~Chapter 1~
Crash!
The sharp sound of something shattering echoed through the imperial palace reception room.
Fragments of a teacup littered the floor, along with a silver spoon that had turned completely black.
“Is this not the poison I gave you to feed the Emperor?”
Overcome with betrayal, Duke Lauchen seized his daughter by the throat with one hand.
“How dare you return to me the poison I entrusted to you! You ungrateful wretch!”
He had expected her to beg for forgiveness.
Instead, Izaya smiled.
“You were going to discard me after I poisoned the Emperor anyway. So I betrayed you first. What’s wrong with that?”
The duke stared at her in disbelief.
“If only you had borne a child, I would have honored you as the Empress Dowager. But you failed, did you not?”
It had already been over six years since the Emperor came of age. Yet no heir had been born, and voices calling for a new Empress had begun to rise.
Worse still, rumors spread that the Emperor was secretly meeting the sister of the Grand Duke of Tares, fueling demands for Izaya’s removal.
If things continued this way, Duke Lauchen would lose everything.
So he decided to poison the Emperor.
“I even gave you a chance to make up for your failure… and yet you betrayed me. Do you truly believe the Emperor will spare you after everything you’ve done to him?”
Of course not.
Izaya had treated the Emperor like a foolish child in front of her father, belittling him without restraint.
She had even gone so far as to spy on him and report his actions.
And yet—
Even if she were torn apart and killed, she would never regret it.
If I hadn’t… you would have destroyed him.
To the public, Duke Lauchen was a virtuous and upright man—the Emperor’s noble father-in-law.
But it was all a façade.
With wealth, power, and military force in his grasp, he began tightening his control over the Emperor.
His ultimate goal—
To place his daughter’s child on the throne and rule the empire as regent.
But the Emperor grew more defiant with age.
Enraged, the duke eliminated his allies and even attempted to drug the sixteen-year-old Emperor into becoming a mindless puppet.
When Izaya learned of it, she had persuaded him.
“If something goes wrong, there might not be an heir. So please… wait until one is born.”
Convinced by her words, the duke waited.
But even at twenty-five, the Emperor still had no heir.
Of course he didn’t.
Though they had shared a room for years, the Emperor had never once laid a hand on Izaya.
And during those nine years of deception, Izaya quietly prepared a trap to bring her father down.
By now… he must have found it.
Her husband, guided by the Grand Duke of Tares, would have discovered evidence of treason—documents bearing her father’s own seal.
Every piece of it had been arranged by Izaya.
Still, there was one thing she could not understand.
“Why did you start a rebellion? You know it yourself—no one who isn’t of imperial blood can become Emperor.”
The bloodline of the imperial family, descendants of the founding hero, was sacred.
From childhood, every citizen grew up hearing tales of the founding Emperor. Every ten years, the entire empire celebrated his legacy.
Only those recognized by the sacred relic—passed down since the founding—could ascend the throne.
Even if Duke Lauchen staged a rebellion, no one would accept him in a society built on bloodline.
And he knew that better than anyone.
“Give up now,” Izaya urged. “Who knows? The Emperor might spare your life.”
Smack!
The duke’s hand struck her pale cheek mercilessly.
He glared at her as if he might kill her, then slowly smiled.
“You’re right. Only those of imperial blood can become Emperor. That’s why I’ve already found someone worthy to place on the throne—someone of purer lineage than Ernfried.”
Izaya’s brow furrowed.
That’s impossible. All the imperial bloodline… except him…
The sacred relic, the Chaotic Orb, responded only to the Emperor’s direct bloodline.
And yet—
Before she could finish the thought, the duke tightened his grip around her throat.
“Now that you understand my future, you may die without worry. Your death will give me the perfect justification to enthrone a new Emperor.”
Her lips parted in pain as he forced the poisoned tea down her throat.
She struggled, but half of it slid down her esophagus.
Her body began to weaken.
I won’t die like this.
Even in death, she would drag him down with her.
Gripping a shard of porcelain, Izaya prepared to stab it into her father’s neck—
“Izaya!”
A voice she had longed to hear rang out.
Thud!
A heavy impact followed.
The hand strangling her fell away.
Izaya looked up with trembling eyes at the man who caught her.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with a physique like a trained knight.
Radiant silver hair, and striking violet eyes.
Her husband—
Emperor Ernfried.
How… did he get here so fast?
He had been in the north. It should have taken at least a week to return.
And yet—
Why is he alone?
When he left, he had been with the Grand Duke of Tares. Now, not a single attendant stood by his side.
A sense of dread crept in.
Then—
Ring! Ring!
The emergency bell rang loudly.
Duke Lauchen, who had been pretending to be unconscious.
“Tch. Trying to hasten his death.”
Ern drew his sword and moved to pursue him—
But a hand grabbed his wrist.
Izaya.
“Knights will be here soon. We need to get out!”
Even if the duke died, it wouldn’t be over.
If there really is another imperial… this isn’t checkmate.
But Ern only looked down at her coldly.
Of course… he doesn’t trust me.
“Come.”
He pulled her along.
* * *
Ern led Izaya through a hidden passage.
Good… he’ll be hard to find here.
Just as she relaxed—
“You’re breathing heavily.”
Startled, she pulled her hand away.
“Let go. I can walk on my own.”
But his grip didn’t loosen.
At this rate… I’ll only slow him down.
Smack!
She slapped his hand away.
“You’d be better off leaving me behind. Unless you want to die here like a fool.”
No response.
“There’s an imperial among the rebels.”
His gaze sharpened.
“So what?”
“You know what that means. You’ve neglected state affairs.”
The only reason he had been safe was because he was the sole imperial.
Now—
That advantage was gone.
“The nobles who supported you only did so to oppose my father. But if I go with you… even they might abandon you.”
That should be enough for him to leave me.
“I’m not going.”
“What? Didn’t you hear—”
“Doesn’t matter.”
His grip tightened.
“So don’t even think about running.”
Izaya laughed weakly.
Run? I want to stay with you more than anyone… but I don’t have time.
Suddenly—
Cough—!
Blood spilled from her lips as her body collapsed.
Ern caught her instantly.
“You… what did you do?”
His voice hardened.
I just wanted to make you happy…
He was the only warmth in her life. The only person she considered family.
But her father had slowly stripped everything from him.
So she chose—
To destroy her father instead.
She had planted false evidence.
Forged circumstances.
Created a narrative:
The duke murdered the Empress and framed the Grand Duke of Tares to start a rebellion.
All to make it real.
Her original plan—
To die by her father’s hand, and bring him down with her.
It failed… but I can still do something for you.
“Don’t want to see your face when I die. So… just go.”
Ern’s expression twisted.
Yes… hate me.
But—
That pain hurt more than the poison.
Be happy…
At that moment—
Boom!
The hidden passage door shattered open.
“They’re here!”
Rebels poured in.
“Kill the Emperor!”
Ern stood still, staring only at Izaya.
That—
Was the last thing she saw.
