Irisha is kind of confused with her situation right now. For her sitting together side by side with the Empress of Empire Malum in this isolated garden she just found. Then maybe after she lives for almost 20 years old in this world- a kind of color she once get used to but rare in this world, feels so strange when Irisha once again looks at it.

The black hair that is so beautiful straightly falls on the thin body of the Empress. She looks so young despite having three children, looks so calm with a mysterious demeanor. Yet- strangely, even though the woman in front of Irisha has such a title on her, Irisha realizes something that she never thought once,

' ... I don't know anything about Empress.'

As matter of fact, she feels like there are not many people talking about the empress regularly. Even though Irisha never once attends any of the Imperial parties, but- she always heard that the Empress always keeps her seat empty. No one sees the Empress during the Imperial Occasions' and the empress also is not in charge of any governor duties. It feels normal if she is absent because she is not a person in charge, but also, it does not feel normal because usually, the empress of the Malum Empire will involve in the governor's matters.

' Well... people do know that she is the one with black attributes.' Even though in this region this 'cursed' stereotyped is not as thick as in the other region, it's thin- that's means many still believe it.

" You look like you are having so many thoughts in your mind." Said the Empress. As she is the first person with black attributes Irisha has met, there is nothing from her that suitable with the word 'Cursed'. The fact that she is also being reminded of Ivy's story about her mother who hates her children- is also somehow unsuitable. The Empress feels so caring and kind even to a stranger like Irisha. " ...Is it because of my look?"

[ I will never-!] She said it hurriedly. [... I was just losing in my thought.]

" .... You do, you were crying don't you?" and she looks at her kindly. A kind of expression that is not really showing a smile but, her calming demeanor of her somehow gives Irisha a strange reassuring impression. " ... if you want, I can be your friend to talk to."

[... Ah, it's nothing. I am just a little bit tired.] she said flustered. She then stands up, somehow ready to bow.  Thinking that it might be better to just leave, [ ... Then, please excu-]

" ... you seem to be a typical person that will keep your feeling inside and think about it by yourself."

[ Pardon?]

" Do you find the solution to your problem?"

And she confused, [... what are you talking about, Your Majesty?] but, even though she said that Irisha feels like the Empress asking about her current situation.

The empress looks at her deeply before looking at the sky for quite a while confusing irisha about what she should do in this situation. " My husband seems to put my first son into a dire situation." She said while looking at Irisha who still confusedly standing while looking at her. Irisha could not understand her situation, how to respond and what is the Empress trying to say? Yet, the empress lifts her foot and put it on the other one while then looking at her with a faint smile.

"... do you know the history of the dragons, Ms. Irisha?"

[... about the Holy Dragon?]

And she nods, " Entirely."

[ I don't read so many books about that...]

" Do you want me to tell you?" asked her. "... If you have free time to keep me company I will be grateful."

[... Then, if it's okay with you, Your Majesty.] she said. Moreover, who dare to refuse the Empress's invitation? Yet- other than that, there is a strange feeling that enough for being a reason for Irisha to stay and listen to her. So then, she sits once more while somehow the Empress seems to call the maid that suddenly comes to her. Seems they stand by near the Empress so they are not taking a long time to come. The Empress seems to order the maid to bring the tea and refreshment for her. Of course, all of them are Irisha's speculation while reading their lips' movements. Yet, she is right.

Irisha thought that it will be hard for the maid to bring it to this garden, but- somehow they could. Several Imperial maids who look extravagant, elegantly, and gracefully prepare this plain spot into somehow luxurious. Their manners are stunning, they did not even take a glance to her and make her uncomfortable. 

" I always spend my time In this garden. It is quite far from my palace but- it is isolated and strangely nice." She said. The same reason why Irisha ended up having a quiet time in this place. " Do you like dragons, Ms.Irisha?" asked her.

And Irisha who is now being poured tea by the maid before she leaves- nods, [ I feel unfortunate for not being able to ride one.] she said which the Empress gives her a strange expression as if it's something surprising. [ I was once, but his g- someone said that I can not be near them for a long time.]

" Yes, for ordinary people. Yet- are you mana user?"

[... if you mean by that is that, I use it daily- no.] she said.

" Why?"

[ The last time I checked was because I have a small container for my mana. The doctor was not encouraging me to do anything with my mana because it might have resulted badly.] and she looks at the Empress who seems lost in thought while sipping her tea. [... Is there something wrong?]

"... No, but- seems like not only me who is trying to meddle in your relationship." She said while somehow covering her mouth while thinking. Irisha wants to ask what the meaning of that word is, like what does she mean by 'her relationship' and who is trying to meddle? but- the empress already opens her mouth. " ... Well, dragons are born from different worlds you see. The world where the divines creature and gods reside."

