Episode 1. I'll Kill You
A thud.
What on earth was that sound?
The sound that pierced Renisha's ears like tinnitus made her feel as if her heart was plummeting into a vast abyss.
Renisha's empty, pink eyes turned to the Emperor.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Empress?"
The Emperor rose from the throne and walked lightly down the steps, as if he were on a picnic.
Laxus's gleaming eyes swept Renisha from top to bottom.
Renisha's shoulders trembled under his snake-like gaze.
Though she didn't want to reveal it, the anger, frustration, and sadness inevitably showed through.
They were the remnants of her overflowing emotions.
Laxus wiped away the tears streaming down Renisha's cheeks with his fingers.
"Renisha, my beautiful and noble Empress. Why are you crying so much? What does that sinner have to do with you?"
Laxus whispered.
Where Laxus pointed, two heads were neatly placed in a box filled with salt.
They must have once been human, but now they were nothing more than corpses.
Only the necks and above were the remains of those who had once been.
Ceria and Veriton of the Lottera family.
Those were the names of the parents who had given birth to and raised Renisha.
Who could have imagined that they would meet their end in such a miserable state?
The Lottera family had laid the foundation for the Hientri Empire alongside the first Emperor, and as a family of meritorious retainers, they had protected the imperial family. It was Lottera's support that enabled Hientri to survive as an imperial family.
Everyone agreed.
However, all that glory and promise had been tragically shattered.
The Emperor tilted his head and kissed Renisha's lips.
A strong minty scent swept over her, then receded.
Laxus asked Renisha, who was just blankly shedding tears.
“Didn’t I ask why you were crying, Your Majesty?”
“..”
“Answer me. What connection do those people have with the Empress?”
Laxus was viciously pressuring Renisha.
He wanted her to abandon her family, her parents, by her own hand.
“Why must I live so cowardly?”
Renisha thought blankly.
Death gently snatched at Renisha’s ankle.
Laxus gripped her wrist with a smooth hand.
There was no trace of tenderness or warmth.
Instead, a chill, one you might feel from someone other than human, was felt on her skin.
“Your Majesty, fortunately, the Duke appears to have survived. As he has his wife and child. They say they haven’t been captured yet.”
What was gripping Renisha’s other ankle was the life or death of her surviving family.
She couldn’t leave until she confirmed their fate.
She couldn’t die.
Renisha opened her lips like a doll.
"Yes, no one. They have nothing to do with me."
Laxus smiled brightly at her emotionless voice.
As if approving, Laxus kissed Renisha's cheek.
Leaving Renisha, Laxus gestured to his attendants, telling them to remove the object emitting a pungent stench.
Renisha barely resisted the urge to grab them. She needed to remember who stood before her.
She needed to remember who the man was, standing before her, mocking her parents' deaths. He was the Emperor of the Hientri Empire, considered one of the greatest tyrants of all time. He had established an unrivaled imperial power and stood at its pinnacle.
He could also take Renisha's life at any moment.
And at the same time, he was also her husband, whom she had lived with close to her flesh.
The guilt stirred by those words burned in Renisha's throat.
“You may leave now, Empress. You look tired.”
Laxus released Renisha’s wrist.
Renisha bowed her head with a tear-stained face, bowing in greeting, and left.
The door slammed shut.
Renisha, whose legs gave out and she stumbled, was supported by her maids.
“Your Majesty!”
“Hahahaha...”
Renisha let out a hollow laugh and touched her face.
No tears flowed.
This sinner ceased crying, as if she no longer had the right to shed tears over her parents’ deaths.
Renisha raised her hand.
Clap!
“Your Majesty, the Empress!!!”
The maids hugged Renisha.
“Hold her still! Please, you can’t do this!”
Renisha slapped herself, then pushed the maids away and slapped herself again.
She denied her parents, who had raised her with love, for the sake of continuing this life.
Damn it, Laxus. Laxus, worse than a dog!
A dark red spark crackled within Renisha’s heart.
“Your Majesty! Just hit me. Please...!”
The maids, who had embraced Renisha with their whole bodies, burst into tears together.
Blood flowed from Renisha’s split lip.
The maids were weeping in Renisha’s stead, unable to cry.
Her mind was blank.
Everything that had happened felt like a dream.
Renisha, who had shaken off the maids and staggered forward, collapsed in an instant.
Being alive was a crime.
Laxus fiddled with the bottle of wine.
The amber liquid filling the long-necked flask reminded him of Renisha.
Renisha's hair, he meant.
If high-quality gold were melted and woven into thread, it would resemble Renisha's hair.
The color of Laxus's favorite liquor was similar.
"Your Majesty, Laxus..."
