The Kingdom of Hirti, popular as a tourist destination, was located in the southwestern part of the continent.
With so many mountains on the pass leading to the Ozevia Empire, it was not a place where vital exchanges usually took place.
“What winds have blown upon His Majesty?”
"It's time to focus on diplomacy.
Haven't we dealt with other countries somewhat haphazardly so far?"
Kazan Tinilath, the Conqueror King.
Their Emperor, who instilled fear throughout the continent by swallowing up many neighboring nations once he ascended to the throne, was a notorious tyrant.
As much as he pushed against the opposition of the nobility, his attitude towards other nations was not kind.
Kazan's style was to dominate through coercion and violence.
But suddenly, he decided to accept an invitation from the Hirti Kingdom.
What was even more surprising was that he was taking the Empress, whom he kept tightly hidden in the Imperial Palace.
“Does this even make sense!”
crash!
The glass vase flew out of Runelia's hand and shattered loudly.
The servants in the Empress's palace held their breath and bowed their heads at their master's outburst.
“What is the reason for taking the Empress instead of me?
Go and find out!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ronelia sent the maid angrily.
Even though she threw a tantrum, she knew that they wouldn't be able to get any information, which made her even angrier.
No one knew better than her that Kazan loved Yasiris.
No, only she knows.
It even seemed as if the Emperor himself was not aware, yearning for the Empress.
But isn't that a breach of contract?
At least on the surface, he was supposed to pretend to love Runelia.
It was he who sought cooperation in trampling the Empress.
“You will regret it, Your Majesty.”
Ronelia gritted her teeth with a distant look.
In any case, the relationship between the Emperor and Empress was twisted beyond repair.
Even if he treated her well now, it wouldn't change anything, and in the end, he would have no choice but to come to her.
Why did I feel suffocated?
Ronelia threw the cup in irritation.
She stared at the shattered glass, which broke with a sharp sound, then suddenly turned around.
“I must meet the Empress.
I must go and trample her completely.”
With that, her angry steps headed towards the Empress's palace.
Meanwhile, Yasiris was not in her room but somewhere else.
“No matter how much the Empress asks, I cannot give such a large amount of sleeping pills at once.”
“But won't I go away for a few weeks?
If the schedule is behind me, I'll need enough for a month.”
“Then you should get more in there.”
“Do you intend to tell all the kingdoms that Empress Ozevia has a defect?
They will think that the imperial doctor is so incompetent that he cannot even fix something like this.”
Yasiris ignored Viscount Lavero's annoyed look.
She hid her nervousness and maintained a confident stance.
“You don't seem to want that.
Then give me the sleeping pills.”
“Woah...”
Viscount Lavero sighed tiredly, took off his glasses, and wiped them with a handkerchief.
He was silent for a moment before asking carefully:
“How can I be sure that Her Majesty the Empress will not do anything rash with them?”
This was a valid point.
If Yasiris overdosed on sleeping pills and something went wrong, he would take all the blame.
Yasiris understood his defensive stance, so she nodded.
She replied in a calm and understanding voice.
“I understand your position, Viscount.
But think about it.
If I had the intention of harming myself, I would have done so already.
I would not go through this annoying process.”
“Hmm...”
"Besides, I'm not alone now.
No one cherishes my body more than me."
Viscount Laveiro could find no fault in Yasaris's words.
After cleaning his glasses well, he put them back on and nodded.
"Okay.
I'll send it with Peony."
“I will use it with gratitude.”
Isaris swallowed a sigh of relief and thanked Viscount Laveiro.
After receiving a dry farewell and leaving the building, she felt her heart beating.
I felt euphoric, almost like excitement, after successfully passing the first gate to escape.
She was happy to see hope for the first time in a long time, but she was also in the grip of anxiety, not knowing when or how she might fail, causing her to automatically walk faster.
The large amount of sleeping pills was just one of the many conditions necessary for escape.
There were other preparations that needed to be made, such as various herbs for emergencies, valuables that could be converted into money, makeshift weapons, and a travel route…
While Yasiris was systematically organizing her thoughts, she encountered a maid looking for her at the entrance of the Empress's palace.
“Your Majesty, the Empress, Her Royal Highness came to visit us.”
“What's wrong?”
“She said she has an urgent matter to discuss.
She is currently waiting in the living room...”
“Tell her I'm busy and to set an official date to meet later.”
Yasiris nonchalantly refused to visit Runelia.
