The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 2

Perhaps because I had lived as Alicia for the past 10 years, life in the Imperial Palace was already familiar. However, it was clear that even if I returned to the age of twenty, nothing would particularly improve.

“Is there no way to escape?”

The Emperor of the Empire, Cayenne Darius, was a man who loved no one. No, he seemed to hate everything in the Imperial Palace, including his wife, the Empress Alicia.

“Your Majesty, what did you just say?”

Anise, who was bringing warm tea on a silver tray, asked in surprise.

“It’s nothing.”

When I first became Alicia, I couldn’t understand anything. Thanks to that, I had to hear that the Empress had gone mad with a high fever throughout my past life.

I thought it would end when I died, but to think I would become Alicia at twenty again. This was a disaster like no other.

However, the situation was a bit different now. It wasn’t like I was possessing a strange world like before, but rather that I had lived in that world for 10 years and only time had turned back.

“I am sorry, but many letters have piled up from Lucan.”

“Put them in a box.”

“Yes…”

At Alicia’s firm words, Anise put the letters in a box placed in a corner of the drawing room. The letters that had piled up since Alicia suffered from a high fever seemed to quickly exceed the capacity of the box. Dust was starting to accumulate on the letters at the bottom.

“Lucan is the most wise place on this continent, so they must know that I am sick.”

“Of course, but…”

Alicia stared at the box full of letters with emotionless blue eyes. Each letter showed that Alicia was not fulfilling her duties and responsibilities.

-To think it had to be you.

I could still vividly remember the Great Sage of Lucan sighing with a disappointed face.

-It can’t be helped. You are also half, but a descendant of Lucan. You should be able to fulfill your duty. Lucan is behind you, and I am behind you, so if you just faithfully convey those words, something will happen.

At that time, I couldn’t forget the strange look in Great Sage Cornelius’s eyes as he looked at me.

-Remember, you must convey Lucan’s words to the Emperor and prevent the war on this continent. That is the reason you were born and the reason you must live.

Lucan was a closed-off land ruled by the Great Sage. There, people sacrificed everything to gain truth and wisdom.

Naturally, the daughters of Lucan became messengers of the Great Sage’s will, marrying powerful figures throughout the continent and continuing the teachings.

It was an extremely Lucan-centric and disgusting way of thinking, believing that only they were close to the truth.

“If Lucan asks, tell them that I am experiencing great difficulties in memory and adaptation after the high fever. Yes, to the point where I cannot even understand Lucan’s noble teachings.”

Anise widened her eyes in surprise, but soon nodded. She had been by Alicia’s side as a nanny and maid since she was born, so she would know what I was thinking.

“His Majesty always visits the Imperial Palace in the spring for the memorial service of his late mother, so there is still time.”

This autumn would be short, but the winter was quite long. The Emperor always only attended the memorial service for his late mother and immediately left the Imperial Palace, so there was not much chance of a clash.

“Yes, by then, Your Majesty will be fully recovered, so there will be no worries.”

“No, I will not recover.”

Alicia said without even hesitating.

“Tell them the same thing you tell Lucan.”

“Yes? But…”

Anise couldn’t bring herself to say more and lowered her head. She couldn’t say with her own mouth how unstable Alicia’s position as Empress was right now.

“His Majesty is a heartless person.”

Cayenne strongly inherited the blood of his ancestors, who had been warriors for generations, but he was somewhat lacking to ascend to the position of Emperor.

“Either way, he has no interest in me.”

Accepting the daughter of Lucan as Empress was one of the conditions for him to ascend the throne. It was a rather humiliating negotiation for a political marriage. It was clear that in exchange for becoming Emperor, he would have to keep Lucan’s teachings by his side and listen to them for the rest of his life.

“Lucan and His Majesty are the same.”

I lived as Alicia for 10 years. I couldn’t forget how futile and pathetic that life was. Even the moment of death was lonely. Lucan’s name and the position of Empress were of no help to Alicia as she was dying.

“His Majesty has always despised Lucan.”

In my previous life, Alicia at twenty did not realize that fact. Instead, she made constant efforts to be faithful to her duty. Without even knowing that her appearance only earned the Emperor’s contempt.

-Even the Imperial parrot seems to have better skills than the Empress. At least it won’t make me uncomfortable every time it opens its mouth.

I could count on one hand the number of times I had met Cayenne. That’s why even this painful moment was so clear. Even his cold, bottomless black eyes that looked at me at the time.

“What if they worry, knowing that Your Majesty is seriously ill?”

