I Became the Father of a Degenerate Emperor

Episode 12. I will protect you.

Episode 12. I will protect you.

Calm anger without loss of dignity.

It had an aspect that was much more difficult to deal with than the anger that was mixed with bickering and screaming.

As in the case of the empress in front of me now.

“Why are you not saying anything?”

A well-forged blade hidden in a scabbard must be like this.

A sharpness that makes you feel as if drops of blood will fall from you when you pull it out at any time.

I felt like I was facing something like that.

The atmosphere was really good until the two of us ate together and cut the steak.

By the time I woke up, I was smiling brightly.

It was so dazzling that it was hard to calm my beating heart.

However, the situation changed drastically after Duke Bright appeared, and the moment the three of them sat together, it reached its worst.

I was going to keep my going to Florante a secret anyway.

If I had to tell you, there was nothing good about it.

It would have been fortunate if he hadn’t been criticized for putting the Duke of Bright to death.

Of course, he had no intention of informing the empress.

But why did the Duke of Bright suddenly appear as if he had been waiting for it, and for what reason did he bring up the campaign in front of the empress?

The empress had even taken part in the rebellion to stop the campaign, and the duke was well aware of his daughter’s feelings, so he handed over his troops.

Still, he had brought up Florante in front of the empress.

Should this be considered a mistake?

However, there was no way that a duke would make such a ridiculous mistake.

Perhaps it was with the intention of using the empress to stop the campaign.

Perhaps that seems the most likely.

In addition to the subjective judgment that the emperor had changed, wasn’t it the result of adding the words of the courtiers?

Of course, it wasn’t that the duke’s actions were incomprehensible.

It must have been a serious matter that depended on the life of the heir and the survival of the family.

But for me, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of betrayal.

I never thought I’d give up my life and stab you in the back like this.

It wasn’t unexpected that there would be a variable, but the bitterness when a bad prediction came true was extremely unpleasant.

Even now, I don’t like the way he looks at me with his lips twitching, not intervening in the conversation at all.

Apart from that, the empress was demanding a definite answer in order to decide her next course of action with her eyes twinkling.

The next step she could take was a very extreme one, and one I would never have hoped for.

There were several reasons.

If the empress were to die because of me, she wouldn’t have the confidence to bear the hatred the princes would harbor towards me.

The threat of rebellion or anger from the people of the empire that will follow is equally frightening.

And there were also more personal reasons.

It was her heart that she did not want to lose her.

I don’t know if that feeling really belonged to me, but I didn’t even want to imagine death coming to the empress.

Unaware of my feelings, she spoke in a cold voice as if reading her judgment.

“If that’s what Your Majesty intends, can I leave after the conversation?”

It was a quiet voice, but it seemed to be full of determination to stab itself at any time.

As an empress herself, she couldn’t be unaware of the current situation in the empire.

Even though my choice feels hopeless, you should be well aware of the reason why it was made.

If you dig into that part well, you might change your mind.

After much thought, I finally opened my mouth.

“There is no way the empress is unaware of the current situation the empire is in.”

“I understand what you want to say. But that doesn’t mean you can’t shed your family’s blood on something impossible.”

“I didn’t say it wouldn’t happen. After I recover Florente, I will definitely return alive with your family.”

“I remember asking about it already. But you didn’t give me an answer. Let me ask you again. How the hell are you assuring that you can come back alive? Your family’s life is at stake. If you’re going to give irresponsible answers like ‘I just want to do it’ or ‘I think I’ll do it’, please end the conversation at this point.”

It was the most frustrating situation I could assume.

The moment it came out like this, I really had nothing to say.

I couldn’t say that I was possessed by the world in the novel.

If only I knew what no one else knew, who could believe it?

I spat out in desperation.

“I can’t tell you why, but what would you do if I asked you to trust me?”

“My faith can never be earned by words alone. Just go for Florente as you please. Send my family to their deaths, and let even your Majesty fade into the dew of battle. I too will die without regrets.”

As expected, the seeds were not eaten.

It was an overly obstinate attitude, to the point that I wondered if a fishing rod bent to the point of breaking would be exactly like this.

It is definitely impossible to appeal to the opposite s*x.

But there was still a way to appeal to the emotions.

I looked straight into the eyes of the empress and said.

“I never want you to die.”

The empress’ eyes, which had been full of resentment until just now, softened gently for an instant. Seeing the belated expression on his belated expression, it seemed that he himself could not help it either.

Duke Bright had a look on his face that said, ‘What’s wrong with the atmosphere all of a sudden?’

The empress looked into my eyes for a moment with a worried expression, then cautiously continued.

