Episode 161. If You Can't Avoid the Trap
"You're so fearless. How dare you provoke me?"
The Emperor glared at Rose with a cold gaze.
Rose pretended not to notice the Emperor's gaze and smiled faintly. Then, in a soft voice, she spoke.
"I didn't expect you to come here so suddenly, Your Majesty."
The Emperor scoffed at Rose's words.
"A woman who says she didn't know... is this how you're so calm?"
It was clearly a lie.
She had anticipated his arrival, and that's why she was acting so calmly.
Without taking his gaze off Rose, the Emperor spoke sharply.
"You don't need to be so arrogant just because I sent out my knights. This one hand is enough to kill you."
The Emperor exposed his fist and threatened Rose.
However, this behavior only made Rose look even more ridiculous.
The hair on his body stood on end, looking extremely defensive.
In this situation, the Emperor was distended, like a pufferfish puffing up its body to hide its fear.
Beads of sweat trickled down behind his fierce gaze.
The Emperor needed to seize the initiative.
Ironically, he was now at the mercy of Rose.
Ever since Rose had arrived at the palace, she had been in control.
Rose read the Emperor's fear.
She lowered her head with a snicker. The corners of her mouth, which had been slightly raised, hardened into a fierce grin. There was no smile on her face.
"The moment Your Majesty kills me, the truth about Chicagor's human experiments will be revealed throughout the Empire."
Rose slowly raised her head and looked the Emperor in the eye.
"I'm saying that Your Majesty, who uses the people of the Empire as guinea pigs, will be revealed."
"!"
“So please don’t say you’ll kill me. Everything Your Majesty has built over the past decade cannot be destroyed overnight, can it?”
In an instant, the Emperor’s expression hardened fiercely.
“So, what you want is Lucas’s release?”
“I don’t simply want his release, Your Majesty.”
Rose quietly denied the Emperor’s words. The Emperor furrowed his eyebrows at the unexpected statement and focused on Rose.
“If the Grand Duke is released without having cleansed himself of his crimes, it will be seen as a pardon for the murder. I do not want his release.”
“Then what do you want?”
“A fair investigation. That is all, Your Majesty.”
Rose continued in a gentle voice.
“Please proceed with the investigation again. Because of Eric’s testimony, the innocent Grand Duke has been falsely accused of murder. The only person who can intervene in the investigation is Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
Rose did not want the Grand Duke of Artaeum to be released without a fight.
If the Grand Duke were released under imperial pressure, it might be a good thing in the short term. It would be an easy release.
However, in the long run, it wouldn't be such a good idea.
If he were released without proving his innocence, people would once again shun the Grand Duke of Artaeum, and ominous rumors about him would spread.
And the Imperial faction would exploit this to try to eliminate the Archduke again.
It was a vicious cycle.
Rose was determined to break this cycle.
"If you conduct a fair investigation, I will tell you where the prisoners of Chicagor are. Whether we kill them or imprison them for life, I will deal with them without tarnishing Your Majesty's honor. After the trial."
"What if I refuse your offer?"
Only the dead Cedric and Duke Flice. The others would have been unaware of this.
The Emperor trailed off and fell silent. He had almost spilled the beans.
Rose, with a relaxed expression, spoke softly.
“It’s up to you to decide whether what I’m saying is a lie. If you don’t believe me, kill me. Then what happens afterward will reveal the whole truth. As I said, the prisoners, the soldiers, and the nobles will expose what Your Majesty has done.”
The claim that other nobles were willing to testify was a lie.
However, these words were enough to complicate the Emperor’s feelings.
‘My honor... I will never allow it to be tarnished!’
The Emperor wanted to become a sage ruler, succeeding the former Emperor.
No, he wanted to be even more revered.
The former Emperor always made the Emperor bow his head.
The former Emperor was a man recognized for his outstanding character and abilities, while the Emperor, by comparison, was someone who lacked the same abilities.
From childhood, being compared to the Emperor had been his fate.
But now the former Emperor was dead.
The Emperor himself had poisoned him to death. He had thought that without the former Emperor, everything would be happy, but that was not the case. His misfortune remained.
Even after the former Emperor's death, the label of second-in-command could not be easily shaken.
This was because he still could not surpass his deceased brother.
To the Emperor, the former Emperor was both an object of envy and jealousy.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not match his brother's abilities.
And that became the Emperor's greatest complex.
'No matter what happens... this must not be revealed.'
To surpass the former Emperor, his achievements had to be flawless.
The people of the empire had to revere him more than the former Emperor.
The Emperor wanted to cast aside the shadow of his deceased brother.
“...Ha.”
The Emperor and Rose's eyes met in midair.
The Emperor stared blankly at Rose's face without saying a word.
