Chapter 4

Five days.

At long last, five days had passed. In other words, Riat had finally made it past the “one month” mark where she had always met her death, and was now facing a brand-new day.

Riat’s eyes flew open first thing in the morning. The moment she saw the lavish canopy above her, she immediately raised her hands to check whether her body was still intact—and even slapped herself hard across the cheek.

Even as the sting of pain spread across her skin, Riat laughed like a woman who had lost her mind.

At last, she had escaped that wretched death.

She had finally crawled out of the death that had felt like an inescapable swamp and seized a brilliant life for herself.

Even if it was only for a short while, Riat was so happy about this one day that she could not stop smiling from the moment she woke up.

Now, all she had to do was spend the rest of her life as a count—and as the wealthiest noblewoman in the empire—before eventually leaving this world.

And today was the long-awaited day when she would spectacularly open the doors to that new life: the day of her investiture ceremony.

It was the final day of the week-long celebration, as well as the day the Emperor himself would bestow the title of count upon Riat. Nobles from all across the empire would gather to witness the birth of the new Count Pshikia.

Among those attending were Riat’s father and her two elder brothers. Until yesterday, the thought of having to see them had been a minor annoyance nagging at the back of her mind, but today, she felt she might even be able to welcome them.

“Don’t dress me up too extravagantly.”

Riat had stayed in the Imperial Palace for the past week. The palace maids had attended to her, while the County of Vortus underwent a thorough investigation, and the servants involved were arrested. Even the knights had all been taken away, leaving Riat with no choice but to recruit an entirely new staff.

They were people she would have found uncomfortable to face again anyway.

Throughout all the months Riat had endured death after death, not a single one of them had ever helped her.

Not even one of them had told her to run away first.

So, in Riat’s eyes, things had actually worked out for the best.

“All done.”

Only after hearing the maid’s words did Riat snap out of her thoughts and look into the mirror.

In the brief silence that followed, quiet gasps of admiration escaped from the maids standing behind her.

Her brilliant platinum-blond hair fell neatly all the way to her waist, with a laurel-shaped ornament resting lightly atop it without looking excessive.

Her long eyelashes moved quietly each time she opened and closed her eyes, while the gray irises beneath her deep-set eyes seemed almost emotionless at first glance. Yet there was a faint trace of melancholy within them that gave her a calm, composed air.

The face that carried an unspoken sadness made her entire presence seem mysterious.

Her adornment focused less on extravagance and more on refinement and elegance, making her even more beautiful while giving off an aura that made her difficult to approach.

It seemed as though the saying that someone could become too beautiful for others to approach had been created with Riat in mind.

Riat stared blankly at her reflection. She blinked a few times without much expression before telling the maids to leave.

She added that she had one last thing to prepare.

Once all the maids had left, a sharp smack! rang through the room.

“…I’m alive.”

Fortunately, no makeup had come off on her hand.

Riat held her stinging cheek and stood there quietly for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.

Riat’s sanity was quietly falling apart once again today, without a hitch.

The investiture ceremony was to be held in the Main Palace of the Imperial Palace.

On her way there, countless eyes turned toward Riat.

She had always possessed an appearance that naturally drew attention, but today, with her beauty seeming to shine even more brightly, people passing by actually stopped in their tracks just to stare at her.

Riat was accustomed to being watched, but just as she began wondering why there seemed to be even more eyes on her than usual, someone appeared directly in front of her, naturally blocking her path.

There were very few people in the empire who could dare to stop Riat like this.

“…Count Riat Pshikia.”

“I pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Riat rather liked the title of “Count” attached to her name, so she smiled gently.

At that, the Crown Prince’s brows drew together slightly.

Lutovus von Irmak.

The empire’s first prince and the one who had been named Crown Prince because he was said to be the most capable among the Emperor’s ten children.

Unlike the Emperor, who rarely revealed his face from behind a white veil, the Crown Prince frequently attended official functions.

Those appearances had helped solidify his political position.

