Chaise a la ReineChapter 58

In the carriage returning to the palace, Eugène sat quietly without turning on the lights, lost in thought.

The Emperor’s body temperature still remained on his lips. Not only his lips, but everywhere else  his hands touched. Following the trajectory left by his touch, he felt a sensation as hot as if he had been scorched. y0Gr5l

Even though Eugène knew it was a purely psychological phenomenon, he unintentionally touched his lips. The texture of the flesh, which was neither as soft nor as sweet as the ladies, was as dry as he remembered.

Nevertheless, the Emperor had caressed his lips with clear desire. Eugène clearly remembered the sight of his golden eyes, which had rarely shown emotions, darkened with longing that he could not hide. There was only one reason for a man to look at another person with such eyes. The Emperor did not even try to hide the fact.

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Although he unintentionally behaved like a slow-witted person for a while, Eugène was by nature, a clever man. He couldn’t even imagine matters going in that direction because he was dismissing it as inapplicable, but once he got a clue, various things that had happened so far were put together at once, and his dim vision had expanded.

Even if he didn’t realize it consciously, he seemed to know that something was strange subconsciously. When he looked back on the things that had been previously overlooked, there were quite a few things that struck him anew. Eugène sighed deeply when he realized that all the pieces pointed to one undeniable conclusion. Y67LyZ

Why me?

He rubbed his heavy temples, feeling the signs of a migraine. He couldn’t even guess this fact until the decisive moment came, and he couldn’t understand what His Majesty’s intentions were in showing him such feelings. Therefore, it was not easy to determine what he specifically wanted from him.

The first thing that came to mind when he realized the Emperor’s desire was the most fundamental question.

Why? If the place where they were standing wasn’t the most important ballroom in high society, Eugène would have asked the question directly. Why me, among the many other  countless people, Your Majesty?

Far from the feeling of vanity, he had a fairly objective grasp of his appearance. Eugène’s appearance was quite masculine, and although he was praised by some as somewhat attractive, it did not match the delicate taste of the courtiers.

Most nobles, regardless of gender, preferred a more sophisticated and elegant appearance. Pure white skin that seems to never have been exposed to sunlight since birth, a slender and well-rounded body, and shiny nails cut with silver scissors and polished with velvet.

Among the courtiers of beautiful women and handsome men, the Emperor was one of the most beautiful, and he had an exceptionally high level of discernment. Even with the exception of the legendary Countess Patrí, the concubines chosen by him were all so beautiful that even flowers would be envious of them. Born at the peak of imperial power, it was natural to see and hear only the best, but that’s why the current situation was even more incomprehensible.

The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt, but there was no solution. No, actually, he was not even sure if this was something he had to solve. zlsQHF

Usually, it was best to let the other person deal with their unwanted feelings on their own. Even if you were tempted, you could just refuse if you didn’t like it, but unfortunately, this time the opposite party was bad news. The other person was the Emperor, and as far as Eugène knew, he was not one to give up what he wanted.

He is not the kind of person who will force someone to do what they do not want to, but the problem is the future. Eugène could not even imagine what he would do next.

He was worried because he had been tricked by the Emperor several times before. Although he could be said to be a talented person in his own way, he was still far short of an Emperor who had lived his whole life in the midst of fierce scheming.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Snfgsatlcu klii ub jmmbgvlcu ab tlr klii. Dea atja kjr cba ktja Seuècf kjcafv. Lf rkbgf jiifuljcmf ab atf Swqfgbg yea cfnfg jugffv ab boofg tlw tlr bkc ybvs. YKXkhL

Mgeragjafv, tf qeiifv yjmx atf megajlcr jcv bqfcfv atf mibrfv klcvbk. C vjgx jiifskjs, rqjgrfis ila, qjrrfv bearlvf atf klcvbk. C uifjw oijrtfv jgbecv tlr fsfr jr tf ibbxfv bea lcvloofgfcais.

