26 Chapter 26

"If it's the way it was, it would make sense for me to leave, but if the injured came out as a commander, wouldn't the morale of the soldiers fall?"

"Sir Celtic..."

"I don't know when he'll be back. It could be 5 years or 10 years. Or come back dead..." I screamed.

"Stop it. Brother!"

"Erin." Aurest buttoned his shirt again. It was only then that the right shoulder moved somewhat unnatural. "Don't love someone who can't be around you." I put the blanket over my head.

"Go—I don't want to see your face."

"Erin."

"....."

"Eriness."

"....."

"Answer."

Instead of answering, I buried his face in the pillow. Aurest has been standing by the bed for a long time. He finally left.

"...Good night." I waited until the sound of his footsteps was completely gone. I couldn't breathe and my body trembled because I kept my mouth shut. I turned around and burst into laughter like a madman.

"Dumb! A fool blinded by jealousy and cutting off his faithful right arm! You are just the same..." My laughter gradually dried up. My cold sweaty hands were shaking. I swear to heaven, I didn't expect Aurest to do this. I just wanted Aurest to be jealous of Celtic. I wanted him to decide that he had to get rid of Celtic.

I hoped to take the deal between Bloomlodrin and Durak, who dared to deceive me, as a weak point. I thought it would be done by dealing with Marquis Durak and sending Celtic to the Western Front.

But people always did not move as expected. Aurest covered Celtic with attempted Imperial assassination, even risking his own injury. The assassination of the imperial family is deeply sinful. The Durak family will be indebted to Aurest for a long time.

Why?

Why are you even stabbing yourself?

Why would you do that...

I rubbed my cold face and got up from my seat. I dragged my knee, which was collapsing helplessly every step of the way, out of the bedroom with a lamp. The vase by the drawing room window was full of fresh hyacinths.

Before I got to bed, the vase was filled with nameless wildflowers that Celtic Durak gave me. With my trembling hand, I took out all the hyacinths, threw them, and trampled them. The petals scattered, crushed, and littered, giving off a sweet aroma. After scraping the remains of the crushed flower, I opened the window wide open and threw it.

I ran out of breath.

The vase still lying by the window was held with my both hands and I lifted it up to my head. If I throw it like this, it will be shattered.

The wind blew.

As the cold morning air touched my face, my breathing began to return to normal speed. My head with the fever also cooled slowly. If I throw this, the people of the Imperial Palace will doze off.

It will be difficult to clean up and someone may get hurt.

The vase I had lifted was slowly put down. When I returned to my bedroom, I dragged my chair and desk in front of my bedroom door. I lay back and checked under the pillow again, then pulled the blanket over my shoulders.

The morning came too slowly.

* * *

"Whoa, open the door! Lord Gareth, I heard you were using some power! What's wrong with that shape? Can't you use it because it's daytime?"

"What? Lady Jedis? What did you just say?"

"Incompetent! Get away from me! Tristaaan! Come over here!"

It was noisy.

I stopped wriggling my face in the pillow and jumped up. It was early in the morning, judging from the angle of the sun. Why are they making noise outside without coming in to wake their master?

The question could be solved quickly. The door of the bedroom was blocked by chair and desk. It was when I put on a light jacket over my pajamas, thinking I should clear the obstacles blocking the bedroom door.

Thump thump thump!

Swoosh!

Furniture collapsed with the sound of the door being smashed. The door of the bedroom opened wide with the cheers of the ladies-in-waiting. I was speechless when I made eye contact with Tristan standing in front of the broken door. Then something rushed in my arms. It was Jedis.

"Well, I, I thought, something happened to Her Imperial Highness because Her Imperial Highness the Princess didn't have an answer and the door couldn't be opened..." Jedis, hanging from my chest, felt warm.

"Are you worried about me?"

"Wouldn't you do that? Ahhh! St. Maselk..."

My pajamas were wet with Jedis' great weeping. I patted Jedis on her back in a clumsy way. Gereint Bell came up with an embarrassed face, took Jedis off, dragged her away and disappeared.

Only then came other maids, servants, and knights to ask my regards. It seemed that all the people of the Imperial Palace had gathered in a considerable number.

Except for Celtic Durak.

"Why did you keep the door closed?"

"What about Sir Celtic?'' Gareth Wallow looked uncomfortable when I answered the question with a question. But instead of prying like a wizard, he answered like a knight.

"He said he couldn't fulfill his guard duty for the time being. I don't know the details." Aurest seemed to have taken care of him so that he wouldn't stay with me.

I nodded roughly in the sense of understanding and scattered the place where the bedroom door was. The chair and desk had some scratches, so I thought I could use it again, but the door was shattered and I thought I had to put a new one. The servants worked diligently and removed the broken doors and furniture. Tristan was one of them.

