Chapter 131
***
"Are you alright?"
"Thanks to ....... I didn't expect the lord to save me, not someone else. I’m surprised."
"What do you mean surprised?"
"Why? Why not?"
"I would not wish to cause her (Raha) grief."
Karzen almost gritted his teeth for a moment.
Why?
Wasn't he (Shed) just another slave who loved Raha dearly?
Or was he (Karzen) just a common scumbag in a popular novel who persecuted her?
He had never been interested in good heroes and villains, but this was different. Every little thing clouded Karzen's reason. His hot breath mingled with the hot blood of the dead wolf.
Shed opened his mouth.
"I offer this wolf to Your Majesty in lieu of my fiancée, and I hope you will accept it."
One corner of Karzen's mouth quirked up.
"Who am I to disregard the sincerity of the lord of Hildes?"
The fur of the wolf that had spilled red blood on the Emperor of Delo was a deep ashen color. The only color of that venerable twin, in whom all things were alike, was absent from the Princess and present only in the half-Emperor.
11. National wedding
"Have you completed the books to be handed over to Lady Jamela?"
"Yes, Princess."
Courtier Paltz smiled.
"It’s nice that the Princess cares about lady of Winston.”
"It's only natural, isn't it, since she'll be Empress in a little while?"
Raha checked the ledger one last time. It was a record of the imperial family's expenses, something Raha had been checking all along. A thick ledger that would be completely Jamela's domain in a few days. Raha would never check it again.
"Princess!"
When she returned to the palace, Oliver was waiting for her. Raha smirked as he rushed to her side.
Today was the day of Raha's routine examination.
Oliver checked Raha's pulse as usual as soon as she sat down in the chair. The young doctor was so eager to check on Raha's health, she was used to the hustle and bustle.
Slowly, she opened her closed eyes.
"......?"
Raha blinked her eyes open.
Oliver's face was too close. The boy leaned in, his not-quite-sized frame peering intently into Raha's eyes.
His brow narrowed strangely.
Not much time passed. Too close for comfort, Oliver slowly withdrew his upper body from Raha's eyes.
Like a child firmly grumpy about something, or an intellectual seeker unable to grasp an unreasonable concept. Oliver opened his lips.
"Princess."
"Yes."
"I really don't like people who use magic for evil."
"Really?"
Raha smirked.
"Me neither."
She had p felt it before, but Oliver was indeed a genius. He must have read the traces of magic left in her eyes.
Raha's vision was crystal clear.
She never went blind again after that day. She never saw Karzen again, and in fact, even if she wanted to, she couldn't afford to now.
That was not to say that Blake hadn’t sought her out, either. From what she had heard, Duke Blake was actually serving as High Priest Amar himself. It was actually to keep an eye on him.
She wondered why Karzen had blinded her.
A warning?
Or mockery.
Or was it...... a foreshadowing of something?
"Magic.......”
Raha remembered what Severo had said to her when he was alive.
He knew Karzen hated her. He knew it all too well, in those expansive eyes.
And from the moment Karzen touched her, those eyes began to go strange....... Barely regaining her senses, Raha realized one thing.
Was Karzen trying to use magic to blind her?
Why? Did he have to go to such lengths to get her?
Was that why he had hastily grafted his unfinished magic onto her?
For a moment, Raha's breathing slowed.
Was Rosain a magical sacrifice, then?
And if so, was that what all the slaves had been for?
Raha pondered Severo's words and Karzen's demeanor, then looked up. The maid had entered the room, looking perplexed.
"What is it?"
"Princess. The Queen has just arrived at the Palace."
"......?"
"I've escorted her to the parlor, but....... What shall we do?"
Raha furrowed her brow slightly at the unexpected news. The Second Queen was the only one of the former Emperor's consorts who retained the title of 'First Empress' in the Imperial Palace.
Why did she suddenly come to see her?
* * *
"Princess. You look really good in your gown."
The maids puffed their cheeks in satisfaction.
She gazed into the mirror rimmed with turquoise jewels. Today, Raha was dressed differently than usual, in a dress that exuded solemnity. The cream-colored dress was emblazoned with the Delharsa sigil in gold thread and stood up high at the collar.
It was one of the regalia worn by full-blooded royalty in formal settings.
"Prime. Why don't you choose one of these for your necklace?"
