Chapter 9: 9

love or deception (8)

Translated by Wook
Edited by Wook

 

“Yes? Already?”

 

Someone rushed into the room and whispered to Belson.

 

Belson nodded his head as if he understood then looked up to the emperor.

 

The emperor was looking at Leah as if he had just lost his entire country.

 

“Your Majesty, there is an urgent message that Duke Vernon has already crossed the gates.”

 

Only then did the emperor flinch.

 

“Already? Oh, what should I do?”

 

They said he’d only cross the gates this late afternoon, how did he cross already this soon?

 

“What should I do, Leah? I have an important meeting today, and it seems like it will arrive sooner than I thought.”

 

The emperor said with a puzzled expression.

 

This appearance was possible only in front of Leah.

 

“What? Is that true?”

 

Then Leah wiggled her butt on the chair.

 

Seeing this, Belson raised his monocle to prepare himself.

 

Well, there’s no way people will change so drastically. What happened so far must be just a dream in the middle of the night.

 

‘We’re going to have another riot.’

 

What kind of person is he who is more important than me? After you became emperor, you changed completely!

 

She will start to struggle and bawl like a shoal of whales.

 

When she was in a particularly bad mood, she’d usually screamed out loud, so much that it was enough to reach the Empress Dowager’s Palace.

 

It was so amazing that Belson viewed the emperor as a great being as he was capable of surviving all that.

 

On the other hand, he could understand why Davan wanted to be as far away as possible from Leah.

 

‘That’s why I hear that she’s the best from the famous Prezis family.’

 

Belson admitted that the late count was a benefactor of the imperial family, but the temperament of the children he gave birth to was just…

 

Needless to say, everyone within the gates of Count Prezis were no ordinary people.

 

First of all, the three brothers, Leah Prezis’ older biological brothers, were terrifying, but not incomprehensible.

 

It was natural for the brothers to unite together as the late countess died after giving birth to Leah, and the late count could not fulfill his duties.

 

Just thinking about them made Belson dizzy.

 

The bigger problem was that Leah beat all of those older brothers.

 

And as if her own biological brothers were not enough, she also beat the Khajans imperial family brothers.

 

‘Still, I was hoping today would pass a little quietly.’

 

Belson shook his head gently.

 

“Whew, alright then. Of course you have to attend. What can I say?”

 

But then, Leah quickly stood up from her seat. She was smiling brighter than ever.

 

“Then I will leave. I hope that you will always be at peace.”

 

Leah bowed down and greeted him, which was totally unlike her. Then she stepped back gently and quickly retreated.

 

“Belson, why isn’t the sky falling down?”

 

The emperor’s, who was looking at Leah’s back, face turned blue.

 

The emperor was asking Belson in a very serious tone. Why is the sky not falling when such a terrible thing has happened.

 

Belson also looked like he couldn’t believe the sight.

 

‘Should I really call that professional sorcerer?’

 

For a moment, Belson thought seriously.

 

***

 

The emperor’s inner chamber was very deep even after passing through the central garden. It was a structure in which you had to walk for a long time to see the outside.

 

The security was so strict that the attendants had to wait outside and could not accompany the guest.

 

‘It’s totally a maze, a maze.”

 

The entire building was a glass castle, so the sunlight shone straight above my head.

 

As I walked through the endless corridor, I could see huge fountains and statues scattered throughout the garden.

 

“Whoo…”

 

As soon as I turned the corner, I finally found an open garden.

 

I muttered, barely stopping my steps.

 

“I’m dead tired.”

 

I didn’t know it would be this hard to take another step forward.

 

A rich skirt line, a wire-fixed dress, a corset that tightens the waist, and in addition, my earlobes were about to rip because of the colorful drop earrings.

 

Most of all, I was exhausted from continuing to deal with difficult people.

 

‘I don’t think I made any mistakes.’

 

I thought of the emperor, who looked dazed, and soon shook my head.

 

“Did I cross from here?”

 

I looked around, but the scene looked unfamiliar. The road felt more complicated because I was guided by Belson when I came. I was confused because they were all similar, but for now, I just moved my feet, trusting it would lead me out.

 

When I finally walked out to the point where I could see a familiar structure.

 

“Neigh—!“

 

“You were quiet until now, why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

 

The entrance to the garden was noisy.

 

Something big enough to shake the leaves of the tree fluttered, and people muttered.

 

‘What’s going on?’

 

I approached cautiously as I could go to the outer palace only after  passing through the side where there was a lot of noise anyway.

 

“It’s getting worse. I can’t bring it in.”

 

“It’s meaningless if we can’t get it to His Majesty after coming all the way here. It’s a black horse brought from the south.”

 

Even from a distance, it was a luxurious black horse with glossy fur.

 

But maybe something was wrong, the horse’s eyes were upside down, and it drooled.

 

“Did someone give it a drink? It looks like it’s drunk.”

 

“Who gives alcohol to horses?”

 

People gathering around the horse quarreled.

 

The oldest among them asked someone inside the carriage.

 

Through the wide open door, a blonde man with his legs crossed could be seen.

 

“Your Grace, what should we do?”

 

The man looked at the staggering black horse slowly once. He was frowning as if he was unhappy with the situation.

 

“Kill it.”

 

Even though I heard it from a distance, it was a voice without any emotion.

 

“But this is His Majesty’s garden. To shed blood here…”

 

“Who told you to do it here? Drag and kill it quietly.”

 

The hesitant servant’s words were cut off by the blonde man at once.

 

No one seemed to be able to beat the momentum of the man. The servants forcibly pulled the horse’s reins.

 

‘I’m sure there’s a reason for that.’

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As I watched the scene, I was just annoyed. If something is sick, you have to find the cause first.

 

Of course, it was not my place to intervene.

