Chapter 60
Even If My Heart Becomes a Wasteland
“Disgraceful.”
Recalling that voice echoing clearly in his ears, the emperor furiously threw the golden goblet he was holding.
“Damn it!”
The events of that day played vividly in his mind.
The clingy stockings exposed in front of everyone, his flat groin, and the surging rumors that the emperor was a eunuch.
All of it—every last bit—was because of that bastard Etias.
He should have just cut him down right then and there.
“Make a choice that serves His Majesty.”
But he couldn’t, because the Elemoer girl stood in his way.
To be fair, what the daughter of House Elemoer had said wasn’t wrong.
If he had killed Etias with his own hands, the backlash from the council would’ve exploded like wildfire.
And with the famine already souring public sentiment, things could have easily spiraled into chaos.
‘Still… that girl’s eyes—they bothered me.’
The emperor’s eyes gleamed sharply as his clenched fists trembled.
Would someone really risk getting cut down by the emperor’s blade out of sheer loyalty?
Considering she had taken down a black bear at the hunting grounds, it was possible…
But the hostility in her violet eyes when she looked at him was too vivid to forget.
‘Could she be harboring rebellious intentions against me?’
Ever since he’d dragged his nephew off the throne and seized the crown, he’d crushed countless enemies who hated him. And her eyes were no different from theirs.
Besides, wasn’t Philios Regalo—currently imprisoned—ranting about a secret collusion between Catrin and Etias?
Sure, considering Philios’s track record, it wasn’t worth listening to…
But still.
“Even if it’s a stone bridge, test it before crossing. It can’t hurt to be sure. You there.”
A servant came in, bowing deeply at the emperor’s call.
“I want information on Lady Catrin Elemoer. Is there anyone around her who might know her well?”
“You mean Lady Elemoer, Your Majesty?”
“Yes. Someone who might know her secrets or weaknesses. Someone close enough to observe, but not too close—too close and they might report that I was asking.”
After a moment of thought, the servant responded:
“She doesn’t really associate with other nobles. Her former fiancé, Philios, is imprisoned… and she’s on bad terms with her closest blood relative, Padelmon, who is also in prison. If I may suggest… what about speaking to someone from the lower ranks who works around her?”
“The lower ranks?”
“I heard the Elemoer household servants are so deeply in debt they’re practically treated like slaves. They might be easy to buy.”
“Loyalty and honor won’t be a problem, then. And they probably know a lot about her.”
The emperor’s eyes gleamed with a vile light.
If Catrin Elemoer had betrayed him—he had no intention of forgiving her.
“Yes, and since they’re insiders, they might leak other suspicious information as well.”
“Track when the servants leave the estate, and quietly abduct one of the maids. I will question her myself.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Just try to betray me, Lady Elemoer.”
Once the servant left, the emperor snorted and crossed his arms smugly.
***
A few days later, a maid who had been kidnapped knelt trembling before the emperor, her eyes covered with a blindfold.
Looking down at the quivering woman, the emperor questioned her in a stern voice.
“You work for the House of Elemoer, yes?”
“…Y-Yes. Please spare me… sob…”
At the emperor’s nod, the attendant removed the maid’s blindfold.
When she saw the man wearing the imperial crown, her face went pale, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.
“I am Deus Karl Clyde, Emperor of the Empire. The reason I summoned someone as lowly as you is for the sake of national security—to ask about Catrin Elemoer. Your mistress.”
“Y-Your Majesty…! Hah… Y-Your Majesty the Emperor!”
At the mention of “Emperor,” the maid immediately pressed her forehead to the floor.
The emperor stepped closer, lowered himself slightly to her level, and asked in a hushed voice:
“If you answer truthfully, I may offer you a position in the Imperial Palace. From a duke’s household slave to working in the palace—an enormous leap in status for someone like you.”
The maid slowly raised her wavering eyes and met the emperor’s.
“But if you refuse to speak… you’ll face a harsh punishment. So, what will it be?”
Seeing both fear and greed flickering in her gaze, the emperor smirked.
