I’m Sorry I’m Not Qualified to Be Empress - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

[ Die! Just die! ]

Cassiax’s hand squeezed Rose’s neck.

[ S-Stop! ]

Rose’s body twisted and stumbled out of the window falling into the black night sky. She managed to hold on to the window frame, dangling from it.

[ Save me! Please save me! ]

She shouted while looking down. The distance was so high, she couldn’t make out whether there was an ocean or floor beneath her.

Somewhere nearby, a growl of a beast could be heard. A black wolf with menacing golden eyes was looking down at her in the place where Cassiax had been. The beast growled loudly again, revealing it’s sharp teeth, while advancing towards her slowly.

[ N-N-No…..]

“No!!”

“Miss! Miss!”

Warm hands clasped Rose’s hands that were trashing in the air.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Natalie’s worried face.

“Natalie! You’re alive!”

Rose tightly hugged Natalie as she was trying to get up.

“Are you alright? You’ve been sleeping for two days straight.”

“What has happened? And what is this place?”

Rose said as she let her eyes roam around the room she’s never seen. The room resembled what a monastery priest’s room would look like, plain and without any decorations.

“That time I couldn’t jump because I let go of Miss’s hand. Then that bastard came into the carriage and tried to stab me, I don’t know what happened but all of sudden, his head just flew away!”

Natalie animatedly and loudly tried to explain what happened to her during that critical situation.

“As soon as I saw that bastard’s neck roll on the floor, I fainted!”

“……….!”

“And well, when I woke up, I found myself lying here along with Miss.”

“So then you’re saying someone saved us?”

“I think that this is that guy’s castle.”

“What guy. Maxim Lancret?”

Natalie nodded discreetly.

“Did you see that person?”

“No way. Not even the maids come here, they’re treating us like an unwanted package. Who do they think My Lady is? Miss was sent by the royal family! How dare they treat you like this!”

Natalie raised her voice deliberately, as though she wanted the people outside to hear what she was saying.

Rose, on the other hand, was relieved that their lives have been saved and that they arrived safely to Helevant.

“What time is it now?”

“Oh, look where my mind is. Would you like to eat something? A while ago, some lunch was brought to the room.”

“No, before that, I’d like to meet anyone working here.”

“I think we’re confined here. Miss, have you not been listening to anything I said till now?”

“What do you mean confined?”

Rose jumped off the bed and headed towards the door trying to open it, however, the tightly sealed door would not even slightly move.

Bang Bang!

“Is there anybody here! Please open the door! Open the door!”

“It’s no use, Miss. I’ve already tried everything.”

“I can’t believe this.”

Rose, with a perplexed face, moved towards the window on the opposite side of the room.

Looking out, she could see clearly that the place they were locked up in, looked like a corner rooftop of an ancient stone castle built on a hill slope.

A lake along with several fortresses large and small could be seen. The castle was more enormous than Rose had imagined it to be.

Suddenly, the sound of the door unlocking from the outside could be heard. At that sound, both Rose and Natalie moved their gaze towards the door.

Entering the room was a normal looking, middle-aged man with his white hair neatly pulled and tied back. His suspicious and cautious stance made him seem like a butler or castle manager.

“It seemed that you were awake, so I have come. Is there anything that you are uncomfortable with?”

“Locking the door like that and you’re asking if we’re uncomfortable!”

Natalie tried to argue, but Rose restrained her, approaching the man.

“My name is Rose Etoire from Solstern. May I see King Maxim?”

The man seemed taken aback by how unexpectedly polite she was. Bowing his head slightly to her in a perfunctory manner and replied in a business-like tone.

“His Highness had gone hunting yesterday. He’s expected to be back by the end of today.”

“Does he know that we have come from Solstern?”

“His Highness had given the order for both of you to be here, otherwise you both would have been in the bellies of wolves by now.”

“So he’s aware of that fact, and yet you’re telling me he went out hunting?”

The man’s eye twitched.

