Chapter 97
Chapter 97. Memories Hidden in the Abyss (1)
Tatar de Tessibania felt as if he were submerged deep in water, so heavily that he could neither open his eyes nor move his limbs. He wondered if he had finally gone mad, completely incapable of controlling his body. The sensation was more unpleasant and terrible than he had anticipated. In this state, not only could he fail to recognize Vinea, but he might also not even be aware if he were slicing someone’s throat or stabbing a heart. If this presence were to cause Vinea sadness, that would be a disastrous outcome.
Was this the punishment for his belated regrets?
Someone’s voice, submerged like under water, pulled him from the abyss that seemed inescapable.
“—ah.”
With that call, breath returned to him, and sensations began to blossom from his fingertips.
“Your Majesty.”
Light entered his pitch-black vision. Tatar looked down at the green carpet he stood upon.
“Your Majesty, are you alright?”
“…Empress?”
“If you are unwell, I suggest we postpone your schedule to the afternoon.”
“Schedule?”
“The temple visit scheduled for tomorrow. It’s our first wedding anniversary.”
Slowly blinking, Tatar eventually nodded.
“Right. I’ll speak to Deron about it.”
“Deron?”
“My advisor…”
As he spoke, a feeling of alienation made Tatar close his mouth, and Vinea continued for him.
“If you mean Megram Yongsik, he’s off today. I will have the servants send someone to the office immediately.”
“Megram?”
That didn’t sound right.
Confused, Tatar nodded slowly. They soon arrived at the conference room. As Tatar was about to enter, he turned to Vinea with a puzzled look.
“Aren’t you coming, Empress?”
“I do not attend the council, Your Majesty. Have you forgotten? The nobles have decreed that an Empress of Veshnu origin cannot be invited to such critical imperial decisions.”
“That’s right.”
Yes, that was the case. Six of the ten council seats were still held by people from Emperor Emeritus Maxiul, and they had excluded the Veshnu-origin Empress. The empire’s political climate was still stabilizing, and this was an oversight due to the lack of attention to detail.
Leaving Vinea behind, Tatar’s steps felt heavy as if weights were tied to his ankles, a vague thought crossing his mind that this wasn’t right.
After a three-hour meeting, Tatar, the first to leave the room, loosened his constricting cravat. Returning to his office, he found someone already sitting in his chair, which furrowed his brow.
“What brings you here, Emperor Emeritus, when you should be in the outer tower at this hour?”
“Outer tower?”
The Emperor Emeritus stood from the desk with the same ash-gray eyes as Tatar but filled with annoyance.
“What nonsense are you spouting? I belong in the outer tower?”
“…No. My apologies, my words were misplaced.”
“Tch, where do you leave your mind? Your advisor is off today. Did you bring someone else to record the meeting? Make sure it’s done today.”
“Why would you, who have retired from politics, need the meeting details?”
“Ha, me retired? Have you forgotten who allowed you to sit there? Stop your nonsense and continue as you’ve always done. It seems you’ve been keeping that woman’s company lately… Tch.”
Irritated and displeased, Tatar swept back his neatly arranged hair. Why did these usual words bother him so much today?
Without thinking, he blurted out.
“Leave now.”
“…You are not yourself.”
“You always make me repeat myself. The Emperor of the Tessibania Empire is not the Emperor Emeritus but me.”
“Tatar de Tessibania! How dare you speak to me in such a manner!”
Exhausted, Tatar pressed his temples and above his eyebrows as he flung open the office door. The knights outside saluted him.
“Escort the Emperor Emeritus. It seems he is too old to remember where he stands.”
“How dare you, dare…”
As the knights hesitated, Tatar’s gaze sharpened. He snatched a sword from a knight’s belt and aimed it at his neck.
“If you cannot hear the orders of your commander, perhaps it is fitting to cut off such useless ears?”
“My apologies!”
Tatar threw the sword to the ground. Clang! With a sharp noise, the knights surrounded the Emperor Emeritus and dragged him out of the office.
