Chapter 10. A Special Proxy

Inside the dimly lit carriage, the two men sitting across from each other—one with indigo-violet eyes and the other with crimson—were both staring at Axia.

“Hurry up and get in. Why are you hesitating there?”

‘Stop sweeping back your platinum hair and winking, you flashy bastard.’

On one side sat the Emperor, the murderous bastard who had killed her in her past life.

“Is it uncomfortable? If it’s too cramped, the train station is only an hour away. Come here.”

On the other side sat Grand Duke Arcas, her official husband and the man who had saved her from execution.

Faced with two choices, Axia let out a sigh. What was she even hesitating for?

‘Of course, I should sit next to my husband, shouldn’t I?’

Without further delay, Axia took a seat beside Arcas.

The Emperor’s lips curled upward in amusement as he watched her.

“This is a little disappointing. So, it’s ‘husband privileges,’ is it?”

“Were you hoping an assassin would sit next to you?”

“Who knows? I quite enjoyed that passionate display.”

The Emperor casually adjusted his posture and smirked.

“No woman has ever made my heart ache as much as you did, Viscountess. And then, the moment we meet again—you’re already married. How tragic.”

What the hell is this bastard talking about? Axia stared at him in disbelief.

‘Is this one of those “You’re the first woman to ever slap me” situations?’

Regardless of his nonsense, the carriage finally began to move.

Seated across from her, the Emperor openly observed both her and Arcas, as if taking in the sight for his own amusement.

Soon enough, his teasing shifted toward Arcas.

“How does it feel to have such a beautiful and fierce bride, Grand Duke?”

“It was not my choice.”

“Have you kissed? Shared a bed yet?”

‘Great. Here comes another dirty joke.’

Axia cut in before the Emperor could escalate further.

“Would you stop prying into other people’s private lives? Bloodline members can’t even reproduce, so what’s the point of talking about sex?”

“Repro—”

Arcas abruptly covered his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut.

With his large hand wrapped over his lower face, he turned his head away as if overwhelmed with embarrassment.

Seeing his reaction, Axia was the one caught off guard this time.

‘Wait, did I say something wrong? This isn’t the first time he’s reacted like this. What is his problem?’

Deciding to drop the subject, Axia quickly wrapped up her response.

“I was brought into the clan under vague circumstances, so I was just given the title of ‘bride’ as a formality.”

“Oh, so it’s just for show. I was considering officially granting you the title of Grand Duchess, but I suppose I’ll drop the idea.”

The Emperor shrugged and leaned back against the carriage seat.

‘You’ve lived ten thousand years—has your spine finally collapsed or something?’

Axia shot him an unimpressed look.

Even in her bedroom, in his office, everywhere, this demonic bastard never seemed to sit properly.

Despite having the same face, the contrast between him and Ayer—who was always composed and upright—was night and day.

‘To think I even suspected they might be the same person for a moment… How embarrassing for my judgment.’

“……”

“……”

As the Emperor continued to observe her without a word, Axia felt suffocated by the weight of his unwavering gaze.

“……”

Arcas, wisely, had chosen to deal with the Emperor by ignoring him altogether.

‘What the hell does he keep staring at?’

His indigo-violet eyes gleamed like polished gemstones, scrutinizing her at an uncomfortably close range.

And it was driving her insane.

‘…I can’t exactly tell the Emperor to look away when the Grand Duke is sitting right here.’

Since she couldn’t stop him from staring, Axia decided to ignore it altogether. Letting out a quiet sigh, she turned her gaze toward the window.

At last, the night view of Aleis Tenaum—the Imperial Capital—was fully revealed outside, shining brightly for its newfound audience.

Aleis Tenaum was a vast and beautiful city, with two of its three sides bordered by water.

Flanked by the sea and a great river, the capital was a hub of relentless trade and commerce.

Its population, including those in surrounding satellite cities and transient workers, exceeded three million, far surpassing the level of most modern cities.

Even at night, airships filled the sky, and trains moved ceaselessly on the ground, transporting goods. The city never slept.

‘Not quite like modern Earth, but… it’s beautiful.’

She hadn’t even noticed it when she came here to assassinate the Emperor.

As the carriage rolled into the city center, the well-paved roads gleamed under the glow of streetlights.

Rows of gas lamps alternated with tree-lined paths, illuminating the bustling storefronts, which remained open even at this late hour.

And ahead of them stood Aleis Central Station, the heart of the Empire’s logistics and the gathering point for countless people.

“What do you think of the capital’s nightscape?”

The Emperor, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke.

Feeling an unexpected wave of nostalgia for Earth, Axia answered honestly.

“…It’s dazzling. Hard to believe it’s nighttime at all.”

“As it should be. Every single thing here was built from the ashes, piece by piece, so of course, it should shine.”

The Emperor seemed oddly pleased by her casual response and continued speaking.

“After all, this is a light born from crushing, clashing with, and plundering Bloodline members and other races.”

‘He says that so casually… even with Arcas, the head of a Bloodline clan, sitting right next to me.’

Axia glanced sideways, half-expecting Arcas to react, but his face remained unreadable.

“My, my. I can see what’s bothering you,” the Emperor chuckled. “But neither Grand Duke Arcas nor Corinth are my enemies. If we were playing mind games, they wouldn’t be in this carriage with me.”

He grinned.

“The Grand Dukes and the Captain of the Guard are allies of the Empire. They agreed to uphold and advance the rule of humankind. We’re comrades, if you will.”

Axia shot back pointedly.

“And yet, for all your talk of ‘comrades,’ you still haven’t gotten their approval for your ascension.”

“…That’s something I wanted to ask about.”

At that moment, Arcas finally spoke to the Emperor for the first time.

“The task you assigned my bride—wasn’t it an abolished labor?”

Abolished?

