Chapter 6
6. Again, Digging into the Red Core
Of course, that didn't mean Enrique and I were living together.
I wanted to, but every time I expressed my desire, Enrique would give me his signature shy smile and say, "Please wait a little longer."
And, being the utter fool that I am, I thought that since he was human, cohabitation before marriage would be difficult for him, so I understood and waited.
'What… was he with me during the day and with that woman at night?'
My lips twist.
I chuckled and twirled my hair, recalling the woman's name.
'It was Helene.'
I don't know her last name, but with such vivid pink eyes and hair, she must be famous in social circles. It's not a common color, after all.
'I want to find her right away and turn everything upside down, but I don't have the strength or stamina to do so.'
I need to be at least able to walk down the street without fainting to take revenge.
I sighed softly and closed the diary.
'I need to go out to wash away this stuffy feeling.'
Don't misunderstand. Based on my current physical condition, "going out" means leaving the bedroom.
I was living each day as if walking on thin ice.
Just yesterday, I had a fever again for no reason, and it was tough.
"Charlotte, I want to go to the Imperial Library. Will you take me?"
"Ah! If there's a book you want, I can bring it to you…!"
"No, I want to choose it myself."
"Then… um, it's best to bundle up warmly. Please wait a moment! The library doesn't have a heater, so it's very cold."
Charlotte, the daughter of Viscount Everett, was one of the people who had followed from Duke Ahillo's estate, just like Mrs. Bertolt. She was quick and didn't talk unnecessarily, so I've been close to Charlotte lately.
I casually asked Charlotte, who was fussing over preparing scarves, fur gloves, and other winter gear.
"Did I go to the library often?"
"Um… honestly, no. Her Majesty didn't like books very much."
"Then what did I usually do?"
"Usually, you were sick… and when you felt better, you took walks. On days when you had more energy, you had meals with His Majesty the Emperor!"
In short, she was a serious patient who did nothing.
'You had it rough too, Leonarda.'
She was born with everything but lacked health, so she couldn't be happy even after reaching the highest position in the human realm.
Now that I'm living in this body, I should change the environment around me to make it easier for me to live, and also take revenge for Leonarda.
Until this point, I was definitely only thinking that.
"Oh dear, my eyes are getting dim, am I nearing my end… why am I seeing things?"
As if to prove that I had never set foot in the Imperial Library before, the librarian completely denied reality when I appeared.
He seemed to want to dismiss my visit as a hallucination, especially since he was in the middle of applying oil to his magnificent white beard.
"Get back to work. Nice beard."
I waved my hand, indicating that the librarian didn't need to follow me. A few seconds later, the librarian jumped up as if he had horns growing out of his backside.
Frankly, I was worried about his joint health.
"Ahem, so you really are Her Majesty the Empress! Is there… perhaps a book you are looking for?"
"The Imperial Family Registry."
"I'll bring it right away."
The kind-faced librarian was quite old for a human, so he seemed to have some sense. He seemed curious as to why I was looking for the registry, but he never voiced it.
'Enrique. Enrique…'
About a minute later. I had the book I wanted in my hands, and I stared intently at the names.
About 200 years ago, my fourth sister, who was a great mage among humans, had told me about the Imperial Family Registry.
The Imperial Family Registry was a book that recorded the lineage from the first Emperor onwards, and it was a Magic Tool made by the Magic Tower at the request of the Nix Empire.
I remember my fourth sister telling me that it was enchanted with Bloodline Magic that recorded the existence of anyone with even a drop of the first Emperor's blood as soon as they were born.
Of course, it also marked when they died.
However, there was one loophole: the "spouse" of the Imperial Family had to be written in by hand by the registrar.
I skimmed through the name 'Leonarda' and then rolled my eyes to find the name I wanted.
'The current Emperor's name is Yert Lu Nicks…. I wonder if there's an Enrique among his brothers.'
First of all, there are no living brothers.
I thoroughly searched even the dead ones, and after a while.
I tilted my head.
'There's no one? Is it not this country?'
Once I checked up to the end of the records, I went back from the end to the beginning, looking for the name 'Enrique' again.
But my eyes were not mistaken.
'Then there are two possibilities.'
The first is that he is not from the Nix Empire, and the second is that he is from the Nix Empire, but even the name he gave me is a lie.
