Who Stole The Empress

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear what you just said. I think I need to wash my ears now.”

“Judging by your reaction, you’re certainly not like the rumor said. Well, that’s good….”

The king let go of the door handle she was holding, as if she had given up.

She raised her hands in the air as if to say I’ll do what you want, and then stepped back and said in a deflated voice.

“I’m the king, but I don’t think I’m the king in front of you, so it hurts my pride.”

“No way, Your Majesty. You’re more sincere than anyone else.”

“No, it’s not a tell-tale sign, so I’ll say this: why don’t you take this opportunity and join my chamber? I think the general and I would make a pretty good couple.”

“It’s a very good proposal, but I’ll have to give you my sincere refusal.”

Theo and Tamon had been trained at the same academy since they were nine years old.

At that time, the royal family of Amor trained their princes and princesses in the academy along with the noble children until the heir to the throne was decided.

They were given new names, made them look like children of distant local nobles, and integrated deeply into the noble society.

Then, at the age of 13, they would reveal themselves as royalty.

Tamon, Ronasso, and Theo were close at that time.

At that time, Theoransha  Lantifu was the king’s fifth child.

She had  two more brothers under her, so a total of seven siblings.

Theo held the throne proudly among many successors.

The biggest achievement was sweeping away the Kashan Cloud Sea pirates, which she did together with Tamon and Ronasso, and retrieving the national treasure that was stolen by Tanatos.

She also stopped the Rohikan invasion as well as rescued the youngest prince who was kidnapped and taken away………..

For Theo, Tamon was his most reliable ally, but he was like a sword in her pocket that could stab her in the heart if handled incorrectly.

Now he acted like a lion with a path, but Theo knew that Tamon was not yet fully on her side.

Therefore, while Theo maintained a close relationship with Tamon, she was wary of him.

“Think about it, Tamon, if you and I combine our forces, we can subdue the anti-King faction that is devouring me on the neck.”

The king said, putting her arm around Tamon’s shoulder in a friendly manner.

Tamon closed the door softly and replied.

“Isn’t that only good for Your Majesty?”

“If it’s good for me, it’s good for you too, right? It’s a good thing if we combined.”

“Don’t try to restrain me, Your Majesty. If you keep doing that, won’t I want to run away?”

Tamon smiled lazily and once again refused the king’s blunt offer.

Theo put a hand on Tamon’s shoulder and strove to win him over.

“Don’t run away and hold hands with me. Yes?”

She looked coarse, like a city clerk, not a king.

Tamon shook his head and gracefully removed Theo’s hand from his shoulder and shook her hand.

“We’re already holding hands. Like this.”

“No, I need a more secure alliance with you.”

“As I said before, it is in the human mind to want to escape if you try to restrain them. Your Majesty.”

“……Oh, your mouth.”

The king clenched her fists with a grim expression. She wanted to hit Tamon with her fist right now.

The king’s fist was clenched tightly.

Tamon laughed and let his guard down at the sight of her.

At that very moment, Theo made her move.

It happened in a flash.

Quickly slipping behind him, Theo flung open the closed door and the two guards who followed Theo blocked Tamon from entering.

“Get out of my way!”

“Now, let’s find out what you’re hiding so secretly, shall we?”

The king laughed loudly and quickly ran inside the room.

Although Tamon had the advantage in terms of strength, Theo was also a fine gladiator who had traversed the battlefield with Tamon.

In particular, Theo neatly subdued her opponent with her speedy and precise movements, and was in the process of demonstrating her abilities to the fullest.

She strode to the large bed in front of the window with swift and precise movements.

With both hands, Tamon grabbed the necks of the guards who were blocking him.

He threw them on the floor at once.

Theo’s red face turned red with humiliation, but she had already expected this since the opponent was Tamon.

“Let’s see what kind of girl you tried to hide so badly.”

Theo lifted the blanket.

Fluttering under the open blanket, a woman looking up at her.

“…!”

The king’s eyes went wide.

