215. The Emperor’s Affairs (1)
“Let’s go up.”
I lightly held hands with Rosanna and climbed the stairs of the gorgeous banquet hall.
And when we finally arrived in front of the magnificent round table.
I faced Leonhard sitting on the throne alone.
「….」
Rosanna glanced up at her husband who had imprisoned her.
Then, she quickly turned her head away.
With beautiful and sharp eyes like roses.
“Why did you call me?”
The Empress asked the Emperor, who was sitting on the throne and lowering her head.
However, no answer came back from him.
“Are you calling people and ignoring them?”
Rosanna nonchalantly brushed aside her own brilliant golden hair that covered one of her eyes.
The straps of her dress hung loosely over her shoulders.
“Lord Veil, how did this come about? “I came because His Majesty said he wanted to have a serious conversation.”
The First Empress looked at me with cold eyes.
As if responding to this, I approached the emperor with his head down and checked his condition.
“It looks like you fell asleep for a moment.”
I said, burning my finger on the emperor’s nose.
He seemed to be dozing because he was breathing shallowly.
“I guess it’s probably the fault of the poison that has accumulated in my body.”
“Hmm.”
Rosanna steadied her voice at my command.
And then, she quietly approached His Majesty’s side.
“Good. “I didn’t want to look at each other’s faces and see our memories.”
“Are you trying to use a hex on His Majesty who is sleeping…? ?”
When I asked with wide eyes, Rosanna smiled cynically and told me not to worry.
“It’s okay, it’s the same way I used it on you.”
Rosanna held onto Leonhard’s thick hand draped over the throne.
Then, she gently intertwined it with her own fingers, which were several times thinner.
“….”
I stared at that sight.
Then, the moment when the bodies of the two people were illuminated by a brilliant white radiance.
She raised the corners of her mouth.
As if he expected Rosanna to act like this.
As the two people fell into their memories, I also quietly approached them.
And then, as the emperor had requested in advance, he placed his hand on the clasped hands of the two people.
As if to help Leonhard, who was weak, with his magic.
In this way, we entered the memory of the emperor who was the ruler of the empire and commanded the continent.
Inside his life filled with blood and wind.
「―――――」
If I had any wishes, there were only two.
First, peace in my homeland.
The second is to protect those you love.
They were very short and simple things.
However, keeping this was never easy.
The Kingdom of Leon located in the very center of the continent.
There were numerous other countries nearby that threatened the kingdom.
In it, my father, King Leonil I, tried to protect his country.
He was by nature close to a saint, and always thought of the people first.
However, Leon’s situation was so desperate that even his father had no choice but to take up the sword.
「If you don’t want to be taken away, you have to take it away.」
My father always emphasized this truth to me as a child until he died on the battlefield.
After his death, the empire faced a period of chaos.
In that important situation, the person who was crowned as the next emperor was me, Leonhard I.
His father didn’t even pass on his last name to me.
Unlike his weak self, he wanted to grow up strong and firmly protect this kingdom.
As if to repay this wish, I had a ‘talent’.
Not only swordsmanship, but also the physical constitution of a hero and powerful mana.
Thanks to this, we were able to win several wars and develop the kingdom into an empire.
Then, the perspectives of neighboring countries began to change.
Not only was there a request for peace, but even a marriage alliance was proposed.
And, the representative country among them was Epina, a country made up of a small number of elite mercenaries.
“Speaking of marriage, Jim is already over 40, so how can he take her as his wife!”
At first, I wasn’t interested in marriage or anything like that.
Because I thought love was a luxury to me, who was covered in the carnage of the battlefield.
However, if I, the only royal family member of the empire, dies, the compensation will be cut off.
Therefore, the subjects tried to prepare for an unexpected situation by quickly producing descendants.
So, I had no choice but to meet a woman whose face I did not know.
And, she is….
It was Rosanna.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
She was truly beautiful.
Golden hair shining brightly like the sun.
A body so sensuous that even a large man can easily embrace it.
However, this was not the only attraction she had.
Unlike other princesses who thought that all they had to do was get married well, she had blue eyes that showed her intellectual side.
「Please take care of me too. Should I call you Empress now?」
“I hope Your Majesty may call me whatever it is convenient for her.”
At first, her relationship with her was insanely awkward.
I was already 41 years old, but the blonde woman in front of her was only 20 years old.
‘How can you embrace such a small child…? .’
Rather than forcing her to cry by having a relationship with a child who doesn’t know much about the world, it would be better to save her.
I thought that way and didn’t necessarily meet Rosanna often.
But.
