I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

“Are you really attacking the imperial palace?”

Krow glanced at Count Proud, who looked very anxious and clicked his tongue. “Are you afraid?”

“…”

Count Proud swallowed his voice. It was a lie if he wasn’t afraid. He had predicted that the time would come to negotiate with the emperor someday, but he didn’t know that time would come so soon. Who knew that as soon as the emperor was attacked, Krow would use the situation to seize control of the imperial palace and deal with the emperor. He definitely didn’t expect it.

“What if things go wrong?”

It was treason. No matter how much justification you made and presented if you couldn’t deal with the emperor, you would have to be guillotined as a traitor.

Count Proud was afraid. He just wanted to live a better life by lending money to the highest authority, but he never dreamed that he would be involved in treason. However, he couldn’t take his foot off now. If he stepped down because he didn’t want to participate in treason.

There was no way Duke Krow would leave him alone.

Count Proud made up his mind. Now, he had to accept that there was no other way for him. Duke Krow wouldn’t move unless he was sure of his success. He believed in him. No, he had to believe in him. In any case, Duke Krow was the real ruler of this empire without Duke Kaien. Whether you followed him or died, there was no other choice.

“Don’t worry. Most of the imperial guards left the palace to hunt down the culprit, and my people took care of the palace guards.”

Krow’s words made Count Proud’s complexion improve noticeably.

“Yes. I will trust and follow you.”

Krow nodded. Behind Proud, several nobles stared at him with nervous faces.

“You will enjoy a long reign as pillars of this empire in the future.”

They have already given in to the sweet temptation of enjoying and living together for a long time. There was no turning back now. All they could do was look ahead and run forward.

“Soldiers, march.”

Thousands of soldiers from Duke Krow’s mansion rushed into the palace. No one dared to stand in their way. The people of the capital were very wary of the movement of thousands of soldiers, so they locked their doors. The guards at the entrance to the imperial palace obediently moved out of the way, and except for the guards guarding the entrance to the main palace, no one blocked them.

The end of the incompetent imperial family wasn’t far off. In the end, a righteous and brilliant talent will make this empire bloom again and will take over the new imperial family. His son and his son’s son. And, of course, his great-grandson.

After dealing with several knights of the imperial guard who were uselessly rebelling, they soon stood at the door of the emperor’s residence. Krow’s face was flushed with excitement.

Years of his perseverance with the intention of overthrowing the incompetent imperial family and opening a new world. He sacrificed his younger sister in the process, but it was unavoidable for the greater good. In any case, it wasn’t a particularly bad thing for her since she would be able to live without any shortages until she died. Now, he was going to let her live as she wanted as long as he dealt with the emperor. Because he didn’t forget his sin of urging her to get married when she said she wanted to live her life in peace without being tied down to anyone. That’s why, first of all, he had to deal with the emperor.

Count Proud carefully called him, who was lost in thought as he stood tall in front of the door. “Are you okay?”

After waking up from his thoughts and taking a moment to catch his breath, Krow gave an order to his knights. “Open the door.”

* * *

“You’re here.”

Krow stopped smiling when he saw the scene unfolding before his eyes. “…This.”

For some reason, all 300 elite members of the imperial guard were armed and welcomed him at the emperor’s residence.

Most of the imperial guard knights were reported to have left the palace to hunt down the culprit of the emperor’s attack from the spy he planted in the palace. But there was something he didn’t know.  

The fact that Navier’s informants, who had hidden in the carriages and carts that supplied supplies to the imperial palace, wore the uniforms of the imperial guard and left the palace on their behalf. It was Arianne’s plan. Krow had acted according to her plan, believing that the palace was empty.

Krow swept his hair slowly. Without fail, a man caught his eye. The only man who makes him afraid. Duke Charter Kaien. He stood by the emperor and stared at him with cold eyes.

Krow spoke to him. “You were alive?”

After a while, Charter’s mouth opened. “Thanks to you.”

Krow said hoho, then let out a friendly smile. “I guess you’ve gotten better at talking since I haven’t seen you again.”

Charter didn’t speak more. Krow spoke to Lord Silver, the commander of the imperial guard, who stood opposite him, to the emperor’s left. “I’m sorry.”

It was truly regrettable. He wishes he would just end in the Kelteman Empire, but what a tough relationship. Although he had no ill feelings towards him, he couldn’t help but feel bad after encountering him at this location.

