The Empress' Scandalous Paramour - Chapter 28

It was easy to make the other person fall in love with me.

But the condition set by my elder sisters was for me to love someone.

For that to happen, they should suit my taste somewhat…

‘I don’t like overly bright personalities, talkative people, those who act cute, rough ones, gloomy ones, or calculating ones.’

When I thought about it that way, there wasn’t a single man among the knights worth loving.

‘Above all, they’re not pretty enough.’

I glanced at the boy mixed in with the knights in training.

Skin as smooth as the ridge of a desert, eyes as sharp as an eagle’s talons. Lips with a pleasing shape.

Yes, it should be at least like Mereum.

‘But Mereum is just a child.’

Besides, since everyone wants Mereum dead, I don’t want to comply so easily.

‘What about the devil’s law? How can I kill that child after receiving grace?’

Even if my elder sisters gift-wrapped it with a pretty ribbon, I’m not inclined to do it.

“Haa.”

“Do you have something troubling you?”

As I sighed deeply enough to sink into the ground, Derek immediately asked.

I looked up at Derek’s well-defined jaw and sighed once again.

‘If I proposed to Derek to be my lover, he would gladly comply.’

But what Derek likes is ‘Leonarda’.

Using his pure love for Leonarda would be an easy path, but it didn’t seem right, so I was reluctant.

“No. It’s nothing.”

“…Perhaps, is it because of the royal family from the Desert Kingdom?”

“Not exactly…”

Back to square one.

As I listened to the sound of wooden swords striking training dummies, I thought about trying it myself and slowly got up.

It was just then.

When Derek spoke softly.

“I know it’s presumptuous, but Your Majesty. May I dare to say something?”

“Hm? What is it?”

I pretended not to know, but I already knew. Derek was still glaring at Mereum’s back with cold eyes.

“Quan is not an allied country. The Emperor of Quan is an arrogant man. He always wants to invade Nix.”

“Yes, it seemed that way.”

It was obvious that he was sizing up Enrique throughout the banquet.

Moreover, it’s been over a week, and he’s still sitting here.

Why would that be?

Since he came in person, he wants to figure out everything from military strength to the internal map of the imperial palace before leaving.

“The Emperor of Quan has a secret information organization. They are people who go anywhere and do anything the Emperor commands. They undergo long training to kill their emotions, feeling nothing and only following orders.”

“Are you saying Mereum is a member of that organization?”

“…Yes. That fellow’s eyes are not those of an ordinary boy his age. Please stay away from him.”

Hmm, but I’ve met those people before, so I know…

‘Mereum is not one of them.’

From what I can see, the entire Quan imperial family seems to be going in a strange direction since the current Emperor’s reign.

It’s like a world where everyone obeys the Emperor’s orders, and no one complains even if they die worthlessly.

There was a possibility that Mereum had been somewhat brainwashed by his elder brother.

But−

“You don’t know.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s why it’s even more pitiful.”

I was about to stand up but sat back down, resting my elbow on my knee and cupping my chin.

The training dummy, unable to withstand Mereum’s strike, had just split in half. This was the third dummy Mereum had shattered today.

“How much must he have struggled to have such strength at that age.”

“……”

“Please look at him generously, sir. I ask this of you.”

“How can you say it’s a request? An order is enough for me.”

Derek bowed his head.

I continued speaking gently to Derek.

“You are so loyal and conservative that it must be difficult to trust Mereum. You probably don’t like changes in the Empress’s palace either.”

“That’s… not true.”

For someone who claims it’s not true, there’s a lot of tension in his jaw.

I can’t leave it like this.

It will surely cause problems someday.

To expand my influence outward, I needed to be firmly united internally.

‘What should I do….’

As I tapped my cheek with my index finger, I raised my hand.

“Mereum. Can you come here for a moment?”

“Why are you calling me?”

Mereum approached me, pulling up his shirt to wipe off his sweat.

Derek flinched and tensed his eyes again.

He must not like behavior that doesn’t conform to Nix etiquette.

“I see you’ve broken several training dummies. Are you not satisfied?”

Mereum started with practical training from the beginning.

His movements clearly showed that he had never received formal training.

Probably, surviving Enrique’s sword was due to his excellent survival instinct and superhuman reflexes.

Mereum was strong because he was raw, but he needed to be polished just a little.

“Sir Chedef, Sir Giovanni.”

“Yes! Did you call for us?”

The two knights who had been perking up their ears came running when I called.

They were as big as mountains but moved like rabbits, which was a bit cute.

“I’d like you two to teach Mereum swordsmanship starting tomorrow.”

