Whether it was something she learned growing up or was born with, her expression would always remain calm.
“I discarded my conscience long ago, so I don’t understand what Your Majesty is saying.”
Though I occupy Illyana Glaine’s body, it doesn’t make her sins mine.
I stiffened my neck and acted brazenly.
Magnus burst into laughter, his expression one of utter delight.
His youthful, refreshing laughter echoed throughout the party hall.
“Ah, indeed. Indeed. That’s how it should be… to make my search for you worthwhile.”
Magnus’s formal speech was so familiar and natural.
Both my face, as the receiver, and Magnus’s face, as the speaker, felt entirely normal.
Looking around, the nobles who were initially shocked now seemed unable to find anything strange about it.
Magnus clapped lightly. The atmosphere shifted. At his call, knights swarmed in.
“Escort the esteemed lady who will become the Empress with respect.”
“Your Majesty!”
Marquis Glaine, who had been conversing in a calm voice, finally raised his voice.
I had no idea how to handle this situation, so I hesitated and took a step back.
“Marquis Glaine, I understand your opinion, so let’s discuss it later.”
The royal knights approached me.
Seeing them in their gleaming silver armor, I clenched my fists tightly.
“We will escort you.”
I looked at Marquis Glaine and then at Magnus. There was nothing I could do immediately.
This place wasn’t suitable for a conversation. Glancing at the knights, I reluctantly took a heavy step forward.
*** *** *** *** ***
Honestly, I couldn’t understand any of this situation.
If I had to pinpoint what I couldn’t understand, it was just everything from the very beginning.
I couldn’t understand why I had to endure this just because of curiosity, nor could I comprehend why I had to become the Empress.
Everything was incomprehensible.
It felt like dirty water had splashed in a place it didn’t belong. I was the dirty water, and this world was not where I belonged.
The room assigned to me was excessively luxurious, even the canopy was opulent.
Everything, from the carpet on the floor to the bedding and wallpaper, was lavish and luxurious.
Yet it felt unsettling. The fact that the only thing in such a luxurious room was a single bed.
There wasn’t even a chandelier or candles to light. The only way I could see was through the faint moonlight.
It was a strange room. In this room, I had no options.
I couldn’t undress or change clothes, nor could I sit at a desk or do anything else.
The only thing given to me was a single bed, so I had no choice but to sit on it.
That felt unpleasant. It seemed as if what I was supposed to do had already been decided.
But I couldn’t stand in high heels waiting for someone who might come at any moment.
‘What on earth…’
What on earth was he thinking? I couldn’t understand Magnus’s thoughts. If his intention was to torment me to death, I could understand that.
But why would he need to make me the Empress to torment me?
“Really…”
I tried to leave as soon as I arrived, but there was a knight guarding outside.
It was the Royal Knights, directly under the Emperor.
Another name for the Royal Knights was the ‘Storm Knights,’ and their symbol was a wolf.
They were mentioned several times in the novel, and it was said that once they swore loyalty to a lord, they would never betray them and would protect them with their lives.
Sometimes it was the Emperor, and sometimes it wasn’t.
Initially, the Royal Knights didn’t like Magnus. He was the man who overturned the entire royal family with a bloodbath as soon as he arrived.
But they had no choice but to follow him because the current Emperor was Magnus, and there were no other royals in the imperial family for them to swear loyalty to.
Later, they acknowledged him after seeing Magnus make a contract with a certain spirit, but it probably wasn’t at that stage yet.
That was assuming the story hadn’t changed significantly.
Anyway, it was said that the Storm Knights had numbers and symbols engraved somewhere on their bodies, but no one knew what the official symbol was except for them.
I knew, though.
‘Wasn’t it a shape where a whirlwind encircled a wolf…’
I hadn’t looked closely, so my memory was vague.
‘When on earth is he coming?’
Without a clock, I couldn’t know for sure, but it must be close to midnight.
It was absurd. There was no other word to describe the situation.
‘Leaving someone alone for nearly five hours…’
Without a maid, I couldn’t undress from this complicated outfit by myself, and even if I managed to undress, there were no clothes to change into for sleep.
Surely, they don’t expect me to stay like this.
If that’s really the case, how petty and narrow-minded it is.
