Chapter 23

Coming to work the last few days had been terrifying for Taimon.

He’d never even dreamt that becoming the Emperor’s shadow guard would be such an extreme job.

Of course, the Emperor had been a little, no, maybe half crazy, but he hadn’t been completely crazy.

“Taimon.”

At Hadel’s voice calling his name, Taimon couldn’t help but flinch; a guilty conscience truly needed no accuser.

He’d been inwardly talking down to the Emperor, so had he perhaps gotten caught?

A million thoughts flooded through his brain as Taimon showed himself in front of the Emperor.

“Please give your command, Your Majesty.”

Taimon spoke to Hadel with slight anxiousness. However, for some reason, he didn’t speak.

When he lifted his head and looked at his master’s face, Taimon couldn’t repress his inward astonishment.

‘What’s with his expression?’

His lips were relaxed in a smile, and his eyes were half in a trance.

Not to mention, his gaze was aimed toward somewhere in the air.

As if he was someone with a screw loose.

Hadel, who’d surprised Taimon, continued staring off into the air before finally speaking.

“Am I cute?”

“…Pardon?”

Taimon’s eyes and ears started churning ferociously.

What was this? Just what? Was this a new type of torture?

If not, a test? Was this some kind of test?!

Or perhaps…?!

“Y-Your Majesty! Have you been poisoned?”

There was no doubt. He’d definitely been poisoned by a dangerous substance that had caused him to lose his mind.

Otherwise, these symptoms could not be explained.

Surprised, Taimon approached Hadel and hurriedly checked his state.

Hadel stared at Taimon’s behavior in disbelief before pulling away.

“Taimon, I don’t think you’re in good condition these days. What do you think about getting a check-up from a doctor?”

“…Pardon?”

“It seems like you haven’t been understanding what I’ve been saying since earlier. It’s fine.”

“No… That.”

Taimon felt wronged. He didn’t know what exactly was going on, but he felt wronged.

He felt so wronged and angered that he wanted to jump out of the window and into a waterfall right this instant.

However, Hadel didn’t even give Taimon a chance to express his resentment.

His face hardened as if his one-screw-loose expression from earlier had never existed.

“Anyway, Taimon, if I… happened to completely exterminate the Valkirino Duchy, what would happen?”

“…Why are you suddenly… being like this?”

“What do you mean, suddenly? We have been collecting evidence to catch Valkirino for a long time.”

“That’s… true. So are you saying you want to move up your plans?”

“I’m considering it.”

Taimon’s eyes and ears became restless once more.

Taking him aback with such a ridiculous question earlier, and now making him use his brain by asking him a political question.

This had to be some kind of test.

Although he wasn’t sure what for.

“Even if we get rid of Valkirino, the other nobles won’t just stand still.”

“That’s true. Then what if I crush all of the other nobles too?”

“…You’ll be recorded in history as the greatest tyrant.”

“I’m already renowned as a tyrant. It doesn’t mat— Ah.”

Suddenly, Ashella’s face came to Hadel’s mind.

“It does matter. There’s a precious person that I definitely cannot soil.”

If Hadel’s name was left in history as the greatest tyrant, then Ashella, who would become his Empress, would not be able to retain a good image.

Even though he did not care about himself, he couldn’t let his precious wife be remembered like that.

“Hoo… In the end, I can’t use the quickest method.”

Taimon swallowed, watching as Hadel sighed deeply.

He couldn’t figure out why the Emperor was asking these questions, or what kind of answers he wanted.

Taimon was perplexed, unsure of what to do, when Hadel suddenly started grinning to himself with a sweet smile.

‘My goodness, my word. His Majesty has finally gone crazy. It’s definite that he’s gone crazy!’

Hadel alternated between smiling and wearing a solemn expression, completely unaware that Taimon’s face was progressively growing haggard.

* * *

“Madame Chunet, I think today is even colder… Can you really not make the fire any bigger?”

“…This is all of the firewood allocated to the Lily Palace.”

“Ahh, I see. How irksome.”

My body was shivering from the cold. My throat had been a bit dry in the morning, and since afternoon my condition had rapidly worsened.

Although I kept drinking hot tea, it only provided a momentary respite.

Soon after, my body would feel cold again.

To make matters worse, my head was beginning to hurt.

“Then do you have any headache or cold medicine?”

“I’ll send a message to the doctor. However, since it’s already late at night, there might not be anyone but the Imperial Doctor who examines His Majesty.”

“Please, just check. I don’t feel well.”

“Understood.”

The Head Maid inclined her head before leaving the bedroom with quiet steps.

With the only other person in the room gone, the temperature in the room seemed to drop even further.

“Ahh, it’s so cold.”

It seemed I’d caught a proper cold.

Hadel was supposed to come to get me tonight.

If the Head Maid didn’t bring a doctor or some medicine, there would be trouble, since Hadel made an incredible fuss if I was ever sick in the distant past.