"Why does he work so hard on the job I didn't ask again?" The other day, Tristan's knees and palms were completely tattered because of his long legs on a piece of glass.

Although he was treated sacredly, he did not fully recover to that. Therefore, I told him to rest until he was completely healed. However, this foolish child could not endure the rest and went around the palace to help whenever they needed help. He washes dishes, peels potatoes, and carries firewood in the kitchen, or help cleaning maids carry water and furniture.

He did everything he could do with his body without a rush.

I haven't cared about Tristan because I've been hanging out with Celtic for the last few days. In the meantime, Tristan was completely immersed in the Imperial Palace.

It was only for a while that he was reluctant and troubled because he was the son of a traitor and a blue knight or a nobleman. Now there are a lot of people who talk to Tristan and give out snacks. In addition, Tristan treats them with a very thin and polite attitude.

It was a novelty.

Tristan has lived as a master of the Duke family for over 20 years. People who would not be strange even if they were united in the courtyard with a sense of chosen people would not hesitate to hang out with the common people because they were not enough to do chores by hand...

"If you have true noble blood, you will not be able to do that because your pride is hurt."

A maid said, as she glanced at Tristan.

"I'm so suspicious of his birth. Hoo-hoo, we don't know again. Maybe he's a child born from Vathorlia's affair. He doesn't look like his father at all."

It seemed like you were trying to score some points by chewing and tearing up the traitorous family with the classic immoral curse of 'She had a promiscuous sexual conception.'

Go to Aurest and tell that story. I threw a cold gaze at the lady-in-waiting.

"If you don't look like your father, are you all born out of wedlock? So Brother Hector must have been an illegitimate child born out of wedlock because he didn't look like the Emperor at all."

Hector Tantal is my eldest brother* who died 13 years ago.

(*in this, she used 오빠 (o/ppa) instead of 오라버니 (o/ra/beo/ni). The former was informal and used if you are close or intimate with your older brother so I think Erin feels closer to Hector than Aurest, she doesn't even call Aurest oppa nor orabeoni in her mind)

Our father, Laius, was a boy with a good and academic impression by pulling out his mother Elaine.

"Don't speak ill of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Elaine and Brother Hector at the same time, who will be taking eternal rest in heaven." The lady-in-waiting, who had become the one who insulted the deceased in the cold, was thrown out in the eye of another lady-in-waiting.

I said to Tristan.

"Tristan."

"Yes."

"Leave it alone."

"Yes."

Tristan heard the biggest wreckage and went away in a gunshot. Soon the servants who had cleared up all the debris disappeared with temporary curtains on the door frame.

I sat down on the sofa on one side of the bedroom.

Only then did the ladies-in-waiting stick to me and start dressing me up. The lady-in-waiting put a flower on my hair. It was familiar with the scent. I plucked the flower on my head and checked it. The red hyacinth was giving off a sweet scent. Hyacinth?

"Your Imperial Highness? Wait a minute! Have breakfast and go...!"

When I came to my senses, I jumped out of my seat and went out of the bedroom. I looked at the scenery in front of me. The living room connected to my bedroom was decorated with red hyacinth. On a vase by the window, on a fireplace without a fire, on a table made of glass... Suddenly, I felt unbearable and ran out into the hallway.

"It's really pretty. Awesome scent is good too... When can I get a present like this?"

"It'll be hard to be born again?"

"Hey!"

The maids, who chatted with flowers in the hallway, found me and bowed their heads. I crossed the corridor and took the stairs to the front door on the first floor. The Crown Prince's aide Gail McHurt was giving instructions with an armful of hyacinths.

"Put a couple of bundles in the drawing room and guest room, too. Don't forget to trim the withered parts. We must finish the work before Her Imperial Highness the Princess wakes up."

Gail noticed I was here and sighed shortly. Clapping his hands urged the servants.

"It's already late, but work diligently! I'd like to gree Your Imperial Highness. You got yo early."

"Sir Gail McHurt. What is this?" I have never given Gail McHurt the authority to serve the Imperial Court servants. Indeed, the aide spoke in a businesslike voice.

"I'm sorry that I've voluntarily pampered the people of Her Imperial Highness the Princess."

"Well, I don't think this is a problem to be solved by saying sorry. Sir Gareth! Sir Gereint!"

Knights were called to expel Gail. Gail quickly made excuses.

"Before Her Imperial Highness wakes up, he have to borrow my hand unwillingly because of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince's words to finish the decoration of the palace." My arms crossed in front of my chest and I was sarcastic, but the aide didn't even perform apologetic performance.

"And there was a message from His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince."

"Let me have it."

Gail said in a businesslike voice, without a single clear voice.

" 'I'll wait until your anger is relieved. I want you to accept my gift.' "