Chapter 3
Will You Run?
I collapsed to the ground as my legs gave out.
Kallio, holding the dagger with blood dripping down, approached like a demon.
The situation reversed in an instant as Kallio snatched the dagger from my hands.
Even though he must have ingested one paralysis poison from the strike to his jaw, he moved perfectly fine.
“The other women never thought to stab me with a dagger…”
Kallio murmured lowly, laughing.
“Really, that was fun after a long time.”
His golden eyes gleamed brightly.
Blood from his shoulder flowed down thickly over his thigh and wet the top of his foot.
Every time Kallio took a step, his loose clothing fluttered, revealing the bulge beneath as a bonus.
Amazingly, he seemed aroused even in this situation.
‘This bastard is really insane…’
He wasn’t just a madman who was gentle with his woman; he was a genuine dopamine addict.
In transmigration stories, the protagonist usually uses knowledge from the original to reform a terrible husband.
But how was I supposed to reform this guy?
A man who was laughing even after being stabbed?
And one who still gets aroused in this situation?
Even though he was a character I had written, I felt foolish a few minutes ago for trying to survive by placating him.
Kallio took a heavy step forward.
The dull sound of his footfall echoed, closing the distance.
The blade in his hand shone with a menacing light.
I held my breath.
If Kallio swung the dagger, I would die instantly.
Was I really going to die at the hands of a character I had created?
So pointlessly?
Then Kallio suddenly stopped.
He grinned, pressing the dagger’s hilt against my chin.
The coldness from the blunt hilt sent chills crawling across my body.
“Seems you still have some strength left, huh?”
Ironically, Kallio’s smile was momentarily captivating.
“Shall we make a bet?”
…A bet in this insane situation?
My mind went completely blank.
Clink!
Kallio threw the dagger aside without hesitation and moved back toward the bed.
“If you die before the paralysis wears off, I win.”
“Wh-what…?”
“Conversely, if the poison paralyzes you before you die, you win.”
With that, Kallio stuffed all the candy in his hand into his mouth.
For a normal person, this would be a lethal dose of poison.
At the same time, he pulled a cord beside the bed.
Ding.
A bell rang.
Kallio chewed the candy and swallowed it.
“Ahhh!! Your, Your Majesty!!”
As the emperor collapsed, the door opened and a servant screamed.
I saw Kallio’s twitching lips just before he fell.
‘Survive this.’
Outside the window, the dawn sun hung over the mountains.
Kallio’s face, unaware of whether he was dreaming or dying, shone in the sunlight.
Even after sunrise, this bastard remained the same devil.
***
The first night had passed.
The sun rose the next day, and I had survived.
Although I was imprisoned underground for quite some time under the charge of assaulting the emperor.
I had to curl my knees in the rat- and centipede-infested dungeon without moving.
Fortunately, after a whole day, I was released just before facing the execution platform.
Thanks to the damned emperor’s orders.
After sleeping like the dead for hours, he miraculously woke up and started chatting nonsense.
‘I couldn’t take care of myself because I was enjoying time with my Empress.’
Even with evidence that I had wounded the emperor, it was hard to believe I was released from being a traitor by his one sentence.
But it was Kallio…
The hypothesis seemed valid that the mad emperor had caused trouble even on the first night, putting his Empress in a difficult position.
Moreover, what could the ministers do if the emperor demanded the Empress be freed?
No one wanted their head chopped off for opposing a mad emperor.
Thus, I was released from the brink of being a traitor.
From then until now, I had been treated with utmost respect as the Empress.
On the first night, I had been covered in the emperor’s blood in the dungeon, and only on the second day was I able to leave.
I requested a bath before vomiting from the smell of blood, and was immediately shown to a place with warm water.
‘A bath…!’
Seeing the bath, I covered my mouth.
After nearly dying, I found joy in a simple warm bath.
Even though I knew it might make me look foolish, I couldn’t help but be happy.
Was there such luxury in Korea, a hot bath all to myself, with expensive wine and finger foods served while soaking?
The wine was sweet at first but ended with a hint of ginger.
That damned ginger flavor…
I set the mini wine glass down on the tiled floor.
“Excuse me, could you take the wine away?”
“Pl-please speak freely, Your Majesty. You need not be so formal with lowly servants like us.”
Your Majesty, the Empress.
Indeed, enjoying such food and luxury was possible only because of my status as the emperor’s wife.
Remembering that Kallio provided this luxury quenched my millennia-long desire instantly.
“Do you need anything else?”
Still, I couldn’t be entirely disappointed with my current situation.
“I like stories.”
Naturally, a transmigrated protagonist breaks the original story.
“Tell me stories about my husband and his empire.”
Gathering information was essential.
To live peacefully, I had to know how to escape my insane husband.
***
I asked several maids for stories.
Although fragmented, I summarized the tales with my writing experience.
The stories were as follows.
The Amir Empire.
Originally a desolate desert country, it expanded through multiple emperors into what was called an ‘Empire.’
The emperor, Kallio, expanded the territory the most among all previous emperors.
However, his family life was unfortunate.
His father and mother died of an epidemic, and his remaining brother tried to poison him for the throne.
But Kallio discovered the plot and killed his brother in return, ultimately ascending the throne.
Objectively, Kallio was perfect in many ways—looks, strength, and accomplishments as an emperor.
Yet, there was one problem…
The throne of the Empress had remained vacant until now.
Of course, the issue was that previous empresses all died on the first night.
Anyway, I survived yesterday, so the Empress problem was temporarily solved.
‘It won’t be easy to run away.’
Kallio as emperor aside, the ministers would prevent me from leaving my position as Empress.
Who else could withstand that man’s temper and survive?
Surviving the first night alone qualified me as Empress.
If the original female lead were here, she might have endured and reformed him, but sadly, she wasn’t.
If the story went as in the original, I would have died, and the female lead would have become the ‘fourth’ Empress.
But now, I was surviving just fine.
If she were here, she would have entertained the emperor with interesting stories from the first night.
‘But I… stabbed him with a dagger on the first night.’
It was too late to use the female lead’s method.
Reformation requires some common sense.
Reforming him was utterly impossible.
‘And even if it’s a bet, the fact that Kallio hasn’t killed me yet makes me uneasy…’
Given the circumstances, there was only one choice.
“Then I shou-”
I had to run.
…But before the words left my mouth.
“What are you thinking?”
A low, deep voice echoed from behind.
Goosebumps rose as the servants behind me shouted in unison.
“Hail the Sun of Amir!”
I turned toward the sound and saw the Sun of Amir, Emperor Kallio, his eyes curved sharply.
