****
****
The next morning, in the bedroom of the Empress Palace, where the gardens were beautifully tended.
Liv, who had spent the night without sleeping a wink, had given up everything. It was for having fought so fiercely with Carius.
She had decided to use Theodore to get revenge on the Empress Dowager and Edgar, but she didn’t even know that she would be so desperate.
The sight of the child sitting pitifully, as if he was her baby, in such miserable and brutal circumstances, the desperate look in the child’s eyes was so haunting that she couldn’t get it out of her mind for a minute.
But Liv’s earnest wish was also helpless. Carius wouldn’t send the imperial guard today, that was for sure.
Filled with worry, Liv stood by the window where the sun was shining down on her. In her vision she saw the gardener, who had been working diligently since morning.
‘Oh no, if we don’t make any progress until the day of the Imperial Council meeting………’
Liv couldn’t help but be startled as she looked outside.
‘That’s…..’
It was because the Imperial Guard was lined up in a row in front of the Empress Palace.
All of them wore red feathered helmets on their heads. They each had a long sword on their waist.
Liv was convinced that the imperial guard captain, Jack Daemon, stood at the front.
‘His Majesty has granted my request..’
Liv had no time to hesitate. She hurriedly got dressed and put on the necklace she had shared with Theodore.
Then she went to the safe in the study. In it were the financial documents of the imperial family and the deeds of the pagoda staff. Liv took them with her and went outside.
***
“My name is Jack Daemon, Captain of the guards. I’m here to see the Empress!”
Captain Jack Daemon spotted Liv and hurriedly knelt down. The rest of the knights followed him and knelt respectfully.
“Where would you like me to escort you, Your Majesty?”
“Now you will go with me to the pagoda.”
“The pagoda?”
Liv’s unexpected words startled him so much that he raised his head without even realizing it.
“Huh, but the knights entering the realm of God……….”
“It’s forbidden territory.”
“I’m afraid God will be angry.”
Seeing Jack Daemon as well as the knights all became frightened, Liv shouted loudly as if she had expected their actions.
“God will not be angry with you, but the corrupt priests. If you do not help me today, you will be guilty of dishonoring God.”
“Yes…?!”
“I will deal with the priests myself. All you have to do is to catch the sinners. Do you understand?”
However, just like her words, attacking the priests was not a simple matter. The thought of invading the realm of God darkened everyone’s eyes.
However, if they didn’t listen to the Empress in front of them, they were afraid of future troubles. They stopped in place and flinched.
Then Liv shouted in a firmer voice.
“Don’t worry about God’s anger because your valiant behavior will be recorded for a long time in future generations. God’s protection will be with you.”
“….!”
“We must definitely punish the corrupt priests.”
“I understand. Your Majesty!”
The Knights bowed their heads in magnanimity to Liv’s confident and dignified attitude. And there was also a decree from Emperor Carius to follow the instructions of the Empress.
Under the leadership of the captain of the knights, they quickly arrived at the entrance of the pagoda. But they still looked hesitant.
When Liv nodded her head, Jack Daemon spearheaded the charge and began to penetrate the tower. Finally, the rest of the knights gathered their courage and entered the tower.
The tower was turned into a battlefield by the sudden attack of the knights. The priests, who were unprepared for the surprise attack, abandoned their men and hurriedly fled to the place.
“Bring out all the maids and servants!”
The people in the castle screamed and dispersed, but soon after, they were captured by the knights and dragged away.
The ten priests who fled to the conference hall began to panic, unable to get out of it.
“Hey, what is this!? How dare you come in here!”
Hearing their murmur, Liv smirked. She walked towards the conference hall with a tapping sound of her shoes.
Tap. Tap.
As the sound drew closer, the priests immediately recognized who it was.
“Her Majesty the Empress!”
Liv naturally entered the conference hall. As she met their eyes one by one, the priests greeted her without hiding their despair.
“Everyone was here.” (Liv)
“What the hell is this…! God will be angry!”
“Ha, God is angry…… ?” (Liv)
Liv burst into scornful laughter at the priests’ words.
“Your Majesty, stop now! Otherwise!”
Liv said, looking at them with determined eyes.
“God is not angry with me. I was angry with you.”
The room became silent for a moment at her unknown words. Liv, who had carefully glanced at them, opened her mouth.
“How dare you falsify financial documents and mock the imperial family and this Emporium Empire. Did you think you’d be safe?”
