#338. Is that all?
* * *
Her demeanor is calm.
The smile is as soft as usual.
Even the declaration to kill feels like a joke.
However, Rose could tell when she saw Li Qingyuâs cold eyes, unlike the smiling face.
If he canât give a proper explanation, Li Qingyu will really try to kill himself by any means.
Still, Rose was silent.
That Hasneti didnât stop him from taking him.
For that one reason alone, he knew that his words would eventually become an excuse.
The moment when Li Qingyuâs eyes sank deeper and darker at Roseâs silence.
âOf course it canât be.â
Squeeze.
with a light wry smile.
A cup is poured out.
For a while, letâs stare at the steaming coffee cup that Li Qingyu poured himself.
Rose slowly reached out to take the cup and opened her mouth quietly.
ââ¦Why do you think I couldnât have sold my swordsman?â
âIf you really did something like that, you wouldnât have come looking for me alone like this.â
Not even after Limon was kidnapped.
Now that itâs been a few days, he must have known that he would be suspicious since he came to see him.
Even so, Roseâs behavior itself, without an escort, proves her innocence.
Seeing Li Qingyu talk calmly, Rose put on a complicated expression.
âAre you going to believe me for that reason?â
âNot really.â
Li Qingyu shook his head slightly.
She is the Black Dragon Princess.
Because he was a liar who doubted everything as much as he was good at deceiving and using others more than anyone else.
Even Rose, who could be called the conscience of the Seven Dragons, was no exception.
but only one.
Even Li Qingyu had an opponent he never suspected.
âIt means that you trust the swordsman who decided to accompany you.â
ââ¦â
âAbove all, swordsmiths are not the ones to be sold to others.â
Limon is not a great person that someone can kidnap or subdue.
Then, in the end, the act of following Hasneti meant Limonâs own will, so there was no reason to hold Rose responsible for it.
Li Qingyu said calmly.
He smiled as he looked at Rose, who remained silent with her eyes fixed only on the coffee cup.
âCan I hear the answer to my question now?â
Please tell us in as much detail as possible how Limon became Hasnetiâs concubine so that there is no room for misunderstanding.
Take a moment to stare at Li Qingyu as he politely asks.
Rose quietly closed her eyes.
And the story started.
As soon as they arrived in Africa, they were caught up in a war.
After conquering the Lumuka tribe, he established a military government.
As a result of attending the banquet of the Utopia Guild in search of the turkey swan, he was caught in a Hasneti attack.
Until Limon volunteers to become a prisoner named Cheoksil to prevent the massacre she will cause while hiding her identity.
all the stories so far.
ââ¦Did that really happen?â
Africa is a continent out of reach of the Black Dragon clan.
In addition, because the Leviathan branch in Egypt was also blocked, Li Qingyu, who could only obtain information through newspapers, nodded his head after hearing the circumstances.
And while fiddling with an empty coffee cup, he quietly opened his mouth.
âI can roughly understand why the swordsman did that.â
âIs it because of the turkey?â
âIt must have been difficult even for a swordsman to search Hasnetiâs surroundings. You would rather have taken advantage of this opportunity.â
Li Qingyu said calmly.
Since Branga gave her a turkey, you have to look around Hasneti for clues.
However, the risk of being caught was too great to intrude from the outside.
Right now, Rose wonât allow that.
In that sense, this would have been the first and last opportunity for Limon to approach Hasneti naturally.
âTo catch a dragon, you have to enter the dragonâs den.â
long ago.
Reflecting on the sword emperorâs words, Li Qingyu thought.
Itâs good that you put so much effort into preparing Limon for the status of an Egyptian nobleman.
If it wasnât for the status of the highest-ranking aristocrat with royal blood, that Hasneti wouldnât have easily accepted Limonâs approach.
I didnât know that his identity would be used like this, though.
âTo catch a dragon, you have to enter the dragonâs denâ¦â I
hoped he would repeat his words once more.
Rose raised her head.
Then, looking straight at Li Qingyu, he asked quietly.
âIs that all?â
âWhat does it mean?â
âIâm asking if there was any other reason why the swordsman followed Hasneti.â
Li Qingyu was not taken aback by Roseâs unexpected question.
I just answered calmly.
âIâm sorry, but I canât answer that question.â
âAre you saying you canât tell me?â
âNo, that means I donât know.â
Li Qingyu shook his head.
Little did she plan for this search in the first place.
Even that meager plan was shattered when the two tribes got caught up in a war.
There was no way that Li Qingyu could have predicted such an absurd situation that even Ainsha, the worldâs greatest prophet, had not foreseen.
âI can tell you if itâs an unfounded speculation, butâ¦â â
â¦.â
âThereâs no need for that.â
A clear stain around the eyes.
Fatigue that could not be hidden.
Even clothes with clear wrinkle marks.
Looking at Rose, who showed signs of not sleeping for several days, Li Qingyu smiled.
âBecause if I can guess the answer, you already know it, Rose.â
At that, Rose remained silent.
He knew that it would be useless to ask her in the first place.
Still, why did he have to come to Li Qingyu and ask about this?
Rose, who had been lost in thought as she silently gazed at the cold coffee cup before she knew it, sighed.
And he got up from his seat.
âThere were a lot of excuses late at night.â
âNever mind. Itâs not that big of a deal between friends.â
Rose paused at the unexpected words.