Sleeping in this fancy party dress is like being told to stay awake all night.
‘If that’s really the intention, I’ll sleep out of spite.’
I hadn’t put on much makeup, so it was just the clothes that were a bit uncomfortable. Since there was an underskirt, I could sleep in just that without any problem.
“Really, such a child…”
However, I still wondered how he had found me. I thought he might find me someday.
But not this quickly. This was completely unexpected.
Annoyed by the silence and stillness pressing against my ears, I forcibly undid the dress.
Fortunately, thanks to Illyana’s long limbs, her arms could reach her back. The white petticoat was light and fluttery, suitable for use as sleepwear.
“Not bad.”
Just as I was about to get into bed, the doorknob turned, and the lock was released.
In an awkward position, about to lie down, I looked at the familiar silhouette entering. He seemed slightly tilted, as if the scene before him was unexpected.
And I didn’t expect to face Magnus again in such a state.
“You always defy my expectations, Lady Lyna.”
His voice, mixed with laughter, left my mind blank. His expression, with a smile in his eyes, seemed to reveal sincerity.
“…What on earth have you been saying since earlier?”
My voice, deliberately forced, cracked at the end.
“Lady Lyna, I recognized you at a glance.”
“……”
“I find it curious that you thought I wouldn’t notice. I remember your aura, your voice, your warmth, even this touch.”
He spoke as he forcibly pulled my hand, buried under the blanket, to stroke his cheek.
I tried to resist with all my strength, but Magnus had already become too strong for me to handle.
He was no longer intimidated by Illyana Glaine’s gaze.
Even a fool could notice that the positions had changed.
“You made me remember each one.”
Magnus’s tone was calm, but I felt even more frustrated.
If there were any shared memories of enjoyment, it wouldn’t be so unfair, but all I remember is being flustered in front of him.
“You tamed me like that and then heartlessly abandoned me.”
“……”
I was at a loss for words. If he thought that way, perhaps he could, but I never abandoned him.
If anything, I merely let him go. I released the shackles and gave him freedom.
There was no reason to be criticized for granting freedom.
“In this room, only what I allow or what you beg from me will be placed.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I don’t understand what Your Majesty is saying.”
At my words, Magnus’s brow furrowed deeply.
He looked at me as if seeing something very troubling, then shrugged his shoulders, raising his eyebrows.
“So you’re pretending not to know.”
“…I’m not pretending. I’m saying that I don’t understand what Your Majesty is saying with this dull mind of mine.”
At my words, Magnus momentarily smiled. It was a meaningful smile.
Magnus, who I thought would answer immediately, didn’t speak for a moment. Then he opened his mouth again.
“You, who know so much about Rei and can manipulate drugs and delve into people’s minds, call yourself dull. Doesn’t it make you want to behead all the nobles who are duller than you?”
His teasing tongue, with a smiling face, was as sharp as a sharpened blade.
I wondered if a person could change so much in just two years, but then again, considering Illyana Glaine, who completely ruined Magnus’s mind in just three years, it didn’t seem impossible.
‘What kind of mess did I step into?’
I didn’t think I lived such a miserable life in my past life, but looking at this situation, it felt like I was the most terrible villain in the world, receiving divine punishment.
“I am the heir of the Glaine family.”
“You will be my Empress.”
Magnus recited it to me as if it were an obvious fact.
I don’t know if he was trying to brainwash me, but the continuous whispering didn’t feel pleasant.
He took my hand and placed it on his cheek. My fingertips were pale.
They had turned blue. I only realized my hand had gone cold when it touched Magnus’s cheek.
“Illyana, I will tame you. Just as you did to me, into a beast that can do nothing without me.”
Unwillingly, my palm, which had brushed his cheek, eventually touched his lips.
I trembled and hurriedly pulled back.
Magnus briefly kissed my palm before slowly releasing it.
“You will be trapped in the abyss you created.”
His voice was so somber and deep, like being in a deep cave.
I thought that if it were called resentment, I might be able to understand it.
“If you desire something, beg me. Kiss my noble body and whisper your desires. Just as I did to you, you can do the same.”
“Are you… insane?”
I barely held onto a thread of reason to speak to Magnus within the bounds of common sense.
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