TBDNS 01

Rustle!

A small sound was heard between the bushes where darkness had descended. The expression of the man who had been watching tensely soon changed to one of bewilderment. What emerged from the bushes was not a wolf, but a handsome young man. He was naked, not wearing a single thread. His silver hair fluttering under the moonlight and his blue-gray eyes were mysterious. He must have been a nobleman enjoying a secret affair with his lover.

‘Wait, where have I seen this face before…?’

Meanwhile, the naked man was getting closer. Only then did the man realize that his clean face was covered in blood. The expression on his face as he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand was so indifferent that it gave him goosebumps. He unconsciously took a step back, and then he remembered who this man was.

‘That’s right, this person is definitely…!’

At that moment, cruel blue-gray eyes glared at him fiercely.

“Ugh!”

“Happy birthday, Your Majesty!”

As the imperial couple appeared on the spiral staircase, the nobles came forward one by one to bow. They were accompanied by servants carrying all sorts of gift packages. Fine porcelain, silk, expensive jewels, rare medicines, expensive works of art… Numerous gifts were piled up like a tower next to the Emperor.

Finally, it was Adele’s turn.

Clink, clack…

As she crossed the banquet hall, silence fell. The people’s chatter and laughter disappeared. Some people stared, holding back their drinks. In the silence where time seemed to have stopped, Adele slowly walked toward the Emperor. Her gait was as arrogant and confident as the main character of this banquet hall. Beneath her neatly tied black hair, her exceptionally thin and white neckline was dazzling. Her deep green eyes were mysterious and captivating. However, it was not just her beauty that made people lose their minds.

“Oh my god! Isn’t that a mourning dress?”

Someone’s whisper was heard, and as if it were a signal, everyone began to murmur together.

“Wearing mourning clothes on His Majesty’s birthday? She’s really out of her mind.”

This must have been about the black dress Adele was wearing. Of course, she had expected this reaction. Every year at the end of the year, the Emperor’s birthday banquet was held as a year-end party. It was the largest and most splendid banquet in the Kalame Empire. It was said that the women of the noble families spent the whole year preparing the dress they would wear today. The dress they wore today would be the talk of the town for the whole year. They would be envied or ridiculed. So no one dared to wear a black dress. Adele had done it!

“But what is that thing she is holding in her arms?”

“Surely it’s not an urn?”

“I don’t think that’s possible… but I guess that woman could do that.”

Adele looked down at the box in her arms. It was a gift to the Emperor, but… Looking at it this way, it looked exactly like an urn in terms of shape and size. An urn and mourning clothes were a perfect match.

“I don’t understand why His Majesty invites such a woman every year.”

That was what Adele wanted to ask. Why did the Emperor invite her to this banquet every year? Nominally, it was because she was the former Marchioness of a noble family. But why would he do it in a place where no one, including herself, welcomed her?

“There is no evidence that that woman poisoned her husband.”

“But still. The whole world knows, so how can she shamelessly show her face like that?”

People were talking as if they wanted her to hear them. The more they did, the more Adele raised her head and made a shameless expression. At first, when she had attended the banquet without knowing anything, she had heard this terrible rumor and suffered greatly. After about eight years, she had become accustomed to being cursed.

However, it was not that Adele had intentionally worn a black dress. No matter how much you curse, you live longer, but she was not a pervert who would accept curses for pleasure. In fact, she only had one top-quality silk dress. It was originally cream-colored, but she dyed it pink the next year, and then red the year after that, and had it altered. The red dress turned purple again, and as the color of the dress gradually darkened, black was the only choice left. So Adele made her choice. Rather than being a shabby, poor woman who had worn a worn-out dress for years, she would become a heretic at the banquet hall.

‘Well, my reputation can’t get any worse.’

She now took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to the Emperor.

“Happy birthday, Your Majesty.”

Since there was no attendant with him, she personally delivered the gift. It was a box that looked like an urn. The Emperor’s attendant, who received the box, did not hide his bewildered expression.

“Your dress is very striking today, ma’am.”

