Chapter 57

The flower was medicine to the emperor, but to the palace attendant, who was merely a commoner, it was a deadly poison.

"Your, Your Majesty, I have committed a grave sin. If you could forgive me just this once, I will ensure it never happens again...!"

He irritably pushed the palace attendant away.

The palace attendant, upon seeing the ice thorn helmet flower right before his eyes, screamed and retreated backward.

"Is it true that a palace attendant who has pledged loyalty cannot even pick a single flower to treat my neurosis?"

"Please spare me, Your Majesty!"

"You are mocking me in front of the lady-in-waiting."

'You just want to kill him, don't you.'

Pretending to test loyalty with the flower, it was just a way to vent his anger.

Right in front of me, the lady-in-waiting.

I forced my pale lips to part and spoke.

"Your Majesty, may I pick it for you?"

Yujis, who had been holding my hand like a trap, squeezed it as if to crush it.

Crack!

"Ugh...!"

He grabbed my distorted face with his other hand.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

I was afraid.

The tension I felt when I first encountered the monster was nothing compared to the fear I felt now.

Yet, I did not avert my eyes.

Even if my eyes were bloodshot with tears, I would not.

'I do not regret my actions.'

Yujis made a strange expression and released his grip.

"I didn't know you had such compassion, lady-in-waiting."

He took a step back.

"Very well, then. I will ask you a question. If the answer pleases me, I will spare the palace attendant. If it does not... you will kill him yourself. Do you accept the bet?"

The emperor loves bets.

If I backed down here, my black hearts would increase, so I had no real choice.

"...I understand."

As I answered, Yujis looked down at me with a satisfied expression.

The questioning began.

"Those who have deceived me so far have all been burned at the stake. But now, such punishment seems trivial, and the number of people who act carelessly like today is increasing."

"..."

"Lady-in-waiting, what punishment do you think this palace attendant should receive to instill a sense of deterrence against deception?"

A punishment more effective than burning at the stake.

If it was merely cruel, it would be trivial and obvious, and would not satisfy the emperor.

This was a scene and question not in the script.

Here, I had to use my judgment, considering Yujis' characteristics.

He loves bets, alcohol, cigarettes, and stories.

The breakthrough was 'stories'.

"May I tell you a story before I answer?"

Yujis granted permission as if doing me a favor.

"Go ahead."

I had no talent for telling stories entertainingly.

But I knew how to make them seem interesting.

'After all, I did write the game script for <God's Play>.'

Though it wasn't a story I created alone, I had some experience in expressing stories.

It was raining today.

I used the rainwater to create exaggerated, animated characters.

"A mischievous god gave his son, who could not use magic, the ability to change the form of stolen items."

This was the Greek myth of Sisyphus.

"The god's son used this ability to steal the cattle of Sisyphus, the king of Corinth, making their coats brighter and their bodies fatter."

At first, Yujis seemed indifferent, but he gradually became engrossed in the characters I created.

"Sisyphus noticed his cattle were decreasing while the god's son had an increasing number of unknown cattle. He suspected the god's son but could not openly claim they were his. So, he devised a plan."

I carved "Sisyphus" on the hooves of the cattle.

"Sisyphus went to the god's son and showed him the hooves with his name carved on them. Thus, the theft was exposed, and both the god's son and the god came to hate Sisyphus."

Next, we needed Zeus, the god of lightning, who rides on clouds of lightning, and Aegina, a nymph, and the god of the river.

"One day, Sisyphus discovered that the god of lightning had abducted the beautiful nymph Aegina. Her father was the god of the river, and Sisyphus needed water for the city, so he traded the information."

Not only the emperor but everyone present was now staring at the water figures I created, entranced.

"Sisyphus got the water, and the god of lightning, enraged by the failed abduction, sent the god of death to Sisyphus."

But Sisyphus tricked and imprisoned the god of death.

As a result, death disappeared from the world for a while, and Hades, the god of the underworld, suffered greatly.

"Sisyphus was dragged to the underworld as punishment. But he tricked the god of the underworld and returned to the human world, where he lived a long life."

Yujis, who had been silent, spoke.

"I understand who the god and Sisyphus are in your story. But Sisyphus returned from the underworld and lived a long life. Does that mean I should spare this palace attendant?"

I shook my head.

"Sisyphus eventually died of old age. The gods did not forgive him for deceiving them and punished his soul."

The rainwater formed a giant mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, there was a small Sisyphus and a large rock.

"Sisyphus was punished to push a rock up the mountain. But the rock would always roll back down before reaching the top, repeating the punishment eternally."

I dispersed the magic and met Yujis' eyes.

"Should this palace attendant, who deceived the gods, receive the punishment of rolling the rock?"

This was my answer.

"Haha... Hahaha!"

The emperor laughed like a boy.

"Truly, a satisfying answer."

'Ah... Thank goodness.'

I felt my strength drain from relief.

"I will sentence the palace attendant to the punishment of rolling the rock, as the lady-in-waiting suggested."

...What?

"Your Majesty."

I called him with a stiff face, and the palace attendant, who had thought he would be spared but was now sentenced to roll the rock, lost his composure and shouted.

"You said you would spare me if the lady-in-waiting's answer pleased you!"

Yujis clicked his tongue.

"I didn't say to kill him, did I? You don't understand what I mean."

The head steward nodded, and the palace attendant was dragged away.

I looked at the emperor, trembling slightly and pale.

He calmly went out in the rain and picked a flower from the garden.

The rain-soaked flower looked even fresher, radiating light and fragrance.

He smelled the flower and slowly approached me.

"Truly effective. Even your messy etiquette doesn't bother me now."

The emperor, clearly in a good mood, offered me the ice thorn helmet flower.

"Take it. This is the first flower I have ever given to a woman."

"...I am honored, Your Majesty."

I took the flower with my cold hands.

And I checked.

[Goodwill: ♥♥♥♡♡]

Yujis' goodwill had decreased to 3 black hearts.

Moreover, he even allowed the palace attendants to remove the cloth on their shoes.

He was really in a good mood. Really...

My body was shaking.

I was already low on stamina, and the cold rain had made me stay outside for too long.

Yujis held my hand with his warm hand.

"You must be cold from being outside for so long. Let's go inside and have some warm food."

I wanted to avoid his touch but had to lean on him to walk.

Yujis was not displeased.

On the contrary, he held me almost in his arms, looking pleased.

I felt dizzy.

The frantic notifications and the palace attendant's screams as he was dragged away seemed to mix in my ears.

'You're a lunatic.'

The emperor was truly a lunatic.

Among all the male protagonists, he was undoubtedly the worst.

I only returned to the duchess's residence after the grand banquet, completely exhausted.