The woman sleeping beside him groped his waist with a smooth, white hand.
Her fingers, filled with the languor of after-sleep, stopped as they hugged Laxus's waist.
The woman rolled up from the blanket, nuzzled her face against Laxus's back like a cat.
"What are you thinking? You have a canary right here with you."
The soft voice resembled the woman's features.
"...I don't know."
Laxus absentmindedly moved his lips.
After removing the canary, Laxus left the bed and sat on the sofa, holding the flask in his hand.
His mind was filled with the image of Renisha, her face pale and pale.
The Empress, born as an Empress, was even more regal than Laxus.
She was arrogant, as if she stood above him.
He'd wanted to break that nobility.
He'd surely thought seeing that face would be delightful.
But, strangely enough,
Laxus frowned and clenched his teeth.
It wasn't the slightest bit satisfying. Instead, it felt dirty and filthy.
"Again, that expression,"
Canary said in a charming voice.
"Why are you making that face? Aren't you glad Canary is by your side? You said you loved me, didn't you?"
Canary blew a sweet breeze into Laxus's ear.
Laxus grabbed Canary's waist and rolled over.
Canary, lying on the sofa, blinked cutely.
Canary was beautiful enough to capture anyone's attention.
A beautiful bird that catered to Laxus and sang only for him.
But why, even with Canary by his side, was he thinking of that stiff Empress?
“Tch. Liar. Are you thinking of another woman right now?”
Canary wrapped her smooth arms around Laxus’s neck.
“You said you would kill Empress Renisha this time, didn’t you? You said you would place me, Canary, in the highest seat. Why didn’t you?”
Canary whispered sweetly. Laxus blinked slowly.
It was a question he couldn’t answer himself.
With Renisha looking like that, it was rather...
“You're crazy.”
Laxus sneered and opened Canary’s gown.
It seemed he would have to decide Renisha’s fate sooner or later.
He can’t kill her.
Annoyingly, whenever he tried to give the order to kill Renisha, he would remain motionless, as if his mouth were nailed to it.
Today was no different.
In that case, why not just get rid of her in the most humiliating way possible?
“Ah, Your Majesty! You haven’t answered yet... Whew!”
Laxus pressed his hand against Canary's neck.
"Shh, I'm thinking, Canary. You should only cry beautifully when I want you to."
"Y-Your Majesty...!"
Canary scratched the back of the Emperor's hand.
A fleeting pleasure flashed through the Emperor's eyes as he watched Canary fluttering like a small bird.
He licked his lips with his tongue and pulled his hand away from Canary.
He stroked Charania's cheek as she burst into tears and whispered,
"Wait until I finish thinking, Canary. You'll get what you want if you just act cute."
Canary sniffled and nodded.
Laxus's sinister eyes swept over Canary.
Yes, now was not the time to think about Renisha.
Wasn't this exquisite banquet waiting for Laxus?
Laxus buried his face in Canary's collarbone.
A thick floral scent swept over him.
It felt like being pulled up from the depths of the ocean.
Renisha's eyes shot open.
The maids who had been waiting for her let out short screams and rose from their seats.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!! Are you awake? Are you alright? Can you see me?"
"You stay still! Your Majesty, can you hear me?"
The maids rushed over and clung to Renisha. Renisha blinked wide.
"She's alive."
She was alive, after all. Renisha smiled bitterly.
Tears welled up in the maids' eyes as they watched Renisha sit there, silent, like a doll.
"Your Majesty..."
"...I have a favor to ask."
"Just say the word!"
The maids nodded vigorously.
"Can you help me find out where my parents' bodies were dumped?"
The maids locked eyes.
They had been asking around for help during the past day, while Renisha was out of her mind. They had barely managed to find out after some bribery.
“They say they’re in the dungeon.”
“They say guards are surrounding them.”
Even after their death, he remained like that... in the Emperor’s clutches.
What had Loterra done to Hientri?
Wasn’t it Loterra who had made the dying illegitimate Prince into Emperor?
Laxus wouldn’t have become Emperor if it weren’t for Loterra.
Born as an illegitimate child, he had been able to execute his older brothers and ascend to the throne thanks to Loterra’s support.
The anger she’d been holding back surged up. Renisha’s clenched fist trembled.
She slammed it against the bed.
“You’ve been a parasite on Loterra your whole life! You son of a bitch, worse than an animal!”
The maids watched in despair as Renisha collapsed, her usual state unseen.
Renisha couldn't die.
Not until the safety of her surviving family members was secured.
If she couldn't die, why not kill him?
If he couldn't live with Renisha under these skies, why not kill that son of a bitch?
Renisha gritted her teeth and muttered,
"I'll kill him."
