He Who Covets the Abandoned Bride - Chapter 51

“It’s been a while.”

From the moment the imperial palace came into view, Layla’s heart was already pounding with anxiety. At the emperor’s first words, she bit her lip.

Even though she was clearly prostrating, her body trembled.

The last time Layla saw the emperor, he was very favorable towards her. Because he firmly believed that she was Adrian’s mate.

She thought he might be disappointed in her for being born into the Wessex family without the ability to attune, but the emperor at that time had no such prejudice.

But now it would definitely not be the case. The betrayal of the Wessex family was not something that would fade with time.

The scars left on Adrian’s body proved that fact.

Last night, sobbing beneath him, Layla was haunted by the single scar left on Adrian’s flawlessly clean body.

However, now that she was in Harkin, Layla knew she couldn’t refuse this meeting. Therefore, she simply did her best to answer his words.

“…G-Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Due to nervousness, she unknowingly stuttered. The emperor, looking down at her, clenched his clasped hands tightly behind his back.

As a strong person, he thought he had done quite well in protecting the weak, although he didn’t particularly like such grandiose words. However, at this very moment, the impulse to tear apart the weak person in front of him rose.

Concluding that impulse by tightly clenching his fists, the emperor slowly brought out the story he had to tell Layla.

“Have you heard the news, by any chance?”

Layla didn’t understand the abrupt mention of ‘news’. In front of her who couldn’t reply, the emperor clicked his tongue.

“About the end of Wessex. The rumors have already spread rampantly throughout the continent… But then again, who would relay such affairs to a mere slave? Let me bestow my mercy and tell you.”

This was more of a warning to face reality rather than mercy.

Layla also knew the fragmentary story of the king’s death and the capture of her siblings, but she hadn’t heard the details. She was captured before going to Wessex, and while escaping, Bryan either considerate or deliberately didn’t tell her.

“I have no intention of defending anyone from the Fitzroys, but the Wessex king’s final judgment was more foolish than that of any monarch in history. And a death befitting that foolishness was delivered.”

“……”

“Do you know the ability that has been passed down for generations in the Fitzroy royal family?”

Tense and barely able to recall, Layla struggled to answer.

“Geokinesis… it is.”

It was also called terrakinesis, the ability to manipulate the ground.

“They say that wherever Isabella Fitzroy’s feet passed, the ground was overturned, and by targeting those flimsy gaps, the castle walls were brought down in less than a day. The Wessex king, trembling inside the palace, seemed to have tried to harm the princess with that vaunted attunement ability at the end, but….”

Layla felt like she knew the conclusion, and almost the same story flowed from the emperor’s mouth.

“They say it hardly worked.”

The attunement ability passed down through the Wessex bloodline did not always bring positive effects to ability users.

It stabilized the bodies of ability users and amplified their abilities, but sometimes it also suppressed their abilities.

However, the extent to which each attuner could control it varied. If the gap in power between the ability user and the attuner was large, it had no effect at all. It was the same principle as low-grade artifacts only working on low-grade ability users.

“But the Fitzroy’s first princess was originally savage. Just the fact that the Wessex king attempted it enraged her. So she stabbed six swords into the king’s corpse and threw it outside the palace. And she released hungry dogs to tear apart the bloody corpse.”

If it was true, it was a devastating end.

Although not that generous, to Layla, he was still her father. She thought he was foolish and predicted his end would not be good, but she never wished for such a conclusion.

Layla’s eyes grew moist. Above her, the emperor’s voice fell indifferently.

“You too, once made such a foolish choice. Taking after your father.”

“…Ah.”

At those words filled with clear disgust, Layla felt suffocated. As she began to breathe roughly, the emperor asked again.

“How many siblings do you have in total?”

“Seventeen, including myself.”

“Five of them were married off, and with you here, that leaves three women and eight men.”

The emperor’s memory was accurate, so Layla didn’t answer.

“Fortunately, your sisters who changed their surnames will likely be safe. I heard all your branch families also changed their surnames.”

