However, sometimes it would have been better if it were just a dream.

When Ibris woke up and realized reality, she couldn’t decide what words to use to apologize for deceiving him.

Her heart ached.

Yet she couldn’t erase her feelings of love for him—her desire to stay connected with Ibris.

Emmerin had decided to follow her father’s words and silently distance herself from the current Ibris.

If condemning words came from his mouth, she would probably cry and cling to him, begging. Then she would certainly be cast aside disgracefully.

“Emmerin, Don’t forget.”

“Father.”

Her father had glared at her with intimidating eyes. Only his loud voice echoed throughout the quiet study.

“Your relationship with Ibris is to bear a child and bind him with it.”

A sad glint appeared in Emmerin’s eyes. She couldn’t seduce the ascetic and noble Ibris through ordinary means. 

Therefore, the method her father chose… brought her great happiness, but she suffered from the fact that she had no choice but to deceive him.

Nevertheless, Emmerin had made up her mind. If she could spend the night with Ibris, she was prepared to pay any price that came her way.

The fact that Ibris dreamed of overthrowing the imperial family and was the leader of a revolutionary army seeking to behead the corrupt emperor and usurp the throne wasn’t very important. 

Even though House Shaunt was pro-emperor faction opposing him, and Emmerin herself had to do whatever he ordered to survive. Because that’s how she could be connected to Ibris.

Because her heart completely wanted Ibris.

It was the sad result of her father’s intention to avoid the revolutionary army’s purge by binding Ibris with an heir and Emmerin’s willingness to gladly sacrifice herself to reach Ibris.

Emmerin slowly raised her upper body.

Though she regretted leaving Ibris’s firm forearm that had been supporting her head, dawn was already breaking outside the window.

The fact that she had dozed off, intoxicated by the fatigue of pleasant lovemaking, was now choking her.

‘I really need to get out now.’

Emmerin quietly looked at the neatly dressed Ibris, who was holding her waist tightly. His swollen member was still embedded inside her. Though she was happy, it was time to disappear from his sight.

Although her father, Duke Shaunt, had cast magic with a 7th Circle ancient scroll so that Ibris would mistake it for a dream when he first started, and had the entire knight building emptied so Emmerin could easily embrace him, Ibris was fundamentally a Grand Swordmaster.

Since he was someone with resistance to magic, he would soon realize it was reality.

‘If he realizes he was deceived by the lie that it was a dream and ended up embracing me and spreading his seed…’

No matter what she says, she can’t escape responsibility for deceiving his heart and making him confess to her.

…Ibris had confessed his love to her  last night.

But originally, he would never have revealed such feelings outwardly. Since he was the leader of a revolutionary army dreaming of overthrowing the imperial family, no matter how much he felt for the Princess of House Shaunt, a target for purging, he would never have confessed.

‘I’m sorry, Ibris. I’m sorry…’

Her chest ached like it would tear apart, and Emmerin’s eyes welled up with tears. But she couldn’t show herself crying here.

It might be selfish, but rather than having her happy memories ruined by Ibris questioning and reproaching her, living while reminiscing about the happy times with Ibris was the only method left for her.

‘Please don’t be too disappointed in me, Ibris.’

“Goodbye, Ib.”

Letting out a quiet moan, Emmerin tore the 8th Circle sleep magic scroll. Even though Ibris was a Grand Swordmaster, breaking high circle magic instantly was impossible.

While sweet sensations flowed in as her insides were scraped, moans naturally leaked out, but she bit her lips to keep from waking him and endured while pulling out his member.

Since the dress she wore before seducing him had become tattered, Emmerin took out his uniform jacket from the wardrobe.

Even though it had been washed, his body scent wafted freshly.

When she buried her head deeply, the light woody fragrance along with the scent of narcissus gently tickled her nose, and Emmerin had to barely suppress her desire to cry.

‘Ibris.’

My Ib.

The next time she faced him would be when her belly had grown large.

And he would be furious that one of the rotten emperor faction had become pregnant with his child. He would certainly be angry to the top of his head just from the fact that she had dared to sleep with him by deceiving him that it was a dream, but she had even conceived an unwanted seed.

