“Now is not the time to save face.”
“I don’t have the confidence to love that child.”
This was her honest feelings.
Demios’s eyes wavered. He opened his mouth after a moment of silence as if gathering his thoughts.
“Love, love... Well, that’s a plausible argument. It’s rather strange that the Empress has such feelings. Alright. Then let’s do this.”
A sly smile and red eyes stabbed Sepia.
“If the Empress doesn’t adopt the child, he will end up being an illegitimate child. However, he will eventually become the only grandchild. I think it would be good to teach Titi politics in advance.”
If Sepia fails to give birth to a grandchild, Titi’s child will be designated as the successor by the Emperor’s choice.
There will be controversy over legitimacy, but if the child is born as a perfect divine being, there is nothing that can be done.
Teaching politics to Titi was a threat that as the grandson grew up, he would gradually use the government to take away the Empress’s position.
Demios, who had gotten up from his seat, took both of her hands.
Instinctively, Sepia tried to pull her hands away, but he refused.
“Empress, if you adopt the grandson, we can go back to how we were before.”
“...Before?”
“Back when the Empress and I were at our best. Like when the Empress said you would stay by my side.”
Before accepting Sepia as Empress.
Demios was thinking about that day when he had a fever.
‘You remembered.’
Sepia thought he was so drunk with a fever that he couldn’t hear anything.
That memory was also the reason Sepia couldn’t hate Demios blindly.
“Even rejection disorder will get better if the Empress and I work together. First, let’s start by adopting a child. If the Empress and I have a grandson, I will make that child the Crown Prince.”
His red eyes sparkled with madness.
The hunger created by the lack turned into an ogre and was about to devour Sepia.
Now, the feeling of rejection and running away took precedence.
Sepia barely suppressed her instincts and asked,
“...Does Titi know this?”
“She has to understand. Titi truly loves me.”
Unlike anyone else.
The omitted words clung to Sepia’s ears.
An unpleasant feeling.
Goosebumps ran down her spine at his words that she should understand.
“...This is wrong.”
Either way, whatever she chose, it was a ruined path.
However, Demios could not understand her words at all.
“What on earth is so wrong with the Empress? Didn’t you finally understand and overlook all the wrongs you had done to me? I even resolved the issue of the succession!”
Demios could not hold back his anger and slammed the table.
Thanks to that, Sepia, who had found freedom, stepped back.
In the meantime, Demios, unable to control his anger, smashed vases and decorations.
'Was he this violent?'
Sepia blankly stared at the things being broken and shattered.
Although he was cold and indifferent, he was still not someone who could not control his anger.
Beyond embarrassment, he seemed strange.
To the point where he could naturally reveal his true feelings.
"My problem is that I have no feelings for Your Majesty."
Demios, who was about to push the decoration cabinet, stopped dead in his tracks.
He approached Sepia with gleaming eyes.
"...Isn't the Empress curious? Whether or not you are really a virgin, as the rumors say. I don't know. You may be unable to conceive even if you cure your rejection and hug me."
Demios's shadow engulfed Sepia.
What was in his bloodshot eyes was not deficiency, but madness.
"It would be better to check in advance before trying to cure the symptoms so that both parties can save each other trouble. I proved it through Titi, now it’s the Empress’s turn.”
“Let go of me!”
Sepia pushed him away, but his solid body wouldn’t budge.
She had to run away.
That was when she desperately swung her arms.
Crack-!
The hot sensation under her palm and the loud sound of flesh hitting created silence.
When she came to her senses, Demios’s head was turned to the left.
“...Empress, what just now?”
His pupils shook violently as if he had been greatly shocked.
Sepia, who had been looking down at her reddened palm, turned to face Demios.
“Do you know why I just let it slide when Your Majesty strangled me?”
“When did I...!”
“It was because I felt sorry for Your Majesty.”
Sepia confessed about that day in front of him who immediately denied it.
Although they had never had sex, they had shared a bed many times because of the public eye.
Demios had nightmares every time.
She felt sorry for him whenever she saw him in pain.
Because she could feel the anxiety and pain that could not be expressed in his frowning face.
Sepia heard that someone’s lack sometimes manifests itself as violent tendencies.
‘Everyone can make mistakes.’
The fact that he strangled her must have been the result of a nightmare.
So the violence that day would be the first and last.
Sepia did not reveal what happened that day because she could not embrace Demios’ long nights of nightmares.
After she finished speaking, Demios could not properly meet Sepia’s gaze.
“... I, I don’t remember.”
“You’re saying that you don’t remember, not that you didn’t do it.”
