The Abandoned Empress Will Not Return

“How……?”

 

Rodelia still couldn’t get rid of her bewildered feelings.
Every moment felt like a dream.

 

Cerdian kindly wiped away her tears, took her back to the bed and sat down.
It was him who lit the lamp in the pitch-black darkness.
Yet, she still couldn’t believe it.

 

He said that he heard the news from the Grand Duchy and came running within a month.
He said that he was on a long and rough road to pick her up.
Cerdian had waited calmly for a long time until Rodelia stopped crying, then asked slowly.

 

“Come with me.”

 

It didn’t take long to understand the words.

 

And when she grasped his intentions, her heart, which had barely returned to a steady beat, started beating madly again.  It was nothing but a clear relief.
The relief of finally being able to get out of here.

 

But she couldn’t answer him right away.  Because it was suspicious.

 

‘Why…..?’

 

She didn’t understand.
What kind of relationship did they have?

 

Small different-colored lights shook, just like her heart.
Rodelia raised her gaze from the flames and Cerdian was still looking at her.
The red eyes looked bottomless.

 

“You’re coming with me, right?”

 

“…….”

 

“Say yes.”

 

Cerdian’s voice was mournful.
It was seductive, like a confession of love.
In the dark, their eyes were deeply intertwined.

 

“I…..”

 

Rodelia was overcome by an impulse.
She wanted to nod her head vigorously, hold his hand and leave this place right at that moment.

 

But she couldn’t.
She was just a criminal whose feet were tied here, and the day she disappears, the imperial family will never leave her alone.

 

‘Take me with you.’ She swallowed these words that filled her throat again and again.
Rodelia smiled sadly to hide her leaking tears.

 

“I……”

 

She had to quickly spit out something but the words couldn’t come out.
The words ‘I can’t go’ seemed to have been stuck in her throat.
She had no choice but to close her eyes gently to hide her quivering eyes.

 

Taking a few breaths, Rodelia prayed that she wouldn’t regret her choice…..
Finally, she held his outstretched hand.

 

 *

 

Early in the morning, the street where Rodelia Florence stayed was in disarray.

 

The guards who had come to take their shifts found their colleagues lying on the ground in front of her house, rushed in.

 

They searched through the empty house with stunned faces.
However, as expected, Rodelia was nowhere to be found.
Residents who had gathered one after another lingered in front of the house because of the commotion from early in the morning.

 

They noticed right away.

 

The door was left open, the house was in chaos and the guards were running around in it with pale faces.

 

The sinner, Rodelia Florence, had disappeared the night before.

 

The news quickly spread throughout the capital.
It soon reached the ears of Kane, who was doing his morning work in his office.

 

“…….What?!”

 

The cup in Kane’s hand flew and hit the wall.
After a crackling crash, shards of the glass splattered everywhere.
The attendants and servants around just bowed their heads, not knowing what to do.

 

Heavy air enveloped the surroundings.  Kane, who had lost even more weight, screamed with an annoyed face.

 

“How on earth were you keeping an eye on Rodelia for her to disappear! Weren’t all the deployed guards skilled and carefully selected?”

 

His angry voice permeated the thick door and echoed outside the office.
All the servants

were shocked and hurried to get out of the area.

 

The Head Chamberlain, Ferna, bowed his head deeply.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead, his skin had been cut by the shards of glass that had recoiled and thick blood flowed down his cheeks but it could not be wiped off.
Ferna shuddered and clenched his fists tightly.

 

‘Rodelia Florence, Rodelia Florence….!’

 

Ferna’s fingertips turned white as he gnashed his teeth.

 

That d*mned woman, even after she was dethroned, she continued to torment him.
How dare she, who had been reduced to a commoner, cause him this, the successor of a great marquis.
Kane kept yelling at him and he started reasoning about who stole Rodelia from him.

 

‘Who the hell….?!’

 

Oh. 

 

Something crossed his mind.
Ferna looked at Kane and opened his mouth.

 

“….I think it’s the Marquis of Florence, Your Majesty.
This was like when he escaped the imperial palace dungeon… It seems that there are definitely people looking after her.”

 

Ferna said in a confident voice.

 

“D*mn it!”

 

Kane overturned the desk and the documents became a mess.
His body shook in anger and his face was flushed red.
Pens rolled here and there and papers scattered in a jumbled mess.

 

But Kane didn’t care.
He was not the one cleaning it up anyway.

 

The servants who were waiting let out a small sigh.

