Nathaniel looked into the rose and was pricked in the hand by a rose thorn.
âYour Holiness! Are you okay?â
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.
âYour Holiness, hurry and healâŠâ
âThatâs enough, thatâs enough. Itâs only a rose thorn. What a fuss.â
Nathaniel shook his hand and dismissed people. Except for Nathaniel, there was only one person left.
âJulienne, Iâm hurt.â
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 Julienneâs mouth.
âJulienne, as expected, you are, haâŠYou have a really kind heart.â
Nathanielâs face flushed red. He let out a shaky breath. After sucking the blood from Nathanielâs finger for a long time, Julienne pushed his finger away with her tongue.
Nathaniel called her. Julienneâs blindfolded eyes turned to Nathaniel.
ââŠA wizard has died, Holy Father.â
After a while, the words that came out of Julienneâs mouth were enough to plunge Nathanielâs good mood to the floor.
âAnother one is about to die.â
âWhat else do you see?â
Nathaniel asked in a sweet voice, contrary to his cold face. He stroked Julienneâs cheek.
âItâs a black and blue dragon.â
âThis. Should I also have gone to war then?â
Rodrigoâs 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.
âIâll have to change the way.â
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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Rodrigoâs interrogation continued until dawn. Having not received much information from Blanche, I fell asleep while waiting for Rodrigo.
I opened my eyes to the touch that poked me in the cheek.
Rodrigo nodded when asked in a half-asleep voice.
âDid you find out something?â
My muscles clamored when I got up from lying face-down on the desk. I asked, stretching my body. Rodrigo shook his head.
âWhat? Did you kill him?â
Rodrigoâs 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.
âDidnât you put a cloth in his mouth?â
âIn questioning⊠Oh, he didnât bite his tongue.â
âWould you believe me if I told you he got old in an instant?â
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.
âIf youâre tired, you can lie down and listen.â
Rodrigo slapped his thigh.
âNever mind. I think you should lie down?â
Feeling offended that my stamina had been neglected, I immediately struck back.
It wasnât until Rodrigo suddenly laid down on my thigh that I realized that his words were genuine considerations.
He put more strength into his head, worried that I might push him away or something.
âI wonât push you away, so relax. Itâs heavy.â
âHe was quite cooperative. Itâs just that he only talks about what he wants to talk about, and skips whatâs important.â
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.
âI said I could give him more money.â
âHe was delighted with a bright face.â
Rodrigo closed his eyes. Rodrigo covered his eyes with his forearms.
âSuddenly, 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.â
Is it not a curse or some kind of black magic or anything like that?
âI guess that the time he had been holding on for a long time flowed all at once.â
âItâs already been 25 years since crazy wizards appeared. They were pretty good wizards, so they must be pretty old at this time.â
According to Erhardâs record at the time, that was the case.
âBut what about the wizards we met?â
âThey were quite young. I guess theyâre in their 30s?â
âI think theyâve figured out the magic to restore youth.â
âWhatâs the price of magic?â
âYou canât stop aging at all. If mana runs out, wonât aging progress as fast as the time they reversed it?â
Rodrigoâs guess was plausible.
âWhat Iâm worried about is.â
Rodrigo laughed bitterly.
âThere has been no one, who has been interested in eternal life since the beginning, that is a good person.â
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I nodded in agreement with him.
âI feel like I have one more thing to do.â
âDoes it feel like you have more homework after you came to do your homework?â
Rodrigo laughed as if he liked my analogy.
âGet some sleep, we have more time.â
âWe have to go see His Majesty Frans.â
âThey are already monitoring our every move. Blanche and Bandula all knew that we met your Highness.â
âThere will be more ways.â
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.
âHmm, if I have to meet you, Iâll call Your Majesty out.â
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.
âHis opposition is in our hands.â
I smiled and looked through Blancheâs 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.
âCan you help us, Miss Anheine?â
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 kingâs 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.
âI canât cooperate.â
There must be someone behind his back who supports the crazy wizards. His position was fully understood. Rodrigo silently kicked his calf. Blanche staggered.