Rosanna was different from other immature princesses.
“Your Majesty, have you returned?”
Unlike the princesses who were scared at the sight of blood, they approached me well.
Afterwards, I personally wiped the blood from my face with a handkerchief and looked at my wounds.
“A man who uses a sword often is bound to get tired in his wrists.”
She often caressed my wrist with her delicate hands.
Then, when her voluptuous breasts touch her shoulder and she flinches….
“hehehe… “It’s okay.”
It was hard to believe she was a 20-year-old woman. With her sensual eyes, she smiled and relaxed.
She is like a goddess who takes care of a hero who returns from a war.
「She didn’t know that a beautiful woman like you would be so bright in her men’s affairs….」
“I am Your Majesty’s wife. “It is her responsibility to always know what you are going through and help you.”
I still can’t forget the feeling of her taking care of me with her delicate hands.
Even when the long war of conquest led to a frenzy of slaughter.
Even when the mood becomes gloomy because her charter is delayed.
Rosanna was always by her side and took care of me.
“No matter how much it is a war for the country…. “Please cherish your own body sometimes.”
Rosanna was worried about my body as she wiped my bloody forehead.
I may have been able to live without going crazy thanks to her sea-like blue eyes.
On the way back to the home country after passing through a battlefield stained with blood.
I was able to afford to look again at the blue sky that resembled her eyes.
I may have been able to pick up a golden flower that resembled her hair.
「Rosanna!!」
“Leonhard…. Oh… !! How fiercely did you fight? !”
After returning from the battlefield, I immediately ran to her, calling her name.
I didn’t even know that blood was flowing down my forehead.
“You should have bandaged her head. “Don’t you know how dangerous it is if you don’t stop the bleeding in the wound?”
As we became closer to each other, Rosanna came out of her heavenly palace and came out to meet me in person.
And, she welcomed me with a fresh smile.
「Sorry, I had to stop picking this up on the way back….」
“This is a marigold…. It’s just an ordinary wild flower scattered on the streets….”
「It’s normal. “It may be true in other people’s eyes, but it’s different to me.”
“How are they different?”
After returning from the battlefield, I answered Rosanna’s question with a grin.
「How can I just pass this by when my hair is so similar to yours?」
“….”
Because of her sharp eyes, she always gave the impression that she looked cold.
However, the day I received the flowers was different.
“When I look at it this way, sometimes I feel like I’m younger than myself…” .”
When you gently touch a yellow flower to your ear, the flower is Rosanna.
She smiled brightly at me.
“Next time, make sure to treat the wound first.”
I listened to her wife’s words and shook her head vigorously.
I felt like all my wounds were healed just by looking at Rosanna’s smile.
「I understand. “I promise that it will be like that next time.”
But….
The moment came when my faith was cruelly broken.
Conquered most countries and waged a great war against the Kingdom of Bern, the last enemy.
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Due to that war, I had no choice but to ask for support from allies.
Among them was Rosanna’s home country, Epina.
At first, they silently sent reinforcements.
However, in the repeated wars, an incident occurred in which their important talents were greatly sacrificed.
Of course, many talented people from other countries died, but it was a very big blow to Epana, which values a small number of elites.
From this point on, they began to become more and more dissatisfied with me.
But, I wasn’t in my right mind at that time either.
Defeat your last nemesis just once.
If we destroy it just once, we can finally end this terrible war.
We repeatedly made strong demands to Rosanna’s home country.
「I shouldn’t have done that then.」
Because my impatience and the madness of the battlefield have returned in a big way.
The incident occurred two days before the final match against Bern.
It started with a man who came to see me.
“Your Majesty… !!”
Mossian.
He, who was the foreign minister of Epina, came to me late at night and revealed the conspiracy of the Epina royal family.
“Now, the Rodri royal family of Epina has formed a secret alliance with Bern and is planning to assassinate His Majesty!!”
「It’s called assassination… ?」
It was a shock to me, who was focused on the last enemy, Bern.
“Yes, in fact, it is said that among the many Epinins who entered Leon, there are many assassins!!”
Many among the Epina people.
When I heard those words, I instinctively thought of a woman.
「No way….」
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Mossian lowered his head as if responding to his uneasy premonition.
And then, he revealed the sad truth.
“On that list… Her Royal Highness Rosanna was also included….”
This was a man who came from Epina to give a tip-off, risking his life.
There was no reason for him to lie.
But I still couldn’t believe that Rosanna was one of the assassins trying to kill me.
She cared about my heart so much….
In fact, he was only thinking about killing me.
