The Empire Needs a New Ruler
"...What?"
I asked, repeating his words. I had no other choice.
Prince Lucian. He was the man who had killed me.
He was the one who liberated me from the agony of hell. I had begged him to end my life, as that was the only way to escape that hellish brothel. He didn't have to listen to me; I was the leader of a defeated nation, after all. But he kept his promise. He had come all the way down to the dungeon beneath the brothel and plunged his sword into my heart. That was how I died.
But now that I’ve come to my senses, why... why is this man calling me "Mother"?
My mind went blank. My pupils trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing my reaction, Lucian’s brow furrowed slightly. A strange sense of dissonance flickered across his face, which had been steeped in sorrow.
"This is unlike you, Mother. You have always been so thorough in all matters."
Lucian’s voice was low and calm. There was a sharp, mocking edge to it. But his attitude didn't matter to me right now.
The title he used to address me. Mother. My brain began to spin wildly. Lucian is the prince of the Empire. If so, Lucian’s mother must be the Empress. The Empress of the Empire. The wife of the late Emperor Skevan.
That means... I am currently... the devil who locked me in a brothel and forced me to sell my body...
'Irene.'
It was hard to believe, but the conclusion was undeniable: I was Irene. The woman who had thoroughly trampled me. The woman who had thrown me into the bottom of a well and dropped a boulder on top of me. My nemesis. I had possessed the body of that goddamn bitch?
I felt the blood in my entire body turn cold. I was confused.
Marriage to a horse. Bestiality. A semen-receptacle whore.
To think I had become the devil who designed that hell. What is this? Why on earth is this happening to me? The one who brought me back... what are they thinking? What do they want from me?
I looked around. Others were staring at me as if I were strange. If I kept stuttering and acting foolish here, it would cause problems. Irene was a woman of absolute precision. If such a woman acted like a fool at a funeral, it would inevitably invite suspicion. I couldn't ruin the atmosphere.
I had to get through this situation first.
"My apologies," I said, forcing my voice to steady. In my memories, Irene was always confident. I had to act the part.
"I was simply... momentarily overcome with dizziness from the sorrow of losing His Majesty."
At my response, Lucian bowed his head without a word.
"Then, we shall begin the eulogy."
The Archbishop, clad in ornate vestments, ascended the podium. With a solemn expression, he cleared his throat and unfurled a scroll.
Every noble in the cathedral held their breath. I, too, focused on the Archbishop’s lips from beside Skevan’s coffin.
Skevan. The man who destroyed the Church state. I looked at the coffin once more. His face was still young.
A man who seemed like he would never die had passed away in his youth. Why... why did this happen?
"Today, we are gathered here to honor His Majesty Skevan, the great sun of the Empire and the sole savior of the continent. His passing has become a source of immense sorrow and grief, not only for the Empire but for the entire continent."
The Archbishop’s voice echoed against the cathedral’s domed stained-glass ceiling.
"His Majesty’s life was, in itself, a great epic of trial and triumph. Born of the noble bloodline of the Church state, he was cruelly betrayed by the corrupt royal family and the wicked Saintess who spewed the lies of a false god."
Saintess Elise. My back felt icy cold at the mention of my name. But I am not Elise anymore. There is no reason for me to be afraid.
I corrected my expression and began to listen to the Bishop’s eulogy again.
"The vicious Saintess of the Church state cast His Majesty out into the barren, frozen wilderness of the North. Losing his family and status at a young age, His Majesty had to survive alone amidst hunger, cold, and the constant threat of invading barbarian tribes. The wicked ones of the Church state must have hoped he would die as an outcast in that wasteland."
The Archbishop paused to catch his breath, his emotions seemingly running high.
"But His Majesty did not break. Instead, he awakened the true qualities of a monarch in that desolate land. He united the barbarian tribes of the North. He took up the sword himself, struck down the heads of his enemies at the very forefront, and raised an invincible army of iron and blood. In a land of betrayal and despair, he laid the foundations of a vast Empire solely through his overwhelming martial prowess and charisma."
The nobles nodded in agreement at the Archbishop’s words, paying their respects.
"Even after establishing the Empire, His Majesty never forgot the demons of the Church state. To liberate the people of the Church state from those demons... to judge the corrupt royals and the Saintess, he led an army of justice southward. Before His Majesty’s army, the false faith of the Church state crumbled like a sandcastle. His Majesty beheaded the hypocrites and dragged down the fake Saintess who had deluded the ignorant masses, forcing her to pay the price for her sins."
I swallowed a bitter laugh. That was indeed revenge.
