My Wife the Empress is Becoming Frightening

23. That’s not going to work

Episode 23

Lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, I slightly lowered my head.

What catches my eye is the image of my wife sleeping in my arms, not wearing a single thread. No, to be precise, I didn’t fall asleep, but fainted.

Recently, he hadn’t been able to hold Haria because he had been held captive by Marianne. In addition to the accumulated desires, I was asked to do so unexpectedly, and honestly, I lost my reason.

As a result, Marianne passed out as soon as the relationship ended.

Shall I reflect a little?

“Yes… … Isaac?”

“Are you awake?”

Marianne narrowed her eyes and looked up at me. She was in a daze for a while, but soon she remembered what she had done with me and wanted to open her eyes wide, then lowered her head.

It’s my first time, so I understand, but I hope you don’t act so cute. My body reacts to the point where the things I’ve been reflecting on become meaningless.

I spoke to her as a way to restrain myself from trying to resurrect at the sight of Marianne digging deeper into my arms while feeling embarrassed.

“What kind of change of heart did you have?”

“ah… … .”

Embarrassed by my question, Marianne raised her head for a moment, then burrowed into her arms again. I let her hold me in my arms, but with her head up, our eyes met.

Marianne tried to turn her head several times, as if she didn’t want to answer, but when I didn’t allow it, she eventually brought out the words she had locked up in her heart little by little.

“… … It was hard.”

I didn’t rush Slowly and patiently, he waited for Marianne to pour out everything.

Then, the words that came out sparsely at first started to burst out like a waterfall.

Like the resentment of the rotten emperor and the imperial family.

The death of a respected grandfather and parents.

She had been coughing up blood to protect herself and her younger sister.

Things that trampled on those who looked down on them and proved to those who doubted them.

After hearing the story, I could tell that Marianne had been very tired from before. The search for the traitor this time was just one factor.

Inside her, she was still a little girl who lost her family at a young age and was thrown into the world.

“I accomplished my revenge and ascended to the position of emperor, but I was still lonely. I didn’t want to appear weak and thought I shouldn’t lean on it, but in reality I needed someone to lean on.”

She thought it would be better to die alone than to give her body and mind to anyone, but when she came to her senses, it seems that she wanted me.

To be honest, as a man, I am very happy.

“You won’t betray me, right? You won’t fool me, right? Won’t you die?”

“The answer to the first two is yes. I can’t promise you the last one, but I swear I’ll try not to die.”

Of course, like all normal people, I had no desire to die.

But I don’t know whether I’ll be able to not die, like all normal people.

I’m not even a god Especially in my case. Marianne knew that, even roughly, so she didn’t bite down on that part.

“You promised. I gave you my whole body and mind If you break your promise, I will kill you. It’s no use running away. Because I am the emperor of the empire Wherever you go, I will definitely find you. Even if it means burning the entire continent.”

I’ve heard similar words a few times before, but at that time, the other person unilaterally forced me, not promised.

But what about this case? Is it because Marianne is the emperor? The scale definitely feels different.

“Then the talk is over.”

I was holding back because I was in the middle of an important story, but in the end, desire overcame reason and declared resurrection. Excuse me, it’s not my fault.

Since the sense of touch was not blocked, the soft skin touching her body was felt even during the conversation, and Marianne’s sweet scent continued to stimulate her nose even after the affair.

So, wouldn’t there be no choice but to resurrect?

Isaac Rise.

“Wait a minute.”

“huh?”

Marianne, who was about to accept me back with a light smile, restrained me with a frown as if she had suddenly remembered something.

Thanks to that, I became like a dog waiting for food in front of me.

“I’m not saying I won’t do it, so don’t look at me with such pitiful eyes.”

Caught.

“I have one thing to check. you… … “Did you do it with Haria?”

“huh.”

I promised not to cheat, and I had no intention of cheating in the first place. There’s no way that Marianne wouldn’t have noticed my clumsy lie.

I replied, being careful to protect myself with my aura at any time, but Marianne sighed unexpectedly, pushed me away, and didn’t get up and pull out her sword.

“Ha, it was like that. Did I touch Haria, who thought her identity was certain because I told her not to hug an unknown woman?”

“huh.”

To be precise, it was Haria who said that, but I agreed, so that must be it.

“Not anymore. Not just Haria, but all the women in the world other than me. okay?”

“huh.”

“… … good. come in.”

went in

—

late night. Duke Jericho, who was absorbed in reading as a hobby in his personal library, inadvertently raised his head at a strange feeling and was shocked.

It was because someone wearing a hound mask was staring at him.

“It’s been five minutes, but now you know.”

“Who are you?”

Despite feeling undeniable fear, Duke Jericho pretended to be calm. He was recognized as an Imperial Knight when he was younger.

Although not of his own will, Fabian Géricault entered the Imperial Academy and trained to become a knight for several years, following the instructions of his predecessor who was an outstanding knight.