“Pardon? Us?”

“Yes. You need to have enough weight to be of use to Mereum.”

I’m well over a thousand years old.

Loving the battlefield and enjoying roaming through chaos, I’ve met and befriended countless knights and mercenaries, and I know how they ended up dying.

Just by watching them train, I could discern who matched up with whom, who had good chemistry, and who had bad compatibility.

From my perspective, Sir Chedef and Sir Giovanni were the only ones in the Imperial Knights with more physical strength than Mereum.

As for the others… well, they’d all lose if they fought him, right?

‘Ah, of course, even those two would probably lose to Mereum if they fought in the desert.’

Here, Mereum can’t use even half of his original strength.

It probably feels like gravity three times stronger is pulling on his body.

“As it’s the Empress’s words, we will do our best!”

“Thank you, sirs.”

Even though we were talking about him, Mereum just stood there silently.

No expression of liking or disliking at all.

Then, I turned around and called Derek.

“And… there’s something I’d like to ask of you. Be Mereum’s sparring partner.”

“Right now, you mean?”

“Yes.”

It’s too obvious that you want to beat Mereum.

But Mereum isn’t such an easy opponent.

“How about it, Mereum? If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

“I don’t care either way.”

“Is that so?”

Oh, but.

‘Why does it seem like Mereum wants to give Derek a good punch too?’

[This is the timeline separator]

Clang!

The sword and saber clashed, making a sharp noise.

The bastard sword wielded by Derek, who stood over 190 centimeters tall, exerted tremendous force with its wide surface area, and Mereum’s body was still too underdeveloped to receive it head-on.

“Ugh.”

Mereum, who skillfully deflected the sword, gritted his teeth and leapt off the ground.

Curving gracefully like a crescent moon to take Derek’s back, he attacked with a fierce aura, but Derek’s skill was slightly above Mereum’s.

‘Still, it’s almost evenly matched.’

For now, Derek has a slight edge.

The result was also as I had expected.

Kaang!

With a sound that could tear one’s ears, the saber Mereum was holding shattered into pieces.

“Wow!”

“Both of you are amazing!”

“Whew, I want to fight too!”

Mereum and Derek’s duel ignited a spark in all the Imperial Knights.

Just as everyone was excited and didn’t know what to do with what they had just seen.

A voice so chilling it could raise goosebumps cut through the air.

“One more time.”

It was Mereum.

Mereum, who had been looking down at his hands in disbelief, demanded a rematch.

‘Now he looks more like a living child.’

Seeing the golden eyes flickering with competitive spirit, I deliberately gave Derek the right to decide.

“What do you think, sir?”

“I’ll do it.”

Derek calmly readjusted his grip on the sword.

Since Mereum only had one saber he brought from the desert, from the next duel on, he used a sword that Valkyrie had in possession.

Thus, the two clashed swords until the watching knights turned pale and stuck out their tongues.

Derek, with his tireless stamina, was impressive, but Mereum, who kept charging in despite losing repeatedly, could truly be called a tenacious one.

“Cough, cough.”

The duel, which seemed like it would continue forever until one side fainted, ended as soon as I coughed.

“Empress!”

“Are you alright?”

It was a fake cough, but both of them simultaneously stopped moving and rushed to me like lightning.

‘Hmm. Very good. There was a gain.’

Riding on Derek’s back as he fidgeted anxiously, I reached out and patted Mereum’s head.

“Well done. I’ll let you know what you’re lacking soon.”

I’ve figured out what needs to be filled in and what the weaknesses are.

According to my calculations… in exactly 3 years, Mereum would become much stronger than his elder brother.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Does it hurt?”

“…Not really.”

That evening, I called Mereum to the reception room where a warm fire was burning in the fireplace and treated his wounds.

“Is it your preference to push yourself until you’re in tatters? Or did your brother make you that way?”

I gently wiped his palm with clean cotton wool soaked in disinfectant.

It must sting, but he didn’t even flinch, which showed how tough he was.

Or perhaps he had no choice but to become tough.

In my experience, there are no humans who don’t feel pain.

It’s just a difference in pain threshold.

“There, all done.”

The blood vessels in his palm had burst from handling an unfamiliar sword.

He’ll need to be careful for a few days, but with his recovery ability, it should heal quickly.

I carefully examined the bandage wrapped around Mereum’s hand and nodded.

“Don’t grip a sword until it’s completely healed. We don’t want it to get worse.”

Mereum, seeming awkward, repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hand.

There was a long silence, but I didn’t rush him and just waited.

It seemed like he wanted to say something.

“People say that when I grow up, I’ll become your consort.”