The Tyrant Couldn’t Fall Asleep

She came to her senses. As she said, she was a sinner who deceived the empress.

Melanie, tired of lies, knelt down.

"I, I, I'm sorry. I don't mind if you punish me. Please don't hurt my brother...”

"What did you do wrong?"

"Today's work..."

"Do you really think that's everything?"

At Izaya's question, Melanie couldn't answer and her lips were chapped.

‘How can I say that with my own mouth?’

Melanie monitored and controlled Izaya for a long time.

Sometimes she got angry at Izaya for deviating from the framework of ‘the good daughter of the duke’.

"I'm saying this for your Majesty!"

Obviously, nothing happened at the time. Because she thought she was doing something natural as a head maid.

However, looking back, she was nothing.

‘Yes, let's ask Her Majesty for forgiveness. Then she won't harm my brother either.’

"Your Majesty, I've been..."

It was a time when Melanie opened her mouth like that.

"The reason why you're apologizing is because I'm holding onto your weaknesses right now, right? I don't want to hear an apology."

'As expected, you knew.’

She was able to see through her shallow inside. Honestly, it was shameful.

However, if she runs away like this, the shame may go to her younger brother.

"What can I do to be forgiven by you?"

“As you saw today, my father won’t care if I kill you. Are you still okay?”

Melanie's face hardened after the sharp remark. Still, she answered with a nod, wondering if she was convinced.

"If you finish me, I'll be punished. However, my brother really has nothing to do with it, so please save his life."

Izaya was silent for a while.

During that short time of silence, Melanie seemed to be burning.

Soon Izaya opened her mouth.

"You're silly."

Melanie was devastated because it sounded like a saying not to ask for mercy.

"I'll demote you.”

However, the words from the empress were beyond expectations.

‘That's a relief.’

Unlike upper-level maids, common maids were reluctant to take care of chores such as cleaning and laundry.

Although she would do chores, it was a lighter disposition than she thought.

‘In addition, the maids won't be able to treat me carelessly...’

It was then that Izaya continued her words.

"I won't make you do anything for a month."

Melanie looked suspiciously.

‘How can you say that's a punishment?’

However, Melanie had no choice but to be embarrassed by the following words.

"Prove me your usefulness during that time. Then I'll return you as the head maid."

At first glance, it sounded like Izaya was asking her to do something helpful.

One problem is that the criteria for the usefulness were not clear.

Unless Melanie knew what the empress wanted, she wouldn’t know what to do.

"Please tell me what it is in detail.”

Then Izaya replied coldly.

"You have to think about it on your own. It's a punishment. I'm tired now, so I hope you leave."

When Melanie reluctantly went out, Izaya was lost in thought.

‘I punished Melanie first for embezzlement, so now he can't get rid of Melanie for embezzlement.’

Although guilty, Melanie was just a puppet of the Duke of Lauchen.

She was loyal because she trusted the duke.

In a way, Melanie reminded Izaya of herself, so Izaya didn't want to let Melanie die.

But since she said she wouldn't replace the head maid, Duke Lauchen will try to manipulate Melanie again, right? Izaya took Melanie's younger brother as a hostage.

So she was demoted to a normal maid.

If you weren't the head maid position, you wouldn't be able to do what the Duke told you to do.

'If that happens, the head maid's position will naturally become vacant.’

In her past life, the Duke controlled Izaya with one head maid.

In other words, for the time being, the interior can be reorganized without alerting the Duke of Lauchen.

‘Still, due to the suspicious nature of Duke Lauchen, he will definitely try to send someone who will interfere with me on behalf of Melanie, right? If I don't know, I'll be in trouble…’

Knock knock~

"Your Majesty."

Izaya's thoughts were broken by the sudden call of the maid.

"What's going on?”

"You have a guest from the Imperial Palace."

While I was thinking, an unexpected uninvited guest came.

A faint expectation arose from Izaya's head.

‘Guest? Not an adult, right?’

Soon Izaya smiled in vain and shook her head.

