The banquet and other royal events on the third day of the founding celebration of the country were canceled. However, the festival in the capital city continued because the people of the empire knew nothing.
It shocked the nobles that a monster attacked the banquet hall.
Until now, the nobles thought they were living in a safe zone. It was because a lot of time had passed since the monsters appeared in the capital, so they had never seen it before.
But there were no more safe zones now that a monster appeared in the most heavily guarded place in the empire, the Imperial Palace.
The monster was scarier than they thought. With its bizarre appearance and immense power, humans could not cope with it.
When even the capable Crown Prince Zigrit fell out against the monster, the nobles felt great fear.
The story of the attack of the monster on the banquet hall spread like wildfire, and everyone in the Imperial Palace knew about it in less than a day.
And now it was known and spread outside the Imperial City.
Emperor Barmun hastily called the nobles and held emergency meetings.
Crown Prince Zigrit was unable to attend the meeting due to a severe shoulder injury, and instead, Yerhan, who handled the monster this time, took over.
There was silence in the conference room where all the nobles had gathered.
A day had passed, but everyone seemed to be unable to escape from the shock.
“Your Highness, the Third Prince has arrived.”
When the voice of the attendant was heard, the nobles stirred.
Through the open door, the third prince, Yerhan Herbet, entered.
As he entered the conference room, the nobles rose up from their seats. It was an etiquette to greet the imperial family.
The nobles, who watched the third prince slaughter the monster yesterday, reacted differently than before.
Even before the marriage, the nobles thought the third prince was an ugly man who suffered from madness.
Then when he made his official appearance after marriage, they thought the rumor was a little exaggerated.
Either way, Yerhan was not an ugly man. And Yerhan showed power that overwhelmed the crown prince in the divine ceremony.
Duke Eloa called it an ominous sign, but some nobles did not believe him. What happened yesterday made a few nobles have doubts.
The crown prince did not manage to kill the monster. In contrast to that, Yerhan cut down the monster at once.
Since yesterday, Yerhan had been in and out the mouths of nobles without stopping, not even for a moment.
Some even said that it was because Yerhan’s power was stronger than the crown prince’s.
Yerhan passed by the nobles sitting on both sides of the table.
Everyone thought Yerhan would sit in the seat where the crown prince usually sat. Contrary to expectations, however, Yerhan sat far away from the prominent seat.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”
The nobles rose from their seats in unison. They greeted the emperor, who had just entered.
When the emperor sat at the head of the table and lowered his hand once, the nobles sat down again.
“Most of you are here.”
Emperor Barmun murmured indifferently.
All but a few nobles, who passed out in shock yesterday, were all present in the conference room.
The conference room was full because so many nobles had gathered, which was rare.
The nobles had dark and solemn faces as if they were about to go to war.
Barmun slowly opened his mouth to such nobles.
“I’m sorry about yesterday. Fortunately, there were few casualties, but everyone would be in shock.”
The repercussions of a monster were enormous. The crown prince did not kill the monster, and Yerhan, who had never received any attention, killed the monster.
What it meant was great.
The nobles would doubt the qualities of the crown prince in the future, and if this was known to the imperial people, the reputation of the imperial family would be at rock bottom.
It meant that everything accumulated so far would go to waste.
Barmun squinted. He could never let that happen.
“The crown prince sacrificed himself for all of you.”
Those who doubted the crown prince’s ability flinched.
Certainly, as he said, the crown prince was injured while trying to protect the nobles.
“The monster that attacked the banquet hall yesterday was something that all the knights could not deal with.”
For a moment, the nobles, who remembered the monster they saw yesterday, nodded silently.
It was huge and faster than a beast, it was beyond human control.
Barmun, who calmly defended the crown prince, glanced at Yerhan.
“The third prince was able to deal with the monster because the crown prince attacked it earlier.”
But few aristocrats were convinced by that. Rather, the monster was worked up by the crown prince’s attack and became violent.
A noble raised his hand at Barmun’s words.
The aristocrat, who gained the right to speak, breathed heavily and spoke calmly.
“Your Majesty, I think it is necessary to investigate how the monster appeared in the Imperial Palace.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with him.
“That’s right. It doesn’t make sense that no one noticed until the monster entered the Imperial Palace Hall.”
“The investigation has already been completed.”
