I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 202
“Your, Your Majesty!”
Held by the imperial guards, the Liesl father and son desperately called out to the emperor. Tess looked at them indifferently and added dryly.
“In addition, the Liesl titles will be revoked.”
With that, the number of Duchies in the Northern Empire was reduced to three.
A meal would take longer than this swift action. No one protested. Either they were too shocked, or nobody dared oppose a matter agreed upon by the Emperor, the Chancellor, and the Minister of Internal Affairs.
A person’s life that had been meticulously organized, was concluded briskly, but I couldn’t help the chill that ran down my spine.
The ballroom’s atmosphere turned deadly.
“Shall we dance, Euseniel?”
Huh? In this mood?
“Let’s go.”
It seemed he had made up his mind as he took my hand and headed to the dance floor. The crowd that was densely packed scattered and stepped back.
There was a minor commotion as they stepped on trailing dress hems or were stepped on, but the floor quickly emptied.
The orchestra played tunes that were enchanting to the ears as usual. And I found myself moving in sync with Tess’s lead, while bewildered.
“Why?”
“Death sentence, what do you mean by that?”
“Ah, right, we were going to make them slaves.”
After a pause, he lifted the corners of his mouth.
“This time I couldn’t back down, Euseniel. Too many saw and heard.”
I know. I understand.
But why did you do it in the first place? Did the devil inside urge you?
Tess’s faint smile was mesmerizing yet chillingly eerie. A sense of unease seeped in.
“Tess.”
“Yes?”
“Come to my room tonight.”
“Okay.”
The direct descendants of Duchy Liesl were sentenced to death. Blood would be shed, sooner or later.
Tess, are you losing yourself more to the devil?
“Come tomorrow, and the day after, every day. Got it?”
“What’s with you, Euseniel?”
I hesitated to say I was worried he was becoming consumed by his devilish side. As I faltered, Tess’s smile grew deeper.
“As expected, my body is to Euseniel’s taste too?”
“This idi!”
– Idiot, I nearly blurted out, but swallowed the words.
“That’s right.”
In the end, I simply agreed, and Tess, whose eyes had widened for a moment, then smiled brightly, like a flower just beginning to bloom.
The beauty of his smile was enough to make everyone in the room, young and old alike, blush.
As the dance ended, Tess and I headed back towards the throne, and my father approached us.
“Euel, you should dance with Dad too. You must dance with me, hey, hey, ah!”
Suddenly clutching his chest, my father barely finished his sentence.
“-I cannot give my … engagement! I’m opposed to it!”
With his eyes blazing blue at Tess, he suddenly called out my name.
“Eu, Euel!”
Father was pointing trembling fingers at my collarbone and just below it.
I had chosen a necklace with a red diamond, similar to Tess’s heart. It was meant to distract attention, which is why my father had only just noticed it.
The blatant mark that Tes had left.
“Ah, ah, ah, my daughter…!”
Eventually, my father fainted, and Ethyl, who was nearby, carried him out.
I’m sorry, Father. I truly messed up. When you wake up, I’ll call you ‘Dad.’
It was quite embarrassing and awkward, but I held my head high and pretended not to know anything.
“Oh, Euel.”
Aurin touched her forehead and then shook her head in disbelief.
“Did you not anticipate such a reaction from the Duke?”
“Of course, I anticipated it. But there was no choice. If I hadn’t done this, Father might never have accepted my relationship with His Majesty.”
“That sounds like him. It’s probably just a rumor, but I heard that the Minister of Internal Affairs might propose a ‘Euseniel Hardland Restriction Act.'”
My goodness, Father. Were you really going to make such a law?
That might ruin the Northern Empire. Don’t you see that Tess is always around me, even now?
Of course, I couldn’t shout this out, so I just smiled broadly. I glanced down at my chest.
I quite like these vibrant bruises and bite marks.
Evidence of strong possession.
Tess’s body bears the same marks.
* * *
The day of Duke Liesl’s execution was set, and I went to meet the man whom I had personally helped push to his grave.
On my way to meet the Duke imprisoned in a stone dungeon, I felt nothing. The only thing bothering me was the chilling cold and the distinct smell of the underground.
“It’s been a while, Duke.”
“La, Lady!”
The Duke and his second son had been imprisoned separately.
“Oh, you are now the ‘former duke’. The former Duke Liesl, your eldest son is also being transferred here.”
Duke Liesl’s face contorted grotesquely.
“Why did you resort to such actions?”
As I spoke in a soothing tone, Duke Liesl pleaded.
“I wanted to save my family. My son marrying Lady Hardland would have solved everything. So, so…! Please, have mercy, Lady.”
“Then, when our family was expelled from Alin, you should have at least pretended to oppose it.”
The Duke’s face, which was chilled by the dungeon’s cold, now turned ghostly pale.
“Weren’t you pleased to see Hardland driven out? You said it was good riddance to a competitor.”
“That, that was…”
“The Duke is simply being expelled.”
I smiled gently.
“Just as my parents, my siblings, and I were driven to Varen, the Duke, your wife, and your children will find your way to the otherworld.”
“What about Lantia! Lantia is still living well, aren’t they!”
Was this the mentality of someone who believes if they are doomed, others must be too? How despicable.
Want to read more? Up to [24] advanced chapters are available on Patreon:
For update pings, novel discussions and/or to send mistake reports, join our discord server~!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
