Regina Lena – To the Unforgiven - Chapter 33

“How dare you stare with such cheap eyes?”

 

A low warning from the Southern Duke rang. It was a voice as sharp as frost.

 

Rena and Lynn did not expect it at all. The two of them looked at the Southern Duke, as if cold water had been poured over them.

 

It was like a lightning bolt to the two of them, but in fact, the Southern Duke had already been waiting ever since the meeting was over.

 

“If you want to sit at the round table, you need to have minimum courtesy at the very least.”

 

Again, the Southern Duke criticized the Eastern Duke harshly.

 

He had been watching the East’s Lignan Aetherner tenaciously watching his representative.

 

That beast looked at Rena with strange eyes from the moment Rena Ruber sat down at the round table. He did the same even when Rena showed him an uncomfortable look, avoiding his eyes.

 

The Southern Duke found his gaze so vulgar. It was because of the deep-rooted prejudice that the Eastern Duke was a promiscuous and vulgar guy.

 

But when they met in the hallway like this, the old man could no longer stare at him.

 

“Do not expose your filthy nature to your equals.”

 

“… Expose my filthy nature?”

 

When the Southern Duke warned him with clenched teeth, Lynn forced a smile and repeated his words.

 

“What did you mean?”

 

His voice was serene, even though he could barely compose himself, as his thoughts were so messed up that he almost couldn’t speak.

 

It was an insult, nothing special compared to any other time. However, he felt a degree of shame that was beyond comparison to usual.

 

It was because Rena was present, still looking at him.

 

Lynn was genuinely angry, and he clenched his teeth and laughed.

 

“I’d love to hear what you imagined.”

 

He looked at the Southern Duke with languidly curved eyes. Then he said towards the old man in a low voice, like a disgusting snake.

 

“But forcing your desire onto a person will bear a bitter result.”

 

“You brat…!”

 

“Mm-hmm. This brat.”

 

[T/N: This “But forcing your desire onto a person will bear a bitter result.” should not be the exact translation, but I think Lynn is implying this. Take it with a grain of salt]

 

At the truly blasphemous words, blood rose to the Southern Duke’s head. However, with a still smiling face, Lynn ridiculed the Southern Prince’s roar.

 

Then Lynn abruptly changed the atmosphere and returned the Duke’s words back at him brutally.

 

“Do not reveal your filthy nature to your equals.”

 

“You…!”

 

“Stop it.”

 

A voice intervened between the Eastern and Southern Duke who were colliding violently.

 

It was Rena.

 

“There are many eyes around, so stop it, both of you.”

 

Rena was the only person who could intervene in the dukes’ fight here.

 

Her calm intervention broke the tension that filled the hallway.

 

When the two dukes’ awl-like momentum also softened at the same time, Rena looked at the Eastern Duke and said.

 

“I’m not going to apologize. I think I’m the one who deserves the most apology right now.”

 

Lynn was taken aback by Rena’s dry words.

 

He later realized his mistake and looked at Rena’s face as if to explain. But Rena’s gaze facing him was cold.

 

Lynn’s embarrassment subsided at that look. It felt like his heart was being cut, but he narrowed his eyes, trying not to show his wounds.

 

“I think you have someone else to interrogate.”

 

Lynn mumbled as if it was funny, then looked at the Southern Duke standing behind Rena’s back.

 

“It’s not your job to take care of the senile old man.”

 

Lynn laughed so much before turning around with his knights.

 

When the Eastern Duke left behind only the cold atmosphere, the Southern Duke inevitably grinded his teeth.

 

So Rena sighed and spoke to the still-vigorous Southern Duke.

 

“Thank you, for working so hard to cut my face.”

 

“What…”

 

“From being treated like a child who can’t say anything, to being treated as prey of rogues. Today is so colorful and broken at the same time. Not to mention, in front of so many people.”

 

[T/N: The ‘cut my face’ here is not literally. ‘Face’ here implies ‘dignity’. Basically Rena is saying that the Duke has made her lost her dignity in front of so many people]

 

At Rena’s blunt rebuke, the Southern Duke was at a loss for words.

 

The Southern Duke became aware of his frivolity for the first time, but Rena wasn’t thrilled at all. It was because of Lynn who turned cold.

