Episode 148

When Elisha met Ilione in a small town near the duke's family, she implicitly said this.

'Princess. Do you know that word? They say that a man's best friend is a political friend.'

'What do you mean, Elisha?'

'The princess has always been kind to me. I want to help the princess too. At the decisive moment, if you believe me, regardless of Lucerne. Just trust me and follow me just once. I will never lose.'

Elisha couldn't make any secrets out of Lucerne. Because he didn't allow it.

Ilione was the only exception. That would be too. Ilione's status was too precious.

Wherever Elisha usually went, Nora and other escort knights followed her. However, Ilione didn't like cumbersome things, so she always passed on Elisha's escort knights.

So even though the escorts were watching Elisha from afar, they couldn't overhear the conversation. Ilione was the only opponent Elisha could make a secret for.

'Illione. It's something you found out in your previous lives anyway.'

Years later. As Jewel gains momentum, the royal family suffers from trivial disputes. As soon as Jewel had his coming-of-age ceremony, he proudly colluded with numerous retainers and took bribes. She also caused a lot of problems with women.

However, that was not a big problem for the people of the imperial family. The emperor was aware of Juel's bad behavior, but he couldn't punish him easily because of his affection for the emperor and people's eyes.

At that time, Ilione found the tombstone of the evil god. It was an item that Empress Sun, as she was about to die, contained her curse and hid it in the empress' palace.

I knew what was going on at the time because I overheard the conversation between Carola and Jacob. The old court lady who served her former empress was very weak-minded. During interrogation, she heard only the sound of whipping, but she cried and confided everything.

But something has changed from her previous life. Jewel will probably ruin his life here.

And Ilione would be indebted to Elisha.

'To hear from her past life. The Emperor gave Jewel a few chances because of her young age. But a rotten seed won't bloom just because time passes.'

So like Elisha in her previous life. Wouldn't it be bad if the life of being bullied by Jewel decreased? Elisha thought.

Then Elisha felt her grip on her wrist tight. Her Lucerne was looking at her with her suspicious eyes.

'What kind of work is this?'

His eyes seemed to ask. Elisha pretended not to know and looked into Lucerne's eyes. Soon, Lucerne's hand loosened. Because things outside the frame were heading towards the climax.

“Juel is sick. Perhaps he is mad.”

“Ah, Obama! No. Your majesty! No. Uncle, please!”

“Noisy. From today, Jewel is imprisoned in a tower in the forest within the Imperial Palace and begins treatment. He won't even be able to attend the coming-of-age ceremony, so let him know that.”

“Please. You must help me! You must raise me! Isn't that our biological father's will! That's Your Majesty's responsibility!”

Jewel was desperate and insisted like a child. The emperor couldn't stand it any longer and hit Jewel in the face with a big fist. And heavy kicks landed on Jewel's body.

“Take him and lock him up right now.”

Said the emperor. The knights entered the room in perfect order.

As if putting an end to something, the footsteps of the knights were round and round. Rang constantly.

Elisha knew the meaning of the sound. It was the sound of the end of Jewel's life.

*​ *​ *​

It was the same that Carol met a similar end. Carola's ending was even worse.

After being locked up in a coffin for four days, she ended up in an abandoned temple in the Duke's Forest. She, of course, was locked up with no one to wait on her.

She said that during the four days Carola was locked inside the coffin, she was a spectacle. Carola screamed and screamed frantically in her coffin. She cursed and cried and begged.

It is said that the sound of Carola cussing her whale whale Elisha echoed inside her coffin. The words also reached Lucerne's ears.

Lucerne gave orders to Gazoo's men. They kicked the coffin from above, warning me several times.

Carola says that almost every time she did, she lost her mind and muttered strange things. Lucerne ordered that if Carola continued to swear at Elisha, she would close the air hole in her coffin and fill her coffin with water. When she heard that instruction from her, she said Carol, and then she shut her mouth.

No one sympathized with Carola. Because she doesn't usually have a good reputation.

Even her husband, Jacob, did not help her.

He wanted to divorce her from Carola. But I couldn't do that right away. Unexpectedly, the householder wanted to hold Jacob accountable for this incident.

