Volume 10, Chapter 8 – The Monarch Who Fell in Love

A few days after Yisi’s war negotiations with Gore. A snowy night.

Although the Norta Empire was located in the warmer, southern part of the continent, this did not mean it was rare for Imperials to see snow in winter. Compared to the elven homeland and the Phantom Beast cloud seas further south, the Empire snowed every winter. It was just that, compared to the Hels Kingdom, the snow in the Empire rarely accumulated. Therefore, in years with heavy snow, the people of the Norta Empire would become exceptionally excited, a complete contrast to the people of the northern Hels Kingdom, who fretted at the sight of snow.

And this year, by chance, there was a heavy snow unseen in several years. Large flakes, the size of fingernails, drifted down from the sky. Even people inside warm rooms could hear the rustling sound of the snow falling on the tiles.

Adonis Eli Gloria was sitting in her warm study. Although the high-quality wooden desk, which emitted a pleasant fragrance, was piled high with documents, she had no intention of dealing with them. Instead, she propped her head up with one hand, bored, and gazed out the window while spinning a magic pen in her other hand. This was a magic pen that only Adonis possessed in the entire Empire. By simply infusing it with magic power, the pen would produce an ink-like substance for a long time afterward. Words written with this pen could only be erased using magical means.

If the Imperial Chancellor, Bradley, were standing beside her at this moment, Bradley would definitely be urging her to handle her official duties. Adonis herself also knew that leaving her work unattended would only cause it to pile up, but she just couldn’t concentrate. Her heart had long since been stolen by someone thousands of miles away.

Although she didn’t have much interaction with the girl named Viel—only two short sentences, in fact—it didn’t stop her from falling for that person. If she had to make an analogy, it was like a man walking down the street who suddenly bumps into a young woman. As it turns out, the woman’s looks and her gentle “I’m sorry” are exactly to his liking. It was a first meeting called “love at first sight,” one that makes you fall in love, lost in a waking dream.

Therefore, for several days, Adonis had been completely unable to settle down and handle her affairs. Her whole being was in a dazed and incoherent state, her mind filled with the image of that girl. That figure, defeating Carl, was like a shrine maiden’s dance. Every movement and every glance made it impossible for Adonis to look away, not even allowing her to blink. She had no energy to think about things like “How do I feel about this woman?” or “Do I love her?” Adonis only felt that her soul no longer belonged to her, her thoughts were no longer controlled by her brain. The strong, subjective impression had already crushed her rationality to pieces, and her heart had been swept away by a torrent of emotion. Her mind was filled with nothing but that girl.

So she gave Bradley the order to use all his power to search for that girl. But after so many days, there was no news of her, as if a stone had been dropped into the sea. This only intensified her obsession with that girl. The more one cannot have something, the more one wants it. This was especially true for someone in Adonis’s position. But it had to be said, Adonis’s feelings were not possessiveness, but a true, genuine affection called love. Sometimes she even felt that power, glory, and ideals were no longer that important. Compared to the days spent with that girl, everything else was as insignificant as a feather.

She often fantasized about that girl’s graceful figure. Those clear blue eyes, so full of will—even the Empire’s famed ‘Sunlight Pool’ could not compare. And that silver hair, streaked with blue, was gentler and more alluring than the moon in the sky. From her silver hair to her eyes, from the cat ears on her head to the fox tail behind her, from the teeth hidden beneath her lips to the perfect feet wrapped in long boots, every part of her was a symbol of beauty. Perhaps even the air she exhaled contained a fragrance that one would yearn for day and night. The moment Adonis recalled the captivating gaze that girl had cast on her, Adonis’s whole body would feel as if struck by lightning, overcome with an uncontrollable, tingling numbness, to the point where it made her cover her head with a pillow and roll around on the bed.

If only she could have dinner with her, how wonderful that would be!

If she could take off her long boots, and hold those cool, small, delicate, pale feet, it would simply be a gift from God! If she agreed to let her do this, she would definitely be unable to resist lightly sniffing that skin, which emitted a faint floral scent, and kissing every single carefully trimmed nail. If she were allowed to touch the calves that supported that light body—a touch as smooth as jade, the mere thought of it, also made Adonis’s heart flutter.

Things that an ordinary person would find incomprehensible were now all dyed in a pink, beautiful color in Adonis’s heart, who had fallen in love. No matter when, even in her dreams, Adonis was chasing that girl who had bewitched her.

Rеаԁ оn ΚαtRеаⅾiոɡСαfе

Knock, knock, knock.

“Hmm?”

The knock on the door woke Adonis from her daze. Her fantasy interrupted, she subconsciously frowned and sat up straight.

“Who is it?”

“Your Majesty, it is I.”

“Bradley?” Adonis twitched her lips. She first rubbed her face, which held the faint trace of a smile, to restore its seriousness. Then, she frantically straightened the documents on her desk. Once everything was in order, she finally spoke in her usual male voice. “Come in.”

