The Place Where I Was Sold as a Slave Was the Imperial Palace

(69)

author’s words

11/12 Fixed a typo. thank you

＜ Let’s go meet him. ＞

* * *

I slept holding on to my clothes so that I couldn’t go, but it was gone. Lou doesn’t come back.

As Lou said, five finger nights passed, and then another five nights passed.

and five more.

As many nights as Lou had spread his hands to show, he still hadn’t returned.

‘roo···.’

When I close my eyes, I see the events of the day right in front of my eyes.

In the moving carriage, a man dressed in the same color as when the white snow was dirty was sitting with Lou.

Lou gets up from the wagon just as he was startled.

saw yourself

Lilitha knows. It’s too far away to see clearly, but he knows Lou saw him.

You saw me, Lu will come back, I thought.

But the wagon got further and further away.

A man with dirty eyes and clothes of the same color grabbed Lu and sat him down, and the carriage drove away.

No matter how much Lou was called, the carriage did not return.

*

The rice, which was always delicious, became tasteless.

It tasted the same as when you saw a chicken eating and put sand in your mouth.

It was fun, but it got boring.

It’s the same whether you chase goats or chickens and ducks. Not funny.

[Rudy won’t come if you don’t eat!]

I ate it because the toothless nanny said so, but Lou did not come back even after two more five-fingered nights. is a liar

At night, I fell asleep alone.

When I lay down where I always slept and stared at the ceiling, the magic Lou gave me came.

When the twinkling magics were by my side, the cold blanket quickly became warm.

But I don’t know why. It’s always cold. I don’t know why it’s cold when it’s warm, because there’s no one to teach me.

I didn’t even know magic. Doesn’t answer even if I ask.

And sometimes he flew somewhere and came back with a face full of rice.

At that time, the chiritchirit in Lou’s body came out of the magic’s body with a pop, pop, sound.

Every time, Lilitha felt as if Lou had returned, so she put her finger on it and received the tingle of the magic.

Apparently, magic is like the fairy Lou said.

You have magic powder that allows you to fly.

I thought that if I could fly like a fairy, I would be able to go to where Lou was in no time.

You don’t have to know where Lou is. If you have fairy dust, you can go. Magicians have been there too, so I can definitely go there.

I asked to share the powder, but Lou was right. Fairies are grumpy. Didn’t distribute magic powder.

Another five-fingered night has passed.

Lou is also a liar. I waited as promised, but he didn’t come.

I hated Lou for a few finger nights, but after that I was worried.

Maybe I’m being held by the man with the dirty eyes. That’s why I want to come to Lilitha, but I can’t. Maybe you’re captured by a crocodile with a watch in it and a bad captain.

So, Lilitha thought.

let’s go meet

Let’s go see Lou.

They say it’s far away, but magic will point the way.

Lou, Lilitha will save you.

ate again Even if it doesn’t taste good, if you don’t eat it, you can’t become a merchant in the world. If you become the world trader Lu said, you can definitely save it.

No, David might be better. Because it takes a long time to grow like the Cheonha merchant.

“…”

I need to find a stone too. To be David, you need a stone.

*

He ate a lot and held stones in both hands. Marie called, but pretended not to hear.

Rilisha goes to see Lou.

As we ran out, the nurse screamed and called for us to come back from behind.

I don’t know.

He doesn’t come back until he meets Lou.

I left the mansion for the first time and ran on the dirt.

Mari chases after her, but magic protects Lilitha. The magic Lou created was burning inside her body.

I think Lou is telling me to cheer up.

Thinking like that really gave me strength.

Marie’s voice faded, and there was a large piece of land in front of her eyes. There is no end in sight. The same goes for running and running. There was still land.

How long must I run before I can meet Lu?

How far are you going?

where is lou?

She was about to cry, but suddenly someone grabbed her and lifted her up.

When I looked up in surprise, it was a man wearing clothes the color of dirty eyes.

It’s a face I’ve never seen before, but it’s an enemy! I’m on the side of the guys who took Rudy! They’re all wearing the same clothes!

