The Place Where I Was Sold as a Slave Was the Imperial Palace

＜ The banquet has begun ＞

* * *

I started preparing when the sun was high, but it got dark outside before I knew it. I knew all too well that women’s grooming took time, but I never thought it would be to this extent.

Rudi crouched down and stared blankly at Bhimama.

I thought that if only I wore clothes, I would start now, but Bmama seems to have nothing to fix, but the finish is still in full swing.

Even after all the clothes and makeup had been put on, Nanny and Marie were still busy running around, checking the hem of the skirt, moving the decorations around the waist, and putting it back on, as if there were so many details to be done.

Suddenly, I thought it was strange.

I know that Bhimama doesn’t like to eat, but it seems she barely touched water or drinks today.

Perhaps because of that thought, her face looked unusually pale.

Rudy put the princess down on his lap, staring at her mother in awe, and rose from her seat.

I approached the busy nanny and asked a little question.

“Nanny! Mama Nadia, are you all right? I guess you didn’t even drink water today.”

The nanny nodded, holding up her jeweled flower arrangement.

“It must be a little difficult. But I can’t help it. If you drink a lot of water on a day like today, don’t you have to go to the bathroom? My mama doesn’t have a lady-in-waiting, so it’s better to do as little as possible.”

With a long sigh, the nurse muttered as she sewed the flower decorations onto her skirt.

“Besides, if you go to the bathroom and run into another Vibin, it’s a mess. Before, I was covered in water.”

“…”

“They are bad things. I’m jealous of being loved by His Majesty the Emperor. I once stepped on the hem of my skirt and fell.”

“So are you fixing the skirt now?”

“yes. It’s so strange that it’s this way, so even if it’s only as long as a grain of sand, it’s easily stepped on by others.”

Saying that, she put the last decoration back on, and the nurse took a step back as if satisfied.

Now it seems that everything is really over.

When the nanny nodded, the attendant who had been waiting for guidance opened the door to the mansion.

Bhimama, who was still like a doll, moves her body.

Rudy followed a little behind her.

Heading for the door, he must have thought something was wrong. Princess Lilitha opened her eyes wide and called out to him.

“roo!”

Ever since she started walking, Princess Lilitha didn’t walk unless she was in a hurry.

But now, as if he was in a hurry, he started crawling quickly, moving his limbs like a spider.

The nanny came after her in surprise.

“princess! Princess Lilitha!”

But the princess is faster than the nanny.

Princess Rilisha instantly slammed her head into Rudy’s back with a gear.

“roo! roo!”

From nob le mt l dot com

Did you think you were going somewhere far away?

Princess Lilitha started pouting. As her lips twist, tears and runny nose quickly spread all over her face.

“princess! I’m going away for a while. I’ll be back soon, so please stay with Nanny for a while.”

It must have been a mistake to think that he could communicate with the princess.

The princess didn’t seem to understand at all what was said about returning soon or not because her clothes would get crumpled if caught like this.

Princess Lilitha gripped Rudy’s clothes tightly with her small hands and finally started to cry bitterly.

“…Ueeng…Lu…Aang…Ahhhhh…”

I tried to open my hand, but I never let go. Even though he was a small baby, he was strong. I think I’ll do well even if I do a strength show.

Nadia Mama’s dressing up took time, so we have to hurry. I had to arrive at least before the emperor entered the venue, but I was nervous because I thought I would be late.

“Oh, princess! No. It’s been a long time since I’ve been dressed pretty, but Rudy’s clothes!”

The nanny clings to her and grabs the princess, and Rudy untangles her little fingers one by one and barely falls off.

In the meantime, the princess cried and cried as if the world were about to perish.

oh my heart hurts

I want to make the princess understand that I will be back soon. So don’t worry, it won’t disappear…

Nadiagra, who was looking at him blankly, suddenly muttered.

“Rico…”

Rudy turned his head in horror.

No, no, you shouldn’t be saying that here and now. I don’t know about other times, but now I’m in trouble. It’s really hard. It’s just really bad today.

But Mama Nadia seems to be reminded of something from Princess Lilitha crying. Perhaps Prince Enrico had ever cried like that.

Nadia Mama stared blankly at Rudy, then pursed her small lips once more.

“Rico. Here.”

Bhimama reaches out to Rudy. He slowly tilted his head and smiled like a flower.

Princess Lilitha’s screaming and crying seemed invisible to Nadiagra.

“Riko, His Majesty called. I have to go see my father.”

“…”

Is it okay like this?

A phoenix hides near the ceiling and watches over Rudy and Bhimama.

The Phoenix was supposed to stay by Rudy’s side throughout today’s banquet.

The thought of him being together made me feel a little relieved.

Rudy stroked the princess’s head once and moved closer to Mama Nadia.

A small carriage was waiting for us when we went outside under the guidance of the attendant.

The attendant quickly puts down the footstool in front of the carriage door and helps Bhimama climb up.

Bhimama climbed into the carriage and leaned forward with Rudi sitting next to her.

“Bhimama, my name is Rudy. Do not forget it.”

“…”

Nadia Mama stayed still and slowly followed his words.

“Rudy.”

“Okay, Rudy. You can’t forget it.”

Feeling a bit hazy, Nadiagra opened her eyes loosely. Rudy, Rudy, he muttered, then looked into the air and asked.

“Rudy… Where is Rico?”

“You are in a good place. It is a very beautiful and warm place. A much warmer and nicer place than here. That’s why you can’t call Rico. Then you will be taken to a cold place, so you should be sorry.”

“···yes.”