This time, he couldn’t answer either.
Memories do not exist only in the head.
The body that directly committed the violence that the head could not contain remembered the incident that day.
Even if he did not remember, Demios subconsciously knew that something was wrong that day.
'And yet you did not ask anything.'
That was an escape from the violence he had committed.
"At first, I thought it was a mistake. But I couldn't bear it twice."
Suppression and coercion were the worst forms of violence.
Under her cold gaze, Demios had become a wounded child again.
"I... never did that."
His pupils shook in confusion.
Repeating denial, evasion, and lies.
"Please go back now. I will pretend I did not hear the suggestion."
Sepia pointed to the exit door.
Demios, who had been staring blankly in the direction she had pointed, staggered out.
As the Emperor left, the maids rushed inside.
They had been waiting in advance after hearing the sound of breaking and shattering and were shocked when they saw the inside.
"Your Majesty, are you hurt anywhere?!"
They were all wondering what was going on, but their mouths wouldn’t open.
Especially since Remody’s eyes were filled with shock.
“I’m fine, so please leave for a moment.”
“No! There are a lot of dangerous items, so please go to the next room.”
Because of the maids’ strong objections, Sepia had to move to the reception room right next door.
She could hear the maids cleaning the next room.
Sepia, sitting on the sofa, stared blankly down at her reddened palms.
“It was scary.”
The weight of the shadow that had fallen on her.
It was her first time hitting someone.
Hitting someone else was more unpleasant than being hit.
The mucous membranes in her mouth were dry as if they were sticking to her.
She needed something to forget her feelings.
Sepia looked around and approached the display case.
There were various types of alcohol on display in the glass case.
Sepia opened the display case and took out an orange bottle of alcohol.
When she opened the cork, a strong, ripe cognac scent wafted out.
It was always decorated with alcohol, so she didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was perfect for washing away her dry mouth.
The alcohol in the crystal glass went down her throat.
The burning sensation seemed to take away some of the terrible thirst.
However, the feeling of helplessness remained.
And even fear.
‘...If it’s a position that’s impossible to protect alone in the first place, am I truly the owner of that place?’
If, really, if.
‘If I could divorce Demios...’
How great would it be if I could still devote myself to the empire as the Empress?
Her remaining sanity soothed her true feelings awakened by the alcohol.
‘...What are you thinking right now?’
No matter how confusing it was, she thought that she had imagined something she shouldn’t have.
However, the high-proof alcohol easily silenced her sanity.
Sepia was thinking about Roxanne’s old lover.
‘You said she didn’t look happy.’
Then why not just divorce?
Was there a reason why she couldn’t break up with him?
And...Why did Roxanne...
The hunger created by the lack turned into an ogre and was about to devour Sepia.
Now, the feeling of rejection and running away took precedence.
Sepia barely suppressed her instincts and asked,
“...Does Titi know this?”
“She has to understand. Titi truly loves me.”
Unlike anyone else.
The omitted words clung to Sepia’s ears.
An unpleasant feeling.
Goosebumps ran down her spine at his words that she should understand.
“...This is wrong.”
Either way, whatever she chose, it was a ruined path.
However, Demios could not understand her words at all.
“What on earth is so wrong with the Empress? Didn’t you finally understand and overlook all the wrongs you had done to me? I even resolved the issue of the succession!”
Demios could not hold back his anger and slammed the table.
Thanks to that, Sepia, who had found freedom, stepped back.
In the meantime, Demios, unable to control his anger, smashed vases and decorations.
'Was he this violent?'
Sepia blankly stared at the things being broken and shattered.
Although he was cold and indifferent, he was still not someone who could not control his anger.
Beyond embarrassment, he seemed strange.
To the point where he could naturally reveal his true feelings.
"My problem is that I have no feelings for Your Majesty."
Demios, who was about to push the decoration cabinet, stopped dead in his tracks.
He approached Sepia with gleaming eyes.
"...Isn't the Empress curious? Whether or not you are really a virgin, as the rumors say. I don't know. You may be unable to conceive even if you cure your rejection and hug me."
Demios's shadow engulfed Sepia.
What was in his bloodshot eyes was not deficiency, but madness.
"It would be better to check in advance before trying to cure the symptoms so that both parties can save each other trouble. I proved it through Titi, now it’s the Empress’s turn.”
“Let go of me!”
Sepia pushed him away, but his solid body wouldn’t budge.
She had to run away.
That was when she desperately swung her arms.
Crack-!
The hot sensation under her palm and the loud sound of flesh hitting created silence.
