༺ Allegrato ༻
“Has she been summoned again? Repairing a broken human would be quite the challenge.”
Gremory Elden Ishtar Elmark sighed in annoyance as she witnessed the Third Princess of the Obern Kingdom being summoned elsewhere.
“Do you desire her services as well, Your Majesty?”
“You are saying quite unpleasant things.”
Marquis Phrygia, the vassal accompanying Gremory, received a slight frown in response to his words.
Between the Elmark Empire and the Ernes Empire stood three kingdoms. While two of them had succumbed to the might of the Elmark Empire, the Kingdom of Obern had managed to hold its ground for years.
However, the perception among the public that the Obern Kingdom was pro-Elmark Empire was far from the truth.
The Obern Kingdom’s nobility was incredibly corrupt, exploiting their own people to fill their own pockets. Meanwhile, the royalty, who should have rectified the situation, had fallen into the clutches of the Elmark Empire, barely retaining a fragment of their former power.
Yet even that fragment of power was crumbling.
The princes and princesses were mere pawns in the hands of the high nobility of the Elmark Empire. Their treatment had worsened significantly in recent years.
After all, it was the prince of the Obern Kingdom who had orchestrated a raid on the Ernes Empire Academy from behind the scenes.
“Sometimes, when I look at the Obern royal family, I am reminded of the true beauty of humanity.”
“The disparity between your words and the term ‘human’ sickens me.”
“Do you not feel the same, Your Majesty?”
A prince who had schemed in secret, planted as a spy.
Aside from him, only a handful of vassals were believed to be loyal servants.
The Elmark Empire was already aware of all this information and had coerced them into falsely pledging their allegiance.
Was it in preparation for the unthinkable?
No.
More accurately, Gremory knew that the Obern Kingdom desired to rid itself of the corrupt nobles and the deep-rooted shadows through war.
And she wished to grant them that desire.
She hoped that it would be Obern, not Elmark, that provided the justification, allowing her to sweep them away in one fell swoop, like a water ghost.
In her heart, Gremory didn’t want to go through such elaborate preparations. However, war was not fought alone. The morale of the troops would plummet if they were forced into a war without a just cause.
Hence, she would wait for the Obern Kingdom to ignite the flames of war.
The most ideal scenario would be for the Ernes Empire to move against the Obern Kingdom in response to the fire they had sparked.
Indeed, there was a reason why the development of a drug capable of inducing suspended animation was taking place in the Obern Kingdom.
Gremory needed a pretext to attract the attention of the Ernes Empire.
Furthermore, it was due to Gremory’s machinations that the Obern royal family was treated as subhuman.
There were very few who agreed with her plan to wage war.
Each time objections were raised, the nobles, out of habit, made nonsensical claims about serving the people. In reality, they were simply afraid of their own interests being threatened.
To prevent such hypocritical morality from being used against her, Gremory offered those who opposed her, highly sought-after privileges, such as the opportunity to toy with the royal family.
How could those who ravaged the princes and princesses of the Obern Kingdom, whose human rights had been stripped away, like beasts driven by insatiable desires, now object to going to war using moral justifications?
Unlike the abomination known as humanity, as an Auror Knight pushed to her limits, Gremory was skilled in manipulating human psychology.
Of course, there were those who maintained their pretense until the bitter end, like Marquis Phrygia by her side.
“Furthermore, why do you desire war, Your Majesty?”
“……”
“To be honest, I fear it.”
“Hmph. Haven’t men always desired the women they find challenging to obtain?”
“……”
“They want to conquer those women, to have them under their control, to impregnate them and make them bear their children.”
Marquis Phrygia shrugged, silently affirming Gremory’s words.
“My reason for desiring war is the same. There are lands to be conquered, and I want to conquer those lands.”
“But I can’t help but wonder……”
“Wonder about what?”
“About how history will judge Her Majesty’s actions.”
“I don’t know how future generations will perceive my actions, but I am certain that you will be regarded as a loyal servant. After all, your pretentious mask is truly first-rate.”