'Reckless girl.'
Rose's cunning thoughts were clearly visible.
As long as Rose was using the prisoner of Chicagor as a weakness, this wouldn't be a one-time thing.
Perhaps, she would try to control him like this every time.
The Emperor wasn't so foolish as to fail to see the obvious.
However, even knowing everything, he couldn't easily overlook the trap Rose had laid.
That's how much he wanted to hide the secrets of the biological experiments.
“Will you conduct a fair investigation? My request doesn't seem that difficult.”
“...I request a reinvestigation.”
The Emperor finally put down the victory flag he was holding in his hand.
But the Emperor had absolutely no intention of backing down easily.
If he couldn't avoid the trap, he had to destroy it.
He pretended to take Rose's hand and took a step back.
Rose had ultimately won the negotiations with the Emperor.
'... I'm tired.'
Perhaps because all the tension had been released at once, sleep came over her.
Rose went to bed earlier than usual. And, in less than a minute, she was fast asleep.
The sun slowly set, and the late night had fallen.
At that moment, someone had infiltrated Rose's room.
A dark shadow fell over Rose's sleeping face.
'Hmm... What is it?'
Rose, who had been tossing and turning, suddenly came to her senses.
Someone had infiltrated her sleeping room.
"Ah...!"
Before Rose could shout with wide eyes,
"Ugh!"
The man covered her mouth.
"You're so fearless. How dare you provoke me?"
The Emperor glared at Rose with a cold gaze.
Rose pretended not to notice the Emperor's gaze and smiled faintly. Then, in a soft voice, she spoke.
"I didn't expect you to come here so suddenly, Your Majesty."
The Emperor scoffed at Rose's words.
"A woman who says she didn't know... is this how you're so calm?"
It was clearly a lie.
She had anticipated his arrival, and that's why she was acting so calmly.
Without taking his gaze off Rose, the Emperor spoke sharply.
"You don't need to be so arrogant just because I sent out my knights. This one hand is enough to kill you."
The Emperor exposed his fist and threatened Rose.
However, this behavior only made Rose look even more ridiculous.
The hair on his body stood on end, looking extremely defensive.
In this situation, the Emperor was distended, like a pufferfish puffing up its body to hide its fear.
Beads of sweat trickled down behind his fierce gaze.
The Emperor needed to seize the initiative.
Ironically, he was now at the mercy of Rose.
Ever since Rose had arrived at the palace, she had been in control.
Rose read the Emperor's fear.
She lowered her head with a snicker. The corners of her mouth, which had been slightly raised, hardened into a fierce grin. There was no smile on her face.
"The moment Your Majesty kills me, the truth about Chicagor's human experiments will be revealed throughout the Empire."
Rose slowly raised her head and looked the Emperor in the eye.
"I'm saying that Your Majesty, who uses the people of the Empire as guinea pigs, will be revealed."
"!"
“So please don’t say you’ll kill me. Everything Your Majesty has built over the past decade cannot be destroyed overnight, can it?”
In an instant, the Emperor’s expression hardened fiercely.
“So, what you want is Lucas’s release?”
“I don’t simply want his release, Your Majesty.”
Rose quietly denied the Emperor’s words. The Emperor furrowed his eyebrows at the unexpected statement and focused on Rose.
“If the Grand Duke is released without having cleansed himself of his crimes, it will be seen as a pardon for the murder. I do not want his release.”
“Then what do you want?”
“A fair investigation. That is all, Your Majesty.”
Rose continued in a gentle voice.
“Please proceed with the investigation again. Because of Eric’s testimony, the innocent Grand Duke has been falsely accused of murder. The only person who can intervene in the investigation is Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
Rose did not want the Grand Duke of Artaeum to be released without a fight.
If the Grand Duke were released under imperial pressure, it might be a good thing in the short term. It would be an easy release.
However, in the long run, it wouldn't be such a good idea.
If he were released without proving his innocence, people would once again shun the Grand Duke of Artaeum, and ominous rumors about him would spread.
And the Imperial faction would exploit this to try to eliminate the Archduke again.
It was a vicious cycle.
Rose was determined to break this cycle.
"If you conduct a fair investigation, I will tell you where the prisoners of Chicagor are. Whether we kill them or imprison them for life, I will deal with them without tarnishing Your Majesty's honor. After the trial."
"What if I refuse your offer?"
"!"
"!"
I never thought you would refuse... I never thought you would?
Rose forced herself to calm her bewildered mind. Then, feigning indifference, she continued calmly.
"As I said before, I will expose the truth about Chicagor, every single detail."
The Emperor cocked his head haughtily and let out a mocking laugh.
“Hahahahaha!”
A piercing laughter echoed through the drawing room.
“Are you laughing?”