There was silence for a moment in the conference room, though at Barmun’s words, it was about to become noisy.
“The reason the monster was able to break in wasn’t because of the imperial guards’ poor security. It was the work of an insider.”
The room became very noisy.
He meant that someone had attracted the monster.
“Who did such a thing…”
Barmun, who was silent for a moment, looked at Yerhan. Yerhan also made eye contact with him.
And the foreboding of the ominous was matched without fail.
“Who else would benefit from this?”
At the very end of the silence, everyone looked at Yerhan.
Yerhan seemed to have a laugh.
“Does that mean I brought the monster to the Imperial Palace?”
Yerhan asked without expression.
“That’s the result of the investigation.”
Barmun lied without batting an eye, and a light anger burned under Yerhan’s subdued face.
He was disillusioned because the emperor’s attitude of using him as he wanted and now blaming him for what the crown prince had done was so disgusting.
Yerhan slowly rose from his seat.
Everyone’s eyes automatically followed. He stood, placed his hands on the table and looked straight at Barmun.
“All right, no one will believe me if I tell you the truth here anyway.”
“……”
“So what would you do? Would you like to create a sin that I didn’t commit?”
It was rude, but under the appalling pressure, the nobles couldn’t say anything. It was because the image of him slicing the monster came to mind.
“You’re disrespectful!”
Among the silent nobles, the empress’ father, Duke Eloa, spoke out.
“Is the Third Prince being conceited over cutting only one monster?”
He also had an irreverent attitude toward the imperial family member, but no one pointed this out.
Everyone knew that the Duke of Eloa had the upper hand over the third prince, who had no power.
“Your Highness seems to be arrogant because of yesterday’s matter, but there were ways to stop the monster without the help of Your Highness.”
The nobles were stirred up by the words.
Most of them thought that the only one who could stop the monster invasion when the crown prince was hurt, was Yerhan.
However, if what Duke Elois said was true, then they did not have to hang themselves on the third prince.
“His Highness the Crown Prince will be conscious in no time. In the meantime, the royal family’s indirect line is enough to stop the monsters.”
Duke Elois said, looking at the nobles.
It was a move to cut things off quickly in case someone came to defend Yerhan.
As the dull nobles began to sway, Duke Eloa raised the corners of his mouth grimly.
“There’s circumstantial evidence that Your Highness up to this, but I don’t know why you did that.”
The Duke of Eloa put the last sledge on.
“Apologize to everyone.”
The duke’s flapping tongue was cleverer than the empress.
Instead of the anxious empress, he sought to replace Yerhan. He gathered several people from the royal family’s indirect line and went on a monster hunt with the crown prince.
As Duke Eloa thought, the men with divine power were more useful in hunting the monster than the general knights.
However, the problem was that the damage was so great. Six people from the royal family’s indirect lince died, only to capture one monster alive.
In less than a month, the seeds of the indirect line of the royal family were likely to wither if they were to go around the empire to fight the monsters.
But the duke was silent on that.
It was more important to bury Yerhan completely, he can think about how to deal with it later.
Before the nobles turned to Yerhan.
“The indirect line…”
Yerhan, who murmured to himself, slowly turned his head and saw Duke Eloa.
Duke Eloa, who received his gaze, flinched greatly.
He was full of bluff, but he also witnessed the power of Yerhan with his own eyes.
Yerhan stood, slightly resting his weight on a foot, and headed for the door.
It was against etiquette to leave the conference room without asking permission from the emperor.
Standing at the door, Yerhan turned his head. He looked at the nobles before turning his gaze straight at Barmun and said,
“From now on, I will not interfere with the monster’s case at all.”
Finally, Yerhan’s cold voice fell.
“Gather those great indirect lines and do your best.”
***
Rosena was in a daze all day. She was dazed when she watered the garden, ate lunch, and drank tea.
She didn’t realize it had only been a day since it happened.
When she closed her eyes, she saw the monster.
She was afraid, but when she recalled the situation, the thought that the monster might not have been trying to hurt her passed her mind.
Sitting alone in the living room, Rosena sighed. Her head was pounding with so many thoughts.
While she was doing that, she heard a knock on the door from outside.
“Your Highness, you have a guest.”
A guest? Rosena asked who it was with her forehead narrowed.