Even for a high-ranking minister of the Empire, an audience with Adonis had to wait until the morning court. Anyone who entered the Emperor’s chambers without a prior report, regardless of who it was, had to be given the authority to be killed on the spot by the guards. But there were three exceptions in this world: Adonis’s sister, Vina; Adonis’s guard, Carl; and the Imperial Chancellor and Adonis’s most trusted confidant, Bradley.

With Adonis’s permission, Bradley entered Adonis’s study. He first glanced around the room, which was overly luxurious for a commoner but quite simple in his eyes. Then, he bowed his head apologetically, walked slowly to Adonis, placed his left hand on his right breast, and bowed deeply.

“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. We only had time to prepare this humble study.”

“Haven’t I said it’s fine? A mysterious being that not even Carl could defeat… the main hall’s destruction was unavoidable. In fact, I’ve always felt my old study was too large. A size like this is just to my liking. The lighting is perfect, and the heat from the fireplace doesn’t dissipate easily. Although I can no longer overlook the entire royal capital from the window, being able to admire the snow-covered river view has its own unique charm.”

As Adonis said, because the palace had been destroyed several days ago by a mysterious girl calling herself Viel, Adonis had been forced to move to another location in the capital. Although this had caused a huge uproar in the capital at first, but because Adonis had blamed the palace’s destruction on demons, using the pretext that ‘the Empire repelled the demons’, coupled with the fact that no one was injured in the incident—Carl’s and Adonis’s injuries were concealed—the disaster, which had once caused panic among the capital’s populace, dissipated easily in just a few days. The only change was the soldiers guarding Adonis’s safety; they had become more diligent than before.

Bradley’s aged face still held a look of shame. When Adonis had been knocked unconscious by Yisi’s punch, he, lacking any combat skills, could only watch helplessly as Adonis got hit. This incident had become a sore point in his heart.

Reαd οn KαtReαⅾіոɡСafe

Adonis, seeing this, clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Bradley, if you make that expression again, I’ll have to ask you to leave. I’ve said it was force majeure. You don’t need to take it to heart.”

“Uh…” Bradley hesitated for a moment. He remembered that his purpose in coming here today was not to apologize, but for official business. Bradley finally suppressed his personal feelings and turned to look behind Adonis, his expression puzzled. “Your Majesty, your handmaidens? Why are they not here?”

“Ah, I sent them out. I wanted to be alone.”

Adonis averted her gaze, feeling guilty. She of course would not say that she didn’t want her handmaidens to see her staring blankly at her official duties. Because her heart had been stolen by that mysterious creature who called herself Viel, she was always unable to calm down and handle her work.

Adonis pointed to a wooden chair at the edge of the room and sat back down in her recent position. “Sit and talk. It’s not often you come to find me this late at night.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Bradley moved the chair to face Adonis. As he sat down, he quietly took another look at his king. His Majesty seemed to have become much gentler than before. Although her facial features hadn’t changed, thanks to magic items, there was clearly something in her expression that Bradley couldn’t quite put his finger on. This feeling was especially obvious when she spoke. Even when they were talking face-to-face, His Majesty would zone out. This was an anomaly that had never happened before. “Regarding that mysterious creature who offended you, we have finally gathered some information.”

“Is it Viel?” As if suddenly infused with a soul, Adonis, who had been listless just a moment ago, instantly perked up. Not only did she immediately sit up straight, but she also leaned forward slightly, looking exceptionally interested. “Where is she?”

What’s wrong with His Majesty?

Even though Bradley had watched Adonis grow up and prided himself on understanding what Adonis was thinking from a single expression, but Adonis’s current behavior baffled him. Bradley raised an eyebrow strangely, choosing his words carefully.

“With Your Majesty’s permission, I mobilized the eyes of the Inspectorate to gather all kinds of relevant information. Finally, in today’s report from General Gore, who is stationed in the northern-central part of the Empire, we found a clue about Viel. Her true identity is the Pope of the Divine Religion. A few days after destroying the royal castle, she severely wounded Bayldes, the head of the court mages, in the north, and single-handedly defeated our army of ten thousand.”

“…Defeated?” Adonis frowned. “What were the casualties?”

“Well…” At this point, Bradley showed a rare hesitation. He extended a wrinkled hand and tremblingly took a pre-prepared report from his pocket. “In that decisive battle, apart from Lord Bayldes being heavily wounded by a single blow from Viel, no one else was injured. Our side was defeated because the strength Viel displayed was too overwhelming, and General Gore gave the order to retreat on the front line.”

Rеaԁ оո КαtReαdіոɡСafe

“No soldiers were killed or wounded.” Adonis’s heart, which had been in her throat, suddenly relaxed. If Viel had committed a massacre, it would have been very troublesome from her standpoint.

“Your Majesty, this person named Viel is unfathomably strong. It is best we avoid conflict with her. Even if we are to seek revenge for the destruction of the palace, we should accumulate sufficient strength, carefully assess the enemy’s power and our own, and then begin to plan.”

“Ah, naturally.”

“And then, regarding General Gore’s judgment. Gore, as a field marshal, retreated out of fear before even engaging the enemy. I believe that tomorrow in court, in front of all the ministers, we must punish Gore. The Empire has never known defeat since its founding, yet today we collapsed at a single blow from the tiny Duchy of Chloe and fled in fear. This is a disgrace to the Empire. I fear we will be ridiculed by the surrounding small countries.”

