Chapter 36
Translator: wuttisyun
Sure enough, at the word ‘Emperor’, the smile Castor had been wearing disappeared. I was still doubtful but he remained silent and his expressionless face looked as if he was stuck alone in a bubble of his own ti.
His lips were pursed into a delicate shape and there was no movent in his eyes.
Then, a fog clouded over his beautiful golden eyes. His golden iris that surrounded his black pupil glowed and I felt an intense fear that almost forced to go on my knees.
‘He’s using his strange powers again.’
As if I was being forced to dress in front of him, the intangible atmosphere was only instilling more fear in . This was Castor’s powers and his powers were the ones I feared the most.
“Hahahaha. How fun!”
I already knew the future of what was to co to this land but I was living through these past few days over and over again uselessly. Death had always co to with the strike of his sword but whenever I saw him, I was always terrified for so unknown reason. He felt scarier than the hounds that guarded hell’s gates.
But I was not afraid of him anymore.
Whenever I saw him laughing as he killed over and over again a dozen tis, I got gradually worn out. I did not need to roll the dice. I already knew all the crazy possible things he could do because I had been through them so many tis.
‘If I was going to co back alive anyway, it didn’t matter how I died, right?”
I decided that it was ti to end this ridiculous moronic act.
A day that I had been through 40 tis. In this long ti, he was the only one enjoying the death of and my maids. And I had to suffer through the agony again once I regressed.
“What an interesting speculation. Go ahead.”
He turned his head to the side and stared at . I acted as if I was wondering what he said.
“Speculation? What’s a speculation?”
“What you were saying. The reason why I’m here.”
“Ah! You an the reason why brother ca to see ?”
He grinned before leaning against a pillar.
“That’s right.”
It seed as if he had retracted his weapon into his long sleeves but at the sa ti, threatening that he could hit at any ti possible. I tried to resist the urge to retreat as soon as possible and shook off the sense of helplessness and fear I was feeling. Coyly, I spoke.
“Well, if you were not thinking of , why else would you co to see during the harvest season which is the busiest ti of the year?”
“What if I ca to see you for another reason?”
“A different reason?”
My eyes widened and I muttered in surprise. Then, I lifted my head and stared into Castor’s eyes.
“What reason then?”
“Who knows.”
Castor smiled.
I could feel his face relaxing as he looked at from an angle. He gazed at as if he was feeling the languid afternoon. He was not at all agitated. Instead it was who was left nervously on the edge. Wondering what crazy thoughts he was harboring, he whipped his head around to face the knights before slowly flashing a smile.
“A rebellion.”
“Oh, that can’t be. I already told you you like , brother!”
“I do?”
“Yes! The maids in Terena Palace all like . I’m sure my brother will be the sa.”
I blinked nonchalantly and smiled brightly.
“I like my brother.”
“?”
“Yes.”
Another reason why I said this was to colour my cheeks red so as to make myself look objectively innocent. With a hand on my chest, I smiled as brightly as a flower bursting into full bloom at the crack of dawn.
“That’s why, brother.”
First I had to talk nonsense.
“I’m sure that you like very much.”
The supporting characters in were all fools with their heads filled with flowers. Born to a family that treated them preciously, the lady was raised by those who would often call her angels or flowers, causing her to truly believe that the world was beautiful.
Which was why I had no doubt he would believe that I thought everything that I liked would love back.
I just borrowed the famous lines from the lady that would one day beco Rusbella’s best friend.
“Brother likes . Because I like my brother.”
This was the first ti I had ever seen him smile without killing first. For a long ti, Castor had been a son of a bitch and I managed to relieve my anger by cursing at him right in front of till I died. Ah, this was really sothing I never imagined to see.
The fluttering leaves drew my attention. I was thirsty.
“Princess.”
While I had been distracted by the vividness of the yellow leaves, I did not notice how his mood flipped like a coin.
“It’s better to believe only when you know the information is accurate. Especially if you bet sothing precious on that belief.”
His languid voice made my head spring up. Castor stopped talking for a mont before tilting his head and lowering his eyes like a predator. He smiled gently.
“Ashley Rosé.”
All he said was a few words but my mouth was already dry.
“Do you know why I ca here?”
“Yes. T-to co and see …?”
He tilted his head before smiling whilst showing his teeth. For the first ti, I saw Castor genuinely happy.
Castor raised his head with his arms crossed before laughing at mockingly.
“To accuse you of your sins.”
A sudden eerie feeling dug into my temple.
The knights who had been standing behind Castor surrounded the garden and took a step forward. There were also so who were holding their gladiuses high in the sky. (1)
This was clearly the scene right before they were going to start a massacre. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at Castor with tightened lips.
No. No!
“Ashley, daughter of Auresia. I enjoyed your stories. I feel like I have been through a lot after eting you today. It wasn’t bad. But it’s ti we get to the point.
Light shone from his eyes. He slowed down his steps before he stopped walking. He tugged towards him and lifted my chin.
“It’s ti to interrogate you for your cri.”