I tried to run away by shaking my hands and feet, but I couldn’t. I asked the magicians for help, but no one helped.

Rilisha was brought back to the mansion. The dirty snow-colored clothes disappeared before I knew it, but I won’t forget it. enemy

After that, I was scolded by the nanny for a while.

Marie wept bitterly.

Because the nanny told Bhimama, she was hit twice in the legs with something like a thin tree branch.

Bhimama cried and said something, but I don’t know.

who is rico? Why did Riko go to study with the Emperor when Lou was gone?

That night, as I was crying alone in the futon, the magic came in and stayed with me, shining brightly.

But you guys didn’t help me.

I hated it and pretended not to know it, but the magic was always next to Lilitha.

[We also want to see the master.]

It was like I heard someone say that in a dream.

Lou, I miss you.

Wait, Lou! I’ll eat a lot and go back to get you.

* * *

The third fall has already come since the Emperor took Rudy and left.

In the meantime, Chief Chamberlain Reynolds had been to the Duchy of Watlingu several times, where the emperor was staying.

Each time, the emperor was visibly emaciated. If you return to the imperial palace, it will be revealed that you are sick to anyone’s eyes.

Rudy, who was like a wary cat, became a 10-year-old boy before he knew it.

When I thought of Rudy’s figure, my forehead automatically furrowed.

Rudy grew taller and more beautiful.

It is said that it resembles the Duke of Watoringu so much that it can no longer be fooled by makeup, and it is rumored that it is the Duke’s lineage among the residents of Watoringu.

It is difficult.

The fake heir to the Duke of Watoringu died this summer.

He spent the same amount of time, but unlike Rudy, the child died at the same weight as when he first entered the imperial palace. He had only grown a little bit taller, but he still looked like a child.

Because of Pablo’s medicine.

I can’t complain because I kept a child who should have just died alive for several years, but because of that, rumors started to spread that it was a fake.

It is said that it is not a scarecrow created by a witch.

If he had died a little earlier, there wouldn’t have been such rumors, but the medicine worked so well.

‘His Majesty made good judgment. If Rudy had been here, he would have noticed.’

The empress’ hands and feet were cut off, but there are still many people in Korea who are touched by her hands. If she had noticed, it would have been difficult to work because foreign influences had come in. but···.

Reynolds pressed his temples and sighed.

Even the empress, who didn’t notice at all at first, seems to have noticed something strange lately. Suddenly, he started paying attention to Nadia Grabi and Rudy’s direction.

“…”

The crown prince still had no children. Even though he brought in several concubines, the rumor that the crown prince had no seed was no longer a rumor, but the truth.

Of course. I have been taking medicine for a long time, so that even if I meet a woman, my male function will not occur.

According to Pablo, after a long time, there is a possibility that the medicine will wear off.

‘Well, that part shouldn’t be a big problem. It will be after being excluded from the right of succession.’

The problem was the empress.

Part of the barbarians, who have been the bane of the empire for a long time, are secretly encroaching on its borders after learning of the emperor’s absence.

The Barbarians are nomads of the steppe bordering the upper reaches of the Empire.

They are difficult to deal with because they travel on horseback and do not live in one place.

Even if we try to retaliate by invading this side, we don’t know where to go because there is no set place.

It was difficult for one side to retaliate against the other because it was not unified as one country, but several tribes gathered.

Best of all, they are adept at riding horses even for children as young as five.

They run away when we’re strong, and attack when we’re weak or camped out to sleep.

By the time they geared up for a counterattack, they were already on the run after attacking and plundering.

They hit and run, and no one can chase them. I had no choice but to bite my fingers and stare at the blankly running away in front of my eyes.

‘They’re like rats.’

Some barbarians gnawed at the borders of the empire, plundering women and livestock, while other tribes sent envoys.

If they marry the princess of the empire to their chieftain, they will drive out the tribe that invades their borders.

They also demanded that livestock be sent along with the book of marriage.

In savage tribes, when a woman gets married, the man gives her livestock as a dowry.

That was the custom of the barbarians.

I know this for sure, but shamelessly, in the empire, customs say that a woman should bring her livestock when she gets married with a dowry.

