After the Empress was found collapsed in the completely scorched magic tool room, the Emperor, despite his ups and downs, focused on exactly two things. One was restoring the Empress’s consciousness, and the other was fixing the magic tools.
The magic tools were one of the Emperor’s main means of governance. Through them, the Emperor became a fearsome being, and by them, the Emperor became not human but a god.
After the Empress collapsed and the magic tools lost their function, magicians would come in and out of the magic tool room several times a day.
However, as repair attempts continued to fail, the number of people coming and going gradually decreased. It was difficult to find someone who could fix them in the first place.
The magic tools gathered in the magic tool room were national treasures that had been slowly accumulated since the time of the first Emperor. Previous emperors used them as treasures or received help from them in times of emergency, but this Emperor was particularly dependent on the magic tools.
“Fire!”
So when news came that there was a fire in the magic tool room, the Emperor, far from evacuating, rushed straight to the magic tool room.
“Your Majesty! You must evacuate!”
“Silence!”
The Emperor pushed away the Crown Prince who had managed to arrive first and tried to stop him, and headed toward the magic tool room where black smoke was billowing up.
“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous!”
“You’re all noisy! Will you not shut up!”
The Emperor’s bloodshot eyes looked only forward. It had already surpassed the level that could be described as strong will. His face, which only looked forward, dripped with venom and stubbornness.
The Emperor was determined not to be pushed back by the smoke leaking through the open door. But to those watching from the side, it was nothing short of madness.
“Water!”
Servants and knights all carried and brought water to pour into the magic tool room, but the flames flickered their tongues as if mocking them. The bright red fire stretched its arms out to the wide-open exterior of the magic tool room.
That fire was quite strange. No matter how much water was poured, it wouldn’t extinguish. While the treasures that successive emperors had collected over hundreds of years were burning, what was even stranger was that the fire didn’t touch the wooden door at all.
The ashes mixed with water and flowed down, making everything pitch black. The carpet on the floor was also soaked black, and water dripped from the door.
The precious paintings on the walls were all removed and moved away in case they might burn. The Emperor pushed away all those trying to stop him and recklessly entered where the smoke was so thick that even approaching was difficult.
“Your Majesty!”
At this moment, the Crown Prince briefly thought:
‘If His Majesty the Emperor gets hurt in those flames, the next throne would come to me sooner than expected?’
Leaving behind the heir who was making his own calculations, the Emperor strode closer and closer to the magic tool room. He widened his eyes even more at the stinging smoke.
“This, what is this…!”
While water had flowed down so much that it flooded the corridor and stairs, none of the magic tools had barely escaped the fire.
“Your Majesty! It’s dangerous!”
“Bring more water!”
The Emperor’s face was red enough to burn from the scorching heat as he approached. If hell existed, this place was hell.
“Your Majesty, you must not approach further!”
“Your Majesty!”
When Count Horhen, the chief chamberlain, grabbed the Emperor’s clothes, the Crown Prince quickly joined in trying to restrain the Emperor. But the Emperor kicked them away and took one step, two steps forward.
“How dare you…”
His anger rose until his teeth ground and his hands trembled.
“Mock me!”
Only the magic tools were burning in the room. The curtains, floor, walls were all perfectly fine. Just as only the magic tools were scorched when the Empress collapsed, this time too, only the magic tools were burning.
A terrifying dragon’s flame that wouldn’t extinguish no matter how much water was poured was completely burning the Emperor’s treasures and symbols of dominion into ashes.
Though Count Horhen clung to the Emperor’s legs, the Emperor, as if mad, seemed to suddenly gain strength and stood staring directly at the flames. Within the flames, giant eyes filled with fire, a mouth mocking him, opened.
–You, Vincent Ferdinand Henrik. Arrogant one who inherited neither the wisdom of First Emperor Vincent, nor the courage of his grandson Ferdinand, nor the humility of Henrik of Crania.
The thunderous voice that suddenly covered Craine today struck the Emperor. As soon as he heard that voice, the Emperor’s legs lost all strength and he collapsed.
“Y-Your Majesty! Count! Come here!”
–Vulgar thief who stole another’s wife. The glory of Crania will end with your generation.
“That’s a lie!”
The Emperor screamed while thrashing about like a child on the ground.
–Is it not true that you coveted and kidnapped a pregnant woman?
“Evelyn liked beasts because she was vulgar!”
