Tamed Monster - Chapter 6
Monsters were born to be hated and cast out, regardless of whether they had committed evil acts. Among monsters, there were many who grew more vicious toward humans because of this very reason.
The war between monsters and humans had been going on for hundreds of years.
The tide of the battle was gradually shifting in favor of humans, and the reason for that was simple: the deadly poison that worked on monster.
It was a poison that was developed by the current Crown Prince, who had barely matured.
It was a poison that he had somehow managed to create. How he made it, Lancart couldn’t fathom. After torturing the people who had once been the Crown Prince’s subordinates, he had learned where it was manufactured and stored. The monsters were planning to invade that place soon.
That’s why he had to disguise as Lancart. If he had gone to the palace as a monster, no matter how strong he was, he would have been overwhelmed by the knights swarming at him. One arrow, tipped with the deadly poison from afar, could pierce his heart and kill him instantly.
A monster. The 300-year-old beast, known as ‘Kuinan’ by his fellow monsters, perked his ears at the sharp voice of a woman coming from downstairs. It was the voice of the woman who was the mother of the human Lancart.
“So damn loud.”
Knowing that covering his ears wouldn’t block the sound, Kuinan lifted two pillows and pressed them firmly against his ears.
* * *
After neatly folding the clothes in front of the Duke’s bath, Sylvia descended to the lower floor.
As soon as she got downstairs, she regretted it. Lady Rossa was standing there like a gatekeeper, nodding her head with a look that seemed to say, ‘Come here, let me see you.’
Sylvia was led to Lady Rossa’s room on the third floor.
Originally a reception room, it was well soundproofed, making it perfect for private conversations. Before Sylvia could sit down, Lady Rossa went straight to the point.
“How does he look to you? My son.”
There was any nobility in Lady Rossa like Sylvia and the current Lancart. This could be traced back to their birth.
Lady Rossa wasn’t originally noble. She came from a lower background, a dancer from a neighboring principality. She had survived on prostitution and dance until, by chance, she was invited to perform at an imperial banquet.
There, the Emperor had taken notice of her and granted her nobility. Her speech and mannerisms, therefore, were anything but refined.
Even though Sylvia knew about her background, she didn’t look down on her or judge her. Having grown up in a harsh environment herself, she believed Lady Rossa’s rough attitude was simply the result of her upbringing.
At times, Sylvia struggled to keep her rising frustration in check and buried it deep inside.
“…He seems unwell.”
When Sylvia answered honestly, Lady Rossa’s thick golden lashes fluttered with barely contained anger.
She seemed ready to slap Sylvia across the cheek. Sylvia had done nothing wrong, but it seemed that Lady Rossa believed her precious son—who had returned from the swamp in such a state of confusion—was the fault of his wife who was hiding away at home, attending to menial tasks.
At that moment Sylvia stiffened her neck.
“Ha… I see. It did look that way to me too.”
Perhaps there was still a sliver of reason left, as the tension in Lady Rossa’s clenched fist slowly loosened. Her delicate, fair hand rested on the deeply scooped neckline of her dress.
“How frustrating… How could this happen? My son, who had been victorious in countless battles, had always returned unscathed from slaying those dreadful monsters. It’s partly your fault for not supporting him properly, but more than that, it’s Myers’ fault. Yes, definitely.”
Myers was the Crown Prince’s name. Even though they were in the Duke’s residence, it was still an inappropriate name to say out loud. The Emperor’s concubine couldn’t dare call the Empress’ successor by name.
But Lady Rossa, as usual, paid no heed to such grave rules.
“…”
“Don’t you think so? Do you not think it’s your fault, or Myers’?”
Taken aback for a moment by Lady Rossa’s sharp question, Sylvia quickly composed herself and lied without hesitation.
“I think the same.”
It wasn’t that Sylvia feared Lady Rossa. It was more that she pitied her and didn’t want to upset her. It was an odd feeling that she couldn’t even fully understand, but she had been acting submissive around her ever since.
When she lowered her gaze, Lady Rossa snorted in apparent disinterest. She had been waiting for Sylvia to slip up so she could put her in her place, but now she calmed herself and got straight to the point.
As always, Sylvia kept her gentle gaze on Lady Rossa’s bright red lips.
“…Well, let’s set that aside for now. The important thing is that my son has returned safely, right? I think we can’t delay matters of seeing a successor any longer.”
As Sylvia stared at her lips, still a bit dazed, she barely understood half of what Lady Rossa was saying, and her fingers trembled slightly. Even the half she understood was a rather shocking suggestion.
When Sylvia finally came back to reality, her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the noblewoman before her.
“…What?”
“Don’t you understand? I’m telling you to get pregnant, get pregnant.”
