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The blood stretched out long beneath the Sun's Throne.
It belonged to the seventy-two major noble houses that had monopolized the wealth and power of the Terra Planetary System for hundreds of years.
They immediately launched a counterattack against Her Majesty's coup.
Leading their private armies, they marched on the Imperial Palace, shouting that they would reclaim the legitimate throne.
War erupted once more, and the outcome was swift.
The lords now knelt in a straight line on the marble floor.
It was the result of one-sided slaughter.
Their magnificent uniforms were stained with filth and blood, and no one dared lift their heads.
The defeated could only tremble and beg for their lives.
Seated on the throne, Valeria slowly opened her mouth.
"Dispose of them."
Before the order had even finished echoing, the Millionaire Legion in their Void Carapace armor moved.
Neither rebellion nor pathetic excuses were permitted.
The jaws of the lords who had been about to speak were ruthlessly crushed by the steel greaves.
Every time the cold flash of the Ion Pulsar lit up, the power figures of the old era turned into bloody piles and rolled across the floor.
It was the moment the century-old cartel of power came to an end.
After the execution of the traitors and the thick scent of blood filling the hall, Valeria's gaze slowly drifted to the administrative officials sweating in a corner.
With the warlords removed, it was now time to purify the festering administrative network.
"The ones who embezzled the budget for the air filtration systems in District Two and District Five."
"Yes, confirmed. They are the ones."
"Handle them."
The corrupt officials pulled away were reduced to ashes beneath the Ion Pulsar flashes, leaving no desperate screams behind.
Valeria continued issuing cold commands from the unmoving throne.
"All seized assets will be confiscated. The entire amount will be allocated to the purification of the undercity residential districts in the capital and the arming of the Imperial Central Army."
One of the surviving officials barely managed to speak with a trembling voice.
"Y-Your Majesty. Replacing the weapons of the Central Army makes sense, but before investing in the undercity, there are urgent matters that—"
"The Empire is rotting from the inside. A throne built on a crumbling foundation has no meaning."
Valeria's red eyes turned icy.
"Excise the rotten parts and concentrate all control under the Imperial Family. Immediately restore the air filtration systems to maximum output and completely purify the air in the capital."
Seeing that the official could not change his mind, Valeria declared with the force of a hammer:
"My goal is to solve all problems of the Terra Empire. Anyone who cannot do the work and only wastes money will be eliminated. If providing a living environment for many people is excessive, then it is priority to deal with those who cannot even do this right here and now."
There was no reply.
Valeria let out a heavy sigh, as if she had no choice, and continued:
"Do you understand?"
The officials swallowed hard.
It was a sentence that they would no longer be able to live as before. Committing corruption now required gambling with their lives.
"Yes, I understand."
The justification was the reconstruction of the rotten empire and perfect centralization.
But Her Majesty's thoughts were simple.
She could only perfectly control what she wanted by holding power.
And the reason for controlling it was only for her brother.
After ascending the throne, she spoke with her brother.
He only said he wanted to try wielding power a little.
So cute.
For a moment, when she heard the small desire, she thought that.
In any case, that was what had decided Her Majesty's goal.
There was a lot to do to swing power freely.
Centralization was one of them, sowing fear in the nobles who would oppose her, and finding citizens who would absolutely follow her.
That was why she was going to make the Imperial Family's authority absolute.
Valeria began reshaping the Empire's structure without hesitation.
---
It was warm.
The first thought that came to mind when I opened my eyes.
The highest-grade anti-gravity bed that perfectly distributed body weight made me feel as if I were lying on a cloud.
The ceiling was so high it hurt my neck.
No longer living in the sunless palace, and with lighting adjusted to my eye condition, it was perfect.
Since Valeria noona became Empress, my life had changed dramatically.
The brothers who used to look down on me had been removed without a trace, the table always brought the finest ingredients, and life had become so abundant it felt violent.
The pleasure of using Imperial Family capital made my breath tingle every time I inhaled.
They said positions shaped people.
The memories of the exhausting past had long since faded.
"Are you awake, Your Highness?"
A thin, trembling voice came from below the bed.
The maid was lying with her forehead pressed to the marble floor.
All the arrogant or incompetent servants from the old palace had been replaced.
I didn't ask where they had gone.
The new maid was said to have served high royalty before.
I didn't know the details, and I didn't care.
"Tea."
As I muttered shortly, the maid struggled not to make any sound and placed a silver tray.
The clear liquid brewed from freshly harvested tea leaves from the pristine zone was in a golden cup.
