Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Proof of Value
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“Is there any reason I should kill you, by chance?”
The emperor’s voice was flat.
“Tell me, Lena Rubel.”
But the tone that dropped so firmly was unmistakably an interrogation. At Nihil’s emotionless question, Lena feigned surprise. A reason he should kill her? She could think of several off the top of her head without even trying. Though inwardly shocked, she hid it and thought quickly. Why was Nihil suddenly saying something like that? What exactly did he know? Just the rumor that she might be the daughter of the Northern Marquis? Or the secret meeting between Clavis and Rubel in the past? Or had he somehow found out that Clavis had asked her to kill the emperor just a few days ago?
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, but Lena put on an innocent expression as if she knew nothing.
She had no choice but to start gambling.
“That’s something I can’t reveal yet.”
“You can’t reveal it?”
“Yes.”
“Should I take that to mean you must die? Or that you want to die?”
Nihil’s voice remained calmly even as he pressed her.
Lena answered even more deferentially in the face of that dryness.
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“You said there was no need for lengthy explanations, so I gave only the conclusion.”
“How impertinent.”
Even Nihil’s rebuke was flat. But Lena didn’t mistake it for gentleness. With that very expression, Nihil had made her fight Lynn and taken the life from a knight. So she added, prepared for anything he might do.
“If you permit it, I will explain.”
Nihil’s sky-blue eyes stared straight at Lena. The sensitive tyrant gazed at her like a predator contemplating its hunt, then finally muttered softly.
“Bark.”
Fortunately, Nihil didn’t punish Lena right away.
“Since I am merciful, I’ll hear your defense and judge.”
He merely sank deeper into the cushions and tilted his head as if to say, go ahead.
At Nihil’s reaction, Lena mustered a smile. Though she didn’t show it, it felt like a blade was at her throat. But through his relaxed demeanor, she confirmed one thing. The emperor didn’t yet know of her connection to Clavis. If he did, he wouldn’t have listened—he would have beheaded her on the spot. Realizing Nihil’s suspicions were very shallow, Lena slowly began.
“I was abandoned by my parents as a child. After that, I learned how to fight to survive, and eventually ended up on the battlefields of the South.”
“And there, you caught the Southern Duke’s eye?”
“Yes.”
Lena nodded obediently, watching Nihil’s expression. But Nihil remained as impassive as a statue.
“Afterward, the Southern Duke offered me the position of his proxy. It was undoubtedly more than I deserved, but the thought of meeting my father made me accept.”
“So you came all the way to the imperial palace, and that so-called father of yours wouldn’t even see you. Is that it?”
At Nihil’s question, Lena was certain. This was the extent of what he knew. The rumor that a mercenary who joined the Silent War was the Northern Marquis’s daughter—that was it. So Lena continued much more lightly.
“Yes. He claims his daughter died of illness.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Isn’t it? I feel like he’s my father, but he says I’m not his daughter. That means one of us is either lying or mistaken.”
“And?”
“So I can’t tell Your Majesty yet. Whether I deserve to die at Your Majesty’s hands is something that can only be known once my identity is confirmed.”
As Lena’s explanation circled back to his initial question, Nihil’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“So wait until the truth is revealed, and I’ll give Your Majesty a proper answer.”
“Impertinent as ever.”
As Lena finished, Nihil rested his chin on his hand and murmured in a languid voice.
“So you’re saying not to interfere until you settle things with this father of yours, or whatever he is.”
Unexpectedly, Nihil was quite perceptive. She’d thought his half-mad appearance meant he didn’t think deeply, but his judgment was surprisingly sound. No, not just sound—it was accurate. As he said, Lena didn’t want that. The emperor meddling in her affairs? Absolutely not. Someone intruding between her and her father? Unthinkable. After coming this far, after waiting so long for this moment. Hiding her true feelings, Lena answered prettily.
“I can’t risk offending Your Majesty with my personal matters.”
“You say that.”
Nihil muttered as if calling her words nonsense. For some reason, that brief rebuke felt almost like laughter.
“You’re up to something strange. You plan to toy with that ill-mannered father like a rat in a trap?”
Nihil’s words hit the mark again, leaving Lena inwardly flustered. At the same time, she realized it. This mad emperor was a being over a hundred years old. It was only natural that the insight of one who had ruled as emperor for so long surpassed that of ordinary people. Even if half-insane, even if numb to everything, his intellect still operated sharply. It was merely rusted from boredom and rarely used. Yet the ever-bored emperor was sparing no thoughts or words today.
“Those who scheme like that fall into two categories. Either consumed by venomous grudge, or possessing power worthy of it. Which are you?”
At the question that saw through everything, Lena curved her eyes softly. Then she answered honestly.
“Both, I think.”
“You really do resemble Naza.”
Naza. The name Nihil mentioned often. Hearing it repeatedly stirred Lena’s curiosity.
“You must have cherished the former Eastern Duke a great deal.”
“I took great interest in him. Compared to the worthless rabble not worth associating with.”
