Chapter 9: Watching Could Be Fun

Seeing the deep scar on his chest, the Emperor relaxed his furrowed brow. The victory he had achieved in war was not easily won. He had faced death several times. Now, that long journey was nearing its end.

Immediately after inheriting the throne at the age of 25, he devoted himself solely to the unification of the continent. The most fertile and peaceful country, the Kingdom of Pellon, chose to become a bloodless vassal state, seeking its own safety.

The King of Pellon, who sought to avoid war and not sacrifice even a single citizen, was highly regarded. To solidify the relationship between the countries, the Princess of Pellon was made Empress.

If only she hadn’t caused such a big scandal by running away with the Prince of Loca Kingdom! It was like bringing a complete scoundrel into the Imperial Palace.

[I want to spend our first night after you return victorious from the war. I’m still not used to this…]

She had said that with an angelic face. Since he had no interest in women anyway, he didn’t care and let her do as she pleased.

At that time, he was obsessed with unifying the continent, so it was a year later when he returned after conquering the Kingdom of Sonic. Upon his return, he was met with scandalous and filthy rumors, the dirty affairs of the Empress that were hard to believe.

It was acknowledged that her appearance was so extraordinary that it could captivate any man. But that was all.

With no affection built between them, the Emperor chose to ignore her. He saw no reason to pay attention to Bellita. She was merely a means to maintain relations with Pellon Kingdom, and Bellita treated him the same.

Regardless of what the Empress did, he went on another expedition to conquer the Desang Confederation, formed by three allied countries, and returned victorious a year later. The following year, he conquered the Kingdom of Lexer. He continued to conquer one country after another, and now only the Kingdom of Euclo remained. He was currently staying in the Imperial Palace to plan and gather troops.

At the age of 29, he would soon turn 30 in a few months.

Thirty!

The Emperor’s eyes began to turn a reddish hue. Before turning 30, the Divine Beast must manifest. If not, he would lose the throne. His late father had the Black Wolf manifest at 25, and his predecessor had a massive bear manifest around the same age. All past Emperors had their Divine Beasts appear before turning 25.

But why?

Why had I not yet manifested my divine beast?

Fortunately, two years ago, he gained the ability to imbue his sword with magic. Without that, he might have gone mad. That power was supposed to manifest before the divine beast.

[Only those of the Imperial Family who manifest their divine beast before the age of 30 can become Emperor.]

Because of this dirty national law, the Emperor’s mind was always heavy and dark. With 30 approaching, it was even more so. Even though he ascended to the throne at a young age, if he didn’t manifest his divine beast by 30, he would be stripped of his title, and the throne would go to another member of the Imperial Family who had manifested their divine beast.

There was still time.

I am the Emperor of this country.

No one will take it from me. Especially not Kuro Benoit, who, though incomplete, had manifested the divine white horse first. I will never let the Horse Brigade, who have rallied around Kuro, take it.

They are traitors who would sell this country. Especially to other nations like the island nation Loca Kingdom, which always eyed this continent.

The Emperor’s red eyes began to burn even more intensely. The sword standing proudly next to him began to hum. At this moment, the sword, sensing his emotional turbulence, felt like a living brother.

Hearing the humming sound, he thought again of Bellita, whose heart had pounded, who stammered, whose face turned red, and who couldn’t meet his eyes…

Wait.

[If you truly loved her… no, if you were a man, just looking at her should make your heart race and your body heat up.]

Emur had said that anyone looking at Bellita would react that way.

But why did Bellita act like Emur in front of me?

What is this?

No matter how much the Emperor looked at Bellita, his heart didn’t race. He felt nothing. He liked that, so he didn’t think deeply about Bellita’s condition.

Hmm…

Watching this unfold could be fun.

The Emperor’s blood-red eyes gradually returned to a golden hue.

***

The change of scenery worked wonders. Being buried in flowers in the enormous greenhouse was quite healing. There were so many fascinating flowers she couldn’t even name. Bellita felt more comfortable and at ease here than in her own room.

“Nanny, can’t I live here?”

Hearing Bellita’s voice, which was mixed with a sigh and sounded like a lament, the nanny led her somewhere after setting all the other maids and servants in place.

The flowers were lovely, but the trees were so numerous it felt like a jungle. The air was so fresh and clear that she didn’t want to return to her room. The nanny, who was walking ahead, bent down and entered through thick branches, and Bellita followed.