If it's the latter, this isn't just a matter of feeling upset, but it feels like something inside me is collapsing…….
"You. What is your name?"
"Haha, my name is Charles."
"Yes, Charles. Is there a book that records the names of the royalty of other countries?"
I asked calmly for now.
There's no need to jump to conclusions and get hurt in advance.
He might be royalty from another country.
"I'm sorry. As far as I know, there is no such book."
If a librarian who is nearly seventy years old doesn't know, then it really doesn't exist.
'Should I call an employee from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs separately and ask?'
Well, it would be strange to have a book with the names of foreign royalty.
Having accepted that, I voiced my next request.
"Bring me a world map."
"A world map… Ah! Is it because of the summit between the two countries?"
"A summit is going to be held… yes, that's right."
I had no idea, but I skillfully pretended to know.
"I'll bring it right away."
However, as soon as the librarian scurried behind the bookshelves, I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I felt a headache coming on.
'A summit is about to be held, and they didn't report it to me?'
Even if I'm a demon with a different ecology from humans, I was still a Monarch. I was the master who ruled the seven realms of hell.
I knew how big events in the palace worked.
'These big things aren't decided in a day or two. They start coordinating at least a year in advance, and they put all their efforts into preparing for the summit six months in advance.'
I barely stopped myself from sighing.
What on earth were the people in the Empress Palace thinking, not telling the Empress who had lost her memory anything?
This much overprotection was a disease.
'Even if I'm just an Empress in name only, I'm still the Empress. A summit is not a place for a concubine to step in.'
It's a place where the Emperor and Empress of one country meet the Emperor and Empress of another country.
'Could it be… that they're even thinking of excluding the Empress and putting the Saintess in her place?'
It's like advertising, 'Our country is a mess.'
'Besides, what about the banquet preparations? That's also the duty of the Empress, the mistress of this country.'
Right now, the Empress Palace wasn't preparing for a banquet, let alone a tea party. It was just leisurely and peaceful.
My neck stiffened, and I frowned and thought hard.
'This isn't something to be happy about because it's peaceful, is it?'
The Emperor will definitely take the Empress with him. He couldn't not. Duke Ahillo and the aristocratic faction wouldn't stand for it.
Then there's only one answer.
They're going to prepare all the meals themselves and then use the Empress as a table decoration.
The original Leonarda might have been okay with that… but not me.
It's an opportunity to enhance the dignity of the Empress, so why would I refuse?
Besides, maybe the Emperor of the country that's coming is Enrique.
'When I get back, I need to scold the people in the Empress Palace first. And I need to find out everything else they haven't told me.'
There were no articles about the summit in the gazette yet, so I should have about a month. Even if the Saintess already has a banquet concept in preparation, I have enough time to redo it.
'It's getting cold. Is the map not here yet?'
The librarian probably wouldn't like it if a lot of people crowded into the library.
I already have a bad image, and I don't want to make it worse here, so it was a mistake to leave Derek outside the door.
I shivered and put my hands together, breathing on them to warm them.
'Maybe it'll be a little warmer if I stand by the window and get some sunlight. Or maybe the cold wind will come in and make it even colder.'
I've never lived in such a weak body before, so I suddenly felt annoyed.
I wonder how I can make this body, which is destined to die, healthy and usable.
I blamed my useless body and tapped my head against the glass window.
How long had I been there?
My eyes widened more and more.
I couldn't help it.
"Oh, Your Majesty!"
Pink hair, as fluffy as newly bloomed flowers, fluttered in the breeze. A woman in a cute dress with fluffy fur trim laughed happily.
Just then, the clouds parted, and the sunlight poured down on the woman.
Because the library was located in the western corner, where the sun didn't shine well, to protect the books, all that surrounded me was a dim shadow.
But 'Helene' walked down a glittering path as if she were the main character of this world.
Confidently, in the most brilliant way possible.
And next to her was…….
"!"
Thump.
My heart sank heavily. At the same time as my stomach twisted, my whole body went out of control and began to tremble.
Melting platinum blonde hair. Elegant and harmless appearance like a lost deer. The purple eyes that I loved so much were embedded in my vision like broken pieces of glass.
Ah, like the tip of a merciless sword, his name, which once again digs into the red core—
It was Enrique. It was Enrique.
