Who Stole The Empress

Roselyn held the paper Tamon had given her in her hand, and she read the words over and over again.

[O life] Engrave before the sixth moon rises and the fifth night passes. And let her know that the Iron Child is crossing the sea. If the child cannot be saved before it reaches land, her treasure will fall back to death.]

The word “life” referred to Tamon.

It was clear that the word “death” referred to Gillotti.

Then there was the Iron Child….

Roselyn remembered Arsene.

Arsene was a child abandoned by a blacksmith.

The old blacksmith raised Arsene, but when he was ten years old, even the old man died, and Arsene had to go into a shelter.

The child was good with his hands and did chores at the shelter, but he always missed the smell of iron. However, after he took the sword, the nostalgia had faded and all he did was practice.

“Iron Child….”

If these were the words referring to Arsene, then the treasure written here must surely be the sacred object she had entrusted to him.

Roselyn made up her mind.

“I must find the Iron Child.”

“Do you know who the Iron Child is?”

She said with a short nod.

“He is the child I entrusted with the treasure.”

Tamon’s expression changed at her words.

“So the words written here…”

“Yes, it seems that someone knows about this situation right now. So we must hurry. We must find the holy relic before the child crosses the sea.”

Holy relics.

The holy relics were as important as the abilities. There were 6 carvings of God that were said to have fallen into this world.

They played an important role in dealing with the monsters that slipped through the gap. It was also the only thing that could stand up to the gifted. (People with power)

Surely, the Sunset clan was completely destroyed and all the treasures they possessed would be confiscated by the imperial family.

Roselyn knew that this would happen and hid the holy relic beforehand.

“The child’s name is Arsene. He was on his way to Louvre at my request. I see that the message mentioned the sea, and it seems like he was caught near Louvre……… I don’t know where that ship is going.”

“That’s close. We’re at the point where the trade month is almost over, so even if we start tracking it now, we’ll most likely be late.”

After pondering for a while, Tamon pulled out a map from somewhere.

He unfolded the map widely and pointed to the four countries that encircled the Talia Sea like a crescent moon and the narrow strait outside Talia Sea, the Sentica.

 “There are only five places you can go if you take a ship in Louvre, but some of the Sentica chieftains have already reared their heads again, so it wouldn’t be Tanatos if you took a ship in Louvre, and there are only three countries left, Amor, Ortu, and Mach.”

 “Amor won’t be easy because of the complicated procedures for entering the port. Mach is the farthest country from Louvre, so it’s more likely to reach us once the trading month is over, then it’s the only one left.”

Roselyn pointed to Ortu.

“Ortu has close ties with Nilux. That’s how generous they are with the slave trade, and it seemes likely that they went this way.”

Tamon bowed his head slightly to Roselyn, who looked up at him as if to say, “What do you think?”

He smiled briefly and nodded in agreement.

Roselyn clenched her fists nervously.

“Arsene…”

‘Why did I ask that child for a favor?’

At the time, Roselyn was isolated and was likely to die.

No matter how much, it was too much to ask a child who hid in secret.

She wanted to know where Arsene was, and not just for the sake of the holy relic.

The original Roselyn would have managed to find the child’s whereabouts. If she had the status and power of an empress, that is.

But now she was too penniless. All she has now is……

Roselyn looked at the man standing in front of her. As if he was waiting for her next words, Tamon politely made eye contact with her without saying a word.

Roselyn asked, not hiding her nervousness.

“Can you save the child?”

Tamon laughed, as if he had been waiting for her.

“One month.”

He was the only card she was holding.

“In exactly one month, I will bring him before you.” 

Tamon kissed the back of her hand.

 (*can I have Tamon, please)

***

After that night, it became difficult for Roselyn to look at Tamon.

Whatever he was planning or doing, he was frequently out and about, sometimes coming home soaked in blood.

Roselyn didn’t wait for him.

Instead, she spent all day in Tamon’s bedroom. To be more precise, a secret room hidden inside of his bedroom.

Tamon handed her a number of keys.

“What are all these?”

“Keys to my private realm.”

 “……… Isn’t this mansion already your private realm?”

“It’s much deeper than that, it’s a secret place.”

