Eaten By The Tyrant I Raised

The carriage headed towards a white castle.
In front of the massive structure, stood strictly vigilant knights who bowed their heads without daring to face the carriage.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” They each took turns greeting Nabel.

There was no way that Ronée didn’t hear that greeting.

Nabel took off the hood of his blue robe, revealing his bright blonde hair.

Ronée’s gaze fell upon the blonde hair.
Underneath the sunlight, his hair seemed to radiate brighter than the sun itself.

Her gaze traveled down from his hair to the white gloves on his hands.

“You don’t like this?” Nabel tilted his head slightly.

Ronée knew her assumptions were correct when saw that Nabel didn’t even try to deny the title of ‘His Majesty’.

It was more of a surprise than a realization.
What sort of events occurred in his childhood that ended with him becoming a slave on the Eastern continent…?

‘Ah.’

Ronée’s mind quickly filled in the blanks.
The first day she first met Nabel.
The day she made eye contact with Nabel in that slave wagon.

It was the 100th day since the House of Miltan ascended the imperial throne of Western Empire.

It was said that they had annihilated the House of Iver, who were well-known for their golden hair and mysophobia.
But Nabel managed to survive.

“Nabel Iver.”

Nabel smiled as his full name passed through her lips.

“In this palace, you will be the only one who can call me by that name,” he whispered quietly.
Ronée unconsciously placed a hand over her mouth as she wondered if she had shown some form of disrespect.
Nabel smiled again.

“So please say it more.”

Ronée’s eyes widened as Nabel leaned closer to her as he spoke.
Having a conversation like this was akin to a dream.
His smile deepened as his gentle voice continued.

“I like hearing you say my name.”

‘I like you.’  Ronée’s memory of his words from childhood overlapped with his present voice.  Ronée blushed faintly; just ever so slightly.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Bell seemed to finally have found some strength.
By the time the carriage arrived at the white castle, Bell was behaving in a cute manner in Ronée’s arms.

Bell, who had been rubbing against her cheek for a while, was startled by the people outside saluting the carriage in unison.

“Shall we go?”

Located in the middle of the deepest part of the Western Empire’s imperial fortress, was the emperor’s residence.
The grounds were tended to perfection, there was not a single stray pebble on the paths.
Not one flaw could be found here.

However, to ensure the most precious person was not harmed, a soft cloth was laid in front of the carriage steps.
Nabel held out his hand.

“… The people outside… ” Ronée stammered as if she was reacting to a difficult situation.

There were too many.

Nabel didn’t need to touch her to read her thoughts.
Nabel poked his head outside of the carriage.

“Don’t raise your heads.”

When his order was issued, the people waiting outside bowed their heads all at once.
Nabel turned to Ronée again.

“Is this better?”

He seemed different from the person who used such a dignified voice a moment ago.

The tone of his voice softened as he spoke to her.
She was briefly reminded of him as a child.

She laughed nervously as she became aware of the situation.
The longer she took to leave the carriage, the more uncomfortable the people outside would be.

“I think it’s a little better.”

Ronée took his hand.
Bell jumped up and settled over her head.

“Come this way….” Nabel led Ronée slowly.
They passed between the numerous maids and knights standing on either side and approached the palace.

Khwang!

Wary of the crowd, Bell fell back into the shadows.
But not before being seen by the bowing maids and knights.

“…!”

The startled ones gasped and opened their mouths only after the two had passed by.

“…Shinsu?”

“There’s no way….
”

They peered at Ronée’s shadow with confused eyes.
Then, as the shadows darkened, the shape of sharp ears and a swaying tail disappeared.

It was indeed a Shinsu.
Soon, rumors began to spread around the castle.
His Majesty has brought the owner of a Shinsu.

* * * * * * 

“This person is…?”

The head maid, Dia, was a prominent figure who had held her position for 30 years.
She remained in the palace through the destruction of the House of Iver and its revival.

It wasn’t until the House of Miltan came into power that she was demoted to simply a maidservant.

However, the experience she had accumulated over the long years as a head maid did not disappear.
It was her ability to manage the palace that eventually resulted in her not being decapitated.

She was a woman of great expertise, just as Nabel remembered during his brief stay in the Imperial Palace at a young age.

As soon as Nabel regained his imperial power, he restored Dia’s status as a head maid.
Then she managed to return the palace to its most beautiful and robust state.

The name of the palace was named after Ronée.

Ronée Palace.

“Welcome, My Lady.”

Dia bowed deeply to the person Nabel was leading.
The unique rose-pink hair was a shade not found in the West.
She had to be from the Eastern Continent.

Nevertheless, she bows her head as she is a guest personally escorted by Nabel.
She recalled Nabel’s previous orders before he departed.

‘The owner of the palace will come, so be prepared.’

“The owner of the palace has finally arrived,” Nabel said as he glared at Dia to remind her to not say anything useless.

However, Dia, who knew Nabel from his youth, only received his glare with a warm smile.

“The owner of the palace?”

Ronée turned to Nabel, and he laughed in embarrassment.
It was as if she discovered something he didn’t want revealed.
(TL: Like how he had named her as the owner of an entire palace)

“Do we dare ask for your name?”

