Chapter 2
Vainas frowned.
“Why is the Emperor’s messenger here…?”
“He came out when I called. I don’t know if it’s a messenger or a cat.” Arnoah said.
The wizard spat softly. There was a subtle sneer around his mouth.
“Didn’t you hear the new Emperor call for me, King?”
“P-Pardon?” Vainas mumbled pathetically. The same as the sight of Arnoah previously. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“When did Emperor Luciano ever…”
“Luciano is dead. As a servant of the Imperial Household, I have come to deliver the obituary announcement.” The wizard grinned and said.
“Your men in the Imperial City will be giving you the same news by tomorrow.”
Vainas froze in his spot and couldn’t reply.
“Luciano died…? Then the Emperor would be Arien…”
Emperor Luciano had no children.
His younger brother, Arien, and his half-sister, Arnoah, were the closest blood relatives.
“Arien Caicion is also dead. They were assassinated together.”
“What!?” This time, Vainas shouted loudly.
It was such a sudden situation that he had never imagined.
‘Then who’s the Emperor…’
Tens of thousands of thoughts crossed his mind as his face turned white.
“Arien also had no children. So the throne would be succeeded to the next closest one. I’m sure you know that much.” The wizard explained briefly with a tiresome hint.
Larisa’s hand, which held Vainas’s arm, also whitened.
“You know, according to the marriage contract, all the titles that would be inherited by her will also be attributed to her husband.”
As if the wizard understood, he alternatively looked between Vainas and Larisa. Then he spoke slowly,
“In other words, you were the original heir.”
“Oh, my God…”
Vainas’s mouth opened wide, and Larisa’s hands began to tremble.
Both of them were shocked and unable to speak for a time.
“If you had only waited another day then you would have had a continent.”
The wizard leaned slightly towards Vainas with his arms crossed.
A long shadow fell over the Vainas as the wizard continued.
“Before the Emperor’s obituary, the two divorced. Now the Emperor is a different person.”
“D-don’t tell me…”
“That’s right.”
The wizard glanced at Arnoah and said, “She is the new owner of the continent, Emperor Arnoah Salien Caicion.”
As soon as his words fell, Vainas felt his body reeling and feeling faint.
“If I were you, I’d lower my head a little.”
“That’s ridiculous…”
Vainas managed to grab the table next to him.
Likewise, Larisa, whose hand was freed, held him by the shoulder as if he was powerlessly hanging.
“Did you hear that? Lower your head.” Arnoah shrugged and smiled.
The eyes that shone pathetically until he stumbled a little while ago were glimmering now.
“T-that can’t be. She was the Queen of Dirhan until just now!”
“And you almost became the owner of the continent. Why do you keep pretending that you didn’t hear me?”
Arnoah clicked her mouth as if she was frustrated.
Vainas shook his head dreamingly.
“This is unbelievable…”
“Oh, that’s alright if you don’t want to bow down. Anyway, where is the route going out of this disgusting kingdom?”
She asked apathetically.
That familiar face of his wife now had a cold look that he had never seen before.
Vainas trembled without realizing it.
“We require a wagon filled with gold and get it ready right now. Like you said before, we need to leave today.”
“…What?”
“Are you deaf?”
Arnoah uttered exactly what Vainas said a while ago. However, her way of speaking was much calmer and harsher.
Even the slightest bit of blood on Vainas’ face disappeared.
Arnoah snorted.
“You weren’t going to give back the dowry when you got divorced right?”
“The dowry is trivial, so it’s not tied…”
“It really is foolish to ruin the relationship between two countries by being bound by wealth. Just as you have said, King.”
The wizard cut off Vainas’ words and recited what he had said.
“If you have some brains, what you’re going to throw up after a divorce means you’re going to return the dowry. Isn’t that obvious?”
The wizard’s mouth was even more open to ridicule than ever before.
“I can’t believe it…”
Vainas stumbled, a little louder than before.
“I’ll give you an hour, King of Dirhan. Fill one wagon with gold.”
