The emperor recalled Lavane staring down at him and Rudis’s purple eyes looking at him next to Lavane.
The emperor’s eyes glinted.
“Shhh, Selena. It’ll work out.”
“Father, can I now live in my room again?”
Selena hastily clung to the emperor and asked.
“Selena.”
The Emperor sighed.
Her whining, which was usually cute, was a little annoying today.
“Father! Answer me.”
Selena didn’t even recognize her father’s irritation and continued to pester him.
“…Okay. All will be back to normal soon.”
The emperor looked at Selena’s head for a moment.
He didn’t want to tell Selena no.
He was a foolish man who couldn’t let go of a useless thing even in a cornered situation.
***
In the VIP room at the temple, Rudis opened the door and faced the emperor. He walked in and looked around before saying anything to her. It wasn’t until then when Rudis realized that he was just making sure no one would overhear their conversation.
After being confident that there was no one else, the emperor opened his mouth.
“Rudis.”
Her shoulders flinched at his voice. It wasn’t from fear since she thought the tone of his voice was funny, for it sounded like he was only trying to appease himself. When others aren’t looking, he would change his attitude like this.
Usually, he would just brutally abuse Rudis, but as soon as the situation reversed, he immediately changed his attitude. She hoped that he wouldn’t say something like ‘I have many regrets’ like what Princess Ivana said.
If he dismissed the abuse she had suffered as just a little thing, she might go crazy with anger. Whether it was good or bad, what came out of the emperor’s mouth next was unexpected.
“If you help me manipulate the ancient god, I’ll treat you the same way I treat Selena.”
Surprisingly, the emperor believed that what he said would still sound valuable to Rudis. Her shoulders began to shake even more as she tried to not burst into laughter.
“Rudis?”
The emperor became suspicious when he saw her expression.
“What’s so funny? You’ll be treated the same way as Selena, but not become her superior.”
After hearing that, Rudis couldn’t contain it anymore and laughed. The emperor frowned.
“There’s a difference between being an enemy and a illegitimate child…”
“Your Majesty.”
The emperor shut his mouth when he heard the cold voice from Rudis. He then blatantly realized that she called him ‘Your Majesty’ instead of ‘father’. It has been like this ever since Rudis regained consciousness.
She raised her head and faced him straight-on.
“Do you think I can still be your daughter and you stay as my father after all this?”
Has she ever dealt with others in such a clear voice and aggressive manner?
Never. This is the first time.
The reason why Rudis was always obedient was because she had a pitiful desire to be loved while also fearing others. For her, others had always harmed and shoved her into a corner. Even the slightest rebellion promoted more fearsome violence.
So, Rudis stayed calm in order to survive. She fell on the floor and endured all that, but now, she didn’t have to anymore.
If it weren’t for Lavane, and if she was still a worthless half-blood, Rudis would’ve made the same choice.
Well, the Rudis that came back from death is not the same person as before. She’s no longer afraid of people changing their attitudes in different situations. Instead, she felt sorry for her life where she was in fear of such people.
Rudis didn’t want to regret anything.
“I won’t fall for it anymore. So stop it.”
The emperor’s mouth hardened.
“I want something else.”
“…You want something else?”
At her words, the emperor felt his head spinning. No matter how much he tried to think, he couldn’t figure out what Rudis wanted. He thought that there was no greater reward than giving her what Selena enjoyed.
Clothes, jewelry, ladies of noble status, and everyone’s attention with envious eyes. What else does a palace woman need?
“Before helping to persuade Mr. Lavane, I’d like to have three conditions first.”
The emperor was drawn to her words.
“Conditions? Are you telling me there are terms I need to follow?”
Naturally, the emperor refused to accept the changed situation easily. It was what Rudis had expected. In order to deal with the emperor, she knew that she needed not only a strong mind, but also practical weapons. Rudis thought about what she had and what she knew that could stand against the emperor.
There is little use to reveal that Selena was more suitable for being a sacrifice. The ancient god has already been summoned anyways, and she knew how to move him.
Rudis thought for a little longer. As if searching for a weapon in darkness, she finally found something worthwhile.
“Your Majesty, please look at the conditions.”
She spoke in a subdued voice towards the emperor, and emphasized ‘conditions’ as if to also emphasize his old age.
“Would you like to go back without getting anything, or would you like to give me a chance for you to get something?”
“…!”
“What would the ministers and the imperial officials think if there was no reward from offering me, who is only half-blood, to the sacrifice?”
Rudis knew well that was what the emperor was afraid of. She knew he feared the loss of his authority and power more than anything else.
Rudis smiled lightly.
It wasn’t a smile of joy.
It was a mockery that contained bitterness.
“Don’t you think we should serve another emperor then?”
Rudis wasn’t very familiar with the situations of the Imperial Palace. But thanks to Selena and her maids, who came to haunt her frequently, she was well acquainted with the family of the maidens, and the ones among them that are against the emperor.
“For example, the Duke of Ivana…”
“You crazy thing!”
The emperor raised his arm sharply and his hands trembled. She saw him weighing the situation in his shaky eyes.
‘The ancient god knows that Rudis is being abused. Will he dislike it? Or will he be indifferent like everyone else?’
Rudis could see his thoughts as if his head were transparent, and she knew what the emperor would conclude to.
The emperor then slowly lowered his arm. His eyes were still filled with uncontrollable anger, but he managed to keep a face.
“What the hell do you want? Why are you so stubborn by not giving me the power of the ancient gods?”
The emperor called her ‘stubborn’ as if saying she was a child whining. But she was not persuaded by his tricks.
“Your Majesty, there is nothing I really want that you can give me. Not one, really.”
Rather, she felt she needed to make it clear.
“So don’t even think about manipulating me with something.”
Rudis said that straightforwardly so that the emperor can easily understand.
“You either need to negotiate with me on an equal footing, or turn around and leave the room.”
The emperor closed his mouth. Rudis could see his lips thinning in a straight line.
There was a long pause.
Rudis waited quietly without saying anything else first. She waited for the emperor to accept her change and realize that he can never go back to the past.
“Okay.”
Finally, the emperor opened his mouth.
“Let’s hear your terms.”
He said in an intimidating voice. His gaze on Rudis was full of overconfidence and anger since he thinks that she is challenging his authority.
‘I need to leave the palace as soon as possible.’
Seeing the emperor, Rudis thought that while her heart became colder and colder.
“My first condition.”
Rudis opened her mouth.
“We should only use the power of the ancient god to destroy the evil spirits and stabilize the empire.”
She knew the ancient god would move according to her will, but she didn’t know how exactly that would work. However, no matter what the situation may be, Rudis planned to be on top of the game. And there was no better excuse to leave the palace than defeating the evil spirits.
“Such…!”
The emperor jumped up quickly. A deep shadow of greed quickly passed over his face.
“Rudis, you don’t know the possibilities that ancient gods have.”
The emperor spoke quickly.
“You’ve only lived in the palace, so you don’t know what it’s like outside, and things don’t end just by subjugating the evil spirits.”
He seemed anxious while trying to change her mind.
“I suppose so.”
Then, Rudis said everything appropriately. She had no desire to argue with the emperor, and from what she had experienced so far, he was not a man who listens to others. Her words don’t mean anything to him in the first place since he always saw her as inferior.
“But I know the most urgent thing right now is to subjugate the evil spirits.”
She had no desire to persuade him.
“So let’s talk about other things besides that.”
Rudis spoke in a firm tone.
“It’s over…”
However, the emperor doesn’t seem to be convinced.
“The second condition.”
She immediately spoke again.
“I want to leave the palace.”
At Rudis’s words, the emperor forgot the conversation they just had.