373
Toxic (2)
The night is sometimes a time to solve riddles.
I couldn’t tell how much time had passed since I was unconscious.
I tried to check the shape of the moon, but it was lunar clouds and the fog was thick.
It wasn’t a forest, it was a dry meadow with sparsely large bushes.
Nearby, nettles and thorns lay in an orderly manner.
Confused, Elissa licked her lips.
“why······.”
And he spit out the first words that came to his mind.
The Archduke raised his eyebrows politely.
“Why? It must be because the wind was strong and you and I flew far away.”
Then he sat down across from him.
He pulled out the javelin of Crown Princess Yang, who said it was nothing special, and used it to skin a dead deer.
When the intestines were removed and thrown over the mist, a small beast brought the young and bit them.
The old man skillfully separated the flesh and threaded it on wooden skewers to prepare the meal.
He ripped off the stumbling block with his teeth, and spit violently to rinse the blood in his mouth.
It was unbelievable that he was the head of a noble family, born of a noble bloodline, with a wild attitude.
There is no reason to be surprised by this appearance of Eliser, who was mainly taking care of the soldiers, but this was usually what her subordinates did.
I never imagined that my relative and royal family would be so reckless.
Judith Kamingha was like a living legend in the new kingdom, and all kinds of rumors about her spread throughout.
There were also rumors that he was unbearably eccentric or senile.
A black eye patch was placed over his right eye, which the old man had long since lost.
The color of the remaining left eye was dark and deep like burnt soil.
Elisha barely opened her mouth until ten more minutes had passed, and when the smell of roasting meat began to appear.
Normally, I would have acted faster than this, but it was because of my embarrassment.
“Weren’t we on the battlefield?”
“It did.”
“How did you come here?”
“Didn’t you already tell me?”
“How much time has passed?”
“You have passed out for half a day.”
“Then where are you?”
“·················ogue.”
‘Tak, Tak!’ Watching the blazing bonfire, Judith closed her mouth.
I didn’t know if that meant I didn’t know or if it was an expression that I wouldn’t answer.
The Crown Princess spoke with patience.
“···········The ‘Curse of the Saint’ is a mystery in which life randomly disappears from the first day of each month until the full moon. It is a misfortune that lasted close to a hundred years in the Statia Plain alone.”
“That’s right.”
“The royal family and the Duke of Sneijder have investigated for a long time, but I heard that no one knew the circumstances, and the loss of the missing was severe. It is said that those who come back from time to time live their whole life as a madman. We have received reports that all nearby villages have been destroyed or absorbed elsewhere.”
“That is only partially true.”
The Archduke pointed it out and poked the flame with a branch.
‘Cheek.’ The venison was overcooked.
There was a thin rib in Elissa’s forehead. The young man raised an edge in his voice.
“Weren’t we determined not to get caught up in the phenomenon? It was deliberately delayed until the Crown Prince was out of power, and Count Arno van Roy agreed to erect huge wind barriers on all sides. At least, it was an operation in which no missing persons could come out from the friendly direction. Even if there were, I expected that there would be very few.”
“I remember it too, so I don’t have to talk long.”
It was a ploy to endure the sacrifice of a few for victory.
Because that’s what war was all about.
“If you are swept away, you have to come back. If you know where this is, please tell me.”
“·················ogue.”
Then the prince shut his mouth again. Elisha waited for a long time.
But there was no reply, and the old man had a face focused only on meat.
The impatient young man jumped up from his seat.
Although she was far from hot-tempered, she was also not the type to hesitate in making decisions in the face of heavy responsibility.
. . . at least in most cases.
“I have an army waiting for me. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll go back first.”
Elissa moved in a hurry with her long braided hair fluttering.
I took my javelin that the Archduke had used to dismantle the deer, and when he saw the cloudy moon, he dimly set his direction.
It seemed like we had to move to the south of the river.
There was no anticipation and the whereabouts of the horse were unknown, but she was a cardinal-level paladin.
He was fine even if he hadn’t eaten and slept for several days.
For a moment, judging by the blood dripping from the side hair, it seemed as if he had bumped into something and passed out.
Fortunately, there was enough ether left.
“Empty the car.”
Judith said as if passing by. Just then, Elissa found a small cup on the floor.
