RR 13

Chapter : 13

At that moment, Meryl was waiting endlessly for King Accus in his office. She had requested a meeting through the chief attendant, but there had been no word. Meryl waited. Sitting with her back straight, staring ahead, she continued to wait. And then she made up her mind. Today would be the last time she waited.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but the sunlight that had been streaming in through the eastern window had moved to the center, shifting the position of the shadows. Just then, a familiar sound came from outside. The sound of someone walking quickly with long strides. It was Norren.

Without realizing it, Meryl’s lips curved upward. Norren Accus. She truly loved him. From the moment she first saw him until now, she had loved him.

Clack. The door opened. Bang. It slammed shut. Step, step. Soon he stood before her—the figure she had longed for every day.

King Accus frowned and looked her up and down. When the chief attendant had reported it, he had doubted his own ears. It was Meryl, who had not taken a single step outside the castle tower. The woman who had feared being labeled insane and pushed out of the queen’s position. And yet…

She was not beautiful, but she carried dignity. She wore an old but elegant dress. He had a hunch. King Accus’s lips twisted into a sneer. It seemed she had come to negotiate with him, knowing her place.

Leaning back against the desk, King Accus spoke arrogantly.

“What is it?”

Meryl stared straight at him. And in her heart, she bid him farewell.

I’ll let you go now.

With a hoarse voice, Meryl spoke.

“I’m thinking of handing over the seal of the Rediang territory to you.”

King Accus’s eyes widened automatically. The seal of Rediang? The very thing Meryl had clutched so tightly all this time? He immediately understood why. Snorting, he said mockingly,

“So you mean to pay for what Emblin has done with that?”

Meryl smiled faintly.

“Payment? Yes. I suppose you could put it that way.”

She continued calmly.

“I’ll give you everything except Wintergarden and the five villages attached to it.”

“And why won’t you give me those?”

“Because Emblin needs them. I’ll send her to Wintergarden and have her live there.”

“And what about the scandal?”

“For a man, a scandal is nothing. But Emblin is different. From the start, it’s different for her. So it’s right that she live alone.”

“Sounds plausible. But tell me—do you really think that will compensate for losing Idark?”

“It’s more than enough. Ten years versus a lifetime. That kind of calculation should be obvious.”

“That’s not something you can put into numbers. You don’t know the world. You know nothing, yet you talk as if you’re giving something great.”

Meryl looked him straight in the eye.

“Then wait and see until I grow old and die. And there’s something you’ve forgotten—I can change the territorial proxy. My guardian is dead.”

King Accus’s face hardened. What she said was true. Her guardian, Accus IV, had died. After that, he himself had taken on that role in name as her husband. But if she decided to take the initiative and wield authority, it would be hard to stop her—because to claim he was truly her protector, he would have had to act like one.

And as was widely known throughout Sloeland, Meryl was not his real queen. That alone already proved he had failed in his role as her husband and guardian.

“You’re insane.”

A curse slipped from between his lips.

“I hated you from the moment I first saw you.”

Meryl remained calm. Not a trace of wavering. Only then did King Accus fully admit that she was different from usual.

Meryl spoke.

“Decide now. What will you do?”

King Accus ground his teeth. He wouldn’t mind giving up Wintergarden and five villages, but he didn’t want to simply do as Meryl said.

But she wasn’t finished.

“When Emblin recovers and settles in Wintergarden, forget about that child immediately. She will no longer be your daughter.”

King Accus’s lips twisted coldly.

“So you’re not saying you’ll give it to me right away.”

“Think about what you’ve done.”

“Hah. And how would I know you won’t stab me in the back later?”

Meryl smiled slightly. She had expected that. A vile, despicable lump of greed. Smiling, she said,

“Call Cardinal Mille. I’ll make him our witness.”

King Accus pondered for a moment. Idark and the Rediang territory. Though he would lose Wintergarden and the five villages, they had nothing to do with the wealth of Rediang. Wintergarden was a fortress-like palace carved into a rocky mountain, and the five villages had long since become empty, as most of their people had fled for lack of food. There were vast forests nearby, but they had become wolf territory.

Moreover, to reach Wintergarden one had to pass through the Valley of Winds, famous for sudden gusts so strong they could lift horses and people into the air. Because of such natural geography, Wintergarden had been made into a last refuge.