Layla was slightly relieved at that news. But the following words were desperate.

“However, the situation is a bit different for those who were caught. The women, having little use, seem to be imprisoned or doing hard labor, and the men must produce useful heirs, don’t you think?”

“….”

No way.

Layla swallowed anxiously.

She could sufficiently predict the rest of the story. They were terrible words to hear, and she wanted to cover her ears, but she couldn’t move an inch in front of the emperor.

That’s when it happened.

“Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“What is it?”

Although he was in the middle of a conversation with Layla, the emperor answered the attendant’s call without much annoyance. His calm demeanor was exactly that of someone who expected to be interrupted around this point.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has entered the palace.”

Above Layla, the sound of the emperor scoffing could be heard.

“Why is that bastard here?”

“He says he has something to tell Your Majesty.”

“After causing such trouble yesterday?”

Despite his words, a hint of amusement seeped into the emperor’s voice.

He glanced down at Layla, who was still kneeling, and turned his feet.

“Send her back well without being seen by the Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the emperor left, the imperial palace servants who appeared a while later helped Layla stand up. Having knelt and prostrated for a long time, her legs were numb, so Layla limped slightly as she left the palace.

The emperor had told them to avoid letting her meet Adrian, but just before leaving, Layla could see Adrian entering the palace.

Dressed in white ceremonial robes, his steps crossing the palace were quite hurried.

The reception room of the imperial palace.

Adrian, who had just barged in, spoke before his father could even sit down and before the door of the reception room could even close.

“3 years.”

“What are you talking about?”

The emperor asked, puzzled by the sudden intrusion and words.

In the meantime, Adrian gestured to the palace attendant trying to close the reception room door to stop. It meant that he would leave quickly once his business was done.

“To either bring down the Fitzroy kingdom or have them declare defeat to us. One of the two, in 3 years.”

“….”

Sitting at the head of the reception room, the emperor looked at his son as if asking if he had gone mad.

No matter how smart Adrian was, it wasn’t a very realistic statement to say he would bring down a solidly established kingdom like the Fitzroys in 3 years.

The emperor picked up the teacup brought by the attendant and asked.

“You said you were going to the Filmer Kingdom this time, right? Was it your doing that bankrupted them?”

The emperor casually blurted out and slowly drank the tea. Then he gestured for Adrian to sit, but he still stood by the reception room door and retorted.

“I’m glad you know without me even saying it.”

“That seems to be your hobby.”

“No way. The 7th prince trash who was engaged to Layla tried to touch her with his filthy hands, so I did that.”

“….”

As the emperor stared at him without a word, Adrian added a bit of explanation.

“At first, I was just going to break off the engagement.”

In short, he got pissed off and went a step further. The emperor, looking somewhat disgusted despite it being his own son, spoke to calm him down for now.

“The Fitzroys are different from a country like Filmer in terms of national power from the beginning. If they could be brought down that easily, there wouldn’t have been a 100-year war.”

“Unfortunately, since there was a war, it means they fought for 100 years.”

“Are you disrespecting the ancestors?”

“But that’s the truth.”

At the utterly disrespectful remark, the emperor glared, but Adrian didn’t correct his claim. Instead, he said something akin to a threat to his father.

“So don’t touch her during those 3 years. I won’t hold back no matter who it is.”

“Don’t touch? What are you talking about?”

At the emperor’s feigning ignorance, Adrian glanced at the open reception room door and then strode over to his father.

Standing next to the seated emperor, he leaned down and whispered in his ear.

“Layla, Father.”

“Was that the name of the slave you embraced for the first time last night?”

“Please inform the empress and the other princes as well, I would appreciate it.”

“But there is no obligation.”

It was virtually a refusal, but Adrian stepped back from him. Whatever happened, he could just make them realize it after experiencing it.

He bowed politely.

“Thank you for your time, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

And as announced, he left before the emperor could even finish a cup of tea.