Episode 147
So Lucerne and Elisha followed Ilione to the annex.
The outbuilding, very beautiful and splendid, was one of the largest buildings in the Duchy. For a long time, only two types of distinguished guests were allowed to stay there: the pope and members of the imperial family. Right now, the knights of the imperial family were surrounding the outbuilding. When they saw Ilione, they stepped aside without a word and gave it to her.
The three of them entered the annex using the back door.
“Everything you see from now on is confidential.”
Said Ilione.
“Looks like you noticed the portrait device.”
Lucerne replied bluntly.
“…… Did you know?”
“Didn't the princess know it after seeing it just once?”
Elisha couldn't understand their conversation at first. But as soon as she entered the room, she understood what they meant.
The room Lucerne and Elisha entered was right next to the emperor's temporary study. On the wall hung a portrait of an unknown aristocratic man. Looking closely at the portrait, I noticed that there were several holes through which I could peep and hear what was going on in the next room.
Lucerne and Ilione spent their childhood in the duke's house and the imperial palace, respectively. So the secret of this old device was immediately discovered.
'It seems that the Emperor decided on Jewel's disposition.'
Elisha thought calmly.
'I wonder how Illione would sprout the seeds I planted?'
Ilione left without saying anything. But Elisha and Lucerne didn't ask anything.
* * *
Elisha stared through the portrait hole.
The first thing that caught my eye was Jewel, standing in the middle of the room with a nervous face. Soon after, the emperor strode in, and she began scolding Jewel.
“It's a relief that this is the royal family's vacation! If this happened during an official schedule……. My head is dizzy.”
“Right. Obama Mama. If I couldn't stand it for a few days at the duke's house and worked with Carola, I'd have a bigger accident next time.”
Said Ilione. The empress stepped forward and said as if she were placating the emperor.
“Calm down, sir. Jewel is still young. Little children often do stupid things.”
Those words were, in effect, nothing more than pouring oil on a burning house. Because it made the emperor even more angry. Elisha realized that even the benevolent empress was not an idiot.
“Is a young man doing this? I heard that you are rotten from the seed. You don't resemble your deceased brother at all.”
“Ahhh-“
Then there was the sound of a child crying in the room. Looking closely, it was the tiny Prince Yepnen, hidden behind the furniture.
“Yepnen. When the hell were you in?”
The empress was frightened.
“Don't scold Jewel Hwang. Hyung Hwang always plays with me.”
“Yepnen. This fool. That's not playing! They keep hitting you with sparring as an excuse. Furthermore……. Yes……. I have one leg…….”
Ilione bit his lip as if he was upset while he was talking.
“What do you mean?”
The emperor asked.
“No. Hyung Hwang wants to play with me, but I'm weak……. Therefore……. Besides, Hyung Hwang is always interested in me…….”
Ilione cut off Yepnen.
“Abama. This guy bothers Yepnen. Did you really not know? Under the guise of sparring, they beat this child with a sheath! He even hit Jewel on the lame leg in the past.”
Ilione fired. It would not have had much effect if he had talked about Jewel's misdeeds in detail. But this moment could have been the decisive blow.
The empress' eyes changed. Elisha realized that the empress was also vaguely aware of the situation.
“Your majesty. How could this be? I can't have Jewel around my kids anymore. Jewel is not normal!”
“Your majesty! No. Obama Mama. You said you would be my loving father. I have lived my life believing in You as if I were my own father. Please trust me just once.”
Joel begged.
“I was just playing around with Yepnen. You said that the Emperor and His Majesty often sparred when they were young, right?”
“Even so, do you sparring with a six-year-old?”
The emperor shouted, but his spirit softened a little at the word “Seonhwang”. The promise tied by the dead was sometimes the strongest law. The emperor's strong hunter-like impression made him feel pensive and painful.
“Carola, do you know what she claims? That you molested yourself did you approach it first? Jewel?”
The emperor strode forward and growled at Jewel.
“Answer me!”
“No!”
Then Yepnen cried.
“Hwang hyung and Carola-sama like each other. Really!”
“What?”
The emperor's movements stopped.
“They exchanged letters often! Because I like you……. Hwang hyung didn't do anything bad.”
Elisha recalled the scene she peeked from behind the tree the other day. Jewel didn't care about young Yepnen and acted without hesitation. Apparently, Jewel had exchanged notes several times in front of Yepnen.