*​ *​ *​

“You go to the countryside for a while and do what I tell you to do. Cool your head and come back. With a lot of money tied to Carola, it will take time to arrange her divorce.”

“My lord. What did I do wrong? How are you holding me accountable?”

Jacob's expression was disbelief at the command of the family head. The head of the household was exhausted.

“Noisy. My older sister said The level of the spouse is four levels! It's your fault for not taking care of your wife. And, if Carola tried to harm Elisha by using a guy who looked like Jain. Did you really not know that?”

“…… I-I wasn't even at the mansion the day before.”

“It must have been wrapped in the skirts of the Cortijans. Are you going to Cortizan's the night before your grandmother's memorial? Either way, you're a crazy bastard. Leave the mansion for a while and have time for self-reflection.”

Jacob reluctantly agreed and stormed out of the room. When he saw Lucerne and Elisha walking from the opposite side, he muttered something and cursed.

But even so, Lucerne met her eyes and quickly left the spot.

“Do you want me to hit him again?”

Looking at Jacob's back, Lucerne asked languidly. Elisha shook her head.

“You like to see that.”

“That's Okay. Why bother bullying a loser?”

I don't know if I'm trampling on it until it's completely crumbling. Elisha swallowed the words. Now was not a good time. I prepared a separate tile for Jacob.

Lucerne lightly nodded her head.

*​ *​ *​

“Elisha. Lucerne. Come here.”

He had a very tired face. He gestured to both of them.

“I don't have children or grandchildren. How lucky I am to have you guys.”

Elisha thought that the householder was a really great person. Saying that now, how did he treat young Lucerne? It's an idea he can't even do unless he's a completely self-centered person. But Elisha didn't show it, and Lucerne didn't care.

“How about staying here during the summer? Lucerne hasn't been able to spend a long time at the Duke's since he was young. That would be fine too.”

That was not a matter for Elisha to decide. She saw Lucerne. But she was self-evident that there were many benefits she would lose if she stayed here.

For the head of the Cartier family to have a person by his side clearly meant one thing. I will give that person money or something equivalent to it. This was it. She had no reason to refuse.

“Are you okay?”

Lucerne asked. Elisha winked and nodded her head.

As a result, none of her grandsons and couples, whom the head of household loved, were left in her mansion.

The only ones left by the family head were Lucerne and Elisha.

For the first time, the Cartiers came under the control of an illegitimate son and his wife.

*​ *​ *​

The duke's library, which boasts a long history, was spacious and beautiful. The ceiling was very long and high in a round shape, and rosettes were inlaid in gold and silver in every latticework.

It was the day before yesterday that Jewel and Carola were imprisoned. Even after Jewel was repatriated to the imperial palace, the imperial family did not immediately leave the duchy.

On a lazy afternoon, Elisha and Ilione met at the duke's library for a book as an excuse.

“Thank you for passing on the escorts. Princess.”

Elisha said softly.

Next to the bookshelf Elisha stood on, several tall bookshelves formed a barrier. This space was created a few generations ago by a very nervous family head.

The inside of the library was always quiet, but when we had a conversation in this space, we could barely hear what was being said within a few steps. Elisha knew the secret of this location from her past life experiences.

“Elisha, I wanted to talk with you alone. What the hell is the note you gave me? How did you know the secret of the tombstone hidden in the empress' palace?”

Elisha stared blankly at Ilione.

“Do you know me well, Princess?”

“…… I don't know anything other than that he's an aristocrat from the fallen Old Kingdom coalition.”

“I was working for this Cartier family. Because of the huge amount of debt.”

For a moment, Ilione couldn't understand the sense of difference that came from those words.

“How could a noble be in such a position?”

Elisha wanted to laugh.

“There is an answer to what the princess just said. The Old Kingdom coalition has collapsed. Instead of paying my debt, Lucerne bought my status. That's how we met.”

To be precise, Lucerne had bought 'debt'. And Elisha was still in debt to Lucerne. But she couldn't even say that. When Ilione tried to ask something, Elisha turned her words away.

“I am not from a good background. He is an aristocrat in name only. Do you still consider me a friend?”

Ilione hesitated. Elisha calmly waited for her answer.