âDonât make me regret keeping you alive.â
Rodrigoâs cool words werenât directed at me, I got goosebumps. I took Rodrigoâs hand, thinking that his calm anger was scarier.
âYour Majesty is waiting.â
We led Blanche to the drawing room where Frans was waiting.
âSir Blanche, no matter how great you may be as a minister of the kingdom, how dare you come to me, the kingâŠâŠ. Sir Rodrigo!â
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.
âI was worried because I didnât hear from you after you went there.â
With Franâs 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 Rodrigoâs 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, letâs continue your touching reunion.
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Blanche also stood by his side.
âYour Majesty, please take your seat now.â
The hot breakup between the two men, which I thought would be longer, was quickly over because of Rodrigoâs simple words. Blanche called his butler to serve tea.
âWithout the poison.â
I added with a bright smile to the butler who turned around. The butlerâs back trembled greatly. Now the servants of Blancheâs mansion were terrified. It was rumored that a mysterious man suddenly appeared and took control of Blancheâs 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. Fransâ eyes narrowed.
âWhat does Sir Rodrigoâs lover do?â
Frans whispered in Rodrigoâs ear.
âIâm Estiya Cartina.â
This should explain enough, right?
Watching Fransâ cheek muscles stiffen, I drank the tea.
âI donât even have to check Lord Blancheâs teacup, do I?â
Thereâs no way you can poison your master. Blanche moved his mouth to and fro displeasedly and picked up the teacup.
âCartina interferes with my business repeatedly⊠⊠Isnât it an enemy family?â
I can hear you. Well, maybe because he was born a prince, he doesnât know what to do.
I turned my eyes away to pretend I didnât hear it as much as I could.
âYour Majesty, this is not the time to wonder about my lover. The kingdom seems to be in a rather troublesome conspiracy. And thatâs not a good thing for me either.â
Hearing Rodrigoâs words, Frans then threw himself back and put his hands on his stomach.
âWe questioned the crazy wizards going to battle with Velokiâs 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.â
Frans smiled as if moved by Rodrigoâs trust in him. Rodrigo paused for a moment and then resumed.
âThatâs why I sensed that there was a problem with the Kingdom of Veloki and visited Your Majesty.â
âYou must have been surprised that I was in confinement when you came.â
âItâs not confinement, Your Majesty!â
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, Iâd lose my voice. How dare he look at the emperor with his eyes wide open, while rebuking him for his own wrongdoing. I mean, itâs a call to kill him. Is King Francis that weak? Didnât they say that he killed all the brothers above him and became king?
Itâs something you never know.
âYes, 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 thatâs not quite gentlemanly.â
I remember being kidnapped. When I applied strength without realizing it, the teaspoon that I was trying to stir sugar with was bent.
âOh my! Iâll pay for the teaspoon separately.â
I put the bent teaspoon on the surface and picked up Rodrigoâs teaspoon
âAs much as you like.â
Rodrigo replied kindly. Frans and Blanche looked at us for a long time with absurd faces.
âTwo crazy wizards are dead, and the only thing left is Sir Blanche.â
âThen do I have to kill this guy?â
Frances stood up. He exuded a faint energy as if he was going to kill Blanche immediately. Rodrigo shook his head.
âEstiya and I have different ideas, Your Grace. Let Sir Blanche be king.â
Blanche sprang to his feet with two fists clenched.
Blanche exclaimed. Frans beckoned to sit down.
âYour Majesty those guys are disrespectfully⊠â
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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âTake it when we give it to you. Itâs not a place to sit for a long time, so please enjoy it to your heartâs content.â
Blancheâs face turned from white to blue. Whether Blancheâs jaw dropped or not, I ignored the startled man and told Rodrigo our plan.
âAt 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.â
TL/N: See the conversation they had with Frans in Chapter 43
âArenât the people of the kingdom not going to stand still?â
The question of Frans was valid but wrong.
âUnexpectedly, they are not interested in the situation of the palace.â
Because changing the king doesnât change them.
It didnât matter to them whether Frans was king or Blanche was king. As long as they donât tyrannize.
