The Tyrant’s Tranquilizer - Chapter 99
By the time Amelie came out, the sun was already setting in the west. Amelie was startled and flew at her full speed to reach the palace. Mrs. Enard, who had been waiting for her, was able to help her in arriving at the Imperial Palace before it was too late thanks to her lap-packed dressing and touching her hair.
‘Fortunately, it wasn’t too late.’
Even after confirming that there was nothing in the stone chamber, Lira didn’t know how to leave in front of the black wall. She was sorry when she left Lira alone, but she was glad she came out first.
‘Because Serwin will be waiting for me.’
Amelie quickly went up to the second floor where the office was. She had just entered the hall on the second floor when the door of the office burst open.
“Oh? Your Majesty!”
Serwin found Amelie, came up with a quick step and hugged her shoulder. Then he checked her face, and hugged her again.
‘You look like a big puppy.’
Before she arrived, he knew it first and welcomed her, and expressed his joy with his whole body like a puppy.
If he had a tail, he would have shaken it violently with the intention of destroying all around him.
Amelie buried her face in Serw oin’s shoulder as if embarrassed and patted Serwin’s back. Then he hugged her tighter.
“Did you work hard today? You didn’t bother people, did you?”
“What do you see me as?”
As he spoke clearly, Amelie laughed and stroked the back of his head.
“Good. Shall we go to dinner now? Where shall we go?”
“I told them to prepare it already.”
Serwin was full of confidence.
‘How delicious are you going to feed me?’
Amelia looked excited at Serwin’s words. In fact, she was so hungry that she was confident of eating anything.
******
The place where Serwin took Amelie was a restaurant located outside the Imperial Palace. As they entered, the waiters lined up to greet the two of them.
There was only one table in the large restaurant, and the employees were all looking at them. Pretending to be polite, they couldn’t hide their interest in the rumored tyrant and his lover.
Amelie sat at the table gracefully as she had learned from Mrs Enard, but her eyes trembled with nervousness.
“Is this a one-table restaurant?”
“No, I told them not to let anyone in today. I heard it’s a famous place. If you don’t make a reservation a month ago, there will be no seats available.”
“Ah— that’s why there was only one table.”
Amelie realized Serwin’s position once again. The Emperor may be able to monopolize the store by beating the reservation customers who have been waiting for a month.
“You don’t like people glancing at you.”
It was burdensome for the store’s employees to only care about her and Serwin, but Amelie decided to appreciate his consideration. It was also strange to see him considerate of her but indifferent to others.
As soon as she sat down, the food was put on the table. As a restaurant that mainly focuses on seafood, the appetizers were seafood. It was a dish that was thinly sliced and flavored with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. As the sour taste attracted the appetite, the chewy texture of the crown was better preserved. It went well with white wine and fruit wine.
Since then, dishes have been served one after another. Amelie enjoyed her meal, and Serwin smiled at her. By the end of the meal, Amelie had brought up the pattern of the demon she had seen in the stone chamber.
“It’s about the story we talked about when we arrived.”
“It means that you found the symbol of a demon in a place where disaster was sealed.”
“Was the black wall always covered?”
“As far as I can remember, there was always a brick wall there.”
When disaster was too much or when he wanted to hide from the world, Serwin always visited the stone chamber. The place that made his life unhappy was, ironically, the most relaxing place for him.
“Oh, come to think of it—”
Serwin suddenly recalled a memory he had forgotten.
“I heard a thump in the stone chamber. It also blew dust away. Maybe it was the sound of laying bricks.”
“When?”
“After the disaster was sealed in my body.”
At one point, when he came to his senses, he was lying in the middle of a stone chamber. The first thing he found in the dark was a dead regent king.
As he screamed, the witch covered his mouth and explained the whole story.
“I have sealed the disaster in my body, and regent King died in the process.”
The young Serwin could not guess what had happened to him even after hearing the explanation from the witch.
Meanwhile, the witch took the body of the regent king to the lake. It was a deep night, so he was able to get to the lake safely, avoiding the eyes of others.
“The lake next to Enrique Hall?”
“Yes, that’s where you fell.”
Even at that time, the lake was so dirty that there were no people unless there was a party.
The witch buried the body of the regent king in the lake, looked at the lake for a while, and left with only a message to find the witch of Fidelia forest 20 years later.
“When you fell into the lake, it reminded me of that time.”
He was not conscious of it, so he could forget about it for a while, but that day, all his memories came back to life.
As soon as the body of the regent king touched the surface of the lake, dark red blood splattered everywhere, and the black lake water quickly swallowed up the dead. The regent King disappeared down the lake like that, never to rise again. It was a shabby ending so that the respect and love he had received was overshadowed.
“The memories of that time overlapped with your image.”
The fear of that time revived and devoured Serwin. If it hadn’t been for that trauma, he would have been able to make a wiser decision about the Hunting Day.
“That’s why it’s been weird since then.”
Amelie took Serwin’s hand and stroked the back of his hand. She didn’t even know he was like that, and she just thought he was weird again.
