Chapter 186: Extra Special 3 |
At the same time that Jeremy and Jed were having a drink, Ellie was getting ready for bed at the Empress's Palace.
Today, she comforted Carlisle, who was trying to stay awake. Maybe that's why Ellie's face looked darker than usual.
Helen, who had been watching Ellie since she bathed, opened her mouth.
“Your Majesty.”
"…What?"
Ellie reacted a bit late. She made eye contact with Helen combing her hair in the mirror.
“You look pale since dinner. Should I tell the imperial doctor to bring you some medicine to calm your mind, body, and soul?” Helen said anxiously.
Ellie looked at her face in the mirror, a grim face as if something serious had happened.
Ellie shook her head, loosening her rigid expression.
"Did something happen in the greenhouse that made you worried?" Helen asked thoughtfully.
Looking back, it seemed to her that the Empress's expression had darkened since she returned from the greenhouse.
“Umm," Ellie looked at Helen while moaning under his breath.
“Helen, when we were in the Lund Kingdom. Do you remember when I started the organization for the first time?”
Helen hesitated and nodded at the unexpected question.
“Yes, I remember. How can I forget those days? It was the time when the Crown Prince was born and began to walk.”
Helen looked wistful as if she was remembering those times.
But Ellie had feelings other than longing… Doubts that have continued since she returned from the greenhouse.
Ellie asked Helen.
"Helen, that's when our organization started to grow rapidly with the information Jed got."
"Yes. Fortunately, you got good information from the mercenaries through the bar. Especially information about the diamond mine. It was very lucky.”
Ellie thought that was a lot of information. ‘The first son of Pelan leaves the Lund Kingdom and sold the diamond mine.'
Helen remembered the time when Jed brought information about the diamond mine. In the end, Ellie, who bought the mine, was happy too.
Helen continued.
“Indeed, I'm telling you now, when you obtained the diamond mine, I thought that the God had given his weapon to the king who had suffered until now.”
"…It was too random to be lucky, wasn't it?"
Helen stopped brushing and looked at Ellie. It was because there was something strange in Ellie's question just now… It's not just about remembering the past, it's like she was doubting something.
Helen replied, thinking seriously about Ellie's question.
"Yeah, I don't think I can say you were lucky because I thought it was God's blessing."
"…"
“But why suddenly… Is there a problem?" Helen asked Ellie thoughtfully again.
Ellie breathed heavily.
“It's not a problem… or it is a problem. I don't think that's all I know."
"What?"
Helen, who didn't understand what she said, asked her, but Ellie closed her lips.
Aside from Helen being her person, this topic was not easy to bring up.
“Ellie, the Marquis Valet, the largest estate in the West, is about to get divorced. The Marquis's wife, fed up with the Marquis' wind, asked for a divorce, but she is going to sell her mansion for alimony."
“Ellie, the Duke Monkra is secretly buying land in the north. According to the mercenaries, it is originally a wasteland, but it is unusual for a skilled Duke to buy land, I think there is something. Let's buy it too."
“Ellie, they're looking for a new Summit to distribute grain and fruit to the south.”
“Ellie, the organization that was trading with the east must be trying to sell the organization due to the failure of the shipping business, and if we buy it, we can get the trading rights to the east immediately.”
A lot of information that Jed had brought her, that the mercenaries told her, and even the diamond mines.
Looking back, all of that information was real.
If the information was leaked by the wandering mercenaries, it might be a lie, but it was all real.
Also, the information Jed brought back was good for making their organization bigger. It's like putting a ladder up to Phoenix.
‘Was it all a coincidence?'
‘I was lucky?'
"I can't be sure," Ellie said softly.
The answer to endless questions is… ‘Is that you, Jeremy?'
‘Yeah… I think the information Jed brought back was actually from Jeremy, not from many mercenaries, but from Jeremy.'
It was suspicious
He was the only one who could help her… Yes, it was inevitable, not a coincidence.
From the moment she left the position of Empress to go to the Lund Kingdom, Jeremy was always around her. And he always helped her… Since they met.
So if the information she got at the time was not luck, Jeremy was the only one.
And now that she thinks about it, Jed and Jeremy used to have a strange atmosphere whenever they met. Actually, Jeremy used to work as a mercenary… It was strange that Jed treated Jeremy like he had never seen him before… They might have bumped into each other sometime.
When she calmly took a step back and looked into the past, she saw things that were not visible at the time.
And another question arose…
‘If I'm right about Jeremy, why did he help me so much?'
We were close to him in the Lund Kingdom, but we weren't close enough to get that information.
Of course she didn't think he felt anything for her… she just pretended not to know because she couldn't accept his heart.
However… Jeremy's heart was much deeper than she expected?
‘So deep.'
Ellie's eyes sank at the heavy word. And for a moment, she remembered what Jeremy had said a long time ago.
”Please acknowledge me.”
At the Marquis Sios party where she divorced Raymond and she attended… That's what Jeremy said to help her there.
Jeremy has known me for a long time.
But Ellie couldn't believe she forgot.
In Lund kingdom, each day was rushed by giving birth to Carlisle, raising him, and rising to the top. So she couldn't afford to think about the past.
After that, she returned to the Agrita Empire and they went through a lot.
But now that everything was settled, she could think. About Jeremy.
‘But is it the right thing to do? Should I bring her past relationship with him to the surface?'
But there's nothing sh can do for him.
She chose Raymond again and became the Empress of the Agrita Empire again.
But she wasn't calm when she thought about the things Jeremy helped her with.
Either way, there is no answer.
As Ellie sighed in dismay, the door swung open at the servant's voice outside.
“His Majesty, the Emperor, has come.”
"The Emperor."
Ellie rose from her seat, quietly abandoning her thoughts as she raised her head in confusion.
"Your Majesty."
Greeting Raymond, Helen left the bedroom with the maids.
After forgiving him, Ellie was living a decent married life with him. Rather, there are more nights together than in the past. Raymond went to her bedroom almost every day.
He would fall asleep with her, even if they didn't have intimacy as if he had been away from her. And Ellie didn't mind their frequent visits.
Ellie approached him with a familiar smile.
"Ray, did you finish your work early today?"
Raymond brushed her hair down and bowed his head. A friendly kiss to her cheek smoothed the corners of her mouth.
“Yes, we are done with all the important things.”
"You must have been tired, but you did a great job."
“Between the palace and the organization, you are busier than me. I'm so proud of you for doing all those things."
"Well, that's true."
Raymond smiled at Ellie, who didn't deny it.
Ellie followed him with a smile and headed to bed with him.
As they lay on the bed, Raymond dimmed the magic lamp light and sat down next to Ellie. Hugging her shoulders naturally.
“How did it go in the greenhouse today?”
Raymond knew that Ellie had been in the greenhouse to save the desert plants. Because he knew her ability.
Ellie responded softly, stroking Raymond's hand.
“Yeah, I made them look good. I had a very good time with Lady Celine. Oh, and Rosaleen is going to take a disciple, because if the perfume business grows, she's going to have a hard time alone," Ellie told him the story of Lady Rosaleen and Carlisle.
Now it was something familiar to talk about the daily life that each one went through, at night.
Ellie turned her head towards Raymond after she finished speaking.
"How was your day, Ray?"
Raymond was silent for a moment. As a habit, he responded immediately. But that didn't happen today… As soon as Ellie's eyes widened, Raymond's red lips moved.
“Today, Duke Drua asked me to remove the Drua name from the Empire forever. He will leave everything behind."