Then a hesitant voice came from outside.
“Well, she’s the young lady from Astania…..”
Before the end of the words, Rosena jumped up.
Rosena strode along and opened the door wide. Then Ella looked at Rosena in surprise.
“Can you guide her inside? And tea, please.”
Ella nodded and ran.
And not long after, the living room door reopened.
“Kayla.”
Rosena greeted Kayla with a welcoming expression.
Unlike yesterday, Kayla wore a neat dress and looked like a decent little lady.
Rosena immediately asked Kayla after taking a quick glance at her condition.
“Are you feeling well?”
She was worried, how shocked she must have been when she saw the monster yesterday.
“I’m fine.”
Kayla replied bravely. Only then did Rosena feel relieved and smiled widely.
She definitely thought she was a little kid a few months ago, but when she thought about it, Kayla was old enough to make her social debut.
“By the way, when did you come to the empire? Wasn’t it hard to get here?”
Rosena asked Kayla with a mother’s heart. (PR/N: In a motherly way.)
Kayla, who seemed like a prim lady, relaxed and began to babble in front of Rosena.
She arrived at the empire four days ago, and, she complained quietly, that it was really hard to get here from Astania.
“I didn’t know I would be seasick.”
Kayla shook her head as if she didn’t want to think about it.
Rosena, who was listening to Kayla with a smile for a while, asked what she was curious about.
“Is the Marchioness well?”
“Mother? She was lonely after Ma’am left.”
Rosena’s face darkened a little.
Rosena had yet to repay the favor she received to Marchioness Elisha.
She took care of Rosena as if she was her mother, and helped both materially and physically when she rushed her way back to the empire when Illian was sick.
Even if she paid her back for the rest of her life, she wouldn’t be able to return her favor.
Rosena, who briefly remembered Marchioness Elisha, corrected her expression and asked,
“But why did Kayla suddenly want to go to the Imperial Academy?”
“Thanks to Ma’am, I wanted to know more about the empire. So I begged my mother a lot.”
Kayla had long wondered about the empire. But going to the Imperial Academy was a completely different matter.
The faces of the marquis couple, who must have been perplexed by Kayla’s request, appeared clearly in Rosena’s mind.
Rosena, thinking of them, smiled unconsciously. Just thinking about it made her feel good and happy.
Rosena found a new life there.
At first, Rosena was highly guarded, but soon lowered it as everyone took good care of her.
People who were innocent, without envy and jealousy came to mind.
“I was very surprised to hear from my mother. I heard that Ma’am became the princess…..”
Upon Kayla’s words, Rosena returned to reality.
“The person from yesterday was the prince, right?”
Kayla asked with her eyes wide open.
So far, Rosena had never told a story about Yerhan.
When Kayla asked her to tell her about Illian’s father, she would just laugh it off.
Rosena’s face, when she was reminded of Yerhan’s face, became a little dark.
Kayla, who was staring at Rosena, asked again.
“Do you like him?”
Startled, Rosena looked up. But Kayla’s face was serious.
Kayla, who she thought she was only young, was already old enough to know about love.
It couldn’t be as vague as it used to be. Rosena closed her lips tightly.
Does she like him?
Now Rosena didn’t hesitate to ask herself. She realized her feelings when she saw a woman talking to Yerhan yesterday.
“I actually want you to come back to Astania.”
Rosena couldn’t answer immediately.
She would have said, of course, that she would return to Astania. But now Yerhan had been caught in her eyes.
Will she be able to boldly leave Illian after he grows up later?
If she leaves Yerhan, will he get a new wife and live well?
Or shall they live quietly in seclusion, surrounded by strange rumors like before?
Either way, her heart was torn apart, and Rosena barely broke the silence.
“Kayla, I… can’t make up my mind yet because I don’t think I can give you a definite answer.”
There was a lot of time left until then. Nevertheless, she didn’t utter a word that she would return to Astania.
“…Is it because of Illian?”
“No, it’s not.”
Rosena said, speaking with Kayla, slowly clearing her mind.
It was Astania that she wanted to go back to, so much so. But even if she had the opportunity to go right now, it seemed that she could not choose.
In any case, Yerhan might demand a divorce first, but she still wanted to stay with him for now.
So Rosena couldn’t give Kayla any answer.
