After all, she was going to die soon anyway.

“My wish… is to become Empress of the Kingdom of Karl.”

The moment those words carelessly left Freya’s lips, the Emperor’s hand that had been gripping her chin suddenly dropped, as if the power had been drained from it.

Freya closed her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the excruciating pain she knew was coming – but instead, a soft voice unexpectedly reached her ears.

“Your wish can no longer be changed.”

Startled, she opened her eyes wide and there they were – the Emperor’s platinum hair gleaming in the sunlight, his crystal blue eyes shining brightly.

“Everything that follows is the result of your choice.”

Why did his burning gaze feel like it was closing in on her, trapping her?

“Even if you regret it, it will do you no good.”

His breath was warm against her earlobe.

Just as Freya wondered if the faint smile on his lips was just her imagination –

“I hereby declare: I take the King of the Kingdom of Havern as my Empress!”

The Emperor’s voice rang out loud and clear across the execution ground.

At his proclamation – that he would make a prisoner of a defeated nation his empress – the faces of the nobles twisted in shock.

Although still in his prime, the current Emperor had never taken a wife.

It was a stark contrast to the former Emperor, who had countless women around him.

Still, the throne beside him could not remain empty forever.

And so the nobles had long hoped that one day their daughters would wear the Empress’s crown.

But… making the ruler of an enemy nation the Empress?

Even those who didn’t have daughters of their own couldn’t look kindly on a prisoner taking the Empress’s throne.

The nobles, realising the gravity of the situation, began to look at each other with increasingly hostile eyes.

“Enough.”

The Emperor, silencing the growing uproar of the nobles with a single word, gave a quick signal to his chamberlain.

The Emperor’s footsteps soon stopped in front of a man dressed in a pure white priest’s robe, embroidered with blue patterns.

Though the man’s face was hidden beneath a deep hood, the pale skin of his lower face and his striking red lips were clearly visible.

‘Judging by his garments, he must be a high priest.’
‘So it’s true the High Priest’s health has worsened. He hasn’t appeared in public for some time.’
‘Is this matter connected to the temple somehow?’

It was extremely rare for a priest to be present at such an event.

As if guided by a single thought, all eyes turned to him with curiosity.

After the chamberlain whispered something to him in a hushed tone, the priest gave a slight nod and slowly stepped forward to the centre.

“High Priest Helien will now deliver a divine oracle from the great goddess Imona.

As this is a sacred moment, we ask that everyone remain silent and listen with reverence.”

At the chamberlain’s words, the hall fell into an instant, heavy silence.

The priest reached into his robes and pulled out a golden scroll, holding it aloft.

It bore the seal of the Temple of Imona.

Then a clear, resonant voice gently filled the ears of all present.

“The time has come. At last the moon will kneel before the sun.

The only way for the wretched moon to survive is to become one with the sun. My only mercy will bow to the last wish of the moon – so simply ask and it will be done.”

As always, the interpretation of the divine message followed immediately.

“This war has been decreed by the Oracle of the Goddess, ordering the conquest of the Havern Kingdom. His Majesty the Emperor honoured the divine will and personally led the campaign to Havern.

And the result is… as you see before you.”

The priest paused and looked at Freya.

Naturally, all eyes in the crowd followed.

Freya felt a burning humiliation, but forced herself to raise her chin even higher.

Strangely, the priest did not continue his explanation. Instead, he took a firm step towards her.

“Priest!”

The emperor’s voice sounded like a scream as the priest pulled a dagger from his robe.

Freya, breath caught in her throat, stared wide-eyed as the Emperor’s hand seized the priest’s arm – the sharp blade glinting in his grip.

An angry voice followed.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Your Majesty, it seems… there’s been a misunderstanding.”

The calm words flowed from those red lips in a quiet tone.

Helien, the priest, turned away from the emperor and approached Freya once more.

“Just a moment – please don’t be alarmed.”

The small but shining blade moved quickly, right in front of her.

In the next instant, the ropes binding Freya’s hands and feet were cut and she fell loosely to the ground.

As sensation slowly returned, a dull, stabbing pain began to creep in.

“It’s done.”

The priest slipped the dagger back into his robes, his red lips curving into a serene, benevolent smile.

As if nothing had happened, the reading of the oracle resumed.

“The goddess Imona proclaimed that the only way for the pitiful moon to survive was to become one with the sun. The ancient name of the kingdom of Havern is ‘Land of the Moon’, so the pitiful moon refers to the ruler of Havern who lost their people…”

Helien paused to clear her throat.

The eyes of the nobles fixed on him were filled with unease.

“In other words, this oracle means that the ruler of the Kingdom of Havern must wish to unite with His Majesty the Emperor in order to be spared. However, as the previous circumstances were not suitable to carry out the will of the goddess, I regret to say that I have startled everyone.”

