CHAPTER 122
The raspberry sorbet melted softly on Arabelle's tongue, disappearing as quickly as it had come.
Her wide eyes grew even larger, round like a full moon.
A burst of sweet and tart flavors exploded in her mouth.
Just as her pink lips were about to let out an exclamation of delight, Arabelle caught sight of Baroness Rosalind watching her intently.
Baroness Rosalind gave the slightest shake of her head, so subtle that no one else noticed.
Arabelle’s lips, which had begun to part, closed quietly.
Looking around, she noticed that everyone else was eating their dessert with indifferent expressions.
Arabelle tried her best to compose her features into the practiced expression of "imperial dignity" that she had worked on throughout her Empress training.
Yet her hand, holding the dessert spoon, moved faster than ever.
In her focus on the disappearing sorbet, Arabelle didn’t notice the smile creeping onto Baroness Rosalind’s face.
In a blink, the raspberry sorbet was gone.
Arabelle’s lips pouted in disappointment as she stared at the empty plate.
But soon, she arranged her lips into a graceful line.
The words of Baroness Rosalind echoed in her mind: "Please refrain from biting your lip or pouting. You are now the highest authority in the Imperial Household. As a young Empress, you must maintain your dignity even more so."
At that moment, another beautiful raspberry sorbet appeared before Arabelle.
Following the dish, she turned her head to see the Emperor.
He was resting his chin on his hand, gazing at her.
His crimson eyes sparkled as if he were looking at the most precious creature in the world.
Arabelle’s cheeks flushed a deep red as she tried not to smile in order to maintain her composure.
But the corners of her lips kept tugging upwards, forcing her to lower her head.
Even though the Emperor’s posture—leaning slightly on the table, chin in hand—was far from dignified, no one whispered about him.
This time, it wasn’t because they feared him.
The sight of the Emperor gazing at his wife with such adoration was enough to make them forget about imperial decorum.
Every time the young couple's eyes met, it seemed as though they were the only two in the garden.
Even Baroness Rosalind struggled to suppress a smile.
“Does it not suit your taste?” Arabelle asked.
“Oh, no. I simply ate too much at dinner…” Tristiny replied, shaking her head.
Lost in thought, Tristiny exaggeratedly scooped some sorbet and brought it to her mouth.
It had no taste.
It was merely a cold liquid sliding down her throat.
Even a low-grade lumen savior was still a lumen savior.
At first, she had been able to take away his pain as he transformed into a monster.
The joy she had felt, believing she could lift his curse, was still vivid in her memory.
But that joy was short-lived. The light that had brought him peace was quickly depleted.
She could neither relieve his pain nor slow the progression of the curse.
With the curse’s completion, Bergen turned into a wolf every time the white moon was eclipsed by the black moon…
Perhaps as punishment for aiding a monster, Tristiny lost her sense of taste.
She could no longer savor the sourness of lemons, the sweetness of chocolate, or the nutty flavor of almonds.
As she put the raspberry sorbet into her mouth, Tristiny smiled at Arabelle.
Arabelle, seemingly content to share a delicious dessert with her cousin, smiled back.
Everything about Arabelle sparkled with brilliance. Perhaps that was why her own situation felt even more pitiful and sorrowful.
She was irritated by how her gaze kept drifting to a particular person against her will.
Bergen, seated beside the Emperor, had long since forgotten she even existed.
Bergen was deep in conversation with the King of Senfer, smiling charmingly at the King’s granddaughter who had accompanied him.
The innocent-looking princess blushed every time her eyes met Bergen’s handsome face.
Tristiny’s gaze, drawn away from Bergen, accidentally drifted under the table.
A strong, reassuring hand was gently holding Arabelle’s.
Tristiny’s dark brown eyes deepened.
“If only those two sisters had not fallen for the elves’ tricks, fate would have been different.”
The serpent's voice filled her mind.
“If you had been in your rightful place, the Emperor of Helterd would have met you. Not Arabelle, but you, Tristiny. And he would have fallen in love with you.”
The serpent’s words rang true.
She had been the daughter of the Delecincler family of healers living in the Cander estate.
The Emperor had once told her that he had met Arabelle by chance while hunting in Cander.
He had become separated from his guards while chasing the game in a treacherous mountain range he had never visited before, and Arabelle had helped him.
The Emperor had fallen in love with her at first sight and ensured that she could participate in the Empress selection process.
And so, through a fairy-tale romance with the Emperor, Arabelle became the Empress of the greatest empire on the continent.
“It was your mother’s and aunt’s misguided decisions that stole your destiny. The throne of Helterd was meant for you. It was supposed to be yours, not Arabelle’s.”
A once-pure soul was slowly being consumed by darkness.
Arabelle should have met Bergen, and she should have met Maxwell.
If Arabelle, the true Lumen Savior, had broken Bergen’s curse, he would have loved her unconditionally.
Had she met the Emperor in the mountains of the Cander estate instead of Arabelle… she was confident she would have won his love.
She should have lived according to her true destiny. Then, both could have been happy, not just one.
But the decisions of the two sisters changed everything.
It was unfair.
