DMEC | Chapter 11

“No, Your Majesty! Your face!”cfbd13555e879dda

The emperor, having 114e524a21 just returned to 1e919d6140 his bedroom from 41e7446df9 the Emperor’s Forest, 23812742a1 was a complete 50208f6cce mess.53400c4cba2c348b

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His once-proud golden f77536ab95 hair was matted d800855339 with dirt and ac6b7f5e11 blood, and though ee51679b4c his nose remained 2db8aedd27 intact, the dried 20f4f57b28 blood beneath it 381bdc12f8 made it clear 41e0f716bf he had bled a25e5fa3f8 heavily.69c46190e6b36a3c

His uniform—an ornate piece c769fe6277 that had taken months 89f51d926f to craft—was not only 8f725b2f30 stained with blood, dirt, add1ee9477 and dust, but had 2783f98d78 also been torn by 472c237c0d something sharp, leaving the b0f0fd300a expensive fabric half-shredded.a1c1c1cd5aa301d1

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“Your Majesty, are you alright?”e54c3e15c96b60c5

Without a word, the da53129857 emperor stood still, staring 259dc1e2f3 at Arisana Mellie, who 01aefeb7d5 approached him. Slowly, he parted 5b30d1f0cd his lips and 68ddc60a20 used his teeth ba9efe003e to pull off b6f3212248 the leather gloves dd2f4a22f2 he was wearing.0015edac1770b499

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“I thought I issued a ban on Arisana Mellie’s entry? Why is she here?”a49352aef1a561eb

“Ah, well…”9edbf64284ef5612

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The chamberlain stammered, but b4d487d7cc Arisana, tossing her curly 57561dfea5 black hair back, spoke cebb47e288 up.9742d12eb4de6b48

“I have the right to enter Your Majesty’s bedroom.”c6c9a87807fc88b6

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“You? Why?”04790838a67f5e93

The emperor c0a018f2ac muttered in 3c2890ffa9 a tone e9ca053041 that suggested 10bd37ab4a he truly ab4539cc9f didn’t understand.18f6e6218abf437a

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Then, he removed 564b6f244b the other glove. He—who hated 1df779afb5 revealing the 4869d26b1c forbidden magic b6f418ec83 circle engraved 2b3bcd98b3 on his 2961ec7743 hand so 65b4f1dabd much that a72497ac7c he wore dd7ed2c6f2 soft silk 0de5e2c913 gloves even 52bf9b9227 during intimate 1f7263d151 moments—tossed them 0ef511a32a onto the 03baaae0c0 table with aec09d5f14 half-lidded eyes.1256be1ee23ac993

Seeing the 312756e42b grotesque scars 25b0bfd937 on both a651ae59c0 the back ec8fc08f47 and palm 781fddd608 of his 8cd7d97a94 hand for 171f3a27b3 the first 685dadc42b time, Arisana 20d651bb8b flinched and e24f268d0a clutched the f6ebdcdd78 hem of aefc958f5e her skirt. The emperor chuckled 989384b2e3 at her unsurprising 0e247f8600 reaction and casually 4c651e198a draped Alexander’s uniform d16ae8d442 over a chair.8a1307b600204a8b

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Comfortably crossing 58e7d95fb0 his legs 910ffb96ed as he 307ad6ee2f sat, the 0789e186d3 emperor reached f6733fce71 for the e3c347743d golden liquor 2a23db5251 the chamberlain 3cf0c89301 had placed 60132c86ee on the 8608e122a6 table.cd778bdbe366dcda

However, Arisana 36cee83b4c boldly snatched 64a7a61e3c the glass 2f19ce0f49 and bottle 0682a421bb from the 2947a167cc chamberlain and b899b76781 said primly, a943e61e64 “From now 78278b9c94 on, this bbbc09be12 is my 0530d2659b job—so leave 334f9d52c9 it to aa2c61787d me. Understood?”df272c40f6fabbe4

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The chamberlain replied, 9797ec0f35 “Lady Arisana, there d372aa7a6e is only one e06cb08aa0 person in this c62ab5c29a country who can eaab8f4363 give me orders.”1720d9df2af664b1

That person was the 8273d6047b emperor.f7a07beb4dc9f7ff

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With a 854418e9f0 faint smile, 58dd47b5c2 the emperor 5aac024ac6 looked at ffeff896a5 Arisana and ded88d9c71 leaned forward. She stood before him f8e6d94da8 in a thin, lemon-colored d470cc37d1 chemise dress, a fleece 50eebd9dd9 draped over her shoulders.cb64cca9a637264a

