96 – Later Story – Emperor & Empress (1)
Knock. Knock.
A knocking sound, like knocking on a ripe watermelon, announced the arrival of an uninvited guest. She doesn’t respond otherwise. I well knew that a silent response was a sign of permission.
The unspoken rules already scattered among us are simple and diverse.
“It’s been a lot of work. Irlp.”
“You say a lot. I’ve seen it before, but it’s new.”
“Starting today, I will try not to be new.”
I circled around behind the IrLP sitting at the desk watching the housework. Then, the white hair that covered her small shoulders like a curtain flowed like a stream. When the soft gray hair is gently brushed off, the shoulder line connecting the nape of the neck is neatly placed.
“Neffi?”
“Hmm, can I do this?”
I quietly put my hand on the shoulder line that was covered. Then, with the knuckles of her thumbs, she applied pressure on various parts of her shoulder line, examining Irfi’s complexion.
I know that the misfortune of her mansion collapsing faster than she gets tired of her job. However, it was uncomfortable to live behind Ir Elfi as a waste who only received her benefits. It seemed strange to see her at least as a faithful companion to her housemates.
This is how I felt when I witnessed Zeke Harun’s depravity as a homeless woman.
“How about a massage?”
“Neffi is as clumsy as drying her hair.”
“I’ll quit too.”
“That’s nothing to be ashamed of, isn’t it? I like it, hehehe.”
“It’s just a matter of floating it up.”
“I’m not really sure… Jung Then, can she do what Nefi is good at?”
“What are you good at?”
As I tilted her head, Eir Elfi brought the hand of the woman who was massaging her to his cheek. Then she raised the corners of her mouth as she bashed. With playful demands.
“Please kiss me.”
“I know you have low expectations for me.”
My expectations for Ir Elfi were at least the peak of her lip smacking. A little bit heartbreaking He gave me a look that said he was fed up with IrLP.
“Don’t be pessimistic alone, do it quickly.”
“Really?”
“Is it fake?”
“So… Do you?”
“Neffi, your face is pretty funny right now.”
“I hope you’re funny.”
Hago, Irfi softly kissed Elfi’s pale pink lips. It’s not even the kiss she’s experiencing for the first time. She was always shy when her mood was set. Especially these days, the Ill Elpy has become bold, so my heart was panting and I was busy following it.
I was ashamed to face her roomy face in her elf, so I called her attention to her desk where she was working.
“What are these documents?”
“This is an official notice of cancellation of delivery.”
“Delivery? Where what?”
“I trade the minerals I handcraft to various nobles, including the imperial palace. They’re just small stones, but they’re sold at exorbitant prices?”
“Is it a very rare gem?”
“As Neffi said, there are rare gems, and the magic stone used for communication stones is our flagship product. No craftsman can craft it more skillfully than me. Anything…”
Elfi showed off her swordsmanship as if she were proud of her blue aura. Her idea of using the world’s best swordsmanship for jewelery was astonishing.
“I’m going to stop working on the final products to be delivered to the empress. I can’t continue to be involved in finances until after Mirren succeeds to the title, right?”
“Well… Mirren should start a new business like Mirren.”
I rubbed IRLP’s shoulder as naturally as flowing water. She chuckles lightly and throws her head back.
The customer who made eye contact with the clumsy masseuse who caught her back stimulated her lustful desire.
It was one question that blocked the desire to share a deep kiss like this.
“Irelp.”
“Yes.”
“The empress is the last one, so I thought of it… Didn’t Eir Elfi hate the empress even when she had no memories of the future?”
“You remember it well.”
“If it’s not rude, may I ask why?”
“Nefy isn’t a great person to spread around, so it doesn’t really matter.”
“I thought if I spread it out, her back would bend like a bow. Ugh, her hair…”
Irlp’s eyebrows wriggled ominously at the exaggerated joke. In light of her experience, I learned that this is the right time to go crazy. My hands were gently rubbing her shoulders with sincerity, soothing her sharp heart.
“Whew…”
“Ahahahaha…”
If you have intelligence, you are Gamcheon.
She grumbled, pouting her mouth reluctantly.
“Anyway, it’s Nefi or Zikharun that’s pulling out, right?”
“Forgive me, Illelpi. I’m going to self-restraint.”
“It’s okay. Anyway, let’s get to the main topic… The reason I hate the empress is because I know the benefits of her birth as little children can eat.”
She added annoyedly as if bubbling inwardly.