“I’m sleepy…”

Was it because I hadn’t slept properly last night?

All I had done was lie down and pull the blanket over myself, but I could feel my eyelids getting heavier.

It didn’t seem like the Head Maid, who had left the room, would be coming back any time soon.

“Mmm. Hadel…”

My eyelashes kept descending. My body continued trembling and shaking.

My head hurt, my nose was congested, and my throat ached.

Now that I thought about it, when I was young, Hadel…

Unable to continue my line of thought, I slowly faded out of consciousness as the darkness covered me.

* * *

Hadel was in a good mood today.

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Even more so as dinner approached, and night came closer.

And right when the long-awaited nighttime finally came…

“Taimon, don’t look for me.”

“Pardon? Your Majesty, where are you…?!”

Watching the window where the Emperor had disappeared through, Taimon could do nothing but blink.

Hiding in the shadows, Hadel entered the Lily Palace.

The building was already asleep, so it was dark inside.

Avoiding the eyes of the maids and the attendants, he entered her room at a rapid pace before taking in the sweet scent of Asha.

‘Asha’s smell.’

Hadel closed his eyes for a second and breathed it in, then slowly approached the bed.

He could see the silver hair that was spread here and there atop the blanket.

“Hm?”

And the sound of slow breaths.

Asha was breathing softly, her silver eyes hidden underneath her eyelashes.

‘…Wow.’

Long, silver eyelashes.

Cheeks that looked even paler in the moonlight shining upon them.

A round face containing all of her delicate features.

If anyone asked him who the most beautiful woman in the world was, Hadel would be able to answer without hesitation.

That it was Ashella de Ach.

His wife.

His wife was the most beautiful woman in existence.

Hadel suddenly felt the urge to shout these words to the world.

To think he’d been unable to see his pretty Asha until now.

How cute and beautiful would her development from a girl to a lady have been?

‘My Asha.’

Hadel slowly sat at Asha’s head.

He held his breath and carefully touched her cheek, to avoid waking her up.

The touch was soft like silk.

And right when this blissful feeling was about to bring a smile to his face.

Hadel felt something strange and lowered his hand to Asha’s neck.

“What the?”

It was hot.

Why was it so hot?

Was a human’s temperature supposed to be this hot?

“Ugh…”

It must have been because he had grabbed her so suddenly, for Asha rustled and frowned.

With a grave expression, he pressed at Asha’s forehead.

It, too, was smoldering.

“Cough… Cough, cough!”

And she was even coughing!

Grimacing as if in pain, she coughed a few more times, before rolling over to her side.

Although Asha’s sweet scent wafted over to him as she moved, Hadel’s look was so intimidating it seemed as if he would destroy the whole palace immediately.

To think nobody was watching over her when she was burning up this much.

Not to mention, why was the air of the palace so cold?

Hadel’s pink eyes lowered, bleakness within.

After watching down as Asha frowned and panted heavily in her sleep, Hadel silently slipped out of the Lily Palace.

* * *

Rahu had been lying down on the Lily Palace rooftop and admiring the stars.

It seemed like the sky was clearer than usual today.

The shining white stars were quite beautiful.

“That woman… is quite dazzling too.”

As if his brain was wrapped in silver light, the brilliantly shining woman was always on his mind.

The woman who would die soon.

Now that he thought about it, her body’s condition had not seemed to be good this morning.

And just earlier it had seemed particularly bad, but it appeared that she was sleeping well now.

Closing his eyes, Rahu heightened his senses.

He could hear the sound of her even breaths.

“Hm? What’s this?”

And he felt something else there.

It seemed like a person, yet not at the same time…

And right as he got down from the roof to check what it was.

Swaaaaa.

A strong wind blew.

The wind was so severe that it blew his hair into his face, obscuring his vision.

By the time he fixed his hair, the feeling of something else had disappeared.

“Was it… my mistake?”

Rahu slightly tilted his head.

Not just yesterday, but today too, a strong wind kept blowing. Something made him feel uneasy.

His senses must have become addled after only watching and not moving his body properly for a while.

Rahu rolled his feet lightly before jumping back onto the roof.

‘What the? Someone’s… coming?’

He could see someone walking into the Lily Palace entrance.

Watching the man walk with a sharp stride while accompanied by numerous attendants, Rahu’s jaw dropped.

‘What’s the Emperor doing here in the middle of the night?’

The Emperor’s energy was unusual, too.

It was incredibly chaotic, and it seemed as if he was very angry.

‘Perhaps…!’

Was it time?

Rahu clenched and released the sheathe on his waistband over and over again.

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Would it be the wellbeing of the Ru Tribe, or an innocent woman?

He had a gut feeling.

That perhaps, tonight, a moment where he would make a once-in-a-lifetime decision would come.

But he had no idea that his decision would result in him digging a deep hole in the ground.

tl & qc: youj; pr: aila