The priests were busy exchanging glances with each other as if they were caught off guard. Among them, a familiar face, Priest Jack, stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, if you are doing this because of the Prince…”
“Shut up. I must have warned you last time, didn’t I?”
“Yes… ?!”
At Liv’s sharp gaze, Priest Jack recalled the words she had said the other day.
“The sins of the priests will be thoroughly investigated by me and they will surely pay for their sins.”
Finally, his face hardened, not forgetting her words. Liv said in a firm voice to Jack Daemon behind her.
“Lord Daemon, get this man out of here right now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
When Priest Jack’s arms were grabbed by the knights, he screamed out in fright.
“Your Majesty, do you think you will be safe doing this?”
But Liv had only a condescending smile towards him. When Priest Jack was dragged out, the rest of the priests stiffened.
Liv calmly headed to the round table in the center of the conference hall. Then she took a seat at the top of the table. The priests were mesmerized by her actions.
Soon Liv raised her head and looked at them.
“Everyone, sit down.”
The priests stood firm in their place, trembling in fear. However, in the eyes that overwhelmed them, the priests looked at each other and sat down one by one.
Liv asked, staring intently at them.
“Perhaps the reason the priests can commune with God is because they hear the voice of God closest to them.”
“… .”
“If I die because of the curse placed on the Prince according to God’s revelation, when do you think I will die?”
“Your Majesty!”
At her completely unexpected question, the priests rushed to roll their eyes. Liv looked at them and said to Jane who was next to her.
“Put what you have prepared in front of each priest.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Jane recalled Liv’s instructions in advance. And as she had instructed, a blank sheet of parchment was placed in front of each priest.
As the priests stared blankly at the parchment in front of them, Liv said sarcastically.
“Write down when I will die. If I don’t die in the time written, I will annihilate not only your necks, but your entire family.”
And the astonished priests turned their heads toward Liv.
“Your Majesty, that’s…!”
But Liv said more firmly.
“If you don’t, you will be beheaded here for mocking the imperial family.”
All the priests were terrified and raised their pens, but they were trembling and could not write.
While the room was deadly quiet, suddenly a priest came up to Liv and knelt down on his knees.
“Your Majesty, please save me! We don’t even know that. Ha, if it’s because of the Prince…!”
Liv looked down coldly at the begging priest. Then she threw a document in her arms into the center of the conference table.
“The priests bought a lot of medicinal herbs called dillweedli at the annual Easter festival.”
“…..”
“I thought it was strange because it was my first time hearing it. It was a herb that was brought in through a foreign merchant. It was a top secret, right?”
Liv said so and beckoned to Jane. Jane brought in the herb supplies carrier who was waiting outside the door.
“Tell me about the herb called dillweedli.”
The carrier could not easily open his mouth when he saw the cold eyes of the priests. However, he opened his mouth hesitantly because of the Empress who was looking at him from the top seat.
“Aside from that, it is a recovery drug that only a few know in foreign countries. It’s like a kind of anesthetic that knights in war usually seek.”
“Anesthetic.”
“If you put it in water and drink it, you will gain strength that you did not have before, and your appetite will naturally rise. It is because of the ingredient called Fernara, which only this herb has. However, if you take it for a long time, you will become addicted to it and feel like you have to take it again to recover.”
“Good work. Now, explain why this foreign herb was introduced at Easter and the priests of the tower.”
For a moment, there was a cold silence in the room. Liv raised her eyes towards them.
“Didn’t you sell this for a large sum of money to the imperial family and aristocrats because it was the famous “Dragon’s God”?
“Your Majesty…… !”
“Is that approval given by the Empress Dowager?”
Everyone was sweating profusely and just bowed their heads.
“When I looked through the hiring document of the priests here, I found that as many as six out of ten were chosen on the recommendation of the Empress Dowager.”
“… ”
“So, where did the rest of the money go? I hope it wasn’t used to add to your estate.”
“Save me, Your Majesty!”
Then the priests bowed their heads in unison and begged. Liv hurriedly got up from her seat.
“Nevertheless, how dare you flaunt your prestige as a priest! I will punish you on behalf of God!”
When Liv, enraged, tried to leave the conference hall, the priests blocked her and clinged to her mercilessly.
“Your Majesty, please do not speak to His Majesty the Emperor! If you do, our family will be destroyed!”
“I will do whatever you ask me to!” (Priests)
In the end, the words Liv had been waiting for came out of their mouths.
“… Will you do what I tell you?”
“Yes, of course. Your Majesty!”
“Then I will tell you what to do at the imperial meeting in three days. Your life will be decided accordingly.”
***
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