…
“Your Majesty…!”
Only the emperor of the time would select the information to go to the crown prince of a country. Moreover, it is necessary to control the entire imperial palace in order to conceal the information about Lenian, who was scolded in the social world.
Riharm did not visit the emperor. Even if he faced the emperor, he lacked a reason to argue. It was because Lenian and Richard Lee Harm now had no relationship and were close to a bad relationship.
“You didn’t say anything, nor did you listen. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, old! I got it!”
“Let’s go.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Looking at the ladies-in-waiting walking away at a fast pace, he was immersed in sorrow.
‘Why are you back? Lenian… What did Rodrick do!’
Blowing curiosity forced me to make a choice. In the end, instead of the hallway leading to the throne room, he chose the alleyway leading to the Count’s House.
When he arrived at his destination, the servants of the count’s mansion gathered together to dissuade him. However, there was no one who could reverse the angry sincerity of the crown prince, Riharm.
He made his way to a room in a corner where concerned eyes gathered. He broke through the human forest and opened the door to a shabby attic-like place.
The appearance of her reunited seemed to draw the shape of a hungry beast.
“Renian!!!”
“Liharm…?”
The scars from the whipping were red through the torn hem. The purulent skin and clear tear marks on her face clearly showed the hardships she had been through.
But despite all that, the part that caught Riharm’s attention was the unnaturally raised abdomen.
“This… I didn’t know that His Highness the Crown Prince would visit without saying anything.”
“Count…”
At the end of the corridor, the count with an angry face showed open displeasure. The Count’s displeasure was indeed justified, and it was not a mistake that Riharm could point out.
However, through the displeased eyes, Riharm saw through a bit of fear.
“What are you so angry about? For educating a poor and sinful woman…”
“Shut up, count.”
“What did you say?”
“I told you to shut up if you are deeply afraid of being punished for the actions of the guilty woman.”
Not only the count, but even the emperor didn’t know their backstory.
That would be the case, would the crown prince give affection to commoners unless he was insane?
Externally, Lee Ha-reum’s fault was that she had cheated on her due to her frequent stealth.
“The woman who was appointed as the Crown Princess ran away from home and became pregnant with the child of an unknown person. How afraid of reprisals and rumors?”
“That’s…”
“Looks like she didn’t come back because she wanted to. What did her spouse do?”
“Spouse! How dare such a lousy commoner become the spouse of a child who was the Crown Princess!”
“Answer me.”
“They resisted so much that I killed them. Isn’t that the perfect punishment for a thief?”
“Is that so?”
In the simple word of killing, damp hatred came out black. Perhaps Roderick was torn to pieces by the count’s blade.
The life that grows inside Rhenian’s belly must be a child of two. He can’t bear to miscarry himself, so he seems to have created an extremely stressful environment.
Lee Harm declared while grinding her molars.
“Renian was and still is the one and only Crown Princess.”
“Are you aware of the meaning of Your Highness’ words?”
“It doesn’t matter to me how many years I spent with a commoner or whether I had children. I promise that I will carry through to the end even if Your Majesty opposes it. So… Stop treating me like this right now and go back to my daily life in the past. Give it back. Did you understand?”
“… If that’s what you mean, I’ll follow.”
The Count, fearing reproach and reproach from his family, reluctantly accepted.
It was clear that Rhenian would become the empress with the most flaws in the history of the empire. However, even if she rotted, the position of the empress was the best of all. She is a position that can cover up even the biggest flaws.
Based on the secret agreement of the day, Lee Harm and Rhenian grew into future emperors and empresses.
They grew up to be adults who regret their rash choices every night.
◇
The story of IrLP ended there. The expression on her face, which was beautiful in her own way, was still expressionless.
“Charles was the child of the best friend and the woman he loved.”
“You saw it right away.”
“Then the reason you hate the empress is because her behavior is pitiful? Because her hair is a field of flowers?”
“Sometimes right and sometimes wrong… It’s a subtle sentiment.”
Elfi seemed to be choosing her words for a moment.
Just when I stopped rubbing my shoulders out of curiosity, she spoke out.
“Innocence of love regardless of rank or rank is considered a virtue. But it’s hard to understand giving up one’s position on impulse. I lost. It stayed with me all the time in my childhood when I complained about unbalanced eating.”
“That’s why it’s like Irrelp.”
“What about Charles? After she gave birth, she was busy hiding it, and how she had a lost blood relationship. Charles can’t even marry for the rest of his life. Even if she’s pregnant, she’ll be executed if she does.”
“It’s okay…”
“You can say it was a mistake made in my youth… Made with a really pure heart. Besides, His Majesty who secretly stole his back is also guilty. If Mirren had been sane, she would have transferred to the Frontier Knights a long time ago.”
“There’s a lot of piled up… Irlp.”
“Then give me a quick hug.”
“Huh?”
“Then I think it will work out a bit. Hurry up.”
I had no choice but to obediently comply with Illelpi’s request.
As I was hugging Elfi, who was sitting in her chair behind her, I suddenly asked the emperor’s past history in an ironic way.
If Irrelpi loved my best friend, would you be willing to give up…
It was a question I didn’t even want to assume. Therefore, I will give you an answer right away.
Something like best friends who don’t exist in reality. I told her not to look at her too much before her back breaks and she dies. It’s all for you
‘No… No.’
Even this was a foolish answer. For the sake of the truth, I must answer more honestly.
Since I like Ir Elfie, she will monopolize her gaze.
Unconditionally, absolutely.
“Please don’t leave me. Ir Elfi.”
“Neffi…”
Irr Elfie, who held me tight, quietly called my name.
She put her arms behind her back and put them on the nape of her neck. She then asks shyly, looking back at her flushed face.
“Today… Let’s quit everything and go to bed? I think we can make it now.”
“I’ll leave. Ir Elfi.”
“Neffi…”
“…”
“Whoops.”
“Ahah…”
Please don’t leave me.
I ran outside at the point where less than 30 seconds had passed since I spat out the word.
Then, Ir Elfi, her face red and blue, did not leave me like her busty body.
She faithfully fulfilled her promise, reminding me of her familiar taste of violence.
“People mustered up the courage… Nefi… Nefi…!”
“Well, … Flesh, save it Irelpy!”
“You won’t die anyway!!!”
“Huh huh huh?!”
Without her design sword, I was terrified of Elfi using her fists.
In everyday life, the servants skillfully ignored it and passed by.
It was an afternoon when the owner of the house became sad.