On the other hand, the ten-year ownership of Idark was not a completely guaranteed right. King Ingrad Lotsen was so old and in such poor health that it wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment. That was why he had appointed his eldest son, Gage, as regent, and exiled his second son, Sage, to prevent any possible rebellion.

But King Lotsen had an extreme fondness for young women, as if he drew vitality from them. To such a man, Emblin was perfect prey. A young woman of high royal blood. Thinking it a final indulgence before death, he had eagerly accepted the proposal. But the contract had not yet been drawn up.

They planned to exchange the contract during the wedding vows. The reason it hadn’t been written beforehand was Gage. Coveting Idark, Gage was vehemently opposing it. He was probably hoping with all his heart that King Lotsen would die before the wedding.

King Accus felt the same. Once the contract was signed, it wouldn’t matter whether Lotsen lived or died. Another reason he pushed for the marriage was that it would give him an excuse to ask the Order for support. According to his spies, King Lotsen’s strength was weakening by the day. They had originally planned to send Emblin next spring, but when he tried to move it up, Gage opposed that too.

Gage, for his part, saw straight through King Accus’s scheme. That was why he intended to send her to Ingrad no matter what—planning to claim that she had lost her chastity there and assert rights over Idark. It might not go smoothly, and he might gain nothing, but he meant to use it as a chance to expose Ingrad’s cowardice to the lords.

But now that a scandal had broken out, King Accus’s calculations were completely ruined. Gage would surely prevent Emblin from even setting foot there. And at such a moment, Meryl’s proposal…

As King Accus’s silence dragged on, Meryl gradually grew anxious. What if he refused? Fear crept in. Then Emblin would lose her chance to escape. And if that happened…

Meryl added,

“If you do as I say, I’ll file for divorce.”

King Accus’s eyes narrowed. Divorce? He couldn’t believe it. For all those years, despite every humiliation and insult, Meryl had never sought a divorce. And now she would?

King Accus scoffed.

“Do you think a divorce would even be accepted?”

“It will, if I want it to be.”

Maybe it would. If both of them wanted it, perhaps it could happen. King Accus didn’t think any further. He was sick of situations he couldn’t control. He summoned the chief attendant and ordered,

“Call Cardinal Mille.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the chief attendant left, King Accus said to Meryl,

“At least you have maternal love.”

Meryl looked at him silently. He had no paternal love. Even if he swore before Cardinal Mille, he was the kind of man who would break his promise whenever it suited him. A man with no honor and no true faith. That was the truth she had tried so hard to ignore all this time.

Emblin had to be different from her. Emblin too would need a man as a guardian, but she would teach her: do not believe in love. Do not fear using people. Above all, trust no one in this world. Trust no one. Live by money and cold reason.

During the time she had left, she would teach Emblin that way. That would be the first and last time she could act as a mother.

Soon, Cardinal Mille arrived.

That night, Emblin woke up in excruciating pain. Her vision spun, and nausea surged up. Unable to endure it, she vomited. Her stomach twisted, and her head throbbed as if someone were striking it with a hammer. As she lay sprawled on the floor like an animal, retching, someone patted her back.

After vomiting several times, her stomach finally settled. But her head still hurt. When she lay back on the bed, someone wiped the sweat from her with a damp cloth. Then something was spread over her wounds. It hurt terribly, but she endured it. Even if she said it hurt, there was no one who would listen. Out of habit, she endured.

With her eyes closed, Emblin asked,

“Elga, how much time has passed?”

“A full day and a half.”

Emblin’s eyes flew open. Meryl was before her. Smiling in satisfaction at the effect of the ointment, Meryl said,

“It’s a very good medicine.”

Emblin only stared at her. This wasn’t the usual Meryl. It was a strange, unfamiliar 모습. She had never seen Meryl so gentle and soft.

“Tris left it for you,” Meryl said.

Tris? Why Tris? When Emblin looked confused, Meryl calmly explained,

“His Majesty tried to marry you to King Ingrad…”

The more she listened, the worse Emblin’s headache became. A scandal she knew nothing about? And with Tris, of all people? She had hardly even spoken with him. She had only briefly envied Idella for having such an older brother. She had no idea how this had happened.