The Saintess Returned to the Emperor’s Arms Chapter 114

Riella is a witch?

 

Those who had been snickering at Herhan, calling him as cold as a corpse, now looked even more frozen like a pale corpse and exchanged glances with each other.

 

They knew Riella had returned—but had no idea the Emperor had come too.

 

Even Hank, who had been shameless in front of Riella until the end, seemed shaken by Herhan’s appearance.

 

‘What do we do now?’

 

‘See? We should’ve just kept pretending we didn’t know anything!’

 

As they exchanged silent, urgent glances, the emperor finally raised his head.

 

In his arms, Riela still had her face buried, trembling pitifully.

 

“Everyone.”

 

Everyone shut their eyes tightly at the cold voice of the emperor.

 

Was he about to draw his sword? Should they drop to their knees and beg?

 

“Take your time with your meal. We’ll be going now..”

 

That was all.

 

The Emperor helped steady Riella and walked out with her.

 

Hank and the rest of the mercenaries were left behind in the dazzlingly lit banquet hall.

 

“That’s it?”

“He just let it go?”

 

“No way. Did you not see the way the Emperor’s eyes went crazy just now?”

 

“Seriously, Hank! Why did you say that? The atmosphere was fine before! You just had to hold out a little longer!”

 

Those who were in an awkward position, unable to stand or sit properly, began to grab each other by the collar.

 

At that moment, the servants carrying the remaining courses entered between those who were raising their voices, saying, “It’s your fault, it’s my fault.”

 

“What… the hell? Did we really get away with it?”

 

“Really?”

 

“Oh my! I’ve endured it for ten years! Well, it’s not like Riella has been whining like that for more than a day or two, right?”

 

Once one person sat down, the rest followed, returning to their seats.

 

After finishing the main course, enjoying dessert, and sipping the finest champagne, the room relaxed as if nothing had happened at all.

 

“Please follow me this way.”

 

As they finished their meal and left the banquet hall, soldiers blocked their way.

 

“Oh, it’s fine. We know the way back to our rooms—no need to escort us…”

 

The voice of someone half-drunk was interrupted by a ‘clank’ sound.

 

The soldiers who had come up in unison put chains on their wrists.

 

So heavy they couldn’t even lift their arms, Hank let out a drunk-sounding chuckle.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Riella felt particularly heavy.

 

“I’ll be back soon, Riella. Get some good sleep today.”

 

Herhan had finished preparing early and kissed her forehead, but even so, she couldn’t open her eyes easily.

 

‘It’s not like I had a major heartbreak or anything.’

 

Riella found herself funny.

 

‘I thought I had nothing more to show for my colleagues, but did I really have so many attachments that I didn’t even know about?’

 

“At least when we first met… don’t you think Hank had some genuine affection for me?”

 

Suddenly, she remembered what she had said to Herhan before dinner yesterday.

 

Thinking back now, it was an embarrassingly absurd expectation.

 

Hank had already calculated her worth when he first met her, and because of that, she had to cry until she slept in Herhan’s arms all night yesterday.

 

‘I’m embarrassed.’

 

Firstly, she was embarrassed, and secondly, she was sad.

 

Had she really never been loved by them—not even for a single moment?

 

“Lady Riella! Are you still sleeping!? The sun is already high in the sky!”

 

It was at that moment that Lou burst into the bedroom, making an unexpected, lively noise.

 

“Ah, Lou… Sorry, I’m just going to rest today…”

 

“It’s okay to rest, but you should eat! Get up quickly! Okay? I have a present for you, Lady Riella!”

 

“A present?”

 

“I’ll give it to you when you wake up!”

 

Lou was rarely this persistent, even when Riella just wanted some quiet time.

 

And besides, Riella couldn’t help but be curious about this so-called present.

 

With effort, she sat up.

 

Lou smiled brightly and opened the curtains.

 

The room was filled with dazzling sunlight, and her gloomy mind seemed to clear up considerably.

 

“Okay, I’m up. Where’s my present.”

 

“Not yet! After you take a bath!”

 

Riela was dragged off by Lou, who was insistent and unstoppable.

 

“Now that I’ve bathed….”

 

“You should eat too!”

 

‘This was starting to feel like a scam.’

 

Still, she had nothing to lose, so she obediently ate the food Lou brought her.

Only after she had quickly finished the food that had been served did Riella realize that she was hungry.

 

‘Come to think of it… I didn’t eat a single bite last night.’

 

As the thought passed, she remembered Lou’s ‘present’ again.

 

“Lou! Now that I’ve finished eating, I’m really ready—”

 

“Pfft. The present? Yes! I’ll give it to you. Come this way!”

 

The place that Lou led her to was Riella’s study.

 

Riela, curious why they had to come all the way here instead of just handing the gift over, widened her eyes as soon as the door opened.

 

“What is all this?”

 

“It’s a gift!”

 

“No, I know it’s a gift!”

 

She was speechless and could not speak easily.

 

The study was filled with so many boxes that it was difficult to see them all at once.

 

The boxes were all different sizes and packaging. When she opened a few cards attached to the boxes, the senders were all different.

 

“It was sent from the Kingdom of Riota.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Oh. To be more precise, should I say that the servants from the Kingdom of Riota brought it? Lady Riella took all of us back to our hometown and gave us a vacation. Everyone said there was no way they could return empty-handed, so they brought all sorts of things. Some gifts they bought themselves and some were sent from their family homes. And actually, I….”

