The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 1

It was an extremely ordinary life.

If one had to nitpick, it was a lonelier life than most, but thanks to the books and media that filled the empty hours, there was no time to even think about being lonely.

That was until after a sudden, meaningless death, when I realized I had become a character in a book.

“I am Alicia Lucan…”

The life of the woman with flowing platinum blonde hair and eyes bluer than jewels was empty with endless solitude and fear.

“The Empress of the Empire, and the one who carries on the truth of the Great Sage Lucan.”

At first, when I opened my eyes as Alicia, everything was confusing. Rumors spread around me that I had a high fever and had gone out of my mind, or that I was half-crazy, and thanks to that, I was able to learn how to live in this world from the beginning.

“And… a life that had no meaning.”

More than ten years had passed since I became Alicia.

Alicia in the mirror, now thirty, had become a pale and bloodless ghost, to the point where she had forgotten the fresh beauty of her twenties. She was only thirty, but Alicia’s body was so weak that she didn’t seem like she would survive this year’s epidemic.

“I don’t care if I die now.”

The terrible breath of death, which I had felt once in my original life, was approaching moment by moment.

“I’d rather die than meet him again.”

The Empress, who had lost her memory due to a high fever, had to adapt to the cold reality as she adapted to her new life. Learning the complex and strict etiquette of the Imperial Palace was nothing. Following the truth of Lucan, the family of the Great Sage who gave birth to her, gradually became familiar.

However, facing her husband, Cayenne, who was said to be the most terrible tyrant in the history of the Empire, always made her afraid and her heart flutter.

“Poor, foolish Alicia.”

Her parched lips exhaled a breath that was about to break. She was just a supporting character who was only mentioned in passing in the original story, so why couldn’t she end her miserable life and live like this?

“Even if I live twice…”

If I was going to face such a lonely and futile death anyway, I shouldn’t have endured my husband’s hateful gaze and cold contempt, and I shouldn’t have recited Lucan’s will like a parrot.

“I still can’t find any meaning in living.”

I forgot who I was originally, what my name was. The ten years I lived as Alicia were similar. It was a trivial story that didn’t matter whether I knew it or not.

“When I die, that’s the end…”

I had no memories I wanted to cherish, no happy memories. However, if I didn’t have to see his face again before I died, that alone would be a relief.

“Yes, it’s the end.”

Alicia’s last breath trembled.

Death, as always, approached quietly and became a heavy darkness, swallowing her existence.

And she would part with the life of the poor Alicia forever. For that alone, she was willing to accept death.

❖ ❖ ❖

It felt like I had a very long dream. I felt like I was falling off a cliff over and over again, and the pitch-black world began to be dyed white with light.

“It’s dazzling…”

If death is an overwhelming darkness, what is this light?

The answer, unbelievably, came from someone else.

“Your Majesty, Empress, are you awake?”

My eyes, which were painfully sore from the unfamiliar light, blinked slowly. I could vividly feel that I was breathing, and that every corner of my body was aching. …All of these were sensations far from death.

“No…”

Why did death retreat? Do I have to remain silent like a withering plant and quietly suppress all emotions in the Empress’s Palace again? In the first place, I never even thought about living Alicia’s unhappy life.

“Your Majesty, Empress, do you recognize me, Agnes?”

A familiar name caught my attention.

“Of course…”

For the ten years that I lived as Alicia, the head maid who had always been by my side and the only person who had taught me everything anew was looking at me with a face that was younger than I remembered.

“I’m so glad your fever has gone down. You have no idea how worried everyone in the Empress’s Palace was…”

Agnes was not the face of the head maid with skinny arms and legs or wrinkles deeper than her age, who had been protecting the neglected Empress.

And my hand, which I had inadvertently looked at, was not the emaciated appearance it had been just before death, but a fair appearance with pink blood.

“I…”

I had already experienced an absurd death. After that, even more absurdly, I became an insignificant supporting character in a book. Was there anything more to be surprised about?

“You’ve been suffering from a high fever for three days. Fortunately, as the Imperial Physician said, Your Majesty, you were able to overcome it because you were healthy at twenty.”

Alicia’s eyes blinked slowly.

Who said that as long as life continues, the road will not be cut off? Although I didn’t want it… Alicia’s life was going back to twenty and continuing again.

“I don’t want to…”

I felt like I wanted to protest to whoever was managing my fate. But before that, I felt a fever in my body and lost consciousness first.

Unfortunately, this time it wasn’t death either.

***

The Rubeo Territory was always swept by a cold, cutting wind.

It was very close to the capital of the Empire, but it was because of the incredibly high and rugged mountains in between, and because the most cruel man on this continent resided there.

“The adjutant omitted some of the contents of the carrier pigeon…?”

Cayenne, standing arrogantly in front of the tent with the Emperor’s insignia, recited sharply, and everyone lowered their heads in fear.

“I am sorry, Your Majesty… It is all the responsibility of me, the commander of the Rubeo Knights.”

“Didn’t the commander separate the heads and torsos of the barbarians with Us just an hour ago? How can a carrier pigeon be the commander’s responsibility?”

