The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 53

***

The previously white magic circle took on a light pink hue. It seemed to be heating up. Shortly after, people dressed in flashy Western attire appeared there.

‘People from the Western Continent.’

I had barely heard anything about the Western Continent, but I could tell right away. It would be absurd not to know after seeing that large magic circle and those clothes.

But why so suddenly?

Even if today wasn’t the day of the festival, the appearance of people from another nation in the middle of the imperial palace couldn’t be seen as a good omen. As if proving that thought correct, the atmosphere froze with a clink.

Some had anxious expressions, some had hostile looks. Whispers like the sound of a chilly wind could be heard.

The very people at the center of the commotion, the Westerners, were looking around as if they didn’t know what they had done wrong.

Amid that, a cold hand grasped mine. It was Mirinae. He was holding me still with an extremely uneasy face. His aimlessly wavering gaze eventually landed on the throne.

Following his gaze, I also turned to look. Yehwa was sitting alone on the throne. There were palace ladies and eunuchs around her, but that was it. An uneasy feeling rang alarm bells in my mind.

I should have asked Yemyeon more clearly about how abilities are sealed.

Is it that abilities are sealed when passing through a specific object or door, or does it simply happen upon entering the imperial palace? Is it a seal that only blocks abilities, unable to prevent magic?

The person standing at the forefront of the Westerners took a step forward. Mirinae immediately jumped up from his seat, but the man was faster in opening his mouth.

“Glory to Your Majesty the Empress. I, Duke Flint of the Sylvanus Kingdom, pay my respects to Your Majesty the Empress of the Seora Empire.”

He lightly bowed his head, paying his respects to the empress. It was an ambiguous etiquette.

He didn’t kneel according to Seora’s customs, but followed Seora’s protocol in his greeting. Starting with his salutation, his entourage greeted in a similar manner. They appeared like ordinary envoys paying their respects to the empress.

However, there were plenty of crazy bastards in this world who would smile then smack you on the back of your head.

“Sanya. It seems dangerous here. Go inside.”

Mirinae told me. His voice was still gentle, but trembled with anxiety he couldn’t hide.

I stared intently at him for a moment before shifting my gaze to Yehwa. She was looking down with a cold expression. After silently observing her for a while, I shook my head.

“It’s alright.”

I didn’t know what the Westerners were thinking, but right now the imperial palace had been infiltrated. Naturally, it would be safer here with Mirinae, Garam, and the other consorts. And I felt I needed to find out what was going on.

Despite their greetings, Yehwa stared at them in silence. The Westerners seemed a bit flustered, then the man who had greeted first stepped forward again.

“We are envoys from the Sylvanus Kingdom. Our king has sent tribute to commemorate the founding of the Seora Empire.”

At those words, Yehwa languidly stretched out her body. Like a bored ruler, she rested her chin on her hand and spoke.

“Is that so?”

Clack. The sound of metal colliding rang out. Yehwa’s clawed fingertips struck the throne at a constant rhythm.

“Envoys who have come to pay tribute, you say.”

Yehwa’s gaze, which had been as ordinary as discussing the menu for lunch, changed in an instant. Screech. A spine-chilling sound arose as her claws scraped the throne.

“Then how did you penetrate the dragon’s blessing and enter?”

“Pardon?”

“I have never permitted your entry, so I’m asking how you set foot inside this palace when I did not allow it.”

Ah, right. As I thought, something was definitely wrong. Why do ominous thoughts never go astray? I bit my lip tightly.

Yehwa’s green eyes flashed. Other than her quiet voice, not even a breath could be heard. She hadn’t shouted or thrown anything, but it felt like someone would drop dead at any moment.

The man at the forefront, Duke Flint, was visibly flustered. He seemed to be trying hard to speak, smiling as if having a spasm.

“Your Majesty. What do you mea-”

“You should answer properly. If you cannot make me understand, then your body into ten thousand pieces-”

I couldn’t hear the rest. Because Garam covered my ears.

What the. Why are you doing this. I’m good with gore. Let go!

As I was flailing about, unable to struggle properly and tapping Garam’s hand, the boy standing next to the duke fell to his knees with a thud. At the same time, the hand was released.

“It’s a misunderstanding, Your Majesty!”

A youthful voice rang out desperately. He had blond hair and bright blue eyes, but I couldn’t make out his features from this distance.

“This humble one is ignorant and does not know what the dragon’s blessing you spoke of is, but there was nothing obstructing magic when we moved to the palace. If that were not the case, no matter how skilled we are, how could we have set foot in the dignified imperial palace?”