“…”

Looking back at the sleeping Ibris at the doorway, Emmerin filled her eyes with his face. Ibris’s face wavered through the tears pooling in her eyes.

Now, she wouldn’t see Ibris for several months.

If they met next time, she would have to hear words cursing herself for deceiving him.

“Goodbye…”

Even though he had told her he loved her.

…His neat face, fallen into sleep, was extremely peaceful.

It was the face of a boy who had fallen asleep feeling the joy of pure love, so different from his usual emotionless self that it was hard to recognize him.

So Emmerin could no longer continue speaking and stepped out into the corridor.

Her footsteps crossing the empty corridor grew faster and faster.

Her whole body felt beaten, and it was hard to properly compose herself.

But she staggered away like that.

Blaming herself for having no choice but to deceive him.

Thus Emmerin was finally able to have one memory with Ibris, whom she had always only watched from afar.

***

Three months later, the imperial palace caught fire.

The Imperial Guard led by Ibris Hainard, who had become the leader of the angry people, transformed into a revolutionary army and fiercely attacked the emperor who had been exploiting the people’s lifeblood.

However, despite receiving intelligence that the revolutionary army would strike the imperial family, the emperor was still holding a banquet until that very moment.

“Kyaaaah! D-don’t come near me!”

“Uwaaaah! N-no. Go away!”

“Save me…”

Red streams of blood pooled in every corner of the banquet hall.

It could truly be called a bloody banquet.

While the pro-emperor nobles were being slaughtered by the revolutionary army’s merciless advance, the emperor belatedly trembled and ran away frantically, carrying the imperial crown and scepter.

But the revolutionary army led by Ibris was well aware of where the emperor would flee and which secret passages would be used. It was because the emperor himself had babbled about them at drinking parties.

“Tyrant. Your escape ends now.”

A shadow fell before the emperor.

Ibris revealed his large frame and coldly pointed his sword.

In the appearance of the emperor kneeling before him and crying tears, there was no trace of the violence befitting a tyrant.

Was this all there was?

“S-save me. If you just spare my life, I’ll give you anything. W-what do you need? Just tell me. I’ll grant everything…!”

“Ha.”

The guard knights who had spent humiliating days due to the emperor’s atrocities ground their teeth even more.

Seriden and Baven, who had their beautiful sisters taken as concubines and could only suffer miserably from the emperor’s violence, glared at the emperor with bloodshot eyes as he begged desperately.

“How about cutting off his limbs and displaying him in the square so the people can throw stones at him?”

Ibris readily accepted Seriden’s words, which released his anger as is.

The emperor had to pay the price for unconditionally capturing any pretty woman to make her his concubine.

He had to pay the price for being obsessed only with squeezing the people who suffered from heavy taxes.

“That would be good. Better than going through a revolutionary trial. An easy death doesn’t suit this b*stard.”

“P-please. S-save me! Not like that, please, just my life…!”

The emperor begged, covered in tears and snot.

But Ibris’s eyes were coldly frozen.

The tyranny the emperor had committed until now couldn’t be repaid with just his one life.

Ibris opened his mouth coldly.

“Countless petitions must have come up until now, tyrant. But you never listened to those petitions at all. Because of that, the empire’s people had to suffer from those heavy taxes and tyranny in both good years and bad years. That’s why you’re no longer this country’s emperor. No, from the moment you continued your tyranny, you had already abandoned the name of ruler called emperor yourself.”

At those words, the emperor screamed “Hiiik!” and clutched his head while crying tears.

The sight of him bowing while banging his head on the floor was disgusting to watch. The sight of him hoping he might survive if he just looked good to Ibris alone. Ibris and the knights were even deeply displeased.

“E-even so, p-please…! If I die, the empire’s lineage will be cut off. I’ll live quietly. I’ll just sit on the emperor’s throne and leave other state affairs to you. So please, just my life.”

“There are other ways to continue that lineage. If that doesn’t work, there’s also the option of destroying the ’emperor’s throne.'”