A thud.
What on earth was that sound?
The sound that pierced Renisha's ears like tinnitus made her feel as if her heart was plummeting into a vast abyss.
Renisha's empty, pink eyes turned to the Emperor.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Empress?"
The Emperor rose from the throne and walked lightly down the steps, as if he were on a picnic.
Laxus's gleaming eyes swept Renisha from top to bottom.
Renisha's shoulders trembled under his snake-like gaze.
Though she didn't want to reveal it, the anger, frustration, and sadness inevitably showed through.
They were the remnants of her overflowing emotions.
Laxus wiped away the tears streaming down Renisha's cheeks with his fingers.
"Renisha, my beautiful and noble Empress. Why are you crying so much? What does that sinner have to do with you?"
Laxus whispered.
Where Laxus pointed, two heads were neatly placed in a box filled with salt.
They must have once been human, but now they were nothing more than corpses.
Only the necks and above were the remains of those who had once been.
Ceria and Veriton of the Lottera family.
Those were the names of the parents who had given birth to and raised Renisha.
Who could have imagined that they would meet their end in such a miserable state?
The Lottera family had laid the foundation for the Hientri Empire alongside the first Emperor, and as a family of meritorious retainers, they had protected the imperial family. It was Lottera's support that enabled Hientri to survive as an imperial family.
Everyone agreed.
However, all that glory and promise had been tragically shattered.
The Emperor tilted his head and kissed Renisha's lips.
A strong minty scent swept over her, then receded.
Laxus asked Renisha, who was just blankly shedding tears.
“Didn’t I ask why you were crying, Your Majesty?”
“..”
“Answer me. What connection do those people have with the Empress?”
Laxus was viciously pressuring Renisha.
He wanted her to abandon her family, her parents, by her own hand.
“Why must I live so cowardly?”
Renisha thought blankly.
Death gently snatched at Renisha’s ankle.
Laxus gripped her wrist with a smooth hand.
There was no trace of tenderness or warmth.
Instead, a chill, one you might feel from someone other than human, was felt on her skin.
“Your Majesty, fortunately, the Duke appears to have survived. As he has his wife and child. They say they haven’t been captured yet.”
What was gripping Renisha’s other ankle was the life or death of her surviving family.
She couldn’t leave until she confirmed their fate.
She couldn’t die.
Renisha opened her lips like a doll.
"Yes, no one. They have nothing to do with me."
Laxus smiled brightly at her emotionless voice.
As if approving, Laxus kissed Renisha's cheek.
Leaving Renisha, Laxus gestured to his attendants, telling them to remove the object emitting a pungent stench.
Renisha barely resisted the urge to grab them. She needed to remember who stood before her.
She needed to remember who the man was, standing before her, mocking her parents' deaths. He was the Emperor of the Hientri Empire, considered one of the greatest tyrants of all time. He had established an unrivaled imperial power and stood at its pinnacle.
He could also take Renisha's life at any moment.
And at the same time, he was also her husband, whom she had lived with close to her flesh.
The guilt stirred by those words burned in Renisha's throat.
“You may leave now, Empress. You look tired.”
Laxus released Renisha’s wrist.
Renisha bowed her head with a tear-stained face, bowing in greeting, and left.
The door slammed shut.
Renisha, whose legs gave out and she stumbled, was supported by her maids.
“Your Majesty!”
“Hahahaha...”
Renisha let out a hollow laugh and touched her face.
No tears flowed.
This sinner ceased crying, as if she no longer had the right to shed tears over her parents’ deaths.
Renisha raised her hand.
Clap!
“Your Majesty, the Empress!!!”
The maids hugged Renisha.
“Hold her still! Please, you can’t do this!”
Renisha slapped herself, then pushed the maids away and slapped herself again.
She denied her parents, who had raised her with love, for the sake of continuing this life.
Damn it, Laxus. Laxus, worse than a dog!
A dark red spark crackled within Renisha’s heart.
“Your Majesty! Just hit me. Please...!”
The maids, who had embraced Renisha with their whole bodies, burst into tears together.
Blood flowed from Renisha’s split lip.
The maids were weeping in Renisha’s stead, unable to cry.
Her mind was blank.
Everything that had happened felt like a dream.
Renisha, who had shaken off the maids and staggered forward, collapsed in an instant.
Being alive was a crime.
***
Laxus fiddled with the bottle of wine.
The amber liquid filling the long-necked flask reminded him of Renisha.
Renisha's hair, he meant.
If high-quality gold were melted and woven into thread, it would resemble Renisha's hair.
The color of Laxus's favorite liquor was similar.
"Your Majesty, Laxus..."
