Chapter 65 – #16 Banquet Night, a Storm Rages (1)
The night after hearing that absurd story from Count Meln.
Emilia dressed up in a luxurious dress prepared by Hilde, the very competent maid of honor.
Leaving herself in her rumbling carriage, she was heading towards the imperial palace.
Rattle… Rattle…
Apart… Apart…
‘… The weather isn’t too bad…’
As she leaned against the wall of the carriage, Emilia, who was looking outside her, thought blankly.
Even though it was still early for the sun to set, the scenery outside her field of vision was gloomy with thick dark clouds.
The wind was strong, and the air was damp, making it look like it was about to rain.
I don’t think it would be an ordinary rain, and looking at this desolate sky, wouldn’t it be enough to call it a storm?
To throw a birthday party on a day like this,
Even the emperor seemed to be out of luck.
… Well, it’s a party held inside the imperial palace protected by a solid barrier,
Whether the weather is good or not, it may not matter much.
“Is there anything interesting out there, my love?”
“… Hey, I think about it every time, how can that name be wrong? Do you intend to call me that in front of His Majesty the Emperor?”
Without hiding her fatigue, Emilia turned her gaze and glared at Count Meln, who was sitting in front of her.
The wagon, which looks expensive at first glance, is comfortable,
Even if the dark clouds over her are gloomy, seeing the outside for the first time in a long time heals Emilia’s heart.
However, just the fact that this man was right in front of her made her Emilia’s heart feel as if it would break several times like a straw doll.
I hate it so much.
I really hate it.
I wish I could die.
“My love. Looking at it with such an ardent gaze… It’s creepy and I can’t stand it…”
“… Die, please.”
“Uhhhhh, it’s creepy… My love, can you tell me more more, more, more… !”
“…”
What do we do.
I knew it wasn’t normal from the first meeting with her, but somehow it seems to be getting more and more delicious as the days go by?
Emilia felt the disgust rising from the depths of her heart,
She gave Count Meln a look that seemed to be watching her hairy bugs crawling on the floor, but
Earl Meln was rather delighted by that gaze, hugged himself and flinched and trembled.
What on earth made this man this way?
… I really don’t know.
The world is so mysterious, and the more you know, the more frightening it is.
“Ha… Really. It always feels good to receive the cold gaze of my love.”
“Please… Just… If you die…”
“At the banquet hall, of course, the titles will be differentiated. So don’t worry, Emilia.”
Earl Meln leaned back comfortably on the backrest and said.
… Well, aside from being a man like this, it is certain that he is a competent person.
He would take care of himself without worrying about Emilia.
Rather, it was Emilia who had to be careful.
Because she got stuck between Mona and Hilde last night and memorized the fake scenario.
About her situation now,
She couldn’t honestly say, “I’ve been kidnapped and imprisoned by Earl Meln”.
That’s why I hurriedly learned a suitable scenario that could be used as a prepared excuse and matched my words.
He himself was present at the moment his parents were murdered, and he also witnessed the murderer with his own two eyes.
Then he ran away from retaliation, and after chasing and chasing the criminal, he was cornered,
In such a desperate situation, he was safely protected by Earl Meln.
Earl Meln is a lifesaver, and from now on, I will complete my revenge with his full help――
Roughly, such a scenario.
Wow…
Just thinking about it makes me want to kill
It was a far-fetched scenario that made him wonder if he was mocking himself.
Emilia, unable to disobey her [Her spell of dominance], Will now say this with her own mouth as if it were the truth.
My stomach feels a bit throbbing.
It looks like a hole in the stomach will be pierced by stress, but that won’t happen because it’s a warrior’s body.
In that situation, there was one more factor that increased Emilia’s anxiety.
‘… Mine…’
Emilia glanced behind herself.
Through the window installed in the back,
As Emilia pursued her carriage, another carriage rattled along.
It’s just that it’s processed magically, so it won’t be recognized by others.
In that carriage is her friend, Princess Mine, who is a bloodline of the noble imperial family.
Before getting into her carriage, Emilia, whom she could see but could not talk to, looked back at the carriage with great concern in her heart.
She couldn’t talk, but she was able to exchange glances for a moment… It didn’t look any different than usual.
Platinum hair that was brighter and brighter than Emilia’s,
Shining golden eyes, as if hinting at the bloodline of the imperial family from generation to generation.
Because I was able to see Princess Mine, neither her beautiful appearance nor her gaze that showed off her intelligence had changed at all.
At least now, Emilia was able to maintain her composure.
