Chapter 139
*
“What is that guy!”
Late at night, in the large bathhouse of the Imperial Palace.
Luna was grumbling in the hot, steamy water.
“Such an arrogant jerk.”
“Your Majesty, getting angry is not good for your health.”
The one who said that was Daisy, a maid with her hair tied in a ponytail.
She was none other than the one in charge of Luna’s bath.
For Luna, who valued cleanliness, bathing was a significant ritual.
Naturally, Daisy, who held such an important responsibility, could be considered Luna’s confidante.
“How can I not be angry! That man dares to mock me and the Imperial Family.”
“That would be a crime of disrespect.”
“Yes. A crime of disrespect. Execution. Execution….”
Daisy was skillfully trimming Luna’s nails.
Under her touch, Luna felt her tense heart gradually relax.
Leaning back, she gazed at the ceiling.
The bathhouse she frequented in the Imperial Palace focused more on cleanliness than luxury.
The pure white bathhouse was spotless, and the water temperature was always maintained at a constant level by magic.
It was truly a sanctuary.
After finishing Luna’s nails, Daisy began to trim her toenails.
Suddenly curious, Luna opened her mouth.
“You, who spend all your time in the palace, must have never seen Tristan.”
“No. I saw him for the first time not long ago.”
“Oh…? How was he?”
Daisy, who was soaping between Luna’s toes, paused.
“May I be honest?”
“……Now that you ask, I feel uneasy. Fine. Go ahead. Don’t lie to me.”
“He was a handsome man….”
“Handsome…? Are you serious?”
That face? Luna frowned.
“Yes. Embarrassingly, I couldn’t help but keep looking at him.”
“Hmph. Daisy, you really have no taste. If you go out into the city tomorrow, you’ll find plenty of men better than him.”
“Is that so? It might be as Your Majesty says….”
“But?”
“But among all the men I’ve seen so far, none have had such an outstanding appearance. For a man to have such a beautiful face….”
Daisy’s face turned red as if recalling Tristan’s appearance.
Seeing her look like a love-struck girl, Luna snorted.
“Beautiful? With that long hair, he could easily be mistaken for a girl.”
“Then how does Your Majesty see him?”
“The more I look at him, the more I find his face annoying.”
Just the sight of that guy’s relaxed face made her blood boil.
Even today was no exception.
Luna could have played a game that favored her if she wanted to. But she didn’t resort to tricks. Revenge achieved through devious means wasn’t the kind of revenge she desired.
She wanted to win purely based on her skill in choosing the right pieces.
But Tristan used devious means.
Somehow, he managed to pick out the demon hiding among the many death row inmates.
And he did it so casually.
It was impossible unless he knew from the start.
The prisoners Luna had carefully chosen met a gruesome end at the hands of that one demon.
Though she didn’t want to admit it, she had lost.
Pouting, Luna extended her other foot to Daisy.
“……I don’t understand. Men shouldn’t be judged by their appearance alone.”
“Isn’t the Count competent?”
“Hmph. That’s a given. With such a vast and wealthy territory, competence is the bare minimum.”
“Ah…. It seems even Count Ruelberta falls short of Your Majesty’s standards.”
“That kind of man isn’t to my taste.”
After winning the game, Tristan had his subordinate subdue the demon.
It was overwhelming power.
The demon was literally torn apart by Helga Wolfbert’s hands.
In that regard, Luna’s judgment had been accurate.
Helga was too good for someone like Tristan.
Once the situation was resolved, Tristan immediately got up and returned to his mansion.
Leaving only one sentence behind.
-Expect a reward.
‘How dare….’
Luna gritted her teeth.
A reward? How dare he….
The gloves she had given him as a gift earlier came to mind, making her hands feel damp.
“…That guy doesn’t even look like a man to me. Ah, there…. That feels good. Keep going.”
“Yes.”
Daisy began meticulously cleaning Luna’s toes.
Watching her, Luna thought.
She couldn’t just kill Tristan.
He had to be thoroughly humiliated before being killed.
He had to be brought down to the depths of despair before being killed.
In her current state of mind, she felt she wouldn’t be satisfied until she made him kneel at her feet.
But it was still too early.
She had to bring Tristan down.
She had to make that arrogant face despair. Make him beg for his life.
Luna realized that this was the true revenge she desired.
She raised her head.
And looking at her reflection in the large mirror on the ceiling, she muttered.
“Do you think so too…?”
*
“Phew….”
After finishing my morning workout, I wiped off the sweat with a towel.
Having returned to the mansion late last night, I stopped by the workshop to wake up Albert and Barnet.
It was an urgent matter, so I had no choice.
Rubbing their sleepy eyes, they came out, and Helga opened the bag to show them the ‘remains’ of Rian.
Barnet’s first impression was this.
-Count… Did you commit a murder? Sorry, but we don’t want to be accomplices….
-No. Look closely.
-Huh?
Albert looked at Rian’s body with interest.
Well, it was hard to call it a body.
Thanks to Helga’s lightning, Rian was completely burned except for her head and upper body.
A wound that would have been instantly fatal to a human.
But her vitality was tenacious.
-A demon… A vampire, at that.
-Huh?! This is that scary monster??
Helga’s strike had put Rian in a state of suspended animation.
Watching her body slowly begin to regenerate, I spoke to them.
-Fix her so she can be used.
That was all.
I wanted to explain more, but I was too tired and returned to the mansion.
Albert and Barnet were top-tier craftsmen; they would understand what I meant. Besides, I had Helga stay at the workshop until the ‘repairs’ were done, so there was no need to worry.
After wiping off the sweat, I put on a shirt.
Yesterday’s results were quite satisfying.
First, we showed the Emperor and the Imperial Guard our unfiltered power.
Those present, including the Emperor and the Imperial Guard, must have fully understood.
The overwhelming combat power of Helga, who subdued a demon with a single punch. And they must have realized that this was the power of the Ruelberta Family.
And then, winning the game against the Emperor.
As I expected, she wanted a fair match with me.
The Emperor is a character burning with a desire for revenge against Ruelberta.
She might say she would use any means necessary for revenge, but her true goal is to bring down Ruelberta in a righteous manner.
That’s why she was the tragic Emperor who couldn’t defeat Tristan, who used every means possible.
From now on, I must strengthen the Empire’s power through a tense tug-of-war with her.
I cannot afford to lose. Defeat means death.
After buttoning up my shirt, I sat down in a chair.
Above all, the biggest gain from yesterday was undoubtedly Rian.
If the Emperor represents good, then Rian is clearly evil.
The power of this bloodthirsty killer is real.
Considering how much trouble the protagonist party had dealing with Rian after her full awakening in the original story, she has room for growth.
Of course, she needs to be tamed….
Depending on how I handle her, she could become either a murderer or a useful pawn.
Even if she can’t be reformed, as long as she’s subdued, that’s enough.
Whether good or evil, all must bow before me.
Our true opponent hasn’t even appeared yet.
I picked up the stack of documents on my desk to start my work.
Why is there so much to do….
I couldn’t even complain.
That’s when it happened.
Bang-!
The office door was flung open as if it would break.
The one who rushed in was a face I knew well.
“Blanshe….”
“Count!”
“You really have no manners. Breaking into my office like that again….”
As I was sharply criticizing her, I noticed something was off.
Blanshe, who was always neat, had disheveled hair, and her usually expressionless face was filled with confusion.
It was unlike her, who always maintained her composure.
“I’m sorry! B-but only you can….”
“…No need to explain. What’s wrong?”
Caught in the serious atmosphere, I asked Blanshe.
With tearful eyes, she said to me.
“Please save our lady….”
