In addition, there were numerous men who became entangled with Sinope and Zeusia.
Fennel, lavender, vanilla, monarda, verbena, ginger, sage, anise….etc
As a reader, I also guessed it, but the names of the male leads all seemed to be taken from spices.
The male protagonists’ surnames were as unique as their names, and most of them were related to their bodies.
‘Thanks God, I remember all the main characters’ names.’
I regained my concentration and without taking a sip of water, I frantically wrote down information about the main characters and supporting characters.
Not only appearance and personality, but also small habits and family relationships.
I stopped writing only after hearing Klein say that it was time to sleep, and quickly came down to the bedroom.
The documents to be stored in a secret safe were secretly hidden in In someone’s arms.
I also didn’t forget to take great care in hugging Tosuni, an old rabbit doll, to hide it’s heavy stomach.
Today was the right time as Zeusia was leaving the capital to negotiate the return of the prisoners.
We haven’t seen each other once in 6 years, but anyway, the entire imperial palace was Zeusia’s living area, so it’s safer to be careful!
After almost falling asleep several times, I woke up quietly only after hearing Senya snoring.
Disguising myself as a person by putting things under the blanket, I escaped through the window and landed deftly.
The only light I could rely on was the full moon in the sky, but I wasn’t scared at all.
I have been training my stamina and courage for this job since I was a toddler.
‘Safe today too! Let’s suffer for eight more years, Lira.’
After reciting the name my biological father left behind, I headed towards the ‘secret safe’ with majestic steps.
I never dreamed that tonight, for the first time in 6 years, a change would occur.
***
Of course, I didn’t do the foolish thing of creating only one secret safe.
The amount of portfolio I had accumulated so far was large, and it was too risky to store it in one place.
After drawing a blueprint of the imperial palace and thinking about it for days, I decided on about 12 spots to use as secret safes.
Among them, ‘Secret safe A’, which we will visit today, was an important place where only first-class documents were stored.
‘Secret safe A’ was located in the Cretan Garden within the imperial palace, which was Zeusia’s private garden.
‘In fact, Zeusia, the owner of the garden, has never visited.’
In fact, it was almost like an abandoned garden, but since it belonged to the emperor in name and appearance, it was full of all kinds of rare flowers and decorations.
That means it’s the perfect place to hide something.
In addition, because only the minimum number of people entered the garden to maintain its appearance, there was less concern about the safe being discovered.
‘The only problem is that it is close to the emperor’s palace, but Zeusia is said to be away at the time.’
After swallowing dry saliva, I carefully hid in the secret underground passage leading to the Cretan Garden.
The reason why I know this secret passage so well is simple.
Because scenes that can be considered legendary in 『The Mad Emperor’s Red Bedroom』 were born in this underground waterway.
In fact, nothing has happened yet here, 8 years ago from the time of the original story….Perhaps because I knew the future, I felt like my basket was already full.
‘Let’s get out quickly, it’s too dirty in here!’
I whined and got out from behind the Cretan garden ornament and stretched out my short arms.
‘When I first passed through this place, I needed a simple ladder.’
Feeling that my body was growing little by little, I headed to Lake Crete, where ‘secret safe A’ was located.
The lake at the edge of the garden was almost abandoned and was the perfect place to place the safe.
I pulled out the trowel I had left in the bushes near the lake and quietly started shoveling.
Soon after, a wooden box buried in the ground was revealed.
In fact, this wooden box full of jewels is a fake.
I threw the box aside and dug a little deeper.
As I fumbled around inside the tunnel, I felt something that looked like a rope, and I pulled it without hesitation.
At first glance, the thing attached to the end of the rope that was indistinguishable from dirt was a shabby sack.
This sack, which can never be found unless you are someone who has nothing to do, is my ‘secret safe A’.
‘Isn’t this double and triple security?’
It’s analog enough to make you cry, but whatever.
I put the documents I had brought in my arms neatly into the bag and quickly activated the triple security device again.
Of course, the operation was self-service.
‘I’m going to die from exhaustion. But it’s for Senya, Klein, and me.’
After covering the ground and covering my stomach again, I shook off the dirt from my hands.
Now all you have to do is put the trowel in place and you’re done!
I wanted to quickly go back to bed and close my eyes.
‘Tomorrow, I will analyze last year’s performance table of investment companies and compile a list of companies to invest in this year. Oh, I also have to write a request to send to the Magic Tower.’
But as I approached the lake to put the trowel back in its place, something strange caught my eye.
“Hah……?”
I looked diagonally across the water from where I was standing.
‘It didn’t look familiar at all….hah…wait…’
If i look closely, that person is not standing outside the lake like me, but inside the lake.
It is midwinter now. It was also the coldest morning. The temperature felt like zero.
As if to prove that my common sense was correct, there was thin ice at the edge of the lake.
‘I guess it’s not a person but a water ghost or something!’
I instinctively tried to back away.
“there.”
The water ghost called me and stopped me.
A husky voice that scratches your ears. It was a strangely familiar voice.
“How did you get in here?”
I couldn’t help but realize the voice that followed.
That’s not a water ghost or anything.
That woman…..
‘Zeucia!’
Her oblivious moonlight illuminated where she stood, and I was forced to confirm that my guess was correct.
‘My life is ruined……’
Why is the emperor, who is said to be absent, enjoying the water at this time?
And that too, in a lake that she had never visited before!
“Take one more step and I will cut off your ankles.”
The moment I inadvertently took a step back, my thin ankle was grabbed by Zeusia’s warning.
‘I’m going to die, I’m definitely going to die.’
I had a stronger feeling than ever that this was the end of my life.
‘I’ve been hiding well so far, but why did this happen? What was the problem?’
Maybe i should have just buried these documents near the annex.
‘But it’s dangerous because Klein cleans there every day.’
Should I have gone in the bag with the documents earlier?
‘No, how is that different from self-burying alive?’
As I was making excuses one by one for the memories that passed by like flashes of light, I soon realized that it was my mistake to become possessed here.
Everything was just a problem. shit.
While I was regretting regret after regret, Zeusia came close enough that I could see her features.
“……..”
Instead of continuing what she was saying, she quietly glared at me.
saying, she quietly glared at me.
When i reunited with Zeusia after six years, nothing had changed since their first meeting, except that she was soaked in ice water.
Everything from the black hair flowing from her waist, the purple eyes that shine so brightly as to be frightening, the strikingly gorgeous face, and the unrealistic body shape that would make a mannequin cry.
Her thin clothes were wet, but instead of looking cold, she felt like she was looking at a work of art.
‘Oh God.’
But that angel-looking boss is the Reaper.
[I’ll send you all to hell at the same time.]
‘I think I’m going to have PTSD.’
The coldest person here would be Zeusia, who went into the ice lake, but for some reason my face started to turn blue.
‘Should I beg for my life even now? Or should I be cute and call her mom? Well, what did the other Ropanese protagonists do?’
I had to find a way somehow, but my mind couldn’t work because my thinking circuit had stopped.
As I was swallowing my dry breath and devising a way to survive, Zeusia opened her mouth through the cold silence.
“……Calliope?”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