Elisha was impressed by the number of members of the imperial family. Indeed, no one in the imperial family was weak. Her child was also not normal.
The words had great effect. It ignited the emperor's suspicions.
“Then you've been dating for a long time, right? I'd rather be glad it wasn't rape. Then our imperial family will have to take full responsibility.”
The emperor let out a grievous groan.
It was then. There was the sound of a door opening.
“Are you here?”
Ilione said towards the doorway. She turned her head so her face was hard to see from Elisha's angle.
The knights under Ilione's command brought an old courtier. In her frugal outfit and accessories, she was a court lady.
“What is this again? Is it Illion?”
“Abama. Not long ago I came across a shocking thing. It's something related to the empress.”
“…… What do you mean?”
“This woman will know. Bring it!”
Took. Soon something was placed in front of the Emperor and Empress. Elisha didn't realize until she stared very hard into the portrait hole. It was a very old little tombstone.
“What is this tombstone? Just looking at it makes me feel bad. Besides, it seems like a very old thing. I think I just dug it up……. Besides, this looks like the glyph of an Old God. Besides, this……. Is it the pattern of an evil god?”
The empress seemed to have some relevant knowledge. Ilione answered.
“Yes. That's right, mom. This is an evil god's relic. It's an object used to curse someone. It is often said that it is used when trying to ruin the child of the person you want to curse.”
“No way…….”
As if she noticed something in her, the empress' eyes wavered.
“Where did you dig this thing up?”
“It was buried under the floor of the empress's palace, in Mama's room.”
The empress gave a short scream.
“Since when has this been buried? No way, Yepnen…….”
“Right. It was buried before Yepnen was born. Do you remember, mother? I was born before Obama took the throne. So, the two of you outside the imperial palace……. You gave birth to me in a local castle. But Yepnen was born inside the imperial palace.”
“…….”
“The room the former empress used. Right now, in the empress' palace room.”
The room was filled with chilly silence. Ilione pointed to the courtier.
“Come on, tell me!”
The old courtier was shaking with her waddling. She was disheveled and shabby, as if she had been interrogated before coming here.
“I have committed a mortal sin. She died and she couldn't disobey Empress Sun's orders. The day Prince Jewel was born. As her breath was dying, she said Empress Sun had ordered me to. This evil god's relic……. Hide it under the floor of the empress' palace.”
“Keep talking. Hurry!”
The emperor burst into rage like a beast. The courtier was now almost on all fours.
“Please name the newly born Prince Jewel. Then. If His Majesty's son was born, Prince Jewel's position would be in jeopardy. That's why he told me to hide this holy relic of evil spirits.”
The emperor's hand trembled.
After the emperor ascended the throne, the country was on the peaceful side. However, there was only one sad thing about his royal family. It turned out that as Yepnen grew up, she shook her legs microscopically.
“Come to think of it, it's strange. Obama.”
Said Ilione.
“Never in my family……. I've never had a child with symptoms like Yepnen's. There must be some reason. You know how powerful the items of evil spirits are. The temple of the evil god created all sorts of cursed objects that harmed the world. That's why it's an ancient god who was subjugated by the main god's temple army!”
The emperor groaned.
“Are you saying that Yepnen was lame because of this thing?”
“Maybe. But what does that matter, Obama! One thing is important. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager would do something like this……. Didn't His Majesty the Emperor know? Perhaps the two held hands and prayed before the emperor passed away. Please don't let Obama's own son be born!”
Ilione's words were so real that the emperor's face turned pale.
“Abama raised Jewel like his biological son. How could he possibly do something like that. After all, he must have only cared about his own child.”
“…….”
“Wouldn't Obama protect Yepnen, her own child?”
Elisha wanted to smile at Ilione's exceeding expectations.
She said, 'I only thought Illione was ignorant. She's pretty good at anything that involves herself. After all, she's an intelligent princess.'
This morning.
Elisha approached Illione while Lucerne looked elsewhere in the temple.
'I secretly read Lucerne. Without anyone noticing.'
Elisha handed Illione a piece of her note. The note had a great message written on it.
She [Empress Sun planted a tombstone of evil spirits on the floor of the Empress Palace and died. The content is a court lady who served her former empress until the end. The old courtier knows. Open that girl's mouth in her somehow.]
That wasn't all.
Carola wasn't the only one doing the groundwork for today.