The Beast Bit The Throat of the Late Empress - Chapter 2

In the audience chamber of the Frentz Imperial Palace.

Beyond the large window occupying one wall, the full moon, filling its shape, displayed an unusually strong presence compared to the sun today. It was the ‘Day of the Moon,’ when once a year, the moon could be seen closer than any other time.

However, what drew more attention here than the full moon was the back view of a man standing facing the imperial throne on the dais.

With his height nearly touching the ceiling, back muscles swollen as if about to burst from years of fighting, thick arms bearing scars from battlefields like medals, and gray hair scattering like fragments in the moonlight seeping beautifully through the window.

Wolf. He lacked nothing to be called by that name.

The man exuded an intense wildness with just his back, as if he could devour everything in one bite.

“We’ve finally made it here. How does it feel to have the imperial throne before your eyes?”

The man did not answer his subordinate’s question, who smiled while holding his armor. He merely gazed quietly at the throne, as if someone were sitting there. As a result, despite the chaotic shouts and screams of soldiers still fighting, a strange silence lingered in the audience chamber occupied by the man.

Aren’t you happy? If it were me, I would have climbed that throne and cheered right away.

Three years. The time he spent on the battlefield was a full three years. Some might consider it a surprisingly short time to seize an empire in just three years, but for those on the battlefield between life and death, a day feels like a thousand years.

Having reached the throne like this, it would be nice if you smiled freely. But it was indeed like our lord to maintain composure even in moments like this.

Finn, the commander-in-chief of the Blue Wolf and also the man’s aide, gazed at his lord’s profile with his black eyes, the same color as his hair, shining.

At that moment, a spirited soldier’s voice was heard from outside the door.

“Sir Finn! We’ve found the Empress!”

It was at this moment that some emotion was seen on the man’s face, which he had hoped would show a little joy.

Finn read the joy his lord did not outwardly express. For just a moment, he seemed to tremble with overflowing elation.

“Bring her in!”

At Finn’s command, Eva was dragged in, her arms held by soldiers on both sides and her eyes covered.

“Kneel! This is the new ruler of the empire!”

As the soldiers pressed down on Eva’s shoulders to make her kneel, the man slowly turned around.

When the man’s fierce blue eyes, darker than the moon, were fully revealed, Finn and everyone standing around were so overwhelmed by the aura that they held even their breath. For this brief moment, even the high moon seemed to lose its light.

It was only fitting. After all, this man was ‘Divlik’, the leader of the rebel Blue Wolf, who had devoured more than half of the ‘Yarden Empire’ on the Bern continent in just 3 years and seized the imperial throne today.

“Are you Eva van Frentz, the Empress of the Yarden Empire?”

“I am.”

Even Eva, whose eyes were covered and couldn’t see his appearance, could barely open her mouth to give a short answer due to the overwhelming pressure Divlik exuded.

“There’s no need to be so afraid. I am one who knows mercy.”

Unlike making those around him unable to breathe, Divlik’s voice sounded quite gentle. However, no one relaxed in their place. Because Divlik’s eyes, as he slowly approached Eva, burned with various emotions that couldn’t be explained in one word.

Quietly approaching Eva, Divlik looked down at her with only his eyes lowered. With an ambiguous smile, whether he was pleased or not, Divlik asked in a voice that felt leisurely.

“How about it, Empress. Starting from today, serve me in my bed.”

Was that what he meant by mercy? Divlik openly showed his intention that he might be willing to spare her life if she did well.

“Don’t you want to live, Empress? You should try something.”

In Divlik’s voice repeating the same words, there was even a sense that he hoped Eva would definitely do so.

Finn and the soldiers standing around fully understood Divlik’s feelings.

Eva’s skin, revealed by the deeply cut dress exposing not only her neck but also above her chest, shimmered almost transparently under the bright moonlight. Of course, Eva’s ample upper chest was seductive, but even with her face partially hidden by the blindfold, one could tell. How beautiful a woman Eva must be, with her slightly protruding forehead, gently falling fine facial lines, well-balanced nose bridge, and red, moist lips that seemed as if they might emit a sweet strawberry scent.

“Empress… No, now that I have become the master of this empire and Emperor Fabian has been deposed, I should naturally call you the Former Empress. Yes, what does the Former Empress think of my proposal? Surely you don’t mean to say you don’t know what I mean by night service?”

As Eva remained silent, the noise in Divlik’s voice became clearer as his words lengthened.

It must have been a pleasant voice, with a low tone carrying appropriate weight and warmth. But with each word Divlik uttered, a sizzling noise interfered, ruining the good voice. At this rate, it was difficult to discern what the original voice might have been like, only able to make rough guesses.