His face seemed to say that both of you aren’t important enough for his Highness to cancel his planned hunting trip.

“I shall inform him that you are awake when his Highness is back.”

“Yes. Please do that. Also, forget about locking the door of the room, it’s not like we’re criminals or prisoners.”

“T-That is for your own safety….”

“This is a place where people live. Don’t tell me that only barbarians live here, just like the rumors? That even walking around the castle would be dangerous?”

“T-Th…That…..”

The man was taken aback stumbling with his words.

“Don’t worry. We won’t be running away or anything of that sort.”

“Then please be cautious, it can be quite dangerous for outsiders……”

Before the man could finish his sentence, Natalie cried in urgency.

“Oh! Miss! It looks like that person has arrived!”

Natalie said sounding somewhat excited while sticking her head out of the window

Hearing Natalie speak, the man left Rose to stand by herself as he rushed out the door.

“Miss, come to this side and see. It may be a little far, but I’m sure you can see!”

Rose stood by the door, frozen. She was still not ready to see him.

She took a deep breath, feeling strange, this was the first time ever she was going to see the man all the terrible rumors surrounded. Rose came here because she had no other choice, and he was the man she had to deal with from here onwards. Whether she liked him or hated him, whether he was a monster or a devil, it didn’t matter to her as long as he wasn’t Cassiax.

Taking another deep breath to calm herself down, Rose made her way to the window, slowly.

A group of men on top of galloping horses approached mercilessly, emitting dust from afar, were making their way towards the castle gates. Their ruthless force instilled fear in the hearts of many.

“Oh my world. Just look at those wolves. Their bodies are as big as a bear’s body. I can’t believe they let such ferocious wolves run freely like that. It’s not like their domestic pets. Geez.”

Natalie spoke to herself.

Only after Maxim Lancret got off the horse could Rose estimate how big he was.

The people of the North generally had larger physiques than the people of the South, but even compared to the knights standing next to him, Maxim seemed much taller.

Rose could tell from afar that he is not the type of king who would sit in a high place arguing with his subjects, but the type that would be on the battlefield leading along with the warriors and people. A small excited smile graced her face as she kept studying his figure. It was just thrilling imagining Maxim crushing Cassiax mercilessly like the devil.

A person came closer to Maxim and whispered something in his ear, making him stop and turn around. He was looking at the building where Rose was at.

There was quite some distance between them, yet Rose could tell that he was looking at her.

It was so sudden that she took a step back from the window without realizing, embarrassed a little at the thought of being caught watching him. However, contrary to Rose’s embarrassment, Maxim just looked at her expressionlessly before turning his head, giving a brief order to the butler and continuing his way into the main hall.

The North and South. Maxim and Cassiax. It was strange how these two young men were such completely different types.

If Cassiax was the type of man born under the sun, shining with arrogance, acting as though the whole world belonged to him, then Maxim Lancret was the type of man who felt like a decadent master of darkness carrying around many secrets.

Just his presence alone was enough to make goosebumps appear on her arms, it was as though he sent the chilly northern wind to blow on her side.

She could understand a little why there were rumors calling him a demon and monster.

“Oh my world. Miss, did you just see that? They said he’s a monster, but he was just so handsome!”

Natalie’s face suddenly lit up, it was as though she was expecting the owner of this castle to be a complete monster or just half man, half monster.

“He didn’t have horns on his head and tail on his back! I saw it with my very two eyes!”

“From the beginning that wasn’t possible, what monster nonsense.”

“You’re acting as if you weren’t concerned too, Miss.”

Natalie stretched out her lips as she saw Rose pretending to be unfazed.

“But we still cannot relax Miss. I heard the more someone is that type, the crazier they are.”

“He seems like a wolf who knows no mercy.”

Rose mumbled to herself quietly.

“It’s true that he’s covered in black, but I don’t think he’s a wolf, right Miss? He’s much more of a person than a beast if you ask me.”

“I might have made a wrong move coming here while trying to avoid Cassiax.”

Rose mumbled again to herself.