CH 46

“This.”

Nathaniel looked into the rose and was pricked in the hand by a rose thorn.

“Your Holiness! Are you okay?”

A long line of priests next to him brought white silk handkerchiefs and quickly handed them out to him. Nathaniel smiled lightly and received a silk handkerchief and wrapped it around his finger.

“Your Holiness, hurry and heal…”

“That’s enough, that’s enough. It’s only a rose thorn. What a fuss.”

Nathaniel shook his hand and dismissed people. Except for Nathaniel, there was only one person left.

“Julienne, I’m hurt.”

Nathaniel spoke in a childish voice and stood in front of the blindfolded woman. The woman opened her mouth. Nathaniel put a finger with a rose thorn into Julienne’s mouth.

“Julienne, as expected, you are, ha…You have a really kind heart.”

Nathaniel’s face flushed red. He let out a shaky breath. After sucking the blood from Nathaniel’s finger for a long time, Julienne pushed his finger away with her tongue.

“Julienne?”

Nathaniel called her. Julienne’s blindfolded eyes turned to Nathaniel.

“…A wizard has died, Holy Father.”

“Ah…”

After a while, the words that came out of Julienne’s mouth were enough to plunge Nathaniel’s good mood to the floor.

“Another one is about to die.”

“Can you see it?”

Julienne nodded.

“What else do you see?”

Nathaniel asked in a sweet voice, contrary to his cold face. He stroked Julienne’s cheek.

“It’s a black and blue dragon.”

Erhardt and Cartina.

“This. Should I also have gone to war then?”

Rodrigo’s plan to go directly to the battlefield changed when he met Estiya. Estiya knew that moving could be dangerous. Julienne said nothing. Nathaniel stroked her delicate chin.

“I’ll have to change the way.”

Nathaniel raised one corner of his mouth. That mean laughter was quite different from the reputation of the most merciful Pope since the birth of the Empire.

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***

Rodrigo’s interrogation continued until dawn. Having not received much information from Blanche, I fell asleep while waiting for Rodrigo.

“Wake up, Estiya.”

I opened my eyes to the touch that poked me in the cheek.

“Is it over?”

Rodrigo nodded when asked in a half-asleep voice.

“Did you find out something?”

My muscles clamored when I got up from lying face-down on the desk. I asked, stretching my body. Rodrigo shook his head.

“Dead.”

“What? Did you kill him?”

Rodrigo’s eyebrows narrowed at my words. He swept his face with his hand. With a very tired face, he said the same thing over and over again.

“Dead.”

“Didn’t you put a cloth in his mouth?”

“In questioning… Oh, he didn’t bite his tongue.”

“Then?”

“Would you believe me if I told you he got old in an instant?”

I said more explanation was needed, and Rodrigo glanced at Blanche, who had fallen asleep on the floor, and led me to the sofa. We sat side by side on the sofa.

“If you’re tired, you can lie down and listen.”

Rodrigo slapped his thigh.

“Never mind. I think you should lie down?”

Feeling offended that my stamina had been neglected, I immediately struck back.

“Well, excuse me.”

It wasn’t until Rodrigo suddenly laid down on my thigh that I realized that his words were genuine considerations.

“Rodrigo!”

He put more strength into his head, worried that I might push him away or something.

“I won’t push you away, so relax. It’s heavy.”

His head became lighter.

“He was quite cooperative. It’s just that he only talks about what he wants to talk about, and skips what’s important.“

Rodrigo told the talk he had with Bandula. That there are quite a few other crazy wizards. All they found out was that there were several others in the Veloki Kingdom besides them, and that there were people who paid them quite large donations.

“I said I could give him more money.”

“And then?”

“He was delighted with a bright face.”

“Then?”

“Dead.”

“All of a sudden?”

Rodrigo closed his eyes. Rodrigo covered his eyes with his forearms.

“Suddenly, his face began to wrinkle and his black hair turned white. Age spots bloomed on his face and his skin became rough, and then he dried out and popped to the side.”

“Was he in pain?”

“Not at all.”

Is it not a curse or some kind of black magic or anything like that?

“I guess that the time he had been holding on for a long time flowed all at once.”

“What?”

Rodrigo got up.

“It’s already been 25 years since crazy wizards appeared. They were pretty good wizards, so they must be pretty old at this time.”

According to Erhard’s record at the time, that was the case.

“But what about the wizards we met?”

