After the meeting, Duigi Angenas and Ethan Klaus returned to Empress Ravini’s palace.

  Flop!

  The sound of Duigi falling into the couch was loud.

  "It’s all……over." Duigi muttered, squeezing his head.

  In addition to being deprived of the territory of Angenas, he was eventually deprived of his position as the Western representative.

  "It’s a perfect play."

  Duigi was still dazed.

  "Pellet……The Pellet Company……"

  Should he be angry or afraid? He didn’t even have a clue.

  "The Deputy Head of Lombardy is the owner of the Pellet Company……Huh." He even laughed out of nowhere.

  "In that case, from the first time Clerivan Pellet came to lend money, no, from that time with Sousseau……No, that’s not it either." Duigi shook his head, muttering to himself.

  The reason they needed the Head of Sousseau was because the Western development project failed, and the reason that the project failed……Duigi Angenas covered his mouth with both hands.

  "Where in the hell did you start—"

  "Duigi." Standing on the back of the sofa, Empress Ravini called her younger brother coldly.

  "Shut up."

  The Empress, who shed sad tears while holding the Emperor’s sleeve in the conference hall, was nowhere to be found.

  Her complexion was white, but the fire remained in her eyes.

  Ravini curled up her hands looking at Duigi with a death glare, wanting to tear his mouth to stop its chattering.

  The leather of the chair made a horrifying noise as Ravini scratched her nails.

  "Jovanes, that cowardly man."

  It didn’t matter when the lowly Second Prince and Firentia Lombardy began to work together.

  In the end, it was Jovanes who put a knife in the back of Angenas.

  From the day he became engaged to Ravini, Jovanes had never been a decent spouse for a single moment.

  He was constantly weighing on Angenas and was only called to worship him, and then he would covet new women.

  Perez was the only illegitimate child that Ravini missed out on among the many seeds of infidelity.

  And that mistake was now strangling Ravini.

  "I should have killed him when he was in his mother’s womb." Ravini muttered coldly.

  "Now, isn’t it something we have to talk seriously about?"

  "……What?"

  "The Second Prince, if we apologize well enough for what you’ve done in the past, isn’t there a possibility that he might leave us alone?" Duigi said with blank eyes.

  "Or, if you call for Firentia Lombardy and try to get along with her……?" He nodded his head as if he liked his own idea.

  "Even if you kneel down and pray for three days and nights, do you think the Second Prince will leave Angenas alone?"

  "You don’t know until you try!" Duigi, who screamed at Ravini, even rose from his seat.

  "This is a decision I will make as the Head of Angenas. It’s useless even if my sister stops me—."

  "Ethan."

  "Yes, Empress."

  "Cut the tongue off of Duigi."

  The moment the order was given, Ethan Klaus stepped up to Duigi without any hesitation.

  "Wha……Sister……Empress!" Duigi freaked out and ran away.

  However, it happened in an instant, he was caught and Ethan forcibly opened his jaw.

  "Huh! …… uhhh!"

  It was when the dark dagger was about to dig into Duigi’s mouth.

  "Give it to me."

  Ravini’s white hand took the knife from Klaus and pointed it to Duigi’s eyes filled with fear.

  "Head of Angenas?" Ravini laughed in a faintly trembling voice.

  "You, who had done nothing for the family except being born as a son, had the gall to say that in front of me?"

  "No, uhh……" Duigi trembled and shed tears at the terrifying power of Ethan Klaus, who was holding his jaw.

  "As the Head of Angenas, you will apologize for that lowly thing?" Ravini’s blue eyes gleamed terribly.

  "Then I’ll have to tear your mouth so you can’t do that."

  "Ah! Ahhh!"

  The blade of the dagger cut a long tail of Duigi’s mouth.

  Red blood gushed out of the cracks.

  "Uh……uh……uh……!"

  Duigi couldn’t even scream. He held his torn mouth in his hand and trembled.

  "Now it’s a little quiet."

  Ravini threw the dagger next to Klaus.

  The blood-stained dagger rolled casually on the floor.

  "How did I come this far?" Ravini said, remembering the days when she had to endure all sorts of shame and humiliation to get the favor of Jovanes.

  And the only way out to deal with this situation crossed her head.

  "Indeed." A smile that can draw a chilling sensation on anyone formed on her red lips.

  "I am the Empress of this Lambrew Empire."

  The authority that the Second Prince and that adorable little girl have not yet taken away from her.

  And it will remain that way.

  Ravini summoned one of her maids who had been waiting outside.

  As soon as she entered, the maid, who saw the Head of Angenas bleeding from his mouth, became horrified and scared.

  "D-did you call, Empress?"

  "Go and call Maid Otua." Contrary to the horrible view of the room, Ravini’s voice was so calm.

  "Yes, Empress." The maid replied quickly and left the room, seemingly running away.

  ’Otua…… The head maid?’


  Duigi, who shuddered in terrible pain and was only focused on stopping the bleeding of his mount, opened his eyes wide.