She had no time to deal with the Empress's blind jealousy or conflicts now.
There was no reason to listen to her.
So she continued walking to her room, but the maid followed her.
“It seemed very rushed.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Wouldn't it be better to meet her?”
Yasiris stopped and turned to look at the maid.
The brown-haired woman's face contorted slightly, realizing her insolence, but she quickly straightened her shoulders and faced her.
“I am saying this for Your Majesty.
Ignoring Her Royal Highness in this way will not lead to good results.”
It seemed as if she was offering advice in favor of Yasiris, but in reality, it was the opposite.
Yasiris accurately understood the maid's true intentions.
Isn't she the one asking Yasiris to fulfill the whims of the Emperor's wife?
Her power seems to be viewed as greater than that of Yasiris, even though she is the Empress.
“Huh...”
Yasiris chose her words carefully.
She had long known that her maids only pretended to be polite in front of her while in reality they ignored her.
However, she did not expect them to speak so openly in such a condescending tone.
This must mean that her status has declined to this extent.
There is no longer any place to fall.
Yasiris stared at the distant sky.
She watched the clouds spread across the vast expanse of sky senselessly, then returned her gaze to the maid.
“Name”
“Excuse me?”
"What is your name?"
The maid hesitated, rolled her eyes briefly, then cautiously spoke her name.
“Lavis Llorenz.”
“Jorrens?”
Yasiris was familiar with the family.
Family of Count Llorens.
Although the face looked strangely familiar, she seemed to be from the same family as one of Marquis Belan's entourage, who constantly found fault with Ysrais.
Is a characteristic of this aspect a lack of brains?
Or perhaps they simply don't know when to remain silent.
Yasiris examined the maid with an indifferent look and spoke.
“Did she threaten you, saying she would do something to you if you didn't bring me?”
“Threatened me?
Absolutely not.”
“So you're saying that you simply put a wife's orders above my needs, Empress.
Despite serving me directly.”
“I...!”
Lavis had no time to come up with an excuse, astonished by the blatant remark.
Yasiris raised his hand to silence her and spoke in a cold voice.
“Lady Yurens, you have been dismissed.
I will recommend that you serve the Emperor’s wife in my stead.
Whether she accepts you or not is of course up to her.”
“Your Majesty!”
Yasiris ignored Lavis's call, and continued walking.
The former maid, who had been suddenly fired, couldn't help but follow awkwardly without daring to block her way.
If you dare to underestimate your master, you must bear the consequences of your damaged reputation.
Yasiris didn't look back.
She had endured a lot of insolence because she couldn't choose her maids as she pleased, but there was no reason to put up with such insolent behavior.
Once Yurens was gone, which family would plant a spy next?
The idea was brief.
Since she had planned to escape during this trip, it no longer mattered who would come next.
She intended to focus on preparations for her future...
“You are finally here, Your Majesty.”
Yasiris stopped when she saw Ronelia greeting her in front of her room.
The absurdity of the situation left her at a loss as to where to begin to point out the issues.
“This is not the living room”
“I was worried that Your Majesty would refuse to see me, so I came directly.
You have avoided meeting me many times before.”
"If I refuse to visit you, you must leave.
Why are you here instead?"
“I just really wanted to see you.
It would be very unfortunate to send you on such a long trip without even a proper goodbye.”
It's impossible to argue with her.
Yasiris sighed, feeling again what she had realized so long ago.
She closed her eyes tightly against the pulsing in her head, then opened them and asked,
“What is so important that made you come here so stubbornly?”
“Oh my God, so stubbornly?
You don’t even understand my feelings towards Your Majesty...”
“Ma’am”
Runelia's words interrupted, coldly urging Yasiris to get to the point.
“I don't intend to invest much time with you.
Please stop twisting and turning and get to the point.”
Ronelia pursed her trembling lips.
She managed to force herself to smile, but her pride was deeply wounded by being rejected so publicly in a corridor passed by servants.
If so, you should hit it just as hard.
“No matter how much you try to keep me under control, it is useless.
Doing so will not change your role in the journey to the Hearty Kingdom.”
"I wasn't particularly trying to keep you under control.
As for my role?"
“What else?
It is to satisfy His Majesty’s desires wherever and whenever.
Kazan has shown consideration by not allowing me to accompany him on such a difficult journey, so it is sure to be arduous… I wish you well.”
Her tone was as if she was talking to a mistress, laced with obvious sarcasm.