Arnoah took a step toward Vainas and ordered.
Under her penetrating gaze, Vainas couldn’t move.
“If the treasury lacks gold currently, remove the gold from the walls and roof of the royal palace. If it’s still not enough, then we’ll take the swords of the knights and melt the decorations from the hilts and scabbards.”
“Come on, wait…”
“If there’s still room, use the golden throne and the crown of the king, and then cut off your and Larisa’s blond hair and put it in the carriage.”
Every word she uttered was as humiliating in his ear.
“Oh, and…”
Arnoah turned to the wizard as if she had suddenly remembered.
“Don’t forget their crowns.”
The wizard nodded as he pointed at something with his hand.
Swoosh~
He stretched his hands over the heads of Vainas and Larissa.
“Keuk!”
“What are you doing?”
The two, King and new Queen, shouted, but his hands casually and roughly peeled off the crown and the tiara from their heads.
It was as if he were dealing with objects and not humans.
Vainas’ head, which had always flashed, felt empty.
Larisa’s head, which had been beautifully fixed with a pin, was torn off along with dozens of strands of hair.
“Ahhhh!”
“That’s a disgrace. Your wife represents the government with the jewels she brings in her dowry.”
Ignoring Larisa’s short scream, the wizard raised the crown high in his hand. Then without any hesitation, he hit them hard on a marble table.
Quang!
Crash!
The two silver crowns were shattered, and the jewels that decorated them fell down.
“No!”
Quang!
Screams resounded all around at the same time, but the wizard threw the broken pieces of silver on the floor as if he could not hear the screams.
Then he carefully picked up the two black jewels from the wreckage and held them in his hand.
The black diamonds clicked against each other as they were held between his long fingers.
He turned around and took a step towards Arnoah and reached out his hand to her.
“Here.”
He opened his palms.
The two black jewels were shining as if they were merging together.
The wizard’s strange silvery-gray eyes were also glistening in harmony with the illumination of the jewels.
He grabbed Arnoah’s right hand and slowly lifted it up with his palm.
Then he gently laid down the black diamonds that he had held on her palm before folding her palm.
“Did I do a great job?”
He grinned and asked Arnoah, who smiled in response.
Her white teeth were revealed between her lips. He thought it was his first time seeing that expression on her face.
It was definitely different from the face that she had shown to Vainas a while ago.
He bent his head slightly towards Arnoah as if he wanted to act cute and wanted her to pet him.
“Good job.”
Arnoah reached out and lightly patted the wizard’s head.
Her lips drew a clear line.
He gently closed his eyes and opened them, as if he liked her touch.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Leaving Vainas looking at her foolishly behind, she put her hand on the wizard’s arm and turned towards the door.
“I need to go and see what I have inherited.”
***
It was a wonderful day.
“I think it’s fate that I met you.”
King Vainas of the Kingdom of Dirhan whispered sweetly to his lover.
“I’ve never loved a woman other than you in my life.”
He pulled her pale, soft hands and whispered, all the while kissing it.
“Larisa, promise me you’ll look at me forever.”
“Your Majesty, Larisa is so happy.”
Vainas and his lover, Larisa, looked into each other’s eyes as if they would never tire of each other.
“Oh, you are a really good man and a good woman!”
“I envy you both.”
“How could there be such a good match?”
It was like a scene in a play or a fairy tale. The people around were loudly praising them.
They looked like they were blessed witnessing these two people’s love.
Surrounded by colorful lights and exciting music, everyone in the banquet hall was smiling happily.
Except for one person.
“Can I leave now?”
“Huh, were you still there?”
When he heard a question behind his back, Vainas, with Larissa in his arms, turned around and asked the owner of the voice.
It was Arnoah.
That person had bluish silver hair and roots, which were not of Dirhan native, and caught the eyes of Vainas.
Her luxurious dress showed that this woman was not of ordinary status.
“…You told me not to go.”
The woman had a purple velvet dress, which made her look serene, and was engraved with the Dirhan Royal Family crest.