As the Emperor shouted with spittle flying and veins bulging in his neck, Count Horhen’s face turned pale. How could he say such things with so many servants and knights present?
“Take His Majesty away immediately!”
He gestured to the strong knights to carry the Emperor away if needed, but the knights couldn’t dare lay hands directly on the Emperor.
Moreover, the Emperor’s struggling and stomping was so intense that even Count Horhen was thrown off.
“I saved that wanton whore who dared to play with her body freely!”
The Crown Prince’s jaw dropped. Why on earth was His Majesty the Emperor saying such things to the fire? Calling Her Majesty the Empress a whore? Count Horhen, sprawled in the corridor, raised his face covered in wet ashes.
–She married a dragon.
“Dragons are beasts! Beasts! How filthy to consort with such beasts!”
The Emperor ranted madly. He was so focused on shouting that his voice kept breaking.
“You! You vile creature! How dare you, a mere dragon, crawl in here!”
The knights and even the Crown Prince were shocked by the Emperor’s ravings. The Empress with an evil dragon?
“Pour water! Call the magicians! Call Beatrice! Where is Hyperion!”
–Vulgar and foolish one. Do you not know it’s no longer possible to dance with swords while holding the dragon’s wife and son hostage?
“Bring Hyperion! There’s an evil dragon there! Stop that beast!”
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! There is no evil dragon here! It’s dangerous! Please retreat!”
“What nonsense! Is that creature not ranting right there!”
The Emperor thrashed about while pointing at the flames.
No one could understand why the Emperor was shouting such shocking content at the fire, and they were all terrified. Just as Count Horhen tried to shout louder than the Emperor—
–Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Laughter that shook the entire Soleil Palace spread. Everyone heard this laughter.
Following the sudden laughter, the atmosphere joined in shaking the palace with laughter. Not one being, but multiple beings laughing together, rumbling, striking the sky. The flames seemed to rush toward them.
Even the brave knights turned deathly pale at that bone-chilling sound. Even the Emperor, who had been shouting, turned white and couldn’t move despite his face burning from the flames.
The entire Soleil Palace froze. All the earth prostrated and even the air submitted, a cold and numbing mockery enough to make any living being tremble in fear.
Count Horhen, and the Emperor, at that moment recalled an unclear prophecy that some sorcerer had been spouting a few months ago.
When the heart of the golden castle burns, the dragon will descend upon Craine.
When the dragon descends upon Craine, the sun will fall.
The Emperor’s struggling legs lost all strength. The covenant between the First Emperor and the evil dragon is now over.
–The world will forever mock your foolishness.
The clear voice was heard by everyone present this time too. The humans were dead silent. Besides someone falling with a thud and the crackling sound of flames burning the magic tools, no other sound could be heard.
“I, I, I’m not, not fool… Evelyn was wrong… That woman was mine…”
Only the Emperor barely mumbled. Or rather, his massive stubbornness frozen in fear madly mumbled only what it wanted to say. His voice sounded like the buzzing of a fly compared to the soul-shaking derision just heard.
“All women in the empire are mine so Evelyn is mine too. I am the Emperor! The Emperor…!”
The eyes of the knights and servants rolled to look at the Emperor. An old man whose health was already so damaged he could barely stand was sitting there crying and shouting like a child.
He was not an emperor. Not the emperor who should protect them and show dignity before this massive presence. He was just an ugly and pathetic old man who muttered only what he wanted to say while fearfully glancing around before such mighty power.
As unavoidable disgust reflected in every eye looking at the Emperor, Count Horhen shouted.
“What are you doing! Take His Majesty to safety immediately!”
The knights, being human too and desperate to leave this place, quickly rushed to the Emperor. They grabbed his thrashing limbs respectfully but firmly and took him away.
“Hy-Hyperion! Call Hyperion! Hyperion will face the evil dragon! Hyperion! Where has Hyperion gone!”
The voice buzzing like a fly grew distant. The remaining people trembled as they pretended to put out the unquenchable fire.
****
The man that the Emperor and many others were thinking of was spending quite a peaceful time for someone who had set fire to the magic tool room of Soleil Palace.
Peon had temporarily lent his flames to his father. The wise dragon Gusalante could toy with the Emperor with just a few words through the flames.
Some revenge requires waiting one’s turn. Peon turned his attention to focus on what was most important to him.
