“You’re quite bold. Already asking for compensation. What do you want?”

“Since people’s hearts can change, I’ll leave it blank for now.”

“However, I won’t accept anything unreasonable.”

“Yes.”

In truth, this blank check is an insurance for Leila.

Later, when she returns to her original state, Leila might not want to be empress.

Let’s think about whether this request is unreasonable or not when the time comes.

Between the parties involved! Contracts should be resolved between the parties involved.

When things get complicated, separating myself from Leila is the best solution.

52-hour work week, five-day workweek, overtime pay, monthly leave, room and board provided…… I want to write down the annual salary and incentives too, but I don’t know how much is needed.

I should prepare for divorcee status too.

No. I’ll just get alimony later.

If he refuses, I’ll threaten to write a memoir based on my time as empress. Her family seems wealthy anyway, so rather than being hung up on money, first build trust……

While organizing her thoughts, his voice broke the silence.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t mentioned something important.”

“What is it? Please speak freely. We’re in an employer-employee relationship, and Your Majesty is the employer, so feel free to say anything anytime.”

“How reasonable.”

“I’m the type who clearly maintains boundaries without crossing lines.”

“Then I’ll speak freely. If by chance after hearing your story, my mood worsens and becomes incurable, I’ll kill you tomorrow.”

Though frightened, she looked at him with the most composed face possible.

“Since healing is a crucial condition of our contract, I’ll order your execution immediately if this isn’t fulfilled. I don’t care about other things, but I’ll at least show the consideration of burying your corpse in a sunny spot without damage.”

‘How very thoughtful. I’m moved to tears. So polite and courteous and grateful.’

“A sunny spot, you say. Though life was hard, I’ll be warm in death. I’m grateful for Your Majesty’s deep consideration.”

“Your way of taking everything positively isn’t bad.”

“Then Your Majesty, since my life extends weekly, I’m an empress with a one-week expiration date.”

“What difference does a day make, or a year, or a hundred years? The world will remember Lady Leila Whyman as empress anyway. The First Lady of the Oneroad Empire. Though with the modifier ‘shortest-serving’ attached.”

Just this morning she had been heading to the training institute with an excited heart, not knowing she’d be signing a life-or-death contract by evening.

Today felt terribly long.

She still couldn’t quite grasp what this absurd situation happening to her meant.

Fate had entered an unpredictable whirlpool.

For her who didn’t know the answer, there was only one path ahead.

Just following the path straight ahead diligently.

To survive.

She wrote, reviewed, and signed the marriage contract with the most serious attitude possible.

“Lady Whyman, you understand the most important fact?”

“Of course! Complete secrecy!”

She made a zipping motion across her lips, indicating not to worry.

His briefly displeased expression almost made her heart sink.

“We’ll see. Leila Whyman…… Empress.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

Finally, the word ’empress’ came from Charte’s lips.

Feeling she’d overcome one hurdle, her tension eased. Thank goodness. Though uncertain what would happen next, she’d avoided the crisis for now.

On the table in the center of the room for the newlyweds’ first night, there was a glass bottle of fine pink liquor along with fruit, cookies, and cheese.

Charte poured and drank the liquor casually with a relaxed face.

Though it was the ordinary action of pouring and drinking liquor, Charte’s movements seemed noble.

Though she’d seen plenty of people guzzling alcohol before, she’d never seen someone drink so beautifully. Was this what they called an emperor’s dignity?

When her staring became too obvious to ignore, Charte muttered in an unfamiliar voice.

“Seems like someone who should be in rehab came to the palace by mistake. At this rate……”

Misunderstanding Yun-ah’s gaze, Charte spoke with a crooked heart but composed face.

“I hope you don’t wish this wine glass would turn into a knife? Life is more precious because you only have one.”

“Hahaha. Liquor? Not at all! I hate alcohol.”

That pink liquor was what brought the situation to this point.

Though her alcohol tolerance was usually high and she rarely got drunk, seeing how she got drunk, this must have been spiked. The kind of drink that tastes good so you drink a lot and then it hits you all at once……

Charte took a sip of liquor and sank deeply into the comfortable sofa.

“Now then, shall we hear your story? I plan to listen with a very generous heart. That story I absolutely know nothing about.”

“Thank you.”

“Empress.”

When Charte lowered his voice and gazed at her deeply, her heart suddenly started racing.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Why does his voice have to be so nice? My heart fluttered even though he’s a bad guy.

Heart, please don’t act up. He’s just a sociopath emperor wearing a handsome mask.

“I hope you…… live until next week. Executing a noble is as troublesome as marriage.”

You, you, you…… You’re playing with me now! That bloodthirsty evil look! Devil!

“But! Empress, I’m very tired now. If it’s boring, I’ll fall asleep right away. Starting quickly would be advantageous for keeping your life.”

Playing with the trigger like that! Are you playing Russian roulette with me?! Is my life a joke?!

She almost lost it from anger and fear but quickly collected herself and began the story.

“The title of the story I’ll tell Your Majesty today is ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife⟩.”

But his face turned murderous at once upon hearing the title, and she felt the air grow cold.

