Chapter 52 : My future master
by fnovelpia
At the mention of “her” arrival, the siblings of the King of Levath gathered in the audience chamber without fail.
They had to be there; if they were late, they might incur her wrath.
Still, they managed to control their expressions, not allowing any fear to show on their faces for the sake of their pride.
“Is everyone here? You all know this, but do not speak to her recklessly. If she asks something, answer with a simple ‘I understand,’ or keep your response as brief as possible.”
But the King, who had known her the longest, could not keep his hands still, trembling as he struggled to calm himself.
Just earlier that day, he had been seated on the throne, overlooking everything.
Seeing her father in such a state, Rosiria responded with a “Yes, Father,” while inwardly mocking him.
The person who had scolded her almost daily, calling her foolish, was now so helpless.
The thrill of what could be called “vicarious satisfaction” made the corners of her mouth twitch with amusement.
“Father, who is she? Why are you so agitated?”
As they stood waiting, the first prince, unable to hold his curiosity any longer, asked.
It was a question everyone must have been wondering, but none dared to ask.
However,”…I don’t know.”
“Excuse me?”
The King’s answer only deepened the confusion.
How could he be afraid of someone whose identity he didn’t even know?
This was nothing but a contradiction.
“I don’t know who she is or what she does. The only thing I’m sure of is that she made me who I am today, and my life now depends entirely on her whims.”
“What do you mean…?”
“You all know. I had many brothers, and I was the youngest among them.”
But turning his back on everyone’s gaze, he shook his head and began telling an absurd story.
“Because of that, I never dreamed of the throne. One day, that woman came to me.”
“It was a deep night, just like tonight… At first, I thought she was an assassin sent to kill me. But then, out of nowhere, she said this: ‘I will make you king, but you must pledge your loyalty to me from now on.’”
“I thought it was nonsense, but somehow, something in me told me that, if it were anyone, it would be her. So I accepted.”
“And then? What do you think happened? My brothers began dying, one by one, every day. No one could figure out why.”
The King continued speaking without rest, then paused for a moment to catch his breath.
Perhaps it was because he had just revealed a secret he could never share with anyone, or maybe it was due to the self-pity of being a puppet with the title of King, but the corners of his mouth twisted upward in a grimace.
“That’s how I became King. Everyone said I’d never be King, but that woman made it happen so easily. Does that make sense? Khehehe…”
As he let out a rough laugh, as if his throat was clogged, the siblings froze in place.
The rumors they had heard, which they thought were merely gossip, turned out to be somewhat true.
It was shocking to those who had once envied his position.
“…Hahaha.”
However, only Rosiria couldn’t hold back and let out a forced laugh.
The King, along with the other siblings, glared at her sharply, but she didn’t care.
Incredible…!
To think someone like that actually exists…!
Her heart swelled, and her mouth went dry.
The fact that she could manipulate even the throne, which everyone looked up to, at her will.
How could she not laugh at such an absurd reality that she had never even heard of before?
What do you mean “like a king”?
That woman is the sky itself!
No, perhaps calling a king “the sky” might not be the right expression.
She was someone beyond that, an existence that no mere human could comprehend.
To Rosiria, ‘she’ felt like a deity.
“Impressive. I never thought someone would even treat Father as insignificant!”
“What…!”
“What do you mean by that? How dare you speak such nonsense!”
“Are you crazy? Kneel and apologize right now!”
Her true feelings burst out, overcome with emotion.
At the same time, the King’s face turned red, and her siblings reprimanded her.
They tried to force her to kneel by grabbing her shoulders, but…”Shut up, don’t make a sound.”
At the voice they heard, a chill ran down their spines, and they all immediately knelt.
Then, from within the shadows, ‘she’ calmly walked out.
She wore the same expressionless mask that she had when they last saw her.
“Oh, you’re here. My apologies. My daughter has been talking nonsense, and I was just giving her a little lesson—”
“No need to explain. I’ve heard everything already.”
“Ah, yes…”
‘She’ casually passed the King, then pulled a nearby chair and sat down.
Crossing her legs, her bare skin shone white under the moonlight.
Rosiria, who had been watching her intently, swallowed dryly.
“By the way, didn’t you prepare what I asked for? Is this it?”
‘She’ picked up the Endrago, which was wrapped in a red cloth and placed on the table.
She then unwrapped the cloth and slowly began to examine it.
“…Hey.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Are you trying to mess with me?”
“…What?”
Suddenly, ‘she’ stood up from her seat and bent her index finger upward.