He led Roselyn by the hand into a secret room at the back of his bedroom.

A small door that opened by pressing a secret button hidden in a tapestry, and a staircase leading down to the basement behind it.

Perhaps the room had been designed from the time the mansion was built, or it was just an underground room, but the sun was shining in from somewhere.

In the center of the room where the sunlight shone in, there were a few flower pots.

No one would be able to get in if it was a secret space, so was Tamon taking care of those plants himself?

With the questions in mind, Roselyn averted her gaze and looked around at the books and papers that filled the walls.

On a huge desk with one wall behind it, fountain pens and papers were piled up, indicating that it was a desk in use.

“This is where I come when I plan something or have some alone time. Sometimes I use it to avoid troublesome visitors.” 

Tamon said and plopped down on a very comfortable looking sofa.

“Well, from now on, you can use it to make your own plan.”

Despite the fact that he had just surrendered his secret space, Tamon didn’t seem hesitant in any way.

No, in fact, he looked at Roselyn, who occupied her space, as if she was something interesting.

He had a strange personality, after all.

Roselyn ignored Tamon’s gaze and looked around the secret study.

The first thing she saw was books on the bookshelves.

Books in his secret room…. Is there anything that gets to know him better than this?

Because the books he was hiding meant the thoughts and future he was hiding.

Roselyn’s gaze slowly scanned through the bookshelves.

<Nationalism That Shook the Empire.>

<Gernsk, the History of Revolution.>

<The Secrets of the Holy Empire.>

 < Is there a God?>

<The weakness of slavery.>

 <What’s the difference between human and beast?>

‘He’s more curious about the world than I thought.’

Some have searched for their secrets in past history, some have harbored counter-questions, and some have boldly questioned the revolution or power structure.

There was nothing good about this being known outside.  Especially those who are known as the pro-king faction like Tamon.

The King and the Krasis had an absolute friendship. It was known, but could there be an “absolute” in politics?

The relationship between a king and his subjects was different from friendship or love.

When trust was broken, life could come and go, so room for betrayal had to be given without mercy. 

Roselyn imagined Tamon’s head falling for a while and shook her head in surprise.

It didn’t matter to her if he died or not, or was decapitated or not.

Roselyn kept her mind at a distance, but on the other hand, she knew that this room must not be discovered.

Of course, Tamon could do it properly himself.

Thus passed a day of exploring his secret study.

After that day, Roselyn went to and fro in his bedroom even when he was not there.

Sometimes she would fall asleep in her bedroom when it was late or when she was lost in thought.

Of course, no one stopped her.

Well, she was known as a slave…

“I can’t believe I’m a bedroom slave.”

Her new identity was once again ridiculous.

She wondered how she ended up in this position, but she wasn’t really angry or amused.

She was dead once anyway. She had thrown away her existing status and honor in the snowfield of Tanatos.

So it didn’t matter what this body, which was only an external form, was called.

Rather, she was even light-hearted after shedding her heavy position.

Moreover, none of the servants in the east annex ignored the fact that she was from slavery.

‘They’re well disciplined.’

The servants who ran errands and even the knights who guarded here and there were disciplined and dignified.

No one looked away or opened their mouths recklessly.

They concentrated on their own work, minding their own business.

Thanks to this, Roselyn was able to spend her time freely in the east annex.

Even more freely than when she was in the Sunset family’s mansion before she became the Crown Princess. 

She could walk around barefoot if she felt like it, and she didn’t mind if her clothes got a little messy. 

She didn’t have to worry about anyone’s eyes on her, and she didn’t have to be nervous that someone would hurt her.

She didn’t have to worry that her words and actions would disturb her family and close friends.

No one put strict standards on her.

Roselyn approached the balcony and stared out at the ocean. The endless expanse of the ocean was a marvel to behold.

‘If I died without seeing this, I think I would be disappointed.’

‘If the world was so big, why was I always trapped in the ice?’

“The empress is not in a position to walk around leisurely because of her busy work. Unlike me, who is incompetent.”

Every time she tried to melt, Gillotti froze her again and again. So that she would never get out of there.

But not anymore…..

She’s going to break the ice herself.