 

‘He seems really angry.’

 

Rena could clearly feel the change in his emotions. He was clearly shaken by her sudden accusation, and then showed a sharpness she had never seen before.

 

But Rena couldn’t care less about him because of his words that remained in her mind.

 

—But forcing your desire onto a person will bear a bitter result.

 

It was an insult not only to the Southern Duke, but also to Rena.

 

She understood that Lynn had to respond to the Southern Duke’s words, but the feeling of being caught up and cursed at didn’t feel very good.

 

Unable to calm down, Rena bit her lip.

 

‘Why did I happen to run into you…’

 

Rena’s mood became complicated and she tried to blame the pitiful situation. But even that was not easy for her.

 

This didn’t just happen because of bad luck. As long as Rena was the representative of the South and Lynn was the Eastern Duke, their relationship was bound to explode someday.

 

Rena could not bear to ignore the fact, and this only made her mood more complicated.

 

Last night when she met him had already felt so far away.

 

Rena thought that it would be difficult to have another night stroll, let alone an alliance.

 

***

 

At the time of the meeting, preparations for the victory ceremony were in full swing on one side of the Imperial Palace.

 

The banquet hall where the victory ceremony would be held was filled with wildflowers loved by Emperor Nihil. It meant that the emperor felt that good.

 

As the sun went down, nobles in elegant clothes gathered one by one.

 

When the seats were almost filled, the hero of the victory ceremony also appeared. It was Rena Ruber, the hero of the South who returned with victory alone.

 

Rena, who entered in her uniform, felt that the atmosphere of the nobles had changed quite a bit.

 

The gaze of the middle-aged nobles who were curious about Rena became gentle, and the young nobles who had vague antipathy lost their momentum and went out of their way.

 

And this place was like a cushion of thorns as the Southern Knights were sweating hard to avoid the eyes of Rena and the Southern Duke.

 

Rena looked around the banquet hall, feeling the change in the gaze towards her. And then she found one man.

 

‘Mr. Lynn…’

 

Lynn and his Eastern Knights were tucked away on the other side.

 

Rena secretly glanced at Lynn, unnoticed by the Southern Duke.

 

But Lynn didn’t look at Rena. One should be able to tell that Rena had appeared just by the atmosphere alone, but Lynn stared at the veil on the other side of the banquet hall as if he had completely closed his ears.

 

The quiet music stopped and silence fell. Shortly thereafter, a solemn chord burst forth, and Emperor Nihil appeared above the central steps of the banquet hall.

 

She appeared with Clavis and was wearing a pure white tailcoat, unlike on the anniversary of the foundation day, when she was nearly naked. For this reason, the Emperor and the Cardinal looked like twins.

 

The nobles bowed deeply, but Nihil did not ask them to rise. Instead she went down to the hall without a word and walked across the banquet hall.

 

The nobles were keenly aware of the sudden action of the Emperor.

 

Before long, the Emperor stopped in front of Rena Ruber of the South.

 

The Emperor’s white shoes came into Rena’s view toward the floor.

 

Rena pondered whether she should stay like this or if her body should be lowered.

 

It was then.

 

“Rena Ruber.”

 

The Emperor reached out and lifted Rena’s chin. Rena, whose head was suddenly raised, looked up at the Emperor.

 

“I remembered your name.”

 

The Emperor looked at Rena without expression and murmured.

 

“You did well.”

 

At her unexpected words, Rena looked into the Emperor’s glass-like eyes.

 

“Everyone, rise.”

 

At that time, Clavis let the nobility up on behalf of the Emperor.

 

“Honor to Her Majesty’s mercy.”

 

The nobles, who were aware of Clavis’ suggestion, applauded and shouted.

 

No one knew what true mercy was, but for now, they did.

 

Letting go of thoughts and agreeing with the words of the Imperial family. It was the easiest way to survive in the Imperial Palace.

 

.

.

.

When the Emperor’s bizarre act was over, the banquet regained vitality.

 

The young gentlemen and ladies danced to the music, and there were chatters everywhere.

 

Rena also communicated with several people through the South. Lynn, too, was surrounded by many people. However, the way of those people approaching Rena and Lynn was markedly different.

 

As the people they get along with changed, Rena and Lynn became distant from each other like beings from another world.

