Emperor's Alternate - Chapter 60
Teiles II weakly lowered his hand holding the mud-stained note.
On the way back at night, she had intended to buy magical ingredients in the dark alley and return to the palace quietly. However, while passing through the square, she heard the children singing. It was the first time she heard the song, and its content wasn’t anything particularly strange.
Late at night, the song echoed endlessly through the quiet streets. There were pieces of paper scattered all over the street, written in clumsy handwriting. I picked them up, and they all said the same thing.
I knew that Lecan’s popularity was high among the commoners and nobles alike, but it was something else to see it in action.
“This song that’s going around,” I said, “it’s obviously about overthrowing the country.”
“Who spread these blasphemous notes?”
“We don’t know, it’s probably the commoners themselves who are spreading it, writing it in their own clumsy handwriting.”
“…”
“Your Majesty, this is our opportunity to kill Lecan before this can spread any further. We’ve been hiding and watching all this time, waiting for this chance. Even the most upstanding individuals would have let some dirt slip on them after all these years of thorough investigation. I will use the evidence I’ve gathered to bring them down through legitimate means. We can’t postpone it any longer, lest the tide of history flow too quickly for any of us to control.”
“Leyesha, you’ve been anticipating this all along, didn’t you?”
Teiles II, who had been quiet for a moment, burst out laughing. “You don’t seem surprised at all. Are you even human?”
“…Your Majesty, the northern province of Weirs where Lecan was sent to is known to be populated with Drakeshines. But I’ve searched all the records in the vicinity. A volcano there erupts at irregular intervals. Even renowned scholars do not precisely know the eruption cycle of the volcano. However, through my research, I am confident that the volcano in Weirs will erupt within this month. Lecan…”
I paused for a moment. I’m not sure why I hesitated. But I spoke firmly again.
“While trying to catch a Drakeshine, he will be engulfed by a sudden volcanic eruption, and not even his corpse will be found.
“….”
“Lecan will not return, and I will have completely and thoroughly dismantled his influence.”
“Creepy b***h.”
I involuntarily fell silent at the profanity that slipped out of his mouth. I wondered if it was because I felt hurt, but then I quickly realized that this wasn’t exactly a novel response from Teiles II.
He stared at me like I was a monster. The young emperor, who knew my identity and had seen me through childhood, looked on in horror as he realized that I had been planning for years to bring my once-fiancé to his death.
‘…When all is said and done, I’ll be killed.’
When the hunt is over, the hounds are put down and devoured. Suddenly, I realized something. During the hunting competition, the Empress had suggested using the princess to seduce Lecan. However, if a potion that made one lose their reason overnight were developed…
‘I would be the first to fall victim to it.’
Teiles II would undoubtedly use it on me. He will use the potion under the pretense of testing its effectiveness, and then he will smugly violate me as I beg for his embrace. There were times when one could predict how a person would behave without even trying. It’s not that I don’t trust people, it’s just that it was easy to see their true nature.
It didn’t matter anyway. If Lecan committed treason, I had no choice but to kill him. But if Teiles II became a tyrant, I could easily control him through his s****l impulses.
I knew this well. Teiles II hates cold women. Perhaps because of his mother’s lack of affection, he always preferred women who were warm and affectionate. All the more reason for me to treat him coldly.
I better start preparing for them to order my death once the day came that I was no longer useful. I shook my head slowly.
“…One by one, we will remove the limbs of the ‘Neutrals’ with just cause. At least they won’t die falsely accused of crimes they didn’t commit. Everything will be done according to the law, and procedure will be respected. Those who deserve the death penalty will be executed, and those who will end up stripped of their titles will pay only the penalty written in the law and with them being stripped of their titles.”
“…”
“Lastly, I will disband Lecan’s troops. The private armies of his subordinates must also disappear. The royal authority cannot be restored unless the nobles’ troops disappear completely.”
“…You are a terrible, cruel, terrifying b***h,” said Teiles II between gritted teeth.
He could see me however he pleased. It didn’t matter if he saw me as the one who stole his mother’s affection, a childhood crush that inflamed his desires, or as the vengeful madwoman driven by a grudge of a fallen family.
I only ask that he recognize me as a capable servant. Instead of judging me solely based on my appearance and past, I hoped he would acknowledge that, for whatever reason, I had always been his loyal subject.
“…I must work, Your Majesty, and if you will leave quietly as you came, I will take it that I have your permission.”
Feeling uneasy inside, I subtly implied my intentions.
Teiles II glared at me for a while before finally leaving. Knowing that I was working for his benefit, he probably had no other choice. He wouldn’t want to deal with all the vile and dirty deeds himself.
“Sigh…”
My concentration was gone, and all I wished now was to see Duchess de Trippé. I wanted to forget everything for a moment by holding that cat in my arms.
I slowly closed my eyes and then opened them.
‘…Give me death.’
“Lecan.”
Give me death.
Somehow my voice lacked strength.