 

The moment I tried to turn my back on them to get away quietly.

 

“Neigh—!“

 

The horse shook its mane once more and neighed. When its tear-filled eyes touched mine, I had no choice but to stop walking.

 

Why are its eyes so bright? It weakens a person’s heart.

 

‘I can be considered strange too.’

 

My body moved steadily on its own. My legs brought me closer and closer to where the people were.

 

Obviously I wasn’t a good person, so why am I doing this?

  

 

‘I’ve known that my lady is a warm-hearted girl.’

 

Suddenly, I remembered what Mrs. Susan had said yesterday. Perhaps I was caught in the strange curse she put up.

 

“I think it ate something wrong.”

 

My voice echoed through the forest. Then, the eyes of the gathered people flew towards me.

 

The eyes of the man sitting inside the carriage also turned to me.

 

“Haha, my lady. This is a war horse.”

 

Among them, a large man guarding the front of the group glanced at the direction I came from.

 

“It is different from the horses raised in indoor stables for the admiration of the ladies.”

 

Seeing me coming out of the emperor’s inner room, perhaps he thought I was someone not to be treated recklessly. The man must have found it annoying, but he gave a forced smile nonetheless. 

 

“Ladies who grew up in greenhouses will never see this kind of horse in their lives, let alone deal with them.”

 

The man gripped the horse’s reins firmly once more and said.

 

‘What a show-off.’

 

Who are you to talk about a lady’s birth…

 

There was no way I couldn’t feel the underlying disregard. In a nutshell, the man was asking me, “What do you know about horses?”

 

“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a war horse, so it’s fascinating.”

 

I glanced at that man and opened my mouth.

 

“It’s really unfortunate, but as you can see, we’re not in a situation to show my lady around.”

 

With an arrogant smile on his face, the man beckoned to the outside road. I’m busy, don’t bother me, and go on your way.

 

“Like you said, I read a lot in the greenhouse and manage a lot of plants…”

 

I said while looking down at the area where the horse’s saliva dripped.

 

“I know a little about herbs. May I presumptuously meddle?”

 

When I replied that way, the man blinked as if he were embarrassed.

 

“You can see the spot where the saliva marks are particularly thick.”

 

“…”

 

Only then did the man follow my finger and look down at his feet.

 

At the spot where the yellow flowers that were blooming all over the grass were pulled out in bundles.

 

“It’s a herb called Paracress. It is toxic and tastes strong enough to be used as a natural anesthetic.”

 

I rolled my eyes and looked at the foaming horse.

 

“If it had eaten that much, it would have been paralyzed from mouth to chin.”

 

So this is how the <Herbal and Life Health> class that I forced myself to listen to came in handy!

 

When I saw the man’s face become confused at once, I was amazed at the practicality of science.

 

‘Everyone, you know that tingling feeling when you eat malatang, right? When you eat this herb, you can feel it all over your mouth. It is so powerful that it even paralyzes your toothache.’

[T/N: Malatang (麻辣燙) is a Chinese soup dish in which chili powder are added, with veggies, meat, noodle, tofu, etc as desired, originating from Sichuan, China. It literally means ‘麻numb, 辣 spicy, and 燙hot’]

 

‘Ah. I want to eat malatang…’

 

In particular, I was more familiar with that herb.

 

I remember that I was half-asleep while attending class and my eyes were opened by the word ‘malatang’.

 

“Then what should I do now? Is there any way to cure it?”

 

Finally, the man who had removed that forced smile asked.

 

“It is an herb that is also used medicinally, so it is not life threatening. Rinse its mouth several times with cold water and let it rest for a while.”

 

“Ah, yes. I see. I was worried because it was such a precious horse, now I’m relieved.”

 

The man nodded as if he felt fortunate after listening.

 

“Of course. It’s a rare war horse that can’t be seen once in a lifetime, after all…”

 

Looking at the face of the man who had calmed down, I smiled softly.

 

“How fortunate it is that it doesn’t have to be killed because of being drunk.”

 

“Co-cough.”

 

As if my words pierced the man’s stomach accurately, he coughed out as if he really had a cough.

 

‘It must be embarrassing when I talk about drinking.’

 

When I lowered my nose, which had been pointed up from bragging, I felt relieved.

[T/N: You know that cartoon illustration where a character’s nose looks extremely long after bragging about something? Yes, she is imagining herself like that]

 

“Wh-what are you looking at stupidly without moving the horse to the lake?”

 

The man shouted loudly at the people standing behind him.

 

“Neigh—!”

 

The horses were led by the men to the shore of the lake. In the meantime, the horse neighed as if thanking me.

 

‘Repay this grace by double later.’

 

I looked at those sparkling eyes and thought only to myself.

 

When I turned my back to get out of the garden again.

 

“Thank you. My lady has been a huge help.”

 

I heard someone’s voice from behind.

 

‘Should I just pretend I didn’t hear it and walk away?’

 

I wanted to get out of this place without getting involved with anyone any more. Besides, I didn’t have a good feeling for some reason.

 

I intentionally took a step forward without looking back.

 

But at that moment, the grass collapsed under someone’s feet with a rustling sound.

 

“…!”

 

My footsteps were blocked.

 

It was because someone was blocking my way. A large, black shadow fell over my head.

 

“Are the women in the capital originally so cold-hearted?”

 

Who the hell is it that you chase me like this? I looked up.

 

‘…Wow. Awesome.’

 

My face contorted because it was blinding, as the afternoon sun touched the blonde hair, the view was too bright.

 

“Or is my lady particularly cold-hearted towards me?”

 

I was instantly dazed by the bright green eyes that contained a smile.

 

It was the man who had been sitting inside the carriage and watching the whole situation until just now.

 

And…

 

‘He’s so handsome.’

 

He was the blonde prince whom I had only heard of in stories.

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