LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 123
“Countess, a congratulatory gift has arrived from the Kelteman Empire.”
What are you talking about?
I closed the papers I was working on, got up from my seat, and left my study. As I neared the front door.
“What are you talking about?”
Ariane closed the documents she was processing, got up from her seat, and left the study. as the main gate nears.
Grrrrr.
“…”
I sensed the sound of something completely unwelcoming I had heard one day. That made me have no choice but to stand there as if I was nailed on the spot.
“No way…”
Don’t tell me.
I was soon on high alert as I saw the golden cage, and inside of it was a tiger baring its teeth, which made me curse.
“Dondon… That crazy little shit…”
At that time, the butler, Sebastian, brought a gold-plated scroll and showed it to me. “Countess, an envoy from the Kelteman Empire asked me to deliver this.”
“Where is that bastard now?” I asked with my purple eyes glistening.
“…They put down that tiger and immediately went back.”
Like running away. Sebastian swallowed his next words. If he said it, she might immediately roll her eyes, get on her horse, chase after that person, and hit them with a mace. He
wiped away his cold sweat as he remembered the brutal mace decorated one wall of Arianne’s office.
I opened the scroll with an angry snort as if I was about to burst into flames.
[-Look at this.
Did they say you’re a countess now? I received word that you have returned from your honeymoon, and although it’s late, I sent you a gift to congratulate you on your wedding. You know this is very expensive and precious, right? Since I’m spending a lot of money on it, so takes a lot of pressure to raise it well. You don’t need to say thank you.
P.S. Returns are strictly refused. Please keep in mind that if you refuse the royal princess’s gift, it could lead to a diplomatic issue.
Dondon, the royal princess of the Kelteman Empire.]
T-this brat!
“She gave it away because she didn’t want to raise it!”
And then what? Gift?
Tremble, tremble.
Unable to overcome my grip, the scroll was torn in half in an instant.
Sebastian turned his head as if he didn’t know. Tearing up a letter from a foreign princess could have caused a problem, but what was more important was not to offend Arianne at this moment.
“Dondon…”
My purple eyes flashed coldly. And just in time, when Charter spotted the tiger, he paused for a moment and approached me to ask.
“No way is that…”
“That’s right. That.”
Charter looked at my glistening eyes and laughed. Then, looking at the tiger inside the cage being alert, he spoke. “We can’t just send it back to Kelteman. If so, how about sending it back to the continent where it came from?”
“You mean the Eastern Continent?” My eyes widened.
“Yes. They said they found a new route this time. It is said that we can reach there in a shorter time than the previous route.”
“Can we send it back safely?”
Crossing the sea was never easy. It took several months to reach another continent. It wasn’t just animals that died along the way. People also died for various reasons, including hard labor and insufficient nutrition.
This tiger was taken regardless of its will and raised into a human pet. If you don’t send it back… It will face death alone in this unfamiliar continent. It was my hope that it would return alive, if possible.
“It is said the time can be reduced by approximately half. The current may be strong, but it will definitely shorten the time, so it will be okay.”
“Then I’m glad to hear that.”
I felt relieved. I had been worried about what to do with that tiger, but now I could return it to its original place. However, there was a different matter.
It was someone else who did it first, but why am I the one who is taking care of it?
How can I repay my enemy? Huh? Dondon.
“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll send her a corresponding gift. Just wait and see, you little shit.”
* * *
“Ah. It’s worth living.”
Under a large awning, a woman who was lying down with her feet dipped in the clear stream flowing along the gilded waterway hummed with delight. She was Dondon.
“It’s peaceful.”
The scorching heat wasn’t her problem, whether the servants working hard at fanning her were sweating profusely.
“When will the capital construction be completed?”
“They say it will be done early next month.” The aide who was checking the list of assets nearby quickly answered Dondon’s question.
“Next month… You know what will happen if I lose a single of my fortune, right? Don’t let even one speck of gold dust slip away.”
“There is no such thing as to be.”
Dondon gave her aide a firm warning. She closed her eyes again and enjoyed the leisure of the day. The gentleness of the waves tickling her toes was very pleasing.
At that time, a messenger arrived from the capital. “Your Royal Highness, an envoy has arrived from the Harpion Empire to congratulate the construction of the capital.”
Dondon’s eyes opened brightly. “What about gifts? Still, it’s a gift from the empire, so they probably brought at least a gold chest, right?”
“That’s… It’s gold but…”
It was very suspicious to see him being reluctant.
“It’s gold, but? Why are you hesitating?”
Dondon’s eyes widened at him hesitating, but she quickly calmed down when she heard the word ‘Gold.’
Gold is gold, no matter what form it takes. The value never changes.
Power comes from force. And the unchanging truth that is force comes from financial power. As long as she has financial power, her position will remain the same.
