Chapter 07
7. The Crown Stained with My Blood
An instant felt like an eternity.
Then, he slowly lifted his head and looked in my direction.
Our eyes met for less than half a second — a fleeting moment — but the bone-chilling coldness I felt froze me solid.
It was undoubtedly a man I knew.
My fragile, lovable husband.
That weak man who shed tears even in the moment he betrayed me.
‘But Enrique, with that kind of expression… No, more than that — Enrique is the Emperor?’
How could such a coincidence exist!
The countless atrocities of the Emperor that the real Leonardah had poured into her diary unfolded in my mind.
Coming late to share a bed, taking only her body and leaving — that was the bare minimum. Not uttering a single word to the Empress first during the three hours of dinner was a minor matter.
About three months ago, the Emperor had visited a coastal military city with the Saintess. Leonardah had barely managed to go to the Imperial Palace just to see the Emperor’s face once.
Even though he must have heard that the Empress was waiting in the reception room, the Emperor only showed up four hours later, shooting a contemptuous glare at her, who had collapsed from waiting so long, and then brushed past her.
It said that humans, unlike demons, would ‘normally’ at least help someone up when they fall.
And it was written that the Saintess was always by his side.
With that characteristic apologetic expression, her brows slightly furrowed.
I hadn’t been able to picture it well, but as soon as I saw Helene, I understood.
Ah, so that’s the same expression he wore while watching me die.
With wide eyes, as if he himself bore no sin, he shows a hint of remorse. That gut-wrenching look that says, ‘What a shame for you.’
I stared blankly at the giggling Helene and unconsciously gripped the windowsill.
If I had magical power right now, I would crush that wretch on the spot!
Tearing him to death wouldn’t be enough. I wanted to throw his soul into a scorching pit of fire and grant him centuries of torment.
Crunch.
My nails scraped down the windowsill. My fragile fingertips immediately stung. It felt as if I could grasp the despair Leonardah must have felt.
Unlike the dying her, his mistress sparkled with vitality.
No matter what, the scent of death was unavoidable, but Helene smelled of life.
‘A position earned by my death. Does it feel good wearing a crown stained with my blood?’
Sliding my gaze from Helene to Enrique, I felt my entire body go cold, as if struck by ice water.
But the shock wasn’t over.
‘So this is what it means for blood to run cold.’
His holy power had become so overwhelmingly strong that it felt oppressive even from this distance. In my current state, I couldn’t even get close to him.
But I could see the source of that power. It wasn’t granted by any god. That power… that power is…
‘Mine! It’s mine!’
Though humans are largely unaware, the purest magical power and holy power are as close as two sides of the same coin.
If you absorb magical power and make it your own, you can transform it into holy power. And of course, the reverse is also true.
All you have to do is assimilate the absorbed energy without being consumed by it…
“I won’t forgive you.”
Not only did you kill me, but you also stole the power I had gathered?
My magical power was my pride. It was what made me who I am, more precious than my very life.
‘I will never, ever forgive you.’
My whole body trembles. My chest burns. As if lava is raging, my vision begins to turn red.
“Gasp! S-Save me, please! I have three young grandchildren, like little bunnies, waiting for me at home!”
Just then.
The elderly librarian, who had come with a map at the worst possible timing, grasped the situation, leaped in surprise, and prostrated himself.
After the two figures had disappeared, I stared down the path for a long while before quietly asking.
“Is it known that I have a violent temper?”
“Huh? N-No, not at all.”
“Then why such fear? Do you think I would punish you just for witnessing an unsightly scene?”
Smiling bitterly, I adjusted the collar of my fox fur coat and slowly began to walk. Not showing my unsteady gait was my only remaining pride right now.
“Please leave the map in my bedchamber.”
“As you wish.”
Thud.
As soon as I closed the library door behind me, I walked quickly, ignoring Derrick. I didn’t know where I was going; I just walked.
‘Enrique, you only use the women who love you. If you truly loved Helene, you should have done whatever it took to place her on the Empress’s throne. Do you feel any guilt towards me? Towards Leonardah?’
You don’t want to fight to put Helene in a noble position, but you want to love Helene?
