◈ 167. [Side Story] Elizabeth (2)
“What if you leave the palace without saying anything?”
said Fernandez in a soft, quiet tone.
“The soldiers who were waiting to find you, even me, mobilized and searched the ecliptic like teeth.”
Fernandez approached me, reached out his hand, and tousled my hair without hesitation.
This kid seems to be about 5 cm taller than me.
“It’s true that he’s a younger brother who needs a lot of hands, so he’s our youngest.”
“… .”
“by the way… What is this situation now?”
Fernandez inspected my body for scratches and narrowed his eyes when he saw Elise’s sword embedded in the floor.
“It seems to me that the two of you were fighting a duel to the death.”
“… .”
“And the fallen lady over there seems to be the head maid of the Wintersilver Merchant.”
Fernandez laughed as he inspected the many knife marks on the wall.
“You dare to point a sword at the imperial family? We need to firmly hold the upper management of Wintersilver accountable for this. We need to investigate whether there was any intention of treason.”
“… .”
“I was in trouble because my tax revenue decreased a little this year, but it turned out well. Winter silver will suffice the national treasury for a while, right?”
Elise closed her eyes tightly as if she had given up on everything.
My mouth was dry. What should I do? What excuse do I have to make this situation go away?
“… !”
Then something popped into my mind.
Yes Ash, this bastard is a famous playboy… … !
“That’s not it bro.”
“huh?”
“What do you mean by that?”
I smirked and quietly told a lie.
“Me and this lady are dating.”
“… ?!”
Elise looked at me with a shocked look.
“What?”
I smiled and approached Elise, who was muttering bewilderedly, and made a small mouth.
‘If you want to harm the serenade, tune in, you idiot!’
‘… !’
I hugged Elise, who was trembling, and raised her up, then I smiled brightly at Fernandez.
“You mean I had some hot nights with this lady before I went down south? Because this lady’s fiery personality is completely my taste. But now that I’ve returned, I only met my master. Is this lady jealous? That’s it.”
“Hoo… .”
Fernandez laughed as if it was absurd.
“so? Did you have a violent fight with lovers you haven’t seen in a while?”
“Originally, during love fights, verbal abuse comes and goes, swords come and go, and then love comes and goes again. Isn’t that what it is?”
“Huh… .”
Fernandez looked at the completely collapsed abandoned building, the bloodied Elise, and my body, where I had been scratched with a knife, in turn, and then clicked his tongue.
“You’re in a very hot relationship, maknae. I am really proud of it.”
“Thank you for the compliment. I’m proud of myself sometimes too.”
I was rather annoyed with Fernandez.
“Oh, what are you going to do? I’m just trying to reconcile. Hyung showed up and the atmosphere got really cold.”
I looked back at Elise and smiled.
“Isn’t it honey? Actually, we were all reconciled. Isn’t my brother funny? huh?”
“… .”
Elise just looked at me bewildered without notice, so I whispered softly.
‘Laugh quickly!’
If you don’t want to be blown away for attacking the royal family, at least pretend to be lovers!
“… .”
Then, Elise raised her trembling mouth… … He grinned and smiled mischievously.
hee hee It’s scary because I laugh. That’s a killer face. There must have been a reason you went around with no expression.
Anyway, when we were so close together and tearing each other apart, Fernandez laughed as if it was absurd.
“No matter what, what should I do if I even touch the maid of my sister’s fiancée? Aren’t you sorry for your fiancé Miss Serenade?”
“I touched her because she is the maid of my fiancée. Ha ha, should I give you a lecture on how to enjoy a thrilling relationship again?”
“It’s okay.”
Fernandez waved his hand and glared at Elise with stern eyes.
“Hmm. Even so, the crime of throwing a sword at the imperial family is heavy… … .”
“Oh please brother! look at me! If the lady I seduced her accused me of pointing a knife at me, how would rumors spread among the ladies of the zodiac?”
“How do you fly?”
“If you get sprained while playing with me, the story of going to prison won’t spread! Then no. Do you know how much of a hindrance it will be to my happy love front?”
I hugged Elise tightly and smiled.
“So huh? please have a look I want to continue to have fun with our Elise.”
Kwak.
Elise and I pressed our cheeks together and whispered.
‘Smile.’
‘… .’
shit.
haggard.
Elise and I were like that, hahahaha, with smiles that were the most awkward in the world.
“Hmm… .”
Fernandez looked at us with a sharp gaze that didn’t make sense, and then burst into a low laugh.
“Ha ha true. Anyway, my youngest brother can’t handle it.”
Have you eaten? Did you eat it?
“I get it. okay. It’s funny that I’m arguing with Katabuta even though I’m like that. I’ll close my eyes.”
As Fernandez waved his hand, the soldiers retreated one by one and began to run out of the alley.
Fernandez muttered lowly as he walked out of the alley with the soldiers.
“But from now on Ash, you’d better not play too loudly.”
“… .”
“Get your work done with the lady. I’ll wait in the carriage over there. Let’s go back to the palace together.”
Fernandez disappeared out of the alley.
Whoa, I let out a sigh of relief, and at the same time, Elise swallowed a moan.
“Keugh!”
When I looked to the side, blood was oozing out from all over the maid’s clothes. It seems that he was forced to stand still with injuries.
I took a potion out of my pocket and put it in Elise’s hand.
“drink. You will be fine.”
“… .”
“And forget about today. Nothing happened between us.”