In addition to the crime of forcibly administering the drug that induced suspended animation to the Second Princess of Obern Kingdom, Marquis Phrygia had also subjected the princes to abusive gangbangs and committed other atrocities.
Yet, he maintained an outward facade of good behavior, concealing his ugly desires. He was undoubtedly a hypocrite.
“There is a saying.”
“What saying?”
“If you gaze into the heart of a demon, the closest thing you will find is a human.”
“……”
“Surely, that saying was coined by someone who had encountered a human like you.”
Gremory remarked, while Marquis Phrygia responded with a soft laughter, offering no further words.
* * * * * *
June 30th.
The morning arrived, marking Ferzen’s birthday.
Most gifts had been delivered to the mansion since Ferzen was currently in Lamia for the practical exams.
Euphemia, who was sorting the gifts and keeping track of the senders, turned her head as she sensed someone approaching her.
It was Yuriel.
Although the exam she oversaw had ended, she still had some work to do at the academy.
“Let’s go together……”
“……?”
Yuriel hesitated.
Truthfully, Yuriel was still trying to find the right words to ask Euphemia to accompany her to the academy.
She was relieved that Euphemia took the initiative before she could ask.
“I’m sure some people have sent gifts to his office.”
“Well…… that’s likely.”
Even though Yuriel tried to appear casual, inside, she quietly chuckled.
Euphemia wasn’t entirely mistaken.
However, in this situation, rather than leaving the gifts in front of Ferzen’s office……
“Go change, I’ll wait for you.”
Opening the door, Yuriel stepped outside, her stride light.
As they arrived at the academy, instead of immediately heading to the fourth floor of the main building with Yuriel, Euphemia made a stop at the department office on the first floor.
She wondered if people had left gifts in the care of the teaching assistant on duty.
However, there were no gifts in the department office. Finally, when Euphemia reached the fourth floor……
“Please deliver this to Professor Ferzen for me.”
“I’ll see to it that it gets done, don’t worry.”
In the hallway, Euphemia observed Yuriel receiving numerous gifts. It wasn’t just one or two; other professors on the fourth floor seemed to be entrusting their birthday presents for Ferzen to Yuriel.
“Ah……”
Yuriel smiled bashfully upon seeing the gifts.
But Euphemia knew it was all a facade.
It was simply impossible for them not to know that Ferzen’s wife was her.
And that she was nothing more than his mistress.
However, the professors gathered on the fourth floor seemed to view Yuriel as Ferzen’s current wife.
They might have assumed that since Ferzen wasn’t at the academy, Euphemia wouldn’t be showing up for work either……
Even if that wasn’t the case, she doubted that these people would have approached her.
“……”
Step-!!
Euphemia purposefully made her footsteps loud and clear for everyone to hear.
She strode to the front of Ferzen’s office, ensuring not to hide her presence.
The professors around Yuriel quickly greeted her with awkward looks.
Click-!!
Without returning the greeting, Euphemia entered Ferzen’s office.
Click-!!
She closed the door behind her and sat down on the couch.
‘I thought I was prepared for this……’
Even if she didn’t want to be bothered by this, the human mind wasn’t so simple.
The gap between Yuriel and herself should be insurmountable.
However, even though she understood that she couldn’t help but acknowledge it.
Rustle-!!
Euphemia picked up the blanket that was on the sofa and brought it to her nose, inhaling the faint scent of Ferzen’s cologne.
She couldn’t wait to see him again.
Was this what people called longing?
Or was it simply separation anxiety?
There was a moment of silence outside the door, but soon the sound of laughter and giggles resumed.
‘I hope she still gets her menstrual cycle next month…’
In response, Euphemia silently cursed Yuriel in her mind and quietly followed Ferzen’s presence in his office.
When he returned, they would discuss the name of their child.
On that topic, Yuriel would have no place to interject, so it would be best if they discussed it during a meal together.
Just like that, the two lambs being raised in the ranch where the wolf had left them continued their uneventful day.
TL note: Wamen ☕️
Imma say boys, it’s such a strange thing to see your substitute at work….Like I kinda want to leave now….But seeing the bozo who will seat on mah chair it’s just…..idk wrong.
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