“Huff, huff…”?

    ?

    The emperor retreated faster than ever.?

    ?

    He pushed the injured empress and children forward and crawled to the edge of the shivering children.?

    ?

    In addition to that, he pulled out the children hiding in the gap of the collapsed wooden post and crawled there to hide himself.?

    ?

    “…!”?

    ?

    The Empress was shocked and could not help but be taken aback.?

    ?

    She couldn’t even keep her mouth shut at the ugly and cowardly appearance of the emperor, her husband.?

    ?

    “Oh my God!”?

    ?

    But she couldn’t just sit idly by in this critical situation. Even though she was shocked she had to stay alert.?

    ?

    Roselyn quickly scanned her surroundings, taking in the terrain. They needed a place where they could step on and hide.?

    ?

    The powerful monster that became toxic when it was angry, was slower than she expected.?

    ?

    And more importantly, it had a weakness: its back. It was a weak point that could crush that huge body with a single blow.?

    ?

    The Empress stood up, keeping a close eye on her constantly bleeding Achilles tendon, which was painful and bitter, but she had to endure.?

    ?

    ”Empress…”?

    ?

    The injured child, who was pushed by the Emperor, followed her with blurred vision.?

    ?

    The Empress, who was glancing at the child, raised the tip of her pale lips and said with a smile,?

    ?

    “Can you run?”?

    ?

    “….Yes.”?

    ?

    “That’s great. Run away as fast as you can. You must go in the exact opposite direction that I am going. If you can, shout loudly.”?

    ?

    The monster came running.?

    ?

    The child looked at the Empress with blurred vision and nodded firmly.?

    ?

    ”Thank you very much. I will be sure to …………….”?

    ?

    Asking the child to scream was a lure so that the monster could show its back.?

    ?

    “Be careful, child.”?

    ?

    The child nodded bravely, though he knew what he was about to do was dangerous.?

    ?

    Roselyn knew using the child as a lure was wrong, and it hurt her heart.?

    ?

    The more sorry she felt, the more she felt a heavy responsibility to save these children, without fail.?

    ?

    She took a deep breath and pulled out the piece of wood stuck in her ankle.?

    ?

    “Ah…”?

    ?

    It was painful as her flesh was torn.?

    ?

    She didn’t pull it out with the doctor’s help, so there was a good chance that her foot would be severely damaged.?

    ?

    Still, Roselyn stood up with her trembling legs.?

    ?

    “Your Majesty………..”?

    ?

    “I’m fine…………..”?

    ?

    The horrified, pale faced child finally burst into tears when he saw the noble Empress breaking into a cold sweat to endure the pain.?

    ?

    “Please…”?

    ?

    The child, who was crying with his mouth closed, jumped up and ran towards the other side, making a loud noise at Roselyn’s request.?

    ?

    “Heyyyyyyy!”?

    ?

    His scream rang out in the darkness.?

    ?

    When the monster showed its back in the direction the child was fleeing, the Empress quickly lifted the Knight Lenovo’s sword.?

    ?

    It was a step that ripped her flesh and bone.?

    ?

    The Empress rushed as fast as she could towards the back of the monster that was chasing the child.?

    ?

    ***?

    ?

    ‘It’s disgusting….’?

    ?

    The Emperor, awakened from his reverie, mumbled as he watched the Empress approaching him with a limp and gloomy walk.?

    ?

    She was a woman with a more noble figure than him, the Emperor, who was born of royal blood.?

    ?

    He felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked at the Empress, who, despite knowing that her brother was imprisoned for blackmailing the Emperor’s mistress, came to the banquet.?

    ?

    ‘Is she even a human?’?

    ?

    Ever since Roselyn became a cripple, she hadn’t laughed, and the few words she had to say had become even fewer.?

    ?

    No matter how beautiful she was, how could a woman like that be called human??

    ?

    ‘She’s a witch.’?

    ?

    The Emperor grinned cruelly, biting the inner flesh of his lips. It was a mocking smile.?

    ?

    Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the Empress of that day. The Empress was covered in monster’s blood with one of her torn ankles.?

    ?

    The frosty look in her eyes as she stared at the Emperor, who was hiding behind the wooden pole like a scared cat.?

    ?

    Following her gaze, the hidden children also looked back at the Emperor.?

    ?

    Twenty-four pairs of eyes stared at him with equal temperature.?

    ?

    He was the cowardly, foolish, and shabby Emperor of this land.?

    ?

    Their eyes touched the heartbreak that Gillotti had struggled to suppress.?

    ?

    Even though he survived without any fatal injuries, the memory of that day left a great scar on the emperor. It was a great humiliation, a day of disgrace that he wanted to hide.?

