“I heard you enjoyed a walk alone with the Empress.”

　　In the dim night, Kavil Helius asked Brianne upon returning to his bedroom.

　　It had been quite some time since he showed any interest in Brianne’s daily life. Until now, all she had heard of his voice was his breathless panting, elated by pleasure.

　　“Yes, Your Majesty. I felt so suffocated staying only in the bedroom.”

　　Brianne replied, quietly hanging her head like a thief that had been caught.

　　“Then I shall assign a servant to you so that you may go out and get some fresh air.”

　　“I-I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”

　　Finally, get a companion fifteen days after coming here!

　　Brianne’s eyes welled up with excitement, only to cover her mouth and look away as she hid her embarrassment.

　　“If there is anything you need, ask for whatever it may be. There is nothing I cannot grant for you, Brianne.”

　　Gazing at Brianne with pity, Kavil gently embraced her.

　　“Even if it is the Empress’s crown.”

　　Brianne’s entire body trembled in Kavil’s arms as he whispered in her ear.

　　“Your Majesty. I have no interest in such things.”

　　When she finally spoke, the end of Brianne’s sentence shook with fear.

　　“If Your Majesty had not appeared at the mansion that day, I would long be dead. My life belongs to you, Your Majesty. Your Brianne is more than content with just Your Majesty’s love, as it is now.”

　　Her whisper, like the chirping of a young bird, was exceedingly suitable to satisfy the possessive Kavil.

　　“Are you saying you are content even when everyone in the palace points fingers at you, calling you little more than my mistress, a pretty plaything?”

　　“But it is a fact that this lowly paramour is Your Majesty’s lover. And hearing those words did not completely offend me. It is proof that they acknowledge my beauty.”

　　At Brianne’s naive reply, Kavil burst into laughter.

　　“This is what I like about you. You are like an ignorant, spoiled child.”

　　Chuckling, he began stripping off Brianne’s nightgown.

　　“Did the Empress or her ladies-in-waiting act harshly toward you?”

　　“No, Your Majesty. They were all polite and elegant, just like Her Majesty the Empress.”

　　Judging that it was best not to speak of the Empress who had accused her of being a whore or the head lady-in-waiting who had glared and threatened her, Brianne made a clumsy excuse.

　　“Her Majesty the Empress was someone who was truly suited to being the Mother of this Empire. Please do not divorce Her Majesty, sire.”

　　Kavil loosened all the strings tying her nightshirt. The top Brianne was wearing sloughed off smoothly, soon revealing her pale mounds.

　　“Who becomes Empress is for me, the Emperor, to decide. No one can meddle in that decision. Not even you, Brianne.”

　　“P-Please forgive this lowly paramour, Your Majesty. It appears I have made a slip of the tongue.”

　　The moment she heard Kavil’s voice grow stiff, Brianne whispered back in terror, thinking she had offended him.

　　Kavil stared at her in silence.

　　Brianne Paradia was beautiful, but she was too young and had no political experience. She had neither ambition nor calculation, nor did she hail from a family grounded in power. She was utterly unfit to occupy the burdensome seat of Empress. If he proclaimed Brianne as Empress, fierce opposition from the majority of the nobility was expected. Even families favorable to Helius would likely turn their backs.

　　The current Empress, Bertin, was doing her assigned duties far too faithfully and well, and every day, he felt that her own faction of supporters was solidifying.

　　If he ousted the Empress and Duke Bertin, how many families would support this woman? Even if all the power of those families were combined, it would fall far short of matching the House of Bertin.

　　Moreover, he didn’t know whether that damn Johannes Heisack was dead or alive. He was confident that with “their” skills, they had handled him well, but as he hadn’t seen Heisack’s corpse with his own eyes yet, it was too early to conclude he was dead.

　　If Heisack were alive and he and Bertin deliberately joined hands…

　　He had to act before they joined forces and plotted a conspiracy. Even if it wasn’t Grand Duke Heisack himself, he had to depose the Empress before Heisack’s followers aligned with her. And to do that, as quickly as possible, Brianne Paradia had to…

　　Kavil’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Brianne’s half-naked body.

　　“Your Majesty…”

　　Brianne looked up at Kavil with her emerald eyes.

　　“Do not expect to sleep tonight.”

　　“Y-Your Majesty…!”

　　“Focus, Brianne.”

　　“S-Slower… Nngh!”

　　“That is the wrong thing to say.”

　　Laying Brianne down on the bed, Kavil violently stripped off her remaining clothes.

　　“At times like this, you should be begging me to take you.”

　　“Ah!”