Honestly, I didn't know much about the deep flavor of tea, but I wanted to enjoy tea time in tune with this luxurious life.
I raised my lazy body and brought the cup to my lips.
Ah, it's hot.
The temperature was too hot, so I frowned slightly and set the cup down.
At that moment, the color drained from the maid's face.
She fell to her knees with a thump and pressed her forehead back to the floor.
The sound of her chattering teeth echoed through the room.
"P-Please spare me..."
I had heard that when a court servant displeased a previous Emperor, they had the skin flayed to make furniture or thrown alive into a macerator.
That explained the reaction.
The trembling was pitiful, but it also felt good to taste my own power.
"It doesn't match the temperature."
I didn't even glance at the maid on the floor and continued dryly.
"It's too hot. Brew it again so it won't scald the tongue. Bring the accompanying sweets too. Fresh fruit would be better than just sweet cookies."
The room fell into heavy silence.
The maid looked up at me with eyes full of disbelief, wondering if she had misheard.
When I waved my hand lightly, she realized she had been spared death and scrambled to follow the order to re-brew the tea.
I didn't think to treat people's lives like flies over such small things.
Using power in such a way would make me just another third-rate villain.
I just wanted to be a cool and elegant lord.
Why couldn't there be cool villains?
"The answer."
"Y-Yes. I will obey. Forgive me, Your Highness."
There was a thick wetness in the maid's voice.
She didn't make it obvious.
In the Imperial Palace where ruthless slaughter reigned, a reasonable lord who did not spill blood over a servant's minor mistake.
I later heard that among the servants there was a fanatical rumor that I was an endlessly merciful lord.
I had no intention of becoming a truth-teller, but in a world where people lived so painfully even over one normal complaint, it was understandable.
Well, it was fine.
As subordinates became more capable, my life became even more comfortable.
---
The long State Council meeting was nearing its end.
The Empire's administrative network and military power had been perfectly placed under Valeria's control.
Where the rotten flesh had been excised, officers from the Millionaire Legion and subordinate bureaucrats with proven practical skills were now tightly filling the positions.
The old-era power figures sat in silence, staring only at the throne.
Internally, they had been arrogantly confident.
No matter how tyrannical, they believed even if the Emperor killed everyone, he could never rule this vast Empire.
Even without the corruption of the past, they thought their positions holding the reins of administration would be safe.
But as the administrative network filled with countless subordinate bureaucrats quickly found stability, Valeria coldly evaluated the old-era remnants lying beneath the throne.
"You really have no use."
The gears of the Empire that had been stagnant for a thousand years began turning smoothly and terrifyingly under the bloodied palm of the tyrant.
The surviving bureaucrats now realized that their shallow usefulness had disappeared and fell into despair.
They could only lie flat, praying that the tyrant's blood would not touch them.
As the meeting ended in the midst of fear, Valeria lightly tapped the armrest of the throne.
"This is the final agenda."
A massive holographic star chart floated in the air.
Centered on the heart of the Empire, the Terra Planetary System, fourteen core planetary systems rich in resources and wealth glowed red.
The ministers carefully scanned each other's eyes.
They had obtained enormous spoils from mercilessly purging the opposition.
Everyone held their breath, waiting to decide which faction would receive the new balance of power.
"The governing rights, tax rights, and all administrative authority over these fourteen resource planets, including the Terra Planetary System, belong to the Emperor."
The old officials squeezed their eyes shut at the declaration of monopolizing everything.
This Emperor did not trust anyone.
But they dared not oppose.
Families and forces that could oppose had long since become nourishment for the throne.
"And I will appoint the Grand Duke of the Terra Empire."
The ministers' eyes shook in unison.
Among the numerous nobles who had been slaughtered, who would be the new power at the top?
Who would be given such immense power?
In the stifling tension, the elderly official who had long managed the Empire's finances finally spoke.
"Your Majesty. Forgive me. Unifying the tax rights of the Terra Planetary System may cause problems, and it would be better to assign responsibility for managing each region as a check..."
Thud.
The elderly official's head was crushed on the marble floor.
Silas severed his breath in a single motion with his giant armor.
The personal guard dragged the motionless corpse away like baggage.
"No opinions were heard."
Valeria's cold voice echoed through the blood-filled hall.
"My brother, Theodore."
In the heavy silence where no one could breathe, a dry voice continued.
"Effective today, I appoint him as the Grand Duke of the Terra Empire."
Heavy silence fell.
No one resisted.
Everyone in the hall silently bowed their heads to the spreading blood on the floor, blindly accepting the birth of an absolute ruler who could never be trampled on.