Arundel looked at Royden with surprised eyes at the sudden familiar nickname for Zion. Then, Royden explained with a regretful face.
“I didn’t mean to hide it. Just…”
He just missed the timing to speak. To be more honest, at first, he was afraid that if Irina found out that he was friends with Zion, she would avoid him.
So he couldn’t keep talking.
“Surely…friends…”
They’re not brothers, are they? Arundel felt betrayed by the sudden fact.
He wouldn’t have told Zion what she had been doing all this time, would he? She doubted for a moment, but if he had, she wouldn’t be here now.
She would probably be in shackles.
“…We’re friends. Although he seems to be very angry with me these days.”
Arundel’s mouth fell open. They were really friends. The fact that the psycho-like emperor had a friend was even more surprising.
And that Royden, who seemed to be a completely different race from Zion, was his friend…!
“I see…”
She still couldn’t believe it. That such a model and gentle-looking person was friends with Zion…
Then, Royden even looked a little different.
Lost in thought, Arundel was unknowingly on guard against Royden like a wild animal.
“That’s why I didn’t want to talk about it. I swear, I never told Zion about Her Majesty the Empress.”
Royden sighed briefly and appealed quite seriously. Arundel relaxed at her appearance, which even seemed unfair.
Come to think of it, they had a big fight on Zion’s birthday.
It was fortunate that they were friends. That day, he seemed to be obsessed with Empress Irina. If they hadn’t been friends, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid Zion’s anger.
“Her Majesty the Empress is quite an interesting person.”
Arundel looked at Royden, who was suddenly talking with a soft smile like a fresh boy, with an expression that seemed to say ‘what do you mean’.
“I feel like I can tell what you’re thinking without you having to say it.”
“…Really?”
Arundel, who had no idea she was acting like that, felt a bit embarrassed.
“Yes. Just now, you were looking at me with suspicious eyes, but you quickly let go of your doubts at my words.”
Arundel’s face turned a little red at the fact that her expression was so blatant.
From Royden’s reaction, it seemed like she had always acted like this in front of him.
“And also the fact that you introduced me to the maid.”
“…Belle?”
“Yes. Normally, among the nobles or the royal family, there are no people who treat maids like that.”
In fact, Arundel had spent a lot of time in the human world, so she knew human culture well, but she didn’t feel the same about class.
To her, an angel, they were all just humans.
So she didn’t seem to be very conscious of the fact that Belle was a maid. It could have looked strange enough when seen from the outside.
“Haha, Belle is a good and kind child.”
Arundel mumbled, but she was sincere.
Basically, Belle was a bright, honest child who knew how to be considerate of others. Being with Belle felt like having a younger sister.
“I see. If she’s a friend of Her Majesty, please introduce her to me again.”
Royden asked with a wonderful smile. He was a warm young man, the more you looked at him.
Arundel, who was smiling proudly, felt like she had been here for quite a long time and had to get up. When Arundel stood up, Royden also stood up, saying he would escort her to the front.
Arundel, who had left the reception room of the training ground, looked at Royden before leaving.
“Congratulations once again on officially becoming free.”
“Thank you…”
Woof-!
At the sudden sound of a dog barking, Arundel turned her head and looked. Then she saw a familiar figure.
“Hegi!”
It was Hegi. Arundel, who didn’t expect to see her friend in such a place, greeted him happily.
“…Hegi?”
Royden asked with a surprised expression. Arundel nodded with a clear expression as if to say what’s the problem.
“Ha, I’ve been wondering where this guy has been going every day, but he’s been playing with Her Majesty.”
“…No way, was Royden Hegi’s owner?!”
Arundel’s eyes widened at the shocking fact.
“That’s right. Wilson!”
As if to show that he was the original owner, Hegi, who had been running around in all directions, sat down in front of Royden like he was frozen at the word Wilson.
Hegi was always special and listened well, but this was the first time she had seen such a focused look.
She wondered who had trained him so well, but if it was Royden, it made sense.
“So Royden was Hegi’s owner.”
The mystery of Hegi was solved. No, now it wasn’t Hegi, it was Wilson.
“He… no, how did you come to bring Wilson?”
Arundel asked, stroking Wilson’s head.
“On the day I went for training on the outskirts, I found puppy Wilson alone by the water. When the mother didn’t show up until evening, I brought him.”
“I see. While I was trapped in the Imperial Palace, Wilson was a great source of will for me.”
As Arundel stroked Wilson, Wilson rolled over to show his belly.
“You can call him Hegi.”
“No, we should call him by his original name. Wilson might be confused.”
Rather, she was glad that she didn’t have to wait for Wilson to come anymore. If she wanted to see Wilson, she could come here anytime now.
Having figured out Wilson’s identity, Arundel returned to the Imperial Palace with a light step.
‘Should I go to the library tomorrow?’
The palace was large and there were many places she wanted to go. It had been a long time since the idea of converting the emperor into a holy monarch had faded from her mind.
****
As she had thought, Arundel was in the library of the palace the next day.
As soon as she entered, she couldn’t help but be surprised by the overwhelming size of the library. The tens of thousands of books seemed to have no missing information.
As soon as she entered the entrance, the librarian scanned Arundel and soon asked with a bright smile.
“Do you have a book you’re looking for?”
