The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 13

Waking up in the familiar bedchamber, the chillingly bright moonlight illuminated a gruesome scene. Agnes and Howard lay sprawled, cut down by a sword, and with a flash as lightning struck, Cayenne’s crazed face, smeared with blood, came into view.

“To dare deceive me, even death is too merciful.”

Thud, thud, Cayenne, sword in hand, slowly approached Alicia. The murderous intent and ruthlessness blazing in his black eyes froze her in place, unable to even flee.

“So Empress, what punishment should you receive?”

Her parted lips trembled, unable to utter a reply.

Cayenne took her silence as an answer and raised his sword high. Alicia squeezed her eyes shut.

“Huh! Hah!”

Suddenly, Alicia’s nightmare ended.

She jolted upright, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. The terror had been too vivid to be just a dream. She examined her hands and the bedchamber, but there was no blood, no one was there.

“Right, that’s what he’s really like.”

Cayenne was a noble beast who hadn’t lost his wildness, a ruthless man without a shred of mercy. Just because he’d shown a slightly softer side didn’t mean he’d become a gentleman at the drop of a hat, like in her past life.

“I was too complacent.”

This imperial palace existed solely for Cayenne. The Empress was no exception. Which meant she couldn’t just quit because she wanted to.

“He wouldn’t readily allow such a troublesome thing as a divorce.”

If she carelessly brought it up, she could incur Cayenne’s wrath and meet her death. She wasn’t afraid of dying now, but she couldn’t bear the thought of being cut down by that merciless sword, or the fact that the palace staff of the Empress’s Palace would also meet their end.

“Your Majesty.”

Perhaps because the sound was so loud, Agnes cautiously knocked and entered, startled to see Alicia drenched in cold sweat.

“What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”

Agnes’s face was full of worry as she wiped the sweat from Alicia’s forehead with a handkerchief. She couldn’t let such a kind woman die because of her own selfishness.

“Just, a nightmare.”

“What kind of nightmare made you sweat so much?”

The scene was too terrible to speak of, so Alicia just shook her head. Agnes then poured water from the bedside and handed it to Alicia. Perhaps because she had just woken up from a nightmare, the water tasted as sweet as honey.

“Agnes.”

“Yes.”

Alicia, now fully awake, took another sip of water.

“That plan to secretly contact the Tristan Kingdom forget about it for now.”

Agnes looked puzzled, but nodded without question at Alicia’s serious demeanor.

“And as I told you, it would be best if all the palace staff are careful in everything they do for the time being. At least while His Majesty’s eyes are on us.”

Before, Cayenne would never have paid any attention to the Empress’s Palace, so she didn’t care even if they were being watched. She’d dismissed the one banquet and one tea time as something that would soon be over anyway, since they were going to part ways soon.

But what if his fleeting interest continued? What if this whim persisted?

“There’s no need for Her Majesty to worry about servants like us.”

“No, everyone heard it last night. Even though I said it was my fault I had a fever, he said he would execute the palace staff if something like this happened again.”

“That was just His Majesty’s way of sounding the alarm, out of concern for Your Majesty.”

Alicia slowly shook her head.

“He was serious.”

Of course, Agnes had clearly heard that ruthless voice too, so she already knew.

“I vividly remember when His Majesty returned and went straight to the audience hall. The mud and what looked like someone’s blood on his military boots and the acrid smell of iron.”

The scent of slaughter naturally emanated from him. And she knew instinctively that no matter who the target was, Cayenne would cut them down without hesitation if he wanted to.

“There’s no harm in being cautious. His Majesty will soon be leaving for Rubeo, so until then, our palace staff will also be careful.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s still late, so get some more sleep.”

Alicia nodded, and Agnes bowed and left the bedchamber. But she didn’t think she could fall asleep again. She didn’t want to have that nightmare again, even if she only dozed off.

“Don’t be swept away by the situation, think.”

Alicia muttered, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest.

This was her second life as Alicia. At first, when she suddenly died in the modern world and realized she had become Alicia in the novel, she was too busy adjusting to each day to do anything. People said the Empress, who didn’t know etiquette and couldn’t even greet people properly, was out of her mind or crazy, which was why Cayenne paid even less attention to the Empress’s Palace.

“If you leave the choices in your life to others, you’re bound to be unhappy.”

