Subjugating the Female General
When Dong-hyun's consciousness settled into place and his eyes opened, he found himself seated at the very center of the grand audience hall. Rank upon rank of people stood arrayed before him, flanking the throne to left and right.
"Your Majesty! We cannot leave the Kairan Kingdom unpunished! To do so would be to diminish the dignity of our Krantz Empire!"
A single voice rang out before the throne. Dong-hyun could not begin to make sense of what was happening.
"But Your Majesty! Should war break out with the Kairan Kingdom, the impact upon the international order would be immense. There are already three nations at war with the Krantz Empire — we must first pacify those fronts before we seek a decisive battle with Kairan!"
"Nonsense! Don't you understand that if we do that, every other nation will come to hold our Krantz Empire in contempt?!"
"You want to rush into a fight without even grasping the flow of events? What are you people, warmongers?!"
The hall had split into two camps, voices climbing as they hurled arguments across the floor.
In that instant, a headache so violent it felt as though his skull might split crashed through Dong-hyun's mind. The memories of Emperor Ailes Krantz came pouring in like a flood.
The faction calling for immediate war was the hardliners, led by Duke Idebert Balanos. A man of formidable personal martial prowess, he was also Ailes's father-in-law — a belligerent figure who commanded a considerable military force of his own. Shouting from the opposite side was Duke Valentinus Edinel. Where Duke Balanos was renowned for his armies, Duke Edinel was famous for his grip on commerce and his vast wealth.
The two men stood in sharp, unyielding opposition, and the factions that followed each of them were matching their lords' raised voices measure for measure.
Why this commotion had erupted at all became clear through the emperor's memories.
It had happened at the emperor's birthday banquet, to which dignitaries from every nation had been invited. Among the guests was Adrian Wendelin, the famed female general of the Kairan Kingdom — and Emperor Ailes, so undone by her beauty that he lost all reason, had sexually harassed her. She had slapped him across the face.
The whole thing had erupted so suddenly that no one could react in time. Every eye in the hall had been upon them, and in the chaos that followed, the Kairan Kingdom's delegation had fled the empire with all possible haste.
Now every minister in the court was locked in heated debate over how to respond.
Hah... what the hell did this idiot do?
Of course, the Adrian that now existed in Dong-hyun's memories was beautiful enough that even an emperor might lose his head. She had red hair and striking features, and as a general her physique was taut and powerfully attractive. But for a man who sat on an imperial throne to do something like that and get slapped for it — that was unthinkable. This was a matter of the empire's prestige.
Ailes Krantz might have been a twenty-five-year-old brat, but his failings were the empire's failings. His shame was the empire's shame.
Dong-hyun watched the situation unfold in silence. Then, at last, he opened his mouth.
"What if we sent an envoy to the Kairan Kingdom and asked them to surrender General Adrian? If they comply, we treat the entire affair as if it never happened. How does that sound?"
The moment Dong-hyun spoke, the noisy hall fell silent. Given the image the emperor had cultivated until now, for Ailes Krantz to speak up of his own accord was a highly unusual event. He had ascended the throne at a young age and, rather than attending to affairs of state, had drowned himself in women — a thoroughly worthless sovereign.
Duke Edinel was the first to respond.
"An excellent idea, Your Majesty. The empire would restore its dignity, and we would obtain General Adrian without shedding a single drop of blood."
"However... Your Majesty... they will not surrender General Adrian so readily."
Duke Balanos stepped forward to challenge the proposal.
"We can discuss that when the time comes. If the Kairan Kingdom scorns our courtesy, then we proceed as Duke Balanos wishes. Would that not suffice?"
Dong-hyun's words landed as a well-measured olive branch. He had framed a path that would salvage the empire's prestige — and made clear that if it failed, he would not hesitate to use force. When the emperor spoke in such terms, both dukes fell silent. For once, their sovereign had put forward a proposal that served every interest in the room.
"Then I shall assemble the diplomatic mission and dispatch it to the Kairan Kingdom."
Duke Edinel spoke up at once. If a hawk like Duke Balanos were allowed to send the envoys, the mission would fail — that much was obvious to anyone. Duke Balanos offered no objection.
"Very well. But if the mission yields nothing, I will personally stand at the head of the army that invades the Kairan Kingdom."
Hmph. As if the Kairan Kingdom would ever give up Adrian. That will never happen.
Duke Balanos had his own calculations. Adrian Wendelin was more than a beautiful face — she was a once-in-a-generation hero, gifted in both strategy and martial might. The Kairan Kingdom was a small nation, and the single greatest reason it had survived in the cracks between great powers was Adrian herself.
With Dong-hyun's pronouncement, the council came to an end.
Dong-hyun left the council chamber and set off somewhere. It was a path he had never walked, and yet Ailes's memories made it feel familiar. His feet carried him not to his own chambers, but to those of the Empress — Yuria Krantz.
Ailes had always been particularly averse to Yuria Krantz. Or rather, it was not so much dislike as intimidation. He feared Duke Balanos, whose power exceeded even that of the emperor himself, and so he had instinctively recoiled from the duke's daughter.