“Are you saying you’re giving up the campaign?”

She seemed dubious. While welcoming this unfamiliar situation, she also seemed to find it hard to believe.

“Yes.”

At that moment, tears rolled down from the empress’ eyes.

The first reason was that her own blackmail worked on me, and the second reason was that she prevented the death of her family.

Then, Duke Bright, who had been sitting by the sidelines, suddenly interrupted as if he had been waiting.

“Then I will cancel the expedition right now.”

“You don’t have to.”

Just as the duke swallowed her dry saliva with her puzzled expression, the empress asked with her teary face.

“And how are you?”

A sudden resentment for his sudden change of heart was floating in his slightly frowning eyes.

“As you well know, the food situation in the empire is facing the worst situation. The imperial family and the nobles should be fine since they had plenty of things taken from them, but the common people would be driven to the edge of the cliff. They won’t be able to stand it any longer, and will be forced to riot. Anger, which was only a small spark, will quickly spread like wildfire, and it is sure to grow out of control into a large-scale rebellion.”

The eyes of the silent duke and empress shimmered like starlight.

As everyone expected the unfortunate end of the empire, it seemed clear that my words touched their hearts.

I spoke without hesitation.

“So, I plan to slaughter the people with the Knights and Soldiers of the Bright Duke.”

The empress’ face was stained with astonishment, and the duke’s expression was no different.

It must be because he has already witnessed the mad emperor killing people many times.

The deep trauma must have made it easy to imagine a terrible tragedy.

“If I can’t get to Florante, there’s nothing I can do but slaughter the angry people.”

I made eye contact with the empress and spoke as clearly as possible.

“I have decided to remain here and become a rare murderer who slaughter starving people in order to protect you and your family. Don’t worry about me The bloodstains that covered her body were so clear anyway, it wouldn’t be too obvious if she asked more. How is it, Empress, are you satisfied now?”

The empress just stared at me silently, and I also stared straight into her eyes.

Although the resentment had ceased, the overflowing worries seemed dangerous, like a river bank after a heavy rain.

I ordered the duke again.

“In the near future, there will be riots first in the capital. Once it starts to explode, it will rise up every day, so keep your knights and soldiers ready to sortie at any time-“

Then the empress suddenly interrupted, and she had to stop talking.

“If you go to Florante, can you really come back alive?”

Very little faith and much more doubt. The ripples they caused still brought tears to her eyes.

“Yes.”

Although she said recapturing Florante was close to impossible, she must have thought that slaughtering the people would not be the answer.

So she seemed to tentatively conclude that, after all, she would only be able to bring Florante back.

“I will definitely return safely with the empress’s family. Of course, you will have to allow it.”

The empress lowered her head and spoke quietly, avoiding my gaze.

“Is that so… ….”

She put on a spleen expression as if she had made up her mind about something. Then she made eye contact with me again and spoke in a determined voice.

“Then go out. I will no longer hold onto His Majesty’s ankles with my life.”

“If so, will you wait until I return after recovering Florante?”

“…… It can’t be.”

Hearing that, the duke swallowed dry saliva.

I was embarrassed as well, but I had no choice but to wait for the next words.

After wiping away the tears and catching her breath, the empress calmly continued.

“I will follow you, too.”

It was a very embarrassing statement.

“Empress Yibosio, the battlefield is no joke. How much more so with the body of a woman-“

But now that I thought about it, I wasn’t in a position to say such a thing either, and the empress was well aware of that fact.

“Isn’t His Majesty now paralyzed and lame? So whatever I do, I will be better off.”

The words really hit the bone, but it didn’t seem to touch the duke that much.

“Empress, what the hell are you talking about?”

The Duke jumped up from his seat with an expression full of energy.

“Are you saying this because you really don’t know what that place is like? How could you have such a monstrous thought? Even though you can’t stop His Majesty from going to die, are you really insane to say you’ll die together!”

The empress looked at the duke with a cool gaze.

It was never a daughter’s look at her father.

“Don’t be mistaken, Duke Bright. I am the one and only Empress of the Kratus Empire, and the most noble woman next to His Majesty the Emperor in the vast Imperial lands. That means that only one person can dispute my decision, His Majesty the Emperor. Do you understand?”

The Duke stood for a while with a blank expression. It was probably the first time seeing her daughter like this.

Finally he lowered his head and spoke in a sad voice.

“…… Yes, Empress. Well sir.”

The Empress turned her head again and looked straight at me.

“I will never change my mind, so either take me with you or just let me die alone.”

Even though she said such bloody words, there was no anguish in her eyes.

I could only guess that the intense light in each of her eyes might be something like certainty.