EFMDAH~23

Chapter 23

 Marriage Congratulation Delegation (7)

Whether he had liked my previous apology, or whether he was simply trying to provoke me, Kallio frequently dropped by the Empress Palace under the excuse of coming to drink tea.
I found his visits genuinely irritating, but I kept letting him come because I had no idea what kind of creative methods he would use to annoy me if I tried to refuse him.
Aside from that, the tea Kallio brewed was genuinely good.
But just like this time, when I thought he would quietly drink his tea as usual, he suddenly brought up something like that.

“Don’t worry about it.
Since it happened during the marriage celebration banquet period, it’s only natural that we investigate it on our side as well.”

“If a Grim Reaper who gets offended causes trouble, what will you do then.
If things go wrong, a war could even break out….”

Clink.

“Would that be a problem?”

Kallio placed his teacup down on the table.
Even while discussing a serious matter like diplomacy, he kept smiling brightly.
Judging by that expression alone, he almost looked as if he were immersed in excitement, like someone about to attend a festival.
I had momentarily forgotten because Kallio had been acting ingratiating toward me lately.
For the first time in a while, I felt a thoroughly chilling sensation.

He held the teacup in one hand, tossing it into the air and catching it repeatedly.

“Even if a problem occurs, it won’t be bad for me.”

“What?”

“Haven’t you heard a fair amount about me by now?”

Heard about him?
If anything, I was the one who had created the person known as Kallio.
When I designed him, I had settled on two core keywords.
A wife murderer.
A conquering ruler.

Kallio let go of the teacup he had been toying with.
As a result, the remaining red tea spilled across the table.
Like blood.

“Even if something happens, it has nothing to do with you anyway.
It’s not something done for pleasure.”

This bastard.
Had he already found a loophole in the curse?
The curse I placed on Kallio clearly stated that he must not kill people for pleasure.
But what if the purpose of killing was not pleasure?
Then the curse would not activate.

“Are you planning to start a war?”

“If it’s necessary for national interest.”

Well, it’s not like Kallio ever said he would be kind to everyone, just that he would behave nicely toward me.
Truly, he was a trash-tier personality character, certified by me, the author herself.

‘I had planned to ask that Grim Reaper named Rai for refrigerant once the Grim Reaper delegation matter was resolved peacefully.’

Even if relations between the Amir Empire and the Grim Reapers soured, the item itself could be obtained through other means.
If I simply fled abroad before a war broke out, it would become none of my business.

‘Though I don’t know what worries you may have, tea is said to relax the body…….’
‘You absolutely must not go to dangerous places!’

There were people here who couldn’t run away like I could.
For example, Aisha, who worked in the palace, or the Head Maid.

‘And if I leave this man alone, he might eventually come up with a way to kill me while still avoiding the curse.’

That would clearly be dangerous for me.
Hiding those thoughts, I quietly drank my tea.
Today, the tea tasted unbearably bitter.

‘What can I do.’

As I pondered in silence, I came up with an idea.

So, that’s why I personally put on a maid’s outfit and came to the scene in disguise.
For reference, I borrowed the clothes worn by servants through Aisha.
If I entered the site wearing clothes the Empress frequently wore, I would stand out too much.

‘Rather than just receiving reports from officials, if I go to the scene myself, I might discover new evidence.’

With that in mind, I arrived at the scene around dawn and boldly rolled up my sleeves.
Shall we begin the investigation then.

“Yawn.”

“Ugh…….”

Near the place where the Grim Reapers had fought, guards were stationed.
They were enduring the night while dozing off in between.
I didn’t want word of my presence to reach the Emperor.
Should I just brush it off by saying I was here on an errand for someone high-ranking?

While I was crouching in the nearby bushes, clutching my head, I heard movement from another direction.
From what I could tell, it sounded like two men.

The moment I hurried deeper into the bushes to hide, two men’s faces passed close to my field of vision.
And the owners of those faces were…….

‘The Grand Scribe and Kyrus?’

They were people I knew.
Why were the Grand Scribe and Kyrus together at this hour of dawn?
As that question crossed my mind, they began walking toward where I was hiding.
Of all places, it seemed they intended to have a secret conversation in the bushes.
I held my breath, practically lying flat, afraid my disguise might be discovered.

“Just what have you been doing lately.”

Not long after I hid, the Grand Scribe scolded Kyrus in a low voice.
Though quiet, his tone carried faint anger.

Forgetting my own situation, I pricked up my ears.

“I know your mind has been elsewhere lately.
But searching for law books related to divorce…
Have you gotten yourself tangled in some romantic dispute?”

I briefly wondered if I needed to wash my ears after hearing that.
Was he still unable to escape that graveyard love story?

“…I was just curious.”

“Are you sure it’s only curiosity?”

“You know me, Master.
I tend to look up all kinds of unusual books.”

As befitting a scribe, that hobby sounded plausible enough.
After letting out a sigh, the Grand Scribe slightly withdrew his anger.

“Restrain yourself from such things now.
Stop wandering around everywhere.”

“Yes, I’m sorry, Master.”

“When I heard you disappeared even from the ancestral tomb, I was shocked.
And you even met Her Majesty the Empress there?
Why would His Majesty ask you about Her Majesty’s affairs?”

“Well, I believe His Majesty misunderstood.”

“It must be so.
To be honest, I’m more worried about you becoming deeply entangled with Her Majesty than about that strange law book.
You know your position well enough.”

“Of course… I do.
And I also know why you take special care of me, Grand Scribe.”

Kyrus, who had been responding smoothly until then, nodded with a bitter smile.

Within the imperial palace hierarchy, ranks were broadly divided into four levels: the Emperor, the Chancellor, the heads of five institutions, and other officials.
The Grand Scribe belonged to the group of ‘institution heads,’ and historically, many imperial chancellors had emerged from former Grand Scribes.
The Grand Scribe was likely intending to recommend Kyrus, a younger scribe, as the next Chancellor candidate rather than himself, now advanced in age.

‘Which is why I also don’t want to fall out of favor with Kyrus, at the very least.’

Perhaps Kyrus himself understood his position better than I did.

“I’ll make sure to conduct myself in a way that doesn’t cause trouble for you, Grand Scribe.”

“Oh dear, if only words could behave themselves.”

“But you like me because I speak well, don’t you?”

When Kyrus grinned mischievously, the Grand Scribe let out a hollow laugh.

“That’s enough, that’s enough.
I’ve said what I needed to say, so let’s head back.
The night air is colder than expected.”

“I’ll get some air before I go.
I was feeling a bit hot.”

“Don’t stay out too late.”

“Yesss.”

Kyrus stood there quietly, and once the Grand Scribe’s silhouette disappeared from view, he suddenly muttered to himself.

“You can come out now.”

No, was that really a soliloquy?
At words that clearly sounded like he was calling someone, my fingers twitched.
Kyrus suddenly turned his body toward the pile of bushes where I was hiding.

“Or should I come find you myself?”

He strode straight toward my hiding place and suddenly crouched down.

“Whoa—! Hup!”

Our eyes met head-on.
Startled by seeing his face so close, I almost screamed.
I barely managed to cover my mouth and glared at him instead.
It was a mischievous act unbecoming of a male lead.
Kyrus, however, smiled brightly.

“I didn’t know Her Majesty the Empress had a hobby of eavesdropping.”

“I was hiding and just couldn’t escape in time.”

“Does Her Majesty have circumstances that require hiding?”

It felt like I was getting dragged along by him somehow.
But then again, let’s think about it differently.

“You said before that you’d help me, didn’t you?”

If I used Kyrus, I might be able to enter the Grim Reapers’ dining area with ease.

“Please help me.”