At that moment, the King’s body was lifted into the air and pulled forward, not touching the ground, as if grabbed by an invisible hand.
“Cough…! W-What are you doing? I brought what you asked for, so why…!”
Struggling to breathe, the King coughed repeatedly and tried to speak, his voice hoarse.
“You… put your mouth on something I’m supposed to use? Are you telling me to use something you’ve already eaten?”
“Th-That’s not…!”
When ‘she’ brought the Endrago closer, the King’s eyes widened in shock.
Sure enough, as she said, there were clear bite marks, as if someone had already taken a bite.
Why did this happen?
No, was it because he had been so drunk with the joy of discovery that he didn’t check properly?
Regardless of the reason, having incurred her anger, the King had no choice but to beg for forgiveness.
“I-I’m sorry! About that…!”
“It’s my fault! If you must punish someone, please punish me!”
At that moment, Rosiria crawled forward and bowed her head to the ground.
The other siblings were trembling in fear, so they were shocked by her sudden action.
Knowing what had happened to the second prince, why would she voluntarily step forward?
It was a behavior that was difficult to understand, except that she had gone mad.
“I deeply apologize for my curiosity and ended up taking a bite to check! Father did nothing wrong, so please, have mercy…!”
Rosiria knew that it was Ershi who had originally brought the Endrago and eaten it, and that she was also the culprit.
However, if she told the truth, she wouldn’t be able to claim the credit for bringing it.
So, Rosiria decided to gamble her life on this lie.
“…You?”
It seemed to have worked to some extent.
When ‘she’ snapped her fingers, the King fell to the ground.
Ignoring his labored breathing, she approached Rosiria.
“Have you grown a backbone, or are you just a fool who can’t be saved? Huh?”
She then placed her foot on Rosiria’s head, applying pressure.
It felt as though her forehead might crack under the pressure, but Rosiria endured the pain and spoke.
“I’m sorry! I just… thought you might look at me if I did this!”
“What?”
One of the siblings reacted in a completely unexpected way.
“…”
Perhaps feeling the same way, ‘she’ also relaxed and removed her foot from Rosiria’s head.
“Look up.”
“Yes? Ah, yes!”
Not knowing why, Rosiria quickly raised her head at the first command from ‘her’.
The cold gaze felt through the emotionless mask touched her skin.
She was a princess, yet when standing before ‘her’, it felt as if she were a worthless pebble on the roadside.
Her heart raced with fear of what punishment she might face.
Was it because of fear?
Or was this the first time she felt this emotion…?
“Why are you smiling? It’s making me uncomfortable.”
“…What?”
At ‘her’ words, Rosiria touched her face.
Sure enough, as she said, the corners of her mouth had been curved upward for some time now.
“…I see. Why am I acting like this?”
If she were to say she was happy, it would be as crazy as it sounded.
But her restless heart already knew the answer.
Yes.
Rosiria had fallen madly in love with ‘her’.
With someone she could not touch, someone she felt honored just to speak to.
It must have felt like a believer facing the god they trusted so much.
Ecstasy filled her head, and her eyes began to tear up from the overwhelming joy.
“I will gladly accept any punishment you give. But… before that, may I ask you one thing?”
“R-Rosiria! What are you saying right now?!”
The King was shocked at the blissful smile on her face, but when ‘she’ told him to be quiet, he immediately closed his mouth.
“Ha. You’re a princess, but you’re just pathetic.”
“I’m sorry. If I offended you…”
“Really, it’s so pathetic that it almost makes me sick, but strangely, I like it.”
Then, kneeling on one knee, ‘she’ patted Rosiria’s head.
There was no affection in the touch, just a dry and emotionless hand.
“Ah… ah…”
But even that was a source of joy for Rosiria.
To be touched by the one she respected so much—it was the happiest moment of her life.
If she had her way, she would want to put a collar around her neck and treat her like a dog, but that might offend her, so she refrained.
Asking for something like that was already a crossing of a line.
“So, what is it that you want to ask me? Speak.”
“I don’t ask for much… I only wish to learn your name. I will engrave it in my heart so that I never forget.”
“How disgusting. Fine, I guess. A master should at least teach the name to the dog they’ll feed, right?”
Then, ‘she’ leaned close to Rosiria’s ear and whispered softly.
The moment was so brief it could only be called an instant, but the whispering voice that spoke ‘her’ name made Rosiria’s eyes fill with tears.
Cynthia, my future mistress.
With her back to the moon, looking down at Rosiria, she once again lowered her head to the ground, swearing her loyalty.
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