“I’m fine now. Thank you for your understanding and keeping up with me. I always say the same thing to you.”
Serwin grabbed her hand and kissed the back of her hand. His golden eyes stared intently at her. For a moment, Amelie felt trapped in his gaze, and she looked only at his eyes, unable to move. There was a strange tension between the two of them.
‘Ugh, people are watching!’
Amelia barely shook her head.
“It wasn’t difficult at all. I’m glad it helped.”
“If you say so, I’ll be more brazen.”
Serwin leaned forward, pulling her hand toward him. As he approached with the table in between, Amelie broke into a sweat.
‘H, huh… What’s wrong with him?’
Amelie was so flustered that her whole body stiffened and she forgot to breathe. Serwin looked down at her like that, and then smiled at her. Unfortunately, if he does anything more here, Amelia will be out of breath. He let go of Amelia’s hand and straightened up.
“Whoa.”
Amelie sighed and relieved herself.
“Don’t you feel too uncomfortable?
“…It’s strange that it’s not uncomfortable.”
As Serwin murmured playfully, Amelie muttered a little.
He must have known what she looked like. His ferocious and handsome face looked at her softly and loosely, and his eyes were so serious that her head was dizzy. It was fortunate that she didn’t fall from a heart attack. Had she known that, she wouldn’t have said this.
‘I need to get out of this atmosphere!’
Amelie hastily changed the subject.
“—Anyway, that black wall. Why did she hide it on purpose?”
She’s doomed. She changed the subject too obviously, didn’t she? Amelie sneaked away with a frown. Her expression was so desperate that Serwin held back his laughter.
“There must have been something on the wall and she was trying to hide it. Or she was trying to hide that she used the power of a demon to seal the disaster.”
“That’s possible.”
As Serwin adjusted the rhythm, Amelie, whose face became hotter, tried to be shameless.
“By the way, to build something like that in the middle of the Imperial Palace. I don’t know who it is, but it’s big.”
“I know right? How did you build it?”
The whole palace was under a strong spell and could not be entered without authorization. Even the mountain behind the palace was a space where the people of the palace hardly stepped in.
“Why was it built there? Even if you used magic, anyone would have noticed if you had dug that much and moved the bricks. Isn’t it too dangerous?”
“Let’s see if there are any records of it.”
Serwin had never been able to find out when the stone chamber in which the disaster had been sealed existed. Because it was taken for granted. However, if it was a building modeled after a demon’s temple, and there was even a symbol of a demon there, it was worth looking into.
“Yes, just in case you don’t know. But who manages the mountain?”
“Periodically, the Imperial Knights patrol the Imperial Palace. A dangerous beast may have settled in. We should look there.”
“Yes.”
At the end of the conversation, the waiter brought dessert. After the meal, the two traveled around the capital a little longer and returned to the palace.
******
The next morning.
The sun was just beginning to rise and it was all blue outside the window. Little by little, the room where the light began to leak, Amelia was fast asleep. Serwin lay still beside her, looking at her, and enjoying a relaxing time.
Then, a black cat barged into the room.
“Amelie! Wake up!”
Lira ran fast and jumped onto the bed. Her destination was Amelie’s stomach. However, Serwin hit Lira with his hand.
“Ack!”
Even as a cat, Lira’s body was never small. Nevertheless, she flew like a sheet of paper and barely landed on the ground just before she hit the wall.
“Huh? Lira?”
Amelie woke up to the sound of Lira’s scream. Amelie’s voice was not heard by Lira. She glared at Serwin as if she was about to bite it.
“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Something is coming at you. Am I just going to watch it?”
“You knew it was me!”
“That’s why you kicked her out?”
Amelie looked at Lira and Serwin in turn with a blank expression on her face. They growl towards each other, just like dogs and cats.
‘Well, it suits them.’
A nimble, black cat and a large, strong black dog. It was a combination that wouldn’t envy heaven if it was worn on both sides. Just looking at it made her smile. The problem is that they’re both humans, not animals, and they hate each other.
Lira was the first to raise the white flag. She gently lowered her gaze, then she turned her gaze to Amelie.
“Phew, I’m not going to be your opponent.”
Lira jumped onto the bed and pressed Amelie’s arm with her front paws.
“Amelie, if you’re up, let’s go. You don’t have to change your clothes.”
“What are you going to do at this hour?”
“Of course we’re going to pray!”
Praying? Why pray?
“Uh… Yes. I’ll go first.”
Amelie was startled, but she couldn’t resist Lira’s anger and got up from her bed. Then, Serwin got up to follow Amelie.
“Not with the Emperor. Where is the Emperor trying to get involved in the sacred time of praying to a demon?”
As Lira said, Serwin frowned. Amelie, who was caught in the middle, looked around and decided to follow Lira’s words. It was because she decided to be taught about the witch from today.
“Um, that’s right. I’ll be right back.”
“…Yeah.”
Serwin was forced to let her go reluctantly. As Amelie followed Lira out of the room, Serwin looked at Lira with a dissatisfied face. The way she walks lightly behind her is very unsightly.