“They were quite young. I guess they’re in their 30s?”

“I think they’ve figured out the magic to restore youth.”

“What’s the price of magic?”

“You can’t stop aging at all. If mana runs out, won’t aging progress as fast as the time they reversed it?”

Rodrigo’s guess was plausible.

“What I’m worried about is.”

Rodrigo laughed bitterly.

“There has been no one, who has been interested in eternal life since the beginning, that is a good person.”

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I nodded in agreement with him.

“I feel like I have one more thing to do.”

“Does it feel like you have more homework after you came to do your homework?”

Rodrigo laughed as if he liked my analogy.

“Get some sleep, we have more time.”

“We have to go see His Majesty Frans.”

I shook my head.

“They are already monitoring our every move. Blanche and Bandula all knew that we met your Highness.”

Our plan fell flat.

“There will be more ways.”

Rodrigo clenched his fists as if not to give up.

Oh, this man was such a man.

He was a person who burned with more fighting spirit in difficult situations.

“Hmm, if I have to meet you, I’ll call Your Majesty out.”

I trusted him and decided to help him. I had to look good to Rodrigo anyway, so it was a given for me to help him.

“How?”

Rodrigo asked.

I nodded to Blanche.

“His opposition is in our hands.”

I smiled and looked through Blanche’s table. I wrote a letter and took out his seal and pressed it firmly on top of it. The letter was delivered to Anheine. Anheine, who had just been called from sleep, had her eyes filled with sleepiness.

“Can you help us, Miss Anheine?”

Anheine accepted the letter without saying a word. The letter crossed the walls of the royal castle early in the morning, and around lunchtime, the king’s carriage arrived in front of the Blanche mansion.

***

We released Blanche. Having lost two wizards and several knights, Blanche lost the will to fight us.

“I can’t cooperate.”

There must be someone behind his back who supports the crazy wizards. His position was fully understood. Rodrigo silently kicked his calf. Blanche staggered.

“Don’t make me regret keeping you alive.”

Rodrigo’s cool words weren’t directed at me, I got goosebumps. I took Rodrigo’s hand, thinking that his calm anger was scarier.

“Your Majesty is waiting.”

We led Blanche to the drawing room where Frans was waiting.

“Sir Blanche, no matter how great you may be as a minister of the kingdom, how dare you come to me, the king……. Sir Rodrigo!”

Frances groaned as if he was very offended that Blanche had called him to the west, and later found Rodrigo and me.

Then he pushed the tired-looking Blanche and hugged Rodrigo.

“I was worried because I didn’t hear from you after you went there.”

With Fran’s worried tone and delighted face, I wondered for a moment whether Rodrigo was popular with men. Come to think of it, everyone but Cartina and the Imperial family liked him.

Recalling that everyone was hoping for Rodrigo’s success, but the Imperial family and Cartina were afraid and refused to help him, I bent my knees slightly to Frans and sat down on the sofa.

The two of you, well, let’s continue your touching reunion.

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Blanche also stood by his side.

“Your Majesty, please take your seat now.”

“Sure, Sir Rodrigo.”

The hot breakup between the two men, which I thought would be longer, was quickly over because of Rodrigo’s simple words. Blanche called his butler to serve tea.

“Without the poison.”

I added with a bright smile to the butler who turned around. The butler’s back trembled greatly. Now the servants of Blanche’s mansion were terrified. It was rumored that a mysterious man suddenly appeared and took control of Blanche’s mansion.

Well, from their point of view, Rodrigo would feel like a monster. The first thing he touched was Blanche.

The butler soon served the tea. I took out the silver needle I carried in my arms, stirred it, and held out a teacup to Frans and Rodrigo. Frans’ eyes narrowed.

“What does Sir Rodrigo’s lover do?”

Frans whispered in Rodrigo’s ear.

“I’m Estiya Cartina.”

This should explain enough, right?

Watching Frans’ cheek muscles stiffen, I drank the tea.

“I don’t even have to check Lord Blanche’s teacup, do I?”

There’s no way you can poison your master. Blanche moved his mouth to and fro displeasedly and picked up the teacup.

“Cartina interferes with my business repeatedly… … Isn’t it an enemy family?”

I can hear you. Well, maybe because he was born a prince, he doesn’t know what to do.

I turned my eyes away to pretend I didn’t hear it as much as I could.

“Your Majesty, this is not the time to wonder about my lover. The kingdom seems to be in a rather troublesome conspiracy. And that’s not a good thing for me either.”

