The Empress Tames the Tyrant - Chapter 58

As Cayenne reflexively claimed Alicia’s lips, the very thing he had unconsciously craved, he felt a long-suppressed desire surge within him. That hot, fierce instinct was more intense and harder to control than any emotion he had ever known.

“Your Majesty,” Alicia whispered.

In the brief moment their lips parted, Alicia’s soft voice escaped. Cayenne gently nipped her lovely lower lip before letting go, his hand cradling her neck as he caressed the shell of her ear.

“I prefer it when you call me by my name.”

Alicia was the only person in this world who could call him by his name. Why had he failed to recognize the presence of such a lovely woman from the very beginning? Her moist, full lips made Cayenne the happiest man alive at this moment.

“But I do not want to hear the word stop.”

Cayenne’s honest words tickled Alicia’s damp lips. Her ears and neck, where his thumb continued to trace circles, burned in response.

However, the more difficult struggle was within Alicia’s own heart. While his intense longing felt overwhelming, she found herself inadvertently biting her own lip in a hollow, anxious yearning whenever their lips drew apart after a deep kiss.

“I,” Alicia started.

Before Alicia could continue, Cayenne kissed her deeply again. At some point, Alicia had begun to close her eyes at his touch, sharing in that heated desire. Every time, her chest felt tickled and a feverish heat rose throughout her body, yet a lingering fear of what came next would not easily vanish.

“I am sorry.”

Unable to handle the sensation any longer, Alicia managed to lightly push against Cayenne’s chest. Cayenne moved away obediently, offering no resistance to her touch.

“I am not ready yet.”

That was all she could say for now. Had the wedding been conducted properly, she would have faced the first night without the freedom or luxury of hesitation, but now that the choice was hers, it was difficult to decide on the right time.

“It is alright.”

Cayenne cupped Alicia’s fair cheek with his large palm.

“As long as it is not because you dislike me, or because you intend to never be ready.”

A handsome smile played on his lips. Alicia inadvertently glanced at his mouth before quickly averting her gaze.

“It is not like that.”

Looking at Alicia’s reddened cheeks, Cayenne tested his patience over and over again.

“Strangely, I find myself unable to resist your words.”

When Alicia spoke firmly with those blue eyes of hers, Cayenne found himself following her lead before he knew it. He had never been like this in his life, but the fact that this unfamiliar feeling was not unpleasant made him realize he had finally met his match.

“However, I would like a small reward for today.”

Cayenne stood up and extended his hand toward Alicia. Naturally, she took his hand and stood.

“Ah!”

In an instant, Cayenne swept her up into his arms as effortlessly as he had done before. Perhaps because it was the second time, Alicia merely gave him a pointed glare.

“You surprise me once again.”

“I should be allowed at least this much pleasure.”

As Cayenne strode toward the bedroom, Alicia wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling. It might have been her imagination, but his skin felt incredibly hot.

“Have you changed your mind?”

Cayenne asked with feigned ignorance as he kicked open the bedroom door and gently set Alicia down on the bed.

“Now that I see it, the bed is quite large. Even if we do nothing, I could”

“No.”

Cayenne failed in his attempt to give a long-winded speech about how he would only hold her hand. Of course, since he never intended to stop there anyway, Alicia’s judgment was accurate.

“Please go back for tonight.”

“I suppose you mean tonight as well.”

His black eyes, still filled with longing, were dripping with regret, but Alicia’s demure gaze avoided his.

“Since you went through the trouble of bringing me to the bedroom, I will not be able to see you out.”

Cayenne smacked his lips in disappointment, but he felt a strange emotion that was different from sadness or resentment. He could have taken her right then if he wished, but had he done so, he would never have known this fluttering, tickling sensation for the rest of his life.

“Sweet dreams.”

Alicia wore a beautiful smile at his tender parting. Cayenne stared at her for a long time before turning his heavy footsteps away and leaving the bedroom. He could not yet tell if the premonition that this desperate waiting would soon end was a reality or merely his own hope.

Two days later, a glorious appointment ceremony was held in the audience chamber. Duke Blake Tiers officially became the Chancellor of the Empire, and Bern Arter, the Knight Commander who had rushed from Rubeo, received the honor of being named the Commander of the Order of Darius.

“May there be only prosperity for His Majesty the Emperor and the Darius Empire.”

Blake delivered the opening chant, traditionally done by Duke Nigel, in a booming voice, and the rest of the nobles had no choice but to repeat it. Cayenne looked down from the throne, quite satisfied with the scene.

“I grant the new Chancellor the authority to lead and organize the Council hereafter.”

“It is an honor.”

Blake immediately offered his respects. Even Duke Nigel could not hide the stiffening of his expression at this moment.