‘If he had come, she would have said that His Majesty the Emperor had come.’

Laughing at her useless expectations, Izaya opened her mouth.

"Come in.”

Izaya smiled when she saw a familiar face.

"I see the Moon of the Empire."

The origin was unclear, but a man who has risen to the emperor's throne solely with his skills.

The visitor was Grehen, the emperor's commander who oversees all the knights in the imperial palace.

"Welcome, Sir Grehen. What's going on at this late hour?"

"Today, we are here to officially determine the escort of Her Majesty."

"I don't need an escort..."

"It is the rule of the imperial palace to have escorts, Your Majesty. If you refuse, please understand that you have no choice but to be escorted even if you are forced."

His eyes, saying so, contained a fierce light.

‘Well, Grehen doesn’t trust me, because I am the daughter of Duke Lauchen.’

At that time, it was very disappointing, but not long after that, Izaya could see that she was right.

'Because Duke Lauchen made him the first victim.’

After losing his aides in his last life, all knights in the imperial palace were filled with the people of Duke Lauchen.

Even the guards guarding the emperor.

However, if Grehen, the emperor's commander, was alive, such a thing could be prevented in advance.

'But I bought time right away.’

In her last life, he died not long after Duke Lauchen went on an inspection.

This time, the time would have been delayed because Duke Lauchen's eyes were turned to the separate room matter and gold mines.

Izaya smiled and looked at Grehen.

‘What's left is to get rid of the cause, right?’

And Grehen suddenly felt anxious when Izaya smiled.

‘Why is she smiling? It seemed like she was determined to use her own room this time…’

It was when Grehen was counting the Empress's intentions.

"If it's an escort, they'll take turns like they did at the Imperial Palace, right?"

At Izaya's question, Grehen nodded.

"Yes, that's right. Twelve people will take turns escorting Your Majesty because they have to always be by your side."

Izaya frowned.

‘What if I waste precious manpower that should protect Ern when there are not many imperial knights?’

“I don't need up to twelve people. Six is enough."

"What? But six is too...!”

"Six is already a lot of people. It's a nuisance, so I'll refuse more than that."

At the words of the stubborn empress, Grehen sighed.

"Okay. Then, let's have six escorts for Her Majesty."

"Then, can I point out the escorts?"

At Izaya's words, Grehen looked suspicious and sighed.

"Yes. Who do you want?"

"Sir Gale, Sir Jason, Sir Ferguson, Sir Guinness..."

Grehen, who was listening to the list of knights, squinted.

The empress pointed out the top among the knights.

And some of them were the three knights of Duke Lauchen, who Grehen suspected.

‘What are you up to?’

It doesn't make sense if it's done by a duke's order.

That's because it doesn't fit the will of the Duke of Lauchen to separate her from the emperor.

‘No way, betraying your father...’

However, to say that it was against the will of the duke, the empress loved her father with all her heart.

‘I don't know what you're serious about.’

Grehen, who was uncomfortable, soon recalled the emperor's order.

"Starting today, strengthen the escort of the empress. Don't let a single worm touch her."

"But His Majesty, the Duke of Lauchen's movement is unusual. In a long time...!”

"It’s an order.”

‘Yeah, if I refuse and His Majesty the Emperor finds out…'

Grehen nodded reluctantly.

"Okay. Then I'll set up a temporary escort by today and come with the official escort tomorrow."

When Grehen left, Izaya raised the corner of her mouth.

'Unexpectedly, Grehen made things easier.'

* * *

“Hans, I have a question for you.”

At Ern's words with a serious face, Hans had intuition as his entourage.

‘It is clear that this is a consultation for the Empress.’

He hurriedly nodded his head.

“Yes, tell me.”

However, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut at the next emperor's words.

“Am I selfish?”

If Hans affirmed it, his life would be wasted, and if he denied it, his conscience would be pierced.

“Why aren’t you answering me?”

“That, that…”

‘How can I answer that?!’

Hans felt his mind spinning.

It was then.

Knock-

“Your Majesty, this is Grehen.”