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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Empress Cavalla's Fury
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"What? Tell me everything. Did you see that thief they still haven't caught?"
The maids huddled closer together.
I pretended not to listen, but perked up my ears.
"Not exactly. I think I saw someone stop putting out the fire to pocket a jewel that had fallen on the floor."
*What's this? I thought it was going to be some big story, but it's just about a palace servant with sticky fingers.*
I quickly lost interest.
But the maids grew even more excited, as if it were juicy gossip.
"What? Who was it? Did you see their face?"
"It was too dark and chaotic. I couldn't see their face."
"Why didn't you shout right then and there?"
"Well... I wasn't sure if they were picking up a jewel or something else..."
"That's true. If you reported it without being sure and it turned out to be a misunderstanding, life in the palace would get difficult for you."
"Right, right. With jewels scattered all over the place like that, I bet a lot of people swiped one."
The maids cursed the servants who had seized the opportunity to snatch jewels even in such a frantic situation.
But their faces were filled less with condemnation for the thieving servants and more with envy.
Someone muttered.
"Anyway, I heard the Empress is deeply distressed. They say she's even skipping her meals."
I recalled last night's dream and smiled secretly to myself.
* * *
"Aargh!"
Cavalla let out a furious scream, sweeping the objects off her desk.
The sound of things breaking and tearing filled the office with a sharp clamor.
The floor was already a chaotic mess of things she had thrown.
It was as if a typhoon had torn through the room.
Cavalla's maids didn't dare try to stop her, standing pressed against the wall with their eyes cast down.
They wore the expressions of criminals, despite having done nothing wrong.
Cavalla shrieked hysterically toward the door.
"Denev! Is Denev not here yet?"
The words had barely left her lips when the office door burst open and an attendant rushed in.
"He—he's here! Marquis Blansco is dismounting his horse!"
The attendant had run to announce Denev's arrival the moment he'd caught sight of his shadow.
He hadn't even reached the office door yet—he had only just appeared in the empress's palace courtyard—but the attendant reported his presence hastily.
He must have thought that announcing Denev's visit as quickly as possible was the only way to stop this commotion.
Cavalla commanded sharply.
"Bring him in at once!"
"Yes! I'll bring him right away!"
The attendant went back out, promising to fetch Denev.
But before the door could even close, Denev appeared.
He was panting heavily.
"Sister."
Cavalla gave him no time to catch his breath.
"That gypsy wench? Have you found her? Why is your report so late?"
Denev, who had been running frantically in and out of the palace all through the early morning searching for the escaped red-haired woman, lowered his head in shame.
"I have not found her yet."
"Why in the world can't you find one measly wench!"
"I apologize, Sister."
"Didn't you say she was just a worthless gypsy? How could a mere gypsy escape my bedchamber! How did she know about the magic key! And while that wench was ransacking the warehouse, where were you and what were you doing?"
Cavalla's eyes blazed as she strode toward Denev.
Then, she mercilessly struck him across the cheek.
*Smack!*
The blow was so hard that Denev staggered.
The maids standing against the wall squeezed their eyes shut.
Cavalla grabbed Denev by the collar.
"Did you perhaps orchestrate this to betray me? Did you release that gypsy bitch and tell her about the magic key?"
Denev dropped to his knees before Cavalla.
"Of course not, Sister!"
"The only ones who knew about that magic key were the dead former empress and you!"
"Please believe me, Sister. It was all my oversight, but I had no idea something like this would happen."
As he spoke, two scratches from Cavalla's long fingernails appeared on his cheek. Blood trickled from the wounds.
Cavalla looked at Denev, who was gazing up at her pitifully, and ground her teeth.
"Aargh! Why did this happen! Why! Why!"
Unable to contain her rage, she began screaming and throwing things again.
In the process, she accidentally cut her finger on a sharp object.
"Agh!"
Cavalla clutched her injured hand.
Denev immediately shuffled forward on his knees and urgently examined her hand.
A small bead of blood had formed on her fingertip.
Compared to the wounds on Denev's cheek, it was a tiny injury.
Yet Denev shouted at the maids as if it were a grave matter.
"Bring medicine and bandages, quickly!"
One of the maids hurried off to fetch the first-aid box.
"Sister, please be careful."
Despite having been brutally slapped by Cavalla, Denev was only concerned about her injury.
He brought her wound to his lips and sucked the blood.
Cavalla looked down at Denev, who remained kneeling before her, and steadied her ragged breathing.
"..."
For a moment, silence fell over the empress's office.
Cavalla watched Denev licking her finger for a moment, then lifted his chin to make him look at her.
"Get up, Denev."
Her voice was much calmer.
Denev slowly rose to his feet and stood facing Cavalla.
Cavalla gently turned his face to examine the scratches on his cheek.
"You're bleeding."
"It's nothing."
"It needs to be treated."
From the first-aid box the maid had brought for her wound, Cavalla took out some medicine and applied it to Denev's cheek herself.
Her touch was gentle and delicate, as if she had never struck him.
The maids glanced at the two with peculiar expressions before quickly lowering their gazes, their lips sealed like dolls.
By the time she finished treating Denev, Cavalla had calmed down considerably and returned to her usual self.
She asked in her usual elegant, melodious voice.
"I heard many jewels from the warehouse are missing. Did that gypsy wench take them?"
"We are looking into it. Some of the jewels have been recovered, but we haven't finished clearing the debris from the burnt, collapsed building, so I cannot give you an exact report."
Cavalla touched her forehead.
She fought to suppress the rage that was threatening to boil over again and asked in a strained voice.
"'That item'?"
Denev swallowed dryly.
He signaled for the maids to leave.
Only after the maids had left did he begin to speak on the matter.
"We are searching for it. I have instructed them to clear the debris starting from the area where the item was kept."
Cavalla clenched her fists. Her hands were trembling.
"Forget the rest, but that item must be found. Do you understand? It must be found."
"I will keep that in mind. Even if all the other jewels were stolen, that item probably wasn't. It doesn't look like much on the outside."
Denev tried to placate Cavalla with a hopeful thought.
"Outwardly, it's just a worn-out holy grail, isn't it?"
"That's true."
Cavalla nodded in agreement.
"Find it quickly. You must find it yourself before anyone else sees it."
"Yes, I understand."
"We will find the key to awaken it through Chloe. All she needs to do is successfully coax Marquis Rodrian."
A greedy glint appeared in Cavalla's eyes.
"You know how hard I've worked to find a way to awaken that sacred relic. If I can just learn to use it, I will gain something far more valuable than all the jewels I lost this time."
"You will surely obtain it, Sister."
"Yes, I must. When Chloe leaves, assign trustworthy people to her."
She shot Denev a sharp look.
"When you choose them this time, there must be no mistakes like yesterday's. Understand?"
"I will keep that in mind."
Cavalla set aside her thoughts of the holy grail and ground her teeth.
"And don't forget to find that gypsy wench. I don't think I'll be satisfied until I tear her apart with my own hands."
Just moments ago, she had said that being able to use the sacred relic would be a prize more valuable than the jewels she lost, yet it seemed Cavalla was still furious about her missing gems.
Denev comforted her.
"I will do my utmost to recover the woman who escaped, along with the jewels you cherish, Sister."
