That woman deserved to rot in prison and die. At least that’s what Sion, the aide, thought.

But he seemed to have just heard something strange.

“Did you say you’re going to let the woman live?”

Sion asked as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard. It wasn’t a question meant to argue, but rather because he genuinely thought he had misheard.

“Yes.”

Reizen gave a brief answer and walked past Sion towards the desk.

Realizing that he hadn’t misheard, Sion asked with wide eyes.

“But why?”

“Why are you so worked up? It’s not like the sky is falling. We can keep her alive for a while.”

“I don’t understand. If you let her live, His Majesty will definitely push for marriage.”

When marriage vows are made in the temple, restrictions are created by the goddess’s power.

The couple would constantly yearn for each other and desire physical and mental fusion, which also meant that even in unexpected situations, they wouldn’t be able to harm each other.

Under the name of ‘Goddess’s Blessing,’ it was forcing couples to be bound together.

Though called a blessing in words, it was essentially an inhumane contract that made men and women become each other’s slaves.

That’s why Melissa Grey had three marriages after her family’s downfall. The men who wanted her wished to steal both her body and mind.

However, unlike other households where children usually came within a year, for some reason, she had never been pregnant.

And as divorces repeated, rumors even spread that she was cast aside because she was barren.

To think of his superior marrying such a woman.

Sion shook his head.

“The marriage vow would be like a brand on Your Highness. And aren’t you the one who cared for Lord Moore more than anyone? For you to postpone revenge like this, I just…”

Sion’s face showed genuine confusion.

“Even though you cared for him more than me…”

Still not used to his colleague’s death, Sion bit his lip as his eyes reddened.

David and Sion were military academy classmates. Rather than being close, they were jealous and envious of each other.

Moreover, they entered the imperial palace around the same time, and had been together since Reizen came to the palace, so they had a strong sense of rivalry.

But sometimes rivals can be more special than friends.

“I’ve never cared for Moore more than you.”

Reizen said, sitting in the desk chair with his chin propped up crookedly.

“I’m just not certain.”

“You think that woman isn’t the culprit.”

“That’s roughly it. Though it’s just a hunch.”

Understanding immediately, Sion approached the other side of the desk.

The aide, holding a large law book in his arms, looked at his lord with reddened eyes that seemed about to spill tears, and said.

“Which means there’s still no evidence.”

“If there’s a real culprit, we need to find them. I think that’s the proper revenge for Moore.”

The real culprit. When that word came from Reizen’s lips, Sion slightly furrowed his brow.

“I rushed the investigation for Lord Moore’s funeral. If the woman isn’t the real culprit, then I’ve messed up.”

Sion bit his lower lip and averted his gaze.

“I’ll take responsibility and definitely uncover the truth. So as not to tarnish Your Highness’s name… definitely.”

Sion brought his fist to his heart and vowed with resolute eyes.

However, shortly after, such an intense vow was about to crumble as soon as he saw Melissa.

“I, I killed him.”

That was the first thing Sion heard when he visited her room to keep surveillance and check on her movements.

The woman with long black hair hanging like seaweed repeated with her scabbed lips.

“I killed… David Moore.”

For a moment, he wanted to draw the knight’s sword beside him and kill the woman, but he had to suppress his murderous intent while remembering Reizen’s face.

Hiding his killing intent behind a smile, Sion said kindly.

“My lady? Now that we understand, let’s first get you cleaned up and properly dressed. You’ll soon have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor, and you can’t go like this.”

The man with the twisted lips cast a shadow before her. An overwhelming fear crept into Melissa’s red eyes.

***

“Ugh, disgusting.”

By Reizen’s order, she was thrown into the annex palace, and even the maids were reluctant to approach her.

When the iron that had been pressing into her flesh for so long was removed, an even worse stench wafted from the rotting areas.

“How are we supposed to wash this?”

“This isn’t something that can be fixed by just throwing her in hot water to soak for a bit.”

“Why did His Majesty bring such filth into the palace? Do you really think she’s beautiful?”

“No? If she’s beautiful, then I’m the goddess of beauty!”

The sound of shrill laughter echoed in her head.

Ever since she had been hit in the head with a stone and bled, she would occasionally hear ringing in her ears or feel dizzy, and today the pain was worse due to stress.

