Translation of Korean Text

Section 1

“Sorry, but Shallen Riche. I wonder if you could say the same in front of His Majesty Parnes.”

It felt exactly like the kind of emotion where words get stuck in your throat, and even anger doesn’t arise.

Shallen, drenched in tea that carried a bitter smell, sat dazed in the guest room and let out a hollow laugh.

Kasallin’s nasty temperament and fiery nature hadn’t changed one bit, and he was certain they never would.

‘Right. This is the Kasallin I know, acting just like this.’

Shallen felt a sense of relief on one hand.

If she had been cowed by life in the unfamiliar imperial court, it would have been far less entertaining.

Returning to the palace for distinguished guests, Shallen tossed his shirt, now reeking from the soaked tea, to a maid and headed to the bathroom.

Even while washing his body with warm water, his mind was entirely occupied with Kasallin.

Rose’s troubled expression over the past few days had briefly crossed his mind, but he dismissed it as nothing serious.

Rose was always a bit moody, and a simple pat on the head would usually bring a smile back to her face.

Shallen brushed off all worries about Rose and immersed himself in thoughts of Kasallin again.

‘Come to think of it, she’s quite a remarkable woman.’

Despite committing an outrageous act of deception against the emperor and the people, she didn’t seem the least bit anxious.

At least on the surface, she appeared to feel no pang of conscience.

It was as if she were saying, ‘I’m not telling any lies.’

If the emperor pressured her to produce an heir soon, what on earth would she do?

Shallen shook his head and stepped out of the bathroom.

Having changed into fresh clothes, he was thinking of taking a leisurely stroll until dinner time.

Just then, his attendant Alonzo Laugel rushed in.

“Your Highness!”

“Why the fuss, Alon?”

“The emperor is coming.”

“What? Who’s coming?”

Before he could ask again, a long, dark shadow loomed behind Alonzo.

Even Alonzo, who rarely lost his composure, flinched and stepped aside.

Even if this was the emperor’s own palace, wasn’t it proper to at least knock when entering a guest’s room?

Parnes stepped into Shallen’s room as naturally as if no permission were needed.

“It’s not even surprising anymore. Then again, you’ve done worse…”

“Recite.”

Ignoring Shallen mid-sentence, Parnes spoke in a commanding tone.

As always, Parnes had the impassive, stone-like demeanor that made his thoughts unreadable, but today something was different.

There was a chilling madness, as if he might flip and charge at the slightest provocation.

“Coming here so suddenly, what’s this about?”

“Repeat the words you said to my wife, right here in front of me.”

In that moment, Shallen’s eyes widened, then quickly darted to a corner of the room as if feigning ignorance.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you mean. And please, show at least a modicum of courtesy. Even if no one’s listening…”

“What? You can talk big to a delicate lady, but you’re too scared to face me?”

“Scared? Who’s…!”

As if struck right in the core, Shallen’s voice flared with indignation.

Parnes, not giving him a chance to retort, took a bold step forward and looked down at Shallen with an oppressive air.

They were likely of similar age, yet where that overwhelming intimidation came from was a mystery.

“What? Afraid I might kill you?”

Shallen felt a chill run down his spine, mustering every last drop of pride to glare fiercely back at him.

But even that didn’t last long.

He belatedly noticed the sharp, gleaming sword in Parnes’ hand.

In that instant, it felt like his heart, doused with cold water, plummeted to his feet.

“W-What are you doing?”

“I’ve imagined countless times putting an end to that loose tongue of yours. Want to know why I’ve spared you so far?”

“Alright, I understand. Just put that sword down…”

“Because the Kan Kingdom is my wife’s homeland. Her friends, her neighbors, the cherished traces of her late parents, and her fond memories. I’ve held back because I didn’t want to destroy all that.”

It felt as though his breath was being choked off.

The tip of the blade Parnes held precariously in the air seemed ready to stab down at his foot in the blink of an eye.

“But today, that thinking has changed.”

“…”

“Even if it means shattering my wife’s memories, I’m going to kill you and wipe out Kan. Whether it takes a year or ten, when you’re trembling like a coward and let your guard down for a moment.”

Parnes’ eyes gleamed with a madness that seemed already unhinged, the blade clattering in his hand.

“I’ll come for you silently and slice your throat in half. So, keep waiting.”

With a sharp metallic clang, the blade was thrown to the floor, spinning in place before stopping.

Parnes turned his gaze away from Shallen and strode out of the room.

‘Madman.’

Threatening a foreign king? He was out of his mind.

Shallen, his tension finally easing, stumbled and leaned his face against the back of the sofa.