「I understand…. I’ll take care of Rosanna’s business myself….」
Through numerous massacres, any traitors were dealt with resolutely.
However, Rosanna could not do that.
A trace of faith still remains.
And, the love that arose without me even knowing….
For the first time in my life, I wanted to give her a chance.
「….」
So I did not interrogate Rosanna this night when she was scheduled to assassinate me.
She just lay down in bed first, naturally, as usual, and pretended to fall asleep first.
Dark bedroom.
The pitiful footsteps of a woman in her twenties getting closer and closer.
“Leon. I fell asleep… ?”
I didn’t give any answer to Rosanna’s question.
Then, I felt her voluptuous thighs gently rising on the bed.
“You were sound asleep…” .”
I felt the empress’ shadow covering my face.
And….
Even holding a poisoned dagger in one hand.
“I’m sorry….”
I could hear Rosanna’s sad voice.
Even her tears fell on my cheeks.
However, I was not shaken at all by her appearance.
I just pretended to be asleep in silence and waited for her next move.
“….”
However, no matter how long he waited, the empress’s dagger did not move.
In fact, for the first time in my life, I heard her crying voice.
“I can’t do it…” . Now how….”
Soon she threw away the strange object she was holding.
And instead….
She hugged me tightly and tried to calm her frightened heart.
「….」
We have already come to rely on each other in the most difficult times.
Thanks to you, I was able to make up my mind.
I will protect her at all costs, and I will defeat all enemies that stand in our way.
The next day.
We set out to punish traitors in earnest.
I sensed their plan in advance and attacked the royal family of Epina and recovered all the evidence of their attempt to kill me.
Afterwards, when I returned to Heavenly Palace.
I asked her with a grin as she didn’t know anything.
「Rosanna, will you do me a favor?」
“Of course, what is it?”
「I heard that the violets in the northern part of the empire are good for wound recovery. I was wondering if you could save me….」
“I understand. It looks like the wound hasn’t healed yet… ? “I’ll get it right away.”
After evacuating Rosanna to the north, where even Jeon Seo-gu arrived late.
She started the ‘bloody hearing’.
At first, her father, Rhodri I, was interrogated.
However, rather than begging me to save him, he cursed at me as if he was trying to shock me.
“There are a lot of people in this world trying to kill you, Leonhard.”
The king of Epina poured out all sorts of curses as if to shock me.
“You always have to be careful. “When you go for a walk, when you eat, and even when you sleep!!”
As the head of a mercenary nation, he knew very well how to stab the enemy in his heart.
“You probably don’t know. “Even this person who firmly believed that you loved each other might try to kill you!!”
It was just before Rosanna’s name came out of the king’s mouth.
He thought he was caught because Rosanna disobeyed her assassination order.
As if to punish him, I ended up cutting off his head.
「Shut that dirty mouth.」
Thump… !!
As Rhodri’s head fell to the floor, his royal family swallowed deeply.
They often glared at me with eyes full of anger.
「If you don’t want to end up like this, you will have to do a better job cracking down on joining in the future.」
I warned the only royals who knew Rosanna’s secret.
After that, I thought everything would be resolved like that.
But from then on, the hellish cycle of fate began.
Exactly one week after saving the royal family.
Rosanna’s brothers, who swore revenge on me, gathered the remnants and rebelled.
And, their anger was directed not only at me but also at Rosanna, who did not go along with the assassination.
「Rosanna… !!」
To save her, I quickly returned from her battlefield and headed to her imperial palace.
However, by the time Rosanna was found in the burning ruins, it was already too late.
「How did this happen…? .」
Revenge begets revenge.
I overlooked that fact.
Just as I took away the most precious person from the royal family.
They took the most precious woman from me while I was saving them.
「….」
Because of that helplessness, I couldn’t move a single thing in the imperial palace that was collapsing into flames.
I just hugged her and trembled in fear as her once brilliant golden hair turned black.
――――――!!
Even if a pillar of fire falls and burrows into my body.
Even though the hot flames ate into his flesh, he offered no resistance.
There was just one thought in my head.
「If only I had killed all those insect-like royals back then… 」
「Did Rosanna live…? ?」
If only I could go back to that time.
I accepted death with only that thought in mind.
And, at that moment.
A strong Grand Aura rose from my left chest.
――――――.
After this, for some reason, I followed my wish….
“There are only a few people in this world trying to kill you, Leonhard.”
The dregs of King Epina, whom I wanted to kill so much, have returned.
It’s like turning back time.
So I….
Numerous ‘slaughter’ and ‘suicide’ were repeated until Rosanna did not die.