Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Henry paced frantically in his office. As soon as dawn broke, Gunther would demand the money. He had hoped for something because of Maria's acquaintance, but her condition was not good. No, even if they were close, 10 million Gold changed everything. He hadn't even dreamed of getting the debt forgiven in the first place. He had only intended to buy himself some time in exchange for saving Maria's life. But who knew she would be unable to speak?
'Could it be that she can't speak because of the shock?'
It seemed likely. No matter how strong and mentally resilient a person was, it would be hard to remain composed in the face of their parents' tragic death. No, he couldn't afford to think about Maria right now. If he couldn't give Gunther a reasonable explanation tomorrow, the brute would probably try to cut off one of his fingers. In the face of money, he was an arrogant beast who respected neither nobles nor Emperors. Just then, Laurent came to see Henry.
"Your Majesty, I can do it, right? Me?"
She appeared wearing heavy makeup and a dress that excessively exposed her upper body, with her breasts half-revealed.
"Do what?"
"Laurent, isn't she pretty?"
She twirled around Henry like a butterfly, spreading the hem of her dress.
"Are you trying to use the Beauty Trap or something?"
Henry snapped angrily. Even so, was she going to throw herself at another man to beg? His last bit of pride wouldn't allow it.
"No, Laurent is Your Majesty's. But men like pretty women, right? Laurent will ask him."
She explained her plan step by step in clumsy Lastonian. She convinced him that she wouldn't have to beg Gunther with her body; with her beauty, any man would have no choice but to grant her request. And Henry was somewhat persuaded by Laurent's words.
Maria was beautiful, but she lacked gentleness or flexibility. She always adhered to the Imperial court's rules and acted rigidly in everything, making men tired, whereas Laurent was like a tongue in his mouth, always catering to his whims. Above all, Laurent was definitely superior in arousing a man's lust.
"What if that person cuts off Your Majesty's ear tomorrow?"
"What?"
"We need to put out the urgent fire first."
"You should say, 'We need to extinguish the urgent fire first.'"
"Oops, mistake."
An ordinary person would have blushed and felt embarrassed by such a mistake, but Laurent had a knack for making people smile with her unique charm. Besides, she was so beautiful. Even he, who was looking at her, felt blood rushing to his lower back, making his lower body heavy.
'That beast is a man after all.'
Unless he was a stone statue guarding the temple, there was no way he would reject a woman like Laurent. Besides, this wasn't the time to be childishly jealous. As Laurent said, if tomorrow came, his ear or finger might be cut off by the brute's sword. If he could postpone the debt repayment with just one smile from Laurent, he could overcome a major crisis.
"Alright, go. I'll trust Laurent's negotiation skills."
Henry's gaze swept down her body in the red dress.
* * *
Laurent headed to Gunther's bedroom with wine. A warrior in Crimson Armor was standing guard in front of it. Fortunately, the Chamberlain who was with Laurent explained things well, so it wasn't difficult to enter Gunther's bedroom.
Finally, when Laurent opened the door, an incredible sight unfolded before her eyes. Gunther was exercising, holding onto a Suspension Rope hanging from the ceiling. The Dragon Tattoo on his bronze back muscles suited him perfectly, and every time he moved, the muscles rippled, making it seem as if the dragon was alive. Seeing the veins bulging on his forearms and his massive shoulders, she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Laurent unconsciously swallowed hard. It was the first time she had ever seen such a perfect body. It couldn't even be compared to Henry's skinny, muscle-less body.
"Ahem, ahem."
When Gunther continued to focus on his exercise even after she entered, Laurent deliberately made a noise. Soon, Gunther stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around.
"……!"
Laurent was shocked to see Gunther's bare face after he took off the Dragon Mask. She had only heard rumors that his overbearing tone and personality were extreme and violent, so she had assumed that his actual face would also be hideous. But his mysterious turquoise eyes, sculpted features, healthy complexion, and especially his thick lips, firmly closed in a straight line, were particularly sensual. Henry was handsome too, but he couldn't compare to Gunther. She could confidently say that he was the most handsome man she had ever met.
"I brought it, the wine."
Laurent said, her face flushed.
"Who are you?"
"Laurent Seradu."
Her voice, dripping with coquetry, was sweet. She poured wine into a crystal glass and walked towards Gunther. And she didn't miss the way his gaze swept over her body as she moved. Just as she thought. What man in the world would reject such a voluptuous body? Moreover, with such a vibrant body, he wouldn't be able to resist lusting after her. Laurent gracefully handed Gunther the wine glass.
"Please, drink."
Even as Laurent smiled brightly and offered him the wine, Gunther only stared at her blankly.
"I don't drink alcohol."
"!?!"