Tristiny watched Arabelle as she chatted animatedly in the Emperor’s ear.
Her sense of injustice soon turned into jealousy…
The Emperor, unable to resist Arabelle’s charm, tilted his head and cast a shadow over her face.
He blocked everyone’s view and stole a kiss from her lips.
Arabelle’s face tinged a deep pink, and glowed with happiness.
Jealousy transformed into anger, and Tristiny justified what she was about to do.
She had heard countless warnings about the wickedness and cunning of the silver-scaled serpent from Elenya, the aunt she had once called mother.
Elenya worried about Tristiny’s ability to communicate with malevolent animals, though she could not understand the words of other creatures.
The silver-scaled serpent had never told Tristiny the truth.
It had never mentioned how much Arabelle had been scorned and mistreated by her father and family as she grew up…
Nor had it revealed how many tears Arabelle shed in sadness and guilt, believing that her mother had abandoned the family because she failed to manifest healing powers…
Not a word.
Had young Tristiny seen Arabelle living in the Cander estate, treated worse than a servant, she would have been grateful for their reversed fates.
The cunning serpent also never spoke of the sacrifices Arabelle made for the Emperor.
Nor could Tristiny know that the Emperor had been cursed as well.
If she knew that Arabelle had given up all her light to protect him, and then had fallen into the underworld…
Her eyes, now glaring at Arabelle from beneath her lashes, would not have held such malice.
To Tristiny, Arabelle was a thief who had stolen her happiness.
Darkness crept into the gaps between the light and quickly consumed it.
“Hahaha.”
“Hehehe.”
Clap clap clap.
While Tristiny was mulling over Bergen’s plans, she heard the sounds of laughter and applause.
The atmosphere in the garden was as cheerful and joyful as could be.
Tristiny snapped back to reality, realizing that a puppet show was already in full swing.
It was a gift from the Kingdom of Senfer to celebrate the Emperor and Empress’s wedding.
The play was a comedy about the forbidden love between a prince and a forest nymph.
The Kingdom of Senfer was renowned for its theatrical performances, rivaling even the Kingdom of Kedin, which had staged a play during the selection contest.
It was no exaggeration to say that this was the best puppet show Tristiny had ever seen.
The puppets, manipulated with strings and rods, moved with such life that they seemed almost real.
The performances of the actors mingling with the puppets were so compelling that it was impossible to look away.
The lighting and all the stage elements blended perfectly with the garden.
The audience’s attention was drawn not only to the actors on the stage but also to those working below it.
Quite a few of the ladies were busy stealing glances at the two men standing at the edge of the stage.
The muscles of the young men holding up large pillars were as striking as the lead actors themselves.
This was unexpected.
The Kingdom of Senfer was a place where the heirs of the continent’s kingdoms and princes studied to gain scholarly knowledge.
Senfer, home to the greatest scholars and artists of the age, was lacking in one thing…
Men who were strong and rugged, suited for war and labor.
There was even a joke that the gods had given the men of Senfer brains at the expense of muscle.
That’s why the King of Senfer valued his alliance with the Helterd Empire, which boasted the continent’s strongest military.
“I never knew there were such muscular young men in Senfer.”
“I was surprised as well.”
“Haha, they are not from Senfer,” the King of Senfer replied with a laugh, unable to hide his surprise at the King of Arquinn’s comment.
“Then…?”
“They are from the Kingdom of Kubul. As you know, we are currently renovating the royal palace and the capital, so we need laborers. We recently signed a treaty with Kubul, allowing us to bring in a large number of young workers. They’ve been especially helpful with the olive and tomato harvests this fall.”
“The physique of those assisting with the stage equipment is as impressive as that of warriors.”
“Haha, they are strong indeed, but these young men have never held a sword. Most of the laborers from Kubul are pure youths who have never even been in a fight.”
The two young men were doing the work of a dozen adult male actors from the national theater. Their temperament was so gentle and timid that they barely moved under the pressure from the smaller, more dominant men of Senfer, much to everyone’s frustration.
The puppet show was reaching its climax.
The prince had infiltrated the tower of evil to rescue the nymph who had been captured by a forest spirit.
The stage, which had been bathed in bright lights to create a festive atmosphere, grew ominous.
As previously arranged with the palace’s entertainment department, not only the stage but the entire garden darkened.
The audience watched with bated breath as the prince crept deeper into the tower.
With each step he took on the stage, the surrounding lights dimmed.
Under eerie music and dim lighting, yellow eyes followed the prince’s every move.
Arabelle, tense with anticipation, squeezed the Emperor’s hand.
The Emperor extended his arm, wrapped it around Arabelle’s shoulders, and pulled her close.
On stage, the prince sensed something amiss and turned around.
He drew a prop sword and swung it.
Roar!
A chilling beastly growl echoed, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
“Aaagh!”
The actor playing the prince let out a desperate scream.
But the scream was cut short, followed by the sickening sound of something being severed.
“A monster, there’s a monster!”
“Eeeeek!”
“Save us, please save us!”
In an instant, the once peaceful "Garden of Light" turned into a blood-soaked pit of terror.
Comments
Post a Comment