Hearing Rodrigo’s words, Frans then threw himself back and put his hands on his stomach.

“We questioned the crazy wizards going to battle with Veloki’s full strength. Their existence was known to have disappeared. Furthermore, collecting crazy wizards is forbidden on the continent. Considering the nature of Your Majesty, it could never happen.”

“Of course.”

Frans smiled as if moved by Rodrigo’s trust in him. Rodrigo paused for a moment and then resumed.

“That’s why I sensed that there was a problem with the Kingdom of Veloki and visited Your Majesty.”

“You must have been surprised that I was in confinement when you came.”

“It’s not confinement, Your Majesty!”

Blanche interrupted. When Frans stared at him with cold eyes, Blanche faced them for a long time before turning his head.

Wow, if it was a real empire, I’d lose my voice. How dare he look at the emperor with his eyes wide open, while rebuking him for his own wrongdoing. I mean, it’s a call to kill him. Is King Francis that weak? Didn’t they say that he killed all the brothers above him and became king?

It’s something you never know.

“Yes, it is. His Majesty was in captivity and a nobleman named Blanche was suspected, so we tried to investigate him. Then he contacted us first. In a way that’s not quite gentlemanly.”

I remember being kidnapped. When I applied strength without realizing it, the teaspoon that I was trying to stir sugar with was bent.

“Oh my! I’ll pay for the teaspoon separately.”

I put the bent teaspoon on the surface and picked up Rodrigo’s teaspoon

“Can I use it?”

“As much as you like.”

Rodrigo replied kindly. Frans and Blanche looked at us for a long time with absurd faces.

“Two crazy wizards are dead, and the only thing left is Sir Blanche.”

“Then do I have to kill this guy?”

Frances stood up. He exuded a faint energy as if he was going to kill Blanche immediately. Rodrigo shook his head.

“Estiya and I have different ideas, Your Grace. Let Sir Blanche be king.”

Blanche sprang to his feet with two fists clenched.

“Don’t say that!”

Blanche exclaimed. Frans beckoned to sit down.

“Your Majesty those guys are disrespectfully… “

Who has already committed blasphemy? Seeing Blanche on a rampage, I burst into laughter. Estiya looked at Blanche and turned her head to the left.

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“Take it when we give it to you. It’s not a place to sit for a long time, so please enjoy it to your heart’s content.”

Blanche’s face turned from white to blue. Whether Blanche’s jaw dropped or not, I ignored the startled man and told Rodrigo our plan.

“At this rate, Your Majesty will be held accountable for everything, so I think Blanche, who committed the crime, should take responsibility. To do that, he has to take the responsibility. Your Majesty, say that you will step down to take responsibility for the prolonged war.”

TL/N: See the conversation they had with Frans in Chapter 43

“Aren’t the people of the kingdom not going to stand still?”

The question of Frans was valid but wrong.

“Unexpectedly, they are not interested in the situation of the palace.”

Because changing the king doesn’t change them.

It didn’t matter to them whether Frans was king or Blanche was king. As long as they don’t tyrannize.

“There will be a backlash from the nobility.”

Blanche said.

“Do you really think so?”

I asked back with a smile. Blanche shut his mouth. It’s disgusting to see him pretending to be for Frans after making all the nobles on his side.

“Once Your Majesty goes down, you can’t climb again…….”

“If that’s the case, don’t worry about it. The Emperor won’t stand still.”

Rodrigo smiled awkwardly at my words. Are you saying you don’t agree with me?

But I believed I was right. The emperor will never sit back and watch a nobleman become king. Once a non-royal person has a throne, anyone dreams of possibility.

“And we will give the emperor a justification.”

Rodrigo drove in a wedge.

So you are dead, this is it.

“I think I’ll cooperate with this plan!”

Blanche exclaimed.

“I’m going to die anyway!” I’d rather die here with honor!”

Honor? Where did this kinky bastard get the honor in his mouth?

Rodrigo quickly pulled the teacup out of my hand.

“Don’t break the cup, Estiya. You’ll hurt your hand.”

He worried about me even in this situation. Whether I should be moved by the consistency, I couldn’t come up with a proper reaction because I couldn’t get a hold of it for a while.

“What if I die?”

That was then. Anheine jumped out of the small bathroom attached to the drawing room.

Wow, was he hiding there?

