“The King of Silvester has sent an official letter, Your Majesty. He offers his deepest apologies and states that if we hand over the Crown Prince, he will be imprisoned in an isolated tower for life to atone for his crimes.”
Xian twisted his lips as he spoke.
“Did he not hear that his son funded an illegal chimera modification ring and attempted to assassinate a member of the imperial family by smuggling in poison?”
The foreign minister presented the letter with a bow.
“The King of Silvester acknowledges the Crown Prince’s crimes. Thus, he will not protest any measures taken during Vermouth’s investigation. Additionally, as a gesture of peace, he offers the northern sea’s ownership to Your Majesty.”
The minister also presented an accompanying box.
Silvester’s northern sea was a crucial maritime route connecting the continent to the seafaring nations.
Furthermore, its seabed contained a fuel hundreds of times more efficient than coal. Surrendering it meant Silvester was essentially prostrating before Vermouth.
“And as a final measure of responsibility, the engagement between the Silvester royal family and the Appenzeller Count’s household of our empire will be annulled.”
“He’s trying hard to keep his wretched son alive.”
The scroll in Xian’s hand crumpled completely.
“The northern sea will be renamed the Empress’s Sea as of today.”
“…Pardon?”
What sea? The Empress’s Sea?
Caught off guard, the foreign minister blinked in confusion. But upon meeting the Emperor’s chilling golden gaze, he quickly bowed in panic.
“Yes! I will notify the International Maritime Alliance immediately!”
“Bring the Crown Prince from the underground prison.”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Then, shall we inform Silvester of his transfer—”
“Castrate him.”
“…What?!”
The foreign minister’s eyes widened in shock. But Xian remained utterly expressionless.
“They’ve annulled his engagement and sentenced him to life imprisonment in a tower, haven’t they? If he has no use for it, best to cut it off.”
Better yet, if it’s something above the waist.
Xian drew his sword and calmly wiped it down.
Shing—
“Y-Your Majesty! However—”
“You talk too much. Are you also useless?”
The Emperor’s longsword pointed at the foreign minister’s waist. Gasping, he frantically shook his head in terror.
With an irritated expression, Xian issued his command.
“Then stop babbling and handle it immediately—”
Bang!
“Your Majesty! The Empress has regained consciousness!”
The chamberlain burst through the doors, panting.
The Emperor, who had been acting like a madman for three days, hunting down everyone involved and personally torturing the Crown Prince, even dropped his sword as he stood up.
“Th-then, when should we carry out the sentence?”
“Handle it swiftly and report once it’s done.”
The murderous aura suffocating the room vanished in an instant as the Emperor hurried away. It had seemed like he was about to demand the execution take place right before his eyes.
‘Oh my god, I’m saved! Long live Her Majesty the Empress!’
The foreign minister, who had narrowly avoided being caught in a potential war between two nations, nearly wept with relief.
‘In the end, nothing beats handling things directly.’
Humming cheerfully, he completed the official documents and had them delivered to Cedric, who had been excitedly expecting his release.
Not long after, the Crown Prince of Silvester was returned to his homeland—where he was imprisoned in a tower for life.
Rumor had it that his wails echoed from within its walls every single day.
*****
‘She’s only waking up now?’
Xian raced toward the Empress’s palace, his heart tightening with every step.
‘They said her body was fine. Then why was she unconscious for three days?’
His delicate Empress, who always insisted she was fine even when unwell, had fully recovered physically—yet she hadn’t woken up.
During that time, Xian hadn’t slept or eaten. He had spent every moment hunting down those responsible.
The truth had finally come to light: the Crown Prince of Silvester, who had an obsession with illegal chimera modifications, had tried to smuggle and sell them but failed.
He had secretly brought modified chimeras into Vermouth, a central hub of the continent, intending to distribute them across various regions.
To conceal them, he had hidden them in the vast, sparsely populated royal hunting grounds of Vermouth. But on the day of the hunting competition, a mistake by a caretaker had led to the chimeras escaping.
When the creatures began attacking people, the Crown Prince had tried to cover up the incident by pinning it on the Emperor’s so-called “tyranny.” However, thanks to the Empress’s intervention, his plan had completely unraveled.
Had it been anyone else who was injured—even Xian himself—he would have accepted an apology and the northern sea as compensation, letting the matter rest.
But.
‘The Empress is off-limits.’
Because Leah had been harmed, Xian had no intention of being merciful to Silvester. For the crime of raising such a disgraceful heir, their kingdom would never again be treated as a proper nation.
Surely Leah would be satisfied with this. She would forgive him for having been unconscious and unable to help her at the hunting grounds.
With that thought, Xian arrived at the Empress’s chambers, anticipation building in his chest.
“Announce me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your Majesty the Empress, His Majesty the Emperor is here!”
The mild commotion inside suddenly fell silent. Focusing his senses, he detected the sound of someone rushing toward the door—definitely Leah.
