Chapter 7

"Am I making decisions about this?"

Saying so, Raniero's shrill voice was brimming with poisonous thorns.

My spine cooled.

At this point, I'd like to turn around saying, 'Yes, I apologize for bothering you, we'll figure this out on our own!' though I don't think it was the same for Marquis Jacques.

"It's a big deal. Please take care of it."

Hearing him, I glanced sideways at the Marquis Jacques while lying down.

Isn't this guy's liver coming out of the stomach?

'Why is he so confident...?'

It was true that Raniero cares quite a bit about running the empire. However... it was only a means to maintain the undisputed power of the Emperor. Because being at the top of the empire, you can do a lot of fun things (such as wars!)

The Empress was negligent and asked for an outrageous budget?

In Raniero's thought circuit, it's just a matter of modifying the budget. With his powers, reviews and corrective orders only take less than a few minutes.

Though if the Empress resisted the corrective order or secretly embezzled money that was not permitted, it would be a little problematic from then on.

'So, right now, this is...'

For Raniero, the Vice Minister was making a fuss over nothing, and what should have been a few minutes of corrective order had become something noisy.

'This is too dangerous.'

Not only that. In my opinion, the logic of Marquis Jacques was also strange.

Should he be accustomed to the Emperor?

For Emperor Raniero Actilus, all judgments are made with a 'no fun is a crime' type of attitude in short. The most important thing for Raniero is whether or not it is fun. However, Marquis Jacques was trying to 'persuade' Raniero with the 'justice' that it was important to the empire.

'Why is he doing that?'

Doesn't everyone know Raniero's brain? What's wrong with him?

For a moment, I was bewildered, and lightning struck in my head.

Don't tell me...

'Am I the only one who knows Raniero's head from the perspective of a third-person omniscient writer...?'

So this person, who was a servant, was 'misunderstanding' thinking that Raniero might be cruel, and pleasure-seeking, would care for the empire?

Doesn't he think that the prosperity of the empire will be nothing more than a means of the pursuit of pleasure for him...?

...Doesn't he know that Raniero must be humiliated or insulted in order to trample on someone with no actual damage, just to the point of disgrace?

Without realizing it, I lifted my body a little and glanced at Raniero.

He was already looking at my movement. Narrowing his eyes little by little, a smile crept across his lips.

His eyes seemed to say this...

'Come on, you.'

His blood-red eyes twinkle.

'I think I'm going to get angry. At least, try to entertain me.'

As I looked back at the hat of Marquis Jacques lying next to me, a series of lightning bolts of insight struck me in the head.

Raniero wants to punish them... in a fun way.

Because they bothered the Emperor with something that didn't matter.

"Please do your best. Wouldn't it be trouble if I get bored of this and kill the Empress..."

The morning after the first night came to my mind.

My lips became dry.

A sloppy plot that fell over just a budget? That doesn't pose any threat to me. The real danger would be not to provide satisfactory entertainment for Raniero, who has endured the annoying babbling and is waiting for the compensation.

My heart was pounding.

'I have an idea... but—'

I was confident that Raniero would definitely like it.

It was something in the original work, so I can vouch for it. Nevertheless, I was still hesitant. Since it can be expected from the point of view that it suited Raniero's taste, though that was a bit inhumanely stimulating.

Maybe it might be too much for Marquis Jacques...

That was then.

The esteemed Madam of Marquis Jacques, who had been laying her head on the floor the entire time, turned her head to my side.

Her face was contorted with earful hatred.

That's definitely—

It was not cute in the sense that I saw a boss whom I hated, though...

'I wish you would die, b*tch!'

It was a very intense emotion.

At that moment, I became very calm. My heart, which had been pounding, calmed down as well. Yes, that must be the case... If they let the mad Emperor intervene like this, they must have wanted to kill me.

When I saw that pure malice flashes in their eyes, I came to my senses.

If I don't kill them first, I will die.

I stood up.

Then, Raniero's expression, who was holding his chin at an angle, changed. He grinned with his face looking forward mischievously. No matter what, it's a beautiful face. Had he revealed his face a little more, I would have been in trouble.

I bowed her back deeply towards Raniero.

"Your Majesty, all of this is my fault and my negligence."

Raniero Actilus did not intervene as if to say more. I gazed down at the people who were lying flat, trying to make sure that my voice did not tremble.

"I should discuss the budget plan with them first. It hurts to hear that your Majesty the Emperor makes such a troublesome and tedious walk..."

"Empress."

Raniero called out to me softly as if to stop me.

I guess I should stop the introduction and get to the main point.

"Therefore, I would like to offer you an entertainment that will relieve your mood with gratitude and apology to His Majesty for enduring this tedious occasion."

Hearing my words, Raniero straightened his back and leaned his body slightly forward.

The response came quickly.

"What would you suggest?"

"It's hunting."

I replied calmly.

Before Raniero said 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.

But, 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 time. It would be a good game for entertainment."

"Hoo..."

This is where it matters.

Even I can't even be a prey. I had to gamble...

"Though I am different. As you know, I have a chronic illness... They don't release sick rabbits on the hunting grounds. It would break the excitement, and the negativity burns."

"Aha, then you... Are you going to get out on your own? Now that I'm wasting my time here, as you said, isn't it your responsibility?"

"I will do my best, Your Majesty."

I was out of breath.

The situation right now was excruciatingly tense. 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 game for His Majesty the Emperor's hunting grounds, so..."

I bowed my back.

"Please postpone the 'Angelica Hunt' for future enjoyment."

At that, I 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. It was the next moment that 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.

The elegance of Angelica's body was a big help. Marquis Jacques just looked at me in amazement.

"A cause, justification. Is it that important? For your humble cause, Your 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, Your Majesty wouldn't have been bothered like this!"

Let's pause here and take a break before it changes to a very bizarre and strange tone.

With that thought, I ended my remarks.

"Though now, are you really dissatisfied?"

I then glared at Marquis Jacques with a fierce force in my eyes. 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 His entertainment? Could there be any greater honor than this?"

As I let out all the words, I took a deep breath.

On 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.

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 harsh. How could you say that?"

The beautiful Emperor laughed lowly.

"Didn't the Empress tell you? It is your honor to be a deer for my entertainment..."

"Your Majesty..."

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

Raniero knew.

A cause is only a means. The resentment of Marquis Jacques was personal.

Because he didn't fit 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.

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's Palace was much more fun than making the Marquis Jacques happy.

And, if Sylvia had become Empress...

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 crying out. As the door closed, the audience room became as quiet as 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, but it was not bad. In a world where bad and troublesome things are everywhere, things that aren't bad are rarer than you think.

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