Chapter 64
For the succession of Gillian’s position? For the sake of his son…
‘Of course not.’
The Emperor does not appear to be such a fatherly man.
“Lady Valletta?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Valletta, who apologized inattentively at the sound of her name being called, slowly raised her eyes that had been lowered.
She lightly patted her neck and made eye contact with Milrode.
“Your Highness. I’m sorry, but that’s also none of my concern. I refuse. Find someone else.”
“If you don’t help, many people will die.”
Milrode clenched his fists, and with a heavy subdued voice, answered.
Valletta looked at him for a moment, then she tilted her head. After taking a light breath, Valletta opened her mouth.
“Is that a reason for me to help you, Your Highness?”
“Innocent people will die.”
“It is the Crown Prince’s job to solve it, not mine.”
Milrode was at a loss for words for a moment at her decisive words. He was not the kind to continue a conversation when they were this divided, but right now he felt like he was standing in front of someone he was meeting for the first time.
“That! That’s true, but…”
Milrode’s head bowed down slowly.
“So is Lady Valletta saying that you can save the people, but refuse to do so?”
“Yes.”
It was absurd to say that we have to save someone just because we have the ability to do so. Some people go down that path, and some people do not want to.
Unfortunately, Valletta preferred to be normal more than being honorable.
“If you need an alchemist to cure Lost, find someone else. There is also Gillian in the Imperial Palace.”
“Gillian has worked for a long time in the Imperial Palace. Now that he’s old, he has lost a lot of his strength.”
“Then you can ask him for a solution. Since he would know it.”
Valletta slowly threw back her head and spoke softly.
Standing behind the Crown Prince, Gillian’s one eye settled on Valletta. The one-eyed man looked at her with a vague expression, then slowly blinked his eye and looked away.
“Why are you so cold, Lady Valletta? Weren’t you a person who couldn’t even ignore an injured animal?”
“I haven’t changed since then. Your Highness must have only seen the good side of me.”
“I never thought that a day like this would come.”
Even now, the man was sitting in an undisturbed posture without twisting his waist. He hasn’t changed a bit since that day. On the contrary, he has become even more dazzling.
“Your Highness never treated me like a tool, but treated me as a human being, so I tailored myself to fit you as much as possible.”
Whenever they met since they were young, she tried to act normal. At least during the times when she met up with him, she tried not to show her darkness.
“But…”
As she continued to stretch her words, Valletta’s eyes narrowed.
“That too shall end today.”
“I don’t see Lady Valletta as a tool…!”
“But you came here today because of my ability, didn’t you?”
Milrode was speechless at Valletta’s words.
As if he had been stabbed in the throat by a person he trusted, he had forgotten to breathe, and he opened his mouth but was unable to say anything.
Valletta looked down at the shiny tableware. Her expression reflected on the well-cleaned knife and was fascinatingly unfeeling.
“Does Your Highness want me?”
“Yes, can’t I have you? You’re my fiance.”
“If you do want me, that position is too much.”
Valletta shrugged and answered.
Trying to protect everything without losing anything, it would be difficult for her to be with him, who was already rolling on the mud.
She slowly got up from her seat. It’s useless to deal with him any longer.
‘There is no way this story won’t reach the Magic Tower.’
She doesn’t know what Reinhardt was thinking. Although she was sure that he straightened his back thinking that he doesn’t want to be involved in this play.
“You didn’t bring the knights to take me by force, did you?”
“Yes, they are simply my escort.”
“Then please go back. My head has been aching since this morning, and it’s killing me.”
Valletta coldly drove the guests out.
Milrode didn’t know where to look, as if bewildered at the sight of this side of her that he had never seen before.
She had never been that affectionate, but she has never been this cold.
“I thought of changing your mind again…”
Milrode’s persistence created a small crack in Valletta’s expression.
She turned around with an annoyed frown on her face.
“Milrode Slaines.”
Milrode stopped breathing as she called out his name. He had never thought that the first time she would say his name since their first meeting would be this cold.
Feeling the coldness emanating, he repeatedly clenched and loosened his blameless fists.
“Don’t force me to do something good. I’m not a good person. You’ve kept doing this ever since I first met you. Don’t try to fit me into the mold of your narrow views.”
“Valletta…”
“I will never walk into the Imperial Palace with my own feet.”
Milrode said nothing at her apparent refusal that descended coldly.
Each word became a sharp dagger that pierced his heart. It stuck in place like a nail.
The tip of his droopy finger flinched. He raised his gloved hands very slowly and rubbed his face lightly.
“Your Highness, don’t forget that you were rude today.”
“I will come back next time.”
“…”
Milrode gave a light glance to Carlon Delphine, who had risen to see him off, and turned around. Valletta never moved for him.
“Please wait a minute.”