He did have a few flaws, however.

He was excessively rigid.

And he was secretly quite greedy.

The latter was not necessarily a major flaw for a Crown Prince, but for Riat, it had resulted in quite an annoying conversation.

“As I said before…the people seeking the mana stones discovered in the County of Vortus—or rather, what is now the County of Pshikia—will be numerous. So why not entrust the mine to the Imperial Family instead?”

On the surface, he sounded as though he were concerned for Riat’s sake.

In reality, however, this was nothing more than an attempt to secure the Imperial Family’s own interests.

The Emperor had already declared that he would grant the County of Vortus to Riat, so the Crown Prince could not simply take it away from her by force.

Moreover, retracting the Emperor’s decree now, after news of the mana stones had only just come to light, would look rather ridiculous.

So the Crown Prince’s side had resorted to subtle persuasion instead.

“I appreciate Your Highness’s concern, but I’ll manage it myself.”

Five days ago, the estimated value of the mana stones had been three billion gold, while the value of the mine itself was now estimated to be well over five billion gold.

That was enough to surpass the fortunes of even the empire’s long-established ducal families by a considerable margin.

No wonder even the Crown Prince had stepped forward to propose a deal.

The Imperial Family was not asking for complete ownership of the mine. Rather, they proposed taking a portion of its profits in exchange for managing it on the Empire’s behalf.

Whenever Riat rejected such an offer, the Crown Prince’s expression generally fell into one of two categories.

Either he looked at her as though he were thinking, How could you be so ungrateful after receiving such generosity from His Majesty?

Or he looked at her as though she were simply a greedy woman.

Riat merely smiled at that look and gave a small nod.

“When the time comes, I’ll disappear on my own.”

“…What?”

“So please wait. They say patience is also a virtue of a ruler.”

After giving the stiff-faced Crown Prince a slight nod of farewell, Riat walked away first.

Surely he won’t retaliate just because I said that.

Like having her head chopped off again for insulting the Imperial Family.

If that happened, she supposed she would simply have to chop off Count Vortus’s head again and hand it over to the Emperor.

With that thought, Riat continued walking.

The central hall of the Main Palace was filled with countless nobles.

Among them were, as Riat had expected, her father and elder brothers.

Perhaps they did not want to cause a commotion in a place where His Majesty the Emperor was watching, because they merely greeted her quietly.

“Riat, I still can’t believe you’ve really become a count…”

“If things get difficult, tell me anytime, little sister.”

“I’ll always be cheering for you.”

How exactly should a person behave if they have absolutely no shame?

Just behave exactly like that!

Riat felt as though she were witnessing the finest possible example of the answer to that question, and quietly smiled.

There had been a time when she had wanted her family’s help.

She had thought she had given up on expecting anything from them the moment she was sold to Count Vortus, considering they had lived off her appearance ever since she was young.

And yet, when death finally came for her, her family had been the first thing that came to mind.

How could she ever have had such a ridiculous expectation?

Looking back now, even that fleeting hope seemed laughable.

Surely they’ll come to save their daughter, their little sister, when she’s in danger of dying.

Surely they’ll at least come visit me in prison.

I’m not asking them to get me out. Surely they’ll at least come and bring me a little food.

In that damp darkness where not even a ray of light could enter, Riat had hoped for one last acknowledgment from them.

She had not realized that her expectations were even darker than the place where she was imprisoned.

Little by little, her expectations of them had dwindled.

Until, in the end, they disappeared without a trace.

For the first time in a long while, Riat recalled those memories from the past as she walked forward alone.

The Emperor was seated behind an opaque white veil.

As always, the only thing visible was the tip of his foot.

Riat knelt on one knee before him with practiced ease.

“Today, I commend all those who have gathered here to celebrate Riat le Pshikia, newly appointed Count of the Irmak Empire.”

Every noble’s gaze turned toward Riat.

Soon, the Emperor’s aide approached her and presented her with a new seal.