 

The two of them felt it clearly, but for the first time, they pretended not to know and were faithful to their role.

 

And at the same time, in the corner of the banquet hall, there was a man getting drunk.

 

The second son of the Southern Viscount and a member of the Southern Knights, he was the same knight who had attacked Rena in the meeting before the expedition.

 

The knight, who had a stiff neck and stiff shoulders, was controlling his uncomfortable feelings with alcohol.

 

‘Damn… ‘

 

He didn’t like the situation. No, he couldn’t believe it.

 

The cheeky woman named Rena Ruber returned home alone from the Tomb. It was clear that she must have done something wrong. Or she must have lied about something.

 

“Did everyone have an empty head?!”

 

The knight who couldn’t stand it got angry. Then, the lady next to him tried to match him.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I’m just saying I’m the only one who can think!”

 

The knight was already very drunk. So, he complained without realizing that the person near him was looking at him with a smile.

 

“It just doesn’t make any sense.”

 

“What doesn’t make sense?”

 

“That woman, Rena Ruber!”

 

The knight gritted his teeth and shouted.

 

“Do you really believe that girl has conquered the Tomb? Are you sure all of them have proper eyes…”

 

The knight who was complaining about it felt that something was strange and blurted out the end of his speech.

 

Something was strange. The noble, who had been smiling at him until just before, had her eyes wide open.

 

The knight looked at her wondering why she was suddenly here.

 

But that was only the beginning.

 

Not only the young noble near him, but also everyone in the banquet hall stopped talking and looked at the knight. The music that was playing softly stopped.

 

“What…”

 

The knight was bewildered by the sudden attention and silence, and court officials came and lifted him up.

 

Officials only touched the nobility when dragging criminals away, that’s why the knight got angry and pushed them away. But the officials did not care and took him resolutely.

 

Before long, he was thrown away in front of the central staircase in the banquet hall.

 

The knight was enraged and jumped up to his feet, but then his whole body turned stiff.

 

“Your…”

 

It was because the Emperor was sitting on the stairs in front of him.

 

The knight faced the Emperor and his heart sank. The Emperor looked at him and murmured.

 

“This traitor.”

 

“I…!”

 

The knight was so startled that he could not even respond and froze.

 

He was accused of treason, something he had never even thought of in his dreams.

 

When his body was so stiff like a stone, a gentle voice was heard from the side.

 

“You have big guts.”

 

It was the voice of the Cardinal, who was leaning against the stair railing.

 

“Why did you vomit over something that Her Majesty said has been done well?”

 

What Her Majesty said has been done well. It was about Rena Ruber.

 

The knight’s chin dropped when he realized that he had been summoned this way because he had insulted Rena.

 

“Nonsense…”

 

“This is also considered an act of treason.”

 

As Clavis said with a smile, all the blood drained from the knight’s face.

 

Treason with just one word, he felt like he was having a nightmare.

 

As a lower aristocrat who had no ties to the Imperial Palace, he could not understand how this place works.

 

“Then, Your Majesty, please make a judgment.”

 

“Before that, what about Rena Ruber?”

 

Clavis asked for a verdict, but Nihil sought Rena first.

 

Rena, who had been watching, came forward at the Emperor’s call.

 

“It’s your fault.”

 

The Emperor expressionlessly rebuked Rena.

 

“Your poor reputation made him question my words. So prove it. Are you really worthy of my praise?”

 

The Emperor spoke languidly and beckoned her servant. Then the servant went to the guards and got their swords.

 

The sound of the swords being drawn rang out one after another. Looking at the swords, Rena understood what ‘proof’ the emperor was talking about.

 

“It will suffice if the opponent is Naja’s son.”

 

In addition, the Emperor kindly set the opponent.

 

But Rena didn’t know who Naja’s son was. So she turned her head along the line of sight of the nobles, and met an unexpected person.

 

Lynn was looking at Rena with a stiff face.

 

And the busy glances informed Rena. That person is ‘Naja’s son’.

 

Rena’s eyes, which were calm even when the swords were pulled out, trembled slightly when she saw Lynn.

 

“Fight.”

 

Meanwhile, the Emperor calmly ordered.

 

“Until one of you cannot hold the sword anymore.”