Xian swallowed dryly, both nervous and anxious.
If she was angry, he would have to calm her down. If she snapped at him for making her handle everything alone while injured, he would pacify her with the special colored edition of Red Book he had prepared…
Click!
“Go away.”
Xian froze.
That sound just now—it was the door locking.
“…What?”
As he stood there, dumbfounded, the servants and physicians inside shuffled hurriedly through the adjoining room—and click—that door locked as well.
In no time, Xian was left standing alone outside the Empress’s chamber.
Swallowing, he tried again.
“…Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Thank goodness. She didn’t sound angry.
Clearly, he had misheard earlier—she must have actually said Come in.
Clank. Clank.
Then why wasn’t the door opening?
Frowning, Xian tried turning the handle again, putting more strength into it.
“I said go away!”
Her voice came out half-wailing, trembling slightly. Xian’s heart plummeted as he pounded on the door.
Had that damned bastard escaped and taken Leah hostage?!
“Open this door immediately—!”
“How could you? Hic How am I supposed to live after that humiliation?!”
From inside came the sound of Leah sobbing uncontrollably. Xian’s hands stilled mid-shake.
Humiliation? What humiliation?
“You’re the worst! How could you do that in front of everyone?! Are you some kind of pervert?!”
“…What are you talking about?”
Scowling, he started to deny it—
And then.
Flashes of memory surfaced.
For the past three days, the knights and ministers had given him detailed reports on the chimera, the Crown Prince’s plot, and his own rampage.
‘Her Majesty the Empress calmed Your Majesty down when you lost control.’
…Come to think of it, how exactly had Leah calmed him down?
The reports had conveniently left that part vague.
So, Xian had assumed she had simply put him to sleep like usual.
He had been too busy overseeing her treatment and dealing with the Crown Prince’s crimes to investigate further.
“I—I was just trying to do it lightly! But then you grabbed me so tight I couldn’t escape, and in front of dozens of people—!”
Faint memories flickered at the edges of his mind.
Warmth blending with sweetness.
A delicate, small voice—
‘Mm…’
The more she struggled, the more heat built up—
‘No way…’
It couldn’t be.
Surely not.
Xian’s face hardened as he rejected reality.
But Leah crushed his denial with ruthless words.
“You did it on purpose! You were fully conscious, weren’t you?!”
“No, I— That’s not what happened—”
“Ha! You do remember!”
A high-pitched shriek rang out, followed by more loud sobbing.
Meanwhile, the door handle snapped under the force of his grip.
Creak—
Through the slightly opened door, he caught a glimpse of Leah’s back, buried in her bed.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to take a step inside.
“…Leah. I didn’t mean to—”
“Ahhh! Don’t say it!”
Her face burning red, Leah bolted up, rushed to the door, and slammed it shut again.
Xian could do nothing but stand there, stunned, in front of his wife’s sealed bedroom.
Even if he tried to explain, he had no excuse. In those hazy memories, the one who had kept pushing deeper into that warmth and heat was him.
“Sob… I don’t know anymore. How am I supposed to show my face again…”
“Wait. Just open the door for a second—”
Panicked, Xian knocked, desperately trying to clear up the misunderstanding.
But the more he insisted, the more Leah freaked out.
In the end, he was forcibly removed from the Empress’s palace by the attending physicians.
****
“Not eating lunch?”
“Oh, I’m trying to diet a little.”
Creak.
I smiled brightly as I stood up. Xian’s strange gaze followed my movements.
“Then, I’ll be off. Enjoy your meal.”
I even gave him a polite nod before walking out of the dining hall—only for Xian to follow me. Startled, I quickly sidestepped away from him.
“W-why are you following me?”
“I thought I’d take a walk in the garden.”
“Oh. Well then, I’ll be going now.”
Carefully making a U-turn, I headed up the stairs. I had planned to bask in the sun for a bit, but forget it—I’d just read in my room instead.
“Loren, do we have any new books in the imperial library—”
“The new colored edition just came out. Want me to get it for you?”
“Kyahhh!”
Xian suddenly appeared right beside me, making me lose my footing in shock.
I wobbled, but he swiftly caught me, stabilizing my balance.
“Be careful. You’re still not fully recovered.”
“Th-thank you. But I don’t need the book! I’ll be going now!”
Flustered, I dashed away.
I could feel Xian watching me with an unreadable expression, but even that gaze felt overwhelming. I hurried into my room and shut the door behind me.
“Haa… This is driving me crazy.”
“Why are you suddenly avoiding His Majesty?”
Lindo, who had come in to give his report, asked with a puzzled expression. Exhausted, I slumped into a chair with a sigh.
“Would you be able to just casually chat and laugh with someone after kissing them in front of the entire world?”
“Well… it’s not that bad. Besides, you two are married.”
As expected of someone from the harem, Lindo just shrugged shamelessly.
