You eat it
The cool breeze of an autumn morning touched the tips of her toes.
Half-asleep, Riella curled up and tucked her feet under the blanket. Immediately, she heard the creaking sound of a window closing.
And what follows is a voice that is always pleasant to hear.
“Riella. Are you awake? I opened the window because I thought it was hot, but it’s colder than I thought.”
Riella smiled before she could even open her eyes, still shaking off the sleep.
There were days when waking up in the morning was a struggle. There was no reason to live, and no hope that today would be better than yesterday.
It was probably just before she met Herhan.
That moment, just before he came into her life, had been the darkest in Riella’s life.
As the saying goes, it’s darkest before dawn.
She had thought it was all over, but when she managed to lift her head, she saw a faint sun rising in her sky—and that sun was Herhan.
Riella was no longer afraid to open her eyes.
If anything, her only problem was that she found herself smiling before the day had even begun.
Living so fearlessly, so joyfully—was that really okay?
—Cup
‘Of course it is.’
As if answering her unspoken question, Herhan bent down and kissed her forehead.
Only then did Riella slowly raise her eyelids.
A simple happiness rose in the eyes that were still clinging to sleep.
“The wind is nice. Please open the window again.”
“Won’t you be cold?”
“Your Majesty, please hug me.”
Chuckling softly, Herhan cracked the window open just a little.
A cool breeze blew in, cooling Riella’s forehead where she had just been kissed.
“But what time is it?”
“Eleven o’clock.”
“What?!”
Startled, Riella tried to sit up.
But Herhan, who had returned to bed, pulled her back down, wrapping his arms around her from behind as if he had no intention of letting go.
“Your Majesty, we can’t just—”
“You must have slept really well. You even forgot what I told you.”
“……What did you say?”
“I told you I canceled all your plans for today. It’s a day off.”
“Oh.”
Herhan was right.
Perhaps it was because of the good sleep she had received, so her complicated mind felt clear as if it had been completely emptied.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a break together. What do you want to do? If you’d like, we can go outside the palace.”
“I just want to stay like this with you.”
“Okay.”
“Then can we really just spend the whole day like this?”
“Yeah, as long as Asion doesn’t show up. I told him only to report if something urgent comes up.”
“I see.”
Snuggling into his arms, Riella muttered,
“I really hope he doesn’t come.”
“Same.”
Herhan’s laughter tickled Riella’s ears.
But perhaps their wish was too greedy—
—Tok, Tok
“This is Asion, Your Majesty.”
Herhan sighed and furrowed his brows, while Riella let out a small laugh, stretching her arms.
At least Asion had learned not to barge in without knocking anymore.
“I told you to only report on really important things.”
“…….”
“If it’s something trivial, your life will become just as trivial.”
Asion, who was standing outside the door, felt hesitant due to Herhan’s threats, he could not let go of his obsession with the vacation until the end.
But he just coughed in vain and never backed down until the very end.
“Ahem, Your Majesty, there’s no need to come out. I’ll report from here and leave.”
It’s nice to hear that.
“This morning, the trade delegation we sent to the Kingdom of Riota arrived at the palace.”
Herhan, who seemed about to fall back asleep right away, raised his eyes and looked at the ceiling.
Riella cautiously approached and poked Herhan in the side.
Their eyes met.
‘Your Majesty, we should get up.’
‘Seems like we have to.’
Without saying a word, they understood each other.
Herhan, who took a few deep breaths while holding Riella close to him, soon returned to his usual serious expression and gave orders toward the door.
“I’ll be out shortly, so stand by. Call Jess and Phil, and get your emergency contacts ready.”
After that, the two people calmly began to prepare.
A new battle lay ahead, but there was no fear. There was no anxiety, no rush.
“Then shall we go? Riella.”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Riella simply held Herhan’s hand tightly.
Once again—fearlessly, willingly.
* * *
Fireworks exploded one after another.
The military band, lined up on both sides, continued playing.
King Taran II of the Riota Kingdom, dressed in his most splendid uniform and wearing a red cape, came down the platform with a bright smile on his face.
It was an extravagant welcome for a mere trade delegation. Normally, the royal family wouldn’t personally greet such an envoy, but this time was different.
That was no ordinary trade delegation. It was a delegation from none other than the Elschweig Empire.
“Welcome! It’s so nice to meet you! How difficult was it to come such a long way?”
The King watched the procession of carriages loaded with supplies enter with the brightest smile.
The one who got off the lead horse went towards the king.
“Who is the person in charge?”
“I am the person in charge.”
‘You?’
The king looked the other person up and down with a puzzled look.
The person in charge simply introduced himself by name, without any fancy title or position.
His attire was also ordinary.
‘I knew that woman wouldn’t come in person… but I expected at least a proper person. Shouldn’t a high-ranking central bureaucrat have come instead?’
Failing to hide his disappointment, the king saw a sealed decree and documents placed before him, stamped with red wax.
“This is His Majesty the Emperor’s edict and the list of trade goods.”
“Oh, yeah!”
Of course, it was good.
As long as he could secure a sizable profit, all was well. The king eagerly opened the list—only to soon find himself utterly dumbfounded.
‘No gold or silver? No silk? No ivory carvings or perfumes. Not a single gem from those great northern mines.’
“This…. is this everything?”
“Yes.”
“Everything?”