  Maid Otua was the one who attended right next to the Emperor.

  ’No way.’


  And Ravini, who was looking at him, met his eyes.

  "You must have noticed it this time." Ravini threw her handkerchief at Duigi and laughed.

  "What happens if the Emperor dies without an appointed Crown Prince? You know, don’t you, Duigi?"

  "Haaa……b-but s-sister……"

  "Yes, I have the authority to choose the next heir to the throne."

  Gulp.

  Duigi swallowed unconsciously.

  The taste of metallic blood spread in his mouth but he was so shocked that he couldn’t even notice it.

  "If he can’t make my son the Crown Prince, then I will make my son the Crown Prince."

  After a while, Maid Otua stood in front of the Empress.

  "Did you call me, Empress……" Maid Otua said without even looking at Duigi’s side.

  "Where is His Majesty right now, Maid Otua?"

  "He hasn’t returned from the hunting yet."

  "If he’s gone hunting, he’ll be thirsty when he gets back."

  The Empress put down a small bottle in front of Maid Otua.

  Maid Otua closed her eyes tightly with her head down.

  This wasn’t the first time the Empress had put a ’small glass bottle’ in front of her.

  "What you gave me the other day…… it still half full."

  "I told you to pour all of it. You must have been lazy again." Empress Ravini spoke as if she were scolding a child.

  "It’s not that……"

  "Take it. It’s not different from that."

  At the words of the Empress, Maid Otua was forced to put the glass bottle in her pocket. Her fingertips were shaking to bits.

  "It’s the poison of a Tithi spider. Pour all of the contents in the bottle this time."

  Maid Otua knew well what that meant.

  From the time the Empress’ order began to poison the Emperor’s food little by little, she thought that this day would come.

  "What about my life?" Asked Maid Otua.

  "You’re asking an interesting question." Empress Ravini then said, raising one corner of her mouth crookedly.

  "Are you going to make a deal with me?"

  "That’s not what I meant! I only wish that even if I put this poison in His Majesty’s drink, my life would be spared……!"

  "Who is it that has allowed you to become the Head Maid now?"

  Maid Otua bit her lips.

  Although she was a maid, because of the influence of Empress Ravini she became a maid with a higher position.

  Towards the maid who was biting her lips and couldn’t say anything, Empress Ravini said.

  "Don’t forget that one of your blood is still in Angenas."

  "……Okay." Maid Otua only said a word of assent and returned to the palace of the Emperor.

  "Do you believe her?" Ethan Klaus, who was watching quietly, asked.

  "What if I don’t believe her?"

  "Then I will follow her."

  He meant to destroy the accessory to the murder.

  "I’m always happy for your loyalty, I know I can trust you." Empress Ravini said, sitting in a chair for the first time after entering the room.

  "A maid who poisoned the Emperor’s liquor with her own hands will be snitching on me? Should I be scared?"

  In addition, she held Head Maid Otua’s family hostage in the Angenas estate.

  "That maid cannot betray me." Ravini, who said so, ordered Ethan Klaus.

  "Go back to the mansion and prepare the troops of Angenas. And when I send a notice, bring them to the Imperial Palace."

  Empress Ravini picked up another handkerchief and said, wiping away the blood on her hands.

  "If His Majesty dies, some disturbing forces may do something dangerous."

  "I accept your orders, Empress." Ethan Klaus answered solemnly.

  But Ravini wasn’t looking at him. Her frowning eyes were on the blood splattered on her dress.

  It was a red bloodstain that was imprinted on the blue silk dress and would never be erased.

  ***

  The sun has set.

  A carriage carrying Emperor Jovanes returned to the palace and it was quite sometime later.

  Ravini, took off her blood-stained dress and changed into a new one, and sat alone.

  Ravini didn’t move, even bat her eyelashes, as if the flowing time were deflecting her.

  How much time has passed?

  "Empress!"

  Ravini turned her eyes straight towards the urgent voice calling her.

  "Your Majesty! The Emperor has fallen!"

  "What do you mean!?" Ravini shouted as she last checked herself in the mirror.

  Along with her dress, her jewelry was also replaced with simple ones.

  The Empress, dressed up nicely next to the dead Emperor, was not good to look at.

  "Well, I’ve just heard from the Imperial Palace……I think the Empress should go……!"

  "If it’s a false rumor, I’ll slit your throat!" The Empress burst open the door and shouted.

  She looked at the mirror a little while ago and only a surprised face remained from the sudden news.

  Ravini grabbed the hem of her dress and hurriedly walked to the Imperial Palace.

  As she neared the Emperor’s bedroom, the Empress smiled inwardly.

  This was because the chaotic atmosphere of the Imperial Palace was evidence that everything went according to plan.

  Once she got there.

  "Here you are, Empress." The Palace Doctor said as he was coming out of the Emperor’s bedroom wiping his sweat.

  Then he said with a sigh of relief.

  "The Emperor has safely overcome the crisis."