Adonis quickly held up her palm toward Bradley, signaling him to stop. “Bradley, take back what you just said. Gore made the right decision. Even Bayldes was defeated in one blow. Even if he had continued the siege, it would have achieved little. We would have been in a worse bind if our soldiers were captured as hostages by the Duchy of Chloe. You know full well what the magic of someone who has surpassed the realm of heroes signifies.”

“But General Gore’s misconduct does not end there! He also presumed to authorize reparations of one million gold coins! And in the form of supplies to be sent to the Duchy of Chloe! This is unforgivable!” Bradley’s beard trembled with anger.

But the current Adonis didn’t notice. She only cared about the girl who haunted her dreams. …The Pope of the Divine Religion? Before, she was still thinking about how to get her high ministers to accept the King marrying a commoner woman with no status. Although as the Emperor, she could directly grant an official rank, promoting someone from a commoner to a high minister in one step would make many ministers dissatisfied or jealous. However, if the other party was already a person of status, and the Pope of the Divine Religion at that, then there would be no problem.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?” As Adonis was immersed in her own world, Bradley’s call pulled her back to reality. Noticing her lapse, Adonis’s mouth fell open slightly, and she stared blankly for a moment before quickly becoming serious again, pretending she had understood and nodding.

“Ah, I see. Let’s proceed just like that.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will immediately begin the process of reassigning General Gore to an idle post.”

“No, wait!” What she said—’Let’s proceed just like that’—did not refer to reassigning Gore. In fact, she hadn’t heard a word Bradley had just said. Adonis began to frantically recall what Bradley had said, finally landing on the war reparations. “I was referring to giving the one million gold coins in supplies to the Duchy of Chloe, just as Gore said. If I’m not mistaken, knowing Gore, he would have secured other benefits for the Empire, right? What else did Gore say?”

“If the Empire provides reparations, the Duchy of Chloe will keep the results of this war a secret, and the Pope of the Divine Religion will not pursue any further action against the Empire.”

Rеαd οո КаtRеaԁіnɡСаfе

“Isn’t that great? It’s just some food and clothes the Empire has no use for. It doesn’t matter if we give it to them.” Adonis waved her hand casually.

She was aware that the Duchy of Chloe was secretly controlled by the Divine Religion. Sending these supplies to the Duchy of Chloe was equivalent to sending them to the Divine Religion. And since Viel was the Pope… it was tantamount to her sending a gift directly into Viel’s hands.

I wonder if Viel will understand my feelings.

Once she realized this, Adonis felt immense joy, as if wings had sprouted from her back. She had the urge to immediately push open the door and run a few laps in the snow outside—even if the soldiers saw her and thought their Majesty had gone mad.

Smiling foolishly, Adonis briskly spread out paper and a pen. “Mhm, mhm. For the grain, we’ll use the old rice stored in the warehouses. But not all of it. Replace at least one-third of the old rice with top-grade rice from this autumn’s harvest. And make a special note: this portion is a gift for the Divine Religion. As for the clothes, although we’re having a rare heavy snow this year, our Empire is not as poor as the Duchy of Chloe. It’s fine to give them some.”

“Uh… Your Majesty. I understand that one million gold coins in supplies is of no consequence to the Empire. But my concern is that General Gore’s arbitrary decision will set a bad example for the other generals. What if in future wars, they also flee in fear like General Gore did today…”

“It’s fine. At court tomorrow, have Bayldes explain Viel’s power to everyone. Against a powerhouse that even Bayldes can only look up to, even if we had sent twice as many troops, we would have only returned in defeat.”

Although he felt something was strange, there were no flaws in Adonis’s reasoning. Bradley hesitated for a long while before reluctantly agreeing. “…Yes. However, besides the defeat in the north, I also received a secret report from the Inspectorate today. Recently, various parts of the Empire have been frequently attacked by demons, with the western coast being the most frequent. I believe it might be that those… ‘guys from across the sea’ are making a move. Ever since Your Majesty ascended the throne and eliminated the nobles who opposed you, we have cut off contact with them. Now, they may be dissatisfied with your actions and have taken certain measures. If we let this go, it will likely build up into a major problem.”

“Tch.” Hearing ‘guys from across the sea’, Adonis frowned in extreme displeasure, an expression of disgust even appearing on her face. “It never ends. It seems I’ll have to make a trip myself to completely put an end to their notions. Bradley, prepare my itinerary for Wilfred. I want to make those guys understand that the Norta Empire of today is no longer the old Norta Kingdom that could only beg for help. My Imperial Ancestor’s decision back then was a mistake. I will not associate with demons.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. In that case, I will organize the manpower to begin preparations for rebuilding the palace while you are away from the capital. If we have the court mages participate in the construction, we should be able to speed up the progress significantly. We will strive to have it restored to its original state before your return.”

“Mhm. I’ll leave it to you. You may go.” Standing up, Bradley placed his left hand on his right breast and bowed deeply to Adonis before slowly exiting her study.