The empress seems to be jumping on the bandwagon and trying to marry off Princess Lilitha to a savage tribe. It seemed that someone who had been touched by the empress had brought up the story of Princess Lilitha to the death god.

Princess Lilitha is now 8 years old, she is still young, but in the barbarians, it is common for girls just over 10 years old to get married.

I heard that there were cases in which barbarians gave birth to children at the age of 12 or 13.

Even if you get married, it is between countries. It takes time. The princess would also grow old while we discussed and elaborated the procedure, so it wasn’t impossible if we wanted to.

Perhaps they had heard of Nadia Gravi’s beauty, but the barbarian envoy said he wanted to see Princess Lilitha, so the officials who were hosting it were having a hard time.

It is nonsense.

Aside from the emotional connection between Princess Lilitha and Rudy, there are many reasons not to miss her.

The biggest thing was that there was no possibility that Princess Lirisha’s mother’s family would exert power over the empire.

Rudy is an aristocrat from a ruined country, even though his lineage is great.

If he married a woman with a background like the empress, there was a high possibility that he would gain power over there.

Even the empress, who was the legitimate heir to the empire and was skilled, had a hard time handling the empress, but if Rudy, who had no background, married such a woman, she would be pushed into the shadows.

Even if you grind and polish a gem after all, it will become a useless stone. If there is no support, it will be difficult as it is, but under the pressure of maternal relatives, there is no porridge or rice.

The emperor was also worried about that part, and he was already negotiating with families with deep ties to the imperial family.

He did not openly mention the fact that he was securing an heir to the Duke of Watoring, but it was enough to subtly smell it.

If you look at them individually, they don’t pose a big threat, but if you put them together, they become a force no one can ignore.

Also, they keep each other in check, so if Rudy is good at walking a tightrope, he won’t be much of a threat.

He will be a better supporter to Rudy than anyone else.

‘It would be nice if the empress no longer approached Princess Lilitha…’

As I sighed, Buradov entered the chamberlain’s office.

“Mr. Reynolds! A letter from His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

It seems that the answer to the barbarian’s work has come.

Reynolds opened the sealed envelope and took out the letter. The familiar letters of the emperor came into view.

“…”

Reynolds, who had been reading all along, raised the corners of his lips.

Early next year, it was written that it would return when the snow melted.

Originally, it was planned to stay until the fall.

Moving the schedule this much forward could have problems with the barbarians, but it would mean that Rudy’s studies were progressing that much.

‘In just a few years…’

I thought he was a smart kid, but Rudy showed more than that.

Currently, the Duchy of Watoringu is temporarily owned by the Empire. They caught fault with the Kingdom of Cania and entered into a treaty to belong to the Empire for 20 years.

Using the treaty as a shield, the emperor strictly forbids the entry of foreign countries and does not receive outside visitors.

Concentrate only on managing the Duchy of Watoringu.

While managing the dukedom with limited resources, he taught them how to stabilize the lives of the people and how to show themselves and receive support from the people.

A duchy is like a miniature miniature of a country. The emperor thoroughly hammered the way of managing the country into Rudy’s body and head.

The last time I saw Rudy was in the spring of this year, and at the age of 10 Rudy felt as if he had just created another emperor. Although, of course, the appearance is the exact opposite.

It also felt a bit scary.

The emperor could only use his appearance as a menace.

But Rudy uses even beauty as a weapon. He is only 10 years old, yet he can bewitch people with just his eyes… For Reynolds, that’s impossible even at his age.

‘Boris must have taught that part.’

I heard that there was a time when Boris, on the orders of the former emperor, went from woman to woman to gather information.

He probably passed on that skill.

Even so, I wonder if it is possible for a 10-year-old child to have a color scent.

‘I really don’t know that kid.’

I glanced at Buradov standing in front of me. Buradov had said several times that the child had a slightly frightening side. I felt like I knew a little bit about what it was.

Just then, the door burst open and an attendant ran in.

“Chief of staff! News has arrived that someone from the empress’ residence is trying to drag Princess Lilitha away!”

＜ Let’s go meet him. ＞ end