Looking back, it stung that he’d been too scared to say a single word against him, and a belated sense of humiliation washed over him.

‘No. He can say those things because he doesn’t know anything.’

Would he still wear that expression if he knew the wife he cherished so much was incapable of bearing a child?

No. He’d regret it.

He’d bitterly resent himself for choosing a flawed Kasallin as empress over a fine woman like Isabella.

Shallen firmly believed so.

Section 2

“His Majesty the Emperor suddenly said yesterday that he would use every means possible to root out the source and masterminds of unsavory rumors and punish them with unprecedented severity.”

After the luncheon, the guests pretended to exchange farewells, but once Kasallin was out of sight, they gathered again in Isabella’s room.

Like remnants of a rebel faction plotting a coup, they huddled in the shadowed room, trembling with suspicion.

“Am I the only one who can’t make sense of what the empress meant? Does it mean His Majesty Parnes already knows everything?”

Marquis Clemens asked the group, but no one answered him.

Isabella, her face clouded with doubt, kept her lips sealed.

“Duchess Rudo. Miss Isabella. Please, say something.”

“What? Are you anxious?”

In place of the usually reserved Duchess Rudo, Isabella questioned sharply.

Marquis Clemens, with beads of sweat on his forehead, vehemently shook his head, insisting that wasn’t the case.

Isabella spoke.

“That’s right. We have no reason to worry. Her Majesty the Empress is the one who’s anxious right now.”

“The empress? Her face didn’t show the slightest hint of it.”

“You all underestimate the empress’s cunning. She may come from the barbaric Kan Kingdom and be young, but she must have experienced plenty in their social circles. Hiding her emotions is probably second nature to her.”

“So, you’re saying she’s trying to scare us with those words because she’s anxious?”

Isabella neither nodded nor shook her head, but gave a slight wave of her fan, roughly signaling agreement.

The easily swayed Marquis Clemens, finding her words reasonable, cast aside all his worries and anxieties.

He even boasted, as if he’d been thinking the same thing all along.

“Even so, to bring up His Majesty the Emperor and say such things! It’s almost like she’s trying to brand us as traitors, isn’t it?”

“People from the Kan Kingdom are notoriously cunning and shameless. They say blood doesn’t lie, and this is exactly what they mean.”

“It pains my heart to think of how shocked His Majesty will be when he learns the truth. In times like these, it would be wonderful if Isabella, his longtime friend, could comfort him.”

At a noblewoman’s words, Isabella subtly curled her lips into a silent smile.

She snapped her fan shut with a sharp sound and gestured for Marchioness Clemens to come closer.

“Dear Marchioness Clemens. It’s time to take care of ‘that matter’ we talked about last time.”

“Oh, you mean that?”

“If you mention my name, ‘they’ will treat you well. You’re the only one I can ask for this. You’re like a godmother to me, aren’t you?”

Isabella smiled apologetically and took Marchioness Clemens’ hand.

Marchioness Clemens, after years as a lady-in-waiting, was deeply moved to finally gain recognition from the Rudo mother and daughter.

If Isabella could marry Parnes and become empress,

forming a marital alliance with the imperial family would not be an impossible dream, she thought.

Section 3

Having received a certain request from Isabella, the Clemens couple immediately took a carriage to the outskirts of the capital, Granjer.

After circling the crowded streets of shops several times, they finally found the place marked on the map.

“Is this really the right place? It looks like an ordinary tea room.”

Marquis Clemens furrowed his brow as he looked up at the building.

Climbing the narrow stairs and opening the door, a sweet sugary scent tickled their noses.

A clerk working at the counter.

An elderly lady leisurely enjoying an afternoon with tea.

No matter how they looked, it didn’t seem like the headquarters of the infamous ‘Owl Guild,’ which secretly produced and distributed gossip sheets.

The Owl Guild was notorious among nobles.

From who in which family had an affair to which court official took bribes,

there was hardly a rumor they didn’t know.

Marchioness Clemens, standing hesitantly, finally approached the counter with a ‘why not’ attitude.

“Excuse me. We’re here on the introduction of Miss Isabella from the Rudo ducal family.”

“Pardon?”

The clerk responded, seemingly puzzled.

The Clemens couple, their faces flushing, checked the map again.

This was definitely the place, they thought, and at that moment,

Marquis Clemens’ eyes caught the words ‘Special Owl Cookies’ written in small print in a corner of the menu.

“Um, could we have two plates of Owl Cookies?”

Mustering courage and speaking as if taking a chance, the clerk silently stared at them for a moment.

Then, shortly after, they gave a faint smile.

“Owl Cookies, order received. Please, this way.”