The Emperor spoke to her. It was very unusual for him to mention a woman’s dress. But the tone of his words was sarcastic, so everyone snorted as if they had expected it. It was clear that Adele’s mourning dress had offended the Emperor. Adele smiled faintly and answered bluntly.

“Black symbolizes unity, Your Majesty. I wore it in the hope that many nations would unite under the imperial flag.”

This is the very essence of dream interpretation. The Emperor laughed silently at the reckless answer.

“So, what’s inside this weird box?”

“This is a dessert I made myself.”

Dessert. In an instant, laughter erupted here and there. There were dozens of chefs dedicated to the Emperor in the imperial palace. Moreover, this banquet hall was overflowing with colorful desserts.

“She is offering His Majesty a gift that only common children would enjoy receiving.”

“That’s right. She really is not in her right mind.”

Adele was not discouraged by the mutterings.

“I made it with my own special recipe, so it will definitely taste different from anything you’ve had before.”

The Emperor seemed curious about her confident attitude.

“I wonder what it tastes like.”

“I guess it’s a taste you wouldn’t know even if you ate it until you died. Isn’t that right, Marchioness Oswald?”

The Empress, who had been wearing a displeased expression, intervened. She was smiling, but her gaze toward Adele was cold. Then, the people around her made meaningful eye contact. It was as if they felt a sense of duty to join in since the Empress had started.

“It seems that the late Marquis also really liked the desserts made by his wife.”

“Your Majesty, if it’s a special recipe, it’s not proven, so it’s dangerous.”

Everyone believes that Adele poisoned her husband, the Marquis, with food. If many people believe it even without evidence, it becomes the truth. A woman who married an old Marquis who was as old as her father to rise in social status, and then cruelly poisoned him. A woman blinded by lust who even seduced her stepson. The greatest villainess of the Kalame Empire, Adele! Since when did this become the truth to them?

‘It’s all bullshit.’

Adele was always ostracized at banquets because she was a wicked woman who poisoned the Marquis. And people were always watching her with keen senses, ready to spread malicious rumors no matter how she reacted.

‘It’s okay. It’s not something that happened just a day or two ago.’

Adele, who had made up her mind, answered with an indifferent expression.

“Unfortunately, I started making desserts to console myself for the sadness of losing the Marquis first. He would have really enjoyed it if he had eaten it while he was still alive. That’s why I wanted to treat His Majesty to it. Now that I think about it, I guess I was too greedy.”

Finally, Adele smiled faintly and bowed her head politely.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, it would be best to just throw it away, Your Majesty.”

She felt like her mouth was going to cramp from the forced smile. She wanted to go home quickly.

‘When I go back, I have to take off this suffocating dress.’

And she had to bake some sweet cookies and soft breads that would melt on her tongue. That was the time.

“May I try some, Your Majesty?”

A pleasant, low-pitched voice echoed through the banquet hall.

***

The people around them stepped back one by one to make way. In the middle of them, a man in a black uniform with golden epaulettes appeared. A tall, slender young nobleman in his late twenties.

“I think that guy is Count Weiss!”

Someone shouted, and the banquet hall stirred. Count Weiss. He was the hottest man in the empire these days. The hero who had contributed the most to ending the war with a neighboring country that had lasted for over ten years. There were even rumors that he was the royalty of a fallen nation, having suddenly risen to prominence in just five or six years. But the most important thing was that he was still young and unmarried.

Today was his first appearance in society. The women had been excited for a while just by the rumor that he was coming. And, he exceeded people’s expectations. No, he looked completely different from what they had expected.

He was so beautiful that it was hard to believe he was a brave hero. His silver-white hair that swayed briefly whenever he walked, and his pale, blue-gray eyes shone mysteriously. His sharp features and tightly shut lips were as cold and chilling as a glacier.

“It is late, Your Majesty.”

He bowed before the Emperor with a face that showed no sign of a smile. His expression was cold, as if he had never smiled before.

“Are you coveting my gift by coming so late?”

“So you won’t allow it?”

“Of course, I will allow it. The Count wishes it.”

