Chapter 5
Deposed Emperor Claude Euphris
It was there that my sister died.
Hoping that I, Yuan, would be brought here within a year to create a new family.
Yuan's new family is there.
A family that is still not perfect without Louise.
But the only lifeline to escape those terrible relatives right now.
Passing through the pure white winter forest one after another, the majesty of the magnificent mansion awakened Yuan's dulled sense of reality.
My sister died, and her younger sister, Yuan, took her place.
A marriage that is nothing more than a transaction between the imperial family and noble families.
"So, that's going to be my home now."
Without a wedding. As soon as she passed through the gates, she became a wife and a member of a man's family.
The seventh or eighth wife of the Deposed Emperor Claude Euphris, who is called a monster.
The carriage was blocked from the entrance of the mansion.
Yuan jumped out first and stared at Marquis Kompani, who was being inspected, then carefully followed.
A black iron fence, about two spans higher than the well-built guard, surrounded the mansion.
It was for security and protection, but to Yuan, it just looked like a prison.
"..."
And what about the main building of the mansion, which was so magnificent that it made her jaw drop?
The garden, which clearly had not been touched by human hands, was covered with snow as if it were a blanket, hiding its hideousness.
Following the pitiful white garden, her gaze went up to the Black Manor, an alien and artificial color in this white world.
The mansion, like a black charcoal dropped by a giant, was so magnificent that it made the surroundings look even more desolate.
Even from a distance, the scale was so great that it took Yuan's breath away, and her eyes trembled slightly.
"It's really a pitch-black mansion."
To think that's all she could say. But Marquis Kompani, who had finished his business with the guards, quickly picked up on her words.
"It was originally called the Red Brick Mansion."
"?"
"It was burned to the ground around the time the Emperor ascended the throne."
Marquis Kompani traced the mansion as if reminiscing about the past, then passed through the iron gate alone, leaving only the words that he would report and come back.
Yuan closed her mouth for a moment and slowly scrutinized the mansion.
Now that she heard it, it was even more eerie. The fire was so intense that not a single red brick could be seen in this huge mansion, and it had not been repaired.
It must have been about 10 years since the current Emperor ascended the throne.
Even if he is the Deposed Emperor, Klaud Euphris is of the imperial bloodline, so why would they leave it like this, like black burnt ashes?
'As if on display.'
Yuan became more subdued by the past that the mansion held than by its majesty.
Did Louise also see the mansion like this here?
What was she thinking as she looked at the mansion?
As Marquis Kompani entered the second-floor hallway with the butler's guidance, the pungent smell of medicine stung his nose.
It was proof that the owner of the mansion was awake.
He passed through the door that opened immediately without a separate report and bowed his head politely.
"Your Highness. How heartbroken you must be at the passing of your eighth Deposed Empress."
As expected, there was no answer.
Kompani slowly raised his head.
He saw Marquis Lev greeting him with a nod and the profile of a blond man slumped in a rocking chair, not even looking towards the door.
The one who was closing his eyes from broad daylight behind curtains that were almost blackout was the Deposed Emperor Claude Euphris.
The owner of this Black Manor.
Marquis Kompani tried to hide his tension and speak calmly and gently.
"Fortunately, her younger sister, Yuan Pellieresse, has been appointed as the new Deposed Empress and has come with me."
Light streamed in like thick threads through the slightly open gap in the curtains.
The light sparkled exactly at the tip of the Deposed Emperor's nose, which stretched towards the ceiling.
Marquis Kompani, who was staring blankly at it, added.
"She is as beautiful as Louise. Her personality is also gentle. She will surely be a good wife. She is waiting in front of the mansion now."
Because Klaud did not answer no matter what he said, Marquis Lev, who was next to him, cleared his throat slightly.
Beneath the long eyelashes that created a long shadow, dark purple eyes sparkled and revealed themselves.
Marquis Kompani held his breath and waited for the Deposed Emperor's answer.
"Waiting for me?"
The deeply sunken voice was closer to a whisper than an attempt to convey his intentions to someone.
Marquis Kompani grabbed onto that faint voice as if seizing it.
"Yes. She has come a long way, so you should go out and greet her in person-."
"Wouldn't it be better for both of us if I didn't go out?"
It was a question, but there was no great will behind it.
Leaving behind words that were confusing as to whether they were a monologue or a question, the languidly revealed eyes hid back into the smooth eyelids.
The Deposed Emperor Claude Euphris continued without giving a single smile or glance.
"If the imperial family wants to bring a new woman into my mansion, it would be better if I didn't go out. You know it, I know it, and Marquis Lev here knows it too."
Marquis Kompani scanned Klaud's state, who was not even fastening his nightgown and was almost completely exposing his upper body, then forced a smile.
