Chapter 1 – The Tribute from Aden (Part 7)

People expected that when Tristan became Emperor, Kyle would be given the title of Grand Duke of the North and leave the capital entirely.

If that happened, Kyle would become the second most powerful person in the empire after the Emperor.

“So I placed Rey Yvonne in the Imperial Palace as a sewing maid.”

It was a shocking revelation.

Seia quickly gathered her thoughts.

“You made Rey your spy.”

“That’s one way to see it.”

Kyle didn’t deny it.

“But all of this was a message to you.”

Only then did Seia understand how Rey had managed to send her a letter despite the tight surveillance of the palace.

“…You helped her send the letter.”

Seia looked straight into Kyle’s eyes without averting her gaze.

“You intended to contact me from the beginning.”

Only then did she fully grasp the meaning of the phrase written in Rey’s note.

[I will become your close aide and help you, Tribute. I will be waiting in the Imperial Palace.]

It was Rey’s handwriting, but the one speaking through it was none other than Kyle Hellis.

“Will you accept my proposal now?”

Kyle spoke words that could turn the entire capital upside down if anyone heard them, as if he were joking.

“…Quite a romantic proposal.”

Seia replied, and Kyle chuckled. At that moment, a small dimple appeared on his thick, sharp-featured face.

‘He looks like a different person when he smiles.’

Seia thought absentmindedly.

“All of this is just a facade.”

Kyle said again in a serious tone.

“Everyone trembles before the existence of the Sun God, but has anyone actually seen him? The priests? They could just be a group of lunatics spouting nonsense.”

“Refrain from speaking blasphemy.”

Seia replied. She had no faith in the Sun God but deeply loved the Goddess of the Earth who protected Aden.

“Oracles are not to be trusted in the first place. You and I should respond with equal falseness.”

“You’re suggesting a contract marriage?”

“Act as if you’ve fallen in love with me. I’ll act as a man destined to become Emperor.”

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the path Kyle had walked. It was too loud to be caused by the wind.

Seia felt a tension that froze her entire body.

She quickly turned to Kyle, but he showed no change in expression.

“It’s an expected guest.”

Kyle said to reassure Seia.

Soon, a small woman emerged from the bushes.

“Rey!”

Seia ran toward the woman, not even noticing her veil flying off in the wind. Rey, her brother’s fiancée, was standing right before her eyes.

“Tribute.”

Rey called out to Seia in a breathless voice.

Seia hugged Rey tightly. Tears she had been holding back suddenly burst forth.

To Seia, Rey was like family.

“How have you endured all this time?”

Rey, who was embracing Seia, also had tears welling up in her eyes.

“I was so overjoyed to hear you were alive.”

Seia said in a tearful voice.

“Tribute, you must speak comfortably. I was a maid in Aden, and I am a maid here. I’m afraid someone might hear.”

Rey said, laughing deliberately to lighten the mood.

Seia also laughed, facing Rey. Tears were still in their eyes.

“I missed you, truly…”

Seia swallowed her tears again, knowing that Kyle was watching her. She couldn’t afford to show such an unseemly side and be underestimated.

“How is the head of the family doing?”

Rey asked in a trembling voice.

Seia looked at her with affection.

Rey, who had grown up with her, had always had a crush on her brother Percy, the next head of the family.

And Percy, too, had gradually started to care for Rey as he went through adolescence. Even Seia, who was not yet ten years old, could sense the atmosphere between them.

Most maids would have marriage talks by the age of sixteen, so Percy couldn’t wait any longer.

‘He was so worried our parents would oppose it.’

Seia recalled.

Contrary to their expectations of a thorny path due to their status difference, their love journeyed smoothly.

After much deliberation, her parents decided to accept Rey.

The Aden couple had Rey officially adopted into the Yvonne family, making her a noble.

However, instead of marrying immediately, they agreed to have the two engaged and observe the situation until they both turned twenty.

‘It was a wise decision. Who could manage the Aden household as well as Rey could?’

Seia thought.

But in the end, it was all just memories of a past that had crumbled away.

“Percy still misses you.”

Seia said, stroking Rey’s cheek.

“He cried so much when he saw the message in your handwriting.”

“I only wish for his well-being.”

Rey sighed with relief and closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek.

“I will make sure you meet again.”

Seia said impulsively, holding Rey’s hands.

Rey just nodded, holding back her tears.

“Prince Kyle Hellis.”

Seia wiped her tears and turned to Kyle.

Kyle, who had stepped back for a moment, emerged from the darkness.

“Thank you.”

Seia sincerely thanked him.

“I didn’t do it to hear thanks. I just wanted you to know that I didn’t make this proposal lightly.”

Kyle said calmly.

Seia hugged the tearful Rey and nodded seriously.

“Though I cannot give you an answer yet, I will consider your kindness with all sincerity.”

“That’s enough.”

Kyle said and left first.

The moon shone brightly on his back as he strode across the garden.

Seia watched his retreating figure for a long time.

Like those moonflowers fluttering in the wind, a strange part of her heart was swaying.

“Tribute.”

Rey called her, choking up.

“Whatever you decide, I will follow your will.”

Rey said.

“Whether it’s breaking the neck of the one destined to be Emperor or setting up a new Emperor, I will follow.”

“Catheon and Tristan must die. That’s certain.”

Seia said firmly. Then she helped Rey up and led her into the separate palace.

Rey had to leave the separate palace before dawn. Even resting would not be enough time, but Rey insisted on helping Seia with her clothes, reminiscing about the old days.

“Establishing Kyle Hellis as the new Emperor…”

“He’s still of Hellis blood, so you can’t trust him.”

“It would certainly make the plan easier to use Prince Kyle. He seems to have already built some power.”

Rey brushed Seia’s hair. Even when Seia tried to dissuade her, Rey was quite adamant.

“But using the prince would come with its own costs.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough for them to gain benefits just by using you, the Tribute, and the oracle?”

“But it’s still suspicious that he would willingly let me and Aden go, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps he thought you wouldn’t cooperate without that condition?”

“But there’s no guarantee he’ll keep his promise.”

Rey put down the comb and deliberated with Seia.

“Moreover, taking the throne and maintaining it are worlds apart. Even if he succeeds, if he fails to hold onto power properly, Aden’s freedom will ultimately be in vain.”

“We need to test if he has the qualities to be Emperor.”

Seia nodded at Rey’s words, but no clear solution came to mind.

‘This is more than just a matter of trust.’

The discussion about Kyle’s proposal seemed endless. Despite their efforts, the two women could not reach a conclusion for now.

***

The day had dawned before they knew it.

Seia looked down at the garden through the window.

The moonflowers had closed their buds tightly, as if they had never bloomed.

Seia oddly missed the night.

“It seems the priests have arrived.”

Rey noticed the footsteps in the hallway and spoke.

There was only one way for Rey to return to the main palace unnoticed in the early morning.

As the priests lightly knocked on the door, Rey quickly opened it.

“A humble servant of the Sun God, here to see the honored Tribute of Aden as commanded by the deity.”

As the five priests standing at the door bowed their heads, Seia also slightly bent her knees in courtesy.

The priesthood of the Sun was the only group that even the absolute imperial power could not control at will.

Mistreating the priests, who acted as the representatives of the deity, could incur the wrath of the God, no matter how favored a person was.

“You are the one who will move the fate of the empire.”

Seia couldn’t find any words to respond.

One of the priests standing at the end handed a priest’s robe to Rey.

Rey planned to return to the main palace by blending in with the group of priests offering morning prayers, a plan orchestrated by Kyle.