Chapter 38: Veramood Lunatil

‘I’ve gotten scolded again.’

Why did she get scolded every day by Marisuez? Sigrid got out of the carriage with her shoulders drooping. She stood in front of the violet boutique, but did not have the courage to go inside. 

‘Expensive dress.’

Sigrid had also found a pretty dress before. But looking at the price tag, she quietly put down the dress. It was only recently that she’d learned that the dresses Marisuez and Rowen green wore were at least five times more expensive then hers. 

‘But dress is needed.’

Sigrid didn’t wear dress unless it was time to meet Marisuez or Rowen Green—like a tea time today. As a knight, this was enough.

‘Can’t I just go there in the knight’s uniform?’

Was Marisuez going to be mad again? After looking at the mannequid with worries and hesitation, Sigrid turned around and left the boutique. She didn;t have the courage to spend that much money. 

‘Come to think of it, it’s the day after tomorrow, isn’t it? Should I tell him beforehand?’

Sigrid walked to the common carriage. She owed Veramood two debts, and she was thinking of repaying them. She had little interest in external affairs and could not remember most of the major events, especially after she joined the imperial knight. However, a big event that she remembered would happen the day after tomorrow. 

The death of the Crown Princess. Sigrid remembered it because there was state funeral and the flags in the entire empire were at half-mast. At that time, the crown prince and the crown princess were attacked by a mysterious gang. In the process, Veramood Lunatil, who was with them, was seriously injured. Then the crown princess died, and the crown prince suffered minor injuries. Later, she remembered that the bandit was caught and the case was closed. 

‘I was really questioned back then.’

Accusation for failing to protect the crown princess and the crown prince were pouring down on the sick bed Veramood as he was the commander of the Imperial Knight. She herself was one of those who critized him. 

‘But didn’t the prince defend him? Ah, i really can’t remember.’

It seemed that he was demoted to an imperial knight member, but soon he came back again to the captain of imperial knight. 

Anyway, Sigrid was going to save them. First of all, it was the duty of the imperial knight—although she was temporary member—and she wanted to pay her debts to Veramood.

‘And let’s return that position.’

She didn’t want to leave her friends yet.

***

Veramood examined the surroundings carefully. He was not dressed as the captain of the imperial kight, but in his usual clothes. The carriage he was guarding was also an ordinary carriage with no special decorations.

Truthfully, on the contrary, that ordinary carriage looked more suspicious if someone looked thoroughly. This was because there was no decoration to tell which family carriage it was. Some of the knights guarding the carriage were also in plain clothes. 

“Do I have to be like this?” Veramood grumbled as she spoke towards the carriage window. 

Then a laughter erupted from the carriage. It was a low, resonant voice. 

“Isn’t this a unique opportunity?”

“But i don’t think it’s necessary to be so considerate of others.”

“Veramood, Serios, both of you, keep your poise.” 

There was a woman’s voice inside the carriage. The person seemed exhausted but could not stop nagging, hearing from the tone of her voice.

“Well, what do you mean? We’re out in disguise.”

Serios, the crown prince of the empire rested his chin on his palm inside the carriage, he grinned at his wife. 

Ariel, the crown princess and Veramood’s cousin, frowned. 

Serios then reached out her hand and touched his wife’s forehead. “You’re going to get wrinkles.”

“Serios!”

“But, you can’t ask Veramood to use the highest honorifc title and call me Crown Prince, right? Wouldn’t the meaning of disguise disappear then?”

“But, you always talk like that.” Ariel sighed. She then buried herself deeply in the seat. “By the way, i didn’t expect Marquis Piensha, the head of the Western Noble Union, would really invite us to meet.”

“Didn’t you send the letter?”

“I thought I’d be rejected as usual. But truthfully, I don’t want to have a private meeting in a place like this,”

“You’re not alone.”

“Why do you also want me present?”

“Since the Marquis Piensha want to meet, i’m trying to show that this meeting isn’t a conspiracy?”

It was a meeting for men, and usually the atmosphere could become hars, but if a wife joined in, the probability of being killed would decrease. 