The woman sleeping beside him groped his waist with a smooth, white hand.
Her fingers, filled with the languor of after-sleep, stopped as they hugged Laxus's waist.
The woman rolled up from the blanket, nuzzled her face against Laxus's back like a cat.
"What are you thinking? You have a canary right here with you."
The soft voice resembled the woman's features.
"...I don't know."
Laxus absentmindedly moved his lips.
After removing the canary, Laxus left the bed and sat on the sofa, holding the flask in his hand.
His mind was filled with the image of Renisha, her face pale and pale.
The Empress, born as an Empress, was even more regal than Laxus.
She was arrogant, as if she stood above him.
He'd wanted to break that nobility.
He'd surely thought seeing that face would be delightful.
But, strangely enough,
Laxus frowned and clenched his teeth.
It wasn't the slightest bit satisfying. Instead, it felt dirty and filthy.
"Again, that expression,"
Canary said in a charming voice.
"Why are you making that face? Aren't you glad Canary is by your side? You said you loved me, didn't you?"
Canary blew a sweet breeze into Laxus's ear.
Laxus grabbed Canary's waist and rolled over.
Canary, lying on the sofa, blinked cutely.
Canary was beautiful enough to capture anyone's attention.
A beautiful bird that catered to Laxus and sang only for him.
But why, even with Canary by his side, was he thinking of that stiff Empress?
“Tch. Liar. Are you thinking of another woman right now?”
Canary wrapped her smooth arms around Laxus’s neck.
“You said you would kill Empress Renisha this time, didn’t you? You said you would place me, Canary, in the highest seat. Why didn’t you?”
Canary whispered sweetly. Laxus blinked slowly.
It was a question he couldn’t answer himself.
With Renisha looking like that, it was rather...
“You're crazy.”
Laxus sneered and opened Canary’s gown.
It seemed he would have to decide Renisha’s fate sooner or later.
He can’t kill her.
Annoyingly, whenever he tried to give the order to kill Renisha, he would remain motionless, as if his mouth were nailed to it.
Today was no different.
In that case, why not just get rid of her in the most humiliating way possible?
“Ah, Your Majesty! You haven’t answered yet... Whew!”
Laxus pressed his hand against Canary's neck.
"Shh, I'm thinking, Canary. You should only cry beautifully when I want you to."
"Y-Your Majesty...!"
Canary scratched the back of the Emperor's hand.
A fleeting pleasure flashed through the Emperor's eyes as he watched Canary fluttering like a small bird.
He licked his lips with his tongue and pulled his hand away from Canary.
He stroked Charania's cheek as she burst into tears and whispered,
"Wait until I finish thinking, Canary. You'll get what you want if you just act cute."
Canary sniffled and nodded.
Laxus's sinister eyes swept over Canary.
Yes, now was not the time to think about Renisha.
Wasn't this exquisite banquet waiting for Laxus?
Laxus buried his face in Canary's collarbone.
A thick floral scent swept over him.
***
It felt like being pulled up from the depths of the ocean.
Renisha's eyes shot open.
The maids who had been waiting for her let out short screams and rose from their seats.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!! Are you awake? Are you alright? Can you see me?"
"You stay still! Your Majesty, can you hear me?"
The maids rushed over and clung to Renisha. Renisha blinked wide.
"She's alive."
She was alive, after all. Renisha smiled bitterly.
Tears welled up in the maids' eyes as they watched Renisha sit there, silent, like a doll.
"Your Majesty..."
"...I have a favor to ask."
"Just say the word!"
The maids nodded vigorously.
"Can you help me find out where my parents' bodies were dumped?"
The maids locked eyes.
They had been asking around for help during the past day, while Renisha was out of her mind. They had barely managed to find out after some bribery.
“They say they’re in the dungeon.”
“They say guards are surrounding them.”
Even after their death, he remained like that... in the Emperor’s clutches.
What had Loterra done to Hientri?
Wasn’t it Loterra who had made the dying illegitimate Prince into Emperor?
Laxus wouldn’t have become Emperor if it weren’t for Loterra.
Born as an illegitimate child, he had been able to execute his older brothers and ascend to the throne thanks to Loterra’s support.
The anger she’d been holding back surged up. Renisha’s clenched fist trembled.
She slammed it against the bed.
“You’ve been a parasite on Loterra your whole life! You son of a bitch, worse than an animal!”
The maids watched in despair as Renisha collapsed, her usual state unseen.
Renisha couldn't die.
Not until the safety of her surviving family members was secured.
If she couldn't die, why not kill him?
If he couldn't live with Renisha under these skies, why not kill that son of a bitch?
Renisha gritted her teeth and muttered,
"I'll kill him."
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