[... Is there really such a world?]

" Yes," she said firmly. "... which of course, I have never seen one. The reason why I believe in that is, that dragon in fact is not suitable for this world," she said while smiling gently. It is captivating Irisha, in a very strange way. " ... The legend said that this world was once facing calamity. All gates to other worlds opened and many devilish creatures, darkness, filled Althera and created catastrophes. The north and south were covered by eternal ice, The middle faced severe drought, the mountains filled with monsters- No one could help anyone. Each one suffered their own fight. Either human, elves, dwarves- even a peaceful creature like sylphs'. "

[... It was like a big war.]

" War? It might be yes because many became mad due to the situation and ended up killing each other to survive. Many pieces of literature in that era, filled with a painful grieve that no one here might be able to face." she then sipped her tea after looking like she contemplated for a while, " ... the name of the dragon is Logan. He came to the mortal world through the opened gate that was happened a long time ago, somehow repopulated the dragons, created their dragon's lair in these rocky mountains."

[ ... they also created the Lumnae Pillars?]

and her eyebrows rise. " Oh? you know that?"

[ Yes, while I traveled to the Malum region.]

" ... Ah, well it becomes a bourgeoisie place despite its terrible history."

[ Terrible?]

and she then smiles faintly. [ Do you ever question how dragons could build something like that? the pillars are too structured for a beast that has no fingers- like dragon build that kind of buildings. Yet, in the same time the pillars are all too useless for humans to build." and she looks at Irisha who starts to think deeply about it.

" Do you ever think the reason of it?"

and her eyes widen, [... it was slavery?]

" That's right." and she smiles vilely, somehow like if she enjoys hearing to this dreadful history that Irisha feels shiver while hearing to that. " ... it is too pristine to call him a Holy Dragon while he was the one who create its lair while using humans as his slaves," she said. " Yet- history could be changed easily with someone with authorities... Then, I don't know whether the power that people embrace, adore, and worship is truly a blessing or a curse."

And somehow Irisha understands the empress's word pretty well, to the point that she could not deny it. As Irisha, herself- was also witnessing how the ones who are called as ' dragons's blessing' ironically suffer greatly.

" ... The Holy Dragon whose heart was emotionless, and hollow- never once thought that what he did to humans was wrong. It was natural things, as beasts's life always circulated with a concept ' the strong one is the winner' and he as a Holy Dragon's who was the children of a powerful god, fated to be the one with the power.... " and she smirks, " Sometimes I thought that the gods have too many free times to do this in this fragile world. Seems like they are all bored with their immortality and messing with us- either way, the power created a thick hegemony that humans could not stand to fight."

and she exhaled quite a long breath, once more enjoying the other slice of a pumpkin pie. " ... Yet, his arrogance then shattered by its only weakness." and she looks at Irisha as if she challenged her. " .. Can you guess?"

' Weakness of the dragon?'

[ Weakness of the dragon?]

The empress nods, without once turning her gaze.

and Irisha thinks for quite a while. [... The treasure?]

Then the empress smiles, "... right. Foolishly he falls in love with a mere human. A slave he once tortured." and she brushes her hair gently, " .... and human is naturally wicked. The woman whose the dragon fell in to, immediately used the chance to make the dragon gone... she asked the dragon's to give her his power, its soul, which the dragon did it sincerely. "

And the empress is laughng truly enjoying the story. "Funny is not it?"

but, Irisha could not even know how to react to this whole heavy story which the Empress brings lightly or- maybe Irisha is only the one who misinterpreted the Empress's demeanor. Yet, her gesture, her expression while telling her a dreadful story feels so emotionless...

there is a hint that there is no emphatic or sympathy for anything the way she responses and reacts to the whole history.

" It then led us to the fall of the dragon's kingdom. The power that the dragon lost, made him unable to stay in this world... because this world, in the end, is not a place for divine creatures to live, Logan, the dragon could not survive and came back to the astral world. The place where the gods and the divine creatures live."

.

"At the same time, Althera gradually healed. The hellish gates closed, leaving the human with many blessings the gods gave, which messed the Althera with another war between races for quite a long time. Yet- despite how horrifying the war, Malum Empire stood solely in its Rocky Mountain." and she looks at Irisha who seems like she needs a little bit more times to comprehend all the information.

so she takes a time to rest before opens her mouth again and sign, 

".... but dragon's power also in the end, is not a power that is suitable for a human. The human could not hold up the immense power. It controlled them to such point, wicked their humane traits and slowly makes them similar to the dragon itself." she said. " So... you might know that all of the blessings' should infuse themselves with humane blood. To somehow make them insane, to somehow... makes them back to their human self... which gives them the comfort from the wicked power"

.

and she looks at her again deeply. "... when Logan inherited his power, he said. " I will inherit my power for my treasure, for her firstborn to be the soul, and the others to have my blessing." do you know what it means?" Irisha shakes her head in confusion. 