Dondon pulled her feet out of the waterway, stood up, and said, with her eyes shining brightly. “Let’s go! To the capital!”
Her eyes soon filled with greed.
I need to take care of everything before Paku comes.
Everything precious and expensive is hers.
“Hurry up! I have to go before Paku.”
They hurriedly followed Dondon’s instructions, but because there were a lot of difficult valuables to handle, they could leave much later than expected.
It was a week later. Having arrived at the construction site of the capital, Dondon began to criticize rather than admire the majesty of the huge capital gate.
“No way. Isn’t this the gate to enter our Kelteman Empire? It doesn’t look good even if it’s shiny and gold-plated. So what on earth is this?”
The gate was an amazing structure that gave a feeling of grandeur and solid weight to anyone who saw it. Still, it didn’t satisfy Dondon’s eyes.
“That’s how you welcomed the envoy? What on earth would the Harpion Empire think of us?”
I’m sure they liked it. On the contrary, they would have laughed if we had painted the gate with gold, asking if we’re a wealthy empire.
Dondon’s aide skillfully hid his true feelings.
“That’s what I mean. Didn’t you leave it up to His Majesty regarding the construction of the capital? It’s an inevitable outcome.”
Didn’t you say you can’t give up even a penny, so he should take care of it himself?
It was a relief. Because Emperor Paku is a realistic and reasonable person, different from any of his blood relatives. Her aide admired the majesty of the gate and engraved his respect for the emperor.
Dondon looked at her emotional aide and urged him to march. “What are you doing? Hurry up and move. I should have arrived before Paku, but you guys delayed and made me late!”
The aide sighed.
If you’re in a hurry and something goes wrong, isn’t it all your fault?
As many as six aides were replaced due to her bad temperament, such as telling them to hurry and blaming others if something goes wrong. Mir, the quick-witted and skillful aide, didn’t respond as if he hadn’t heard what Dondon said but told the soldiers.
“Enter carefully so as not to shake anything. Don’t forget to send soldiers to the front and check the floor.”
“Yes!”
The soldiers moved in unison.
Since the new aide came in, the soldiers were able to be free from Dondon’s tyranny, so they unconditionally believed and followed whatever he said.
The aide had no choice but to stop walking when he found something in what appeared to be the capital square while taking the lead because many valuable things shouldn’t be damaged.
What is that?
In the middle of the square, there was a beautiful marble fountain with thin streams of water crossing each other. And in the center of it, there was a huge gold statue over 5 meters tall.
“Oh.”
It looked like a slender goddess of beauty handing a shining crystal to a human girl. The crystal was an amethyst bigger than a person’s fist. As the light penetrated it, it scattered sparkling pieces of light in all directions.
“For the eternal friendship between the Kelteman Empire and Harpion Empire?” Mir tilted his head to the phrase engraved under the statue.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” At that time, Paku approached Mir and spoke.
Mir was surprised when he saw the emperor approaching him and hurriedly bowed down and greeted him. “Greetings to Your Majesty.”
Paku didn’t even look at Mir, who greeted him. He just looked at the huge gold sculpture with faint eyes. As if he was thinking of someone he knew. A faint smile appeared on Paku’s lips.
“What is this?” Dondon, who arrived a little late, frowned for some reason when she saw the gold she loved so much.
“It’s a gift from the Harpion Empire to congratulate the construction of the capital.”
At Paku’s words, Dondon laughed and repeated the words in her mouth as if Paku’s words were ridiculous.
“Ha. Congratulatory gift… This is a congratulatory gift?”
It was very clear in Dondon’s eyes. The sight of a slender, dignified woman handing a shining amethyst to a small, curvy woman who barely touched her chest.
A glimpse of her cheeky side and herself flashed through her mind for a moment. She couldn’t help but know.
It’s obviously what she did.
Dondon’s face turned bright red. And the soldiers were startled by Dondon’s subsequent rant.
“How can this be a present! They’re trying to screw me up! Let’s see, let’s see, you idiot!”
Unable to hold back her anger, Dondon began to run around and go on a rampage.
“Paku! This is an insult to our Kelteman Empire! Summon the army immediately! It’s a war!”
She then urged Paku to declare war against the Harpion Empire. Paku showed no reaction to Dondon’s vicious behavior. However, the words that came out of his mouth were enough to raise Dondon’s blood pressure.
“As of today, I will declare this goddess statue as the No. 1 national treasure of the Kelteman Empire. Its name… Okay, let’s call it the statue of the Goddess Mercy.”
Paku laughed heartily, remembering how she wasn’t merciless at all. Because he could clearly see how she would react later if she found out the name of that statue.
Behind Paku, who was laughing so hard that tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, Dondon stopped, grabbed the back of her neck, and collapsed. “This idiot…” leaving those words behind.