The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 10

Episode 10

Emma, burdened by the sudden task, headed to her room, pondering where to begin. It was fortunate enough that Cayenne was showing some interest in the Empress’s existence.

“There should only be good changes.”

Emma muttered to herself. She had felt guilty her whole life for not properly keeping the promise she made to Cayenne’s mother on her deathbed, and if she had a chance now, she had to do her best.

“Lady Dianne was keeping that will really the right thing to do?”

No matter how much time passed, she could not forget the day that beautiful and gentle woman met her death.

-Your Majesty, I do not regret it. Of course, I only did what I had to do.

In a faint state, as if her breath would be cut off, Dianne, Cayenne’s mother, held the hand of the weeping late Emperor and said.

-And burdening the child is not a mother’s job. Please, bury the reason for my death in secret. This is my last request. Please!

Dianne possessed a noble and beautiful heart until the moment of her death. Until her last breath, she did not forget that she was the mother of two children, and like any mother, she wished for her children’s happiness until the end.

However, Dianne overlooked one important fact.

That was the fact that her husband loved her more than anything else in the world.

After Dianne, who was the Empress at the time, died, the late Emperor shut himself away, neglecting both state affairs and his children. And his deep despair and sense of loss ultimately led to an irreversible decision.

-Yes, it’s because of that. Dianne died because of that!

The late Emperor, who happened to see Cayenne playing in the inner palace, pointed at his young son as if he were an enemy.

That thing took my Dianne.

No one could stop the late Emperor, who had lost his love.

Why did Dianne have to die! That thing should have died instead, why did my Dianne die?

The late Emperor was madly in love, and that love was already after she had passed away. Since Dianne, the only one who could stop him, was dead, no one dared to protect the pitiful 7-year-old prince.

-It’s all because of that thing. Dianne was weakened by giving birth to that thing with her weak body, and because that thing wanted to go out of the Imperial Palace because she threw herself to protect that thing!

Of course, Dianne’s death was not Cayenne’s fault.

The Empress had taken her children on a picnic to a place with beautiful scenery on a fine spring day, and it was not Cayenne who killed her, but an assassin who was trying to assassinate the prince.

Dianne, who was a benevolent mother, blocked the assassin’s sword without hesitation, and in the end, the injury weakened her frail body.

-Why can that thing laugh when Dianne died? I can never be happy again, I have lost my Dianne.

The late Emperor’s love gradually turned into madness.

Whether he opened his eyes or closed them, he looked for Dianne’s traces, and on days when she appeared in his dreams, he would realize again that she had died and weep.

-If Dianne is dead, that thing must die too.

His love eventually reached an extreme, and he added hatred as if Cayenne had stabbed Dianne to death himself. At the time, the Imperial Palace was constantly worried that the Emperor would kill his son with his own hands.

-Your Majesty, I dare to ask for a favor.

It was Count Heier who stepped forward at that time. He volunteered for the mission to recover the Rubeo territory, which had been abandoned for a long time along the border of the Empire, and to drive out the barbarians.

-Protecting the Rubeo territory is protecting the territory of the Empire, and it would be more honorable if the Prince went with us.

For generations, the nobles dispatched to the Rubeo territory were the same as being exiled, and of course, their careers were over. However, Count Heier volunteered to take the prince to that exile. At the time, that was the only way to protect the young prince from the Emperor, who was suffering from madness.

-That is not my child either. Do as you wish.

Thanks to the perception that Rubeo was a place where criminals went, the late Emperor was able to punish his hateful son, who had taken his wife’s life, and Count Heier barely protected the future of the Empire.

And the innocent young prince was able to return to the Imperial Palace only after the late Emperor died. It was after 17 years had passed.

“Now that you have finally returned to your original place.”

Emma recalled Dianne and uttered a heartbreaking soliloquy. The late Emperor loved Dianne so much that he hated even his own child, but the result was terrible.

“Please, watch over His Majesty from heaven.”

For now, she could only hope that the existence of the Empress, in whom Cayenne had shown interest for the first time, would keep him here.

The mad father who sent his young son into exile was dead, and now Cayenne had to take back the state affairs that had been played with by the nobles for 17 years and set this empire right.

When he left without even consummating the marriage right after the wedding, everyone thought that no one could keep Cayenne in the Imperial Palace anymore, but now a small possibility was sparkling.

❖ ❖ ❖

The next day, a cool autumn breeze blew particularly clear, and Alicia’s daily life was flowing leisurely.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I am afraid that the Great Sage of Lucan has sent another letter.”