At Anise’s naive question, Alicia let out a burst of laughter.

“That will never happen, never.”

Blue eyes stared at the air. In the end, Cayenne never saw Alicia as his wife. Not even until the day she died.

“Besides, His Majesty only comes to the Imperial Palace for his late mother’s memorial service in the spring.”

“Still, we sent a letter saying that Your Majesty is ill.”

“Was there a reply? When was that letter sent?”

Anise closed her mouth. There was still no reply from the carrier pigeon that was hurriedly sent on the day Alicia suffered from a high fever. Even if there was no special illness, the Emperor could not have been unaware that his life was in danger if the high fever did not subside.

“That’s enough. I’m going to bed early today. I have a lot to think about.”

I can’t spend another unhappy 10 years. At first, I was possessed by a strange world and didn’t know anything, but after experiencing a lonely death, the only thought that lingered was that I had to escape this place.

“His Majesty must have been busy on the battlefield.”

Anise’s comfort was appreciated, but there was already a fundamental problem with the couple.

“What about Lucan? Does the Great Sage worry about my illness?”

Without even bothering to open the letters, I could see Lucan’s position clearly. To them, Alicia was just a tool to convey their will and incite the Emperor to their liking.

“Anise, I want to find meaning in my life.”

Perhaps because she had overcome a life-threatening crisis, the Empress’s face, who was only twenty years old, was determined.

“And the only ones who can help with that are myself and Anise.”

“How can I refuse?”

Alicia smiled faintly at Anise’s warm words.

“First, let’s clean up the bedchamber.”

Just as Alicia was about to nod, a sound that should never be heard rang out from the window in the distance.

“…!”

Without anyone saying anything, the two women froze while looking at each other.

“No, that can’t be.”

Alicia’s lips trembled. I hoped it was a hallucination, but Anise’s face was just as serious.

“I clearly heard it too, just now.”

Before Anise could finish speaking, the trumpet sound that was only heard when the Emperor was traveling rang out loudly once again.

“But, it’s autumn now.”

Blue eyes trembled slightly. If I was going to return to twenty anyway, I was going to come up with something and live a new life, but there was no room to think leisurely.

“It is definitely the sound of drums and trumpets announcing His Majesty’s arrival.”

I knew without Anise saying it. The only person who could make such a sound in this Imperial Palace was Cayenne when he moved.

“This can’t be happening. His Majesty won’t come. Even if I die. He will never come.”

Alicia clearly remembered that cold and lonely death.

“Yes, never. He will never come back.”

“But, Your Majesty. Since this trumpet has sounded, His Majesty’s arrival is certain.”

The Emperor does not return. I was sure because he never came even when Alicia was dying.

And as if to mock such Alicia, the sound of the Emperor’s trumpet grew closer.

“…!”

He would never come back. It certainly should have been.

“Your Majesty, the procession is getting closer.”

Anise carefully, but urgently, informed.

“It’s late at night now. Even if His Majesty has returned. He won’t be able to come to the Empress’s Palace.”

“I am sorry, but there is no place His Majesty cannot go.”

There was one thing that had not changed in the past life or this life. That is, there is no absolute guarantee in life.

“Yes, that’s right.”

If there was anything absolute in this world, it was Cayenne’s will and his very existence.

No matter how much she came back to life from death and gained a new opportunity, it was a power that could not belong to Alicia.

“My will is not important.”

What was always important was the will of Cayenne, the Emperor.

It was all his will that Alicia became Empress, that he left without even consummating the marriage, and that he ignored her throughout her life.

“Not yet.”

At least the current Cayenne did not hate Alicia. In fact, could she guarantee that she remembered everything from the past 10 years? But how could she have been so complacent that the Emperor would never come?

At the sound of the trumpet ringing in her ears, Alicia wanted to slap herself for saying that just a moment ago.

However, the thought that if she just stamped her feet like this, it would be no different from her past life also crossed her mind.

“Anise, close all the curtains and turn off the lights right now.”

“Yes?”

“Hurry!”

The sound of the Emperor’s procession was getting closer, but because the road to the Empress’s Palace was winding, it would not be visible yet. Alicia was burning inside in the darkened Empress’s Palace for a while.

Suppressing the sound of her heart beating wildly, she listened carefully, and she heard the sound of the trumpet gradually fading away.

“Ha?”

Alicia slumped down on the sofa with a sigh of relief.

At least she doesn’t have to meet that man tonight. Yes, tonight.