I looked at Anheine again with great eyes. She hid only because she was curious about this conversation, but to me, it felt like the fate of her and Rodrigo. The needle goes to the thread, this feeling?

“Anheine!”

Blanche’s voice rose infinitely.

Soprano, go away.

TL/N: LMAO she’s hilarious.

I am ready to enjoy the dramatic tale of two women*.

TL/N: I think it’s cause Blanche’s voice rose like a high note

“If you commit a crime, get punished! You deserve to take responsibility! If you don’t, I’ll die.”

Knowing how much he valued his bloodline, which he thought would never be possible, I thought Blanche would eventually accept our proposal.

“Anheine, for your sake…… It’s hard for a woman to live alone in a kingdom. I just wanted to give you a huge fortune and power that no one would ever hand over.”

Blanche’s excuses, which could not be heard without tears, continued. Rodrigo tossed and turned uncomfortably, and Frans smirked as if absurd.

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What about me?

Either way, I drank tea.

Having said that he was the highest nobleman in the kingdom, his tea was quite luxurious, I appreciated the beauty of it.

“Is that for me? I don’t want that! I want to live an honorable life even if I’m poor!”

She was really immature. No, like a heroine, she was just, kind, and innocent. But living a second life, or even a second life where I, unfortunately, fell into the novel, was nothing more than an immature sound to me.

Do you even know what poverty is?

“Ah, it’s hard to listen anymore.”

Frans intervened between the two women.

“Oh my, Your Majesty. Forgive the disloyalty.”

Anheine, who was excitedly talking and raising her blood, hurriedly wiped her tears and belatedly greeted Frans.

“It’s okay. I am glad to know that you have a different mindset than your father.”

Hey, hey. Because she’s a heroine. Look at the average aristocrat young lady showing such a dominating* demeanor. It’s a piece of cake.

TL/N: Anheine’s attitude towards the Majesty

“Are you tired?”

Rodrigo talked to me when my mind was twisted.

“Are you only looking at me?”

Rodrigo smiled and nodded when I replied harshly as if he had been caught in a narrow space.

“Now do you know?”

Acting all the time.

I pushed him away as he came closer and looked at Frans, Blanche, and Anheine.

“Kill me, Your Majesty. My father’s disloyalty cannot be washed away by his death alone, and I deserve to die, too.”

Anheine knelt down.

“No, Your Majesty! My daughter has nothing to do with this!”

It’s really tearful. The new wave* should be appropriate, too, and I get tired of watching it all the time. I got up from my seat and walked towards Frans.

TL/N: *soap opera; melodrama: A popular play about the customs, love, sad stories, etc., of an era

“May I meddle in the affairs of the Kingdom of Veloki?”

I’m also shameless because I’ve already intervened.

“Yes, you may.”

Is it because I’m Rodrigo’s lover? Frans boosted me as if he were raising Rodrigo.

“We will hold Miss Anheine hostage so that Lord Blanche will not have any other thoughts. Until this is over.”

“You wicked…”

Blanche couldn’t finish his sentence. Because Rodrigo kicked him in the back.

“Didn’t I tell you that being rude to Estiya is unforgivable?”

Blanche fainted, whether Rodrigo had failed to control his strength or was weakened by a series of shocking things. So, without the consent of the parties – although it would be strange to have an agreement with the criminal – our plan passed.

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“Your Majesty can lead your forces and live in a villa in the capital.”

“You don’t have to worry about my own business, Sir Rodrigo.”

“The war… …we will win.”

“Yes, sir”

Rodrigo was about to take the head of the minister responsible for the defense of the Veloki Kingdom while he was here.

“I will issue the order to regroup the entire army. That will be the last one I will make as king.”

Frans looked bitter.

“You’re taking a break. Please survive.”

The king who stepped back will not be left alone by the new king’s powers. Perhaps Frans will meet countless assassins. He is taking risks and joining our plan.

The person who suffered the least damage here is Anheine after all.

She blushed with delight at the fact that she was leaving Blanche’s side and coming with us. I turned my head to look at Anheine, who was delighted like a girl—Anheine and I were girls anyway.

The sun was setting.

“It’s time to go back.”

Rodrigo nodded at my words.

TL/N: Omg this whole part was bloody long. I couldn’t find the right spot to end this chapter so i just had to translate on and on hahaha. This chapter ended up being about 11 pages LMAO. ML made me FL tends to be around 6-7 pages just for comparison.