The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 113
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
this book is completely translated on luna kofi (advanced chapters for the website will follow)
Moreover, Igmeyer knew well that the prince shouldn’t be killed or seriously injured, so he would ensure he was adequately protected.
‘Besides, if the prince decides not to go, that’s fine. If he does go and throws a tantrum because he’s too scared… just ask him if the monster hunt seemed like a joke.’
In truth, Amber didn’t dislike Loki that much. She just found him very, very tiresome. So, she only hoped he would never come back to the North again.
“I learned something unexpected about Madame Etoile.”
“Is it anything other than the fact that she’s involved in acts akin to human trafficking?”
“Jean said it’s fine to tell you. After all, we need to hear your opinion too…”
Amber sighed softly when she heard this.
Jean Halleway. An illegitimate child born to a famous scholarly family.
His mother was a wandering dancer who deceived the naive Count Halleway and had a child with him… that’s the public story.
But in truth, the dancer was Madame Etoile’s woman.
“Someone commissioned her to extort money through marriage fraud.”
“Oh…”
“Count Halleway genuinely loved her. The betrayal was that much more painful when he learned the truth. The dancer’s status, her past, and her demeanor in front of him were all fake…”
Igmeyer trailed off, taking a sip of his drink.
He then spoke quietly.
“Jean wants to have the authority to deal with Madame Etoile’s women.”
“What will happen to Madame Etoile?”
“She’ll be publicly executed.”
Amber nodded at his calm statement. It was best to prevent such things from happening again.
“Don’t go to the square that day. They’ll be hanged for a week… I’d rather you didn’t see that. Please.”
“…Okay.”
Even without the plea, she had no intention of going, but with Igmeyer’s insistence, Amber decided she definitely wouldn’t go to the square that week.
“As for the authority over Madame Etoile’s women, well, I think they’re either innocent or their crimes aren’t severe. I can’t grant authority unless it leads to a positive outcome.”
“That’s a fair point.”
“Listen to Jean’s thoughts and then make your decision. Jean isn’t exactly thoughtless.”
Amber felt a bit of joy at having what seemed like a normal couple’s conversation. She had put aside her cold demeanor for the first time in a while and shared what she had discovered with a somewhat softer tone.
“Iona revealed something about the client. They had green eyes.”
“Oh. That’s very helpful. Madame Etoile has been keeping silent about the client, so this is a relief.”
High Priest Mikael. In the end, he’s the sole mastermind behind this ridiculous scheme.
Now that it’s identified, they can move on to the next step.
“Press Madame Etoile for more information based on what Iona revealed. If she confesses, there will be two witnesses. Even the High Priest won’t be able to deny it.”
Amber, having refreshed her throat with wine, calmly outlined the next steps.
“Arrest the High Priest immediately and send a letter of protest to the order about his actions. Then claim that the prophecy he supposedly received was actually fake. Say that he concocted this absurd scheme out of fear that his lies would be exposed…”
“What if they don’t believe it?”
“Oh, they will. There’s no one in the world without enemies. As long as the High Priest is human and not a god, someone will want to bring him down. Even if it’s a lie, they’ll believe it’s true.”
This is how politics works.
Something Igmeyer isn’t good at. But Amber loved politics and understood it well.
‘I’ll fill in the gaps where he falls short, and he’ll cover the areas where I’m lacking.’
It felt like they had achieved the perfect image of a couple she had envisioned for so long, and Amber smiled.
“Amber? What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
Huh?
She thought she had been smiling, but was she not?
Her vision blurred. Igmeyer’s worried face seemed to waver.
‘I should be satisfied. This much, just this much… is enough. I only wanted this much…’
Why does it feel like her heart is being torn apart?
‘Thinking there’s no tattoo for me… just… just.’
Igmeyer, deeply shocked, jumped up and hugged her. Throughout this, tears flowed from Amber’s eyes like a child’s.
Amber cried sorrowfully, not even understanding why she felt so heartbroken.
It seemed like Igmeyer was the one about to die.
From what he knew, Amber was never the type to cry without context. She wasn’t the kind of person to weep like this.
‘Then I must have committed a grave sin. Did I say something wrong, or did my attitude just now cause this?’
Despite desperately trying to figure it out, he couldn’t pinpoint anything. In fact, Amber had been the one acting coldly the entire time.
Driven to the edge, Igmeyer patted Amber’s back in a panic.
But that only seemed to make her cry more.
“I’ve done everything wrong. I’m the one who should be punished. I must have committed a great sin. Right? Please forgive me, Amber. Okay?”
In the past, he couldn’t understand men who apologized so recklessly.
He used to think that right and wrong should be clearly defined, and that no matter what, no single person could be entirely to blame. Why would anyone apologize first….He used to have such foolishness.