There was a slight moisture in Nadiagra’s eyes.

“It is pitiful here. You become unhappy.”

“…”

Maybe she is also unhappy here.

No, it must be so.

There is neither a loving husband nor a son by her side. The only people staying here are an old nanny and a young daughter who doesn’t even know she gave birth to her, and the path to happiness she wants is not here.

Rudy whispered once more, suppressing the desire to comfort him.

“is it so. It’s unfortunate when Rico-sama comes here. That’s why you can’t call Rico-sama.”

“···okay.”

“…”

After that, Nadiagra closed her mouth.

For a moment, the eyelids covered Nadiagra’s hazy eyes, as if she were dreaming.

From nob le mt l dot com

Do-do-do-do, the sound of carriage wheels shook the dark night air. Only the sound of wheels remained lonely in the empty darkness and then disappeared.

* * *

There was a wide path beside the manicured lawn. Along the way, the carriage ran a considerable distance even after leaving the concubine.

After passing a place where several large buildings are gathered, I run for a while again. It was only after arriving at a street with tall buildings on either side that the carriage slowed down.

The driver drove the wagon slowly through the building and between the trees. The carriage moved slowly along a large building that stretched sideways like an apartment building.

In addition to the wagon Rudy was riding in, several wagons moved in front and behind.

Some wagons stood at the back entrance a short distance away, some at the front a little further. Probably, the place where you get off is different depending on your social status.

Nadia Mama’s carriage stopped near the door in the center.

An attendant quickly gets down, opens the door, and helps Nadia Mama get out.

Nadiagra had been in a hazy mood until just a moment ago, but by the time she could see the banquet hall, her eyes were clear to some extent.

It’s as if someone forcibly poured cold water over it. He seemed frightened for some reason.

‘Is it okay?’

Rudy was a bit worried, but it’s hard to talk to him in a place where there’s people’s attention.

Rudy quietly followed Nadiagra.

After being guided by the attendant and entering the building, it felt like the world had completely changed.

Rudy looked around at the high ceiling and walls.

Up until now, he had been thinking that the ballroom would be similar to the Palace of Versailles.

I thought it would be full of fancy decorations, high gleaming ceilings, and long hanging chandeliers, but it was very different from what I expected.

It was true that the banquet hall building was large and splendid, but the atmosphere was a little dark and heavy.

Rather than Versailles, where Marie Antoinette lived, the atmosphere is similar to buildings in movies and dramas about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

The walls of the rugged building, which seemed to have been buried for a long time, were exposed everywhere, and murals made of thick fabric were hung in several places as if to hide them.

Several ornate chandeliers descended from the ceiling, and light fixtures were placed in pretty lamps here and there on the walls to illuminate the surroundings.

There are many decorations that somehow seem to have been influenced by the Orient.

Attendants in pumpkin trousers, white shirts, and outerwear carried silver trays of food, and the men of high rank wore thick velvet cloaks embroidered on the inside over their shoulders.

Women exposed half of their breasts and adorned their bodies with gorgeous jewels. Some women had hard hats on their heads, while others had none.

They looked so gorgeous that I wondered if I could buy a castle even if I sold just part of what they were wearing.

Both men and women shine like peacocks.

But among them, Nadiagra Mama’s beauty was outstanding enough to be unrivaled.

Even if she didn’t wear jewels, perhaps no one could beat her beauty.

It seems that it wasn’t just Rudy’s idea.

Following the attendant, Nadiagra stepped into the banquet hall, and all eyes were on her.

Rudy involuntarily swallowed his saliva.

Unlike Earth, people in this world seem to be very direct.

In the eyes of the men toward Nadiagra Mama, lust that could not be hidden was overflowing. And in the pupils of women, jealousy as sharp as a needle…

With the appearance of Nadiagra, the atmosphere that had stopped for a moment became noisy again little by little.

At the same time, whispers were heard here and there.

“It’s raining in Nadiagra.”

“Oh, I heard you’re not crazy.”

“Was it okay?”

“But the child next to me…”

“Prince Enrico?”

“No way, I heard that the prince died.”

“The corpse was miserable?”

“They look a lot alike, but could it be that they gave birth to a second prince?”

“They said that they lost the emperor’s love, but it might be different from the rumors.”

Someone giggled and laughed and spoke audibly.

“It will not be. I heard that not too long ago, she only had soup and bread for one meal a day.”

“Certainly…a lot thinner than before.”

“I wonder if the emperor’s rain suffered the shame of enduring hunger, so poor that the home country can’t even support it.”

“Oh, what a pity.”

Amid whispers, Nadiagra walked slowly inside.

Had Nadiagra always been exposed to such gossip and malice? In this place without a single ally, if you’ve heard such sarcastic remarks since childhood…

Suddenly, Nadiagra’s hand came into Rudy’s eyes. Nadiagra’s fingertips trembled slightly.

Now that the magic is working, their whispers have far less impact than usual. Still, if I was hurt like this, it would have been unbearably painful when I was young.

The fact that her eyes became clear as soon as she saw the banquet hall, as if a switch had been switched, may be the result of her long fighting alone.

It’s probably the traces of fighting in their own way, forcibly putting armor on their hearts to protect themselves.

Rudy looked at the people’s eyes and gently held her hand.

Nadiagra looked straight ahead and gently energized her fingers. After a while, Nadiagra let go of Rudy’s hand.

It was as if the action was saying, “I’m fine now.”

As I made my way through the crowd and stopped walking, the voice of an attendant resounded inside the banquet hall.

It was said that the emperor and empress were to die.

＜ The banquet has begun ＞ End