"I will report to the palace that the ninth bride has safely entered the mansion."
Marquis Kompani shifted his gaze from Klaud, who was still closing his eyes, and made eye contact with Marquis Lev.
It meant that the responsibility for the new Deposed Empress was now entirely handed over to Klaud.
Marquis Lev stiffened his lips and nodded.
As Marquis Kompani left, Klaud's eyes sparkled open again in the darkness.
His sensitive gaze reached the window covered by the curtains.
He frowned immediately, even though he couldn't see anything.
The cold energy that he had only shown half of to Marquis Kompani immediately covered Marquis Lev, who was standing next to him.
"Bride?"
"That is what they say, Your Highness."
"Stop calling me Your Highness. How long has it been since you became Euphris's clown that you're still talking about Your Highness?"
"As Marquis Kompani said, the carriage carrying the Deposed Empress is in front of the mansion."
"Deposed Empress."
Klaud laughed as he repeated the Marquis's words.
His thin lips twisted and stretched to both sides.
White teeth sparkled in the shadows.
"They'll call her the Deposed Empress in front of others. It's so obvious that it's boring. So, how will the article be released this time? The Deposed Emperor's violent womanizing tendencies, where eight previous wives have died, disappeared, or run away, should we just leave it as it is?"
"..."
"A slaughter party in the Black Manor. Something like that?"
"It's not Your Highness's fault."
"Who said it was my fault?"
Klaud, who had been slumped in the rocking chair, shrugged and stood up.
The old chair creaked and screamed until he stood up straight.
Marquis Lev waited quietly without adding any more words.
Klaud went to the console on the opposite side and opened the very first drawer.
Then, with rough movements, he tore open a packet of medicine and swallowed it without water.
It was because of the headache he inevitably experienced after meeting the imperial family's dog, who was checking his reaction.
His long fingers with thick knuckles naturally touched his throbbing forehead.
His sensitively honed voice scattered haphazardly in the space.
"Just tell them to start looking for the tenth Deposed Empress from now on, Uncle. How about making coffins or divorce papers in advance? So that my wife can choose."
"Don't you have any intention of trying?"
Marquis Lev asked as he watched Klaud tear open another packet of medicine. His voice was full of sorrow.
"Even if you can't live honorably, you can live happily."
"Here we go again. Is that what happiness is to you, Uncle? Holding a woman, seeing children. Laughing and chatting while playing the role of a husband and father?"
Marquis Lev closed his mouth.
Klaud, his eyes bloodshot, spread his arms towards him and smiled like a clown.
"Look at my state, Marquess."
"Your Highness..."
The half of his body that had been submerged in the shadows was completely revealed to Marquis Lev.
Klaud's smile was very short, as if he hated showing his body in even a single ray of light.
His bloodshot eyes quickly hid in the shadows and glistened like a wounded beast.
"Who would want a husband like me?"
Marquis Lev respectfully clasped his hands together and swallowed a groan.
Before him was the young man who was once called the most beautiful boy in Euphris.
The opposite side of his incredibly beautiful half-face was horrific.
Skin that seemed to have hardened with thick blood vessels like animal intestines protruding and intertwined.
The place, which looked rough and hard like tree bark to the touch, could only be described as hideous, as if it had suffered a terrible burn.
The traces of that horrific day went not only to his face but also to his exposed upper body and below.
That is, half of his body was precisely split vertically and ruined, grotesquely crushed.
The cruel curse was even more heartbreaking because the intact half of his body was so white and beautiful that it was dazzling.
Marquis Lev slowly scanned Klaud in front of him and closed his eyes.
Even though 10 years had passed, time had stopped here.
When the late Emperor died, his brother, Grand Duke Igor, tried to kill his young nephew in order to usurp the next throne, and he failed.
Instead, he left terrible traces.
He used some means to make his whole body, which had been horribly cut, turn black as if it were rotting.
He suffered terrible pain every night, so much so that his hands and feet cramped, and during the day he became extremely sensitive due to the aftereffects of the pain and insomnia.
Even foreign magicians were called in and did their best to treat him, but the beautiful Deposed Emperor eventually had to give up half of his body.
Igor Euphris, who became the Emperor, and Claude Euphris, who became the Deposed Emperor, locked himself in this Black Manor.
Even that was like being in prison, as he did not even come out of his bedroom.
That was 10 years. A full 10 years.
It was too much for a young boy of 14, who had not even gone through puberty, to handle.
No one could understand his feelings and pain.
Marquis Lev, holding back his heavy heart, opened his eyes.
Klaud's eyes, sharpened by pain, were still staring at him intently.
With a face that seemed to know everything he was thinking.
"Who would want a father like me?"