Dong-hyun, however, could not understand it at all.
Why would anyone push away a woman this beautiful? Is he an idiot?
Dong-hyun's steps halted before her door. The guards attending Yuria Krantz caught sight of Emperor Ailes and hurriedly sent word inside. Dong-hyun waited at his ease.
Presently the empress's door slid open. However neglected Yuria had been, however poorly she might have felt toward the emperor, she could not simply turn away an imperial visit. Dong-hyun walked slowly through the open doorway. The door closed behind him of its own accord.
Yuria Krantz stood before him, two ladies-in-waiting at her side. Her expression was far from bright.
What on earth possessed the emperor to come see me all of a sudden?
"I present myself before Your Majesty."
Whatever she felt inside, Yuria offered the greeting with every courtesy she could muster. Dong-hyun looked at the woman welcoming him and allowed himself a wry smile. He had not imagined that things between Yuria and himself were anything close to good.
Yuria... her mental fortitude is as impressive as her looks.
Yuria was a beauty of an entirely different kind from Adrian. Her hair, finely braided, spilled down to her waist, and her skin was pale and delicate. Large eyes and a finely sculpted nose completed a face of remarkable loveliness.
She was still so young that she did not yet look like a noblewoman or an empress — more like an aristocratic girl on the verge of her social debut. Throughout their marriage, they had never even properly consummated the relationship. Time had simply... passed.
Dong-hyun raised a hand, signaling that she need not stand on ceremony. Yuria adjusted her posture.
"To what do I owe the honor of Your Majesty's personal visit?"
There were still thorns in her words. And little wonder — it had been barely two weeks since Ailes's incident with Adrian. That he had done such a thing while she, his wife, existed was bound to leave her displeased.
She had heard the rumors about him laying hands on the maids, and she could overlook that much. Those women were not in her league. But Adrian was another matter entirely. A woman who possessed both beauty and ability — that had left Yuria in a thoroughly foul mood.
"Must a man have a reason to come see his own wife?"
Dong-hyun said it lightly, almost playfully. Yuria's eyes went quite wide. She had clearly not expected him to come at her like this.
"And yet the man saying that never once came looking for me."
The prim, sulky look on her face was rather adorable.
"I'm here now, aren't I? Shall we take a walk together?"
Dong-hyun extended his hand toward her, wearing an easy, good-natured smile. Yuria's eyes remained wide as she stared at his offered hand. Were her cheeks faintly flushed, or was that just his imagination?
In the end, Yuria took his hand.
Hand in hand, the two of them walked the palace gardens.
"I have been far too neglectful. I hope I haven't hurt your feelings."
"Hmm... I understand why you were the way you were. That doesn't mean I enjoyed it."
Yuria laid her feelings out without any pretense, and Dong-hyun found that he liked her all the more for it.
"In a way, we may have Adrian to thank for all of this."
The moment Adrian's name left his lips, Yuria's expression crumpled.
"And why, exactly, are we talking about Adrian right now?"
"After she slapped me, I believe I finally came to my senses. I realized who I ought to hold most dear."
Dong-hyun stopped walking and looked into Yuria's eyes.
Emperor Ailes's appearance was, by any measure, handsome. Golden hair, clear blue eyes, porcelain skin, and sharply defined features — he had the look of a beautiful youth. He had behaved like a spoiled child, but the blood of the imperial line ran in his veins, and it showed.
When Yuria had first become empress, she had looked at that face and dreamed of a rosy future. That he never came to her had only made her angrier. Now those same eyes were gazing into hers, and the words falling from his lips were sweet. Color bloomed across Yuria's face.
"Nngh... you can't just say things like that all of a sudden..."
Dong-hyun found the sight even more endearing.
Did Ailes ever know she could look like this? No — even if he had, he never would have approached her.
"My lady... you truly are adorable."
He had been a shut-in loser, but among the games he had played were dating sims, and he knew the walkthroughs well enough. Of course, applying those tactics in the real world required looks and status on Ailes's level — and the man Dong-hyun currently possessed was Ailes himself. No problem at all.
"I don't know..."
Yuria could take no more. She let go of his hand and hurried ahead, fanning her face with one hand as she went.
This is way too embarrassing. Why is he suddenly doing things he never did before...? But... he really is handsome.
Dong-hyun lengthened his stride and caught up with her.
"How about we dine together this evening?"
Yuria started when she realized he was already beside her again, but she tried to keep her composure.
"Very well. I'll come to you."
"No. Tonight I will come to your chambers. I would like us to share a meal in your rooms."
W-what is this man even saying right now...
The flush that had only just begun to fade from Yuria's face deepened into a full crimson. To dine in her chambers was as good as saying he intended to share her bed.
"Nngh... that's... nngh..."
It was a far cry from her usual composure. Today she seemed to be short-circuiting at every turn.
"You don't want me to?"
"Ah... no. Please come."
The words tumbled out in a rush, and then Yuria fled at a brisk walk, vanishing down the path. Dong-hyun watched her retreating figure with a thoroughly satisfied smile.