âThere will be a backlash from the nobility.â
âDo you really think so?â
I asked back with a smile. Blanche shut his mouth. Itâs disgusting to see him pretending to be for Frans after making all the nobles on his side.
âOnce Your Majesty goes down, you canât climb againâŠâŠ.â
âIf thatâs the case, donât worry about it. The Emperor wonât stand still.â
Rodrigo smiled awkwardly at my words. Are you saying you donât 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.
âAnd we will give the emperor a justification.â
Rodrigo drove in a wedge.
So you are dead, this is it.
âI think Iâll cooperate with this plan!â
âIâm going to die anyway!â Iâd rather die here with honor!â
Honor? Where did this kinky bastard get the honor in his mouth?
Rodrigo quickly pulled the teacup out of my hand.
âDonât break the cup, Estiya. Youâll hurt your hand.â
He worried about me even in this situation. Whether I should be moved by the consistency, I couldnât come up with a proper reaction because I couldnât get a hold of it for a while.
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?
Blancheâs voice rose infinitely.
TL/N: LMAO sheâs hilarious.
I am ready to enjoy the dramatic tale of two women*.
TL/N: I think itâs cause Blancheâs voice rose like a high note
âIf you commit a crime, get punished! You deserve to take responsibility! If you donât, Iâll die.â
Knowing how much he valued his bloodline, which he thought would never be possible, I thought Blanche would eventually accept our proposal.
âAnheine, for your sakeâŠâŠ Itâs 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.â
Blancheâs excuses, which could not be heard without tears, continued. Rodrigo tossed and turned uncomfortably, and Frans smirked as if absurd.
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Having said that he was the highest nobleman in the kingdom, his tea was quite luxurious, I appreciated the beauty of it.
âIs that for me? I donât want that! I want to live an honorable life even if Iâm poor!â
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?
âAh, itâs hard to listen anymore.â
Frans intervened between the two women.
âOh my, Your Majesty. Forgive the disloyalty.â
Anheine, who was excitedly talking and raising her blood, hurriedly wiped her tears and belatedly greeted Frans.
âItâs okay. I am glad to know that you have a different mindset than your father.â
Hey, hey. Because sheâs a heroine. Look at the average aristocrat young lady showing such a dominating* demeanor. Itâs a piece of cake.
TL/N: Anheineâs attitude towards the Majesty
Rodrigo talked to me when my mind was twisted.
âAre you only looking at me?â
Rodrigo smiled and nodded when I replied harshly as if he had been caught in a narrow space.
I pushed him away as he came closer and looked at Frans, Blanche, and Anheine.
âKill me, Your Majesty. My fatherâs disloyalty cannot be washed away by his death alone, and I deserve to die, too.â
âNo, Your Majesty! My daughter has nothing to do with this!â
Itâs 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
âMay I meddle in the affairs of the Kingdom of Veloki?â
Iâm also shameless because Iâve already intervened.
Is it because Iâm Rodrigoâs lover? Frans boosted me as if he were raising Rodrigo.
âWe will hold Miss Anheine hostage so that Lord Blanche will not have any other thoughts. Until this is over.â
Blanche couldnât finish his sentence. Because Rodrigo kicked him in the back.
âDidnât I tell you that being rude to Estiya is unforgivable?â
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 â although it would be strange to have an agreement with the criminal â our plan passed.
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âYour Majesty can lead your forces and live in a villa in the capital.â
âYou donât have to worry about my own business, Sir Rodrigo.â
âThe war⊠âŠwe will win.â
Rodrigo was about to take the head of the minister responsible for the defense of the Veloki Kingdom while he was here.
âI will issue the order to regroup the entire army. That will be the last one I will make as king.â
âYouâre taking a break. Please survive.â
The king who stepped back will not be left alone by the new kingâs 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 Blancheâs side and coming with us. I turned my head to look at Anheine, who was delighted like a girlâAnheine and I were girls anyway.
âItâs time to go back.â
Rodrigo nodded at my words.
TL/N: Omg this whole part was bloody long. I couldnât 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.