Ignoring the Emperor Emeritus’s loud protests, Tatar’s gaze lingered on the thrown sword. He clenched and slowly unclenched his empty palm.
“I was indeed planning to kill the knight… To cut off an ear that cannot understand its master’s command, and perhaps a useless head as well.”
Rubbing his throbbing head, he leaned against the wall as a cold sensation chilled his back.
“…Vinea.”
Why did the Empress’s name come to mind at this moment? Without fully organizing his thoughts, Tatar moved.
His steps quickened, almost running, as he passed many surprised faces, finally arriving at the Empress’s garden.
The sky-blue Baloua flowers were in full bloom at his feet, looking almost unchanged since the death of the former Empress.
“Why has the garden…”
Hadn’t he ordered renovations for all of it?
He slowly raised his head.
It seemed there was a scheduled tea party as Vinea sat at the head of a long table in the middle of the garden, conversing with nobles.
His gaze caught a young lady staring intently at Vinea.
“Eurene Castallo.”
Why was that woman with Vinea? What mischief was she planning?
Before he could take a step, possibly to snap her neck for some peace of mind, he suddenly realized.
“…This can’t be real.”
Otherwise, how could Vinea and Eurene Castallo be sitting together? For such a long time, through many regressions, she had been a hindrance to Vinea.
And even in his seventy-seventh life, Eurene Castallo had caused trouble, not for Vinea but towards him.
Resuming his stride, he appeared unexpectedly at the tea party and stood beside Vinea.
“Empre—”
Without hesitation, he bowed his head and kissed Vinea.
A shriek, perhaps of shock or admiration, was heard from the ladies. He was aware of the intense gaze boring into the back of his head but paid it no mind.
The nobles, sensing the tea party would not resume, hurriedly vacated their seats.
As Tatar pulled the tablecloth, crashing the teacups and snacks to the ground with a loud noise.
“Uh, Your Majes—”
Before she could speak, his tongue invaded her mouth, ravaging it as he laid her on the now empty table.
Her dress caught on his hand as he moved up her thigh, exposing her legs.
After a brief pause from kissing, he gasped for air, Vinea beneath him.
At the table’s end, green eyes filled with jealousy and desire looked at him through transparent tears.
Glancing at Eurene, he muttered.
“Get lost.”
The distance was close enough for her to see clearly. As expected, Eurene, tears streaming down, hurriedly left her seat.
Confusion, shock, embarrassment, and turmoil mixed in the blue eyes that captured his face.
“Your Majesty, what on earth…?”
“I want to hold you before this dream ends. Will you permit me, Empress? Please.”
“Today is not a conjugal night. Moreover, in such an openly visible outdoors. What would happen to the royal dignity if someone saw us?”
“No one is around. It’s just you and me.”
“But…”
As Vinea’s eyes darted down, they met the conspicuous bulge below him.
The sight seemed almost on the verge of bursting, and reluctantly, she nodded.
“As long as it’s not rough… I’ll permit it.”
“You always ask for the difficult, every time.”
He pulled Vinea onto the cold marble table and then picked her up, sitting down on a chair that had only a backrest, her legs naturally wrapping around his thighs.
He grabbed his exposed m*mber between his lowered trousers.
“Come up. If I do it myself, I might not keep my promise.”
Her complexion paled slightly at the size. As she hesitated, he lifted her by the waist towards him.
“Hurry.”
With a tense sigh, Vinea slowly lowered herself down. His rounded tip gently pushed into her soft, moist flesh.
He bent his head down, burying it in her neck, biting his lip to prevent himself from tearing her dress right then.
“Uh…”
Straining on her tiptoes to maintain her posture, Vinea soon let out a faint moan.
He patiently waited. As her legs eventually gave out, she sank down, allowing him to reach deeply without exertion.
He began to lift his hips. Without a clear definition of what ‘not rough’ meant, he moved within the bounds he thought appropriate.
His ash-gray eyes blazed with heat as he lifted her body.