 

Lou, sounding a bit shy, hesitated before handing Riella a small box that fits in the palm of her hand.

 

“It’s not expensive, but please take it.”

 

When Riella opened the box, what was inside was a leather ribbon that appeared to be handmade.

 

“My mom made it herself. She said the pattern brings good luck. She told me to make sure I gave it to Lady Riella. She wanted to thank you for taking such good care of me.”

 

Riella absentmindedly stroked the ribbon.

 

It was a crude object, but because of that, the sincerity contained within it was clearly revealed.

 

All the gifts piled up in the study were like that.

 

Not expensive, but each one filled with the greatest sincerity they could offer.

 

“When did you all prepare something like this?”

 

“Hehehe. I secretly brought it on the marching carriage without telling Lady Riella.”

 

The layers of wrapping, tied and retied multiple times in fear of damage on the long journey, were touching.

 

Riella was moved to tears.

 

“How can I receive something so precious?”

 

As Riella began to sob, Lou jumped up, saying that such words were outrageous.

 

“Everyone felt the same way. Meeting someone as kind as Lady Riela was a huge blessing. Not because you’re going to be Empress, but because you’ve always treated us with sincerity.”

 

“…..”

 

“Me too. The day I met Lady Riella on my way to the Empire was the happiest and most thankful day of my life!”

 

“…….”

 

“There is a letter attached to each box, so please read them one by one slowly.…”

 

Riella couldn’t hear any more of Lou’s words.

 

She couldn’t even bring herself to read the letters. She simply sank down where she stood.

 

‘I am someone who is loved.’

 

‘I am someone who receives this much love.’

 

When she thought about it that way, the pain of last night was willingly forgiven.

 

Maybe this was the reason why. Maybe it all came rushing in like that to bring her this overwhelming, deep joy.

 

“Your Majesty ordered this?”

 

When she asked her after shedding a few tears in gratitude, Lou groaned as if it stung.

 

“W-Well… we were planning to give you gifts anyway! It’s just that His Majesty pushed us to organize them a little more quickly…”

 

Riella buried her forehead in her lap and smiled brightly, wiping away the remaining tears.

 

“Your Majesty, I miss you.”

 

Somehow, now she no longer feels pain when she thinks of the faces of her useless colleagues.

 

* * *

 

Hank woke up in a dark prison cell, unable to tell if it was day or night.

 

Disoriented and afraid in the darkness, a voice broke through the silence, as if it had been waiting for him to wake.

 

“Is this your first time in prison?”

 

“……!”

 

Hank’s eyes widened.

 

However, he still could not see his surroundings.

 

“Riella spent quite a while in prison. Because you all abandoned her. She took on all your crimes by herself.”

 

After struggling like crazy and blinking his eyes countless times, Hank was finally able to see his surroundings little by little.

 

He was the only one tied up.

 

Clearly, when he was locked up yesterday, he had colleagues next to me.

 

“Are you scared?”

 

Then, a deep blue light suddenly appeared in front of Hank.

 

He had planned to ask where the others were. He even wondered if they’d been killed.

 

But the moment Hank met those piercing eyes like the tip of a sharpened sword, he realized that all his expectations and suspicions were meaningless.

 

“Riella must have been more scared than you because she was alone.”

 

“Now you’re alone too…”

 

The low murmur that followed, and Hank was left speechless.

 

“Even after all that, she still called you back, sat you down, shared meals with you, and tried to give you another chance?”

 

“Oh, Your Majesty the Emperor….”

 

“Do you know with what kind of heart Riella accepted you back?”

 

Hank swallowed hard.

 

“P-Please spare me. If you call Riella… I’ll sincerely beg for her forgiveness—!”

 

The emperor chuckled.

 

Hank sensed his end as he watched the emperor coldly walk away, as if there was no longer any point in talking to him.

 

A black-haired knight with a sword approached the spot where the emperor had disappeared.

 

There was no need to think any further. Now was the time to really play the last card.

 

“Y-You can’t kill me! You’ll regret it! I—I know Riella’s secret…!”

 

Hank couldn’t continue speaking as the knight’s outstretched sword was lodged under his neck.

 

But it worked.

 

The emperor, who had been moving away from him, turned towards him again.

 

“You know Riella’s secret?”

 

“Yes, yes…!”

 

Hank gritted his teeth.

 

The only reason he’d dared to cling to Riella again was because of this “weapon.”

 

“T-The truth is, Riella has a strange power. If you hear it, you’ll be shocked. I think… I think she might be a witch!”

 

“Oh. Really? Riella is a witch?”

 

The emperor opened his eyes wide, then burst into laughter and asked back.

 

That was not the reaction Hank had expected.

 

He thought the Emperor would be horrified.

 

“So, she’s a witch. And? What else?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Are there any other more interesting secrets that you know of?”

 

“That, that…”

 

This was maddening.

 

What could he possibly say to save his life?

 

“I know Riella’s biological parents!”

 

That was it.

The sword at his throat hesitated.

Even the Emperor, who had been laughing arrogantly, now showed signs of unease.

 

‘I lived.’

 

Hank exhaled a hot breath of relief.

 

The sword withdrew from his neck—but in its place, the Emperor’s hand shot forward.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Hank, who was grabbed by the collar by a thick hand, groaned in pain.

 

Was that… not the right answer?

 

* * *