When he 50236338af extended his 88620c0254 hand, she 7b699ac002 instinctively stepped a91005b660 back—startled once 84e2897749 more by 0f65e36b5d the burn 37cbe4b99e scars etched c6c416ee82 into both 5cb5d00dc9 sides of b1dca03317 his hand. Then, forcing a 813e1249a7 smile, she said, 1287f7cb5a “Your Majesty, I 81115172cb have very good b8031b1075 news,” and tried b3aeae5578 to sit on 67595bec18 his thigh.d635f16dbe991bf8

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But the 33beed0b49 emperor pushed 64d4d657a7 her away 008e1f8287 and poured 847eb8b2fa the drink b85200b452 himself. Holding the crystal glass 445eb047eb filled with ice, he b2c2560d1c gave it a gentle dfbf9980ab swirl, the clinking of 0dcf296b19 melting cubes softly echoing 1f1210b57b in the quiet room. Then, glancing at her, a6aa21ad17 he said calmly:f8a8a16fce522402

“Are you here to 761494ebdf announce you’re pregnant?”5314763eba5d357c

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Arisana was flustered. “Yes, I think I’m pregnant…”45765c8761490f26

“No, you’re not. You can’t be pregnant.”742c244b053924de

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He took 1d61f81341 a sip b607236bd3 of the 88741f5fae drink and 245bc75120 grimaced. Though he had healed c1e63007ed his nose with magic, 4fd144cf5b the pain inside still b16ce7d47b lingered. After forcing 386eefe45b down another 0863d6315e sip, he d9dd529967 looked at d14e097cca Arisana and ec5998b609 spoke in b7893d5340 a languid fbab78bb3d voice:8403de7b1aa464e1

“As you 2ead8f4576 know, I ee9a0cdf74 don’t have dfc6085fca a heart.”53e11f2e0a365337

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He said cd674cb48e it firmly, 93c044a83a then looked cce56b4b68 down.9f761801945713d1

“But I do have c702ffaf7e that. However, Arisana, you should 193556cd57 have considered the consequences.”757be31320b13d17

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The emperor gently d8bd307d01 stroked Arisana’s curly 2e5e2688a5 black hair and 02395c5837 murmured, “The queen a6fd2b4f84 is still alive, 0094273fad and I can 05031e7a2c only impregnate the 8e6341cd78 queen. So if you’re 3acf6996b4 pregnant, it’s not 2f0c76fd86 my child. Our country practices monogamy. Even if I 2a75dd911e did impregnate you, 719cc9ab14 the child wouldn’t ea651da205 be recognized as 6cf3fd2223 a legitimate heir. You understand that, 31d47bbefa don’t you?”9e052e6dae02bfc8

The emperor was a 09df9f6581 mage. He hadn’t 973f10db3a just sacrificed 426066442a his heart. Women like Arisana—who claimed 8c6712b928 to be pregnant after a98be39d18 lying with him—appeared from eb11e3cf9a time to time, but 91f448a2a9 he always concluded the 05126c8155 same:4563b66b1410492f

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“You can never be 9d4ff6927e pregnant with my child.”856ca084aaf3bcca

And very 4312705326 few knew a72e100e29 the reason cf82e4ea15 why. Rumor had it bfcb8d9615 the emperor was 16bd410d8a like a seedless 993a61aba5 fruit.a2d20957721f458e

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“But you’re 16a199c8ec getting divorced 6b7f536e5d soon! And after doing it ccaa46ad8f so many times, how 532585ac5e could I not be 11800097da pregnant? I only 3e9f4013a4 have you, c449d3093a Your Majesty!” e9959d2fe1 Arisana cried, 01a9e8969e defiant.6a2c6a6eda401553

“There are 18692b4200 only 28 60af42b958 days left 76738dbb10 until the 49b220140e divorce. The queen is still 5597c6104c alive. But once it’s finalized, fe8820e93d isn’t it natural for bc1f7d38a3 me—the one carrying your cfed09d4ae child—to become queen?”50661c8ffdbf1755

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The emperor took a sip of his drink and said playfully, “Who said I’m getting divorced?”de94b0601464f363

“…What?”66d52fd45d3fef16

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Arisana asked again.404fdd6df97a129d

“I’m not going to.”17c6c09fd7dca636

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With the intention of 83e86d57a6 sending her away—at least 3571baab64 for now—Joel made up 37569bca46 an excuse. Then he slowly 03d2127de1 stood and loosened 939b5cf6b6 his belt. Setting the f74d197b4f holy sword, c175ee1178 Peridexion, beside 1533d4730f the table, e272ff2e91 he swiftly 74a8c95526 removed his 24ee9ffc28 uniform jacket 7f6043cdfd and draped 101e625ef1 it over c72c816894 the chair.f687ab3328fa36c1