    ?

    That said, even if he were to return to the past again, he wouldn’t be able to stab the monster to death like the Empress did.?

    ?

    That was why he hated the Empress even more. To the point of disgust.?

    ?

    She was a different kind of woman.?

    ?

    She was a woman with the “ability” that his father wanted.?

    ?

    She had grace, wisdom, and courage.?

    ?

    Having a woman like that as his companion, Gillotti would never become greater.?

    ?

    In fact, the Empress’s light made him look half-baked. Standing in front of her, the Emperor was nothing more than a weak child.?

    ?

    The Emperor hated the Empress. He hated her more than anything.?

    ?

    The Empress made the Emperor look ridiculous.?

    ?

    The more amazing she became, the more shabby he would seem.?

    ?

    The Emperor had no need for such an Empress.?

    ?

    Furthermore, the prosperity of the country would not disappear without a single Empress.?

    ?

    ‘So she must be gone.’?

    ?

    His twitching lips quivered as he looked at the Empress up close with cold eyes.?

    ?

    “How could you come to the banquet with your crooked leg?”?

    ?

    Without looking around at the noisy crowd, the Empress sat resolutely.?

    ?

    Looking ahead with her back straight, Roselyn’s lips quivered quietly.?

    ?

    “Just because my leg is crooked doesn’t mean the path I walk is bent, Your Majesty.”?

    ?

    Emperor Gillotti’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at Roselyn.?

    ?

    She felt the sharpness of the Emperor’s gaze, but she did not falter. For the first time in forever, her voice continued once more.?

    ?

    Even a mouse will bite when cornered, so how could she remain silent??

    ?

    “Wobbling won’t lead me down the wrong path. I’ll always look ahead more carefully to make sure I don’t get lost or fall.”?

    ?

    Roselyn was now in a tight spot. No, more accurately, she was at the edge of a cliff and there was nothing more she could do.?

    ?

    Whether she went forward or backward, she would die. If that was the case, then she would have to make the last effort before she died.?

    ?

    ‘Please, I hope that the boy will make it out of this palace safely.’?

    ?

    Roselyn looked up more firmly.?

    ?

    She could see that her situation was as dangerous as if she was standing alone on a thorny road. But that wasn’t important right now.?

    ?

    Roselyn clenched her cold fingers. Her clenched fists were shaking.?

    ?

    ‘Mother and father….’?

    ?

    She hoped her parents were safe.?

    ?

    She wanted to be the only one to fall.?

    ?

    She prayed more than ever that if anything happened to her, they would be safe.?

    ?

    This was the national treasure that the Sunset family held.?

    ?

    That was the only thing she had to hold onto.?

    ?

    If anything happened to her, the Emperor would take it first. Therefore, the last place for negotiation must be held tightly.?

    ?

    It was also the reason why she showed up in this uninteresting banquet hall.?

    ?

    To turn all eyes on her.?

    ?

    Roselyn clenched her fists and inhaled deeply.?

    ?

    And, perchance, as she averted her gaze to see the suspicious eyes watching her, Roselyn suddenly spotted someone unexpected.?

    ?

    It was Tamon Krasis of Amor.?

    ?

    He was a predator who wielded great power over all of Amor’s diplomacy and finances.?

    ?

    He was much more bulky than a full-blooded nobleman, with a huge body and a steely gaze as menacing as that of a warrior.?

    ?

    With someone who had been guarding the front lines of Amor for over a decade and serving as a great general, it was no surprise that he had a gruesome energy.?

    ?

    Even the blood disease that had passed down in his family about four years ago did not manifest itself in him, he was a man who had been, and still was, holding down the frontier and crushing the surrounding countries with carnage.?

    ?

    Unashamed in his celebration of his retirement, he threatened the surrounding nations in other ways.?

    ?

    It was doubtful if he was someone who had used only his body for the last fifteen years.?

    ?

    He was a general who left politics behind and went to war, but he was very smart and quick-witted.?

    ?

    Roselyn bumped into him several times right after he’d come out on the diplomatic line.?

    ?

    Whether it was adjusting the territorial waters of the Avent Strait, or looking at the final agreement on Noronia’s war supply rights, or the friendly agreement between Tanatos and Amor….?

    ?

    He was the most tenacious negotiator and a skilled threat.?

    ?

    ‘If that man grabbed you by the neck, he’d bite your every bone.’?

    ?

    She never let her guard down even once. She was scared.?

    ?

    Not once did she leave any room for weakness. Because she didn’t know what would happen next.?

    ?

    He was the one who made her feel most nervous and at the same time most alive.?

    ?

    He was looking at her as if he was going to swallow her up with his eyes.