This was completely unexpected... Judging by his body, she thought he would drink alcohol by the barrel. Uncharacteristically, he didn't drink.
"I can drink it, then."
Laurent replied with composure, though she was somewhat surprised. She took a sip of the wine and gazed at Gunther wistfully.
"Please grant my request. They say they can repay the 10 million Gold in a year."
"Originally, there is nothing as untrustworthy as a person's word."
Gunther was firm. He had never trusted a person's word when lending money. He never lent a single penny without collateral and official documents, and if they failed to repay by the due date, he charged interest for each day that passed from the due date.
"Well, how about me?"
"?"
"A pretty collateral."
Laurent took a step closer to Gunther and ran her finger over his firm chest. In fact, she had thought she could easily achieve her goal with a few flirtations, but spending a night with him didn't seem so bad either. What man in the world would reject a ripe, luscious woman? But Gunther's index finger forcefully pushed against Laurent's forehead.
"Ah!"
Laurent couldn't hide her embarrassment at his action of pushing her away.
"You stink."
"Stink?"
What smell was he talking about? She had practically bathed in perfume before coming here. She had specially chosen a perfume that would make any man aroused. But his handsome brow furrowed, and his eyes were filled with revulsion.
"The smell of breast milk."
Only then did Laurent realize that her bodice was soaked. She had only taken one sip of wine, but her face turned red with shame.
"Go and feed your child."
It was the first time in her life that she had been so humiliated. Laurent, her whole body red, was about to flee Gunther's room when he stopped her.
"Don't you know that mothers shouldn't drink alcohol?"
"?"
"If you drink alcohol and breastfeed, the baby's head will swell..."
Laurent glared fiercely at Gunther, who continued to insult her until the end, and then left the room.
* * *
Maria suffered from the same nightmare all night. No matter how much Nancy called her, she only stared with soulless eyes, without answering. At first, Nancy thought that Maria was deliberately not speaking. But when she called out the names of her dead parents, she was certain. Anyone could tell that it was the cry of a beast, not the sound of a person calling out to another.
"Our Empress, what a pity."
Nancy hugged Maria and cried with her. Since dawn had broken, Henry would execute Maria as a traitor by hanging.
'I'm sorry, Empress. I don't want to die.'
Nancy tried to avoid Maria's face. After all, she wouldn't be truly living even if she survived. It was wiser to cut ties at this point. She was certain that Maria would only become more broken the longer she lived and breathed. More than anyone else, she had been deeply attached to her parents, and she wouldn't be able to bear their death. Just then, Maria nudged Nancy.
"Why? Do you need something?"
"Uh... uhh."
In response to Nancy's question, Maria tried hard to say something, but it was impossible to understand. Frustrated by her own inability, Maria repeatedly gestured to express what she wanted.
"A brush?"
"Ah... uh."
When Maria shook her head, Nancy seemed to have found the answer and asked again.
"A pen? The pen that the Pope gave you?"
"Uhh... uh."
Only then did Maria nod. It was a precious item she had received as a gift from Pope Liberio when she was fifteen.
[It's a feather pen that can draw anything. You can use it to write in any color you want, even without paint or ink. But it has the disadvantage of never being erased once you draw with it, so you must use it very carefully.]
Nancy quickly found the container with the feather pen and handed it to Maria. She slipped the pen container into her wide sleeve.
'Yes, you should take it with you. Our Empress will draw pictures even in heaven.'
Nancy shed tears as she understood Maria's intentions. Just then, the door burst open, and an unexpected person appeared.
"Maria."
An overbearing voice, a terrifying Dragon Mask. The one wearing the ferocious armor was the Great King of Helland.
"Maria."
Gunther called her again.
"She can't speak. Because of the shock."
"!"
In response to Nancy's answer, Gunther froze and remained silent for a while. Soon, Gunther threw off the mask he was wearing, and his bare face was fully revealed.
"Huh? You are?"
Nancy recognized him first. Wasn't he the slave from ten years ago? Maria had not only drawn a dragon on his back to cover the Slave Brand, which she thought was ugly, but had also given him a name.
"Number 44, no, Gunther Paisley, right?"
He didn't particularly answer Nancy's question. He only stared at the dazed Maria. Wait, could it be that Maria didn't recognize Gunther? Nancy felt a chill at Maria's emotionless expression as she looked at Gunther. It seemed that her condition was more serious than she had expected.
"Let's go, Maria."
Gunther picked up Maria, who was sitting curled up on the bed. Yet she didn't resist. It was as if she had a premonition of death. Her face said that she didn't care if anyone took her away and killed her. Instead, Nancy asked.
"Gunther, no, Great King! Where are you going?"
"Helland."
Gunther held Maria and left her dimly lit bedroom.