“What are you talking about? W-what do you an sin? If you have anything you want from , please tell . I’ll do anything…”
What did I do wrong? I never hurt him! The resentnt that was swelling in popped like a balloon unable to withstand the high pressure. All the thoughts and curses within the balloon were then directed towards him.
If Castor had not insisted on being so strict like the first ti round, I could have thought of a counterattack.
I thought of sothing crazy. I can try to stab him this ti.
“W-what do you want? All I did was wait for my brother to co and dress myself like a flower! I learnt instrunts! Court etiquette! All for my coming-of-age ceremony one day!”
No, not yet. I need to calm down. Let think. I took a deep breath to suck in all the curses I had at the tip of my tongue. The new lead I had was too precious for it to end just like this. Whatever this was. These were the achievents I obtained to save my life. I was waiting for a future with a red carpet laid out in front of . It would be such a sha to give up my precious jewels like this. Even if I was to live again and die the sa way, I should try to see things to the end. Just like how it was useless to hold fine sand in your hand, I was still happy to have it.
“Is that so?”
He gave a smile before gazing upon as if he was digging deep into the inner corners of my heart. Castor then whispered as if it was a secret with his low yet majestic voice.
“Then, you must live today.”
Since this started about 40 regressions ago, I have been living through this day for more than a month already so I was able to guess what Castor was going to say next easily. My hands were shaking so I held them tight, bit my lips and held my breath. I looked up at him.
There was still a way.
“Ashley, daughter of Auresia.”
Castor had an unexpectedly soft look on his face so what if… Now, all I could hope was that this would be different from my previous 30 tis I t him.
It was useless to not use my whole body to try to live amidst these dozens of repetitions. He kept on tightening his hold on my throat as if he was squeezing a straw and ignored my screams.
“I will continue to condemn you for the cris you committed against the Empire. The sins of interacting with the forbidden judge and the templar who is the embodint of chaos. From now on, you’ll be risking your life and answering my three questions. Your answers will determine whether or not you’re loyal to the Empire.”
I quivered before answering.
“Y-you just need an answer?”
“Depends.”
As soon as I moved my head, I saw a gleeful Castor.
“On your answer.
His majestic and overwhelming voice sounded mischievous. It felt as if a piece of glass had penetrated my chest. I wanted to believe that there was hope.
His eyes drooped down and his emotions were controlled perfectly.
It was alright. It was not over yet. I was less nervous and more feeling a chronic sense of helplessness. If I die here, I would just regress.
“What does the Empire an to you?”
In short, I had pretended to be a stupid girl so that he would not feel challenged and no matter what think of as a useless girl.
“This is what my brother is interested in. My brother’s decisions are always based on his interests at the mont.”
To make him believe that I would have no effect on him.
“It has no aning to .”
I hoped that I did not look awkward and I tried to laugh it off to make myself look obedient.
“It’s only the country I was born in, right? It’s natural here for the won here to love the country.”
Court etiquette here was similar to that of the Joseon Dynasty. Won only needed to smile prettily like a flower and ask for permission only for them to one day beco broken. Because their husbands were their sky. (2)
He might have understood what I tried to say even if I did not say it bluntly. Anyway, all I was trying to do was to hide my brilliance.
Indeed, a stupid knight’s face crumpled at my words of defiance against the Empire itself. Castor smiled softly like a flower blooming on the highest peaks.
“Are you trying to say that the Empire where you were born in and raised in is not your country?”
“Was I not allowed to say this?”
“I an, rather than the fact that you’re not allowed to… It was a very dumb answer and pleasant to hear.”
As I stared at each and everyone of the knights’ faces, I was grateful to have lived through these days 40 tis. They looked as if they were thinking how I could say such things to Castor’s face.
Right, go ahead and laugh.
I would show you my stupidity. It would be so bad they would not even want to touch like leftovers. I would be too stupid to even kill. I was trying to trick all of them.
“Right, Ashley. What do you think of the Emperor?”
“W-well, he was the person that gave birth to . My father. I hope the person who succeeds him will be a cool and handso man.
My voice was steady.
“But I don’t want to marry into so faraway country. I want to see my maids.”
In this explicit silence, not a single jeer could be heard but I could see the sneers in the knights’ faces.
“Well, and I want to get married later. I want to stay here for a long ti.
Sothing that had been hovering near the back of my head all this ti drew all my attention. Once I stopped trembling and realised that I was captured, a new realisation dawned upon . No way. I thought there could be no way…
I felt a shudder throughout my body.
It was different.
It was completely different.
I could not pinpoint what made feel this way exactly, but I knew that this ti was different. It was the atmosphere. My gut feeling.
My fingernails dug into my palm.
“I can live if I answer his questions well, right?”
“That’s right.”
In fact, this would not have been possible without my last 40 deaths which made realise that I was a stupid idiot with no sense of crisis. I thought that all this ti, it was all because I was not answering his questions properly. I had been afraid, angry and had given up.
T/N:
Happy New Year!!
(1): Gladius is a latin word for sword. It can also be referring to foot soldiers in ancient ro. The more you know.
(2): Common saying in East Asian countries to say how for wives, their husbands were their everything and they must look up to them.
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