Chapter 8. Become as pure as the day of sacrifice
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Sponsored by Curufin. Thank you ❤️ (2/8)
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As soon as the attendant left, Doa said,
"Hmph, it looks like she's almost healed, so maybe you can stop asking high ranking people like me to do frivolous things like explore the North Palace and see for yourself at the banquet."
Kayan arched an eyebrow and was about to make a comment, but Doa quickly interrupted.
"By the way, speaking of Gakhran."
Doa flipped open a fairly detailed map of the Elmir capital and briefed his superior.
"Based on our investigation, the location of Gakhran's alleged lair is here, in the area marked on the map."
As soon as he saw it, a sharp flash lit up Kayan's eyes.
One of the reasons Kayan had come here himself was to capture the rebels who had gone into hiding in Elmir.
While most Elmirs assumed that the Anut had come to rob them of their riches with all manner of viciousness, there was a more important purpose.
Doa pointed to the new location again.
"But given the likelihood of this being a cover story, this is the next most likely place, at least one of them."
The traitor was a master at hiding like a ghost, leaving false traces of his hiding place here and there.
Kayan looked down at the map, his face visibly serious.
Doa, who had been staring at him, spoke up cautiously.
"I, uh, Master Kayan."
"..."
"Do you think it's okay to act on your own like this, without reporting to the headquarters?"
Doa pursed his lips as if hesitating whether or not to speak.
"What do you want to say?"
For a rare moment, Kayan allowed Doa to speak, and color came to his face.
"This is really for your own good, Master Kayan, but Emperor Hashad has ordered you to keep your hands off this matter, and in any case, you're here as a diplomatic envoy, not a pursuer, and you shouldn't forget that."
There was no reply, which Doa took to mean that Kayan agreed with him.
Then Doa began to chatter excitedly, like fish out of water.
"Hmph, now that you mention it, it's not like we're going to get punished if we can't capture him, he's just an old man running around trying to live off the land."
"..."
"And Master Kayan, you have a habit of causing trouble. Don't you know that the higher the person you mess with, the more people below you die? This is the problem with people who have been walking on solid ground thanks to their innate abilities. You’ve been wandering around the outskirts and taking a long-awaited break, but why do you really have to step forward and do something…”
Doa, who was timid and grumpy, putting Anut's words of "black wolf" to shame, without realizing it, began to blurt out his true feelings at rapid fire.
Kayan was still staring down at Doa, his face expressionless.
"Go on."
Doa pouted, belatedly noticing Kayan's sullen mood.
"If you're a warrior of Anut, hunting down traitors is something you're supposed to do, and it's not like you're going to let the enemy get away with it. Yes, I know."
Doa sighed, plopping down on the couch beside him.
"But even if we do manage to capture Gakhran, we'll be accused of disobeying the Emperor. I'm sure you're aware of that, Master Kayan....... His Majesty has changed a bit."
Doa said no more, but Kayan knew what he wanted to say.
Hashad had been deliberately keeping the Black Wolf forces in check ever since he ascended the throne.
He'd declared a policy of mass reconciliation because he didn't want Kayan to rise to prominence and be hailed as a hero.
The retention of Emperor Raquil was only a good excuse to prevent a backlash from the Black Wolf warriors.
This was evidenced by the fact that even when all fighting ceased, the officials of the border provinces used the excuse of keeping Kayan away from the center.
Furthermore, he blatantly excluded Kayan from important matters such as putting down the rebellion.
"Gakhran was a key player in the rebellion, so Anut's elite army went after him with all their might, but they were always one step behind, if you know what I mean."
Kayan was almost certain there was a mole in the center helping Gakhran.
He had the good excuse of being Elmir’s diplomatic envoy, so there was no reason to hesitate.
Understanding Kayan's meaning, Doa nodded reluctantly.
"Anyone who disturbs Anut must be dealt with. Do not make me say it again."
"But I will, Master Kayan."
Doa rolled his eyes once more.
"What else?"
"Nothing."
Doa wanted to ask Kayan what he would do if there came a time in the future when he would irrevocably go against Emperor Hashad.
But Doa decided not to ask that awkward question.
They'd never really talked about it, but he already knew Kayan's answer.
***
Ihedia, with renewed energy, came out with support for the first time in a long time.
