Ronelia Logitin.
When she collaborated with Kazan, she thought she had seized an incredible opportunity.
An opportunity to attract the Emperor's attention.
A chance to oust the useless Empress and take her place.
An opportunity to stand at the pinnacle of power and rule the empire as she pleases.
It was inevitable, given the contract she had entered into to deliberately undermine the Empress.
It was natural to suspect that the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress would deteriorate as a result.
But now that I thought about it, it was very confusing.
Instead of the Emperor's obsession with the Empress diminishing, it seemed to grow stronger.
Perhaps she had only realized this now, after being closer to the situation.
“What is the real matter here?”
Ronelia sat on the bed, feeling frustrated.
She had dressed very sexy to tempt Kazan when he got here, but she knew that wouldn't work at all.
If he had any intention of turning his gaze towards her, he would have done so long ago.
After several days of repeated failure, Runelia began to feel frustrated.
Anger also stirred within her broken pride.
She was known as the rose of society, the most beautiful flower in the empire, and the first love of every nobleman... all of these titles belonged to her alone.
Ronelia was not a woman who could be ignored like this.
“Is it because of that woman?”
She closed her mouth with the words that came out unintentionally, and glanced around before ending her speech with a fake cough.
Even though there was no one around, knowing that the palace walls had ears made her feel unnecessarily frustrated.
You underestimated Kazan, known as a blood-mad tyrant.
Ronelia sighed deeply in frustration.
The man who would soon become her husband was tough enough not to belittle him, no matter how much she denied it.
On the day she concluded the contract with Kazan, Runelia realized for the first time how terrifying a blank, emotionless expression could be.
This meant that he would fabricate accusations of rebellion and eliminate them all, just like he had done many times before.
He threatened to wipe out the entire lineage of the Marquis, as if hitting a single insect was just a puppeteer's amusement.
They were a small number of high-ranking nobles.
Runelia's rebellious spirit rose, but fear overcame her.
Instead of daring to face him, she obediently bowed her head and followed him.
This might be considered insulting, but she was confident.
No matter how great an emperor he was, in the end he was a man driven by instinct.
Even if their relationship was like this at the moment, she believed without a doubt that if she could lure him into a trap, his tyrannical political rule would become hers.
…I realized that this was a big illusion from the first night they spent together.
Thunk-!
“Runelia”
“Have you arrived, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, I hurried as much as I could because I missed you, but time seemed to fly by.
Are you too late?”
"No way.
You're on time."
Ronelia laughed and held on to Kazan.
one two three.
When the thick door closed, she counted to three before stepping back before someone pushed her away.
The memory of her tripping and falling to the ground while trying to cross the line without realizing it was still fresh in her mind.
This crazy person, even if it was just a show of the relationship, did he have to drag his future wife to this extent?
While cursing inwardly, Runelia asked with a bright smile,
“Shall we start right away?”
“Yes”
While Kazan answered indifferently and moved towards the table, Runelia watched him with her eyes.
She watched him with prolonged hesitation until he took the documents out of the bag he had brought under the pretext of gifts and began work, then she returned to bed.
Now there was only one thing left for her to do.
Pretending to spend a passionate night with Kazan, but actually postponing being alone in bed.
“Oh, Your Majesty!…Ah!”
Between the sound of papers shuffling, Runelia was talking alone on the bed, looking at the source with frightening trembling eyes.
The big, rough hands of a strict person.
Thick forearms and broad shoulders.
Sharp jaw and prominent nose.
Deep eyes, straight forehead, black hair combed back...
It wasn't just its well-crafted appearance that made it look like it was made by the ruler.
No matter what was happening around him, there was a cold man standing there, looking at the documents steadily, without a hint of discomfort.
Kazan Tinilath.
A man who started from scratch and rose to become the most powerful figure on the current continent.
There was no doubt that he was the ideal type for Runelia.
Was she the only one?
Because of his position as emperor and his cruel nature, many noble women dreamed of standing by his side, unable to speak.
Although he may be crooked in some ways, his shortcomings of only looking at one woman were one of the factors that made him so desirable.
In a society where it was common for nobles to have multiple partners, having an emperor interested in only one wife, openly, was something special.
If it had been about Runelia, I would have gone to him.
If it had been about Runelia, she would have willingly accepted any obsession.
If it had been about Runelia, she would have been kind, embraced him, and built him a happy home.
What's so special about that princess from a small country?
Ronelia was frustrated by the man who did not pay attention to her even though she was afraid of him, and she tried to call out the name of the man who would soon become her husband.
“...Kazan...!”
His eyes narrowed in annoyance upon hearing his name, but instead, the woman showed a smile filled with joy.
