The Saintess Returned to the Emperor's Arms

A hand held together

 

Riella, who came inside, stretched out her arm and slapped Carnel’s wrist.

 

As a result, the dagger that Carnel was holding fell down, but Carnel did not give in and jumped up and grabbed Riella’s wrist.

 

“Sir Carnel!”

 

There was no time to talk to Carnell or calm him down.

 

Carnel twisted Riella’s wrist and pushed her shoulder, throwing her to the floor like a piece of luggage. 

 

Riella let out a moan and fell backward. Her hands fumbled as she fell, causing the empty shelf and table to fall down with them.

 

“Ugh….sir Carnel!”

 

It hurt like her whole body was being torn apart, but Riella still gritted her teeth and raised her head.

 

Carnel did not seem to have any emotions for someone who had decided to commit suicide. With that blank face, Carnel was picking up the fallen dagger. He was trying to commit suicide again.

 

“Sir Carnel! Please don’t do this! Captain Asion! Sir Jess! Help me, please!”

 

Riella screamed loudly and stood up, clinging to Canel.

 

“Lord Carnel. Please stop! If you are a real spy, ask for forgiveness. If not, declare your innocence. This Choice is cowardly! Even if you feel sorry for His Majesty, you shouldn’t do this. please.”

 

At that moment, when Riella hugged Canel tightly while saying something that was unclear whether it was a threat or a plea, she clearly saw Carnel’s blank eyes slowly regaining their consciousness.

 

“Sir Carnel…?”

 

At that time, Asion heard Riella’s screams and rushed inside. He understood the situation without any explanation and immediately snatched the dagger that Carnel was holding and overpowered Canel.

 

“Are you okay, Miss Riella!?”

 

“yes. I’m fine, Sir Cannel.…”

 

Asion gritted his teeth as he pushed Carnel’s shoulders and made him kneel on the floor.

 

Jess held up the dagger he had taken from Carnel and covered his mouth as if he could not believe Carnel’s actions.

 

Carnel’s next words shocked everyone even more.

 

“Captain Asion. Sir Jess. And Miss Riella…What else did I do?”

 

As soon as Asion tried to push him because he couldn’t remember again, Riella, who had stepped back, suddenly approached and grabbed Carnel’s hand.

 

It was a hand that still had her handprints that Riella held hard to prevent Carnel from harming himself.

 

“Sir Carnell. You can’t remember it, Right? Look, I held you like this. You can remember it. Think about it carefully.”

 

Hearing Riella’s crying words, Carnel flinched and opened his eyes as if he had been hit hard in the back of the head with something.

 

Carnel’s black eyes trembled. The eyes were as clear as a mirror, reflecting Riella’s earnest face as she gazed at him intently.

 

“yes…”

 

Canel trembled, making eye contact with Riella until the end, and then answered very slowly.

 

“you’re right. I remember…. Even everything that happened before.”

 

At Carnel’s confession, Asion’s arm, pressing down on his shoulder, trembled. Jess who hides behind Riella, swallowing hard.

 

“It was all my doing. I guess that’s what I did. I’m the one who made His majesty….”

 

Carnel began to cry.

 

* * * 

 

Herhan quickly got up and moved when he heard that Canel had regained his memories.

 

That’s how he arrived inside Jess’s lab.

 

“Your Majesty,…He said that only if I do this, Sir Carnell will feel at ease.”

 

It was truly absurd that Riella was kneeling next to Carnel and holding his hand.

 

She seemed to know that it was embarrassing to show herself like this in front of the emperor, but the fact that she kept holding Carnel’s hand while explaining the reason with an embarrassed expression made Herhan feel like she had no choice.

 

“sorry. I’m really sorry. your majesty. I don’t know why, but when Miss Riella lets go of her hand, my consciousness fades. Please kill me. I will remain like this until Your Majesty confirms my memories.”

 

Herhan was so shocked that he couldn’t say anything.

 

Herhan looked intently at Carnel’s hand, which was tightly holding Riella’s white hand. Herhan gripped the handle of the sword at his waist as hard as he could.

 

The person who threatened his life, betrayed Asion and Jess, and placed all the blame on Riella.

 

And now he’s leaning on her for consciousness?

 

The sword shifted slightly in Herhan’s tight grip.

 

It was Herhan’s last patience to suppress his anger and not cut him down right then and there.

 

“okay. Carnel. I will see your memories.”

 

Herhan placed his hand on Carnel’s shoulder, who was shaking because he could not even catch his breath.

 

“You did it all. You made fake medicine, gave it to me, and stole the documents. And everything that happened after that.”

 

Canel closed his eyes tightly at the master’s sentence. Asion and Jess also lowered their heads with more miserable faces than before.

 

“But at the same time, it’s not Cannell’s doing.”

 

“What?”

 

“Your Majesty, what is that?”

 

“The one who took action was Carnel, but a slightly different voice has been commanding him, usually when he’s asleep.”

 

“Then, Canel’s consciousness really was controlled by someone.…?”

 

Herhan also nodded slowly and answered Jess’s unbelievable question with a puzzled look on his face.

 

“Yes.. The same goes for the attempt he just made to commit suicide. It was something that someone manipulated to cut off the tail. It is not Canel’s will.”

 

Herhan turned his gaze back to Canel.

 

“Carnel. Have you ever met a suspicious hypnotist somewhere?”

 

“ah…No, I don’t know. It could have been….”

 

“Well, it looks like we’ve found a bigger enemy.”

 

Canel usually met with people from various fields to find a way to treat his master’s illness. There was no way that a malicious hypnotist could not be among them.