If it had been a noble cause like a war of liberation, as the Archbishop claimed... then he shouldn't have treated me... treated Elise like that.
He made me marry a horse and forced me to mate with it in the square. He made me take the semen of dozens of men in a brothel. How could that ever be a holy judgment?
"His Majesty, who annexed the Church state, was merciful. While he punished the sinful Saintess, he took the innocent people into the bosom of the Empire and fed them well. Under this Empire, we became one, and under His Majesty’s rule, the Church state enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity."
Gulp. The Archbishop wiped away a tear.
"However... the sun set far too early. Perhaps it was because he carried too many burdens alone. The great Emperor could not overcome a sudden illness and left our side. Ah, what a lamentable thing this is!"
The Archbishop looked up at the heavens, wiping away tears once more.
Yes. Even an Emperor who seemed so invincible could not overcome illness.
"Although the body of His Majesty Skevan lies in this cold coffin, the great legacy of the Empire he built will illuminate the continent forever. We, the survivors, will uphold his will and continue to protect this mighty Empire. May the eternal rest of the Goddess of the Earth be with the soul of the great founding Emperor, Skevan!"
The eulogy ended.
"Let us pray."
The majestic sound of the pipe organ filled the cathedral once again. As everyone prayed, I stared down at Skevan’s coffin with an expressionless face.
A hero praised by the Empire. But to me, he was nothing more than a horrific sadist and a vengeful spirit.
Yes. There is not a single reason for me to be sad at your funeral.
I will never be sad.
I closed my eyes quietly and clasped my hands together. Pretending to pray. That was the only revenge I could take against my enemy.
I was completely exhausted. Every bone in my body ached. The funeral, which had started in the morning, only ended late at night.
I had stood beside the Emperor’s coffin all day, greeting the envoys from various countries and the lords who had flocked from all over the Empire. They bowed their heads to me incessantly, offering words of comfort.
"My condolences, Your Majesty the Empress."
"I offer my deepest sympathies, Your Majesty."
Each time, I nodded with a graceful smile. By evening, my legs were trembling and my throat was parched, but I couldn't show it. I couldn't predict what kind of disaster would occur if it were discovered that I wasn't the real Irene.
However, this grueling physical labor wasn't entirely bad. Because while I was moving incessantly to greet the envoys, my complex thoughts had settled down to some extent.
"Phew... this is tough."
After the funeral schedule was over, I finally returned to the Empress's chambers. I dismissed all the maids and threw myself onto the plush sofa.
"Phew..."
A long sigh escaped my lips.
There was something I needed to check first. In the quiet room, I slowly felt my own body. My hand touched my flat lower abdomen. The skin was smooth and flat, without a single ounce of fat.
'It’s not a pregnant belly.'
It was certain.
In the past, when Irene came to visit me while I was locked in the dungeon, her belly had been bulging. She had been pregnant with Skevan’s child.
But now, this belly was completely flat. Then there was only one answer. A significant amount of time had passed since I died.
Furthermore, the Archbishop’s eulogy stated that Skevan had annexed the Church state and brought prosperity to the continent. The period when I was being brutally tortured in the Church state was right after the war had just ended. It would take at least several years for domestic affairs to stabilize enough to speak of prosperity.
That meant a considerable amount of time had passed since I was stabbed to death by Lucian’s sword in that hellish brothel.
Then I could summarize it like this:
Skevan completely destroyed the Church state and brought prosperity to the Empire, but died of a sudden illness. And I had awakened in the body of Empress Irene long after the time Elise had died.
Knock, knock.
A heavy knock broke the silence of the room.
"Mother. Are you asleep?"
It was Lucian’s voice.
What is it? Why is that guy looking for me? Well, he’s not the type to harm me, so... it shouldn't be a problem to let him in.
"Come in."
I replied, adjusting my posture.
The door opened and Lucian walked in with long strides. He was still wearing the mourning clothes from the funeral. He stood before me and gave a short bow.
"I apologize for the late hour. But I came because this is a matter that cannot be delayed any longer."
"Sit."
Lucian sat on the sofa. His movements were clean and without redundancy. It was a sight to behold.
"His Majesty’s funeral has ended safely. Now is the time to put sorrow behind us and face reality."
"Reality... what do you mean by that?"
As I asked coldly, Lucian’s eyes shone sharply.
"You know better than anyone, Mother."
His voice was low, but it carried an overwhelming tension that felt as if it would tear the room apart.
"We must decide who will lead the Empire."
※ For episodes that do not contain explicit content, I will release the explicit version of the main illustration at the end of the novel.