At Dia’s words, Ronée looked back at her.

“Ronée- ” She paused as she was hesitant to reveal her surname.

“…de Rieda.”

At that moment, the other maids around them held their breaths.

“Please be at ease.”

The maids seemed to be surprised by her show of respect.
Ronée glanced around and caught a glimpse of fear in their expressions.

Most of the people she encountered at the Rieda Mansion were either hostile towards her or shunned out of fear of the rumors about her.
Because of this, she was able to discern their reactions.

Everyone in the hallway was staring.

Maybe it was due to Nabel’s presence as the emperor, the highest status on the Western Continent.
To Nabel, this reaction was normal.

But for Ronée, it felt like something more.

They reacted as if their heads would fly off at any moment…

Dia studied Ronée’s face for a moment, and eventually slowly nodded her head.

“I will.”

A warm smile appeared on the head maid’s face again.

“I’ve heard a great deal about you.
First of all, would you like to rest a bit?”

Her gaze fell upon Ronée’s legs, which were a little swollen from the long trip.

“I’ll prepare a massage.”

When Dia held out her hand to accompany her, Ronée made eye contact with the various people peeking behind Dia at the end of her hallway.

Ronée didn’t know, but among them was the knight, Nesha.
The knight who unintentionally interrupted her and Nabel’s time together on the Eastern Continent.

He was sweating again as he thought, ‘Why is the timing so bad these days?’

Like Nesha, everyone else was looking for the right time to approach with their arms filled with documents and reports.

Things that urgently required Nabel’s attention.

When Nabel directed his cool gaze towards them, their complexions all turned white.

“I’ll be looking around the castle for a while,” Ronée finally said.

Nabel had urgent matters to tend to, above all else, he was the emperor of a country.

The realization began to set in only after she noticed how many people were looking for and serving him.
He would be very busy.

“Alright.” Nabel nodded helplessly at her words.

If he could, he wanted to be with Ronée all day.
For the past ten years, he had endured his yearning for her.
In order to protect her, ascended the throne he had no interest in.
All so he could provide her a safe place.

But it wasn’t safe yet.
Nabel’s sharp awareness engulfed the surroundings.
He took note of the disrespectful gazes towards him and Ronée before turning his attention back to her.

“…Instead, please stay only at Ronée Palace.” It wasn’t an order.
It was more like a request or an appeal.

“Why?” She asked out of pure curiosity.
Was there less work left than she thought? The expressions of the people at the end of the hallway looked desperate as they each tightly clutched a pile of documents.

“…It’s still dangerous outside this palace.” Nabel’s face held an expression of discomfort.  “But I’ll get it sorted out as soon as possible.”

There appeared to still be some unresolved issues within the imperial fortress.
Ronée understood that Nabel was no longer just her younger brother.
It wasn’t just his appearance that had changed, the number of people who needed him changed as well.

If the House of Milton still remained, there would be people who wished him harm as well.

“I’m not going far.
I’m tired.” Ronée smiled reassuringly.
Nabel held her hand and then released it.

“I’ll be finished soon.
You should rest soon.” His soft voice echoed through the hallway.
It was warmth that was only reserved for her.

The people waiting were busy focusing on his prior words and did not hear his tender words.

He said he would sort it out as soon as possible.

This could only mean a storm was coming.

* * * * * * 

“I didn’t know that I would be serving the owner of a Shinsu.”

The head maid, Dia, had an expression of pure joy.
Beside her, Ryne was assisting Ronée.

“This is a perfume that I have never seen in the Eastern Continent.”

Under Ryne’s guidance, most of the Western Continent’s fragrant oil was removed.
Since the people of the Eastern Continent had weaker skin than those of the Western Continent, there were many things to be concerned about.

In addition, Ronée’s health was not in the best condition.
She had to call a doctor for a diagnosis before the massage.

“Hmm….”

Domelo, a resident doctor in the palace, was the son of the House of Iver’s family physician.
He examined Ronée’s condition with a very troubled expression.

“First, start with a taste test until she gradually adapts to the cuisine of the Western Continent.
.
..”

Upon hearing this, the head maid, Dia, called in another maid.

“Report this to the chef immediately.
Prepare some rice porridge for His Majesty’s guest.”

“Yes.” The maid immediately went into the hallway and then said, “Rice porridge for the master of the Shinsu to eat….”

Ronée was bothered by the constant mentioning of the word ‘Shinsu’.
Above all, she was keenly aware of their mood.

When they saw Bell, they called him Shinsu and treated her with the utmost respect.
It was completely different from the treatment she received from the people of Rieda Mansion, who had branded her as a cursed demon summoner.

Ronée looked down at Bell.

‘Master of the Shinsu….’

Even if Bell was truly a divine beast, there was nothing Bell could do to help her adjust to this unfamiliar treatment.

On the rare occasions someone treated her with the respect deserving of her nobility status, they always eventually turned their backs on her and regarded her as a cursed devil when their divine magic stopped working around her.
So, she was afraid it would happen again.

“…Dia.”

“Yes.”

The head maid, Dia, bowed her head in a respectful manner.
She wore a small smile on her face.

“Is the Shinsu common in the Western Continent?”