The banquet and other royal events on the third day of the founding celebration of the country were canceled. However, the festival in the capital city continued because the people of the empire knew nothing.
It shocked the nobles that a monster attacked the banquet hall.
Until now, the nobles thought they were living in a safe zone. It was because a lot of time had passed since the monsters appeared in the capital, so they had never seen it before.
But there were no more safe zones now that a monster appeared in the most heavily guarded place in the empire, the Imperial Palace.
The monster was scarier than they thought. With its bizarre appearance and immense power, humans could not cope with it.
When even the capable Crown Prince Zigrit fell out against the monster, the nobles felt great fear.
The story of the attack of the monster on the banquet hall spread like wildfire, and everyone in the Imperial Palace knew about it in less than a day.
And now it was known and spread outside the Imperial City.
Emperor Barmun hastily called the nobles and held emergency meetings.
Crown Prince Zigrit was unable to attend the meeting due to a severe shoulder injury, and instead, Yerhan, who handled the monster this time, took over.
There was silence in the conference room where all the nobles had gathered.
A day had passed, but everyone seemed to be unable to escape from the shock.
“Your Highness, the Third Prince has arrived.”
When the voice of the attendant was heard, the nobles stirred.
Through the open door, the third prince, Yerhan Herbet, entered.
As he entered the conference room, the nobles rose up from their seats. It was an etiquette to greet the imperial family.
The nobles, who watched the third prince slaughter the monster yesterday, reacted differently than before.
Even before the marriage, the nobles thought the third prince was an ugly man who suffered from madness.
Then when he made his official appearance after marriage, they thought the rumor was a little exaggerated.
Either way, Yerhan was not an ugly man. And Yerhan showed power that overwhelmed the crown prince in the divine ceremony.
Duke Eloa called it an ominous sign, but some nobles did not believe him. What happened yesterday made a few nobles have doubts.
The crown prince did not manage to kill the monster. In contrast to that, Yerhan cut down the monster at once.
Since yesterday, Yerhan had been in and out the mouths of nobles without stopping, not even for a moment.
Some even said that it was because Yerhan’s power was stronger than the crown prince’s.
Yerhan passed by the nobles sitting on both sides of the table.
Everyone thought Yerhan would sit in the seat where the crown prince usually sat. Contrary to expectations, however, Yerhan sat far away from the prominent seat.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”
The nobles rose from their seats in unison. They greeted the emperor, who had just entered.
When the emperor sat at the head of the table and lowered his hand once, the nobles sat down again.
“Most of you are here.”
Emperor Barmun murmured indifferently.
All but a few nobles, who passed out in shock yesterday, were all present in the conference room.
The conference room was full because so many nobles had gathered, which was rare.
The nobles had dark and solemn faces as if they were about to go to war.
Barmun slowly opened his mouth to such nobles.
“I’m sorry about yesterday. Fortunately, there were few casualties, but everyone would be in shock.”
The repercussions of a monster were enormous. The crown prince did not kill the monster, and Yerhan, who had never received any attention, killed the monster.
What it meant was great.
The nobles would doubt the qualities of the crown prince in the future, and if this was known to the imperial people, the reputation of the imperial family would be at rock bottom.
It meant that everything accumulated so far would go to waste.
Barmun squinted. He could never let that happen.
“The crown prince sacrificed himself for all of you.”
Those who doubted the crown prince’s ability flinched.
Certainly, as he said, the crown prince was injured while trying to protect the nobles.
“The monster that attacked the banquet hall yesterday was something that all the knights could not deal with.”
For a moment, the nobles, who remembered the monster they saw yesterday, nodded silently.
It was huge and faster than a beast, it was beyond human control.
Barmun, who calmly defended the crown prince, glanced at Yerhan.
“The third prince was able to deal with the monster because the crown prince attacked it earlier.”
But few aristocrats were convinced by that. Rather, the monster was worked up by the crown prince’s attack and became violent.
A noble raised his hand at Barmun’s words.
The aristocrat, who gained the right to speak, breathed heavily and spoke calmly.
“Your Majesty, I think it is necessary to investigate how the monster appeared in the Imperial Palace.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with him.
“That’s right. It doesn’t make sense that no one noticed until the monster entered the Imperial Palace Hall.”
“The investigation has already been completed.”