He had instructed his spies in advance to lead the imperial guards to another location, so it was worth a try. If he includes the knights of the nobles who follow him, there are approximately 100 knights. With a little over 3,000 regular knights, if he pushed with numbers alone, it wasn’t impossible. Since the situation was already irreversible, he was determined to go all the way.

“Ma—”

Before he could even give the command, his back got noisy.

“Your Grace!” A knight who was leading the soldiers from behind ran and called him.

“What’s going on?”

At Krow’s question, the knight looked stiff. “Soldiers appeared at the rear. I think they’re probably over 3,000.”

What is this situation again? Apparently, he was already instructed to drive the imperial guards into a training ground far away from the emperor’s residence. He wasn’t the one to mess things up. Krow was a highly respected senior soldier who had managed the soldiers of the imperial palace for 20 years.

Duke Krow’s gaze turned back.

Krow saw it. Silver hair that could be recognized at a glance, even from afar. A woman with silver hair shining softly in the moonlight was leading the soldiers.

“Baroness Devit.”

Only then did Krow understand the whole situation. From the rumors about the truce to the emperor’s attack, it was all someone’s plan. Perhaps everything from Yabai, who disappeared with all his money, to the nobles who pressured him to return their investment money, may have all been someone’s scheme. All of them came together one by one to lead to this situation.

Duke Kaien was far from such schemes and tricks. It must be that woman.

“…You got me.”

He was brutally attacked by someone he never considered a threat, just because that person was a lady. Krow sighed. He lowered his head and looked at the mural on the ceiling of the emperor’s residence. Amidst the hundreds of people, only one person was standing tall with a halo behind him, gazing down at Krow with an arrogant and indifferent face.

“Duke! What do we do now! Now what…”

Nobles, including Count Proud, called him with a despairing expression.

Krow quietly closed his eyes.

* * *

Among the prisons of the Imperial Palace, the room where the high-ranking nobles were imprisoned was on top of a spire five stories above the ground. The only window was nailed so that it could never be opened, and there was only one entrance.

“It’s cozy.”

Krow quietly turned back. The sound was coming from a man whom he didn’t know when he entered. Jon didn’t kneel in front of him as usual but was sitting leisurely on the sofa, looking at him.

“You betrayed me.”

Jon chuckled at Krow’s hostile gaze. “I never swore allegiance in the first place.”

Betray. It was an inappropriate word.

Krow opened his mouth as he tried to press down on his soaring anger. “Get me out of here.”

“Why should I do that?”

At Jon’s laid-back attitude, Krow clenched his fist to control his boiling anger. He managed to calm his anger and spoke as if admonishing. “Are you sure you want your family to die?”

Krow took out his hidden cards. It was a card that had served him well for twenty years.

“If I go down, so does your family.”

Krow has always threatened him. The moment he died, his family would die too. So don’t even think about harming him. That’s why Jon couldn’t kill or leave him.

Jon stared at Krow with an unknown what he was thinking. After a moment, he opened his mouth. “You won’t be able to escape the guillotine. And your son, whom you love so much…”

!

Jon smiled bitterly. Krow’s body, which was looking at him, began to tremble so much that he could see it.

“N-no. My son… Don’t touch my son!”

John’s head tilted sharply. His usual dull expression was decorated with a rare smile. “What’s wrong with you? The people you ordered to kill. They were also someone’s son and daughter. So why shouldn’t I do that to your son?”

Krow shouted at Jon’s question. “They were all useless things! They were parasites eating away this empire! My son will become the sun that will rule this empire in the future! Do you think all people’s lives are the same?”

A thin breeze escaped Jon’s teeth. It was clearly a sneer.

“A little boy who can only hold on to his father’s pants and shake them will rule the empire well.”

“Shut your mouth!” said Krow, approaching threateningly as if he would attack at any moment.

Jon only looked at him with an expressionless face. “That’s funny.”

“What?”

Jon rose from his seat and spoke to Krow face to face. “You said you need to cut out the rotten imperial family for the sake of the empire. It seems you don’t know that you’re already rotten.”

“What? What do you say now? How dare this bastard try to imitate human beings! People have their own uses!” Krow screamed noisily.

Jon said to him, “That’s poor logic. Of course, I know my uses very well. You probably know that well. How is it? I want to show you the skills I’ve honed over the years.”

Krow came to his senses at Jon’s words. “W-what? N-no. Is there anyone out there! Guards! Gua—”

Krow, with a bloodless, pale face, only realized when he faced Jon’s cold eyes as he covered his mouth. The hound he thought he had tamed was actually a wolf, not a dog.