Chapter 847
Chapter 847
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 847
Chapter Title: The Tyrant for You
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"This is the Golden Garden."
The voice came from behind her. It was a beautiful voice, even for a woman. Linda turned around.
There stood a witch with purple hair, dressed in a sky-blue gown.
"A gathering to kill the emperor."
Linda swallowed hard. Considering the incantation needed to enter this place, it wasn't hard to guess.
But the members gathered here were all extraordinary figures, which made her body tense up.
Especially the witch at the center, Morgana—she was infamous. Linda, who knew about Morgana from the original novel, felt both suspicious and convinced at the same time.
Morgana was the enemy who killed the emperor's mother. And the emperor had killed Morgana's son and mother, captured her daughter, and treated her like a dog.
Linda thought of Ophelia. She'd seen her a few times. Ophelia had hollow eyes devoid of hope, chasing only sexual pleasure. She was already a broken toy for the emperor's lust.
"From the look on your face, you seem to know who I am."
"...Aren't you Morgana Leiter?"
"That's right. The witch hunted by the emperor. And you're Linda Valentina, right? A candidate for the emperor's consort."
Consort candidate.
The women chosen by the emperor. The key point was that they were only candidates, not actual consorts. There were currently no consorts in the imperial palace. The reason was simple. Ernel hadn't officially married yet.
"...Is it okay for someone like me to be here? Everyone in this gathering is so remarkable..."
"Don't worry about that. There was some opposition, but most have already agreed to accept you. And once you're in, we can't just let you go easily. If you really don't want to, I'll erase your memory and send you back."
"......"
Linda hesitated.
Objectively, killing the emperor was insane. Even with such remarkable people here, success seemed unlikely. She could end up used and discarded like Linda in the original novel.
For her own safety, losing her memory and leaving would be better. But thoughts of those suffering under the emperor kept holding her back.
"...What do you want me to do?"
"Something only you can do."
"Something only I can do...? The emperor has many consort candidates besides me."
"True. And most of them have already submitted to him. But you're special among the candidates. For some reason, the emperor pays attention to you."
"......If it's poisoning him or assassinating him while he sleeps, I'll pass."
"We know something that crude won't kill the emperor. What we want from you is to monitor his every move. We need information on the emperor. And when the time comes... help us kill him."
"...I understand. But I won't just blindly follow orders."
Morgana nodded with a faint smile.
"Thank you for cooperating. Bernard, please guide Miss Linda."
"Yes, Morgana."
Morgana approached the others to talk. Linda focused her ears. They were far enough that she couldn't catch everything, but she heard words like "military" and such.
"Linda, this way. I'll introduce you to some key figures."
Bernard said, adjusting his glasses.
"...Um, I'm in pajamas right now, so it's really embarrassing..."
"It's fine. No one here cares about your attire. People often come in pajamas. Look, that one, and those over there—they're in pajamas too."
"......"
The people Bernard pointed to were all men. There were very few women in the garden to begin with—only about 10% of the total. Linda was the only young woman. Despite her youthful beauty, Morgana was more than twice Linda's age.
'If Bernard had told me beforehand, I wouldn't have come in pajamas...'
Complaining now was pointless, so she grumbled inwardly.
With Bernard's help, Linda exchanged greetings with the others.
"This is Terman Plast. And this is Miss Linda Valentina."
"Call me Terman casually."
He was a middle-aged man with notably white streaks in his hair. He looked at Linda with disillusioned eyes and spoke emotionlessly.
"Please call me Linda. Your surname—is it...?"
"Yes. I'm Count Plast. My family rebelled against the emperor's tax demands and was ruined for it. My family was executed, and my daughter was raped by the emperor before taking her own life."
"......"
Terman spoke matter-of-factly. But the rage hidden beneath his indifference sent chills down Linda's spine.
"The emperor didn't even chase me when I fled. He just issued a warrant. He doesn't even acknowledge me as an enemy. Damn bastard. I'll kill him someday..."
"Terman, please calm down."
Bernard said. Terman sighed.
"Ah, right. Thinking of the emperor gets my blood boiling. Your name was Linda, right, miss? I've heard of you. Must be tough as a consort candidate."
"...No. At least I won't die."
Linda smiled bitterly.
Consort candidate sounded nice, but it was no different from being a whore spreading her legs for the emperor. Still, in exchange, one could gain immense power and wealth.
"I was insensitive. Ever since that day, it's been hard to consider others. Sorry."
"I'm fine, but I'll accept your apology, Mr. Terman."
"Thanks. I gather information on the emperor from the shadows. As a consort candidate, you can get close to him, so you're likely to learn things. Tell me anything you find out. That's probably why Bernard introduced you to me."