Flustered, the king hastily unfolded Emperor Herrhan’s decree.
The contents were simple. The edict stated that, due to poor harvests, Riota’s farmers were facing great hardship. Thus, that trade was limited to grain and livestock for their relief.
“Ah, hahaha….. His Majesty, he is still very thoughtful.”
“He also said that the relief goods should be distributed to the people under the name of Ambassador Riella Blinite, who made this trade possible, and that the details should be reported.”
“I…I see.”
Now the King’s face became a mess as he had no choice but to control his expression.
Greta’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile as she looked at her father, standing tall like a tree next to the stage.
‘Did you expect ribbons tied to bouquets, perhaps? What makes you think we’re worthy of such courtesy?’
Greta turned around quickly.
‘We should be thankful that they didn’t send an army with swords.’
* * *
That night, King Taran II tossed and turned, unable to sleep. No amount of rationalizing could suppress the resentment surging within him.
‘No matter how much I think about it, isn’t this an act of disrespecting our royal family? Sure, receiving an imperial trade delegation is good for appearances… but distributing the supplies under Riella Blinite’s name? What does that mean for the honor of our royal family?’
The king bit his lip—a most unseemly habit.
‘What a disaster. If only I had foreseen this…!’
In fact, the royal family was on the verge of bankruptcy after years of spending money on war.
To make matters worse, their extravagant welcome for the delegation had drained the emergency treasury completely.
The king had hoped to use the trade goods to patch up his shattered finances—but now, that plan was in ruins.
‘It’s all because Greta made a fuss about marrying that descendant or whatever, then refused to say where she left him. What kind of trouble did she stir up in the Empire? That wretched girl….’
Just then—
—Bang bang!
—Boom!
An unidentifiable sound was heard outside the hallway.
For a moment, the king thought he heard a death cry.
“What’s going on outside?”
Suddenly, dozens of swift footsteps were approaching.
The king sat up and sweat poured down his face.
His trembling old hands fumbled on the dusty floor for the self-defense sword hidden under the bed.
“Fred. Fred! Are you out there? What’s the noise?”
What was heard in response to the king’s desperate call was not a reply from the knight guard, but a strangled groan ‘Ugh’.
There were a few more bangs, as if the door was being smashed open, and then the King’s bedroom door opened without any resistance.
The king stood before his bed, shaking violently, gripping his rusty sword.
“Who, who are you! Identify yourself!”
The figure that entered raised his head.
It was an official from the imperial trade delegation.
The man, who had no title or position but whose eyes were sharp, was wearing shiny armor and holding a sword, unlike during the day.
“Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness at this late hour.”
More men in the same armor stood behind him, their shoulders bearing golden lion emblems.
The sheer pressure of their presence drained all color from the king’s lips.
“Y-You dare?! Do you know where you stand?!”
“We do. In the presence of His Majesty, the King of Riota…”
The man’s tone remained polite.
“We are here to protect Your Majesty from a fugitive traitor.”
“What? A fugitive traitor?”
“I will take you this way.”
Immediately, two soldiers joined the king on either side.
“As long as you cooperate, Your Majesty’s life will be saved.”
A situation where he has absolutely no idea what’s going on.
The king, who had lost his will to fight due to extreme fear, let go of his rusty sword without any strong resistance from the soldiers.
* * *
Late into the night, Greta still stared out the window facing east.
At that moment, a noise was heard outside the door.
—Sreaaak.
She heard the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor, so it seemed like the maid had finally brought in the meal tray.
“I told you I wasn’t going to eat! Are you crazy? What time is it?”
Greta snapped irritably toward the door.
Skipping a few meals wouldn’t kill her.
There was another rattling sound, as if someone was grabbing the doorknob and turning it.
“Ah. This really pisses me off. I won’t eat it. Just get out of here.”
As she became irritated again, the creaking stopped and was replaced by a heavy thud in front of the door.
Greta couldn’t stand it anymore and jumped up from her seat.
“What are you trying to do? Are you getting angry at me right now?”
On any other day, she would have ignored it.
But for some reason, tonight, the anger boiling inside her was unbearable.
Is it because the eastern sky is not visible due to the thick fog tonight?
Or maybe it was because she had heard that name again—Riella Blinite.
“Hey!”
Greta came out with her bare feet stomping and opened the door wide.
Outside the door, in the dark hallway, a black silhouette was moving away.
“Hey! Yeah, you.”
At Greta’s sharp call, a black figure stopped a few feet away.
“Are you incapable of doing your job properly? A mere maid should just follow orders. Who do you think you are?”
“….Eat.”
“What?”
Greta narrowed her eyes.
‘Still going on about the meal? Had that maid completely lost her mind?’
“Hey. You come here. What are you saying to me now— Ugh.”
Greta stopped herself from throwing a tantrum and covered her mouth.
‘What was this disgusting stench?’
It reeked like a sewer, the foul stench of rotting filth filling the air.
And then—
“I ate a lot, so you eat it!”
A black figure suddenly rushed in front of Greta, who was holding her nose and glaring.
Covered in disgusting filth from head to toe like a monster, with eyes as vicious as if it were going to kill someone.
With a sudden motion, that person grabbed the bucket it had set down in front of the door— And upended it over Greta’s head.
—Splatt
The sticky, foul-smelling contents spilled over her entire body, drenching her from head to toe.
* * *