Western Noble Union. 

The western part of the empire was a land bordered by barbarians. If someone were to asked which land is the roughest, people would chose the northern land where the Esalt Mountains were located, but if they asked a place with the most battles going on, people would pick the western land. At one time, a lot of blood was shed from the western nobles due to the imperial’s subjugation of the barbarians. Because of that, the western nobles did not believe in the imperial family very much.

Then, because the Ministry of Internal Affairs tired of the endless war, he proposed a peaceful relationship with barbarians, and what came out was a marriage policy. 

A marriage between the people who just yesterday still cut each other’s throat. 

It seemed like a wonderful thing. A peaceful marriage. But the western nobles knew. The empire women were treated unfairly. Many of them were taken as the second wife. And the barbarians, who was entitled to have two wives, took the empire women as their concubine. Western noble could only take the bitter pills since in the end it was the empire’s policy. And they couldn’t deny that in that way, a peace was restored in the West, as the barbarians blood flowed through the bodies of the western nobles.

Which of course, the central nobles were not pleased with it. They looked down upon the western nobles because the mixed blood of the barbarians. However, because they were alienated by the central nobles, their solidarity grew stronger, and eventually, an organization called Western Union was established to fight their rights and carry out their interest. 

Serious wanted to end the long feud with the western nobles. So, as the crown prince, he willingly accepted this secret meeting. Because if the feud was intensified, it would never help the empire. 

Knowing Serios’ intentions, Ariel, the crown princess, also continued to write greeting letters to the western nobles’ wives. She didn’t know if the letter touched their heart or not, but apparently they finally could have a talk with the Marquis of Piensha, the head of the Western Noble Union. 

However, Vermood thought differently about this meeting. A secret meeting in a place like this without escorts? Veramood would have grabbed Serios by the neck and stopped him, if he could. 

“There are times when you have to be brave. I think now is the time to show your sincerity, Veramood.”

Veramood couldn’t help but raised his hands, giving up, after hearing his cousin-brother-in-law. He then followed the crown prince with several reliable guards. In fact, Veramood wanted to take some knights, but it could not be done due to Serios’ opposition. 

“I can see the meeting place.” veramood raised his hand to stop the carriage. Then he ran first and approached the meeting place. 

‘A meeting in a place like this.’

Marquis Piensha was the one who decided the location of the meeting, It was the imperial hunting ground outside the capital. There are three hunting ground near the capital. The hunting ground where the meeting would take a place was not used for hunting this year because there is a rotation every year. Deep in this hunting groung, there was a beautiful glass greenhouse that no one knew about. 

‘I must say, it ‘was’ beautiful.’

There were two possibilities. It was either the caretakers were unaware of the existence of this greenhouse, or they were just lazy and neglected this greenhouse. Because right there, all the glass of that greenhouse were gone, broken down, and the plantes inside were growing at will. Originally, even just by looking at the frame, it used to show off a bit of elegance, but now,it gave a creepy feeling.

‘Has he not arrived yet?’

Vermood didn’t feel ay movement. He got off his house, glanced around and gave a signal to the carriage to wait, then approached the greenhouse and shouted.

“Are you there?”

But still no answer. Only the sound of the plants that stretched out freely through the rusty frame rustling in the wind was heard.

‘Do we come early?’

Veramood turned around thinking that way, and suddenly he felt all of his nape hair was standing up. It was the kind of feeling when someone put a lump of snow on the back of next in the middle of winter. Reflectively, Veramood flattened his body, and a swish came by and something large flew over his head.

HIHING!

When Veramood raised his head, a huge beast was swallowing his horse. The four legs of the horse were in the air struggled and drooped with a thud. The beast was like a big monkey. Or alligator? Blood ran down its chin as it shoved the droopy horse into its crocodile-like mouth with both hands. The rumbling sound was clear. 

After the moment of silence, the horses tethered to the carriage began to go wild. Two of them tried to run in different directions, but eventually they started running in one direction.

The beast stood up on its hind legs, and looked at the carriage. 

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