“Put it in the box.”

“Yes.”

The fact that a box was created to store unopened letters from Lucan and that Alicia was full of vitality again was a big change.

“More than that, is there any way to contact the Tristan Kingdom?”

“It seems difficult at the moment because there has been no exchange for a long time.”

Alicia let out a short sigh. She was prepared for it, but it was not easy to change reality right away.

“Well, Lucan prohibits private contact, so my mother couldn’t contact me after marriage either.”

“That is so.”

Recently, all of Alicia’s interests were in escaping this prison-like Imperial Palace. After all, the Emperor had no interest in this Imperial Palace or the Empress, who was like an accessory to the Imperial Palace, and her remaining life was only loneliness and futility. Even if she had to live like that in her past life because she didn’t know, she couldn’t stand it now that she had experienced everything and returned.

“Then, I have to deal with other things first.”

Sometimes, the mind of a person without a shape dominates the body. Looking at Alicia’s shining eyes now, that saying was definitely right.

It was completely different to find ways and opportunities to dream of a different future from a position where she just accepted reality and lived.

“If there is something I want to secretly entrust outside the Imperial Palace, who should I go through?”

Anise could not answer the difficult question for a while.

Alicia, who grew up in the closed environment of Lucan, was unlikely to have any friends, and she had not particularly engaged in social activities even after becoming Empress, so it was very difficult.

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous for Her Majesty the Empress to contact the outside world?”

“No one is interested in me, so what.”

“You never know. Recently, I feel eyes watching the Empress’s Palace.”

Alicia tilted her beautiful eyebrows. Who would care about an Empress with no power or presence?

“Isn’t Anise being too sensitive?”

“No! I’ve felt a strange gaze since I told you before. Besides, the servants who take the letters have also changed.”

“It’s common for servants to change.”

“But, now His Majesty the Emperor is here. You must be more careful because the timing coincides.”

Alicia nodded because it was not wrong.

She felt sorry for herself for not having anyone to ask for help from the outside, but it was much better to know the reality properly now than to live without even realizing that she was trapped.

“Hmm., it’s complicated.”

When Alicia sighed again, Anise made a puzzled expression.

“What are you trying to do?”

It was a difficult question to answer easily.

Her goal was to escape the prison-like Imperial Family and live a free and peaceful life, but she had to find a way from now on.

“Fortunately, His Majesty the Emperor has no interest in me at all. Lucan won’t need me as useless as I am now.”

In her past life, the fact that no one was interested in Alicia’s life was a misfortune, but now it was rather a light-hearted opportunity.

“I have to find a way to contact the Tristan Kingdom.”

“Yes. But you must be careful. I will think about it together.”

Alicia wore a faint smile.

“Shall I bring you tea with milk?”

Just as she nodded at the welcome sound, Head Maid Howard knocked on the door and hurriedly paid his respects.

“Now, His Majesty the Emperor is coming to the Empress’s Palace.”

Alicia’s blue eyes widened at the unexpected words.

Clearly, she could count on one hand the number of times they had a private meeting in her past life, but she couldn’t understand why surprising things kept happening recently.

“Your Majesty the Empress, shall I comb your hair again?”

Alicia was not dressed up as usual.

“I don’t think there’s time for that.”

As she said that, she heard the entrance of the Empress’s Palace becoming noisy. Alicia prepared herself inwardly and stood at the entrance of the room.

Soon, Cayenne, who did not even sound the trumpet of the Emperor’s procession, strode in and stood in front of Alicia.

“I see His Majesty the Emperor.”

Alicia paid her respects, but Cayenne still only nodded and did not tell her to stand up. But Alicia knew how to withdraw her greetings on her own now, so it didn’t matter.

“I just happened to be passing by, so I stopped by.”

Cayenne, who replied in a low and indifferent voice, sat on the chair as he pleased.

“You can sit down.”

Cayenne’s actions of even pointing to the sofa next to him with his eyes were too unfamiliar. All of them were actions that he had never done in the past.

“I am honored.”

When Alicia carefully sat down, a very faint smile crossed Cayenne’s lips.

What is this change? She hadn’t even thought about how to escape the Imperial Family yet, but the reality, which was so different from her past life, was strange.

“Isn’t it time to drink tea?”

Unlike saying that he just stopped by, he was planning to get tea and leave.

Alicia’s head became complicated because of Cayenne, who was impossible to know.