Published at 4th of December 2019 02:35:05 PM
Chapter 99: 99
Chapter 99 – You Can’t Be Royal Family! (2)
The same time the maid comforted Rashta, Alan was weeping in amazement from having come across his former lover .
He had heard about the emperor’s concubine named Rashta at a social gathering after he came to the capital, but at the time he did not think she was the same one he knew . He was in a different location now, and a slave could not meet the emperor . However, he attended the party when he heard about the similarities between hair and eye color . When he discovered that the Emperor’s concubine was indeed his former lover, his heart trembled violently .
“Father, did you know?”
As soon as Alan managed to gather himself together, he returned to the mansion to speak to Viscount Roteschu . Alan found his father inspecting the interior of the mansion with his hands behind his back . When his son confronted him with the question, he muttered “What are you talking about?” but his eyes did not fall from the magnificent mural .
“The Emperor’s concubine, Rashta, is the Rashta we know . ”
Viscount Roteschu frowned and turned to face his son . He saw Alan’s trembling lips, and he clicked his tongue impatiently .
“You went to the palace banquet? When I saw the invitation was gone I thought it must have been Rivetti . ”
Viscount Roteschu did not look at all surprised that Rashta was the Emperor’s concubine . Alan’s eyes widened .
“You knew?”
Alan thought his father would be as shocked as he was, but he bore an air of complete nonchalance . Viscount Roteschu stroked his beard with one hand and pointed at a couch with another .
“Sit down . ”
When Alan took the seat he indicated, Viscount Roteschu continued .
“In truth, we were able to come here to the capital because of Rashta . ”
“What?”
Alan looked at his father, dumbfounded .
“Why Rashta? Ah, is it because…”
It must have shocked her to find out about her son’s survival . Alan nodded at his conclusion, but the viscount spoke sternly .
“I can’t give you the details . ”
“What? Why?”
“Act like you don’t know her . ”
“But Father . If Rashta is safe, you have to tell me all about her . ”
Alan tried to protest, but Viscount Roteschu was dismissive .
“As you may have heard, the Emperor is deeply in love with Rashta . ”
“That means if you and Rashta are discovered, you may be incriminated . Do you understand?”
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“So watch your mouth . Pretend you don’t know Rashta at all . ”
“But Father—”
“Father will take care of everything . ”
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It was the day after the party that my brother and his friend, Marquis Farang, came to visit me .
“Shall we go for a walk, Navier?”
I was on edge expecting my brother to cause an incident at any moment, but he surprisingly remained calm throughout our stroll . Although we ambled along a palace trail for more than half an hour, he did not mention Rashta or her baby .
“Did you rest well at home? It’s nice to be back after a long time, isn’t it?”
“Very comfortable . It would have been better if you had been there . ”
“I’ll come and see you when I can . ”
“No need, I’m here to visit you . ”
“Is that so? Ah . And Marquis Farang? How are you nowadays?”
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“Your brother nags me more and more . ”
My brother narrowed his eyes at Marquis Farang’s response . However, the marquis grinned impishly and continued to act tortured because of my brother .
“You two get along . ”
“Koshar has deficient qualities everywhere else, but he’s lucky enough to have good friends . Like myself, or you, Your Majesty . ”
As I watched the both of them, I remembered my childhood and smiled . It had been that way for a long time . It was nice to see him stay so frank even after we had grown up .
Just as we were entering the path to the eastern palace, I spotted Rashta leaning against a stone wall . My footsteps halted, and my brother asked me what was wrong .
I was of two minds about how to deal with this: part of me wanted to keep going, while another wanted to turn and take another route . If I turned around, I would feel like I was avoiding Rashta, and my pride would be bruised . However, I felt uneasy, not knowing what my brother would do if he saw her .
Before I could decide, however, Rashta looked at us in surprise and approached . My brother did not recognize her at first . If he did, he likely would have thought of her as the villain who tormented his sister, but it was fair to say at the moment she looked as lovely as a fairy .
“Your Majesty, Rashta has something to say to you . ”
Only after Rashta revealed her name did my brother’s expression twist into something more gruesome . Rashta looked at Koshar and lifted her eyebrows, perhaps in surprise that my brother and I looked so alike . Instead of greeting him individually, however, she continued .
“I heard it was very bad that you gave Rashta a sword, Your Majesty . ”
I sighed, not because of her words, but because of the situation . I didn’t want to argue with Rashta in front of my brother and Marquis Farang, but I didn’t want to roll over because of her accusations either . If I did, my brother would get angrier, and others would think Rashta’s influence was larger than it really was .
“It’s not a bad gift for someone who is not covetous, is it?”
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I answered in a chilling voice, but Rashta spoke back firmly .
“No . Whether some is covetous or not, it’s bad . And you mocked Rashta in front of everyone . ”
Despite her clear voice, she looked unhappy . She paused and took a deep breath, and placed a hand on her bosom .
“But Rashta decided to put up with Your Majesty’s insult . Even if you continue to laugh, despise, and ignore Rashta, Rashta will endure . ”
“Are you ashamed of the truth? You must have a high opinion of yourself . ”
“Rashta is the woman the Emperor loves . If Rashta doesn’t value herself, it’s rude to His Majesty . ”
“Does your value exist only when you are loved by the Emperor?”
A melancholy expression stole over Rashta’s face .
“No matter what you say, Rashta will bear it all . For the sake of the future children, Rashta doesn’t want to fight the Empress…”
“What do you mean?”
Did she think I would hurt her future children? An unpleasant feeling started to rise in me, but Rashta’s words stunned me even more .
“The Emperor told me . The Empress is likely infertile, so she will be the stepmother of Rashta’s babies . ”