There was silence for a moment in the conference room, though at Barmun’s words, it was about to become noisy.
“The reason the monster was able to break in wasn’t because of the imperial guards’ poor security. It was the work of an insider.”
The room became very noisy.
He meant that someone had attracted the monster.
“Who did such a thing…”
Barmun, who was silent for a moment, looked at Yerhan. Yerhan also made eye contact with him.
And the foreboding of the ominous was matched without fail.
“Who else would benefit from this?”
At the very end of the silence, everyone looked at Yerhan.
Yerhan seemed to have a laugh.
“Does that mean I brought the monster to the Imperial Palace?”
Yerhan asked without expression.
“That’s the result of the investigation.”
Barmun lied without batting an eye, and a light anger burned under Yerhan’s subdued face.
He was disillusioned because the emperor’s attitude of using him as he wanted and now blaming him for what the crown prince had done was so disgusting.
Yerhan slowly rose from his seat.
Everyone’s eyes automatically followed. He stood, placed his hands on the table and looked straight at Barmun.
“All right, no one will believe me if I tell you the truth here anyway.”
“……”
“So what would you do? Would you like to create a sin that I didn’t commit?”
It was rude, but under the appalling pressure, the nobles couldn’t say anything. It was because the image of him slicing the monster came to mind.
“You’re disrespectful!”
Among the silent nobles, the empress’ father, Duke Eloa, spoke out.
“Is the Third Prince being conceited over cutting only one monster?”
He also had an irreverent attitude toward the imperial family member, but no one pointed this out.
Everyone knew that the Duke of Eloa had the upper hand over the third prince, who had no power.
“Your Highness seems to be arrogant because of yesterday’s matter, but there were ways to stop the monster without the help of Your Highness.”
The nobles were stirred up by the words.
Most of them thought that the only one who could stop the monster invasion when the crown prince was hurt, was Yerhan.
However, if what Duke Elois said was true, then they did not have to hang themselves on the third prince.
“His Highness the Crown Prince will be conscious in no time. In the meantime, the royal family’s indirect line is enough to stop the monsters.”
Duke Elois said, looking at the nobles.
It was a move to cut things off quickly in case someone came to defend Yerhan.
As the dull nobles began to sway, Duke Eloa raised the corners of his mouth grimly.
“There’s circumstantial evidence that Your Highness up to this, but I don’t know why you did that.”
The Duke of Eloa put the last sledge on.
“Apologize to everyone.”
The duke’s flapping tongue was cleverer than the empress.
Instead of the anxious empress, he sought to replace Yerhan. He gathered several people from the royal family’s indirect line and went on a monster hunt with the crown prince.
As Duke Eloa thought, the men with divine power were more useful in hunting the monster than the general knights.
However, the problem was that the damage was so great. Six people from the royal family’s indirect lince died, only to capture one monster alive.
In less than a month, the seeds of the indirect line of the royal family were likely to wither if they were to go around the empire to fight the monsters.
But the duke was silent on that.
It was more important to bury Yerhan completely, he can think about how to deal with it later.
Before the nobles turned to Yerhan.
“The indirect line…”
Yerhan, who murmured to himself, slowly turned his head and saw Duke Eloa.
Duke Eloa, who received his gaze, flinched greatly.
He was full of bluff, but he also witnessed the power of Yerhan with his own eyes.
Yerhan stood, slightly resting his weight on a foot, and headed for the door.
It was against etiquette to leave the conference room without asking permission from the emperor.
Standing at the door, Yerhan turned his head. He looked at the nobles before turning his gaze straight at Barmun and said,
“From now on, I will not interfere with the monster’s case at all.”
Finally, Yerhan’s cold voice fell.
“Gather those great indirect lines and do your best.”
***
Rosena was in a daze all day. She was dazed when she watered the garden, ate lunch, and drank tea.
She didn’t realize it had only been a day since it happened.
When she closed her eyes, she saw the monster.
She was afraid, but when she recalled the situation, the thought that the monster might not have been trying to hurt her passed her mind.
Sitting alone in the living room, Rosena sighed. Her head was pounding with so many thoughts.
While she was doing that, she heard a knock on the door from outside.
“Your Highness, you have a guest.”
A guest? Rosena asked who it was with her forehead narrowed.