The disordered, dazzling silver hair, the glittering purple eyes and delicate features….

Theo thought the Queen of Foucault was beautiful.

She was a gorgeous woman and drooled over Tamon. Theo admired her as a truly strange and beautiful woman, but she was like faded brass compared to the woman in front of him now.

No, it was impossible to compare the Queen to this woman.

Theo was mesmerized and admired her without realizing it.

A fragile silhouette beneath a thin slip dress that hung narrowly.

The traces left by Tamon on her slender body, scars, and bruised limbs also added a strange atmosphere.

It was also strange that even though she was dressed like that, she didn’t look vulgar or debaucherous at all.

It was even stranger that her purple eyes, staring straight at her, were amazingly beautiful.

“…You’ve crossed the line.”

Tamon, who was close by, stood between the two of them, protecting Roselyn. Theo, who couldn’t take her eyes off the woman, finally saw Tamon then.

“Dazzling silver hair, purple crystal eyes ….”

Theo murmured absently. She stared at Tamon as if trying to read his expression, but his face did not waver in the slightest.

“……I think I’ve heard about this appearance somewhere before.”

The king’s eyes narrowed.

Theo had never seen the Empress of Tanatos in person before.

She rarely left her country, and Theo hated Tanatos so much that they never ran into each other. 

But that didn’t mean that she didn’t know the existence of the Emperor and Empress of the Empire.

There were plenty of self-portraits available of the royal families of major countries, and Empress Tanatos was actually one of the most famous ones.

Theo also had a clear understanding of how Tanatos’ political situation was going.

“……Is this the woman you brought from Tanatos?”

Theo asked back in a cold voice. Tamon replied, frowning at Theo’s changed expression.

“I don’t know where you got the wrong information.”

His voice was unshakably nonchalant.

“Have anyone seen what I’ve brought from Tanatos?”

“….”

“I have never shown it, so how in the world did you get that report? I don’t know who told you, but that person must be charged with reporting false information as if it were real.”

With his arms loosely crossed, his demeanor was regal as Tamon spoke his opinion properly.

The look in his eyes as he stared at the king was also firm. It was impossible for Theo to notice if he showed even the slightest hint of strangeness.

That arrogance, which seemed rather unpleasant than nonchalant, and as usual, confused Theo.

“Fine. If you’re so confident, tell me what you brought.”

Tamon sighed briefly at Theo’s words.

He looked at the king with a look that said, ‘Do I have to?’

“Say it quickly. It’s the king’s order.” Theo urged.

Tamon said with a short sigh, as if he had no choice.

“The fur of a silver deer.”

” What….?”

“It’s called the fur of the silver deer.”

Theo’s eyes widened at his words.

“Um, is it really the fur of the silver deer?”

Theo cheered when Tamon nodded.

It was the animal Theo had been looking for for a very long time.

Silver deers were famous for their magnificent antlers, but their skins were also very valuable.

In particular, the skin of the silver deer was the only leather that did not contain the toxicity of demon or beast blood.

Unfortunately, however, the silver deers were only found in the Winter Lands and were in danger of extinction due to overhunting.

Currently, they have almost disappeared in other winter countries, and there have been occasional stories of success in hunting only in Tanatos.

Most of the ones that were caught ended up in the Imperial treasury.

“But why didn’t you bring it to me sooner? You knew how desperately I was looking for it!” 

“Why did you think I would offer it to you, Your Majesty? I went through a lot of trouble to get it……….” 

“Tamon, you clever man! Tell me what you want!”

“You want me to say it now, dressed like this?”

“Haha! It’s cool…But come on, your heart looks fine. Get dressed and get out of here. I need to reward you for the long trip. So, what do you want to eat or have?”

The king immediately changed her attitude and patted Tamon on the back.

Tamon got to his feet, as if he had no choice but to be swept away by the king’s hand.

But at that moment, as they were walking out of the room, the king turned her head and looked at the woman who was sitting still on the bed.

***

T/N : *I smell trouble.