“If he complained, he would feed him candy… And then spit it out when he got tired of it… He was a gangster with just that much awareness.”
IRLP’s focus is beyond the transparent window. It has settled in a place farther than the green mountains that rise far away. Perhaps that place is the past, far removed from the present.
She rhymed like a narrator reading a storybook. The first words to start the story of the past were the classic opening words.
Once upon a time. Ir Elfi released their past with sarcasm.
◇
“Liharm! Let’s go.”
“Wait, Lenian. Be careful.”
At the girl’s urging, the boy covered his lips with his index finger. Hearing the scolding, the girl held her breath as well as her mouth like a child exploring a secret hideout.
The name of the boy who restrains the lively girl is Hareum Lee. He was the sole crown prince of the Eld Empire.
The name of the girl who treats Riharum so casually is Lenian. She was the daughter of a count, and Riharm’s childhood friend.
They slammed down on their hooded robes and killed their presence like assassins. It was always thrilling to fly stealthily using the imperial palace’s secret passage.
The two went in and out, dodging the footsteps of countless humans. Today is not a special day. Stealth, which became their daily routine, was a hobby that even the emperor and the count gave up on.
“Now, let’s go. Let’s see if anyone can find out.”
At Lee Harm’s nervous instructions, Rhenian followed him by humming.
“It must be inconvenient for the prince. The portraits are stuck here and there… In particular, do you think you should dye your red hair?”
“He also has red hair.”
“It’s a strange coincidence, isn’t it?”
“It’s a rare color.”
The guy the two men and women were talking about was a kind of secret friend. He was also a benefactor who saved them at the same time.
“My heart still beats when I think of the past. It’s a shame that Roderick is leading the vigilante… Didn’t you know that the security inside the system was like that?”
“Your Majesty values external affairs more than internal affairs.”
The current atmosphere of Jedo Island was a situation of tranquility and distance, unless it was an exceptionally bustling place. It was a reality that I was unaware of when I was living in the imperial palace.
Riharum, who was like that, received a strong shock from the relationship he met during his first stealth celebration.
Rodrick, a commoner who saved them from going undercover when faced with a crisis. He taught me vivid knowledge rooted behind the scenes. From the first day of stealth, the three people who were never supposed to mix formed a friendship.
After walking for a while, the two fell into a dark alley and knocked on the door. Response to knock was swift. A voice welcomed them from inside the open door.
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“It’s been a while, Roderick.”
“Isn’t it sad because it’s been a while?”
“hahahaha, that can’t be.”
Rodrick was a man with a mysterious charisma. Although he is a commoner, he is not servile and is full of confidence in everything he does. Although he didn’t know that Riharm was the crown prince, he wasn’t a great man whose attitude would change even if he did know.
Riharm and Lenian felt a deep affinity for Roderick in that way.
However, the feelings of liking between Richard and Lenian were subtly different. If Richard’s liking was infinite trust and friendship, Lenian’s love as a woman was added to it.
If there is one thing to note, it is that Lenian and Rodrick’s crush is secretly both.
Rodrick was never a man enough to show off, but that couldn’t escape Leeharm’s eyes.
Is it a curse or a blessing? Riharm’s eyes naturally penetrated human emotions. It was impossible to avoid his eyes, ranging from malice and goodwill to complex subtle love and hate hidden in the unconscious.
‘Renian, if you’re happy, that’s it.’
Leharm took a step back from the conversation between Rhenian and Rodrick. It seemed as if a small circular low wall had been piled up around them.
On the outskirts of the wall, Odokani Riharm glanced sideways at the brightly smiling Lenian. It was a unique expression that could only be seen here.
Riharum was satisfied even as a bystander standing odokani outside the wall. Roderick is the only one who can give her a special seat to watch her genuine smile. Regardless of her will, he wished that she, who was appointed as her crown princess, would be happy.
“Why don’t you take a look around the plaza today? Security has improved quite a bit these days.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of effort, Roderick!”
“Thanks to everyone who organized the vigilante.”
“It’s cool to be humble. You can tell who’s official just by looking at everyone’s eyes.”
“Kuhmm…”
Renian’s eyes were embroidered with sparkling stars. The stars that moved like a nebula uniformly illuminated only Rodrick.
Rodrick’s eyes contained Rhenian’s stars as if they were reflected in a mirror. A pair of well-matched stars formed an ocean in the narrow eyes and rolled over.
…
Lee Ha-reum twisted the corners of her mouth under her Eum Young-jin face. Behind the love affair, she was a bitter smile that she suppressed herself.