In her past life, Alicia had clung to Lucan. She’d naively thought that Lucan, who was originally Alicia’s family, would be better than her husband, whom she rarely saw.

As a result, Alicia barely adapted to palace life, only reciting Lucan’s platitudes, and was completely ignored by Cayenne. Even until the moment she died.

“There’s always a cause for every result.”

In her past life, she was already the Empress, so she believed that if she just adapted, she would naturally become closer to her husband and find happiness.

But Alicia’s life was a real life, and she couldn’t simply fall in love or become happy like in a fairy tale.

“The reason His Majesty has changed now, it’s because I’ve changed.”

Cayenne used to sneer at Alicia, who only recited Lucan’s teachings, calling her a parrot. And as soon as she abandoned Lucan’s teachings in this life, Cayenne’s attitude changed.

But that wasn’t all. The Empress who had forgotten Lucan might have become a more comfortable presence for Cayenne, but that wasn’t enough of a reason for him to seek her out.

-His Majesty was very pleased with the luncheon with the nobles.

Suddenly, the Chief Chamberlain’s report came to mind. It was the very luncheon that Cayenne had specially asked the Empress’s Palace to prepare. At Alicia’s command, Howard, the Chief Chamberlain of the Empress’s Palace, had personally attended to him. Just like the dinner the two of them had had in the Empress’s Palace last time.

“My acting had an effect more than I expected.”

She didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing right now. But it was certain that she had attracted Cayenne’s attention more than she had intended.

It was good to subtly remind the Emperor of etiquette and provide him with comfort under the convenient excuse of teaching the amnesiac Alicia, but it was all unexpected that Cayenne had shown that side of himself to the nobles, and that he was satisfied with the result.

“Just because time has turned back doesn’t mean people will automatically change.”

Cayenne had changed because Alicia had changed first.

Thanks to that, she could be sure of one thing about him. If she stimulated him in any way, there would definitely be a result.

However, it was also obvious that if she carelessly uttered even one word, his sword would cut down the defenseless Alicia.

“If I were training a wild beast at the risk of my life is this what it would feel like?”

In the programs she often watched in her original life, excellent trainers would come out and skillfully correct problem behaviors, as if there were no animals in the world that couldn’t be tamed. Some experts even led eccentric children with ease.

“In other words, it’s possible with people too.”

Anyone who heard it would call it a crazy idea, but what if she could tame Cayenne even a little bit now? In fact, Alicia had achieved a small success. It had been proven that he was capable of learning and training.

“No one has dared to try it, but it’s not impossible.”

Alicia’s hands tightened around her knees.

If this were Alicia’s first life, she would have clung to adapting and lived in compliance. But she didn’t want to live such a worthless and meaningless life again. If she had to live another 10 years in vain, she would rather be cut down by Cayenne’s sword and die at once.

“I can do it. No, it’s something only I can do.”

Alicia was the only Empress, and she now had the convenient excuse that she had lost some of her memories due to a high fever. Also, her mindset that she wanted to quit a life where nothing changed was different from others. Because those who cherished their lives could never attempt it.

“There are a few things worth testing.”

Simple table manners had changed Cayenne very successfully. Fortunately, Alicia had a lot of miscellaneous knowledge that people of this era would never know. From how to correct a dog’s repetitive mistakes to how to comfort a child with a broken heart.

“If I had to say, he’s closer to a, dog than a child.”

Cayenne was a wild beast. If she could tame him at all, she would have to use the method of taming a ferocious dog. Coincidentally, her first success was the unintended table manners. Like someone said, there are no bad dogs, so starting with eating was the right answer.

“I have to find a way to try it carefully, in a way that’s absolutely unnoticeable.”

Now the fear was gone. Alicia’s mind was full of schemes to deal with Cayenne. Because she knew better than anyone that if Emperor Cayenne’s will didn’t align with hers, there was no hope in her life.

“If we become moderately close, not even friends, he’ll allow me to leave the imperial palace.”

Cayenne didn’t stay in the capital anyway. In her past life, he hadn’t returned from Rubeo even when Alicia was dying. So the request for the Empress to leave the imperial palace wasn’t completely unrealistic.

“Good.”

She didn’t want to just stand by helplessly and let her life flow away in vain anymore.

“Let’s do it. Let’s do it.”

In the deep of night, Alicia made a resolution that she couldn’t dare tell anyone. Even she thought it was a very bold and audacious decision.