Chapter 16
: Rain, Tears, and the Desert (1)
The nobles whispered among themselves when they saw Iago’s expression.
“Gasp. He looks even grimmer than usual, doesn’t he?”
“There’s a real sense of pressure today…”
“Maybe he didn’t like the play? I heard the playwright worked really hard to make it a tearjerker like he ordered.”
Iago hardened his expression as he overheard their murmurs.
Yes. He had indeed given such an order.
But still—this was going too far.
‘There’s got to be a limit!’
Iago shouted inwardly.
He hadn’t expected the story to be this tragic.
It was hard to imagine anyone watching this without crying.
‘Isn’t this just cruel at this point? The Priestess must be emotionally drained from all the crying.’
She had looked especially tired today.
Of course, she still looked like a desert fairy in her adorned attire, but if she was crying in that state…
Iago grew anxious and hurried his steps.
The play was reaching its climax.
“Waaaaaah!”
“Poor Jake…!”
The stage and audience were a sea of tears.
And when he finally reached the VIP seat where the Priestess sat—
“…What’s this?”
“Well… um, she seemed tired from getting dressed up since early this morning. And she was focusing on the play, but…”
Andre’s excuse faded into the background.
The Priestess was slumped into a chair far too large for her.
Zzz—
She was fast asleep.
“Motherrrrrr!”
“My sonnnnn!”
Sniffle. Oh my. Sob. Boohoo.
Even amid this ocean of tears, she looked utterly peaceful.
“Sniff… That’s one cold-hearted woman… She’s no ordinary person, Your Majesty!”
“…”
“How could she not shed a single tear watching Jake get separated from his mom for life?!”
Uther, voice cracking with emotion, shouted.
Iago nodded vigorously.
He couldn’t imagine anyone not crying after seeing something like that.
The emotional suppression training of those northern people must’ve been worse than he thought.
“But to be able to suppress her feelings that well—she must’ve undergone brutal training since childhood.”
Iago muttered gloomily. Uther flinched.
He’d always disliked violence and abuse.
Knowing this, Iago deliberately spoke with pity.
“Maybe they hurt her or made her sad on purpose… and told her not to cry. Isn’t that just heartbreaking?”
“W-We don’t need to care about such things!”
Uther squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
He couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted. Running a country required more than just seeing the bright side. Someone had to deal with the dirty work.
And if the king couldn’t handle it, a loyal subject had to step up.
Uther said firmly,
“The Priestess must shed tears! For it to rain in this desert! Have you forgotten?”
He was also talking to himself—not to grow weak.
“I know…”
Iago murmured gloomily, unable to refute him for once.
“You promised to leave it to me if your method didn’t work, remember?”
“Well…”
“Yes?”
Cornered by Uther’s sharp gaze, Iago reluctantly answered.
“…Yes.”
“Good. Then from now on, I’ll do it my way. Even if it’s a little cruel.”
Cruel?
Iago’s face went pale.
Uther chuckled darkly like a villain.
“Let’s see if she can stay expressionless after this tearjerking experience.”
Unaware of the storm to come, Illena was enjoying a peaceful tea time with Andre after breakfast.
“Ugh, seriously! Do you know how awkward that was for me?”
Andre grumbled while kindly pouring tea into Illena’s cup.
“…Sorry. But I was really, really sleepy.”
Illena’s lips twitched as she recalled last night.
Just thinking about the Black King’s face then made her want to laugh.
“Lady Illena! Lady Illena! Wake up!”
“Mmm… Morning already?”
Still half-asleep, Illena opened her eyes.
“Motherrrrrrr!”
“My sonnnnn!”
Actors on stage cried sorrowfully, the theater drowned in sniffles.
And in the middle of it all—Black King glaring at her in shock, and the bespectacled aide pointing frantically.
It was like a sitcom.
‘I bet it was one of their plans to make me cry. No wonder they looked so shocked when it failed miserably.’
First onions, now melodrama.
The villain had a surprisingly adorable toolkit.
She even found herself looking forward to what they’d try next.
‘Looking forward to it? Seriously…’
Illena thought to herself.
She had felt only gloom and lethargy for so long. It was strange that small things like this could make her look forward to tomorrow.
She looked up at the sky.
The clouds didn’t seem quite as dark as when she’d first arrived.
There was something she absolutely had to do after tea. Something she couldn’t put off today.
A nap.
‘Ah, this is life. I was sleepy all day yesterday because I didn’t get my nap.’
She didn’t know how she had survived on just 2–3 hours of sleep per day before transmigrating.
It was as if her new body was catching up on all the sleep she’d missed.
Illena was still groggy, leaning against the bed, when Andre burst into the room.
“Lady Illena, you have a visitor at the annex.”
Andre winked with a mischievous look.
‘Let me guess, the Black King again. What kind of cute torture has he brought today?’
“Okay, I’ll head out.”
Illena replied lightly.
“Oh? You know who it is?”
Andre asked playfully as he brought out fluttery clothes to dress her in.
“Huh? Well…”
‘Isn’t it the Black King?’
Andre grinned as if he’d read her mind.
‘Wait, is it not?’
A bit flustered, Illena cleared her throat and asked,
“Ahem. So who is it then?”
“You’ll find out when you see for yourself.”
Andre replied coyly as he dressed her and added accessories.
He even dabbed coral lipstick on her lips, saying it was “in style.”
Judging by all the fuss, it didn’t seem to be the Black King.