The night scenery, which would have been difficult to recognize if the eyes had not become accustomed to the darkness, was strange and harsh. The shabby exterior walls were cracked and broken here and there, and it was difficult to find even a trace of whitewash, and the windows were blocked by wooden planks and nailed shut. The sewers were poorly maintained, so the pungent odor of filth wafted in the night breeze.

The boulevard between La Lune and the Imbert Palace, where the mansions of the high-ranking nobles were closely located, was the busiest street in the capital. The pavement was clean and fancy stores lined the street as the place was frequented by the nobles on a daily basis. There was no reason to go down this road unless one was going back on purpose, and Eugène had never given such an order to the coachman.

As he sensed something unusual, he pulled out a dagger that was hidden in his coat, that leaned against the side of his seat. As it  had been noticed from previous surprise attacks, Eugène always carried a weapon to protect himself. It was not because he was worried about his life, but because of his old habit as a soldier, and this habit saved his life several times. Li2ctm

The carriage gradually entered the back alley. It would not be a bad idea to jump out in the middle considering safety, but he wanted to wait and observe the situation a little more. It was still unknown whether this was a kidnapping or an attack. It was not in his nature to run away even though he knew there was someone trying to attack him.

“Whoa, whoa.”

Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Eventually, as if they had arrived at the destination, he heard the coachman stop the horse. As the carriage stood alone in the secluded alleyway, the shadows of people suddenly rose from the darkness as if they were waiting.

Eugène looked at the way of those approaching through the gap in the curtain that had been gently turned so that it could not be seen from the outside. A gleaming blade was caught in the dim vision. The purpose of those who were approaching without even thinking of hiding the weapon in their hand was obvious. n2Tdj

It is an attack.

Eugène made a clear conclusion and made preparations in his mind. First, there were four opponents in sight. Including the coachman, five. But it was highly likely that there would be a couple more to watch out for. Then seven. Seven was a difficult number, even for him.

Knock, knock. A person approaching knocked on the carriage door., ‘We have arrived, My Lord.’ It seemed that he thought Eugène had not yet noticed the situation outside, and the man naturally even pretended to be a servant. Eugène waited for him to come a little closer and then kicked the carriage door hard.

He kicked the door hard enough to knock it halfway off its hinges, and the man outside fell with a loud thud. Eugène quickly leaped out and attacked his opponent before he was put at a disadvantage in the narrow carriage. kMe6VJ

Instead of moving in a circle, he kicked the man who had fallen over with his feet and, after noticing the situation, thrust the dagger into the throat of the person who raised the weapon. Before he could do anything, his life fled from him, and he coughed up blood and clutched his own neck. However, no matter how earnestly he held onto it, he could not hold back the life that had already left the body.

“Damn it, the cat has noticed.”

“Alain is dead!!”

Before they even attacked, those who had been counterattacked again shouted loudly amongst themselves and rushed to Eugène. kid59X

The dialect of Michèle’s back alley with a strong enunciation. Eugène had heard them speak before. It was commonly spoken by those who had committed crimes in the capital and were being brought into slave labor, usually pickpockets and thieves, but occasionally they were caught robbing in groups like this.

Are they surmulots?

As if it had had experience killing people, the tip of the sword was terrifying, but the direction of the attack was truly all over the place.

A horde of untrained and ferocious thieves. They were nothing more than thugs who would do anything for money, but that’s what made them easy to use and to cover their one’s own tracks. b3px74

“You son of a bitch, you killed Alain? I will tear your limbs apart!”

The man, who swore and spoke abusively as if he had a good relationship with the one who died at Eugène’s hand, swung his ax as he aimed for Eugène’s head. Eugène hastily tilted his head, and almost exposed a vital point to the person who tried to stab him in the side.

If you block it with a sword, the sword will break. The sword stick was a weapon similar to the estoque. The blade was thin and pointed, which made it useful for piercing through gaps, but because of that, its strength was weak, so it was not strong enough to block or deflect enemy attacks.

He raised the ebony sheath and blocked the sword with a split-second judgment. Although the high-quality wood, renowned for its hardness, was severely nicked, Eugène’s life was saved. 7kCp1H

After the crisis came the opportunity. He pierced the opponent’s lungs by piercing the dagger through the gap between the sheath and the sword. The sharp metal cut right between the ribs encircling the chest and penetrated the man’s left lung, then drew it out and slashed the wrist of the man holding the ax.

