The Delinquent Empress
Through the fragments of Olivia’s memories, I learned the truth. It was just hollowing.
“Ha. Haha. So that’s how it was.”
“Olivia?”
Roxton looked at me with concern. That’s what it had been. I’d thought something was off. Just what connection did the first Olivia and I have for me to possess her body? I never imagined the side effects from back then would still linger. So I only found out now. If that’s the case, there’s one more thing I need to do.
“So what happened to Lily’s mother?”
“She’s been under surveillance in Moran all this time. Back then, you told me about it, so I dispatched knights right away. But afterward, you were in a strange state and insisted she was innocent, so there was nothing I could do.”
They kept her alive quite well. That was probably Lily’s influence too. Fine. Then I’ll have to see it through to the end.
“What’s wrong? The atmosphere feels different.”
Come to think of it, Moran was the village I visited with the hero Eugene. There, Eugene spent an entire night at the village brothel with every prostitute. Maybe Lily’s mother slept with Eugene too.
—Hey, you know what? One of the whores tried to introduce me to her daughter.
—So?
—Why the hell would I meet the daughter of some whore? I told her to stop spouting nonsense and kicked her out. Her pink hair put me in a bad mood.
It might have been that woman. Thinking about it, that might have been the first decent thing Eugene ever did. He was probably trying to leave some insurance in place of the crown prince.
“Then if she’s doing well, I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes.”
“But are you sure it’s fine without anyone attending you? Until recently your personality was… well, anyway, all the maids attending you left, didn’t they?”
Right. With that personality, no maid would have stayed. That probably contributed to my reputation in Ashtar dropping even further. But now there’s one. Claire. A young black-haired maid. An assassin guild graduate, Mother’s right hand, and Ashtar’s combat maid. More than capable.
“? I have one, though.”
“You do? Did Mother send her? Even if you said you didn’t want one, she still thinks of you after all.”
Well. I’m not sure if that’s how it works. I’ve never met the current me. Now that I think about it, it’s ridiculous. How could the head of an assassin guild fail to notice their own daughter had been switched? How little interest must she have had to miss something like that?
“Yes. Her name is Claire.”
“Claire?”
At my words, Roxton’s face suddenly turned cold. Why?
“Why? Do you know her?”
“Ah. No. It must be a misunderstanding.”
What? Why stop mid-sentence? Did he get harshly treated by Claire or something? Then there’s no need to press further.
“Then let’s head inside.”
“Understood. If you need anything, contact me through the magic tool. I don’t think there’ll be any problems, but… still. There’s no harm in being careful.”
Well, there is something I’d like to request. Something the current me obviously has to do.
“Ah, in that case, it’s nothing much, but…”
“What is it?”
“Could you get me some stone suitable for a gravestone?”
“What do you need a gravestone for?”
“Brother, every woman has secrets she’d rather keep hidden.”
I never thought I’d refer to myself as a woman with my own mouth.
“Ah, right. I see. It must be hard for you too.”
“You must be having a harder time, Brother. Since you have to handle it.”
Dealing with Lily would probably be quite difficult.
“Right. That’s true. I’ll be going then.”
“Yes. I’ll rely on you when things get difficult, Brother.”
Calling him Brother even as he left made him bump into the door on his way out. He really does love being called Brother. After Roxton left, I fell into thought for a moment.
“I’m probably the only one who knows the first Olivia is dead.”
Olivia. Just like you thought of me as your other half, I feel the same. No matter who you’re with or where you are, you remain in my memories. When you were angry, I was angry too. When you were sad, I was sad too. Even when I was hit by Lily’s lust ability, I still held the same memories. The fact that I possess your memories is proof that I am Olivia. In the end, part of my soul spent time with you. Even if you’re dead, I, another Olivia, will live on in your place. Just as you acknowledged me as the new Olivia.
My tasks have increased. First, revenge against Lily and her mother. Of course, that’s something the first Olivia needs to do, so it’s only natural. But there’s another problem. The scroll containing the Demon King’s curse that Lily’s mother possesses. I need to find out where it came from.
After the imperial children fell victim to Lily’s succubus powers, the central nobles, significantly cowed, came up with one clever scheme. It was to decide a new imperial successor. If they could lead the succession, they could regain their political influence. For the central nobles, who felt threatened as provincial nobles began rising to Atlia, it would be a godsend. It was made possible because Crown Prince Aslan had voluntarily relinquished his position. The central nobles entered the imperial palace together to pressure the Emperor. However, recently the Emperor had been difficult to see even within the palace, let alone in the council. Whether it was because of Crown Prince Aslan or not, her mind must be troubled, so they could make good use of that.
“Where could she be?”
“Obviously the bedroom. Shouldn’t we go straight there?”
“Still, she’s the Empress, isn’t she? Barging in like this feels a bit much.”
“The problem is that the Emperor is holed up in her bedroom. Shouldn’t she decide on a successor quickly?”
The Emperor wasn’t normal either, and the central nobles were in a hurry. In that case, it should be fine to go find her like this. The nobles eventually searched the palace for a long time before heading to the Emperor’s bedroom. In front of the bedroom stood several maids with their heads bowed. The nobles approached the maid guarding the bedroom door.
