Who Stole The Empress

Chapter 26: The reason for death

Chapter 26: The reason for death

Roselyn raised her gaze and stared out at the open sea.

The surface of the sea, reflecting the light of the rising sun, sparkled like a jewel. The sea shone with a different light every moment, but every moment was as beautiful as a jewel.

Roselyn was distracted by the surging sea, forgetting that food was placed in front of her. It didnt stay still for a second, but she felt strangely calm.

This is what the ocean is like.

Last night, she was also blinded by the pitch-black sea that contained the moon.

But the midday sea embracing the sun had a completely different face from the night sea. Night and day, the sea was truly a vast and beautiful place.

It was strange and mesmerizing. It was so amazing that admiration was inevitable.

When Roselyn turned her gaze away from the sea, Tamon said unexpectedly.

You must like the sea.

Roselyn glanced at him, then moved the fork.

I dont have to like it. Its my first time seeing it.

She took a small portion of the food and put it on her plate, then cast her gaze to the sea again.

First time? Youre really seeing the ocean for the first time?

Tamon asked back in disbelief.

Without accepting or denying, Roselyn cut another small piece of seafood from her plate.

Why? Tanatos is not an inland empire..

I couldnt leave the palace unattended.

Roselyn replied nonchalantly.

When she was a child, she couldnt go outside the capital frequently because it was dangerous.

At best, she followed her grandfather around the provinces near the capital, or she and Anna stayed at her mothers villa for a while, which was all the traveling she did.

When she was old enough to get married, she became the Crown Princess by order of the Emperor, and then it was a series of practical affairs.

Gillotti, on the other hand, roamed around quite freely. Whenever he wanted to go to the sea and mountains or fields, he went without hesitation.

It was always Roselyn who took care of the Imperial Palace and handled important matters on his behalf.

Being an Empress did not come with many privileges.

Rather, she worked on behalf of the emperor, but it didnt mean that she could seize the emperors power.

She had no such greed.

Moreover, her family considered honesty to be the highest virtue, and she was raised that way.

Her grandfather always believed that even a nobleman will always fall if he thinks only of enjoying himself rather than taking care of his family.

And he said that this idea was passed down from his grandfathers grandfathers generation.

Whenever she was given a task, she had to complete it.

No matter how much she didnt want to do it, it was not in her nature to handle it in a lax manner.

She loved the joy that came when everything was handled neatly.

The more rambunctious Gillotti became, the more she immersed herself in the Imperial Palace work. It was necessary for her to concentrate so as not to be distracted.

But the more she did so, the harder Gillottis gaze on her became.

So much so that she could feel his hatred through her skin.

So ever since joining the imperial family of Tanatos, there was no room for Roselyn to enjoy looking at the sea or the mountains.

I see.

Tamon didnt ask for more in-depth insights after that one word. He was a witty man, and that should have been enough.

Roselyn cut the seafood into smaller pieces and put them in her mouth. Fresh seafood was flavorful even without any special sauce.

Seafood eaten directly from its place of origin could be so delicious.

She thought vaguely.

Come to think of it, Natasha always bragged about the food she ate when she and Gillotti went to Louvre.

She would swoon and fuss over how delicious the horribly shaped fish, giant squid, fresh shellfish and oysters were.

She gently tilted her head to look at the bright white, round thing on her plate. 

Speaking of which, what is this?

She put it on her plate without thinking, but she had never seen it before.

It didnt look like an oyster or a shellfish. She thought it might be squid, but it was a little different from what she knew. 

When she pressed it with my knife, it was soft and felt like a mushroom.

Those are scallops.

Tamon, who had been watching her closely, said.

What?

Its the part that comes out of the big shell and its quite tasty. You can cut it into thin slices and eat it raw, or you can cook it.

He kindly explained what she was looking at and casually put one piece in his mouth.

Hmmm.

Tamon chuckled as he savored the taste.

Hesitantly, Roselyn also put a small piece of scallop into her mouth.

The flavor was good, as if it had been baked in fine butter. Not to mention the texture.