 

An enemy that uses hypnosis to manipulate people like puppets. Although they were naturally terrified as they faced such a dangerous enemy just by imagining it, everyone here agonized with different tensions.

 

“Your Majesty, then what happens to Carnel?”

 

It was about the disposition of Carnel.

 

In contrast to everyone who was anxious, Herhan remained aloof.

 

His cool gaze briefly rested on Canel’s hand, which was still holding Riella’s hand.

 

A frustrated, hot sigh rose up his throat.

 

He’d never thought he’d see the day when Carnel, who hadn’t caused a single accident in his life, would bother him like this.

 

“Of course.”

 

‘Don’t tell me you will sentence him to death…’

 

In the presence of his nervous aide, Herhan commanded coldly, displaying his last patience.

 

“You should be given a chance to correct your mistakes.”

 

“Ahh–”

 

As soon as Herhan finished speaking, Carnel, who was lying face down and shaking, unable to breathe, burst out in sighs and soon sobbed.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Because of my ignorance, I caused trouble to everyone. I put you in danger.…”

 

Canel shed tears, asking for forgiveness, but no one urged him to stop crying. Because everyone knew that they were actually tears of joy and gratitude for being cleared of wrongdoing.

 

Herhan stared at him for a while, then squeezed his shoulder and said.

 

“I hate you so much.”

 

“…..”

 

“Thank you, though. Because you didn’t abandon me.”

 

Canel’s crying intensified as his master’s words were filled with sincerity. Even Jess held back his boiling emotions, his eyes widening towards the ceiling.

 

“So now let go of that hand.”

 

“ah.”

 

Carnel’s crying, which seemed like it wouldn’t stop for a while, stopped at a very strange point.

 

Carnel, whose eyes were already wide open, immediately let go of Riella’s hand and knelt in front of Herhan again.

 

Riella smiled at Carnel with happy tears in her eyes, but then made eye contact with Herhan, who was glaring at her, and shyly avoided his gaze.

 

* * * 

 

Carnel was not a spy.

 

Everyone was relieved by that fact, but as Herhan said, it was also true that there was still a long way to go.

 

Since it was unknown when Carnel would be controlled, Carnel chose to remain isolated under the care of Asion and Jess for a while.

 

It was fortunate that he regained all his memories. Jess finds out the ingredients of the ‘fake medicine’ based on Carnel’s memories.

 

“Thank you. Miss Riella. For saving me.”

 

“Sir Carnell saved me more times.”

 

After the situation was resolved, Carnel and Riella sat face to face again and exchanged shy words.

 

“I’ll say it again in case you misunderstand, but I passed by coldly at the West Palace back then. That’s not me. If it were me, I would have greeted you more warmly than Miss Riella greeted me.”

 

“I know.” Riella smiled brightly and added the answer.

 

“Then from now on, when you see me, please smile like you do now. With that, I can tell whether Lord Carnell is conscious or not.”

 

“yes. I will do that…”

 

Carnel also smiled and answered along with Riella, but then stopped with an eerie feeling.

 

He slowly raised his head and realized that his lord standing behind Riella was glaring at him with his arms crossed and menacing eyes.

 

‘Riella greeted me so warmly that I forgot about it for a moment. It was the emperor who brought Riella here.’

 

“I’m not here for you two to exchange greetings. I asked where Jess is, Carnel.”

 

“S-sorry. your majesty. Sir Jess went to the library for a moment. What’s going on?”

 

As Carnel cleared his throat and bowed before his lord, Herhan raised Riella’s left arm in front of Carnel, like a person who has come to complain about a scratch on a cherished treasure.

 

“Riella’s arm. here. The wound. Do you see it?

 

“yes. I see it. It looks like you got cut by something sharp. How did it happen like this…?”

 

Riella seemed embarrassed to show her wounds to Carnel, so she took her arm out of the Emperor’s grasp and covered the injured area.

 

Carnel noticed that awkward attitude right away. 

 

‘Ah, I guess you got hurt while saving me the other day.’

 

“It doesn’t hurt at all. If I just leave it like this, it will get better on its own.”

 

As soon as Liella excused herself, Herhan opened his eyes sharply.

 

they must have been arguing about that little wound all the way from the main palace.

 

Carnel got up and brought bandages and disinfectant.

 

“Come closer this way. Miss Riella. Raise your arms.”

 

Riella was obedient.

 

Carnel couldn’t say he was sorry anymore, so while he was silently picking up the cotton pad with disinfectant on it, Canel made eye contact with Herhan again.

 

The lord’s eyes were very cold, urging him to do something.

 

‘ah…’ 

 

Carnel, who sensed his lord’s intention, put down his hand as if possessed.

 

“Miss Liella. Now that I think about it, I think it would be difficult for me to deal with it. While being investigated I decided to take a leave of absence. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t give you treatment.”

 

“What? No, this is… It’s just putting on medicine and bandaging, right? Why….”

 

“Ah…Now that I think about it, I had something to do, but I forgot. Sorry, but I’ll get up first.”

 

“What? Sir Carnel. you said you took a leave of absence. What happened? Sir Carnell?”

 

Riella stood up hesitantly, unable to understand why Carnel suddenly left the room as if running away.

 

Still, she couldn’t follow Carnel out, so she came back and found Herhan picking up the disinfectant and cotton that Carnel had put down.

 

“Your Majesty, what are you doing now?”

 

“…..”

 

Herhan gestured for Riella to sit down on the empty chair in front of him.

 

Only then Riella who realize the reason why Carnel had backed off, laughed.

 

Apparently, it’s not some distant enemy that threatens and manipulates Carnel, it’s His Majesty.

 

* * *