Axia frowned.

Setting aside the part about seeking approval from other worlds, the task itself didn’t seem particularly difficult.

‘If he’s the one who wiped out these races, leaving only a single survivor from each… shouldn’t it just be a matter of threatening them?’

The Emperor answered without hesitation.

“Now that we have a suitable candidate, it needs to be revived. Time is a bit tight, but it’s not impossible.”

“And why exactly am I the suitable candidate?”

‘Come to think of it, I never actually got a proper explanation from Ayer about the Twelve Labors.’

It was a task requiring twelve approvals for the Emperor’s ascension—that much she knew.

Arcas answered for him.

“Ascension approval cannot be obtained through threats or coercion. If it isn’t given willingly, it has no effect.”

“Then why not just ask nicely and persuade them?”

“…If only it were that simple.”

The Emperor tapped his interlocked fingers lightly against his knee, looking mildly amused yet exasperated.

“If I so much as speak, they unconsciously take it as a threat.”

Even when the Emperor sent his subordinates to request approval, the outcome was the same.

Because they represented him, his presence loomed over them like an unspoken force.

They couldn’t help but perceive the request as intimidation, even if no explicit threats were made.

It was only after all those failed attempts that he realized—

That only a very special proxy could complete this task.

“My very existence is a threat. I cannot even make the request myself.”

The Emperor pointed at Axia.

“It must be someone closely connected to me, yet not on my side. Someone who cannot wield my authority over others.”

“Hah.”

Axia let out a dry laugh.

‘That’s me. It’s completely me.’

She was the Emperor’s attempted assassin, meaning she held no power to invoke his authority.

Yet, she was also someone deeply bound to him—a soul that had died at his hands, crossed dimensions, and reincarnated alongside him.

‘That explains why the Emperor couldn’t even get approval from Corinth, his own captain of the guard.’

A request made by the Emperor could never be just a request.

To this world, his words carried the weight of an imperial decree.

Even if someone believed they had agreed willingly, as long as the slightest fear or reluctance lingered in their subconscious…

‘It would be interpreted as coercion.’

Even he, the one who would become this world’s god, was powerless over the nature of the human mind.

A strange feeling stirred within Axia.

Just then, as she turned her gaze back to the window, a massive structure came into view.

‘We must be close to the station.’

Seeing the airships landing beside the train terminal, Axia’s thoughts drifted to Grand Duchess Lilia.

Pointing at one of the ships descending onto the landing platform, she asked Arcas,

“Is that a mid-sized 100-passenger-class airship?”

“…Yes.”

Arcas answered with a complicated expression.

“You’re thinking about Lilia’s offer, but even without that, our clan already operates a few airships. You’d be better off forgetting that deal—”

“They’re both outdated models. Grand Duke Arcas, it’s better to be honest.”

The Emperor interrupted with a mocking tone.

“Let’s be real, Arcas. You’ve never been particularly skilled at investments or accumulating wealth, have you? You don’t squander money, sure, but it’s hardly a secret that Pyro Clan’s finances aren’t exactly abundant. Your bride should be aware of that.”

“But we aren’t struggling either. We simply don’t need to expand our assets unnecessarily.”

Arcas scowled.

“Are you suggesting I should involve myself in human commerce or illicit dealings like Lilia or Zyrus?”

“Of course not. Believe me, I’m very grateful that at least one of the Grand Dukes is trustworthy.”

‘That’s a lie. He doesn’t look grateful at all.’

The Emperor feigned sincerity, but it was obvious to anyone watching that he didn’t mean a word of it.

Meanwhile, their carriage slowed to a stop—not on the main road but in a slightly dimmer area.

“…This isn’t the main entrance.”

“It’s the exclusive entryway for high-ranking guests. It’s a convenient passage when traveling discreetly.”

Arcas stepped out of the carriage as he explained.

It made sense. If their group were to enter through the main station entrance, it would cause chaos.

“Go ahead and board with His Majesty first. I have something to load into the freight car, so I’ll join you later.”

Now that she looked at it, there was something large stored in the back of their carriage.

But…

‘There are already plenty of station workers waiting to transport luggage. Why does he need to do it himself?’

As Axia hesitated in confusion, the Emperor and Corinth swiftly stepped into the domed train station ahead of her.

‘It’s huge.’

She had noticed it when she first arrived in the capital, but now that she was seeing it again, the station was far more elaborate than she had initially thought.

Axia paused, taking in the surroundings.

It was almost on par with some of the slightly older European train stations she had seen on Earth.

“Excuse me, may I pass through?”

“…! My apologies.”

Apparently, she had been blocking the exclusive entrance for high-ranking guests.

After quickly apologizing to the passerby, she hurried to catch up with the two men already ahead, stepping onto the steam-powered train.

As soon as they entered their luxurious first-class cabin—where four entire compartments had been cleared for them—the Emperor casually shrugged off his jacket and tossed it to Corinth.

“Wait outside until I call for you.”

“…?”

‘What the hell? Why is he sending him away?’

Axia stared, bewildered, but Corinth left the compartment without a word.

Click.

The door shut behind him.

The Emperor loosened his cravat in one smooth motion and slowly approached her.

“So, Viscountess. Care to explain why exactly you’re going to the Thracia domain?”

‘Ah. He’s here to interrogate me.’

Raising a brow, Axia feigned ignorance.

“…A territorial inspection?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

The Emperor scoffed.

“When you left Thracia, Count Mikhail Thracia had already resigned himself to death.”

Tap.

He stepped in close—too close—and lifted Axia’s chin with his long forefinger, a smile curling on his lips.

“What’s the point of an inspection? By now, everything has already been arranged so the territory can function without you. Even the household staff was sent away in advance of the incident. Did you really think I wouldn’t know that?”

At that moment, the train began to move.