Half of the off-white tea was left in the bowl cut from the tree stump.
A slight bitter voice came up.
“I will specify. There is no time for this.”
The Crown Princess spoke firmly and turned away. Then the Archduke repeatedly grabbed her by the ankle.
“You didn’t want to talk to me.”
“·················ogue.”
“You wanted to tell a story about the Duke of Sneijder.”
Elissa shuddered and turned her head.
The old man’s left eye was staring at her unwaveringly. But, but…
“Didn’t you let me go back then?”
The Crown Princess said as if muttering. It really was.
She remembered the moment when she had finished all the preparations and went to visit Judith.
It was a night when the imperial mountain leaflets fell like snow over the pure white New Guild’s camp.
It was a time when all the barracks fell into chaos, and knights and soldiers gathered everywhere.
A precious and unique moment when Elisher was able to be completely freed from Wilhelmina Sneijder’s sight.
‘I don’t know what the Crown Princess is trying to say. The Grand Duke and the Duke of Sneijder have maintained an amicable relationship for decades.’
…but things didn’t go her way. Judith sent the young man back.
“He said he had nothing to share with me. I remember you telling me to go back because I won’t be able to hear it.”
“·················ogue.”
“Are you saying that you suddenly changed your mind?”
“I have been hard on my head for a long time. I tend to do what I set my mind to.”
“I don’t enjoy question-and-answer questions.”
To be honest, it was closer to the taste of his younger brother, Jesse.
Elisha glanced at the elderly relative, who was still unknown, and then slowly turned around.
He had already rejected me once.
I don’t know what he was thinking, but in this situation, if I clinged on or showed weakness, it would only result in my taking the initiative.
That was the teaching of the dead Janine.
The Crown Princess also knew that she truly loved me, even though she had deceived her all her life.
A brother who was murdered by his father and a loyal servant who took his life with his own hands.
When I thought of the two of them, it felt like my heart was breaking again.
The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
A light wind blew and ruffled my hair. ‘Wheewoo…’
‘Maybe it’s because the wind is strong and you and I have flown far away.’
ah-
“wind.”
His eyes, as cold as sapphires, opened. At the same time as the shudder, the realization came.
The Crown Princess hurriedly turned to the Grand Duke. no way.
“Did Count Roy send us on purpose?”
Could it be possible?
“Air in the fuss . . . Did the strong winds bring us here?”
Can I have that hope?
“Do you mean that the Count made up the disappearance in time for us to talk? Did your majesty speak with him beforehand?”
‘I don’t understand. Wasn’t the Count Sneijder’s man?’ Elisha’s questions were endless.
The Archduke was fed up with the sight of one step closer each time he uttered a sentence.
The face of the 30-year-old looked particularly young under the cloudy moonlight.
Indeed, the Crown Princess was just as rumored.
He had an intellectual atmosphere with both culture and culture, and his dignified momentum and dazzling blonde hair resembled his mother.
But because he grew up in the palms of his father and duke, the most important thing was that it was dark.
It was even more stupid in the political context.
Although admired by the military and commoners, the ‘Nation’ was a creature that could not be governed by itself.
In short, the child was immature and inexperienced. I learned cesareanism, but it was useless.
He must have been weak in affection as he resembled Theo and Christaner.
So I must have lost my brother right before my eyes.
Is there another death so futile in the royal family?
“······· First of all, pick up the car. What is spreading now is the halibut fog.”
“Yes?”
“That you can walk so straight, that you can ask me questions, means that the herbal tea helps.”
The princess’ eyes widened a little.
Judith continued to speak as she watched her carefully as she sat down.
The young man quietly emptied the glass despite the bitter taste, whether he had ever drank haemmouricho.
However, he was still surprised to find out that the energy surrounding him was halo particles.
“Roy was secretly known as a family that was unusually violent with the rampage of the Paladin. Long ago, access to the royal capital of direct blood was implicitly forbidden.”
“·················ogue.”
“Looks like you didn’t know. It’s like having grown up in the width of a peacock’s skirt.”
The Crown Princess bit her lip at the Grand Duke’s sighing words.
The nape of his neck was flushed red from embarrassment.
The old man changed the position of the venison and calmly attached the horsetail.