 

The Emperor became strange after the dethronement of Rodelia Florence.

 

He brought in a new empress but no matter how much they thought about it, it didn’t seem like he did it out of love.
For some reason, she seemed to have the upper hand as the empress.

 

The new empress, Sola Aizen, was a vicious woman.
But she didn’t even think to hide it.
She also wasn’t capable [as in she’s useless].
Thanks to this, Kane took over everything the empress had to do and he became more and more violent.

 

The servants had to spend even more arduous days than before.
Only the sighs of the servants filled the imperial palace every day.

 

Kane was still angry.
It was because his plans went awry.

 

He planned to call Rodelia back to the imperial palace soon.
So he pushed her down all the way to the bottom.
He intended to reach out to Rodelia, who would be struggling in despair, little by little, as if he were the only savior.

 

[T/N: looks like Cerdian and Kane had the same plan, Rodelia is surrounded by trashes] 

 

‘Then, she will return to being ‘my’ obedient Rodelia.’

 

So, it was all thoroughly calculated.
Of course, reinstating her as empress would be difficult but he intended to make her spend her whole life by his side even as a mistress.  But Rodelia disappeared.

 

[T/N: MISTRESS⁉️]

 

“Who dares….!”

 

An unbearable anger came over him.
As Ferna said, it was highly likely that the Marquis of Florence had done it.

 

First, he had to find Rodelia.
Kane tried to calm his burning eyes and commanded the trembling Ferna.

 

“Expand the wanted order issued to the Marquis of Florence to all areas of Thebes.
Of course Rodelia Florence as well.”

 

He was determined to find her and tie her up next to him this time.
If the situation didn’t go well, he thought of cutting off both of her ankles.

 

 

“I heed your orders, Your Majesty.”

 

Kane colding looking at the sweaty Ferna, continued his words slowly.

 

“…..I will give you a week.
Bring me results that I am satisfied with.”

 

 *

 

For Rodelia, who had never left the capital of Thebes in her life, the Grand Duchy of Luvenia was a new world.

 

She really liked the mysterious scenery as if she was in a fortress, not to mention the strange scent of grass that spread throughout the city.

 

Winter flowers that were said to bloom only in the imperial palace were in full bloom all over the city and were much larger and fragrant than she had known.

 

Rodelia really liked the Grand Duchy.

 

“Lady Rodelia, welcome to Luvenia!”

 

Most of the people here were generous of her even though they knew that Rodelia used to be the Empress of Thebes.
Almost everyone around her greeted and welcomed her.
Thanks to this, she was able to adapt quickly to Luvenia.

 

It felt like a long time ago when she got out of that nightmare.
In truth, it had only been a week.

 

Rodelia recalled that night, thinking she was glad that she followed Cerdian.

 

 *

 

Rodelia closed her quivering eyes gently and Cerdian hugged her affectionately.
As he held her in his arms, her tears kept leaking out without even noticing.

 

How long had it been since she had been held in warm arms like this? Perhaps that was what it was.
The reason she shed tears like a child.

 

“If you want to cry, just cry.”

 

“…..”

 

“Don’t hold it in.”

 

How comforting his every word was.

 

Rodelia was held in Cerdian’s arms and she cried for a long time.
But after she cried, shame came over her.

 

“I apologize, in your arms, how disgraceful….”

 

Rodelia panicked and moved away from his embrace.  Although Cerdian soothed and told her that it was okay, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

 

He told her that he’d be waiting for her and to change out of her chemise and come out.
Left alone in her room, Rodelia pondered for a while.

 

She raised her gaze and looked around her musty mold-smelling room.
She also stared down at the bed that squeaked every time she moved. 

 

‘How long should I continue this life?’

 

The choice was up to her.

 

Now that she decided to live her life to the fullest, it was foolish not to take the opportunity.

 

Therefore, Rodelia decided.

 

‘I’m going to follow Cerdian.’

 

After Rodelia changed into comfortable clothes, she packed only a few dresses that were still usable and put them in a small bag.
Then the buried thoughts rose one after another.

 

‘Oh my, come to think of it, wasn’t my appearance a mess?’

 

She quickly stood in front of the mirror and checked herself.

 

Her hair was disheveled and her skin was dry.
Rodelia Florence, the one who was famous for being the flower of Thebes, was nowhere to be seen.

 

She felt unbearable embarrassment at the fact that she cried in front of him.
But what can she do when it was already in the past?

 

Rodelia tried to pull herself together and slowly opened the door.

 

“I’m going now.”