“Is Her Majesty inside?”
“She has stepped out for a moment.”
“Stepped out? The very foundation of the Empire is shaking right now. Where could she have gone at a time like this?”
The maid with her head bowed inwardly laughed at the noble’s words. The foundation is shaking. That wasn’t wrong. It would be strange if the next generation of nobles who would lead the Empire weren’t shaken after all being played with in a woman’s skirts.
“How would a mere maid like me know that?”
“Hmph. Useless.”
Then where should they find the Emperor? As the nobles fretted, one of them approached the maid.
“Strange. Are you certain Her Majesty truly stepped out?”
“Yes.”
At the maid’s answer, the noble frowned. It was an obvious lie. If the Emperor truly wasn’t in the bedroom, there wouldn’t be this many maids. Especially since the Emperor was a woman, there would be even more preparations needed for any outing. She wouldn’t leave so many maids behind. Eventually, other nobles who found it suspicious gathered together.
“What’s wrong?”
“If she had stepped out during such a sensitive time, it would have been known somehow. The fact that she isn’t here means…”
“She’s in the palace.”
“That’s why there are so many maids.”
“How insolent. Daring to deceive us.”
The nobles glared at the maid. Yet the maid ignored their reactions. It was so insolent they wanted to punish her, but she was a maid serving the Emperor, and now wasn’t the time. Eventually, the nobles pushed the maid aside and shouted in front of the bedroom.
“Your Majesty! You must establish a new successor! Since the First Prince has relinquished the crown prince position with a generous heart, the Princess must become Crown Princess!”
“I already told you she isn’t here.”
“Your Majesty! Must we speak with a mere maid like this? Your Majesty!”
They really were hopeless. The pushed-aside maid eventually stood in front of the nobles again.
“I said Her Majesty is currently out.”
The nobles glared at the maid blocking their way. Then the noble who had first noticed the maid’s lie approached her, breathing heavily.
“This wench, from earlier—!”
Smack!
A red mark appeared on the maid’s cheek as her head turned to the side. The enraged noble had struck the maid’s face. The maid rubbed her cheek and glared at the noble who had hit her.
“How dare—!”
Smack!
The excited noble struck the maid’s cheek again. Seeing the maid in front of the bedroom get slapped, the other maids rushed over in shock. The arriving maids helped the slapped maid to her feet and shouted in unison.
“““Y-Your Majesty!”””
The title used by subjects and citizens to address the absolute ruler of the Empire. The other maids were calling one of their own by that word. The nobles all became speechless, blinking in confusion.
“Y-Your Majesty? What is the meaning of this…”
As one noble muttered blankly, the slapped maid touched her cheek before beginning to remove her ash-colored hair. It was a wig. As the ash-colored hair fell away, brilliant platinum hair cascaded down beneath it. The color of the Armenia imperial family, and the only person in the palace with platinum hair was the Empress herself. Only then did the nobles grasp the situation and all dropped to their knees. The maid had been the Emperor. Belia von Armenia, the 79th Emperor of the Armenia Empire. She had been disguised as a maid. The central nobles couldn’t understand the current situation. Why had the Emperor been disguised as a maid? The person who had been a maid just moments ago had now become the Emperor. Looking down at the kneeling nobles before her, the Emperor pointed a finger.
“Ahaha. To think you’d strike the Emperor’s maid for obeying the Emperor’s orders and lying. How fitting for fathers whose children were bewitched by a mere succubus. How many lives do you think you have?”
“Y-Your Majesty! P-Please kill us!”
The sight of the nobles kneeling and begging was satisfying. Emperor Belia glanced at the nobles once before curving her lips into a smile. She gently rubbed her cheek with her hand. The once-red cheek had already returned to a pure white. She shot the nobles a sidelong glance. At least this time it had been quite entertaining. Even though she’d been slapped by a noble, these foolish nobles hadn’t even recognized the Emperor.
“You’ve all gone senile, and I was disguised as a maid, so I’ll forgive you this once with my generous mercy.”
She hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction, but this much she could overlook. However, the noble who had struck her cheek just moments ago suddenly raised his head.
“Your Majesty! It’s true we nobles were at fault, but you must maintain your dignity!”
Dignity, my ass.
“Dignity? Dignity. What good is maintaining that? While your children run around outside doing as they please, why should I, the Emperor, be stuck in this corner of the palace living a boring life?”
“Your Majesty, even so—”
“If you think about it, the Armenia imperial family’s roots are barbarian. When the founder built the Empire, the relationship between ruler and subject was like that of friends, so they would even strike and beat each other at drinking parties. I want to play freely too, so why are you all making such a fuss?”
The nobles swallowed their breath at the Emperor’s words. Tracing back the imperial lineage, they were barbarians who rode horses across the plains and pillaged. But for the Emperor to say that herself was essentially declaring that the imperial family were barbarians. That bloodline was something that should never be mentioned privately, yet the Emperor had spoken of it so casually. The nobles thought this was their chance.