When wearing regalia, every piece of jewelry was strictly designated. But the royal gown Raha was wearing now allowed her to wear any jewelry, as long as it was formal.
Raha asked.
"You want me to choose?"
"This is the best we could come up with......."
The maids, carrying more than two dozen boxes, stuttered.
But only in tone. The usually calm and quiet maids' faces were unusually bright today. Even Raha couldn't help but laugh.
"The queen must think I have a thousand heads."
The jewelry that filled one of the great rooms of the Princess’s palace had all been brought in last night by Hildes’ servants. No distinction was made between tribute and gift.
If they were Hildes’ servants, so be it. The sender was Shed Hildes.
It was bizarre, and it was like a childish prank in a romance novel.......
Raha shifted her gaze to the jewelry that was clearly from Hildes. The thought of Shed, who hadn't said a word to her the entire time, and who had brought back a staggering amount of jewelry that looked like he'd plundered a pirate's treasure island, filled her with excitement.
He'd even said he couldn't think of anything worthy of her.
Raha looked at the necklaces the maids had laid out and reached for a diamond necklace.
Necklaces worn with gowns had their own set of rules. It had to have a large main gemstone in the center, and it had to be surrounded by gems of the same type.
The diamond necklace around her neck sparkled with brilliance. Raha, wearing a bracelet and ring that were also part of a set, glanced out the window.
"There's no need to come out."
"Yes, Princess."
She climbed into the carriage that had been waiting for her. As they left the palace, which was as secluded and peaceful as a fairy forest, they soon heard the sound of a loud firecracker.
It wasn't long before the carriage came to a stop.
"Welcome, Princess."
Raha stepped out of the carriage, escorted by a chamberlain from the main palace. From the moment she stepped out of the carriage-no, from the moment her carriage came into view-there were hundreds of eyes on her.
She didn't care if they were stares, for to her, the stares of nobles were as natural as rain in summer and snow in winter, but she forced a modest smile and looked up at the sunny sky.
The weather was unusually nice, even from the palace.
"It's a beautiful day."
"Yes, Princess."
The chamberlain escorting Raha replied.
"It's perfect weather for the ceremony."
The national wedding was in three days.
And today was the day for the ceremony of releasing the silver-feathered birds into the sky in anticipation of the wedding.
Birds were the messengers of the gods and had long been recognized as the link between heaven and earth. It was a fitting ceremony for the Delharsa imperial family, who had been favored by the gods and granted the Eye of the Expanse.
Raha sat at the head of the throne, watching the backs of Karzen and Jamela as they ascended the altar.
They, too, wore pristine white gowns embroidered with imperial symbols in gold thread. Their gowns glistened in the spring sunlight. At first glance, their backs were flawless.
They looked perfect.
Raha had met Jamela a few more times since that day-after what happened to Rosain.
The empress was still absent from the palace, and their marriage was near.
"His Majesty has ordered..... that no one will be allowed to retrieve the remains of Rosain......number 197."
"Yes."
"......."
"That's what I was ordered, my lady Jamela."
"......I see."
From that day forward, Jamela said only what was necessary. Her words had reduced significantly.
Thus, she was a very perfect empress.
Raha shifted her gaze to Karzen's hair. Unlike her own, the sea-blue hair was short enough to cover his neck.
Then Raha shifted her gaze to the other side. Aside from the royalty of Delo, the man sitting in the highest seat was, of course, Shed.
As soon as Raha's gaze landed on Shed, he looked like he wanted to devour her. There was some distance between them, even with the wide dais between them.
Due to the order of the ceremony, she had not yet spoken to him personally today. She had only glimpsed him earlier.
Raha deliberately scanned Shed’s face slowly, enjoying the way his eyes remained fixed on her.
Then, suddenly, her eyes locked on a spot.
It was the decorative tassel on the hilt of the sword at Shed’s waist.
A small smile almost escaped her lips in this solemn setting.
A sharp-eyed noble would recognize the sapphire dangling from the tassel as the one Raha had removed from the bracelet she often wore.
By now, some nobles had already noticed that Raha and Shed were staring at each other.
By nature, royalty was the center of attention.
Raha tore her gaze away from Shed and turned back to the altar.
The silver birds soaring through the air were beautiful. A single feather fell with a swish and landed on the altar.
****
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