" ....It means that the power runs in the blood but- the hegemony relies on the firstborn."

.

.

[... Despite being a woman and a man?]

and she nods, somehow laughing. " I get your point but, in this patriarchal and hierarchal world- the woman who has the power will be arranged to marry. I speculate many things while thinking about why they were not standing up for themselves- but, I have no clue at all and thought maybe that's just the way this world work."

.

[ So even though, many imperial children were born, and they marry to then born another child- the one who has the power will be coming from the firstborn and will be continuing the legacy, with another firstborn?] asked Irisha trying to explain her confusing question.

" Exactly."

[ If Castra has a child, his firstborn child will be the one who is inherited the legacy. Yet, if Ivy or Ash have a child, their first born child or the other children will only inherited the blood."

and Irisha looks at her deeply, [... Why should continuing the legacy then?] asked her hesitantly. Yet, somehow, despite the topic being too taboo, she feels like the Empress has similar thoughts as her. [... Because, Your Majesty- you said that they are suffering.] and she, herself, has seen that by her own eyes.

and her smile faded, " I don't know. I speculate many things and hear many things, Is it because humans are wicked to then naturally worship a wicked cursed? Is it because it is the empire, that holds many lives on it? It is because a defensive tool, to be preserved to prepare another war? or simply... because some men could not live without a war." she said while then takes a while to sign, 

" This whole story is confidential for no one to know except the one with the blood."

[... But you just....]

And she looks at her quite a while before opening her mouth, and she looks at her again, somehow with a different gaze when Irisha feels a kind of, affection for her. "... To be the mother of the firstborn is not something you can take it slightly," she said. " The pregnancy is the time where another person,- another human without the dragon's blood, experiencing the power-" she said. "... Even I who was facing through two pregnancies with the blessing, somehow- could not bear the pain while carrying them and makes me thinking how painful the pregnancy will be for the firstborn?"

and Irisha frowned, [ I- I don't understand of why, you, Your Grace.... telling me all of this.]

Then she smiles gently,  " Simply because you are the one whose Castra chose."

she reacted quite hardly,[ I am not! We are not-]

 " ... while you are now suffering?"

Then she looks at her deeply and painfully, [... I am just... knowing my position.] and the fact that she is aware of all of that while listening to the whole situation relating to him, hurting her so much she feels like she wants to cry. [... He said that I am not his treasure... that's mean, I am not even the one his heart desire-]

[... but despite that, what's the point talking about my personal feeling?] as for Irisha it will never change anything. 

and she holds her hand for a while, " The dragon could not randomly choose their treasure, its heart who choose it." and Irisha understands it, while then the Empress shows her a kind of staight black line tattoo on her neck and looks at her again while signing, " ... this is a symbol that prove that I am the dragon's treasure.... and it has to be applied to make me, could be comfortable in the intense pheromone the dragon's blood spread. Yet, the dragon can choose to mark or not mark one, even though it means pressuring their own feeling... who will desire the treasure entirely- who could not even breathe without them."

" ... while there are several issues that could happened to make the dragons choose not to mark their treasure." 

"... because again, this world is wicked after all. Even when I could say that dragon's feeling toward its treasure sincere- it can be shifted into disgusting tragedies."

" But what's do you think Castra's reason is?"

and she smiles faintly and holds Irisha's hands whose somehow trembling . Looking at her in a deep confusion that she seems unable to even talk, " ... She died on the day Castra turns 5 years old."

and she frowned, [ Pa-pardon?]

" The first Empress, Serena Barak Malum was died on the day Castra's turn five years old," she said. Where it's paled Irisha who could not dare to turn her face away, "... They said Castra was witnessing when the blood running through her ruined body. The Empress was known as no one with powerful mana due to her physical condition- even though despite that fact, she was healthy and okay- just after her pregnancy with Castra, her body slowly collapsing." she said and Irisha bites her lips while slowly her tears falling. " ... there is a malfunction of her mana in her body that slowly ruined her and she died by that." 

The whole world, feels its shattered. 

She feels a terrifying numbness.

Even Irisha could not even aware of how her body looks like. 

Then the Empress holds her hands tightly, before she said, " So tell me what do you want to do... It is your choice to go away from the heavy burden."

" You can. You freely has the right."

"  Yet... for the dragon his treasure is all his life- to the point that it hurts themselves if the treasure feels hurt." and she looks at her, " So what will you do after knowing all of this?" 

and the empress again smiles, that somehow hides a hint of hatred, " ... its fucked up is not it?"

" The life we live in." 

***