The execution ground erupted in a loud commotion.

“It is true. It’s been said for a long time – our Kingdom of Karl is the land of the sun, while the Kingdom of Havern was the land of the moon.”

“Still, for the ruler of an enemy nation to become our empress is a bit…”

“As citizens of the Empire, we cannot go against the will of the goddess Imona.”

An angry voice rose from the crowd.

“But why… is this oracle only being revealed now?”

The objection came from none other than Duke Derigebel, father of Isabel, who had until then been considered the most promising candidate for Empress.

“As some of you may have guessed from the seal or the contents, this is a secret oracle that must be revealed at this very moment. As such, it has been kept in the strictest confidence, apart from the High Priest, myself as proxy, and His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Gasp.”

As a priest approached the Duke and held something out to him, the Duke began to back away cautiously.

“Is this… the blood seal?”

While oracles usually carried a blue seal, secret oracles were the exception. The dark crimson seal, stamped with the High Priest’s own blood, exuded an inexplicable, disturbing aura.

The Duke, staring at it as if bewitched, shivered and trembled. Just as the priest turned to return the oracle to his robes, leaving the pale-faced duke behind, a calm but clear voice cut through the tribunal.

“There seems to be a problem following this oracle.”

It was a woman, completely wrapped in pure white cloth from head to toe, her delicate figure unmistakably frail.

“The King of Havern is already married and has a royal consort. Yet you would make him Empress? Does His Majesty perhaps hope to become this woman’s male concubine?”

At her last words, silence fell over the tribunal like a heavy shroud.

To call the Emperor a concubine was the height of blasphemy.

Who was she? Did she not fear for her life?

Countless shocked glances turned to the woman, unable to hide their astonishment.

A moment later, it was none other than the Emperor who broke the heavy silence.

“It seems you’ve taken things… a bit too far this time.”

He let out a dry chuckle as he roughly removed the veil from the woman’s head.

In an instant, her luxuriously wavy hair cascaded down to her waist. The deep black, glossy strands contrasted sharply with her pale skin, creating a dazzling display of beauty.

With eyes as red as flames, the woman parted her lips – even redder than her eyes.

“It’s been exactly four years, hasn’t it?”

At the sight of her beaming smile, startled voices from the nobles followed in quick succession.

“Tana… Her late Majesty the Empress?”

“But we were told she died in Voltmon…”

Deep black hair, eyes that glowed like crimson jewels, skin so pale it was almost white, and lips as red as pomegranate seeds.

Tana – the famous beauty of the century, the infamous seductress and the blood-stained villain.

The perfectly beautiful woman standing before them could only be Tana, the former Empress.

“You must have been terribly bored in your homeland to play such a tasteless prank.”

“A prank?”

Tana smiled even brighter.

“Exactly as I said. That woman already has a husband. And yet she claims to be the Empress? As you know, the Kingdom of Havern is the only nation on the western continent that strictly enforces monogamy.”

“That is the Kingdom of Karl.”

Tana said with obvious frustration as she looked into the pair of blue eyes that had instantly gone cold.

“Your Majesty knows that too, don’t you? That in the Kingdom of Havern everyone swears a blood oath in the name of the Goddess Remior – to spend their lives with one spouse and one alone.”

“And?”

The Emperor, Rabion, spoke to Tana with a voice as sharp as a blade.

“As you know, that oath forbids bigamy. And if it is broken, it is said that one is cursed by the goddess Remior. Do you really believe that if that woman becomes Empress and is cursed in the future, it will have no effect on the kingdom of Karl?”

“A curse, is it…”

Rabion replied coolly, meeting Tana’s crimson gaze.

“Honouring an oath sworn to the guardian deity of a fallen kingdom – what utter nonsense. We need only follow the will of the goddess Imona.”

“The goddess Remior is the sister of the goddess Imona. I don’t know why the goddess Imona suddenly broke her own long-standing taboo and gave an oracle commanding the conquest of the kingdom of Havern – but if you really act for the sake of the empire, then you should proceed with more caution!”

Finally Tana, unable to restrain herself, raised her voice.

“Are you saying that in order to follow the oracle of the goddess Imona, I must first arrange a divorce between the two?”

“Well, according to the laws of the Kingdom of Havern, divorce is only possible if one of them breaks their sacred oath. Do you really think that will happen?”

Just as Rabion was about to reply.

“That’s not entirely wrong.”

The clear and firm voice, though soft enough to be mistaken for a murmur, brought their argument to a halt.

“But there is something I must clarify on that matter.”

Freya’s calm voice continued, laying out the facts without hesitation.

“I am no longer his wife. The royal consort committed adultery—and because of that, I have already divorced him.”

❖ ❖ ❖