The boy who had cried out in a ringing voice continued.

“The crime of displeasing Your Majesty deserves my body be torn into ten thousand pieces-”

Once again, Garam covered my ears. When I showed clear annoyance, he quickly removed his hands.

“-but please do not let us pass on with a false charge, our souls wandering the netherworld without being able to reveal the truth.”

The boy finished speaking in a sorrowful voice and lowered his head. Sneaking a peek at Mirinae, his expression had also relaxed considerably. His hand holding mine had become much warmer than before. The crisis seemed to have been overcome.

Feeling at ease again, I watched the duke fidget anxiously before eventually prostrating himself in the same way. Yehwa quietly observed this scene, truly…

‘That person may be like that, but she was the empress.’

Yehwa had the Westerners raise their heads. Then she asked the boy.

“You. What is your name?”

“It is Yuri, Your Majesty.”

“And your age this year?”

“I am twelve years old.”

Yehwa chuckled at his respectful words.

“The child is better than the adults.”

At those words, the duke’s eyebrows twitched, but he quickly composed his expression as if nothing happened. Then, trying hard to smile, he took something out from his bosom. It was something smaller than a palm with embedded jewels. When he manipulated it somehow, a tremendous amount of items appeared.

Among them, there was exactly one that looked like an ordinary sack.

That one alone stood out because of its plain color. Inside were things about the size of an adult’s hand and something round. They were tightly packed inside the sack.

My gaze, which had been about to examine the other items, was fixed on that sack as if something had pulled it.

“These are the tributes sent by our king. This is-”

“Do not bother taking them out. I have no intention of accepting them.”

“Pardon?”

“Are you deaf, or are you too foolish to understand my words?”

Questioning the emperor’s words was a crime. However, Yehwa kindly mocked them in a benevolent emperor’s manner.

“Envoys from other nations are supposed to arrive on the third day, yet you arrived early on your own accord, making a mess of the ritual, and you want me to accept it? How utterly impudent.”

At her leisurely words, the faces of the Westerners turned pale. Their desperate appearance at being unable to present the tribute might have seemed strange, but I thought nothing of it.

‘They must engage in tributary diplomacy.’

Tributary diplomacy is where a small nation presents tributes to a great power and receives gifts in return.

Listening to Yehwa’s words, it seemed they had come earlier than the originally scheduled date, which meant they were in a hurry for something.

The duke, who appeared to be their leader, was truly foolish. If they needed something, they should know to grovel, but he seemed to raise his head high and not understand well why he was being rejected.

Right. It’s proper not to accept things from such fellows.

“Take everything and leave.”

…It’s proper not to accept, but.

I looked back and forth between the duke, the sack, and Yehwa with wavering eyes. But in the end, my gaze fixed on the sack. No, but that seems to be it.

For the sake of the great empire’s prestige, they could send the people back and swallow the goods, but above all, the emperor had already said she would not accept.

It was not something that could be arbitrarily overturned.

But what if that’s it?

I had to check first. And if it was correct, that was something that had to be brought even if it meant reversing the empress’s order.

I didn’t know if there were famine relief crops in other countries besides that one, and even if there were, what if they weren’t included in this envoy? Wait another year?

‘Everyone will starve to death by then!’

As I thought, I had to check that. But what should I say? That those are the incredible plants? That I’m not certain but they’re probably correct?

‘That won’t do.’

Would others go “Ah, I see” if I said that? They would immediately coddle me and take me inside.

“……”

There was exactly one other way. A method not too difficult or incongruous for a young child like me to use. However, just thinking about that method made me feel like I would break out in hives all over my body.

‘Ugh, I don’t want to do it.’

But there’s no other way!

After fidgeting restlessly, I eventually jumped up from my seat and ran down.

I heard the shocked voices of people who couldn’t catch me in time but paid no heed. When I swiftly opened the sack, I saw familiar root vegetables. My guess was correct.

‘These are sweet potatoes and potatoes!’

“Princess, you mustn’t do this!”

The palace ladies rushed to follow me in surprise. They tried to make me stand up, but I tightly hugged the sack as big as my body and plopped down on the floor. Now that I had confirmed this, I had no choice.

“Oh my, Princess. Why are you doing this? I’ll give you something better. That looks dirty, quickly let it go. Okay?”

“That’s right. You mustn’t do this. Princess, please go back up. I will let you ride a pony.”

I shook my head vehemently. And looking straight at Yehwa, I spoke.

“S-Sanya wants this.”

As soon as I blurted out those words in a trembling voice, a chilling silence fell.