Who is the Fake Bride? (26)

“Your Majesty!”

Erita suddenly opened the door and checked upon the person who had just entered before she hurriedly made up a sad expression.

“I can finally see you again now, Your Majesty. It was getting late at night, so I thought I wouldn’t be able to see you again today and I became extremely sad.”

She approached him with a wistful look along with her hands neatly folded. Kergel just stared at Erita in silence.

‘I’m sure he’s already being swayed by me.’

Erita raised her mouth as she was convinced that the reason why he came late at night and looked for her without saying anything had been all because he already held her in his heart.

Then, she touched her chest and spoke in another mournful voice.

“Why did we have to be so different? If only I had plucked my courage up just a little sooner…… wahh—”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence at all when she could only step back and fall right upon her backside. It was all because of the fact that he had unsheathed the sword from his waist and aimed it straight at her.

“Yo, Your Majesty?”

“Get out of here right now.”

“What? What does that even mean?”

Erita busily moved her blue eyes and tried to figure out what he was currently thinking. However, Kergel only said it repeatedly with a cold and sombre look.

“Get out of here right now. Not only you, but the whole delegation as well. I was going to wait until dawn, but it was so disgusting that I wasn’t able to bear it any longer.”

“Hey—I’m disgusting? Are you really saying that I’m actually disgusting?”

Erita shuddered and instantly rose to tears at his harsh words.

“What’s the matter, Princess? No, Your Majesty?”

At that moment, Count McGree had opened the door and entered as if there had been a disturbance outside. Erita protested a little more proudly towards Kergel, apparently she was encouraged by the Count’s appearance.

“What do you mean, get out? How could you even say that? Can an Empire be so rude to a certain nation’s delegation?”

“You were the first one that had been rude. You insulted my wife as well as insulted me.”

“When did we ever do that?”

Erita shook her voice once again. Count McGree, who was merely looking at the situation, immediately intervened in the conversation.

“Yes! Isn’t it Your Majesty who distorted the good will of the Princess who was about to reveal the truth? And what’s more, you’re now in a woman’s room at this late hour and acting all violent! Even a ruffian wouldn’t do anything like this!”

Count McGree raised his voice. It was after his calculation that no matter how barbaric and ignorant the Emperor of Seroif, the relationship between the two countries could never be ignored anyway. Even for an Empire that was currently occupying half of the continent, it would still be dangerous to pretend to be at odds with one country after all.

However, the Count’s expectations were shattered by the Emperor’s words that soon followed.

“If you don’t want to be the enemy of Seroif, you’d better get out of here. I’m barely holding back the desire to get rid of the entire Rakain anyway. You’d better not rush to test my patience. Don’t you wish to simply return with your life still intact?”

Kergel pointed at the Count with the sword that was aimed at the Princess before. Count McGree broke out in cold sweat over his life against the sword, which seemed to pierce his throat at any moment.

“Your Majesty, it’s too much of a tall order to ask them to leave right now.”

Then, there was a voice that had seemingly saved him. The contemplated Count turned his head in the direction of the said voice. Heinez, a silver-haired man, was approaching with a calm look.

“Lo, Lord Bashel…”

“Tell them to leave at least after daybreak. Moreover, if they leave now, the courtiers of the Imperial Palace will then have a hard time sleeping, so please have mercy for the courtiers’ comfortable sleep instead.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then, there’s nothing I can do. I shouldn’t be interrupting my people’s sleep, no? So, leave as soon as the day breaks. If you still don’t leave after that, I’ll just deport you.”

After a natural conversation with Heinez, Kergel opened his mouth as if he had just shown mercy. Then, he simply turned away.

“Wait a minute!”

Erita, who had been trembling and unable to speak until then, called him out. Kergel frowned before looking back at her.

“What about me that is worse than that girl, are you rejecting me? They say I have the same face, but I’m no match for that skinny, ugly little girl! Even if she’s of Royal Blood, she didn’t even have a proper education……”

“You reek, unlike her.”

“What?”

“She has the scent of a lovely flower, unlike you, who reeks like rotten garbage. As you say, you and her are never to be compared with. How can I compare her to you?”

Kergel turned again while laughing coldly. He could hear that Erita was screaming and cursing behind his back, but he didn’t even give a single care at all.

He just wanted to go and see Roelin as soon as possible.

* * *

“Shall we prepare the bath water?”

“Sure.”

Roelin slowly closed the book that she was reading and rose from her seat. Then, she glanced at the door as if she was waiting for someone.

“His Majesty will be a little bit late. He needs to take care of something prior.”

“Oh… is that so?”

After Silloa went out to prepare the bath, Lucy politely spoke. Roelin blushed as if she had suddenly been caught. Lucy, who was staring at the scene, eventually bowed with a faint smile.

“The bath is ready, Empress.”

Then, Silloa entered back. Roelin nodded slightly while being embarrassed, then hurried to the bathroom.

“I have a hunch that something good will happen soon.”

Lucy looked at Roelin who headed towards the bathroom and muttered to herself. It was said that it would be the day when the tremendous truth of the ‘companion’ were to be revealed, but rather, it seemed to be an opportunity to bring good luck as well.

“The Empress seemed to have built a wall for some reason against the Emperor, but now, it feels like it has already disappeared. No, it’s not that much, but I can say that the two of them have now honestly opened up their hearts altogether.”

The old woman’s eyes were showing such fresh feelings. Even when they didn’t really realize it themselves yet.

Lucy smiled contentedly and headed to make her bed. At that very moment, the door suddenly opened.

“Have you already finished taking a bath…… Oh, Your Majesty!”

It was Kergel who opened the door and entered. She didn’t expect him to have already arrived since she had gotten a message that he would be late because he had something to take care of. Lucy then rushed back with her hands together.