“Stop dawdling and get to work! His Majesty said he would check personally this evening!”

Hearing the shout from above, the maids reluctantly stripped Melissa n*ked and dragged her like an animal.

The woman, who hadn’t had a drop of water from Sorbet to the imperial palace, was dragged along without the strength to resist and received a shower of water.

The woman who was plunged into hot water tried to stay down.

She tried to bite her tongue and die as water rushed in through her nose and mouth, but the maids noticed something strange and rushed to pull her up by her hair, causing her attempt to fail.

“Oh my! How weak must you be that you can’t even stand on your own? Hey! Stand up straight!”

“Nothing but bones. Can she even walk around with this body?”

“Eek! Look at these wounds! The flesh is hanging loose, it’s disgusting!”

“With wounds like these, how can she become a royal concubine? Wow, this is no joke.”

They even lifted her tattered wounds out of curiosity.

When several rough hands clung to her n*ked body all at once, Melissa startled and resisted.

More than pain, she felt shame. More than wanting to cry, she wanted to escape.

Wouldn’t it have been happier if she had just laid down like a larva in Sorbet and ended her life? Why did they bring her to a place like this? To marry her off again?

Emperor. Royal concubine.

Come to think of it, the Emperor had countless commoner concubines. He kept them in the annex palace and used them as vessels to produce beautiful sons before discarding them.

Now even the Emperor desired her.

Marriage was horrifying. No, she hated all men in the world. Just seeing their sticky gazes and extended hands made her shudder.

Thus, even while being forcibly washed and dressed by the maids, she stared blankly into space and muttered. That she had killed David Moore.

She had said it hoping she would be thrown back into the cold prison of Sorbet if she confessed to the crime, but now those words no longer worked.

She was thrown before the Emperor like an inanimate object.

“Hmm. You’ve lost a lot of weight since I last saw you.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue regretfully as he looked at her in person.

“Too many wounds too… It’s a shame, it’ll be difficult to bear many heirs in this state.”

When he glanced to the side, the physician spoke.

“Your Majesty, this specimen is highly likely to die in childbirth. It might even be difficult for her to conceive an heir.”

“So it’s as you say. But I don’t like just watching when she’ll die anyway if left like this. Still, being of Grey blood, if we breed her well, couldn’t we get the result we want? Don’t you think so, child?”

The Emperor’s eyes showed greed and madness. The man brought his face close to Melissa’s nose and muttered with hot breath.

“Eyes like Reizen’s…”

A thick hand lifted the dazed Melissa’s chin like a straw doll.

“A nose like yours, lips like mine – bear me a grandchild with these features.”

Tears gradually welled up in Melissa’s previously blank eyes.

The Emperor looked at this sight with satisfaction. Even in her scrawny state, she had a sorrowful and serene air about her. Though she had many wounds, he particularly liked her naturally fair skin and thin black hair.

And her voice had been exceptionally beautiful too. He remembered it being like a nightingale singing in the morning forest.

The Emperor happily smiled while pressing down Melissa’s tears that fell like raindrops with his finger.

“If you survive after giving birth, I’ll grant you one wish.”

After the Emperor, who had shown unusual kindness, left the audience chamber, even those who had been assisting him all followed suit.

The physician who remained in the room saying there were still examinations to be done, pointed and clicked his tongue.

“Be grateful for His Majesty’s kindness! Such luck for a murderer! Tsk tsk.”

It was fortune and kindness she hadn’t wanted.

Melissa flinched and shrunk away from the physician’s rough hands pressing down on her shoulders.

***

After that, a marriage order was issued to the Third Prince Reizen.

“One is a murderer, and the other tried to kill their partner. So wouldn’t their lives be safer if we bind them together with marriage vows?”

Vincent was serious about mating the two like animals.

“Assign the best physicians to treat her so she can get pregnant right after marriage.”

He breathed life into the person who most wanted to die.

“Your Highness Reizen. If you agree to this marriage, it will be difficult to join hands with the Rockbell family. Lady Rockbell will surely be grinding her teeth.”

He took wings from those who sought power.

And if there was someone who found the most satisfaction in such strange tastes of the Emperor… it would be Empress Isabella.

“How fitting for that half-breed who even dared to aim for the Chief Justice position!”