Chapter 48

“Finally, we meet.”

Empress Diana, with her long silver hair cascading to her toes, spoke to Braden.

Wearing a white dress embroidered with golden thread, she radiated a mysterious aura. She was called the ‘Bloody Empress,’ but her beauty made that seem almost absurd.

But her eyes were empty and emotionless. Even now, facing her younger brother for the first time in ten years, there was no warmth in her pale green gaze.

“What do you want from me?”

Braden’s tone was dry and direct. He didn’t want to waste time with empty pleasantries.

“You want something from me.”

Diana tilted her head slightly.

“Isn’t it you who called me here because you want something, Your Majesty?”

“You didn’t come before. But now you’re here. Do you have something to negotiate?”

Diana’s lips curled slightly. She was a bit intrigued.

“I do.”

“Is it Princess Adela of Edel Kingdom you want?”

At Diana’s words, Braden glanced at Shutal.

Shutal waved his hand, as if to say he hadn’t said anything.

“Don’t blame Duke Shutal. You made such a spectacle in Lasve yourself.”

Of course, Diana had been monitoring Braden’s actions. But she’d learned about Adela from the gossip papers.

“A love between a Princess and a gladiator slave. You, who only ever haunted the magical beast hunting grounds, having a romantic scandal—impressive.”

Diana didn’t believe in love. She was curious what Braden hoped to gain from such a dramatic scandal.

“Do you want Edel Kingdom? Should I give you that Kingdom?”

“No. What is it that you want from me, Your Majesty?”

This was a negotiation. Before stating his own desires, Braden needed to know what Diana wanted.

He’d come to the Empire for the easiest way to win Adela, but that wasn’t the only reason. There were many ways to create a legitimate reason to go to Adela.

He’d intended never to return to the Empire. Diana hadn’t wanted to see him either. They’d both thought it best to avoid each other.

But seeing Adela agonize over him had made Braden want to see his sister.

Maybe he needed to hear what Diana was thinking, to listen to her troubles at least once.

“I’ll give you the title of Grand Duke and a Grand Duchy.”

Currently, Sovaro Empire had no Grand Duke. Braden would be the only one, making him King of a vassal state.

“I refuse.”

“If you want Edel Kingdom, I’ll conquer it and give it to you as your Grand Duchy.”

“Why do you want to touch a perfectly fine Kingdom? It’s time to end the wars.”

Braden began to doubt his decision to speak with Diana for Adela’s sake.

Sovaro Empire’s borders now touched Orden Empire, after conquering all the small states in between.

He wasn’t about to start a war with Orden Empire, so the wars were effectively over. But why was she talking about conquering Edel Kingdom, which was far from Orden Empire?

“I have no desire for the Grand Duke’s status, nor to covet the throne.”

Such status and territory felt like an attempt to keep him from aspiring to be Emperor.

“So you don’t intend to settle in the Empire?”

“No.”

Braden planned to marry Adela. When she was ready, they would travel, just as she wanted.

If they tired of traveling, maybe they’d settle somewhere. In Lasve Neutral Country, for example, it was easy to become a citizen with enough money.

And Braden had plenty of money. He’d earned a fortune over ten years selling magical beast corpses to Tera, and he’d made a lot in the Colosseum. Plus, Adela had given him a magic mine.

They could live in luxury in Lasve for the rest of their lives and still have money left over. There was no need to be tied down to a Grand Duchy.

“Then why have you come to me?”

Diana looked at him, clearly puzzled.

She and Braden truly thought differently.

“Restore my status as a Prince.”

Currently, Braden was officially missing, presumed dead.

“And write a proposal letter for me.”

There were other ways, but it would be best if the man in the scandal turned out to be a Prince.

Braden wanted to restore Adela’s honor.

“To Princess Adela of Edel Kingdom?”

“Yes. If we marry, I’ll leave the Empire.”

“Hahaha, what’s this? Do you really love her? Hahaha.”

Diana’s dry laughter echoed in the room.

“Does the Princess know you’re a Prince?”

“Not yet.”

“Fine. I’ll restore your status and write a proposal letter. But I have a condition too.”

“What condition?”

“It’s nothing difficult. The Princess must not know your status until you meet.”

“She won’t accept the proposal.”

Adela had said she would wait for Braden.

Having caused a scandal, she had no intention of marrying another man. Knowing Adela’s nature, she would certainly refuse the proposal.

Thinking about it now, her straightforwardness was very appealing.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Marriage isn’t just about the couple. What about the King of Edel Kingdom?”

“What do you mean?”

“Wouldn’t he want to sell his sister to the Empire? Just as I was sold to the King of Listal.”

For a moment, anger flickered in Diana’s emotionless eyes before fading.

“I begged the late Emperor to refuse that marriage. The King of Listal was an old pervert. His concubines and mistresses died almost daily. Everyone knew, but the late Emperor still sent me.”

“I’m sorry for what happened.”

Braden knew the story too. He’d pleaded with the late Emperor, but as the youngest Prince, there was nothing he could do.

“That was the beginning. First, I killed my old husband, then my father who sent me to that man. To survive, I had to kill my half-siblings too.”

“Is that your excuse for the bloody struggle for the throne and the wars of conquest?”

“Excuse? I’ve never thought I did anything wrong. Why would I need an excuse?”

Diana’s tone was brazen, almost shameless.

“You just haven’t seen truly filthy, cruel people. Some humans are worse monsters than magical beasts.”

Diana’s face was full of disgust.

What kind of people had she seen, that even as Empress she was so ruined?

Killing monstrous people had turned her into a monster herself.

“Why did you spare me?”

Instead of answering Braden’s question, Diana asked one of her own.

“Will you stab me in the back?”

“Would you believe me if I said no?”

“No. I don’t trust anyone.”

A cynical smile appeared on Diana’s lips.

“If that’s so, then what use is my answer?”

“In truth, you’ve already answered. You didn’t respond to my summons.”

Diana smiled brightly.

“Humans are strange. When you refuse, it makes you seem more trustworthy.”

“Your heart has become twisted.”

Even though it was a short time, Diana’s emotions swung to extremes like a pendulum. Anyone could see she wasn’t normal.

Perhaps people feared Diana because they never knew what madness she might unleash.

Before marriage, Diana was the Empire’s greatest beauty. If not for the schemes of her stepmother who died by Diana’s hand, she might have become Crown Princess, for she had the talent.

But her intelligence, twisted by hatred for her father and the unbearable shame as a woman, manifested in the worst ways.

Braden felt pity for that. But that didn’t mean Diana was absolved of the countless deaths she’d caused.

He also worried.

Could she truly govern this vast Empire in such a state?

If her broken heart couldn’t heal, she’d only become more ruined.

“There’s nothing for you to lose. If you get a reply accepting the marriage, then marry. I’ll give you the grandest wedding. If she refuses, take a new proposal letter and visit yourself. The King of Edel Kingdom is about to have his own royal wedding, so you could go as part of the congratulatory delegation.”

“What do you gain from all this, Sister?”

“You said the Princess would never accept this proposal, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s go with that premise. If the Princess doesn’t want it but the King accepts, I’ll laugh at them. But if she refuses, I’ll be comforted.”

“Comforted how?”

“By the fact that there’s a King who respects the wishes of those involved?”

But beneath the cynical smile lay a certainty that such a thing would never happen.

“I refuse. I’m sorry for your feelings, Sister. But this is a family matter. I don’t want outsiders involved.”

The negotiation broke down. Braden stood up.

“You came to me because you were concerned about Princess Adela’s damaged reputation, didn’t you?”

At those words, Braden paused.

“There are other ways for you two to marry. But this is the only way to restore her honor.”