Illena looked at her reflection growing more radiant and asked,
“…Weren’t you trying to pair me with the Black King?”
“Oh my, you noticed? Hoho.”
“How could I not?”
As Illena chuckled, Andre’s playful expression softened.
He gently brushed her hair and said,
“I just… wanted to see you a little happier.”
“…Happy?”
Illena blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer.
“Yes. I know you didn’t come to our kingdom by choice. But… you’re so beautiful, young, and talented.”
Andre tied her sky-blue hair with soft pink silk and patted her shoulders.
“And yet, you always look so lifeless, lying around…”
‘He… noticed.’
There was no concept of depression in this world. He wouldn’t know the term, but with his perceptiveness, of course he’d pick up on it.
She hadn’t realized he’d been so concerned about her.
Illena lowered her head slightly, feeling a warm, fuzzy sensation.
Andre smiled kindly.
“I too had a time when I wondered, ‘Why live at all…’”
“You? Really?”
Illena looked at him with surprise.
Now that she thought about it, despite the flawless grooming and perfect skin, he did seem older than she’d assumed.
“Of course.”
“So how did you get through ‘those days’?”
The dark days—when nothing feels worth doing, and you don’t want to see anyone.
Illena hesitated to finish the thought aloud.
Then Andre suddenly returned to his usual bubbly self and exclaimed like a sly fox,
“When life gets boring—fall in love! Romance is the answer!”
“What?!”
Hehe.
Illena laughed softly.
“Passionate, crazy love is the way to go!”
Andre affectionately patted her head with his large hand.
Just like her grandfather used to.
“Nothing elevates a person like love. Though yes, it can make you crash hard too.”
Fully dressed, Illena stepped into the inner garden of the annex where her guest awaited.
“Life is short, and youth is even shorter.”
She repeated Andre’s words to herself.
A man was nervously pacing in the garden. The one she’d seen at the theater yesterday.
He looked like an elven archer from a movie.
He was fiddling with leaves when he spotted her and broke into a bright smile.
“Ah. Sir Regulus…?”
Illena said awkwardly, and the man smiled even more brightly.
“You remembered my name.”
‘Well, your face and name are pretty easy to match…’
She just smiled in response.
His face turned slightly red.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah. I heard you were staying at the annex alone.”
He hesitated, then said politely,
“You must feel lonely being so far from home. If it’s all right… would you like to have dinner with me?”
Illena looked at him silently for a moment.
His face was bright red, but he was completely serious. His fingers were trembling.
Like a boy asking someone out for his very first date.
“When life gets boring—fall in love! Romance!”
Andre’s voice echoed in her head.
‘Yeah. I can’t keep moping around forever.’
Maybe the trauma of being tortured by the original male lead right after entering this novel had hit harder than she thought.
Even the last shreds of her romance cells might’ve been fried by that electric torture.
But someone this innocent… might be okay. At least he wouldn’t try to make her cry or torture her.
Just as Illena opened her mouth to answer—
“Sounds goo—”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
A familiar cold, low voice cut her off.
Illena turned her head sharply.
‘Since when was he standing there?’
The Black King leaned lazily against a large tree.
“Y-Your Majesty?! Since when… Ah! Greetings, Your Majesty!”
Regulus quickly bowed.
The Black King glared down at the elf-like man with icy eyes, as if he wanted to freeze him on the spot.
‘What’s his problem? Since yesterday…’
Maybe he didn’t like her getting close to the southern nobles?
“Greetings, Your Majesty. …Here, of all places?”
Illena greeted him blandly and threw in a subtle jab.
‘Didn’t you just see me getting asked out?’
The Black King glared right back at her.
He looked even more wild than usual—like a beast on edge, either a mother losing its cub or a male worried about losing a mate.
‘Is this because his plans aren’t working out?’
The rain still hadn’t fallen.
But it wasn’t like she was doing it on purpose. She had no idea how to control this ability.
She already felt guilty. The Black King’s pointed glances were starting to really irritate her.
‘He’s probably here to make me cry again.’
Illena asked coldly,
“Are you here because of that again?”
“…Yes. Do I need another reason to seek you out?”
“Of course not. All Your Majesty wants from my body is that one thing.”
Tears.
The Black King didn’t deny it. He just nodded coolly.
Illena remained calm. Regulus, on the other hand, looked stunned.
‘His Majesty seeks her body…?’
His face turned pale, then kept glancing at Illena, the King, and between the King’s legs.
“Daytime visits are new, though.”
“Well, does the time matter for that?”
“I suppose not… But you usually come in the evenings.”
“That’s because…”
The King frowned slightly.
‘Because making you cry during the day would make me feel worse.’
“…I was worried your body would be too exhausted.”
Crying drains you. He knew that better than anyone—as a professional crybaby.
“Oh.”
Illena widened her eyes in surprise.
So that’s why? He really was unexpectedly soft in the strangest ways.
Meanwhile, Regulus’s face was now turning from white to red.
“Exhaust her… body…?”
“Pardon?”
Illena finally looked at him again.
“N-Nothing! Ahem! Agh…”
‘His expression’s weird…’
Watching the flustered man, Illena suddenly remembered.
‘He asked me out for dinner earlier. He must’ve been shy…’
What a sweet, innocent guy, she thought with a smile.
“Actually, this works out. Shall we have dinner—all three of us?”
Dinner?
Regulus let out a strange shriek before she even finished her sentence.