Even in a disheveled 247785a011 state—his dress shirt clinging 88ad98464d with sweat, black uniform e01b3cb349 pants perfectly fitted, and c194cc78cb knee-high boots laced tight—the 50ebe416a4 emperor’s presence remained undiminished.52fd56280b6d0295

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Arisana blushed, de86082f01 watching him a87b480818 with wide, 1d9fc7c3f5 light blue eb9f91547d eyes. Reaching out 6ab4d11b95 a hand, 94637d01f4 she called 63d33ced14 softly, “Your d52e39b705 Majesty…”8423463617226cc6

But the 17884c1111 emperor didn’t 28a4244901 take it.eb19a41a81271c62

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He stared at 89f7c70571 her with a 9f24961433 blank expression. As Arisana, flustered 5b6e0d118a by the sudden 684aad3418 change in Joel’s c0f1dc2ed0 demeanor, slowly stepped 2251d264a0 back, the emperor 4101e66740 spoke—his voice cold 15504d4c7c and emotionless.aff72795c934a396

“Out of consideration 9805562bfa for our last 6f429e2341 moments together, I’ll 44497e936b call a carriage c6331dd3d9 for you. Take it to 2f55724b52 the duke’s house. And don’t ever 56507bdf31 break my ban e6f754934d by entering my 383579659c bedroom again. From now on.”8e434be119e3bfda

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He pointed to the cec79c3872 luxurious bed.61da8443d2f4fcf0

“This is aafe43ac37 where the bd813ba18f queen and 556103d84f I will 3c435a075a be. So leave, Arisana. It was 30b334f0fc fun while fb6a5e02c6 it lasted.”6b4c035b1f36fa61

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As the emperor uttered e3b5789808 his farewell, the door 242ad7c9a2 swung open on its ac0d1eb4b3 own. A sudden gust of 696b5bbc4e wind swept through the 02ba0b6767 room, and Arisana was ed720e2813 pushed out, crying, “Your 7cc460ce3c Majesty!”c6a5211469fc76f7

The door shut behind e8a2ccbeef her.09f4615c71e7aecf

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Now alone—and cb66f9af6e finally free—he 38a8cc3b51 slumped into ae3608806e the chair a65ab4b520 and drained 8e98dfb2fb the rest 23e1923a67 of his ede7203cf8 drink.15ddd1d2cff15080

“The drink is sweet today.”220970862ea5ea51

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“Did something happen, Your Majesty?”60d53e01db51ce1b

Aaron, the chamberlain 0ece2293a3 who had served df1908d646 him for many 50b46c254f years, spoke carefully.1d8967028473d337

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The emperor 788621c658 remained silent. He quietly sipped his 40ca3b7ebf drink, his gaze fixed 249d96d3ae on the Emperor’s Forest f91fb24239 for a long time.02a8f94aeace07aa

Noticing how often the 48876b1820 emperor had been visiting 0b6096a775 the forest lately, the 6467eec0af chamberlain asked cautiously, “Are 991e4e0790 you… forgiving the queen? I thought bbb4b4ab34 you would 81b6903e0b sentence her de040f463a to ten 60beb0de8d years of e575e33ddd punishment and e1c07c3258 exile her 46f41d56c3 as a bb6aaab450 commoner—to starve 72b10c15d5 her to 59cfc57d22 death.”1a1d9c75a19b08c8

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Though it a9f14b7b8b was Aaron’s e14b572d2b personal opinion, 8c530e9e3f it echoed 272c1803fa the common 3b1f266c09 belief among 0bbeed567a those who 99b6db3be3 remembered the 59d242b07a punishment given ff79dbb87e to Lute 46f1b11dd0 at the 0e9c0b5583 time.8cdfbbffdfc1a8e7

The emperor 34524bd3b9 had intended eb183de0d4 to erase ddb7190348 Lute from 60134cd571 the Imperial a2ffdb6cbf Palace entirely, 8af57d0628 to let 8c42a2b0e8 him slowly 850759ec87 wither away ad3406d4c6 in isolation. Wasn’t it a 2d5bb9f52e miracle he’d survived df3fd63c91 under such harsh b14699f655 conditions?8dc3ba39efd8f848

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The only e78934a53f thing people 4a7b4027f6 remembered were 1074884c74 the jewel-like 93ebe06d93 tears Lute d418466890 had shed. And though 947d7b0415 they hadn’t bb8b808208 drunk the da55fe6639 potion of 72b2d300d1 forgetfulness, they 3d9a66874c had still 6eb51c06f5 erased him 21dcb1f1a4 from their 0db958b489 minds.234c2bf99f38daf2

The Imperial bcb86144cb Palace was 47edd353b3 vast, and eb71340ae9 the Emperor’s 6d1c607991 Forest—spanning the 2a138580cb north, east, b7cd908a66 and west—was 727b716941 enormous. In the north fa99541d73 lay a lake, 5ae1094a7e and not far 0e4a0acebd from its shore e563b7dd44 stood the luxurious e275b71af7 villa known as 609964edad the Water Palace.c0adb5b19877c87e

