Chapter 9
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Forcing her head up and locking eyes with her, Theodore looked blatantly down at Rosette's red lips as he spoke.
"In the future, I want you to prove it by your actions, not by the Princess's red tongue."
Fear coursed through her body. Even the air in the room seemed to change, and she gasped. Rosette inclined her head slightly in response.
"Yes... Your Majesty."
With that, he released her and was gone in an instant. Only after his footsteps had faded away did Rosette slump to the ground, seeming to have lost all her strength. She was breathless and her heart was beating fast, even though she hadn't been exercising.
"Ha... I'm not going to die of disfellowshipping."
Could she survive another day like this? Perhaps she'd be decapitated sooner rather than later. Rosette stroked her slender neck where he had cut her in her dreams.
* * *
It had been over two weeks since she had arrived in the Kaisen Empire. Today was Rosette's first official outing, and she was to accompany Theodore on an inspection tour of the Tristan region.
The Tristan region was where the history of the Kaisen Empire had begun, and because of the many sites associated with it, it was considered sacred and frequented by the people, and its agriculture was so developed that it was now responsible for about a third of the wheat harvest in the empire.
In addition, the dairy industry and wine business were thriving, so it was one of the main agricultural areas of the Kaisen Empire, but nowadays, the atmosphere was quite different from before.
The reason was a long drought. A year of no rain had left many people hungry and jeopardized the once robust local economy.
A meaningful region with the roots of the empire. A place where she could prove herself and earn Theodore's trust. That was Rosette's first goal, and she had no doubt it would all go smoothly.
Riding with him in another carriage, she admired the view out the window. For the first time in her life, she had left her home and stepped on the soil of another country, but she could only see the scenery through the carriage window. In order to change her situation and her tragic future, she had no choice but to make the best of every moment.
She traveled for a long time, sleeping on and off, until she finally reached the destination. Almost oblivious to the change in the landscape outside, Rosette stepped out of the carriage and was immediately overwhelmed by what she saw. The Tristan region was in a very poor state, unworthy of the Empire's reputation as one of the richest on the continent.
Where rivers should have been, there were only cracks in the dirt, and large lakes reeked of rotting, unusable water. To top it all off, the scorching heat was so intense that it was hard to breathe.
While Theodore and Rosette were experiencing such a shocking sight, a small group of high-ranking nobles, including the lords of the Tristan region, approached and bowed to them.
"We see the venerable Emperor, Your Majesty. We will escort you this way, Your Majesty."
"Of course."
They headed toward the altar in the center, reporting to Theodore. From what they said, it hadn't rained in Tristan for a year. The dried-up rivers and groundwater had caused famine and food shortages that had left many of the peasants who depend on farming for their livelihoods to starve to death. Relying solely on imports, supplies were in short supply.
They described the horrors of the war, in which the people, except for the nobility, were reduced to bare-boned, skeletal wretches.
In the native kingdom of Hercia, droughts sometimes occurred. Two or three months without rain was deadly enough, but a full year was devastating, and Rosette's heart sank at the thought.
Theodore was scheduled to hold a ceremony here today to raise the rain.
The news of the Emperor's visit had drawn a crowd of people, eager to see him personally inspect the land and raise the sacrifice.
Theodore and Rosette were seated in the highest seats by the altar. On either side of them, in rows of seats, sat the lords and other great nobles of Tristan.
Rosette glanced at Theodore's expression, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking from his expression, so she withdrew her gaze.
Then the ceremony began, beginning with the Pope's speech.
Theodore, dressed in his holy emperor's robes, stepped up to the altar. After a single prayer, he tossed a cypress branch into the roaring circular flame. It was a branch from a sacred tree that was said to be a favorite of the gods, a ritual that was performed because it was believed that if it turned to ash and rose to the sky as a cloud, it would bring rain.
Theodore then added the horns of the dead animal and the leaves of the thorn tree to the fire and burned them before saying another prayer.
The Pope then joined in, chanting a prepared prayer and making a holy sign.
"May the Almighty God, who watches over the people with an auspicious eye, bestow his grace......."
The Pope took out a glass vial of holy water from the shrine and handed it to Theodore, who finished praying. He picked up a branch with a leaf on it, dipped it in the holy water, and began to scatter it into the air.
He was in the midst of raising the branch in a reverent atmosphere.
A man shouted from the crowd of people who had gathered to watch the ceremony.
"A crazy bastard who killed his father and brothers to become emperor, may the gods be angry with him!"
The crowd began to stir at the man’s fearless spirit. Undaunted by the reaction, the man turned to the crowd and shouted again.
"All of this has happened because of the Emperor of the Empire, who coveted the country without knowing his place!"
Before the man's voice could die down, another voice was heard, one that agreed with him.
"You are right, the gods must be angry, for the skies have dried up since the Emperor ascended!"
A drought began in the Tristan region after Theodore’s ascension. They blamed it on the fact that he killed the previous emperor and his brothers and took over the country. It was a tale without any causal connection, but it was a tale that was gradually picked up by a few and assimilated. The people, who had long suffered from famine and poverty, were stunned for a moment, and then one by one they agreed.
"It is true. This nightmare began after the Emperor ascended the throne."
"The gods must be punishing us for his treachery!"
"Oh, God......."
Words were exchanged everywhere. They had suffered long enough and needed a place to vent their anger, and the flawed emperor had become a target.
The people gathered here didn't care what the emperor had done since his ascension to the throne; if they were well off, he was a saint; if they were poor, he was a tyrant. Moreover, a flawed emperor who was bloodthirsty could be used as an object of resentment.
Knights and soldiers mediated between the crowds, but once the people's anger was stirred up, it never stopped and began to boil over.
“You insect. Where the hell are you?”
"Get the fuck out of here!”
"You should have died in the first place.......”
The sound of fingers pointing at him, accusing him relentlessly, flashed through Theodore's consciousness, fragments of memories he didn't want to recall.
The laurel branch he was holding snapped. The branch fell to the ground, limp and weak, unable to overcome his clenched fist. Theodore's knuckles turned white as an uncontrollable rage began to well up inside him.
Unable to contain his rage, Theodore's hand went to the scabbard at his waist. His sword was the key to everything, and it was a habit he had developed without realizing it.
He would rule them with fear, as he always had.
Just as he made up his mind, the place suddenly went silent.
A beautiful woman had suddenly appeared, walking gracefully past the center altar and down the stairs.
"Isn't that the princess from the Kingdom of Hercia who was a guest in the war not long ago?"
"They said she had silver hair and was extremely beautiful."
"Why is she suddenly......?"
It was Rosette who sparked the uproar. Her dazzling looks and silver hair sparkling in the sunlight. Her sparkling silver eyes, as if inlaid with diamonds, looked as holy as if a goddess had descended from the sky.
The mere presence of this unexpectedly beautiful woman caused the place to instantly fall silent, and all eyes turned to Rosette.
Rosette descended from the altar and walked slowly. She reached the front of the lake and boldly plunged her hand into the stagnant water.
"My God, in that filthy water......!"
Everyone was stunned, some screamed at her behavior, others turned their heads away as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
The lake was filled with the carcasses of dead animals, insects, which had created an unbearable stench.
Any flesh that came into contact with the water could catch the plague, and ingesting it could be fatal.
But she pushed her hand deeper and deeper, unperturbed by their reactions.
Rosette closed her eyes and began to concentrate even more. The initial roar of the crowd gradually died down, and there was a steady silence.
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