Divlik touched the old scar running horizontally across his neck, as if bothered by his own voice. Although Eva couldn’t see it, it seemed certain that this scar was the cause of the noise disrupting his originally good voice.

“You’re not answering, Former Empress.”

To the continued question, Eva, with her eyes covered, slowly raised her head towards Divlik, whom she couldn’t see. Divlik, meeting Eva’s eyes that his gaze couldn’t reach, urged for an answer.

“Come now, you should cry out. Beg for your life. Say you’ll do anything.”

After finishing his words, Divlik closed his mouth for a moment, seemingly waiting for Eva’s answer.

That’s right. Now was the time for Eva to cling to Divlik’s feet, wailing that she would do anything if only he would spare her life, relying on Divlik’s words which could be considered merciful if it was mercy.

“I refuse.”

But Eva rejected Divlik’s proposal in a calm voice without even a hint of trembling. As a result, the surrounding air that had slightly relaxed sharpened again, becoming tense.

“What did you say?”

The warmth that was faintly felt in Divlik’s voice also disappeared completely.

“I said, I refuse, conqueror.”

It was common in war situations for the conqueror to take the woman of the one who previously ruled the conquered land. The women of the conquered land were considered one of the spoils of war that the conqueror should rightfully take, and even in aristocratic society, which strictly demanded chastity towards one’s lord outwardly regardless of what was done behind closed doors, this case was considered an exception.

Saying it was considered an exception meant that no one would blame or criticize the woman for spending the night with the conqueror. Yet Eva said she would refuse. That she would refuse.

“What? How dare—!”

Finn, standing behind Divlik, immediately expressed his anger at Eva’s answer. He approached Eva, drawing his sword from its scabbard as if to strike her neck right there. But Divlik instantly changed his demeanor and stopped Finn’s action with a languid, relaxed gesture.

“Stop it, Finn. You’ll frighten the former empress that way.”

Does she not understand that this proposal is offering a chance to live?

Divlik asked with a faint smile on his lips.

“What are you refusing? It seems you haven’t properly understood my words. Former Empress, I’m giving you a choice. Shall I explain in more detail? Die, or serve me at night. That’s what I mean by one of the two.”

Even to Divlik’s explanation, which felt almost kind, Eva did not bend her will.

“I understood all too clearly what the conqueror is saying.”

“Then…?”

“I desire death.”

Everyone in the audience chamber, except Divlik, looked at Eva with surprised eyes.

The dignity Eva showed in front of the man who had conquered an empire was so surprising that it seemed impossible to have come from such a fragile-looking body. Until now, no one, regardless of gender, had shown such composure in front of Divlik. Especially not at a time like this when one’s life was hanging in the balance right before their eyes.

“Are you saying you will keep your vow of chastity to your lord even at the cost of your life?”

“That is correct.”

Eva erased the brief hesitation she felt while opening her lips and gave the same answer. Only then did Divlik’s lips twist into a strange shape.

“You say you would gladly die for an emperor who abandoned not only you but also his people…”

As if unable to believe Eva’s repeated refusal, Divlik bit his lip without finishing his words that leaked out like air escaping. Seeing Divlik like this, Finn, whose action had been stopped once before, finally raised his sword.

“I will handle this, Lord Divlik!”

Finn’s sword, cutting through the air, instantly reached Eva’s neck. But even at this moment, it wasn’t Eva, whose head was about to be severed, who gasped and held her breath in surprise, but the people standing around.

“How dare you try to defy Lord Divlik’s order. Pay for that crime with your death!”

Although he called it a proposal, this was Divlik’s order. Disobedience to orders meant death. But Finn’s sword stopped there without completely severing Eva’s neck. For some reason, Divlik’s order to kill didn’t come.

Drip.

However, the sharply honed blade caused a wound on Eva’s neck just by touching it. From where the blade touched, a thin stream of blood soon flowed down Eva’s neck, soaking the edge of her thin nightgown.

“That’s enough.”

Eva, who had been the empress, should have rightfully died. The intention from the beginning to bring her with her eyes covered like someone to be executed must have been for this purpose. Moreover, Eva herself demanded death. In this situation, there was no reason anywhere to keep Eva alive, yet Divlik once again made Finn withdraw his hand.

“Lord Divlik!”

“I said that’s enough.”

Despite the regained coolness in his tone, his eyes were piercing. As Finn withdrew his sword, pressured by the intensity, Divlik raised one corner of his mouth and clicked his tongue.

“Oh my. Has a wound appeared on that precious body?”

The thoughts of Finn and the soldiers wondering if he was actually concerned about the former empress didn’t last long. Divlik, who seemed to be bending down to examine Eva’s wound up close, kneeling with one knee on the ground in front of Eva…

“Hup!”

Chomp, he bit Eva’s bleeding neck with all his might.