Rose unconsciously frowned at the Emperor’s unexpected attitude.
“This isn’t the time to be smiling leisurely.”
Rose was blatantly pressuring the Emperor.
In this situation, if the Emperor had been angry with her, he would have been angry, but it was unexpected that he would have let out a hollow laugh.
What was the Emperor thinking right now?
After laughing for a long time, the Emperor suddenly stopped laughing and stared at Rose with a sharp gaze.
“How funny.”
“What do you mean by funny?”
“Do you think the people of the Empire... would believe the stories of mere heinous criminals?”
The Emperor arrogantly folded his arms. Then, as if to say something, he stepped forward with a firm stance.
“No one will believe the words of those lowly prisoners. I’ve committed subhuman acts. Who would believe them! The people of the Empire will curse you for helping them escape?”
The Emperor’s forehead was swollen with red veins.
“If you have confidence, then speak up!”
He wouldn’t be swayed by a brat who exploited his weakness.
He launched a decisive attack and smiled triumphantly.
Soon, a hearty, almost unpleasant laughter filled the drawing room.
Rose, seizing the opportunity, narrowed his eyes at the Emperor, who was mocking her. Then, in a soft voice, she focused the Emperor’s attention.
“Your Majesty, it seems there was a misunderstanding in what I said.”
The Emperor's smile deepened at the sound of the gentle voice.
"Yes. Now you're finally backing down."
No matter how hard the inexperienced young girl tried, she couldn't overcome her seasoned opponent.
The Emperor thought Rose had taken a step back.
Even she considered him quite a difficult opponent to deal with.
He spoke with a mocking tone, as if he couldn't easily forgive Rose for her rudeness.
"What misunderstanding are you talking about now?"
"First of all, I wasn't the one who broke out the prisoners, Your Majesty."
I never thought you would refuse... I never thought you would?
Rose forced herself to calm her bewildered mind. Then, feigning indifference, she continued calmly.
"As I said before, I will expose the truth about Chicagor, every single detail."
The Emperor cocked his head haughtily and let out a mocking laugh.
“Hahahahaha!”
A piercing laughter echoed through the drawing room.
“Are you laughing?”
Rose unconsciously frowned at the Emperor’s unexpected attitude.
“This isn’t the time to be smiling leisurely.”
Rose was blatantly pressuring the Emperor.
In this situation, if the Emperor had been angry with her, he would have been angry, but it was unexpected that he would have let out a hollow laugh.
What was the Emperor thinking right now?
After laughing for a long time, the Emperor suddenly stopped laughing and stared at Rose with a sharp gaze.
“How funny.”
“What do you mean by funny?”
“Do you think the people of the Empire... would believe the stories of mere heinous criminals?”
The Emperor arrogantly folded his arms. Then, as if to say something, he stepped forward with a firm stance.
“No one will believe the words of those lowly prisoners. I’ve committed subhuman acts. Who would believe them! The people of the Empire will curse you for helping them escape?”
The Emperor’s forehead was swollen with red veins.
“If you have confidence, then speak up!”
He wouldn’t be swayed by a brat who exploited his weakness.
He launched a decisive attack and smiled triumphantly.
Soon, a hearty, almost unpleasant laughter filled the drawing room.
Rose, seizing the opportunity, narrowed his eyes at the Emperor, who was mocking her. Then, in a soft voice, she focused the Emperor’s attention.
“Your Majesty, it seems there was a misunderstanding in what I said.”
The Emperor's smile deepened at the sound of the gentle voice.
"Yes. Now you're finally backing down."
No matter how hard the inexperienced young girl tried, she couldn't overcome her seasoned opponent.
The Emperor thought Rose had taken a step back.
Even she considered him quite a difficult opponent to deal with.
He spoke with a mocking tone, as if he couldn't easily forgive Rose for her rudeness.
"What misunderstanding are you talking about now?"
"First of all, I wasn't the one who broke out the prisoners, Your Majesty."
"Didn't you say you knew where the prisoners were?"
"I said I knew where they were, not that I broke them out. How could I, a powerless daughter of a fallen family, manage to break through the heavy security of the palace knights and get them out?"
Rose poured cold water on the Emperor's sarcastic tone.
"You threatened to expose everything if I killed you, how could you be so ridiculous!"
“I happened to make a deal with the people who brought the prisoners out, and they’re just protecting me. And...”
Rose drew a line, claiming she had no direct connection to this matter, and continued speaking leisurely.
“And, the palace security... is that so lax that a single woman could break through it? Even if that were true, the people of the empire would easily believe it. That a foolish Serviat lady broke through the palace security and broke out the prisoners.”
“!”
The Emperor pursed his lips at Rose’s reasonable words.