“Knight Commander of Darius, when the Holy Knights arrive from the Holy See, you are to command them and lead them as one.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. In your glorious name, I shall lay down my life for the Empire.”

A smirk played on Cayenne’s lips. It was the first taste of victory he had experienced in this imperial palace. Seeing the bitter expressions of Duke Nigel’s faction made the victory feel even sweeter.

“Once the reorganization of the Darius Knights is complete, I will personally oversee the military review.”

“Yes. It will be a great honor for everyone.”

Hearing those words from Bern, with whom he had fought back-to-back in Rubeo, was incredibly reassuring. Following Cayenne’s instructions, Bern had brought his adjutant and son, Sam, along with several elite knights from Rubeo. Once the Holy Knights arrived and he began to command them, an imperial authority that had never existed before would finally take shape.

“Since it is a joyous occasion, how about everyone participates?”

Cayenne asked as he looked at Duke Nigel, who looked as if he were chewing on stones.

“Yes. Everyone will marvel at Your Majesty’s majesty.”

As Duke Nigel barely managed to answer, Cayenne nodded readily.

“Then we shall hold a banquet after the military review. I will leave the preparations to the Chancellor and the Minister of Rites.”

There is a saying that seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Cayenne intended to put that into practice. He wanted to engrave the fact that imperial power had been established into the eyes of Duke Nigel and the nobles.

“Prepare the grandest banquet. Since it is a celebratory day, I intend to attend with the Empress.”

An existence no one had expected tripped naturally off Cayenne’s tongue. While it was only natural for him to wish to appear in public with the Empress on a joyous day, it was a shocking statement because everyone had forgotten her existence.

“I shall follow Your Majesty’s command.”

As the Minister of Rites bowed, the nobles exchanged awkward glances. They still seemed unable to grasp the sense of dissonance the word Empress provided.

“Finally, my Council is becoming satisfactory.”

Cayenne’s final remark was an arrow clearly aimed at Duke Nigel, and he did not bother to hide it. Yes, this was a declaration of war for hegemony over the Empire.

As soon as the Council meeting ended, Duke Nigel and his following faction gathered again at the Duke’s mansion. Everyone’s face was dark, as if a funeral were taking place.

“Appointing a new Chancellor was absurd enough, but to make the Knight Commander of Rubeo the Commander of the Darius Knights?”

The impatient Marquis Sale was the first to speak.

“The Emperor seems intent on making this Empire as savage as Rubeo.”

As a Baron chimed in, Duke Nigel allowed his discomfort to show plainly on his face.

“Your Grace, we cannot let the Emperor’s rampage continue. Today it is the Chancellor, but we do not know what he will change next.”

Duke Nigel poured himself a drink and downed it in one gulp. Ever since the former Emperor gave up on ruling the Empire directly, the Empire he had protected was now on the verge of falling into the hands of the ignorant Cayenne. It was no wonder he was distressed.

“The Emperor knows nothing. That is what is terrifying.”

The Duke was once a loyal subject of the former Emperor. Furthermore, as a descendant of the ten great noble families of the Empire, he took pride in serving the Darius Imperial Family.

“I cannot allow someone without talent to wield this Empire. How could an Emperor who grew up savagely in the barrens know anything of politics or the affairs of the continent?”

Duke Nigel took pride in having poured his entire life into the prosperity of the Empire.

“Your Grace is absolutely correct. Furthermore, the new Chancellor is a problem. The Tiers family has been in seclusion since the reign of the former Emperor; what could they possibly know to fulfill the role of Chancellor!”

At the Marquis’s outcry, the Duke recalled the black eyes that had smiled at him in the audience chamber. Cayenne had looked certain of his victory.

“The Emperor’s ignorance is a greater sin than anything else. He likely does not even know what he is doing right now.”

For decades, the Emperor had merely existed, and that had been enough. But since Cayenne had developed other intentions, the very foundations of the Empire that the Duke had worked so hard to build could be shaken.

“Therefore, I must teach him.”

Even Marquis Sale blinked in surprise at Duke Nigel’s excessive words. Until now, no one had dared to teach Cayenne even a minor point of table manners, so what did this mean?

“There is no need for a commotion. We simply need to do as we have always done.”

Duke Nigel understood human psychology well. Thus, when dealing with a bomb like Cayenne, he first looked for what was precious to him.

“The only thing precious to the Emperor was Rubeo. So we used that to keep him tied there.”

“But this time, he seems to have no intention of returning. I wonder why that is?”

“Do you not see it?”

The Duke let out a short sigh. Today, Cayenne had once again revealed his own weakness. It was the being he currently cherished most: the Empress.