Then what am I, what is Leonardah, who were sacrificed?
‘Now I understand. Why I have possessed this body.’
Even with my mind feverish and hazy, I had thought about it for a long time.
Was the reason you killed me due to your desires? Was your ambition for the throne greater than your love for me?
Or did you never love me at all, and I was simply deceived? If we met again, what should I ask first? Or should I just kill you without asking?
But now, I am certain.
‘Either way, it’s only right that I take the position you desired.’
And then, I must watch you crawl low on the ground, begging me for affection, for mercy.
“…Ha.”
Just how far had I walked that I was out of breath?
Gasping, I let out a hollow laugh and realized my cheeks were damp.
They weren’t tears of sorrow. They were tears of rage.
“Your Majesty, what happened in there?”
As I stopped, head bowed, a knight with gray eyes cautiously approached me. He naturally pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.
It seemed this happened often.
“I wish to walk alone for a while.”
“I cannot allow that. It’s too dangerous. If you were to collapse…”
“That’s an order. Do not follow.”
I need just a moment, a very brief moment, alone. My chest felt like it was being torn apart, and I couldn’t bear it.
Gritting my teeth and giving the order, Derrick hesitated, then clenched his fists and stood still. Leaving him behind, I wandered aimlessly. Before I knew it, I was in a deserted corridor.
Judging by the old tapestries and dust-covered statues here and there, it seemed to be some neglected corner of the imperial palace.
Unused even as guest rooms, and not a passage for servants or maids, these halls and rooms had been left to decay.
I stared blankly at the dust dancing in the faint rays of sunlight, then frowned.
The wall was rippling.
I blinked, and a tear fell. But even after that, the wall still rippled.
‘Ah, could this be the entrance to a subspace?’
An ordinary person would never see it.
The same went for mages or priests.
Because the ancient characters carved into this wall… are neither magic nor divine power. They are the language of a third world.
The language of spirits — a mystical script visible only to those who know how to read it.
‘It’s indeed the Spirit King’s subspace. It seems this Spirit King cherishes their contractor dearly.’
The Spirit King’s subspace.
It’s a special, safe barrier that only a Spirit King can create — defying the laws of physics, rejecting the natural flow of time, and an unbreakable defense that no external force can destroy.
When the life of a beloved contractor is in danger, the Spirit King would intervene with their own power, creating such a space.
‘I wonder if I can enter?’
Slowly tracing the ancient characters written in a circle, I began to recite them in reverse order from a certain point. The characters glowed brightly, and an entrance appeared.
Stepping inside without hesitation, I wrinkled my nose at the familiar, iron-tinged scent that dominated the space.
It was the smell of blood.
Meanwhile, at that same time.
Helene trembled with a subtle sense of superiority.
Helene had planted her people in the Empress’s palace from the very day Enrique married the Empress.
The Empress was on borrowed time anyway, so there was nothing to worry about, but she had placed them just in case.
Receiving reports on where the Empress went, what she ate, and how she moved, Helene received a rather unusual note today.
It said the Empress had gone to the Imperial Library.
Since this was unprecedented, Helene hurried to find Enrique and deliberately set their walkway to pass in front of the library.
There was much Helene needed to ascertain: whether something was going on between the two that she didn’t know about, whether Enrique was giving the Empress any leeway, etc.
‘Thank goodness. He’s still completely uninterested.’
A head of golden hair was visible by the library window.
Enrique had glanced towards the library, but it was only for a very brief moment. And the look in his eyes was chillingly cold. Helene was immediately relieved.
The cold, cruel Emperor of the Nix Empire.
There is only one person in the world who can breach his defenses — her.
Reaffirming her position, Helene hummed a tune, savoring her happiness.
“Oh, by the way, Your Majesty, about the welcome banquet for this summit. We’ve purchased all the necessary items. I’ve checked them thoroughly as well.”
“As I’ve always said, consult the Empress’s palace first regarding the main framework of the banquet.”
“Tch. You know you’re just going to tell Nini to do whatever she wants anyway. Do you really have to ask? I contacted her before, but Her Majesty the Empress didn’t even bother to reply.”