“I will be seen as a pitiful woman who was innocently accused. The people of the empire won’t curse me, Your Majesty. Instead, they’ll think it’s strange. They’ll think the Emperor is hiding something and trying to cover up his crime by putting up a scapegoat.”
Rose smiled faintly at the bewildered Emperor.
“Oh, and it’s not just the prisoners who testify about the vivisection. The nobles involved in this incident are lining up to testify.”
“What? What kind of ridiculous lies are you telling! You know about Chicagor...!”
"I said I knew where they were, not that I broke them out. How could I, a powerless daughter of a fallen family, manage to break through the heavy security of the palace knights and get them out?"
Rose poured cold water on the Emperor's sarcastic tone.
"You threatened to expose everything if I killed you, how could you be so ridiculous!"
“I happened to make a deal with the people who brought the prisoners out, and they’re just protecting me. And...”
Rose drew a line, claiming she had no direct connection to this matter, and continued speaking leisurely.
“And, the palace security... is that so lax that a single woman could break through it? Even if that were true, the people of the empire would easily believe it. That a foolish Serviat lady broke through the palace security and broke out the prisoners.”
“!”
The Emperor pursed his lips at Rose’s reasonable words.
“I will be seen as a pitiful woman who was innocently accused. The people of the empire won’t curse me, Your Majesty. Instead, they’ll think it’s strange. They’ll think the Emperor is hiding something and trying to cover up his crime by putting up a scapegoat.”
Rose smiled faintly at the bewildered Emperor.
“Oh, and it’s not just the prisoners who testify about the vivisection. The nobles involved in this incident are lining up to testify.”
“What? What kind of ridiculous lies are you telling! You know about Chicagor...!”
Only the dead Cedric and Duke Flice. The others would have been unaware of this.
The Emperor trailed off and fell silent. He had almost spilled the beans.
Rose, with a relaxed expression, spoke softly.
“It’s up to you to decide whether what I’m saying is a lie. If you don’t believe me, kill me. Then what happens afterward will reveal the whole truth. As I said, the prisoners, the soldiers, and the nobles will expose what Your Majesty has done.”
The claim that other nobles were willing to testify was a lie.
However, these words were enough to complicate the Emperor’s feelings.
‘My honor... I will never allow it to be tarnished!’
The Emperor wanted to become a sage ruler, succeeding the former Emperor.
No, he wanted to be even more revered.
The former Emperor always made the Emperor bow his head.
The former Emperor was a man recognized for his outstanding character and abilities, while the Emperor, by comparison, was someone who lacked the same abilities.
From childhood, being compared to the Emperor had been his fate.
But now the former Emperor was dead.
The Emperor himself had poisoned him to death. He had thought that without the former Emperor, everything would be happy, but that was not the case. His misfortune remained.
Even after the former Emperor's death, the label of second-in-command could not be easily shaken.
This was because he still could not surpass his deceased brother.
To the Emperor, the former Emperor was both an object of envy and jealousy.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not match his brother's abilities.
And that became the Emperor's greatest complex.
'No matter what happens... this must not be revealed.'
To surpass the former Emperor, his achievements had to be flawless.
The people of the empire had to revere him more than the former Emperor.
The Emperor wanted to cast aside the shadow of his deceased brother.
“...Ha.”
The Emperor and Rose's eyes met in midair.
The Emperor stared blankly at Rose's face without saying a word.
'Reckless girl.'
Rose's cunning thoughts were clearly visible.
As long as Rose was using the prisoner of Chicagor as a weakness, this wouldn't be a one-time thing.
Perhaps, she would try to control him like this every time.
The Emperor wasn't so foolish as to fail to see the obvious.
However, even knowing everything, he couldn't easily overlook the trap Rose had laid.
That's how much he wanted to hide the secrets of the biological experiments.
“Will you conduct a fair investigation? My request doesn't seem that difficult.”
“...I request a reinvestigation.”
The Emperor finally put down the victory flag he was holding in his hand.
But the Emperor had absolutely no intention of backing down easily.
If he couldn't avoid the trap, he had to destroy it.
He pretended to take Rose's hand and took a step back.
***
Rose had ultimately won the negotiations with the Emperor.
'... I'm tired.'
Perhaps because all the tension had been released at once, sleep came over her.
Rose went to bed earlier than usual. And, in less than a minute, she was fast asleep.
The sun slowly set, and the late night had fallen.
At that moment, someone had infiltrated Rose's room.
A dark shadow fell over Rose's sleeping face.
'Hmm... What is it?'
Rose, who had been tossing and turning, suddenly came to her senses.
Someone had infiltrated her sleeping room.
"Ah...!"
Before Rose could shout with wide eyes,
"Ugh!"
The man covered her mouth.
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