Elise muttered softly while looking down at the potion in her hand.
“Why?”
“huh?”
“majesty. I am the one who tried to kill you.”
“I know.”
Just a few minutes ago, you were brandishing a knife to cut my throat.
“however… why are you helping me? I may continue to use the opportunity to try to kill you.”
“Because I know.”
I clicked my tongue briefly.
“But this way you won’t trust me in the future.”
“what… .”
“Elise. No matter what rubbish I did in the past, now I don’t want to make your master unhappy. sincerely.”
Elise looked at me with wide eyes.
I smiled bitterly at her.
“I’m not sure how I’ll behave in the future to avoid making him cry, but what’s certain is that your master will be sad when you die.”
“… .”
“So you didn’t mean to kill me today.”
It’s not just for serenade.
The Winter Silver Merchant is important for future development plans of Crossroads and securing magic stone distribution lines.
You can’t let things go extinct like this.
Besides, Elise is one of the few SSR-ranked swordsmen in the entire game.
Since I was able to use it in the game, there is a possibility that he will come under my command later. You have to keep it alive for later.
I helped Elise and sat her on the floor. Elise still looked up at me with a bewildered gaze while holding the potion in her arms.
“Then see you again.”
Responding to that gaze with an awkward smile, I walked forward.
Outside the alley, Fernandez’s carriage was waiting for me.
“… .”
Elise stared blankly at me as I moved away until the end.
***
Inside the carriage back to the Imperial Palace.
“Don’t get entangled with the Wintersilver Merchant anymore. Be it a fiancée or a maid. Stop meeting me.”
Fernandez sighed.
“In a few days, the engagement will be broken off, so if you keep spreading your hands, that’s okay.”
“what?”
I asked in surprise.
“Break off your marriage?”
Fernandez looked at me with a puzzled look.
“Why are you surprised? Did you even eat it? It’s something that was already decided.”
Fernandez’s carriage was spacious.
In addition, all kinds of documents and stationery were provided so that work could be done in the wagon.
Buried his back in the velvet seat across from me, Fernandez spat out while working on paperwork with a quill in the meantime.
“It’s just that we used the top for national road projects.”
“… .”
“They used their nationwide distribution network to pave the way. Is that all? They took charge of the entire project and paid half of the project cost.”
Fernandez laughed out loud.
“I was so zealous knowing that I would become an in-law with the imperial family. haha! Poor idiots.”
“… .”
“No matter how nerdy you are, Obama Mama treats you as such a lowly top-tier… There’s no way you’d marry the daughter of a family that bought a title of nobility with money.”
Fernandez, who kept talking without erasing his smile, frowned as I stood still.
“What is it Ash? Were you worried that you would really marry such a lowly family? You cute boy.”
“No I… .”
“Thanks to you selling your name, the roads of the empire have been cleaned all over the country. The road project is also in the final stage, so there is no need to stay engaged anymore.”
“… .”
“Since it has served its usefulness, the Winter Silver Merchant will now eat it slowly in the imperial family.”
I clenched my fists.
yes is that
Did the imperial family intend to use and discard the Winter Silver Merchant from the beginning?
Anticipating this… … Was Serenade that anxious?
“That merchant is also very funny. Whether they buy a title with money or establish a relationship with the imperial family, their humble history will not disappear. To say that he would try to mix a drop of Everblack’s blood into his family, and he would drain all of his liver and gallbladder. What is his lineage?”
The man who was born with the noblest lineage in the world said that while smirking.
Right after, Fernandez said Oops! He made a noise and smiled softly at me.
“Sorry sorry. It could be a bad story for you. Your mother also came from a lower class, so you probably don’t want to hear this.”
“… ?”
“I still hear a lot about fixing this insensitive part. haha it wasn’t intentional Sorry.”
I blankly blinked. what?
Ash’s mother was from a lower class?
“Let’s stop chattering and talk about the future.”
Without a second thought, Fernandez changed the subject.
“As you may have already heard, there will be a victory celebration party in a week. Until then, just stay calm and don’t think and hit.”
Fernandez looked at me with warm eyes.
“As soon as Brother Lark returns from the western front, I will wake up Obama from hibernation. The four of us will be able to have a ‘Guardian Meeting’ after a long time.”
“… ?”
Incomprehensible words came out one after another.
The emperor’s hibernation?
Guardian meeting?
What the hell is this kid talking about?
“I know that you who are in charge of the southern front have a lot of complaints. I know that it is difficult to stop the monster. So I understand you’re upset this time. But Ash, we also had a rough time as Guardians.”
“… .”
“For now, be patient and speak directly to Obama at the meeting. If Obama allows it, I will send more troops from the center and send support to the south.”
I couldn’t keep up with the story, so I kept my mouth shut.
Perhaps understanding my dissatisfaction, Fernandez soothed me with gentle words.
“Everything is to protect the empire from the fate of destruction.”
“Destruction… fate?”
I frowned.
this speech… I feel like I heard it somewhere… … .
“okay. In order to rebel against that fate, I will protect the empire at all costs, even at the cost of everything else.”
Fernandez reached out and wrapped my hand warmly. A small smile formed on his lips.
“The four of us swore together that day.”
I looked at Fernandez with trembling eyes.
doomed to extinction?
And rebel against that fate?
Defend the Empire at the cost of everything else?
What the hell do these mean?
‘how… . The people of the imperial family here… … .’
What are you doing at the center of the world?