Both attackers screamed at the same time. No, to be precise, the only person who was screaming was the man with the ax whose artery in his right hand was cut off. The man whose lung was pierced stood up and convulsed, struggling with a pain so terrible that he couldn’t even groan.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Blood from the torn blood vessels flowed back into the punctured lung. ‘Eeccch-’. The terrifying timbre that boiled in his throat sounded more ghastly than any other scream. He was choking on his own blood.

Eugène was frighteningly bold and resolute in his grasp. They were not the only ones who had seen blood on their hands. A soldier’s success was achieved with the blood of his enemies. He had fought numerous battles and slain lots of men with his own hands before ascending to the rank of Admiral. Even if one were to add up the current number of the dead attackers, it would still not be as many as the number of enemies he had tied to his mast. VJULjH

“Fuck, what is he?”

“A monster-.”

In an instant, two died and one lost his hand. The attackers watched with terrified eyes at the sight of blood dripping down a blade that would usually be used to tear open a letter envelope.

The figure of Eugène pointing his dagger at them with his back to the carriage to protect himself seemed unwavering and firm. In the darkness, his indifferent eyes glistened coldly. The cool, subdued breathing was slow and regular. The stillness, with no excitement for killing or anger at the enemy, was reminiscent of a wild beast crouching in the bushes. ls4mbB

Those who had nothing but their own lives to save were quick to notice. They realized that the aristocrat they had preyed upon was not as easy as they had expected.

The problem was that they thought of him lightly because he was a fallen nobleman who had no territory. They should have guessed that if a man has an enemy who hired such assailants to kill him, he must have at least one hidden skill.

The sewer rats stealthily saw through each other’s intentions. It was hard to attack in haste because he was a serious opponent, but it seemed to hurt their pride to tuck in their tail first. There was only one opponent, and they still had four left on their side, excluding the one who had become a half-cripple.

They thought they could do it if they were to run all at once, but one or two might end up dead, which was the problem. What if they were unlucky enough to be that ‘one or two’? Money was nice, but survival was more important. XxR5OF

“The commission was a hundred dinars.”

One of the sewer rats, noticing that his comrades’ hips were creeping backward, blurted it out. He sighed and spat on the ground, and impulsively urged the rest of them in a hoarse voice.

“Two men are already dead, twenty dinars for one. What do you think will be the remaining share after killing him?”

It was a life in the back alley where they were willing to kill for a single dell, a silver coin. For such people, 20 gold coins was a price they were willing to sacrifice their own lives for. Eugène realized that the person the man had just spoken to was their leader, and turned his attention to him. fLH3mE

“You received the deposit first.”

In a calm tone, Eugène revealed what he might have been hiding.

“Have you spent your share already?”

“Shut the fuck up!” eV6xH7

As if his guess was correct, the man with a flushed face swung his sword at him in anger. The rest of the gang attacked Eugène in tandem with him.

He indeed guessed the inside story after seeing people who were more treacherous than anyone else dwelling on the request in the face of their own lives, but Eugène originally said that in order to agitate his opponent. To confuse before the enemies are ready and strike before they counterattack. It was one of the few strategies he could use when in a disadvantageous position of being outnumbered, and fortunately, it worked.

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Rather than advance to the approaching enemies, Eugène took a step back. The first blade that came in was blocked by the door of the tattered carriage, and the attack that followed was countered with a sword.

While his main weapon was the cutlass, thanks to his frequent sparring with the Emperor, he became familiar with the use of stabbing weapons. The attacker, startled by the blade that prodded him at the throat, hurriedly backed away. H72cFz

The attacker’s clumsy evasion entrained his fellow comrade as well, causing the two to lose their balance at once. Eugène seized the moment and swung his sword like a lightning bolt and stabbed the falling man in the heart. The man who lost his stance and had no time to defend himself lost his life as a result.