Then a hesitant voice came from outside.
“Well, she’s the young lady from Astania…..”
Before the end of the words, Rosena jumped up.
Rosena strode along and opened the door wide. Then Ella looked at Rosena in surprise.
“Can you guide her inside? And tea, please.”
Ella nodded and ran.
And not long after, the living room door reopened.
“Kayla.”
Rosena greeted Kayla with a welcoming expression.
Unlike yesterday, Kayla wore a neat dress and looked like a decent little lady.
Rosena immediately asked Kayla after taking a quick glance at her condition.
“Are you feeling well?”
She was worried, how shocked she must have been when she saw the monster yesterday.
“I’m fine.”
Kayla replied bravely. Only then did Rosena feel relieved and smiled widely.
She definitely thought she was a little kid a few months ago, but when she thought about it, Kayla was old enough to make her social debut.
“By the way, when did you come to the empire? Wasn’t it hard to get here?”
Rosena asked Kayla with a mother’s heart. (PR/N: In a motherly way.)
Kayla, who seemed like a prim lady, relaxed and began to babble in front of Rosena.
She arrived at the empire four days ago, and, she complained quietly, that it was really hard to get here from Astania.
“I didn’t know I would be seasick.”
Kayla shook her head as if she didn’t want to think about it.
Rosena, who was listening to Kayla with a smile for a while, asked what she was curious about.
“Is the Marchioness well?”
“Mother? She was lonely after Ma’am left.”
Rosena’s face darkened a little.
Rosena had yet to repay the favor she received to Marchioness Elisha.
She took care of Rosena as if she was her mother, and helped both materially and physically when she rushed her way back to the empire when Illian was sick.
Even if she paid her back for the rest of her life, she wouldn’t be able to return her favor.
Rosena, who briefly remembered Marchioness Elisha, corrected her expression and asked,
“But why did Kayla suddenly want to go to the Imperial Academy?”
“Thanks to Ma’am, I wanted to know more about the empire. So I begged my mother a lot.”
Kayla had long wondered about the empire. But going to the Imperial Academy was a completely different matter.
The faces of the marquis couple, who must have been perplexed by Kayla’s request, appeared clearly in Rosena’s mind.
Rosena, thinking of them, smiled unconsciously. Just thinking about it made her feel good and happy.
Rosena found a new life there.
At first, Rosena was highly guarded, but soon lowered it as everyone took good care of her.
People who were innocent, without envy and jealousy came to mind.
“I was very surprised to hear from my mother. I heard that Ma’am became the princess…..”
Upon Kayla’s words, Rosena returned to reality.
“The person from yesterday was the prince, right?”
Kayla asked with her eyes wide open.
So far, Rosena had never told a story about Yerhan.
When Kayla asked her to tell her about Illian’s father, she would just laugh it off.
Rosena’s face, when she was reminded of Yerhan’s face, became a little dark.
Kayla, who was staring at Rosena, asked again.
“Do you like him?”
Startled, Rosena looked up. But Kayla’s face was serious.
Kayla, who she thought she was only young, was already old enough to know about love.
It couldn’t be as vague as it used to be. Rosena closed her lips tightly.
Does she like him?
Now Rosena didn’t hesitate to ask herself. She realized her feelings when she saw a woman talking to Yerhan yesterday.
“I actually want you to come back to Astania.”
Rosena couldn’t answer immediately.
She would have said, of course, that she would return to Astania. But now Yerhan had been caught in her eyes.
Will she be able to boldly leave Illian after he grows up later?
If she leaves Yerhan, will he get a new wife and live well?
Or shall they live quietly in seclusion, surrounded by strange rumors like before?
Either way, her heart was torn apart, and Rosena barely broke the silence.
“Kayla, I… can’t make up my mind yet because I don’t think I can give you a definite answer.”
There was a lot of time left until then. Nevertheless, she didn’t utter a word that she would return to Astania.
“…Is it because of Illian?”
“No, it’s not.”
Rosena said, speaking with Kayla, slowly clearing her mind.
It was Astania that she wanted to go back to, so much so. But even if she had the opportunity to go right now, it seemed that she could not choose.
In any case, Yerhan might demand a divorce first, but she still wanted to stay with him for now.
So Rosena couldn’t give Kayla any answer.