When he heard the title ⟨The Seduction of the Marked Wife⟩, Yasrin immediately came to Charte’s mind.

Yasrin, who still tormented and controlled Charte even after three years.

Charte still felt confused about Yasrin after three years—whether it was heartache, sadness, or anger.

Charte was just enduring by ignoring and avoiding Yasrin’s existence as if she had never existed.

Without any preparation, being suddenly reminded of Yasrin……

Charte felt murderous intent toward Yun-ah for a moment.

She could only nervously watch his reaction to his sudden chilling change.

Is he a psychopath rather than a sociopath? Why are his emotional swings so clearly visible?

Someone who only maintained expressionlessness shouldn’t keep speaking with his face like that.

Frighteningly.

The emperor kept glaring at me with nuclear bombs shooting from his eyes like he wanted to kill me.

So people can die from reading the room. Nuclear bombs really can shoot from eyes.

The feeling that dying quickly from a gunshot would be better than suffering a long death from reading the room.

While I was at a loss, the emperor smiled an icy smile and spoke.

“You seem to like quite lewd, immoral, and insolent stories. I’ve mentioned several times that executing you is quite troublesome too. Unless it’s just killing outright, like an accident.”

Is this a conversation or a threat? Don’t just smile with your mouth, smile with your eyes too! You psychopath emperor!

When I gave a servile smile and bowed, he seemed to calm down somewhat as the cold aura emanating from his whole body decreased and he returned to his usual expressionlessness.

What’s with him? Why so sensitive? Shockingly! Just from hearing the title.

Ah! Does he hate trashy stories? Should I have chosen something more artistic?

But are there people who hate trashy stories? Why act like that when you look like you’d enjoy them!

Judging it not worth listening to, Charte buried himself deeply in the comfortable chair and closed his eyes.

‘W-what? Why close your eyes? This won’t do…… I need to hook him somehow! I can’t let him fall asleep like this.’

In urgency, she shouted loudly.

“Your Majesty, this isn’t anything strange, it’s a very exciting story about a wife seducing the husband who betrayed her for revenge!”

“I can hear you even if you speak quietly, Empress. I thought you’d know that the quality of the story matters, not the volume of your voice.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you had fallen asleep……”

She didn’t even hope for an ounce of curiosity or interest. Just please don’t fall asleep. She wanted to shout, ‘You will listen to this story until the end! Snap out of it!’

“Whether I fall asleep from boredom or stay awake with interest depends on you, Empress.”

After saying that quite spitefully, he closed his eyes again.

“But Your Majesty…… isn’t this too much?”

Not understanding the feelings of someone betting their life to speak. How could you who’ve lived your whole life as the strong one, as the boss, understand my feelings.

But still!

Not knowing if I’d die in five minutes or tomorrow morning, my voice came out sharp without me realizing.

“If you close your eyes, I can’t tell if you’re sleeping or listening, so how can I tell the story!”

“Empress!”

“Yes?”

“I’d like you to think rationally.”

“Yes?”

“Of course I’ll listen more if it’s interesting, why would I kill you? I can calculate that much so don’t worry. But did you just yell at me?”

“Yes?”

“Was that perhaps what they call a shriek that you just let out?”

I quickly avoided his eyes, flustered at having upset the emperor’s mood again.

“Usually I kill people before getting annoyed when they act impudent, so this situation is quite perplexing. Empress. It’s hard to even count how many articles of imperial defamation you’ve violated so far.”

Though my blood pressure rose at his subtle mockery delivered with fake concern, for survival I changed to a kind business tone, no, a servile business tone and spoke to him carefully and respectfully.

“Your Majesty, how could that be? I was just acting briefly to pique Your Majesty’s curiosity. I’m quite good at acting, aren’t I? Doesn’t it make you more anticipate the story?”

“That’s fortunate then. The crimes were adding up. I thought there might not even be a corpse left at this rate.”

“How could you say such things. I was thoughtless. I acted rashly in a way Your Majesty could misunderstand. But Your Majesty…… couldn’t you listen while looking at my face instead of closing your eyes? I’ll act with expressions too. I’ll show you what living acting is.”

He sighed with an extremely annoyed face and looked at me.

“But can that seduction begin tonight?”

Feeling relieved that the emperor wouldn’t kill her without listening at all, she relaxed.

“Of course. I’ll start right away if Your Majesty wishes.”

“We’ll have to listen to determine whether to proceed with the contract, so start quickly.”

Taking a deep breath, she began the story with a serious face.

“Let me briefly introduce the protagonist first. The protagonist of The Seduction of the Marked Wife is a woman named Eun-hee who is the daughter of a poor family but is very kind, responsible and talented.”

Dorothea’s note:
I think the story she mentioned is the Korean drama “아내의 유혹” (Temptation of Wife), which revolves around a woman named Goo Eun-jae, who is betrayed by her husband, Jung Gyo-bin, and her best friend, Shin Ae-ri. After surviving an attempt on her life orchestrated by her husband, Eun-jae returns with a new identity, Min So-hee, seeking revenge on those who wronged her.