Carlon Delphine patted her head and followed Milrode. As soon as the dining hall’s door closed, she turned to her seat and sat down.
‘So the Emperor has decided to use the Crown Prince as a card in his hand.’
In that case, she has no choice but to cut off Milrode. She can’t even use him as a soft shield.
He will act for a great cause but he will never refuse the words of his father, the Emperor.
‘What is the Emperor thinking?’
The Emperor she confronted for a brief moment was extremely clever. The hidden meaning behind her words was easily understood by him, so he decided to come on strongly at her short refusal.
It was clear that he was convinced she was not easy. Not only that, he was also good at recognizing her emotions and hiding his.
He must have learned how to use people while living in the Imperial Palace, and adding his years of experience, it was enough to compare him to a thousand year old Imoogi.
“Why…”
She slowly lifted her head at the sound that interrupted her thoughts.
“Valletta-nim, why are you that calm?”
“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t be calm?”
Ceylon shut his mouth at her calm voice, different from earlier.
Just now, she stood up like a sharpened blade, but now he couldn’t feel a trace of emotion.
It was as if she took out the emotion that she needed for a while then cut it off and put it back.
“Magicians dislike Sokors. Sokors are also uncomfortable with the unique aura of magicians.”
“Yes, I know.”
“But we don’t kill Sokors recklessly. There is a tacit non-aggression pact between the Magic Tower and the Sokor’s empire.”
“Tacit non-aggression pact?”
Valletta picked out the words that bothered her from Ceylon’s words. This, too, was something she had never heard before.
“But why did you annihilate Count Delight?”
“They have harmed our king, so we only took appropriate measures. There will always be a minor incident whenever the Magic Tower’s Master wakes up.”
“Hmm…”
To say that it was a minor incident… a whole aristocratic family was removed from its genealogy.
That was why the tower was not taking any action at the moment.
‘There was also this kind of problem in the novel.’
Valletta leaned her head against the chair. This was bait for the Imperial Palace.
“And the king of Sokors knows that as well. So usually, Sokors would inform us what they want and end things smoothly. This time, it was a little over the top.”
“Did that guy accept their request?”
“No.”
At Ceylon’s answer, Valletta crossed her arms and looked down again. So, is the Emperor doing this so the non-aggression pact would fall?
‘But is this really something that the Emperor would do by himself?’
If so, how did the Emperor visit the villages quite far away in a short period of time and do such a thing in an instant?
“Anyway, because of that non-aggression pact, the King of Sokor tacitly allows the existence of the island in the sky, like a sovereign state.”
Valletta nodded slowly as she listened to Ceylon’s explanation. It seems that the reason the Emperor, who viewed himself as the sun, closed his eyes at the existence of a country floating in the sky was that.
“You were terrified to the point where you were pale as a sheet.”
Valletta propped up her chin at the table and licked her lip.
Ceylon held his breath and slowly bowed his head to look at Valletta.
Although she had heard the terrible story a while ago, her expression was indifferent and her actions seemed like she was bored and relaxed.
“He was like…”
It was silent for a while, as if Ceylon was choosing his words.
“A child who couldn’t control his overflowing power. Even though they are Sokor, to kill them for no reason at all…”
“So, do you hate it?”
“No. We are his guides. Whatever choice he makes, we trust and follow him. Just…”
Ceylon shut his mouth.
He lowered his head as he took off the robe he was wearing as if it was stuffy.
The dining hall door opened again while Valletta was tinkering with the dishes. Carlon Delphine strode in with a somewhat stiff expression on his face.
“Valletta, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
It just seems like it would give her a little headache from now on.
“The Crown Prince doesn’t look like he will give up.”
“Yes, it seems like it.”
Even if he were to do so, the Emperor would not allow him to get off the game board. He will convince him with all kinds of lies to keep him on the board as a chess piece.
“Carlon, can I invite someone over?”
As soon as the words were finished, Carlon Delphine’s puzzled gaze reached Valletta.
“… Please.”
Valletta rolled her eyes once, and then carefully added this word. Carlon Delphine let out a faint smile and nodded his head.
“If Valletta asks for it, everything is allowed.”
“Thank you.”
After hearing his answer, Valletta sluggishly blinked her eyes, looking down at the half-filled glass of water and opened her lips.
“Reinhardt.”
(PR/N: O.O)
It was the first time she intended to call his name. At least calling him by name with her own will.
The name at the tip of her tongue was just as sweet as his voice and appearance.
The chandelier in the dining room appeared to have extinguished and the sound of a hem fluttering was heard from behind her.
“I think you summoned me properly this time, my lovely Master.”
In the dimly lit dining hall, only the sunlight coming through the spacious balcony illuminated most of the view.
Making a stepping sound, as if slowly walking purposely, only after walking quite a few steps Reinhardt stood in front of Valletta.
***