“There’s no reason to refuse if he’s asking to be used.”

I didn’t feel guilty about manipulating him. There’s no such thing as a conscience in a demon.

Besides, I needed to use whatever I could for survival, now that I was suddenly living as a human without ever having done so before.

‘It’s a challenge just to live as a human. But considering my status is quite favorable and I have a loyal subordinate who loves this body, it’s not all bad. As long as I don’t reveal that I’m a demon… But that shouldn’t be a problem now that I’ve lost my magic core.’

At first, the shock of becoming human clouded my thinking. But after reflecting, this human empress seemed to have a personality quite similar to mine.

So they’re all used to harsh words, maybe.

Moreover, they don’t fear me when I’m angry. They rather seem to pity me.

‘Of course.’

What harm could I possibly do in this fragile body? At most, my temper tantrums might appear pitiable.

Meaning, I didn’t need to change my personality.

I could live as I always had, which wasn’t a bad deal.

‘But I can’t live with this ragged body. I need to extend its lifespan and make it usable, or I’ll die soon.’

Luckily, I had a plan. Whether it would work was another matter…

“What’s my name?”

“Leonarda Nix. You are the Empress of the Nix Empire.”

“Leonarda…”

Mulling over the unfamiliar name, I quickly responded.

“I don’t remember at all. I must have lost my memory from the shock.”

I decided to brazen it out.

Falling from that high spire and losing my memory from the shock sounded plausible.

“So you must help me.”

I extended my hand and lifted the knight’s chin.

The heat from where our skin touched rose and seeped into me. That warmth wound around my heart and was then swallowed by my soul.

It was a power inherent to my soul, regardless of whether I had a magic core.

“You’ll do that, won’t you?”

I smiled, as only a demon could.

There was no need to hear his answer.

Leonarda Nix.

Also known as Empress Nix, she was a political marriage partner for the current Emperor.

Her maiden name was Ahillo.

From a house represented by a lion standing in a pool of blood, holding an enemy’s heart in its mouth.

With the backing of the Eastern Nobility Alliance and support from the capital’s nobility and retired political figures who had moved to the business sector, she was a political powerhouse. The eldest daughter of the Duke of Ahillo.

At first glance, Leonarda could have lived fearlessly in the world, arrogantly and proudly reigning over all humans.

But surprisingly, she was a powerless empress, only in title.

There were two reasons for this.

Firstly, the Emperor loved his childhood friend, a saint. There was no room for Leonarda in their fated love.

Secondly, Leonarda had been frail since childhood, hardly able to walk.

Prickly and sensitive, yet deeply lonely, Leonarda frequently changed lovers.

While doing so, she also harbored unrequited love for the Emperor, and clung to and whined at her escort knight, Derek, whenever she faced cold treatment from the Emperor.

However, it was difficult to blame Leonarda for everything, given the reactions of those around her.

Her physician had been saying since she was four that her life would be short, unlikely to exceed thirty. Thus, everyone around her overly coddled the precious lady.

Her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Ahillo, never scolded her, no matter how much she misbehaved or was stubborn.
“There’s no reason to refuse if he’s willing to be used.”

I didn’t feel any guilt in exploiting him; demons don’t have such things.

Besides, in my current situation, I needed to use everything at my disposal for survival.

Having never lived as a human before, suddenly having to do so was a problem in itself.

‘At least I seem to have a decent status, and there’s a loyal subordinate who loves this body. It’s not bad for living, as long as I don’t reveal I’m a demon… which shouldn’t happen since I’ve lost my magic core.’

Earlier, the shock of becoming human clouded my thinking, but upon reflection, this human empress seemed to have a personality quite similar to mine.

So, they’re used to harsh words, perhaps.

And they don’t fear me when I’m angry. Rather, they seem to pity me.

‘Of course.’

What harm could I possibly do in this fragile body? At most, my temper tantrums might appear pitiable.

Meaning, I didn’t need to change my personality.

I could live as I always had, which wasn’t a bad deal.

‘But I can’t live with this ragged body. I need to extend its lifespan and make it usable, or I’ll die soon.’

Luckily, I had a plan. Whether it would work was another matter…

“What’s my name?”

“Leonarda Nix. You are the Empress of the Nix Empire.”

“Leonarda…”

Mulling over the unfamiliar name, I quickly responded.

“I don’t remember at all. I must have lost my memory from the shock.”

I decided to brazen it out.

Falling from that high spire and losing my memory from the shock sounded plausible.

“So you must help me.”

When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem

This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Synopsis:

“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”

Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.

Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.

While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the  Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…

Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.

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