Everyone, including the middle-aged commander, fell silent at the words casually uttered by the Emperor, who was only twenty-five years old. As Cayenne had said himself, the blood of the barbarians still on his sword and boots had not yet cooled.

“I am sorry, in fact, it is supposed to be managed by a page under the command of the Knights, but… I don’t know what happened.”

Commander Bern desperately tried to cover up the mistake, but it seemed that Cayenne didn’t hear anything.

“Glenn?”

Black hair and obsidian-like eyes, which could be said to be the symbol of the Darius Imperial Family, sparkled sharply.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Glenn, the Emperor’s direct knight and who had served Cayenne all his life, answered concisely and stood in front of the commander of the Knights. It meant that there was no need for long words between the two.

“Not delivering the news from the Imperial Capital to His Majesty in a timely manner is disloyalty and can even be considered treason. Does the commander know this fact and is covering it up?”

“There is no one disloyal in the Knights. It’s just that there was a mistake because we were moving the camp.”

“Are you saying that it’s okay for His Majesty the Great Emperor to miss the news from the capital just by mistake?”

Glenn is always expressionless, but at times like this, his more cold-hearted side shone.

“I am sorry. Even if it is a page who manages the carrier pigeons, he is a member of the Knights, and I, as the commander, will punish him, so please, Your Majesty, put aside your anger.”

Glenn glanced at Cayenne’s expression. His face always looked expressionless and cold to others, but Glenn, as a close aide who had served him for a long time, could roughly understand his intentions by looking at his eyes.

“Is this all the missing correspondence?”

“Yes.”

Glenn nodded to the commander of the Knights and personally handed Cayenne a small bag containing the carrier pigeon’s letters.

“Please examine it yourself, Your Majesty.”

Cayenne nodded and examined the letters in the bag at a pace that was neither slow nor fast.

Most of them were disputes between the nobles of the capital, agendas of the parliament, or affairs of the Imperial Palace that he had no interest in, but Cayenne’s dark eyebrows furrowed as he unfolded one of the rolled-up letters.

“I am sorry… Your Majesty.”

Glenn immediately grasped the Emperor’s mood and knelt down. Then, the knights kneeling behind him were truly burning inside.

“The Empress has been suffering from a high fever for three days, and she barely woke up after being unconscious.”

A frighteningly low voice resonated in the tent and the hearts of the knights.

“Even the fact that My wife was going back and forth between life and death was missed, so there’s no need to say anything more about other things. Isn’t that right, Commander of the Knights?”

Bern lowered his head deeply at the irreversible mistake.

“Whether it was a mistake or someone wanted that mistake… I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

“Your Majesty, I swear on my life…”

“If the Empress had already died, I would have been someone who didn’t even know about My wife’s death. Do you have anything more to say?”

It couldn’t be said now that Cayenne had never been interested in the affairs of the Imperial Palace or the life of the Empress.

“All those who managed the carrier pigeons will be executed, and those with less involvement will be sent to the farthest front line from today. If they are still alive after one year, their sins will be forgiven.”

Cayenne, who had uttered the Emperor’s unhesitating command, turned around with the bag containing the letters.

“Glenn, we’re crossing the mountains as soon as dawn breaks.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As always, Glenn bowed his head faithfully. Seeing that, Cayenne entered his tent without looking back.

“Commander of the Knights, prepare His Majesty and my horse in the best condition before dawn. That’s all you need to do.”

“…Sir Glenn.”

Glenn, seeing Bern’s pitiful eyes, wore a resolute expression.

“Those involved must be executed. Also, you must give me detailed information about their identities. …As His Majesty ordered, before dawn tomorrow.”

“I understand.”

Glenn nodded and followed Cayenne into the tent. Cayenne, sitting cross-legged in front of a makeshift table inside the tent, was looking at the letter.

“Were you begging for the lives of the pages?”

“Yes. The commander of the Knights is originally too kind.”

Cayenne nodded indifferently.

“I never imagined that Her Majesty the Empress would be on the verge of death.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

Cold black eyes left the letter and looked at Glenn.

“Yes, thanks to that, Your Majesty’s play has become more realistic.”

Cayenne let out a silent laugh and turned his eyes back to the letter.

“The nobles of the capital, led by Duke Nigel, don’t think I’m qualified to be Emperor. Thanks to that, the fruit ripened quickly.”

A voice without any emotion was extremely ruthless.

“The Empress added fragrance to that fruit. She’s quite something for a woman who was of no use.”

Glenn just lowered his head.

“Truly, isn’t this what Your Majesty has been waiting for?”

Cayenne had discovered the intentional omission of contact half a year ago, and had identified those who were influenced by the nobles of the capital only two months ago.

“Yes, I’m satisfied.”

Only the corners of Cayenne’s mouth slightly turned up on his cold face.

“The time has come to burst the fruit that grew from the tree that Duke Nigel raised and get drunk.”

Everything was according to Cayenne’s plan.

The nobles who had forgotten the Emperor who was repeating battles with barbarians in the Rubeo Territory would now have to pay all the past prices.