If something had happened to Princess Mine, it might have been her sorcery or something, and even tearing her limbs herself would have caused a disturbance.
‘… For some reason, I felt uncomfortable, but…’
Still, her concern did not disappear.
Since she only shared her gaze for a very short time, it is impossible to know what happened to the real Princess Mine inside.
Maybe there were changes that she didn’t notice.
No, she’s been held captive by Count Meln for over two weeks…
She must see that some irreversible change has occurred.
I don’t know what it is
I don’t even know how Count Meln intends to use it.
“…”
Emilia sat with her back straight in her pretty posture, following the habit she had learned as a noblewoman.
She glared at Earl Meln, who swayed in sync with the movement of her carriage.
He doesn’t say anything.
What he was thinking, Emilia didn’t know anything.
The reason why he is taking himself to this banquet,
The reason why he dared to invite Princess Mine to this banquet.
Emilia knows nothing.
She doesn’t know anything, so she’s very frustrated.
“Leah, Leah. Don’t you want to know?”
“Don’t you want to know things you don’t know? Don’t you want to find out what the master is thinking?”
『Don’t you want to escape from master’s restraints? Wouldn’t it be a waste to end her life by living like a doll or a slave like this?”
“Come out… Would you like to hold hands?”
… What comes to mind is the words of Mona that had been suggested in the study.
In the first place, the fact that there is this party today,
The fact that Count Meln is trying to accompany him here as a partner,
I had already told Mona beforehand.
I can’t say it all, but
What kind of intentions did Earl Meln have in doing this?
Although I can’t completely trust the words of that liar demon.
However, whether or not what she said is true, now I can only confirm with my own two eyes.
Rattle, rattle, Ringing, the carriage advances.
The carriage is heading to the imperial palace.
There is an emperor of this country…
Possibly even with Emilia, there is a deep evil relationship that lasts for hundreds of years, and all sorts of conspiracies and tricks swirl around that A place like an evil denTowards.
The carriage carrying Emilia moves peacefully…
* * *
Go back in time a bit, two days ago.
The library where Emilia found the diary.
We briefly return to the story at the time when Mona offered Emilia to help her escape.
“… What are you talking about? Why do you help me Who do you think would believe that?”
“Yeah~ But, if you don’t believe it, is there anything wrong?
Lia is now in a completely helpless state like a medaka captive slave, right?
It’s just like a toy we enjoy playing with, isn’t it?
Can you do anything without an ally?”
Mona’s words were accurate, to the point where Emilia had the illusion that her bones had been hit, but…
Even so, she couldn’t accept her offer.
It is the gay devil who dropped her into this kind of slut in her in the first place.
Emilia still doesn’t know much about the characteristics of demons,
She was convinced that she could never trust the woman in front of her with her vaguely ‘feminine sense’.
If she trusts this woman, she gets roughed up.
If she trusted this woman, surely at the most crucial moment she would be abandoned and despair.
It was full of such unknown confidence.
‘But.’
‘What can I do in this situation… It is also true that there is none.’
What would happen if I turned down Mona’s offer now?
According to Mona’s words, Emilia’s location and actions in this mansion seem to be conveyed to her.
If so, it means that no matter how hard you try to escape, it will always be on Mona’s palm.
If she even reports her own actions to her Earl of Meln,
At that point, Emilia will have lost all of her possible escape routes.
‘… I don’t have a choice anyway.’
Mona must have known that and suggested it.
The devil’s suggestion is always like that.
There is no other way than to accept
In such a desperate situation, she reaches out her hand.
“Of course, I’m not just doing it with good intentions, so I’m going to ask for a few things… It’s not about being enslaved for life.”
“…”
“How are you, Leah?”
She was Emilia who had been pondering for a long time, but in the end, no matter how much she thought about it, she came to one conclusion.
――Accept Mona’s offer.
But, don’t just accept it.
It’s not dependent on Mona, it’s just using it to the end.
It’s just using the worst situation to turn it into a slightly less worst situation.
As Emilia repeated to herself several times, she expressed her agreement to Mona.
“Good~. Huhu, the secret relationship between me and Lia~
Aha, this is so good~ I’m so happy~
I’m glad I became Ria’s special presence~♪”
Mona said exaggeratedly, holding Emilia’s hands and swinging at her.
If she had been a simple country girl, she would have been a pure child, and Emilia would have been happy too.
Since her opponent is Mona, Emilia’s gaze is cold.
However, regardless of Emilia’s gaze, Mona continued to speak happily.
“Then, I’ll deliver the first requirement.”
“This time, Lia will go to the imperial palace. There, Lia is—”
