Chapter 3

Right now, there was only one glance at Yasiris.

A princess from a small country was lucky enough to attract the attention of the Emperor and become Empress.

A rare temptress seduced him into bed.

No one in the empire cared that she lost her fiancé on the day of their engagement or that their homeland was invaded.

In fact, her ability to stop the tyrant's crazy behavior was the cause of all kinds of slander and jealousy.

Fortunately, it was also a shield.

No matter what attitude Kazan outwardly displayed, she was the only woman he looked for at night.

No one was bold enough to publicly interfere with the Emperor's only wife.

To Issaris, it seemed as if Kazan was making this fact very clear.

After his warning, it became certain that if the Emperor's preference shifted to another woman instead of her, the treatment of those around her would only get worse.

But did he think about my situation before, and now he is pretending to show interest?

As if he had not spent money on the imperial family for her until now.

On to the point...this guy is just crazy about her body.

There was a stifling silence.

Yasiris watched Kazan's mouth slowly open and purse his lips.

The tension in the stiff muscles of his neck and the indescribable look in his eyes.

She didn't want to know why.

She was very tired of everything that had entangled Kazan.

As a result, her voice, which was entangled in deep emotions, fell as she sat on the sidelines.

“I understand”

Again, there was a short silence.

Kazan, who had thought about her words several times, slowly added a final response.

“It doesn't concern me”

That was the end of it.

He turned away from Yasiris, looked at her for a moment, then turned away.

Without saying goodbye, the heavy door closed behind Kazan as he quickly left the room.

Thump-

Isaris was left alone, and she watched the door for some time without moving.

Because she didn't know when he would return, she remained tense until after some time she finally sighed and relaxed.

This was not the first time she had endured hours of torment in bed whenever the Emperor's mood was provoked.

She was ready to faint when she came face to face with him, but when he stepped off the bed, she felt naturally flustered and relieved.

He seems to be tired of her, as he calls her “Empress”...

Yasiris got up, quietly stepped forward and picked up the ring that had fallen from the floor.

Although he was thrown and trampled on, it seemed that cleanliness magic was given in addition to protective magic.

Just like the wedding ring stuck to her finger.

Suddenly, Yasiris felt like taking off the ring that was on her left finger and throwing it away.

What if she wore a baritone ring instead?

It would be better if she cut off her finger so she couldn't wear any rings at all.

She was already certain she knew the answer to that question.

It was clear that the Emperor would run in and destroy her or her valuables.

He even replaced her maid for allowing Lisaris to take off the ring for a while while she was bathing.

“Huh”

Yasiris sighed in frustration, grabbed the colorful shackles called wedding rings with her other hand, and took a deep breath.

She couldn't imagine how long she would have to endure this life.

The loveless marriage and unnatural obsession with a man who was her enemy and her husband were draining her day by day.

If the Emperor had not cared about her, and if she had not entered into a contract with the baritone.

No, just...

If her ex was still alive.

In a futile assumption, Yasiris bit her lips gently.

There was a shining jewel in her disappointed eyes.

She held two rings in her hand, but the fact that neither of them were truly hers was ice cold.

She already knew that there was no point in longing for someone who had already left this world.

Didn't she make a promise to herself the day his body was buried?

But when she was alone, she kept remembering him.

Brown hair, red eyes.

A clumsy and rude knight, but infinitely affectionate.

“Cain...”

The useless invitation lingered in the air before fading away.

The voice calling out to the living dead did not reach anyone's ears.

Whoosh-!

“Haha…haha…”

Kazan tried to catch his breath and sheathed his sword, the hardened wooden dummy lying on the ground in ruins.

If there had been anyone else who had witnessed the devastation, they would not have been impressed by the ferocious blow that barely showed a scratch, but in the Emperor's personal training ground, it only elicited a click of the tongue of dissatisfaction.

“Not good enough”

Kazan ran his hand through his hair irritably.

He felt uncomfortable because of the sword marks he was seeing, affected by emotions.

There was only one reason why he couldn't concentrate deeply.

Kazan gritted his teeth upon hearing Yasiris's continuous voice.

Every time he thought of her words, his emotions surged, causing his sword to tremble.

It has nothing to do with her and me.

Those words were like a denial of his entire life, making his stomach churn.

Kazan's gaze roamed the air as if chasing Yasiris's playful laugh.

That moment was the brightest of his life, and now it was a memory that he alone cherished.

They were definitely happy.

They loved each other...

“Fuck you”

Track-!

He hit Kazan with the sword he was holding on the ground.

It was the ancient sword with which he swore to protect Yasiris for life.

Now it is only occasionally used for ventilation in training spaces.

“Yasaris...”

Kazan was having a terrible day.

On the day of her engagement, Yasiris, wearing a white dress, wore another man's ring and a bright smile.

At first, he couldn't believe she betrayed him.

Everything seemed so unreal.

But her attitude, and her treatment of him as if she did not know him, was the most conclusive evidence.

Yasiris had broken her promise, and even seemed to have completely forgotten it.

Because the man who was now in her heart was baritone Kilodun.

“Ha.”

Kazan wiped his face with his hand.

A year had already passed, but whenever this thought crossed his mind, the blood of his entire body boiled with anger.

Whatever the reason for his return to the empire where his life was threatened every day, and whatever the throne he seized after countless trials and tribulations…

When his hard-earned life became pointless, it was natural for him to lose his mind.

It was too late to turn this twisted relationship back.

He killed Yasiris's fiancé, made her country a vassal state, and forcibly placed her on the throne as empress.

Now all he could do was consume himself with hatred.

Kazan was okay with that.

If Yasiris spent every day planning to kill him, this would also make him satisfied.

At least she would never forget him again, at least she would live every day with him in her mind.

Now, this was an obsession born out of no one knowing what emotion it was coming from.

...obsession.

Kazan looked at his hand, the wedding ring on his finger was shining in the light, his presence was dazzling.

This was a ring he had made immediately upon his return to the Empire, vowing to return to Yasiris alive.

This was a pledge of love for one person, a promise of life, the purpose of one's existence.

But now what should this be called?

Forced marriage.

The wedding ring he reluctantly places on her finger, after hearing whispers of resentment instead of love from Yasiris, becomes evidence of their broken relationship.

For her, it was just a restriction that she wanted to escape from.

To hold on to such a woman with all his might was a true obsession.

Even if she despised him, he would never leave her, so there would never be love.

That's why he kept her by his side, she had to be there for his revenge to truly come true.

Kazan muttered to himself as if determined, then clenched his fist and turned his body.

Then he looked forward with dim eyes, then took a heavy step.

“Call the Prime Minister and ask him to come to my office.”

“Yes, Your Majesty”

The guard who was standing outside the door responded politely and disappeared.

No one cared that it was too late to call anyone.

Kazan went straight to the office, and put on the emperor's coat hanging on the chair.

Using the invigorating cleansing magic, he sat down looking elegant and began writing something with concentration.

When the elegant text filled two pages, the Prime Minister arrived.

“You have summoned me, Your Majesty.”

“I plan to listen to the request made by the nobles a long time ago.”

“Their request, Your Majesty?”

Kazan made a point and then put his quill aside.

After taking a quick glance at the paper listing the various conditions and requirements, he turned his gaze to the Prime Minister indifferently.

“I will get another wife”