Chapter 14

“It’s hunting.”

I replied calmly.

Before he could say that such a thing was obvious and boring, I quickly added, “The prey, of course, is a human… The three of us.”

“Your Majesty—!”

Marquis Jacques cried out in embarrassment.

However, Raniero’s gaze had already been nailed to me. He restrained Marquis Jacques by lightly raising his left hand.

“Keep talking.”

“…All the people of the Actilus Empire are descendants of Actilla, the God of war. I heard that everyone, regardless of gender or age, cultivates the skills to become a soldier at any moment. Therefore, I thought this would be a good game for entertainment.”

“Hoo…”

This was where it mattered.

Even I can’t be prey. So, I had to gamble…

“Though I am different. As you know, I have a chronic illness… They wouldn’t release sick rabbits on the hunting grounds. It would break the excitement, and the amusement would all burn away.”

“Aha, then you… Are you going to get out of this on your own? Now that I’m wasting my time here, as you said, isn’t it your responsibility?”

“I’ll do my best, Your Majesty.”

I was out of breath.

The situation right now was excruciatingly tense. With every word I spoke, Raniero’s face lit up brightly.

…That was my only hope.

“Until winter, I will devote myself to becoming an excellent prey for His Majesty the Emperor’s hunting grounds, so…”

I bowed my back before finishing my words.

“Please, postpone the ‘Angelica Hunt’ for future enjoyment.”

I then bent down a little more, hiding the fact that I was biting my lip so as not to faint. Silence fell for a moment in the audience room though it was only after a few moments before Marquis Jacques bounced back.

“Your Majesty, this is absurd! A proposal that didn’t make sense like that…!”

It was within expectations that he would retaliate.

And, I wanted him to react like that.

‘Well, thank you for that.’

Thank you for letting me say the prepared lines.

“Calm down, Marquis Jacques!”

I exclaimed sternly. Thankfully, the elegance of Angelica’s body was a big help. As Marquis Jacques just looked at me in amazement, I added.

“A cause, justification… Is it that important? Because of your humble cause, His Majesty has thrown away the time he could have spent more joyfully elsewhere to come here!”

“Y, you…!”

“It’s the same with the budget issue. If only you had gone through me first, His Majesty wouldn’t have been bothered like this!”

Let’s pause here and take a break before things change to a very bizarre and strange tone.

At the thought, I took a breath before concluding my remarks.

“Though now, are you really dissatisfied?”

I then glared at Marquis Jacques with a fierce force in my eyes. Simultaneously, I did my best to make my soft face look as scary as possible.

“If you are a loyal servant of His Majesty Raniero, shouldn’t you be proud to be a stag for the Emperor’s entertainment? Could there be any greater honor than this?”

As I let out all the words and took a deep breath, from the throne…

Clap, clap, clap.

A slow applause was heard.

“Indeed.”

Raniero’s voice was as deep as a sweet scent.

“This kind of Empress isn’t bad.”

I could barely stand. The fact that my legs were about to give up at those words.

…I passed.

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

The Vice Minister wailed.

“How can I make my old mother do such a cruel thing?! Please, only me… let me be the only one who does that!”

“How rude. How could you say that?”

The beautiful Emperor laughed lowly.

“Didn’t the Empress tell you? It’s your honor to be a deer for my entertainment…”

“Your Majesty—”

“As the Empress said, all three of you are guilty. The Empress was foolish and failed to stop you from coming to me while trembling with torment. Conversely, you were trying to use me to satisfy your personal resentment against the Empress.”

Raniero knew.

A cause was only a means. The resentment of Marquis Jacques was personal. Because he didn’t choose Sylvia as Empress, he guessed that one day, something like this would happen.

He knew it all…

He knew it, but he didn’t care, considering there was no reason for him to care for such a personal desire. Picking up the Empress by throwing a dagger in whichever direction it went at the Empress’ Palace was much more fun than making the Marquis Jacques happy.

Besides, if Sylvia had become Empress…

Thinking so, Raniero’s gaze turned to the Empress, who was trembling like a swaying tree.

‘Could I have gotten such an empress?’

Sylvia was nice and beautiful, although she was not at all fresh and boring.

In the end, Marquis Jacques and his mother were dragged away, shouting. As the door closed, the audience room became as quiet as what had just happened was all a lie. Meanwhile, the Empress stood quietly there, waiting for permission to leave. Even though she was staying calm, she looked very desperate.

Raniero suddenly did not want to allow it.

Tormenting that woman evokes a very shallow current of pleasure. It was tantalizing, yet it was not bad. In a world where bad and troublesome things were everywhere, things that aren’t bad are more rare than you think.

With that thought, he rose slowly from his throne and approached the Empress.