　　“Is this not the only thing you can do to please me? So… Haah… Please me!”

　　“Your Majesty! Ah…!”

　　Desire soaked in passion began exploring inside her more violently than ever before.

　　It was a relentless night.

　　Brianne cried about five times before finally passing out, with Kavil endlessly claiming her until he left the bedroom just before sunrise.

* * *

　　Emperor Kavil Helius’s birthday.

　　This year’s birthday banquet was held with particular grandiosity, on strict orders from Kavil. A means to display his authority to the whole world.

　　But in the massive central plaza of the Imperial Palace, just before the Emperor’s celebratory address was to be announced…

　　“It’s Heisack! Johannes Heisack!”

　　The one marching into the palace entrance leading an order of knights was Grand Duke Heisack.

　　He had a fair, smooth face, hardly resembling a knight who had just returned from war. A handsome man who seemed as if he had never smelled the stench of blood, one who did not suit slaughter in the slightest. Johannes Heisack.

　　A man with ebony hair, the bridge of his nose shadowed by those locks, and flawless blue eyes. A deep gaze that desired everything and nothing all at once. With broad shoulders and a tall stature, he was, quite literally, a perfectly handsome man.

　　He had joined the border war by imperial command and had just returned to the palace after a year, timed precisely to the Emperor’s birthday.

　　Bowing his head before the Emperor, Johannes shed the layers of armor he wore one by one. Before His Majesty’s absolute authority, no one could remain armed.

　　When he laid even the sword bestowed by the former Emperor, Kavil’s father, onto the ground, scars of war ill-fitting his magnificent beauty revealed themselves. On his neck, arms, and shoulders, some had nearly healed and some were still oozing red, causing the noble ladies to knit their brows.

　　Yet turning one’s eyes away from Johannes’s beautiful male body was no easy task. His intimidating frame, sculpted muscles, and fierce gaze suited to raw instinct captured the eyes of young and old, male and female alike.

　　“My word, look at that…”

　　The ladies enjoying the party hid their lower faces behind fans, busily sneaking glances at his sturdy, massive torso.

　　“Magnificent.”

　　“What a body… I’d love to be held in those arms.”

　　“How lewd of you.”

　　The ladies giggled, forgetting their decorum.

　　“Isn’t Grand Duke Heisack the nephew of the late Emperor? Somehow he seems to resemble the former Emperor even more than His Majesty does…”

　　“The late Emperor was Grand Duke Heisack’s maternal uncle, so it’s no wonder they look alike.”

　　“The late Emperor was an extraordinarily handsome man. Sadly, His Majesty took after his mother more.”

　　“His Majesty the Emperor is certainly handsome, with his trained body and sharp features. But Grand Duke Heisack, with his strong resemblance to the late Emperor, is…”

　　They chattered for a long time, evaluating the men’s looks.

　　There hadn’t been any word from an advance party of his return, and so Heisack was an uninvited guest. Nevertheless, the uninvited guest had drawn the attention of everyone at the banquet, and so the Emperor’s mood turned foul.

　　The moment he heard Heisack’s name, Emperor Kavil, sitting in the highest seat, turned to stone. He had been convinced that his cousin Johannes was dead, or if not dead, at least a cripple who had lost an arm or a leg.

　　“…It seems you have returned alive.”

　　Omitting the phrase in such an infuriatingly intact condition, Kavil clenched his jaw and stood from his seat. Then, with a gentle smile, he welcomed Johannes.

　　“You seem disappointed that I have.”

　　Johannes had leaned close to his side and lowered his voice as he whispered into the Emperor’s ear in response.

　　“…What?”

　　Kavil furrowed his brows.

　　“As I am not immortal, I too will die someday. But not today. And certainly not by the hands of the likes of you. Even if only for the sake of my dear Maximilian.”

　　“Damn you, Heisack… How dare you utter such insolence in my presence…!”

　　Twisting and biting his lip, a vein bulged frighteningly on Kavil’s forehead.

　　“I am deeply grateful for your welcome, Your Majesty.”

　　Johannes, who had been speaking cockily to him, shifted his tone as he offered a bright smile, bowing at the waist in a courtly greeting overflowing with dignity.

　　“I greet Her Majesty the Empress.”

　　Having finished greeting the Emperor, Johannes immediately offered his greetings to Empress Tenebre. To which Tenebre gave him a nod and extended her right hand. Though not a single word was spoken, there was a sense of familiarity and trust between the two, built over years of knowing one another.

　　Johannes held her palm with his blood-stained grip, then he kissed the back of her hand in a show of sincere respect.