“Arno van Roy was no exception. Ten years ago, he ran into a runaway without his knowledge and killed his brothers, and tried to harm himself with the shock… You escaped your wife and children to your hometown and found me. It was like a lung.”
“You mean Your Majesty?”
“I heard rumors about the Grand Duchess. It’s like a wind that only comes from amongst the paladins.”
A clear look of confusion crossed Elisha’s face. The old man was quietly looking at the young man.
There was no weight in her gaze, but her insides were busy.
An ignorant princess of noble bloodline, with only blood to protect without any proper power.
Can this young man resurrect the declining new country?
Will Iza be able to uncover the secrets of the royal family and the Duke Sneijder family that I don’t even know about, and confront them confidently?
As with everything in the world, the chances are half-half.
So the Archduke decided to put his half hopes on her. It was a bit impulsive.
“There are no paladins in the Grand Duchess. All this old body.”
“······Yes?”
“We live by arbitrarily abolishing the ether. Because I realized early on that it was not God’s blessing.”
Both eyes of the Crown Princess trembled as if they were about to break.
This was an expression of incomprehension that went beyond disbelief. It was a word that had to be said.
But the old man’s sentence did not waver.
“The Penetian New Kingdom is arrogant before the Lord and has been severely cursed. The result is now.”
“What, what do you say…”
“I have things to protect with my life, so I have not put down my power to shame, but all of my minions are paladins who have lost their ether and become normal. There are a lot of wizards.”
The shock of the language struck Elisha with physical force.
The back of his head tingled as if he had been hit hard by something.
She gathered all her strength and clenched her fist.
“There can be no curse. The ether is God’s grace and the most important means of spreading His will on earth. I don’t know how the Archduke thought of that—”
“Isn’t that a curse?”
The one and only Archduke’s eyes flashed sharply. Power entered the crown princess’ chin.
“That’s right. Excuse me, but this is close to blasphemy. Shin-guk has achieved numerous achievements with great divine power so far. I don’t know why the Archduke, who knows the history well, puts the curse in his mouth.”
“It is blasphemy…”
The Grand Duke let out a laugh. Elissa’s face hardened.
“Let me point out that you don’t know the reason. Do you think the Crown Princess is in a normal state today?”
“·················ogue.”
“Is it normal for religion and politics to become virtually one, with only the hierarchical system wielding absolute power, making the blind people more idiots and making them unable to resist even resisting them, and using false beliefs and fears to rule them mercilessly? Is it desirable to continue this trend for a thousand years? It is the grace of God you believe in that those who know it for sure inherit power and re-learn it, stagnant and decaying incessantly, isn’t it? A terrible addiction from generation to generation? Tell me, Crown Princess.”
‘Tell me that the existence of this country is not a curse!’ The old man shouted loudly.
The crown princess’s face became clear and pale with her tiger-like prestige.
I had goosebumps all over my body, and the strength of both hands was relieved.
The dead grass was choking on Bass’s head under the cardinal’s wrath. ‘Shoot aaa…
It was a land where even grasshoppers did not cry. My heart was pounding and my head was dizzy.
Elissa felt her stomach upset.
No, maybe her whole world.
“Because I’ve been locked up in a cage all my life. How can you not even know the shape of your own cage?”
I was out of breath.
“It would be better to live without knowing. Because you are the Crown Princess of a country. Shouldn’t we just follow the path paved with blood by our great-grandmothers, just as our mothers and grandfathers did. Be grateful for the evil deeds of your ancestors throughout your life and take care of the affairs of the country. Bring in your husband, get an heir, and give him the seat. That way you won’t leave a notorious mark on the librarian.”
“·················ogue.”
“Have you ever thought about the lives of the dead who have no names to leave behind?”
The noble mouth opened weakly. Her pale, gleaming blonde hair was trembling.
The Grand Duke looked at the Crown Princess quietly for a while, then got up from his seat without any regrets.
“Go eat. It’s a guest service.”
She tapped her chin.
Elisha then looked back at the venison over the burning bonfire.
Soon enough ripe flesh caught my eye.
I was nauseous.
“Don’t talk like this. I hope we never meet again.”
The old man who uttered it strode away through the fog.
Elisha ran after Judith after a while.
Passing through moments where I almost fell over several times.