"Got it. But I doubt I'll have much. What the emperor does... is mostly sleep with women."
"Even trivial info is good. Trivial details can become the biggest threats... Let me know anything new."
"Yes, I will."
Bernard then led her to a cheerful young man with tanned skin and red hair.
"Miss, pajamas suit you well."
"I'm Linda Valentina. Don't tease me too much. It's embarrassing."
"Yorhan Melcos. The empire's great admiral, that's me. Want a drink? The garden's liquor is delicious—you'll like it."
Yorhan Melcos. The young admiral who dominated the empire's seas.
"Thanks, but no. I'm weak to alcohol... If I drink now, tomorrow morning will be hell."
"Too bad."
Linda chatted with Yorhan. It was light, meaningless talk. He seemed loose-lipped but was actually tight-mouthed. He didn't tell her his role. But Linda could easily guess.
'Being able to roam the seas freely is a huge advantage.'
There was much she could do with Yorhan.
Bernard introduced others before approaching Abel Raist. Heir to the northern grand duke. With black hair and red eyes, he stared at Linda coldly. She flinched. His red eyes reminded her of Ernel.
"Abel Raist."
"Linda Valentina."
"......"
"......"
The mood grew icy. Linda didn't force conversation. Knowing Abel's personality from the novel, pushing it would backfire.
Linda and Bernard sat opposite Abel and had tea. Abel didn't touch the sweets. He hated them.
"I heard Ernel's been tormenting you."
"...Among the candidates, she doesn't seem fond of me. Probably because I act differently from the others."
Ernel's harassment was minor—just verbal insults. Because she was a candidate. If he'd meant real harm, her nails would already be ripped off.
Ernel never physically tormented candidates or beauties.
"I have no intention of apologizing for what that woman did, but she's from Raist. Sorry. When the emperor dies, I'll kill her myself—just wait."
"...You'll kill Ernel yourself? Aren't you siblings by blood?"
"She harbors hatred for the Raist family. Because she couldn't become the heir. If she can't have it, she'll destroy it—that's her vile nature. She's the family's shame and disgrace, so I'll handle her."
"...I see."
Linda broke out in cold sweat as she chewed her snack. She doubted she could befriend the man before her.
Moments later, Morgana's voice echoed through the garden. Magic, for sure.
"I have good news."
Everyone looked to the center. Morgana stood gracefully.
"The alliance has finally been formed."
The garden buzzed. Some exclaimed in admiration, others chattered noisily. All were joyful.
"Alliance...?"
This gathering? No, if it were, she'd have said so from the start.
"Ah, Linda's new today, so she wouldn't know. Morgana means an alliance of nations outside the empire. Against the empire—or more precisely, against the emperor."
"Have all other nations allied?"
"No. The northern giant nation Solamit is excluded. They're currently conquering under General Rutheon, the supreme commander, on the emperor's orders, with the Raist family. Right, Abel? How's the war going?"
"...The war will end soon. Empire's victory. The emperor's massacre of 10,000 Solamit giants last time was decisive."
"Kingdoms besides Solamit have allied?"
Abel and Bernard nodded in unison at Linda's question.
"The island nation of Grand to the east. Its king is famous for the holy sword Excalibur. The Slade Empire, rulers of the western desert—the sultan leading the beastmen has decided. The elf kingdom Mailrod worships the Earth Mother God. With the emperor as her enemy, they're joining naturally."
Three nations allied. Excluding northern Solamit giants, these were the last real holdouts. This was the final resistance.
'Plus the people gathered here... Maybe we really can kill the emperor.'
The emperor faced external and internal enemies. Even an invincible superhuman couldn't handle it all alone.
With this preparation, the emperor would die.
Logically. Yet Linda felt inexplicable unease.
"The time is approaching. Everyone, do your best from your positions."
Even Morgana's calm voice didn't dispel her anxiety.
Linda walked through the imperial palace.
Her destination: the emperor's bedchamber. Tonight, she would sleep with him. It wasn't unusual. She visited periodically and had done so over 30 times now.
Yet she never got used to it. Her body tensed each time she headed there. Even now, her heart pounded.
The closer she got, the more her lower belly tickled. Linda blushed. This recent bodily reaction was bewildering.
"Eut."
She stopped. Maybe because she wore a silk slip without panties, reaching her thighs—the tickle in her lower belly was intense today. Not just there. With a worried face, she slipped a hand between her legs. It came out with a sticky sound, drenched in clear fluid.
Linda's face burned crimson.
'This makes me look like a pervert anticipating sex with the emperor...'
Drip.
Hearing her love juices hit the floor, Linda hung her head low.