“Your Majesty, please—!”
The woman's words were interrupted by violent actions.
For someone who grew up in a soft environment her entire life, a long-term relationship was more of a pain than a pleasure.
Seeing her struggling to breathe, one might have expected some leniency, but the Tyrant of the Empire was relentless even in bed.
“This will not move my heart.
Try harder, Empress.”
As if to prove his exceptional endurance, he remained unharmed except for his intermittent breathing.
He continued to desecrate the delicate woman with unwavering force.
“Your Majesty, please...”
Yasiris Tinilath, the platinum-haired Empress, was trying hard to muster strength into her trembling tongue.
It wasn't just a matter of reciting countless etiquette lessons to reach this result.
Yasiris clenched her teeth and closed her eyes tightly before opening them again.
And in her stunning vision, she saw the man who had always made her miserable.
Kazan Tinilath.
Emperor of the Ozevia Empire.
His jet-black hair, indicating his royal lineage, was prominent.
As his bright red eyes stubbornly examined her face, Yasiris spoke reluctantly.
“You know, right?
There are still many children starving to death.”
Please, please-!
Yasiris's desperate pleas for mercy were not for her own good.
If it were for herself, she wouldn't have begged in such a miserable way.
Did he ask her to try harder?
His heart was not affected.
It wasn't about their intimate relationship.
When she came to him asking for help after hearing news about increased taxes in their lands, this meant that he wanted her to convince him more.
Physically.
Verbally.
Until he is satisfied enough to reduce taxes.
That was the only reason she took off her clothes.
"If this is the end, it's disappointing.
You don't seem desperate yet, do you?"
"no!"
With a loud thud, her head was hit back violently from the violent movement.
Pain was clouding her vision.
She should have thought about people.
Her feeling of complete submission to the Emperor intensified her self-hatred.
How did it come to this?
In the midst of the chaos of her mind, Yasiris subtly extended her hand to the Emperor's arm.
After passing through his thick forearms and strong shoulders, she barely managed to wrap her arms around his neck, as if drawing herself to him.
This was an instinctive action.
Whether it is to achieve a goal or something else.
Without knowing it, she looked at Kazan with teary eyes,
“Please…, please!”
This was not the first or second time she had been subjected to physical violence by him.
Despite her intense hatred for this matter, sleeping with her husband was an unavoidable duty, and a very long time had passed until she no longer felt disgusted by him.
Yasiris felt very tired.
Under the constraints she couldn't escape, all she could do was swallow her unwanted moans as much as possible in this unwanted relationship.
Miserable.
“If the Empress cries like this, I won’t be able to resist.”
It was then that she heard a low voice pressing into her thoughts.
Although he knew that this was not real crying, his tone when he spat out the words seemed arrogant, as if he was only using sympathy as a tool.
Pulling her to the ground and running his lips over the tears around her eyes was strangely emotional.
No, even this was an expression of desire.
Kazan was always restless because he could not have it all.
It's been like this since they first met.
The Kazan that Yasiris remembered, with his burning eyes, never looked away from her as if he was deeply immersed in her.
Betrayal? likes and dislikes?
She couldn't make out the subtle emotions reflected in his fiery red eyes.
In the first place, she didn't know why he treated her this way.
At that time, she had absolutely no relationship with Emperor Ozevia, let alone any acquaintance.
“Empress”
A hoarse voice echoed nearby.
Yasiris opened her tired eyes to meet his crimson gaze.
“Yes, Your Majesty...”
"Lately, you seem unusually tired.
Is there something wrong with your body?"
Yasiris stared at Kazan expressionlessly.
What she saw in that tyrant's eyes couldn't be more alarming.
It may have been a comment meant to mock or mock her.
The next words confirmed her suspicions.
“You're mine, so take good care of yourself.”
“...I'm sorry.
I've been tired lately.”
There is undoubtedly a feeling of discomfort stemming from the desire for possession.
It looked like a toy had been damaged and thrown in a fit of rage.
Although her husband's indifference may have been hurtful, Isaris felt relieved.
Even when Kazan was acting strange sometimes, she was able to see his true intentions and not hold a grudge towards him.
He even listens to her requests whenever he hugs her, and he also cares about her body more than her.
It was all part of the irony.
It was the Emperor's whim to play with her for a long time.
So she wouldn't give him a single piece of her heart until the end.
For more than a year, Kazan Tinilath has been living as her husband...
It was the enemy who killed her fiancé.
Tax rates in the Kingdom of Beren have returned to normal.