Oh my.

This exists here?

It was a room, hidden by trees and leaves, invisible from the outside. It looked like a secret room. A red carpet was laid out, and in the center stood a large bed big enough for three people to roll around in.

The red bedding made the entire room look crimson at first glance. To her eyes, this room seemed completely disconnected from the comfortable greenhouse. The golden bathtub on one side added to the decadent atmosphere.

She just knew. Anyone could tell what this room was used for.

Ugh.

Her eyes felt tainted. The healing she had experienced felt completely undone. Everywhere she went, it was the same. The preferences of this body’s previous owner were just revolting.

***

“It’s been over two years since they started talking about the manifestation of the tiger divine beast. When will that tiger appear?”

“Looks like the tiger has rotted away.”

“Tiger? Ha! It’s questionable if even a cat will appear.”

Grand Duke Kuro Benoit, who had rarely spoken while the three members of the Horse Brigade chatted, finally opened his mouth.

“With 30 just around the corner, he must be anxious.”

At the Grand Duke’s voice, the three men’s eyes sparkled, and they got even more excited.

“He must be burning with anxiety.”

“He might be flying high on the battlefield, but the Imperial Palace must be uncomfortable for him.”

“Not just the Divine Beast, but the matter of an heir is also out of reach.”

“Everyone knows that, so the Emperor’s reputation has long been in the gutter.”

“The Emperor hasn’t even shared a bed with the Empress once. If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face.”

“That’s why he’s become a mad Emperor. Not even holding the Empress, it’s not normal.”

“The Empress is rejecting him. No matter how much she likes men, she doesn’t want the Emperor.”

“But why does the Empress dislike the Emperor so much? Even if he’s mad, the Emperor is still quite capable.”

“Ha! Maybe the Empress has high standards. And let’s be honest, is the Emperor the kind of man women would like?”

The insults about the Emperor continued endlessly from the three men’s mouths.

Listening quietly, Grand Duke Kuro Benoit smiled approvingly at the comment about the Empress having high standards. Though thin, he was tall and had the stamina to do it two or three times a day. The smile lingered on his face for a long time.

“People keep coming to line up on our side, knowing that the Grand Duke’s divine beast manifested last year.”

“That’s a good sign. But they must line up under us.”

“Of course. We are the Grand Duke’s top supporters, no one else can get in.”

The three Dukes didn’t hesitate to press their point, making sure the Grand Duke remembered.

Shallow fools. They’d sell everything for power. 

Yet Kuro looked at them with a trusting expression, as if they were loyal followers.

This is as easy as pie. No one could match him in managing expressions. If Emperor Kalik didn’t manifest his Divine Beast within a few months, the great and noble throne would automatically be his.

The remaining months felt like years, no, decades, making him anxious and twisted inside.

Even though his Divine Beast was still unstable, he practiced continuously, so a man who hadn’t manifested anything would be in agony.

He coveted the throne immensely. Once he ascended, it would be his world. He wished the time would come quickly.

Kuro found all this time tedious. Each day felt like it was slowly, painfully dragging by

***

“What? Change this room completely?”

The nanny tilted her head, puzzled as to why the Princess suddenly wanted to change the room she had carefully decorated perfectly to her liking. 

Does losing memory change a person’s taste too?

“Shall I change it to pink?”

Thinking that the Princess might like the color she had loved since childhood, the nanny confidently suggested it.

Bellita immediately shook her head. She hated both red and pink. The room looked like a bloody butcher shop to her. She could clearly see what had been done here, and it made her stomach churn.

“Change it all to green.”

Like a field. Like the field she ran through in her dreams. To match this beautiful and grand greenhouse.

Seeing the nanny nod in agreement, Bellita immediately turned and left the room. She felt like staying any longer would make the filth stick to her.

“Change all of them too?”

As soon as she returned to her room, Bellita demanded that all the male servants in the Empress’s palace be replaced. Since her possession, she had been preoccupied with the label of being an Adulterous Empress, despite her powerful position.

The future was what mattered, not how she had lived until now.

She couldn’t continue living like this. She couldn’t just endure the scenes of the sins committed by this body. She had promised to turn over a new leaf to survive, so she would change. She couldn’t live like this anymore.