Ronelia wanted to have those crimson eyes, and she wished that what filled them was not Yasiris, but her.
How delightful would it be if that sarcastic look turned into obsession before her eyes?
If only this proud man longed for her love.
If, after struggling and resisting, he finally surrendered to her, and knelt before her.
“I told you not to call me by my name.
Are you stupid?”
“Your Majesty...”
Crazy.
From Kazan's facial expression, Runelia recognized the exact word, but she didn't care.
To bring down Crazy, she had to become crazy herself.
While she rolled her eyes with a dazed look, he turned his head as if he was annoyed.
But it was okay.
Even his features were perfect.
No matter how much he resisted, he would eventually become hers.
The relationship between the Emperor and Empress was indeed an irreversible one.
Once this relationship was completely shattered, Runelia's world would shine.
She stretched her lips into a smile as she looked at the man of her dreams.
Her smile was like a snake.
Yasiris squeezed her tired eyes with her fingertips, feeling the fatigue in her body more acutely lately.
It had been barely an hour since she started reading to clear her cluttered mind.
When she felt her concentration slip, she sighed and got up from her seat.
I thought about taking a walk in the park or something.
While she was making this decision and putting a light shawl over herself, she heard a knock on the door.
“Your Majesty, Lady Logitin has sent a message and requested an audience.
Her entourage has been escorted to the reception room.
What should we do?”
“What's the problem?”
“She just mentioned wanting a little chat.”
Yasiris hesitated for a moment.
Dealing with an unwanted guest made her want to find an excuse to kick him out, but just thinking about how the Emperor would react if she exhausted her mental energy.
She decided to handle it tactfully and send her on her way.
She concealed her hesitation and replied,
“I'll go now”
Since she was planning to go out anyway, she considered the encounter a short stop along the way.
She was somewhat relieved that Kazan was not accompanying her, and she continued walking with heavy steps.
After passing through the magnificent corridors, Yasiris made her way to the reception room.
The trip was short.
Upon entering, she sat down and faced Ronelia, who had arrived shortly before her.
Her face remained the same after two whole days, and Ronelia greeted her with a challenging look and a beautiful smile.
“Lady Runelia”
“It would be nice if Your Majesty could call me Ronelia-”
"Let's get straight to the point, shall we?
Why are you here?"
Yasiris interrupted Ronelia's pretense and asked her frankly.
I felt that engaging in trivial conversation and prolonging the discussion with her would be less productive than taking a nap.
With a largely indifferent and matter-of-fact attitude, Runelia's lips twitched slightly before returning to their neutral position.
Then, with a bright face devoid of any hint of emotion, she answered.
“As you know, I will officially become an Imperial Consort next week.”
Ysaris looked at Runelia silently instead of expressing her approval.
Although she didn't know why, she felt that Ronelia was about to say something ridiculous.
Sure enough, Ronelia came up with a rude request, her face sporting a sly smile.
“It's my day, so wouldn't it be great if Empress Yasiris gave a special speech just for me?”
“Huh?”
Yasiris couldn't help but laugh.
It was no ordinary wedding, and now she was asked to give a special speech at the coronation ceremony of the Emperor's wife.
And from the Empress, no less.
Each time, it was Yasiris who ignored it, but how Runelia chose to accept it was her own matter.
And now, after seeing her, she was able to guess how she had been looking at Yasiris the whole time.
How she must have looked down on her.
Her cold, hard appearance bore a deadpan expression.
Just as she was about to speak, Ronelia interrupted her with her lively tone.
“Most people think that the current marriage is a problem if a man welcomes a second wife, right?
But I don’t want Your Majesty the Empress to be treated like this.
We will become a family now.
So...”
“Ma’am”
Yasiris interrupted quietly.
It was Kazan who welcomed this woman home, not Ronelia.
This means that there is no reason to indulge in excessive nonsense.
“First, you are not special enough for me to give you a speech.
Second, judging my marriage is none of your business.
Third, whatever speech I receive has nothing to do with you, so don’t expect anything from me.”
“How can you say such things!”
"Let me put it in a different way.
Don't look for me, don't provoke me.
Just spend some time with my husband, whom you seem to adore so much.
Let's not waste our lives on such meaningless matters."
With that, Yasiris stood up from her seat.
Clear expulsion.
Despite waiting for her to leave first as a final gesture of good faith, Runelia's actions once again defied common sense.
“I consider you my family, Your Majesty… This is really too much.”
She pressed her lips tightly together as her eyes, filled with wounded affection, met Yasiris's gaze.
“Do you have any idea how much I admire and respect you, Your Majesty?”