When she came to her senses, Demios’s head was turned to the left.
“...Empress, what just now?”
His pupils shook violently as if he had been greatly shocked.
Sepia, who had been looking down at her reddened palm, turned to face Demios.
“Do you know why I just let it slide when Your Majesty strangled me?”
“When did I...!”
“It was because I felt sorry for Your Majesty.”
Sepia confessed about that day in front of him who immediately denied it.
Although they had never had sex, they had shared a bed many times because of the public eye.
Demios had nightmares every time.
She felt sorry for him whenever she saw him in pain.
Because she could feel the anxiety and pain that could not be expressed in his frowning face.
Sepia heard that someone’s lack sometimes manifests itself as violent tendencies.
‘Everyone can make mistakes.’
The fact that he strangled her must have been the result of a nightmare.
So the violence that day would be the first and last.
Sepia did not reveal what happened that day because she could not embrace Demios’ long nights of nightmares.
After she finished speaking, Demios could not properly meet Sepia’s gaze.
“... I, I don’t remember.”
“You’re saying that you don’t remember, not that you didn’t do it.”
This time, he couldn’t answer either.
Memories do not exist only in the head.
The body that directly committed the violence that the head could not contain remembered the incident that day.
Even if he did not remember, Demios subconsciously knew that something was wrong that day.
'And yet you did not ask anything.'
That was an escape from the violence he had committed.
"At first, I thought it was a mistake. But I couldn't bear it twice."
Suppression and coercion were the worst forms of violence.
Under her cold gaze, Demios had become a wounded child again.
"I... never did that."
His pupils shook in confusion.
Repeating denial, evasion, and lies.
"Please go back now. I will pretend I did not hear the suggestion."
Sepia pointed to the exit door.
Demios, who had been staring blankly in the direction she had pointed, staggered out.
As the Emperor left, the maids rushed inside.
They had been waiting in advance after hearing the sound of breaking and shattering and were shocked when they saw the inside.
"Your Majesty, are you hurt anywhere?!"
They were all wondering what was going on, but their mouths wouldn’t open.
Especially since Remody’s eyes were filled with shock.
“I’m fine, so please leave for a moment.”
“No! There are a lot of dangerous items, so please go to the next room.”
Because of the maids’ strong objections, Sepia had to move to the reception room right next door.
She could hear the maids cleaning the next room.
Sepia, sitting on the sofa, stared blankly down at her reddened palms.
“It was scary.”
The weight of the shadow that had fallen on her.
It was her first time hitting someone.
Hitting someone else was more unpleasant than being hit.
The mucous membranes in her mouth were dry as if they were sticking to her.
She needed something to forget her feelings.
Sepia looked around and approached the display case.
There were various types of alcohol on display in the glass case.
Sepia opened the display case and took out an orange bottle of alcohol.
When she opened the cork, a strong, ripe cognac scent wafted out.
It was always decorated with alcohol, so she didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was perfect for washing away her dry mouth.
The alcohol in the crystal glass went down her throat.
The burning sensation seemed to take away some of the terrible thirst.
However, the feeling of helplessness remained.
And even fear.
‘...If it’s a position that’s impossible to protect alone in the first place, am I truly the owner of that place?’
If, really, if.
‘If I could divorce Demios...’
How great would it be if I could still devote myself to the empire as the Empress?
Her remaining sanity soothed her true feelings awakened by the alcohol.
‘...What are you thinking right now?’
No matter how confusing it was, she thought that she had imagined something she shouldn’t have.
However, the high-proof alcohol easily silenced her sanity.
Sepia was thinking about Roxanne’s old lover.
‘You said she didn’t look happy.’
Then why not just divorce?
Was there a reason why she couldn’t break up with him?
And...Why did Roxanne...
Sepia's vision was blurry because of her weak eyelids.
How much time had passed?
When she opened her eyes again, the illusion was standing in front of Sepia.
“...Roxanne?”
The illusion looked back as she cautiously called his name.
It really is Roxanne.
As soon as she muttered to herself, he laughed.
“Yes. It really is me.”
Sepia’s eyes widened.
She clearly only thought about it, but how could he know?
It was strange.
He appeared in front of her at the moment she needed him the most.
This time, he smiled and approached her holding something.
“...It is.”
The cold, smooth surface touched her cheek.
Roxanne carefully lifted Sepia’s head and laid her on his lap.
The refreshing sensation on his skin made her thirsty.
The glass touched her lips and opened by itself.
She pretended to drink like a baby bird, but most of it flowed down her lips.
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