“Are you alright?”
He was quite busy. He had to get Kaela, who had barely regained consciousness, to sit on his knee and eat at least a few spoonfuls.
Having brought Kaela not to the townhouse but to his lair, bathed her, dressed her, and woken her, he attended to her meal while she was distracted by the dreamlike lair.
Clear water that Peon could adjust the temperature of at will flowed quietly away.
The water flowing between stone pillars would join with a larger stream. Cool breezes flowed in between the pillars, and the bottom, so clear everything was visible, was filled with blue and white pebbles like jewels.
A white curtain was draped over the pure white bed by the water. The bright shadows of rippling water flickered on the smooth ceiling. This place, where light entered from somewhere, was far more beautiful than the magnificent imperial palace or Lanpalar Palace.
“You need to eat even if it doesn’t taste good.”
“It’s delicious.”
The food that Peon, who was even better at serving meals than Cecile, put in her mouth was all easy to swallow and delicious. Kaela, now used to being fed, pressed her forehead against his neck and snuggled in closer.
The embrace that immediately held her was equally natural. Not just embracing. He naturally kissed her cheeks and forehead too. Kaela asked him in a small voice.
“You knew right away something was wrong with me?”
“Of course I had to know right away.”
Peon answered while kissing the soft hair of his wife who had collapsed without any strength.
“I have something to say. So much.”
“Take one more bite first and then tell me one by one.”
Peon, who was particularly focused on getting Kaela to eat even a little more good food, managed to feed her another bite. Kaela’s small chest heaved as she took a deep breath.
She was huffing because she was firmly determined that she must say this! Watching quietly, Peon barely held back his laughter because she was so cute. Kaela glanced at his expression, then said what was most important first.
“Thank you for coming to save me.”
It was something Peon hadn’t expected. The spoon that had been filled again briefly stopped in mid-air.
“I knew you would come, but still, thank you. I was happy that it was you who came, not someone else.”
She smiled faintly. Her cheeks, slightly flushed from Peon sharing his breath with her, rose like apples.
“…You were happy?”
His voice cracked as he asked. The small head under his chin kept nodding.
“Yes. Tremendously.”
“Because I came?”
“Yes. That’s why I wasn’t scared at all when I realized I’d been poisoned.”
Because she knew well that he would save her somehow. Peon finally dropped the spoon. Kaela’s eyes widened in surprise, but fortunately the spoon found its place back in the bowl.
“…Because I could see you in pain?”
Because it would torment him? Kaela looked up at him and frowned as if confused.
“No. Why would you think that?”
He avoided her gaze.
“Because I deserve it.”
“That’s not true!”
What should he do with a wife who immediately started shouting with the strength he had shared and the meal he had provided? Peon tried to stop her first, but Kaela spoke earnestly.
“I was upset and sorry. I was so sorry for making you hurt and upset like this.”
She shook her head. She was no longer afraid to speak all her inner thoughts.
Hearing her answer, Peon rubbed his face while holding back a sigh.
“I was happy you came right away. That’s why I smiled.”
His hand paused. Peon raised his head. When their eyes met, the blue eyes in his arms sparkled. Ah. He was holding the only brilliantly shining existence in his life.
“Really. I wanted to tell you so badly but I was too exhausted and sleepy to speak. So I was even more upset.”
His breath caught. An enormous truth suddenly poured down on him, leaving him unable to gather his thoughts.
“Last time too, when you fell in the river, then too?”
His voice was urgent as he confirmed.
“Not because you were happy I was suffering?”
“No, why would, no!”
Kaela shook her head with wide eyes.
“Alright, I understand so don’t shout, Kaela. It’s hard.”
Peon, who absolutely could not bear to see her in pain and struggling, tried to stop her. But Kaela, her face red, spoke emphatically while her shoulders trembled.
“Why are you saying strange things! It’s not like that! That’s why you set the fire, isn’t it!”
The purple eyes slipped to the side again.
“…Not just because of that.”
“That includes thinking that way too!”
Why does she know me so well? Peon smiled without realizing it. Since she would know everything, might she perhaps grant this poor wish? He gathered courage to ask.
“You won’t abandon me?”
Kaela, who had turned completely to face him, shook her head. She shook it very easily.
Peon was so happy, he became deeply sorrowful. His life couldn’t be this easy. So this must be a dream, right?
😢💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