Chapter 15
15
The maid whispered Henry and Monica's conversation into Laurent's ear. After hearing the maid's story, Laurent detached a brooch from her dress and placed it in the maid's hand.
"Thank you."
The maid clutched the brooch tightly and disappeared in a flash.
'It was about the deposed Empress after all.'
Laurent's lips trembled. In the end, even the Emperor of Lastonia is helpless before money.
'Love? What a load of crap.'
Maria's sarcastic words to her flashed through Laurent's mind.
[Laurent, in the future, the woman who bears more of Henry's children than you will have more power and be more adored.]
The betrayal and disappointment towards Henry and Monica were immense.
'I will never become like that woman.'
But what about Nancy?
'Where did that bug come from, trying to be clever?'
Daring to dream of becoming Empress. Imagination is free, but expressing it outwardly requires great caution. Otherwise, you might end your enjoyable life early. It would be unfair to die without even meeting the child in your womb. Laurent felt pathetic. She never dreamed she would be competing for the Empress's position with Nancy, unlike Maria.
'Using the deposed Empress will get me out of debt and make me money?'
And to top it off, the deposed Empress has hidden assets. But Henry hasn't noticed at all.
'I knew Henry wasn't bright, but I didn't realize he was this stupid.'
The assets of a destroyed family all become the property of the Imperial family. But if there are separate assets, then it must be...!
'Assets given by the Pope, probably.'
But Henry doesn't seem to have considered that. However, to seize those assets, the deposed Empress's consent and seal are needed.
'I should have killed the deposed Empress in the first place.'
If I had, I wouldn't have to engage in such a pointless fight for the Empress's position with someone like Nancy. Like master, like servant, I guess. Nancy is not easy to deal with either. Underestimating her would lead to a great loss.
'I need to eliminate the deposed Empress completely. That way, Nancy won't act up anymore.'
A murderous intent filled Laurent's face.
'I need to send a letter to my father.'
* * *
A few days later, the atmosphere in the workshop had clearly changed. Nora and the workers no longer harassed Maria and Ero. It seemed to be thanks to Solskjaer, who was standing on one side of the workshop again today. Or perhaps they no longer saw Maria as an easy target after she fought back instead of just being victimized.
Nora looked at Solskjaer and pondered.
[Nora, stop it. Maria is the Great King's woman.]
[Yes? Yes. I understand.]
Just then, Solskjaer approached Ero. He patted Ero's shoulder with his hand, as if praising him.
"Thank you for helping Maria."
"!?"
Ero was startled and looked at Solskjaer. Was the Great King's adjutant really putting his hand on his shoulder right now? But seeing him this close, the man named Solskjaer... was quite handsome. Soon, Ero's face turned red. He didn't know what to say and couldn't even open his mouth.
"If you have any difficulties in the future, tell me."
Solskjaer earnestly entrusted Maria to Ero. Then, Ero shyly nodded.
'That's a relief.'
Solskjaer was relieved that Maria's condition was gradually improving. Also, Gunther's displeasure had lessened a lot since that day. Of course, he still earned Gunther's glare for being clueless. Before leaving, Solskjaer called Maria aside separately. He had to convey Gunther's words to her.
"Maria, after work, sleep in the Great King's chambers."
'Gunther, sleep next to that man?'
It would be more comfortable to sleep in the workers' quarters. Even though the wooden bed was hard, it was nice to sleep next to Ero. Ero was more considerate and comfortable than any woman. She didn't have any sisters, but if she did, she thought Ero would be like that. Then, a sudden bitterness stung her heart.
'Is it okay to like Ero? No, can I trust him?'
She still couldn't believe Nancy's betrayal, whom she had believed to be like a sister. In any case, she couldn't disobey Gunther's orders. Maria nodded. Soon after, Solskjaer left the workshop, and Ero came running after her.
"What is it, what is it? What did that man say?"
Ero asked, his face flushed. Then, he remembered that Maria couldn't speak and looked embarrassed.
"Oh my! Look at me. I made a mistake."
Maria smiled and shook her head at the embarrassed Ero. Maria and Ero returned to the workshop. Perhaps because they were now used to the work, they were soon picking out gold nuggets well, and Nora's fault-finding had decreased. People say that even if you feel like you're about to die, if you just get through that crisis, you'll somehow survive, and that was exactly the case for her. Really, the world had felt like hell...