As the name of the Imperial Knight on the continent means, it is a world of thorough merit supremacy. Even if you had a duke’s back, you couldn’t be recognized as a knight if you didn’t have skills.

It was the same with the previous emperor, when all sorts of corruption and bad habits arose. Fabian Jericho was recognized for his skills and became an Imperial Knight, where he had steadfastly kept his convictions even in the reign of the tyrannical emperor.

so you know

‘Even though it’s different from when I was active, I didn’t even feel it?’

If the hound in front of her had made up her mind, she could have decapitated herself without anyone noticing.

“I looked down on you a bit because you realized it a little late, but you truly have the title of a duke. It is impressive to see him pretending to be calm in order to infer his true identity while not being rashly provoked.”

The visitor, an uninvited guest, took off his mask, revealing his face. At this, the Duke of Jericho couldn’t help but be even more flustered.

“You obviously… ?”

“My name is Haria. Please understand the sudden visit with great generosity.”

I knew it was a hound from the hound mask, but even so, it was an unexpected visitor, so Duke Jericho’s head began to spin rapidly.

‘That woman used to be the Empress’ limb, but now she’s working under Isaac. Then which one sent it?’

“Neither way. I came here on my own volition.”

Controlling himself from being surprised by the words that seemed to read his thoughts, Duke Jericho recalculated.

“Did you come alone? It’s unmatched.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

Isaac is famous for caring for his subordinates terribly.

Even after he became the chief of the hounds, how stupid government officials and aristocrats, who couldn’t read the changing times, suffered as they tried to play hounds as before.

The most famous incident must have been that of Count Graham. He was dissatisfied with Isaac and secretly tried to mess with the hounds, and his entire family, including himself, went missing for two weeks.

The disappearance itself was covered up by the Imperial Intelligence Agency, and the Graham family returned half-dead. After that, the nobility and officials of the system could properly know who the owner of the hounds was.

“There’s no way he would send his men alone to the duke’s mansion.”

“… … Did that happen?”

Haria’s embarrassed appearance was not acting. It was something I really didn’t know.

Hearing the story, Duke Jericho looked at Haria, who muttered something to herself with red cheeks, with eyes full of suspicion.

“If it wasn’t from His Majesty, or from Sir Isaac to kill me, what reason did you come here?”

“Really. The boss always… … Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

“… … I asked what happened to you.”

When the duke asked again, Haria corrected her expression and answered.

“I have come to offer you a deal.”

“transaction?”

Anger soon surged in the Duke’s heart, who felt dumbfounded by Haria’s answer.

‘Does a hound dog dare to offer me a deal?’

Although he would admit his ability to kill signs right in front of his eyes, he did not think that he would lose even in a head-to-head match.

It’s a personal study, so there’s no such thing as a weapon, but if you risk getting hurt and go outside the study to find a weapon… … .

‘If you look for it, what? That monster kills his beloved subordinate?’

My head went cold at once.

As soon as he remembered Isaac’s presence, the duke, who was able to regain his composure in an instant, looked at Haria and said,

“Let’s hear the story first.”

“Before that, there is one thing to check.”

“check?”

“yes. I know it’s rude, but after researching it, it seems that the duke’s thoughts are quite different from what is known.”

The continent’s strongest human nation, the Blata Empire. Even in that empire, it is the Duke Jericho family that holds the power second only to the emperor.

The duke’s family did not maintain their power until now simply because they were founding contributors.

The previous duke made a name for himself by actively using his innate military power to subdue demons, and the current duke is highly regarded for his excellent ability to read current times.

As such, not only the strength of the family, but also the heads of the times are outstanding, so their ambitions have always been questioned.

“That’s why people in the world think that the duke would have a deep interest in the position of emperor, but somehow I thought differently. Duke, are you interested in the position of emperor?”

“I won’t even give it to you.”

It was not to avoid this position, but the true intention of Duke Fabian Géricault.

“Your Majesty said at the time of the rebellion that he would abdicate the position of emperor to one of us, but I don’t believe that, even if others don’t know.”

The abdication itself had many ways. The lineage of the previous emperor and the imperial family who were attached to him were all annihilated, but that did not mean that the blood of the imperial family was cut off.

Without having to go far, there were the Empress herself’s sister, and there were many others who fled or were banished outside the system.

If you mix blood with such people, it would be possible to abdicate. Unless the Empress changes her mind.

“As there is no absolute in the world, there is no guarantee that His Majesty’s heart will not change, and above all, I don’t care about anything else as long as my family can survive.”

In other words, Fabian Géricault’s desire for power and ambition meant maintaining the status quo. He already had power close to the strongest, but it was meaningless to aim for something bigger, and even if he did, the risk was too great.

All Fabian Jericho wants is to ensure that his family and power remain safe and continue. To him, the Jericho family was incomparably more precious than the Empire.

The mentality that the Empire needs to survive for the Jericho family to exist.

Haria confirmed it and said with a smile.

“You are exactly what I expected.”