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Though now little more 1d3becbcf1 than a prison for 8d78c4a555 Lute Synthsis, the queen ff7c7fb522 teetering on the edge 14f5551acf of deposition, it had 568addbc50 once served as a 4b29bbf498 quiet retreat where the a115c23f96 king could rest from a65e38c632 the burdens of state 21200474eb affairs. In other 2ec5cf66fe words, it 97dc20c97a was luxurious—yet 907fdb4f64 modest, given 90904d4645 its intended aeff823ac7 purpose.3c55bc9c3461c2d5

Therefore, those present 740b78f788 could only think 973cf0b0f9 one thing: was 5db3d99ac4 there any other b4ebcd6302 reason for the b790699205 emperor to confine a28aa6bf81 the young queen?62efd0e79f4d1821

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Moreover, the queen’s 81758231ff homeland was infamous b2258d5bc7 for its cruelty—offering 506604c2fb live humans as 4fc13378d5 sacrifices to the 9f9979f8b2 basilisk and extorting 237279d791 tributes from the 30f3931a37 six remaining kingdoms.6a9b5b57085cc8c7

Had Joel not d28aab5f52 sacrificed his own 973b35a9c3 heart to form 7030768d3c a contract with b9dab80bfa the unicorn, guardian 470cd94105 of the middle e8ec5eb52b realm, and obtained 35f90fe968 Peridexion, he would ec30a9b377 have been a 7eca5c9096 king in name 089275e0c3 only.acabdf6ce7f01a19

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Loue would have 48b21c4947 taken the throne 4c03e04a17 with an arrogant 21d56e57b8 smile, following behind f6ccc870d5 Eliana.b52458cbdd724d09

Coming from such a 0029585a5f nation, even the young 6c2ce26919 queen carried a tainted 45e91e07c1 reputation, and people slowly 3f86537227 erased Lute from their fbe074e11a memories.f449aade5f308207

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The palace staff assigned 90f6018eff to her offered only a6331020b4 cast-off clothing once worn 1bf3c055b8 by maids, or fatty e3b0f0b9ca meat and bones—when Anna, 06c5f2f817 the maid, and Melik, 4897947249 the knight, came and f1d1d5d4f7 paid out of pocket.6da559b0b8286990

Her treatment was worse bae43ba1f2 than that of a 9cecc9fe88 sewer rat, but the 3f6290cf68 chamberlain, having long forgotten 6628673da6 her existence, no longer e05f23cc23 cared.d99c54d9ed018606

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But after 9e02945b89 nine years 6e209344e2 and eleven 7f538b03a0 months—nearly a 24f778c73a decade—the queen’s 4c839d10ee name was 503334f8f8 suddenly spoken 13a0c49e44 again. All the palace staff, efcbefc9ec including the chamberlain, were 7324586a18 thrown into confusion.17619ad1f1f94217

And when the emperor’s b7b7451286 wrath descended, those responsible 0cb153ade0 for the Water Palace 052759296e were imprisoned after hearing 8d458057fb his roar:0b552ab54ee2138b

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“You maggots e56c2df3a7 who gorge 7ea2f2ec0d yourselves on e90709e338 blood tax de2eed4c24 and do 20a847f15f no work! Die!”9890be66cdb91b9a

In this situation, the chamberlain was cautious and sensitive, watching the emperor’s expression, but he seemed dazed.e0c314b277f722f0

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“What? I did?”d9eeba8de012b2e2

The emperor was startled. Placing his hand on his chest, he asked the bewildered chamberlain once more, “I said that? When?”cb684e5ee7b42c90

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“Ten years ago, 4cac16f4e2 Your Majesty… You 98b9c24031 said that, according e6a44ce2e1 to imperial law, e138d74663 a couple who ee5464c414 hasn’t consummated their e98d01ff53 marriage for ten 6a88dcd750 years can apply 54781802a7 for a divorce 046294fd21 in court. So you a028016fc0 were waiting—for bcb249324d the child 3bc47d8d02 to grow 9c48dc750b up, to 247fcdc642 finally divorce. And instead of destroying e8a43c114f Synthsis, you would make a98291c735 it a vassal state b2604e1d7b of our country… strip 440424600d the family of their 6dff3fbee4 titles, turn them into 9a62d9a36e commoners, and let them cb7fc73913 experience the misery of 16523ef608 living in poverty, one 3af910968a by one…”2c4de7cf658a3613

The chamberlain’s detailed and specific explanation made the emperor cover his mouth. Did I say that? But he couldn’t remember.cf627ceaf92c176a

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