Yasiris breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the news during her makeup session.
Despite the pain that lingered with her from the previous night, she could bear this pain if it was for the sake of her country.
In fact, this was not the first time something like this had happened.
She has knelt before the Emperor, who played with human souls as if they were ants, countless times from his position of absolute power.
Fortunately, this meant that he would grant her request, but unfortunately, it had to be her.
He was not one of the imperial nobles or with many other women – only Yasiris had to sacrifice herself.
“Is there something to cover my neck?”
“I'll get you a scarf.”
“If possible, in dark color”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yasiris frowned, then softened her expression as she watched her reflection recede in the mirror.
Red marks were clearly etched on her skin in places that were difficult to cover.
Despicable man.
She resented her husband as she remembered the events of last night.
Kazan Emperor Tenilath sometimes implemented deliberately misleading policies.
When she approached him, he made fun of her freely and responded to her requests.
There have been many such occasions, especially in matters relating to the Kingdom of Beren, which fell under the empire.
In short, these were traps that were clearly intended to torture her.
It was something she couldn't understand.
What was she even thinking?
“Should I let your hair down?”
“Yes please”
Yasiris watched her reflection as the platinum strands fell behind the mirror and then lowered her eyes.
Although she usually left her hair neatly arranged, the traces of the previous night, which she had been unable to completely hide, disturbed her thoughts.
This was her medal for saving innocent people, so there was no reason to feel ashamed at all.
If she could painlessly save so many people in one night, she was willing to sacrifice herself many times over.
This was the best and proudest thing she could do as a former princess of Beren.
However, there were inevitably those to whom she did not want to reveal this matter.
“Your Majesty, Duke of Kilodon asks when he can see you.”
“Ha”
This arrogant man.
Yasiris sighed involuntarily at the man's repeated insistence for a meeting since early this morning.
If he had come without an appointment, he should have waited quietly, rather than pressing someone of higher status than him for time.
But there was no escaping such behavior when it came to the pillars of her homeland visiting the empire.
“No need to answer, I'll go now.”
Yasiris got up from her seat and headed to the reception hall.
Even though her tortured body screamed with every step, there was no chaos in her flawless figure.
Tick-tack-tack-
The sound of steady footsteps echoed through the corridor, mixing with countless artworks.
Upon arriving at her destination, Yasiris sat across from the blond man and greeted him.
“It has been a long time, Duke Kiloden.”
“It's been exactly a year.
It's good to see that you're still doing well.”
Yasiris was sure that the man's smile concealed sarcasm.
The green gaze that looked down and up towards the Qibla mark under her chin was clear and unmistakable.
Miquelon Kiloden, one of the dukes of the Kingdom of Beren.
When Yasiris was dragged into the Osivia Empire last year, Miquelon succeeded to the Duchy of Kiloden by default.
He was also the half-brother of Bariteon Kiloden, who was once Yasaris' fiancé.
“I will only hear the basics.”
A man like a snake who would not have seen the light of day if his brother had been alive.
As Yasiris stared at him with cold eyes, Miquelon shrugged his shoulders.
Since he did not expect any hospitality in the first place, he raised a light topic.
“I came for a tax matter, but it seems that Your Majesty has already intervened.
I only came to express my gratitude.”
“The Duke doesn't seem to know how to express gratitude.”
“I would at least like to kiss you, but… Your Majesty probably won’t like it, so I will refrain.”
Yasiris was astonished and could not utter a word.
Was this really the behavior one should have when addressing a former princess and current empress?
His words were subtle, but his gaze was clearly scanning her body, as if he was hinting at something obscene, even as a joke.
Fueled by indignation, Yasiris clenched her fists and rose from her seat.
Although she couldn't respond immediately, this was crossing the line.
Because she did not find any other value in the engagement, she turned her back without hesitation.
“I don't even care, I'll be back now.”
“I brought you my brother’s ring.”
Yasiris stiffened and stopped mid-step.
The Emperor confiscated the engagement ring that Parityon had given her.
The ring, which symbolizes the Kiloden family, came into his possession when Miquelon ascended the throne.
Then what's left is...
“The ring my brother gave his girlfriend is really true.
You won’t deny knowing this, right?”
"how…!"
I was caught red-handed.
The fact that my engagement to Bariteon was a sham.
When Yasiris turned around with a troubled expression, Miquelon smiled sarcastically and hit the wedge.
“Since the owner is deceased, should I give the keepsake to his fake fiancée?”