What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 18
Currently, the Uzephia Empire was structured in a grotesque manner where all power was concentrated solely in the Emperor rather than in the nobility itself. This was due to Kazhan dramatically resurrecting the weakening imperial authority.
It was the result of awakening the ancient pact magic flowing in the veins of the Tenilaf bloodline after several generations. As soon as he ascended to the throne, the Emperor, who firmly tightened the noose around the necks of the nobles, instilled fear in everyone. However, there was no need for him to bow his head even to Ysaris, who was nothing more than his puppet.
unless the Emperor actively protected her.
Bellane looked at Ysaris with the face of a victor. She had hoped to see a hint of distortion in Ysaris’s always impassive expression, but instead, she received a chillingly dry response.
“Indeed.”
“…Is that so?”
“Indeed, it’s true that I personally find it difficult to punish you. And I doubt the Emperor will do so either.”
This wasn’t right.
Bellane narrowed her eyes at the unexpected response. Unperturbed, Ysaris continued calmly.
“However, there are laws that apply even to someone like me.”
She had endured countless humiliations thus far. Sometimes from the Emperor, sometimes from the nobles, and at times from the maids.
Directly or indirectly, experiencing unjust treatment had taught her where the boundaries lay.
When would be the time she could be protected? And how could she use that?
“Even if I cannot be charged with treason against the nobility, what about charges of nobility homicide?”
“Such an absurd accusation…!”
“Let’s consider it for a moment.”
Ysaris interrupted Bellane and paused for a beat. She reached behind, gripping the terrace railing, meeting Bellane’s brown gaze steadily without a hint of wavering.
“Unable to bear the insult of a mere Marquis’s daughter, the Empress succumbed to despair.”
“W-what…?”
“However, due to the low height, it resulted only in minor injuries, yet those who dared to wound the Empress faced the Emperor’s wrath.”
“That’s outrageous!”
“Do you really think so?”
Bellane opened her mouth to retort, but the menacing scene left her momentarily speechless.
The Emperor paid no heed to how the nobles mocked the Empress. Even if their gossip was openly whispered within earshot, and even if she showed anger, the Emperor sided with the nobles. No matter the reason, any request for her rightful punishment fell on deaf ears.
However, there was one incident where the line the Emperor would not tolerate was unmistakably revealed.
<Who dared to touch what is mine?>
<Aaargh!>
Blood flowing from an arm. A hand lying on the floor. A man writhing and moaning on the ground, unable to cope with the severed limb.
Bellane was suddenly thrust into chaos. Her dress stained with blood at the hem, she hastily left the banquet hall upon hearing the commotion, only to later learn what had transpired.
A drunken marquis, unable to control himself, had groped the Empress’s bare shoulder and had his hand severed.
By the Emperor himself.
<Tsk tsk… How foolish. Doesn’t he realize how deeply the Emperor is enthralled by the Empress’s presence?>
<Exactly. How could he even entertain the thought of touching the cherished doll himself?>
<Just goes to show, we’re not just pulling the Empress down with words alone.>
<If you’re foolish, you should pay the price. No matter what actions the Emperor may take.>
His family fell into ruin within days. He was accused of sexually harassing the Empress.
Mocking the Empress was fair game. But touching her under any circumstances was forbidden.
Since that day, it became an unwritten rule among the nobles of Uzephia.
“…So what, are you expecting an apology then? Threatening to jump otherwise?”
Bellane strained to keep her voice steady against the palpable stares from her colleagues behind her. She acknowledged the shift in dynamics but now, here and now, she refused to bow to the puppet Empress with anything less than defiance.
“I’m not asking for an apology that isn’t sincerely meant.”
“Then what’s the reason for threatening us like this?”
“Threat?…”
Ysaris looked calmly at Bellane, skillfully steering the conversation to subtly place her as the aggressor. Meeting her slightly trembling brown eyes for a moment, she tightened her grip on the railing and raised herself up.
“Your Majesty!”
“It seems I am considered the Empress here. Even called ‘Your Majesty’ in moments of urgency.”
Perched precariously on the railing, Ysaris responded calmly to the alarmed cries of her attendants. While she had no intention of actually jumping, she maintained her composure, though onlookers interpreted her demeanor differently.
“I…I was wrong. Please forgive me!”
“Me too! I was wrong too, Empress. Please come down and let’s talk…!”
Amidst the desperate outcry.
The voice of a man, one that shouldn’t have been heard, cut through.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Your Majesty the Emperor?!”
Nobles, including Bellane and her attendants, panicked and called for Kazhan, but he paid them no mind. Since entering the terrace, his gaze had been solely fixed on Ysaris.
“Empress.”