Since only nobles and royals can enter the library of the palace, she thought they would ask about her status. But Arundel was wearing an obviously expensive outfit, so it seemed like they didn’t check separately.
Arundel, who didn’t want to attract attention by revealing that she was the empress, sighed with relief and answered.
“A book about history and etiquette.”
She was worried about how to find a book in this vast place, but Arundel quickly answered the librarian’s welcome question.
At the kind librarian’s answer to go to the J, K area, Arundel first moved to the J area. Fortunately, the library was well organized, so she could quickly find the type of book she wanted.
‘History of the Croyden Empire (Lower)’
The thick book that was hard to hold was divided into upper, middle, and lower. The story Arundel was curious about was the story of the previous king, that is, Zion’s father, so she picked up the lower volume where recent history was recorded.
Arundel moved the thick and heavy book to the desk with a groan. Arundel, who sat at the desk placed in the library, started reading in earnest.
Arundel’s hand, which was turning the pages, stopped for a moment.
That page showed the emperor recorded in recent years.
‘Emperor Perion (Croyden Foundation 823-876)’
He died at a fairly young age for a human lifespan. Unfortunately, not much information was recorded, but there was a part that caught the eye.
‘Family relationship – First Empress: Meriden Neizmi, Second Empress: Evelyn Elford’
There were two empresses. Who is Zion’s mother?
Arundel stared at the book as if it would be pierced, but no matter how much she looked, the answer did not come out.
She read a few more books wondering if it might be recorded in the cut book, but she could not find any clues.
‘Can’t I get any information from the library…?’
She read several books with her eyes popping out, but she couldn’t find any helpful information in the end. When she thought so, she lost a bit of steam.
“Wasn’t His Majesty’s party day really amazing?”
Arundel, who was deflated like a soaked cotton, pricked up her ears at the sound coming from beyond the bookshelf.
“That’s right. The way His Majesty the Emperor took Her Majesty the Empress with force… Honestly, it was cool.”
Arundel clicked her tongue inwardly.
She couldn’t see their faces, but they were clearly young girls. Otherwise, they wouldn’t think such a man was cool.
Meeting such a man was a shortcut to ruining one’s life. Just like Empress Irina.
“Her Majesty the Empress was indeed stunningly beautiful that day. It was my first time seeing her, and she was truly beautiful.”
Arundel nodded with a pleased expression at the sudden praise about herself. She was indeed very beautiful that day.
“That’s right. She was on par with Lady Bianca.”
Arundel was a bit displeased at the mention of someone else. Was there a maiden as beautiful as her that day?
“That day, Lady Bianca’s red hair and red dress were truly eye-catching!”
Arundel recognized who she was from the description of the woman.
Bianca was particularly beautiful that day, but she stood out more because she was chattering happily next to Zion.
‘So her name was Bianca.’
Thinking of the sight of Zion and Bianca chatting happily while she was left out like a broomstick, Arundel’s smooth forehead wrinkled.
“His Majesty the Emperor was also very handsome.”
“I heard that his beauty was inherited directly from Empress Meriden.”
Arundel’s eyes widened from secretly listening. If it was Empress Meriden, it was the first empress of Emperor Perion that she saw in the book earlier.
At the sudden information, Arundel pressed her ear against the bookshelf.
More…! Talk more…!
“If you think about it, it’s really tough for His Majesty the Emperor. If Empress Meriden hadn’t been falsely accused of trying to ‘assassinate’ Emperor Perion, he wouldn’t have had to go through such a thing.”
Arundel clamped her mouth shut in shock. Otherwise, she felt like he would scream.
Arundel, who was stunned by the shocking fact, came to her senses and sorted out the situation.
So, Meriden, who was Zion’s mother, was falsely accused of trying to ‘assassinate’ Zion’s father, Emperor Perion.
As a result, she was driven out to another country. Meriden, who had nowhere to go, went into a brothel to feed and raise Zion.
Once the puzzle was put together, that was it.
And the person who framed her seemed to be the father of Empress Irina.
“Shh…! You must never speak of that matter in the palace!”
The chattering maiden warned in surprise.
It was certainly a shocking and tragic story, and it seemed like a ‘taboo’ that should never be touched about Zion.
The chattering maidens quickly left their seats in case someone heard this story.
Only Arundel, who was out of her mind, was left alone in that place.
‘Irina… why were you born from such parents…!’
The ill-fated relationship between Irina and Zion was serious.
The person who corrupted Zion’s mother was the father of Empress Irina.
Although it was unknown what happened to Irina’s father, Zion, who had not taken enough revenge, seemed to reach out to his daughter, Irina.
Then, she remembered Zion’s attitude when they first met, which was not just cold but brutal.
His gaze was filled with obsession and contempt at the same time.
Compared to then, Zion had become much more benign. His frightening gaze had faded, and she had granted the freedom he seemed never to give.
Of course, the process of obtaining it was quite tough.
It was hard to say that Zion had changed. He, who was utterly unpredictable, it was unknown when his mood would twist again and torment her.
She was happy to be free just until yesterday, but when she faced the shocking truth, Arundel’s good mood faded.
Without knowing her feelings, someone approached and spoke to her.
“Excuse me… are you Her Majesty the Empress?”
Arundel, who had been hanging her head and drooping, lifted her head at the faint voice coming from the front.
Whoops…