Chapter 21
Rain, Tears, and the Desert (6)
“St– stop!”
The man with the monocle shouted, his face turning pale.
“Please, just stop!”
I win.
Ilena swallowed her victorious smile.
This fight had been decided long ago.
The other side was flustered, and she wasn’t.
With a pale face, he confessed,
“…Actually, I… I’m the witness.”
“What? Not Utter, but you?”
No one in the room—not even Ilena—looked surprised, except for Regulus, who shouted in shock.
“Y-yes, but I realize now that I must have been mistaken. There’s no way the High Priestess would steal.”
So he was already confessing after just this much pressure.
Like king, like vassal. Both are soft-hearted.
Her suspicion that the Black King wasn’t actually the cold-blooded mastermind the rumors painted him to be was becoming more certain.
“How could you do something like this…? Lord Utter, this is an insult of the highest order!”
Regulus scolded him with a stern voice. He might have been clueless, but he certainly had the dignity of a high noble.
“I apologize for causing confusion with uncertain information.”
Utter bowed deeply to Ilena.
“…And I apologize for troubling you as well, High Priestess. Please accept my sincere apology.”
So he doesn’t want this to escalate further.
“But it’s clear someone tried to frame the High Priestess, who came here as an envoy from the North! Lord Utter was simply given false information.”
Regulus, looking unusually strict, declared,
“This cannot be brushed aside. I believe we should have the Royal Investigative Bureau conduct a full inquiry!”
At that, Utter flinched.
Hmm… I guess I can stop here.
Watching him for a moment, Ilena smiled benevolently.
“Then, Lord Utter, would you personally investigate this case… for me?”
“…Pardon?”
His eyes widened at the unexpected request.
Ilena’s smile was as gentle as a saint’s.
“I trust you’ll do an excellent job. I’m sure your testimony that I was a thief was just a misunderstanding for unavoidable reasons.”
“Y-yes, that’s true.”
Sweating profusely, Utter dropped his gaze.
Ilena didn’t stop, her eyes sparkling.
“I’m truly grateful you cleared things up at the last moment. It’s all thanks to you. You’ve practically saved my life!”
“N-no need to thank me…”
Guilt weighed heavily on him as he kept bowing his head.
That’s right. You feel bad, don’t you? Your conscience is pricking you? You tried to frame me, but now you feel awkward because I’m being nice?
Ilena drove in the final nail.
“Oh, and how’s that business idea I mentioned before going?”
It meant: Remember? I even gave you a business idea.
“Ugh…”
He groaned as if she had stabbed him straight in the heart, looking away awkwardly.
“Th-thanks to you…”
“Actually, I thought more about it, and when exporting overseas, I think it’d be better to ship finished products with designs completed, not just the raw fabric.”
She added kindly,
“Since ‘Sru’ is unfamiliar to other regions, sewing it might be difficult for them.”
“…Ah, yes. That’s very true. I was worried about that part. Thank you.”
For a moment, Utter forgot the earlier tension and brightened.
Ilena’s smile turned angelic.
“Yes. I stayed up all night thinking about it, wanting to be of help.”
“Ugh…”
Her innocent tone made him groan again.
“After all, I am a High. Priest. Ess. serving the gods.”
“Gasp…”
“I would never frame an innocent person with such a shameless. Act.”
“Urgh…”
She wasn’t the type to show mercy to enemies—she was the type to crush them to the very end.
“Then, I’ll be counting on you for a thorough investigation.”
Her smile was delicate and pure until the end.
“Y-yes, of course. Then, excuse me.”
Clutching his chest, Utter fled the room.
Ilena stuck her tongue out at his back.
You think anyone can do bad things? You’re trying to make a third-generation chaebol with no blood or tears cry? Good luck with that.
Later, when Andre returned to the drawing room and heard what happened, he stormed off to chase after Utter, ending the incident.
Back at the detached palace, Ilena was listening to the clueless Regulus chatter away when the Black King arrived.
It seemed he had also heard the story from somewhere.
Seeing Ilena alone with Regulus, he frowned briefly.
But he quickly began with an apology.
“My vassal seems to have acted rashly. I apologize on his behalf. He is reflecting on it.”