Yes. What loyalty could such lowly creatures possibly have to their masters?
“Tell me about Catrin Elemoer.”
He continued:
“Has she been in contact with any suspicious individuals? Been involved with shady factions? Received aid from unknown sources…?”
Straightening up, he asked further:
“Or has anything changed since the Duke of Elemoer was alive?”
When someone’s behavior becomes suspicious, it leaves a mark. Especially for those living under the same roof—servants always have a sharp nose for secrets.
The maid fell into deep thought for a moment, then parted her trembling lips.
“Ah! Y-Yes. There is something.”
The emperor’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“Really? Speak.”
“T-The thing is… our young lady…”
The emperor leaned in slightly, listening intently to what the maid had to say.
***
I chuckled quietly as I looked at Anes smiling in front of me.
The Scavengers had informed me that the emperor’s servant was keeping watch near the estate, and I immediately sensed that the emperor was suspicious of me—and would likely abduct one of my employees.
Apparently, my efforts to support Eti were showing through somewhere.
When Heros volunteered to be the one kidnapped, Anes, who had happened to be nearby, stepped in instead.
—“Butler-nim is too close to the young lady, so they might not take him.”
—“Anes?”
—“Please leave it to me. I’ll do a really good job. I’ll do anything for the young lady.”
In the end, we briefed Anes on what she needed to say, and she successfully returned from her mission.
“He believed everything I said.”
Just as I had guessed, the emperor asked if anything about me had changed lately—whether any suspicious people had been coming to the house.
And Anes had responded:
“Your Majesty, the young lady has become even more violent. The servants’ screams never stop in the mansion. I myself was suddenly scalded with boiling water by her—that’s why I look like this now.”
Anes lifted her sleeve dramatically, revealing a scar she got when she was seven from a prank gone wrong.
“Her personality is so foul that she has many enemies. These days, she’s studying all sorts of brutal torture methods to kill them. She brings in criminals to experiment on.”
Anes shivered as if terrified. Her acting skills were seriously impressive.
“The worst torture I saw… she would spread the legs and smash the thighs with a thick club—there were screams like ‘Aaargh!’ ‘Gwaaah!’—and you know those irons used for pressing clothes? She would brand bare skin with it, sizzle—! I stopped there, and His Majesty grimaced like he was about to throw up and shouted at me to stop.”
After finishing her dramatic monologue, Anes bowed, grinning like she’d just won an award.
Good thing I taught her some K-style interrogation techniques from historical dramas.
“And then he muttered to himself, ‘No wonder she’s lost her mind doing things like that. No need to hear more.’”
It seemed Anes’s performance had completely fooled the emperor.
“Anes really pulled off something big. I’m so glad it worked,” Heros said.
Nodding at his words, I took a step closer to Anes and placed both hands gently on her shoulders.
I whispered kindly:
“Thank you so much, Anes.”
I saw her eyes shimmer with emotion.
“Young lady…”
“Heros. Give her the bonus I mentioned before.”
“No, it’s really okay…”
“Take it. You absolutely deserve it. You protected me. You did something no one else could.”
At my words, Anes shook her head as if to deny it.
“No, any maid from the Elemoer household would’ve done the same. Everyone’s willing to do anything for you.”
I shook my head slightly, as if to say, Don’t flatter me.
All I’d done was provide fair working hours, reasonable pay, and basic welfare—what kind of saint did that make me?
After a moment of hesitation, Anes accepted the money. And then she added:
“Today, with this money, I’m going to buy some delicious food and share it with all the maids and servants, saying it’s from you.”
“Wait, you don’t need to use your bonus for that…”
“Thanks for the meal, Young Lady!”
But before I could stop her, Anes beamed and dashed out of the room.
I looked at the closed door and shrugged.
Well, if it makes her happy, what can I say?
‘In any case, we made it through.’
I had expected a confrontation with ‘the emperor’s suspicion’ eventually—but it had passed surprisingly smoothly.
BEEP-
As Piyo tilted his head while perched on my desk, I petted him and checked my watch.