Her back was starting to ache from being in bed all the time.
She was sure that Charlotte, who had been away for a while, would chase her around and yell at her when she returned, but she wanted to get out and get some fresh air rather than stay in bed.
Ihedia glanced down at the wilted flowers.
The red petals, dried up without pollinators, looked like they would fall to the ground at any moment.
It was brave enough to stay in place against the occasional breeze, but its precarious shape made her feel like she was seeing a reflection of herself.
"Ha."
Another wave of dizziness swept over her and she swayed.
To her dismay, she decided to sit quietly on the bench.
It was a simple freedom she didn't have at her disposal, and it seemed to lift her sinking spirits.
Then, not far away, she heard the sound of familiar voices. It was Charlotte and her court attendants.
“Why are you sneaking around like a mouse? I told you not to wander around carelessly!”
Charlotte's angry voice assaulted her eardrums.
She was the daughter of Lord Gordon, Queen Lena's servant.
Her reasons for joining the Northern Court were obvious.
To be the eyes and ears of the queen.
"Are your ears plugged? Why aren't you answering me?"
Charlotte, trusting her family and the queen's backing, was terribly disrespectful to Ihedia, the daughter of the first king.
She didn’t know if it was the queen's orders or her own arrogance, but Charlotte always acted as if she was in charge.
Whether she did or not, she always treated Ihedia with disrespect, sometimes pinching her or pushing her down.
Ihedia ignored Charlotte as if she were used to it, and turned to the queen's attendant.
"What's going on?"
“The Queen gave you an order to attend a dinner with Lord Bayate today."
Here we go again.
She felt nauseous at how obviously the Queen was trying to associate her with the vile Kayan Bayate.
Perhaps lying motionless in bed with broken bones would have been heaven.
The rumors surrounding the day's events were so ugly that even the King and Queen, who would normally be in a rage at her actions, let it slide this time without reprimand.
This was to be expected.
In fact, Queen Lena even sent a competent healer to the North Palace to tend to Ihedia.
Her recovery was hastened by advanced medicines and advanced healing magic that she wouldn't normally have access to.
With Lena's unwilling help, her hopes of staying invisible long enough for the Anutt emissaries to return home were dashed.
"You should go get dressed."
The queen's palace attendant said in a high-pressure manner.
Now she understood why Queen Lena was so intent on her treatment.
She had bought Kayan's wrath--if not actually thrown her out of the window--with the intention of bringing the woman to him again.
The Princess had come into Kayan's bedchamber and come out injured, but the Queen wasn't about to give up.
Or perhaps the Queen was just looking for satisfaction in seeing the Princess treated so harshly by the barbarians.
Lena has taken great pleasure in humiliating her in so many ways since she became a member of the Elmir royal family.
Ihedia had once considered Lena her best friend.
Ihedia bit her lip and turned to leave.
For a moment, her vision blurred.
"Right now, my head is ringing and I can't even......."
"Don't be silly, you've been resting a lot."
Charlotte chimed in with a glance at Ihedia.
When she swayed again, Charlotte grabbed her wrist in an irritated gesture.
Ihedia arched an eyebrow as her legs wobbled even more.
She shoved Charlotte away from her painfully tight grip on her wrist.
"Rude."
"If you keep acting like this, I'm going to ask Her Majesty for a golden decree, you’ve been there, you know. You won't have a drink of water for three days."
"Get out of my way. I'll go on my own."
Ihedia cleared her throat and slowly stepped away.
Even at a glance, her gait was somewhat unsteady, but Charlotte snorted.
The attendants reluctantly brought the poor princess to the bathroom.
Once inside, she saw the courtiers lined up in front of the huge tub.
Ihedia was dragged helplessly along with their ministrations.
Washing, applying, spritzing. With delicate motions, like dressing an expensive doll, they transformed her into something else.
She turned her head slightly to look in the mirror and saw that she was as fair as the day she had been placed in front of Anut's bedchamber that night.
Though in her own eyes, she was a mere clown in fake jewelry.
After a long day of makeup torture, they reached the royal banquet hall.
The attendant at the door announced Ihedia's arrival and opened the door wide.
Ihedia's eyes caught sight of Kayan, sitting at the head of the long table, his eyes as dry as the desert.
***
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