His sincerity showed in his serious demeanor.
Her lingering annoyance melted away a little.
Ilena replied softly,
“I heard he’s bedridden.”
That was news from Andre, who had stormed off earlier—apparently, the bespectacled man had returned to his room and fallen ill.
Probably from guilt.
She hadn’t expected him to take to bed over it. He was even more naïve than she thought.
And this is the guy helping run the royal household?
Even someone like her, who wasn’t exactly known for being meddlesome, found herself worrying.
“I’ve already received his apology, so that’s enough.”
She spoke casually.
She had no intention of making this a big issue anyway. She still had to stay here for three months, and she wasn’t about to go back to the North where that wretched crown prince was.
The Black King, looking down at her, turned to Regulus.
“So, you helped her.”
“It was nothing, Your Majesty.”
Even though his tone didn’t sound like praise, Regulus took it as such and bowed humbly.
“I just happened to pass by and saw the High Priestess in trouble…”
“But what business did you have at the Crystal Palace? …You’ve been visiting the palace quite often lately.”
The Black King cut him off with a displeased expression.
Once again, an overwhelming pressure radiated from his massive frame.
He’s getting angry for no reason now.
Ilena tilted her head, watching him.
Seeing him like this, she thought—maybe the Black King in the novel was accurate after all.
So this is all an act? Just keeping the nobles in line?
“Ah… well…”
Completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere, Regulus blushed.
“I… I came to tell her of my decision… I’ve made up my mind.”
Oh, right. He said earlier he came to have dinner with me.
Remembering that, Ilena smiled kindly.
“You came to have dinner with me, then?”
“To… together… Yes. Yes, that’s right.”
His face flushed even redder as he said it with grave determination.
To be trembling this much over just a dinner invitation—he really was naïve.
When Ilena chuckled, the Black King spoke in a displeased tone.
“I’ll join as well.”
The moment he said it, Regulus muttered, “As expected…” and hung his head.
What’s with him?
Though puzzled, Ilena answered cheerfully,
“Your Majesty too? Sure, the more the merrier.”
Meals were livelier with more people anyway. Last time, eating dinner alone with him had nearly given her indigestion.
Regulus muttered again, “The more the merrier… As expected…”
Seriously, what’s with him today? Then again, it’s not like it’s the first time the men here have been strange.
Ilena smiled lightly, hiding her confusion.
“Shall we go?”
As soon as she said it, Regulus shot to his feet and declared solemnly,
“Yes! I’m… I’m ready!”
He looked like a knight heading into battle.
“What are you even preparing for…?”
The maids handled all the cooking and setting up, after all.
Ilena smiled awkwardly.
“All we have to do is sit down.”
“Ah, we… sit?”
He asked with an utterly serious expression.
Huh? Of course we sit for a meal—what else would we do?
Only then did she realize something was off.
His flushed face and short breaths made her uneasy. Carefully, she asked,
“…Lord Regulus? What exactly did you prepare?”
“I—I got some medicine! They say it’s something the old kings in the western harems used… I’d normally never need it, but still!”
From his breast pocket, he pulled out a crystal bottle and held it up high.
The glass caught the light and glittered far too brightly.
Wait. Did he just say what I think he said?
So that’s…
“What… on earth… are you talking about?”
Ilena’s voice rose in shock.
Startled by her insect-like stare, Regulus stammered,
“Huh? Well… you said the three of us could… together…”
“Are you insane?!”
She shouted.
“S-so that’s not it?”
“So this whole time, what did you think this was?! I meant we’d have dinner! Obviously!”
Her voice shook with fury, and Regulus’s face turned an even deeper red.
Realizing it had all been a misunderstanding, an overwhelming wave of shame washed over him.
He wanted to die. Maybe even jump straight out the window.
“Th-then…”
“How could you even think that in this context?! Use common sense!”
In other words: You’re a ridiculous pervert.
Regulus shut his mouth, unable to defend himself.
Through all this madness, the Black King remained calm and finally spoke.
Yes! Tell him off!
Ilena glared at him expectantly.
“Your delusion runs deep.”
His gaze was cold and threatening.
Good! More!
“Did you think some drug could make you a match for me?”