Unlike the seal used by Viscount Pshikia—the title her father had held—it was a seal the Emperor had ordered to be newly made.

From this day forward, this seal would serve as proof identifying Riat le Pshikia, Count Pshikia.

Riat respectfully accepted the seal with both hands.

The Emperor then quietly recited the proclamation declaring Riat Pshikia’s elevation to the rank of count.

Finally, in a solemn voice, he said,

“I have no doubt that you will continue to be of great benefit to the Empire.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the words signaling that the ceremony had come to an end, Riat finally raised her head.

The Emperor’s face was still impossible to see clearly through the opaque veil, but for an instant, she had the strange impression that their eyes had met.

It was only her imagination, she thought.

Riat rose from her place and was just about to turn around when her wrist was suddenly seized.

The Emperor’s hand had reached through the veil and clamped tightly around her wrist.

His grip was so strong that her wrist began to ache.

Riat flinched, but before she could react in any way, her upper body was abruptly pulled toward him.

Her body tilted through the white veil.

And there, behind it, Riat finally met the Emperor.

“You…you. Who have you been meeting?”

Eyal X had never once shown his face at an official function.

Even when nobles requested an audience, he received them from behind the white veil.

Not even the heads of the empire’s most venerable ducal families had ever met the Emperor face-to-face.

Yet now, Riat had become the first among the nobles to see him directly.

The nobles behind the white veil gasped in shock at the unexpected situation.

Even the Emperor’s aides standing nearby widened their eyes, seemingly startled by the sudden turn of events.

Amid the shock spreading through everyone present, Riat could only swallow a quiet sigh inwardly.

The Emperor was extremely old.

He was so old that it would not have seemed strange if he died tomorrow.

It was almost astonishing that his eldest son was only in his mid-to-late twenties.

His face was strangely devoid of color, making him look even more like an old man.

The hand gripping Riat’s wrist was equally bony, with every knuckle prominently visible.

Riat stared at him, somewhat bewildered by his appearance, before hurriedly lowering her gaze.

It was rude to stare so openly at the Emperor’s face.

“What do you mean?”

“This energy flowing from you… This is… This is definitely…”

The Emperor’s voice trembled as though he could not believe what he was seeing.

This is impossible.

He repeated the denial several times before finally forcing out a question.

“…Do you believe in God?”

“…Yes. I suppose I should.”

It must be proof that I’m here.

Riat swallowed those words.

The Emperor tightened his grip around her wrist again and spoke.

“Stay by my side. You must remain in this palace.”

“…What?”

“Until I find out what you are, you must continue…”

His eyes gleamed strangely.

A chill ran down Riat’s spine.

The forceful grip holding her, combined with his trembling voice, revealed the Emperor’s excitement and bizarre obsession.

For a moment, fear overwhelmed her disgust and squeezed the breath from her lungs.

But only for a moment.

“I…”

Riat suddenly found the whole situation absurd.

Why should she be trapped by the Emperor after everything she had done to seize this life for herself?

What was today supposed to mean to her?

Who was the one who ordered me to be executed as a traitor?

Who was the one who imprisoned me for killing my husband?

And who was the one who dragged me out into the square while I was imprisoned and ordered my execution?

Riat acknowledged that the Emperor’s generosity toward her in this life had been enormous.

He had made her a count, and thanks to him granting her the County of Vortus as well, she had unexpectedly become incredibly wealthy.

But regardless of that generosity, she had no desire to spend the remaining one year and three months of her life as the old Emperor’s concubine.

If that truly was the only path left to her, then she would rather regress once again, cut off Count Vortus’s head, hand it over to the Imperial Family, cast aside every lingering attachment to this worldly life, and leave.

That choice alone made her feel considerably lighter.

Riat smiled brightly.

It was such a fresh, radiant smile that anyone looking at her would have thought she was overflowing with youthful vitality.

“If I have to choose, Your Majesty, I prefer someone younger.”

The Emperor’s hand dropped limply.