ââ¦were we friends?â
âAt least for me.â
Rose from the past came to her and held a sword to her throat and interrogated her.
Even though she knew the whole truth, she had been his friend since she hid Limonâs secret for nothing.
For a while, look at Li Qingyu as he speaks with a smile.
Rose suddenly opened her mouth.
âThen can I ask you one more question as a friend?â
âAs much as you like.â
Rose quietly asked Li Qingyu, who nodded willingly, saying that he would answer any question that was more expensive than friendship with her.
âIf Charlotte or another princess were recognized by the swordsmith as his bride and monopolized his heart, he would push you away from his side.â
ââ¦â
âCan I accept it?â
Li Qingyu hesitated.
I was surprised by the unexpected question.
Or, as if imagining that family.
She was silent with her eyes slightly lowered, but after a while she raised her head and faced Rose.
And he smiled and asked.
âDo you really need an answer?â
Just stare at Li Qingyu, who always has an incomprehensible smile.
Rose shook her head.
âNo, I donât think itâs necessary.â
Knowing that the time it took for her to draw a smile was the answer, Rose didnât hesitate any longer.
He only opened his mouth after taking a sip of the cold coffee cup on the table.
âIâll bring you some good black tea next time.â
Phaging.
neither answer nor hear.
without even saying goodbye
With only one polite word left.
For a moment, I hope to stare at the empty space as Rose disappears beyond space.
Li Qingyu sighed softly.
ââ¦The swordsman always goes beyond my expectations.â
Is it admiration?
Is it lamentation?
Li Qingyu was lost in thought while muttering to himself that no one could understand.
âUnexpectedly, the same goes for Hasneti.â
Itâs understandable that Hasneti took Limon.
Limonâs fragment, which contains dragon psionics, is an item that stimulates the dragonâs instincts.
Once he showed the piece and promised a thousand tribute, it was only natural that any princess would try to capture him.
But even taking that into account, it was really unexpected that Limon was the sidekick in a situation like this.
âIs it because I was attracted to the dragon psionic?â
Even if you canât see through Limonâs disguise that interferes with perception itself, you may have felt the dragon psionics he possesses unconsciously.
Then, Hasnetiâs behavior wasnât completely incomprehensible, butâ¦
âIâm disturbed.â
Li Qingyu sighed.
The Red Dragon Princess of all time is always the flame itself.
Most of them were dangerous people who wanted to be as clear as looking at fire, but did not know when and where to shoot sparks if they looked away for a moment.
It was more so with Hasneti, whose reticent personality made it difficult to understand.
The mere fact that Hasneti and Limon were intertwined made Li Qingyuâs head hurt.
âWell, itâs not as good as Rose, though.â
Like looking at a foggy lake.
Recalling Roseâs eyes, which were extremely deep and blue, but unlike usual, couldnât find any clear radiance, it took a while for her to smile bitterly.
Li Qingyu suddenly muttered.
âAnyway, itâs good that you wrote your hand beforehand.â
No matter how much Limon is, it would be difficult for him to search for a seven-color bird alone in the Egyptian palace.
In that sense, her gift will be quite helpful.
ââ¦Iâll have to change the shipping address a bit.â
It will be about time to arrive in Africa, so if you want to change the shipping address before then, you will have to move quickly.
The princess, who decided to work overtime today, smiled strangely as she prepared another cup of coffee.
* * *
ââ¦.â
Limon was a bit troubled until he agreed to be Hasnetiâs concubine, but he didnât worry too much.
A side room that is only a cause anyway.
In reality, it was obvious that he would be treated as a prisoner of war.
Even if you are lucky enough to be recognized as a noble, nobles without money and power will be ignored.
So, using that ignorance, he moderately avoids his eyes and establishes a position to work freely as a sculptor to find the turkey bird.
That was Limonâs plan.
The problem is that the plan went awry from the beginning.
âIs there anything inconvenient, Mr. Rimor?â
âThere is nothing.â
Twenty servant slaves?
Itâs nothing like this.
If you are a slave anyway, you can think of it as giving the remaining slaves because the Egyptian palace is overflowing.
âTodayâs recommended menu is 18 dishes, including grilled pork with acacia honey and torsi with truffle. Is it okay if I upload it like this?â
âWell, if thatâs the recommended menu.â
Mountain and sea delicacies presented at every meal?
This will also save the face of the royal family, so it is enough to accept it as a pretense.
âPharaoh sent you a gift today too.â
âWhat else is this time?â
âFive pairs of earrings, three necklaces, four pairs of bracelets and a pair of anklets, includingâ¦
â
âEven so, Pharaoh thought it would be so, so he also gave us a warehouse and a gold storage box.â
âWasnât there already three warehouses?â
âDonât worry. There are many warehouses in the main palace anyway.â
However, with only the gold and silver treasures received as gifts, three warehouses were about to explode, and even Limon was speechless.
In particular, of course, every time the slaves attend a bath, they apply perfume and recommend makeup.
Especially when I brought some outrageous clothes sometimes.
â⦠are these clothes?â
âyes.â
âHow come my insides are showing through despite my clothes?â
âBecause the clothes were made for that.â
ââ¦â
âOf course, there are underwear that can be set.â
To protect the Pharaohâs favor, shouldnât this be enough?
The hundreds-year-old tanned blond boy couldnât help but break into a cold sweat as he saw the slaves handing out underwear that was more absurd than clothes.