“A friend…… perhaps?”
“Friend?”
Nihil echoed her question as if it were something bizarre.
“Friendship requires equality.”
“Then Lord Naza was……”
“Possession.”
Nihil said without hesitation.
“A possession of high rarity value.”
Then he tilted his head toward Lena and whispered with lips weary of tedium.
“You as well.”
“Pardon?”
“Naza’s death left me bored, but you’ve sparked my interest after so long. So if there’s no compelling reason to kill you, I’ll take you as my possession too.”
Lena’s eyes widened at the sudden proposal. As her lips parted to respond, Nihil added.
“No need for a reply. I’ve decided it. Now, no one but me can punish you. So don’t fail, don’t yield, and don’t disappoint me.”
Lena was flustered again by Nihil’s boundless encouragement. It was too much. For one achievement, the treatment was overly extravagant, so she asked skeptically.
“If I may be so bold, what if I do fail?”
“I’ll kill you.”
The follow-up answer was simple.
“The day I lose interest, you die. So keep proving your value. Like Naza did.”
Yes. Peeling back one layer, Nihil’s words were closer to threat than praise. With that, Lena finally understood his intent completely. Nihil had chosen her to alleviate his boredom. It was a selection born of mere curiosity, a diversion he could discard anytime his interest waned—in short, toy treatment. Realizing this, Lena smiled bitterly. Then she gazed quietly at Nihil’s face. Though he had lived a century already, the emperor remained young and beautiful. But that beauty was merely superficial, lacking the tenderness of a living human. Had he lost his expressions from the time he’d endured, or from the emotions he’d severed? His transparent eyes were as cold as carved ice. Lena knew well what answer to offer before that ruthless gaze. Placating him appropriately wasn’t difficult. But after quietly mulling it over, Lena chose to say what she wanted, not what she had to.
“I’m grateful for the offer, but I’ll decline.”
A toy? Unacceptable. Had she returned from hell for such treatment? As Lena smiled sweetly and spoke, Nihil’s eyes widened slightly. It was the first expression he’d shown. As if unable to comprehend, Nihil said again.
“It’s not a proposal. It’s a command.”
“Then I refuse.”
“Do you want to die?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I just want to exist.”
Lena said this with a faint smile.
“As a person, not a possession or a toy.”
. . . With a creak of metal, the barred door opened. Lena, who had opened it herself on the way in, did the same on the way out. Finally free of the emperor’s domain, she let out a long-held breath.
‘That was like sitting on a bed of nails……’
Having a private audience with the emperor truly felt like that. She was even relieved to emerge unscathed. Just minutes ago, Lena had defied Nihil’s command. A reckless act that neither the Southern Duke, Lynn, nor Uni would approve of. So Lena had braced for the consequences when she said it. If the emperor decided to kill her, she’d ask to be sent to her grave instead. Fortunately, no such extreme occurred. Nihil had simply stared through her and said:
―Consider yourself fortunate. That we’re alone.
―If anyone else saw your insolence, I would have killed you.
―But since no one but me knows, I’ll show mercy.
She’d expected ruthless punishment like at the victory banquet, but Nihil was unexpectedly lenient. No, it seemed he wasn’t punishing insolence he’d invited himself. As she reconsidered his nature, he fixed her with an even more imperious gaze and said.
―I’ll say it again: no need for your answer. I’ve decided.
―Whether you like it or not, prove your value. That’s the bare minimum to survive.
―The day you fail, yield, or fall short of my expectations, you will die by my hand.
It meant her refusal was irrelevant. While Lena was speechless at the emperor’s firm declaration, Nihil dismissed her curtly. Thus, she escaped unscathed despite defying him. Truly unexpected. After passing the barred door, Lena glanced back briefly.
‘He’s not as unreasonable as I thought.’
Imperious and eccentric, yes, but not entirely irrational. In fact, she had been the irrational one earlier. She could have just said yes. She had no intention of failing or yielding anyway, so playing the usual fawning game would have let it pass pleasantly for both. But Lena hadn’t uttered empty words. The command to meet expectations, to prove her value—it had lodged too deeply in her heart for her to say yes. It felt like everything she’d built would crumble in an instant if she did. Gazing at the emperor’s white palace beyond the bars, Lena turned away. Then she mulled over his stern declaration again.
―The day you fail, yield, or fall short of my expectations, you will die by my hand.
A true tyrant’s eloquence. And the moment she heard it, Lena thought: above all, Father would be delighted if he knew.
***
The day Lena had her private audience with the emperor, Cardinal Clavis sent word to each duke in the emperor’s name. He confirmed that the relic the Eastern Duke brought from the first expedition belonged to King Chelleste of the castle era, and declared the testimony that the Southern Duke’s proxy had called Chelleste’s name to enter the Wraiths’ castle fully credible. With that, the date of the next expedition was finally set. Ten days later, the empire would descend into the tomb once more to conquer another king. Their second target was the King of Burning and Char. Hiems Grasha, direct ancestor of Emperor Nihil Grasha.