But now, she was desperately picking out gold to get dinner. And this simple labor was quite helpful in shaking off her distress. When she focused on the minerals coming down from above, she didn't have time to be idly depressed.
"Snack time!"
Before she knew it, three hours had passed, and it was snack time. Today, ripe apples were served as snacks. Nora and the workers sat on the lawn near the workshop and ate apples. Then, Nora looked at Ero and asked in a blunt tone.
"What's your name?"
"M-Me?"
"Is there anyone else here whose name I don't know besides you?"
It had been over two months since he came to the workshop, but people didn't know Ero's name. He had definitely told them, but they seemed to have been so surprised by his appearance that they couldn't remember.
"Ero... Tique."
"Erotique?"
Nora repeated, and the workers giggled and laughed.
"My name is Ero, and Tique is my last name."
"What a crazy name."
Nora also found it funny and bit into an apple after picking a pointless fight. But Nora seemed to have something else she wanted to ask Ero.
"Hmph, how did you end up pretending to be a woman?"
"Oh my! It's not that I'm pretending to be a woman..."
"Whatever, let's just say that."
Nora waved her hand dismissively. Soon, Ero earnestly revealed his circumstances. He said that his country had a very bad relationship with the neighboring kingdom and had been at war for as long as 100 years.
"I had three older brothers, but they were all dragged into the war and died. So, as soon as my parents gave birth to me, they raised me as a daughter."
At Ero's words, the expressions of the workers eating apples became somber. They understood the feelings of Ero's parents, who had struggled to avoid an endless tragedy. Only then did people nod. Since he had grown up like that from a young age, he might have become confused about his identity.
"Then you should take good care of your parents and live well, so why did you come here?"
At Nora's words, Ero flinched and finally shed tears. He had thought he could hide the fact that he was a man from the world until the end, but he had no choice because he was exposed as a man.
"My dad has a close relationship with a Helland soldier, so I managed to escape here through connections."
It was then. Nora took two more apples out of the basket and threw them at Ero. Soon, Ero looked at Nora with wide eyes. She had only revealed a pitiful past, but she was giving him two more apples.
"It's... okay."
"If you're going to pretend to be a woman, do it properly."
Nora gestured for him to put the apples in his clothes to make them look like breasts, and the workers laughed loudly. Maria also smiled and held Ero's hand tightly. She was happy that people were finally opening up to her little by little.
* * *
Maria deliberately went to Gunther's quarters late at night. When she opened the door, as expected, he was lying in bed, asleep.
'Whew! That's a relief.'
She had been worried about what would happen if he was awake.
People are so fickle. On that day when she was out of her mind with hunger and felt like she was going to die, once she had eaten to some extent, she was overcome with shame. Not only did he treat her carelessly, but sometimes it seemed like he was deliberately trying to torment her.
But even when she hated him, she felt a strange feeling whenever she looked at his face. It was as if she was forgetting something. Maria shook her head violently to shake off her thoughts, then curled up under his carpeted bed and lay down. The exhausting labor dominated even her aching heart, and she fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
Soon after Maria began to breathe evenly, Gunther got out of bed and laid Maria next to him. He propped her up with a pillow and covered her with a blanket, then examined her in detail from head to toe.
'I didn't expect you to forget me.'
Of course, what she had gone through was terrible. Still, he had never doubted her for a moment in the past 10 years. He believed that Maria would never forget him under any circumstances. He had given her a name, given her a purpose in life, and even imprinted her with his mark.
'Now I've finally become a man who can give you everything.'
Gunther stroked Maria's lower lip with his thumb. Yes, she could gradually regain her memories. He just wished she could speak, even if it was just a word. There were so many things he wanted to say to her and so many stories he wanted to hear, but nothing was easy. Still, he was very happy.
'You've become mine. That's all that matters.'
In the countless days ahead, he would endlessly remind Maria of his existence and make her feel it. The existence that had been like an unattainable cloud was finally in his hands. That alone made his life a success.
'I will fill you entirely with me. Become a woman who only knows me.'
Gunther's turquoise eyes shone like jewels.