Tamed Monster - Chapter 162

Come to think of it, the Grand Duke couldn’t simply be dismissed so easily.

“…Ah, Lancart. In the meantime, I’ve shortlisted a few knights worthy of appointment to the Imperial Guard. Would you spar with them again today?”

Instead of readily agreeing as expected, the Grand Duke hesitated for a long moment before asking,

“What time?”

He spoke as though he had a tightly packed schedule within the palace. The Emperor assumed he was deliberately playing hard to get. In truth, there was another reason the Emperor had rushed to assemble the list.

He had forced himself to pick out five “candidates” within two days—five convenient sacrifices—just to witness the Grand Duke’s fighting ability once more.

‘Monstrous stamina. Monstrous strength.’

Back when he was Crown Prince, the Emperor had sparred with him on occasion and even fought alongside his army. But never had he felt as struck as he had during that last bout. It had been like watching a centuries-old monster, seasoned in slaughter, crushing its opponent out of sheer boredom.

‘I have a feeling I’ll get my answer today.’

He had deliberately selected underhanded brutes who preferred dirty fighting. Of course, men like that could never remain in the Imperial Guard. He intended to use them once for spectacle and then send them off to the border garrison. After all, the only enemies there were monsters—it would suit their nature.

“Do as you please.”

The Emperor said it magnanimously, as though granting a favor. The Grand Duke’s expression bloomed instantly.

Moments ago he had looked like a man on the verge of execution; now his face lit up dramatically. Curious, the Emperor turned to the Grand Duchess. Had they made some private arrangement? She was visibly exhaling in relief.

The Emperor’s stomach twisted. To conspire so openly in front of their absolute ruler.

He didn’t know what they were plotting, but he had no intention of tolerating their cozy closeness any longer. He summoned an attendant and had the Grand Duchess escorted away first. Left alone with the Grand Duke, he made his proposal bluntly.

“Lend her to me for a day.”

He had resolved to say it outright. The man was slow-witted at times, but fundamentally obedient—perhaps he would agree without much fuss.

The Grand Duke tilted his head.

“Lend you what?”

“Don’t play dumb. Your woman. Can’t you lend her to me for just one day?”

The shamelessness of the request made the Grand Duke reflexively retort.

“My female?”

He pronounced it naturally, as though it were the most accurate term, as though he used it all the time. The Emperor found himself genuinely taken aback for the first time in a while.

Female?

Suspicion stirred again beneath the surface, but it vanished as the Duke’s next words drew all his attention.

“Very well. Tomorrow. Or the day after.”

Astonishingly, he agreed. He agreed to let the Emperor have his woman for a day.

Only moments ago, he had stared at the Grand Duchess’s cheek with naked possessiveness. The Emperor had fully expected rage, yet there was not a trace of anger on his face.

Of course, Kuinan was thinking something else entirely: after today, the Emperor and Sylvia would never meet again in this lifetime.

His naivety left him blind to the sparks that might fly back toward Sylvia.

“…What?”

The Emperor faltered in surprise, but soon recovered his usual temperament.

If the Duke was willingly permitting a one-night stand, that suited him perfectly. Growing excited, the Emperor informed him that he would summon the Grand Duchess again tomorrow.

“You’re certain?”

He asked once more, but the answer did not change. As if to say: if you want her, take her.

The Emperor’s mood soared.

‘Still, she is the Grand Duchess. I’ll have to coax her gently, take things step by step.’

He should summon her early in the morning. In fact, wouldn’t it be better if she didn’t return to the Grand Duke’s castle tonight and stayed here instead?

As the Emperor deliberated whether to push his insolence even further, outside the audience chamber—deep within the innermost reaches of the imperial palace—Sylvia was slowly stepping into the vast treasury, where priceless treasures and grotesque secrets lay hidden.