Without saying a word, she took another piece of scallop and cut it. Tamon, who was watching her closely, smiled softly and gently pushed the seafood plate in front of her.

Roselyn felt as if a little of the toxicity in her body was released.

She had never been emotionally inclined in her life.

It was the first time in her life that she had been that stubborn and desperate.

Maybe it was the power of her past, where she had been taught to never waver and to always have a sense of normalcy. Before she knew it, she was herself again.

Roselyn sighed briefly.

The man in front of her was determined to bring her back to life after Gillotti tortured and killed her.

The man in front of her brought back to life what Gillotti tortured and wanted to kill. Even when she cut her throat, he recovered it at once.

Trying to die in front of this man was probably pointless.

If she really wanted to die, she had to get away from this man first.

Roselyn raised her head again and looked at the ocean.

If she crossed this ocean, she would see Tanatos.

Tamon lived in Ginesh, the capital of Amor, and across the sea of Ginesh, Louvre appeared.

Louvre.

Come to think of it, she wonder if Arsene made it to Louvre safely.

Roselyn remembered the boy who clung to her feet and cried, begging her to let him do anything for her.

Leaving it to him was an impulsive decision.

Originally, it was Vice Commander Katren who would take care of it.

Then, a few days before it happened, he was thrown into the Demon Forest on the Emperors orders.

She heard that Katrens apprentice accidentally lost the Emperors sword in the Demon Forest.

Therefore, shouldnt you be held responsible for the mistake of your students, since it was a precious sword that the Prior King had gifted to me?

That was tantamount to an order to die.

Roselyn, of course, was adamantly opposed.

She said she would run her own army and find the sword for him.

The emperor seemed to retreat for a while, but that night he pulled out only Kathrens apprentice and pushed him into the forest.

If I go now, I will be back soon. Ill be right there.

Katren left in a hurry to find his apprentice and did not come back that night.

And the next day, and the day after that.

It wasnt until Katren was gone, that Roselyn really felt the pain of having all her limbs cut off.

The nobles who had sided with her were quickly dying of a mysterious disease. The same was true for her cherished people.

Soon after, Charlotte, who had said she was going to have an engagement ceremony for her daughter, suddenly died of lung disease.

How did the Palace Secretary Thomson die?

Yes, he suddenly contracted a strange disease that caused his limbs to rot.

He was always the one who sided with the Empress in front of the Emperor. He was also the one the Emperor considered the most troublesome.

Thats how he died, and died, and died again.

Stop it.

No.

Why are you going this far?

Because I hate you that much.

Gillotti walked past Roselyn with a smile on his face.

A few days later, Roselyns brother was captured and imprisoned.

All of this happened because Im not good enough.

Roselyn lagged a step behind and clenched her teeth.

No matter how many times she hit her chest they didnt come back.

And she couldnt die easily.

She stared at the man in front of her with renewed eyes.

She hated the handsome face of this selfish, stubborn man who never let her die.

Even though she knew that all of this was not his fault, she glared at Tamon and resented him.

The slightly relaxed look in her eyes became more venomous again.

Tamon, who quickly devoured the hunk of meat in front of him, raised his head as if he felt her gaze.

He chuckled and shook his head.

That look, its not good

Thats the look you want to die again. Right?

Roselyn lowered her eyes without saying a word.

But Tamons gaze was insistent as he noticed the change in her. He stared at her.

Let me ask you this.

He put down his fork and sipped at his cold white wine.

Why on earth would you want to die so badly?

She didnt want to talk to him now.

But Tamon was persistent today, as he always was.

He waited, gazing at her leisurely, as if there was no need to hurry.

Sometimes he would even look at the ocean, filled his empty plate again.

One minute, two minutes, ten minutes, several minutes.

Eventually, Roselyn put down her fork, which she hadnt held many times, and answered slowly.

.Nothing.

Nothing?

Tamon urged her.

Because I couldnt protect anything.

Do you think thats your fault?

 Yes.

Tamon tapped the table as he stared at her.

After a few moments of silence, he asked.

Its strange. How can you say youre sorry and use their deaths for your sake?