As the Emperor nodded, the attendant opened the box and handed it to Count Weiss. Inside the box were carefully made cookies, cup-shaped cakes, and small tarts, each beautifully packaged. It was so bad that people mistook it for an urn. The Count picked up one of the cookies and put it in his mouth. Everyone watched nervously, wondering what it was. Of course, most of the women looked at his lips with selfish eyes. His red, glossy lips were so alluring that they forgot he was a man. After a while, the Count spoke to the Emperor.

“These are the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

“Surprising. I didn’t know the Count knew how to taste cookies.”

He furrowed his brows.

“Did you think I was eating something like raw meat?”

The Emperor laughed loudly and spoke as if for the people to hear.

“You may be neat and tidy now, but on the battlefield, there are truly ferocious beasts. I fell in love with the Count’s wild appearance, though.”

“If you’re going to say something like that, I won’t accept your invitation again.”

“Hey, aren’t you paying too much? After all, I am the Emperor.”

“So I’ll let you see.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Those who heard the conversation between the Emperor and the Count were surprised. The Emperor in front of them was widely known as a cold-blooded man. Even nobles would sweat profusely in front of him. However, the two men talked as if joking. Moreover, it seemed as if the Emperor was giving in. It seemed that the rumor that he cared greatly for the Count was not just a rumor.

“Then where should we eat?”

The Emperor, having tasted the cookies, showed a satisfied expression and recommended them to the Empress and others.

“It’s a shame to eat it alone. Everyone has one.”

At this point, everyone was rushing to put one in their mouths. They didn’t forget to compliment the deliciousness of the Emperor and Count Weiss. In an instant, the villainess Adele became a dessert expert.

***

However, Adele’s expression was even worse than before. Her face was pale, as if she would collapse at any moment. Her deep green eyes were always fixed on Count Weiss. Perhaps it was because of his hair. Such beautiful silver hair was rare. No, it wasn’t just his hair. No matter how you looked at it, the Count looked so much like that child.

‘Chris…’

Even though ten years had passed, she still felt a little sad when she remembered that name. The boy who had blocked her path, without being able to tell her not to go. The cracked hand that had been tugging at the end of her sleeve, tears hanging from his long eyelashes. As the memory of that day came to mind, Adele quickly shook her head.

‘That’s ridiculous!’

That man was Count Weiss. The Count was a war hero, but he was also said to be a great man who owned diamonds, gold mines, and several banks. However, the boy she knew was the son of an ordinary miner. He would have become a miner by now, and if he had married early, he would have been the father of a child. And he would have lived his life completely forgetting about her. Above all, those icy eyes couldn’t have been Chris’s. He was a warmer and prettier child than anyone else.

‘Yes, that man is Count Weiss. He just looks like him….’

After a while, a dance song began to flow in the banquet hall. The ladies rushed to Count Weiss, their eyes sparkling. They wanted him to ask them to dance. If they were to be his partner today, they would be the envy of society for a while. However, the Count slipped through the crowd and walked somewhere. With brisk strides. He was approaching Adele without a moment’s hesitation on his long legs in boots. Everyone looked at him, wondering if it could be true, and Adele’s eyes also widened. Although she had thought to herself dozens of times that it couldn’t be true, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

‘Chris… It’s really you… right?’

She had mixed thoughts of wanting him to be that child and not wanting it to be that child. It was so miserable to leave like that and meet him like this. But she really wanted to see him once before she died. That child who was always on her side. That child was always with her in her happy times. Stand tall. Finally, he stopped in front of Adele and bowed one knee respectfully. And he held out his large right hand,

“Would you like to be my partner?”

He applied for a dance. For a moment, Adele’s world seemed to stop. She couldn’t hear anything or see anything. She stared blankly at the man with dazzling silver hair, then placed her hand on top of his. As if possessed by something.

Crack! A large, strong hand grabbed her hand. His long arms wrapped around her thin waist and hugged her tightly. Adele looked up in surprise. In an instant, she was trapped in the wide, solid arms of the man. At that moment, a soft, low-pitched voice whispered.

“Long time no see, Adele.”