“The Imperial Army is right on our doorstep!”
“Oh no, this can’t be! The Grave Kingdom is doomed!”
“It’s all the King’s fault! He failed in politics and diplomacy!”
“What’s the point of blaming anyone? It’s all over now anyway! Are we going to flee or what?”
“Run away? Who will protect the royal family then?”
“Why bother worrying about them now? The kingdom has fallen—what happens to the royals doesn’t matter anymore!”
“Run for your lives!!!”
The Grave Kingdom is known as the most recent nation to have fallen.
King Jean Grave acted arrogantly in diplomacy, as if he were an emperor, earning the ire of neighboring countries.
He often clashed with the only imperial state, the Renal Empire, which ultimately escalated into war.
The result was a crushing defeat for the Grave Kingdom.
In the Great Battle on the Grave Plains, the Imperial Army achieved a decisive victory, and the soldiers of the Grave Kingdom were either killed or fled.
This marked the kingdom’s path to ruin.
“Father! Father!”
Princess Jeanne Grave, dressed in her nightgown, wandered the palace searching for her father.
In such a dire situation, the King was the only one she could depend on.
King Jean Grave was huddled with his family, and Jeanne ran to him and clung tightly.
“Father! I’ve been looking for you! I can hear the army approaching from outside! Jeanne is scared!”
“Don’t worry, Jeanne. As long as I am here, no one will lay a finger on you,” King Jean said solemnly.
Though incompetent in politics, his love for his family was sincere.
The King, along with his nine children, including Jeanne, wept together as they awaited their fate.
It wasn’t long before the Imperial Army breached the palace.
The family clung to each other, trembling in fear, while only King Jean stood bravely in front of them.
The Imperial soldiers, excited to find the royal family, shouted.
“They’re here! King Jean and his children are all gathered here!”
“Everyone! Come here! If we capture them, the war is over!”
“Should we kill them? Shall we?”
“Wait! Don’t make that decision on your own, rookie!”
“Then what should we do?!”
Even though he was the king of a defeated enemy nation, the soldiers were hesitant to act in the presence of such a dignified figure.
At that moment, King Jean spoke in a commanding voice.
“I am Jean Grave, King of the Grave Kingdom. Here and now, I declare my surrender to you. However, the condition is that my children must remain unharmed. Let this tragic war end with your empire’s victory.”
The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, unsure how to respond.
Then a woman in a general’s uniform stepped forward—it was Olivia Alreista, the Grand General of the Imperial Army.
“King Jean, I accept your surrender. As promised, we will not harm your kin. However, you must accompany me as a prisoner to meet His Majesty, the Emperor.”
“If that is the extent of it, I will accept. Please, just keep your word and spare my children.”
As the Grand General and King Jean were about to finalize their agreement, another noble figure arrived, leading a contingent of soldiers.
“Pathetic. This is absurd,” said Emperor Carlos with disdain.
“Surrender, and yet you dare to make demands? Do you think you have the right, Jean?”
“Carlos…” King Jean pleaded with sorrowful eyes.
“You have children of your own. Surely you understand my plight. Please, at least spare the children. I beg you…”
“Don’t worry. You won’t live to see what happens to them,” Carlos said coldly. “Jack!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The man who answered was none other than Jack Grave, another Grand General.
His last name revealed his ties to the Grave Kingdom.
Though originally an orphan, he was adopted into the Grave royal family after proving his immense talent.
Later, he moved to the empire to seek a larger stage for his ambitions.
The Emperor issued his command.
“Exorcise the ghost of this fallen kingdom. You know what to do—kill him.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Jack… Jack!” King Jean called out to him, hoping to appeal to their shared past.
“Please, spare my life! It was I who recognized your talent and raised you to your current position!”
“Silence! I’m not bound by the past! Die!”
With a technique passed down in the Grave family, Jack struck King Jean with brutal efficiency.
“Graaagh!!”
King Jean was cleaved in two, dying a swift and undignified death—a futile end for the ruler of a fallen kingdom.
“Father!”
“Father!!”
“Daddy!!”
“Oh, Your Majesty! How could this happen?!”
The children cried out in tears, all except one—Jeanne. Jeanne found herself surprised by her own reaction.
Instead of mourning her father’s death, her mind was entirely focused on how to ensure her own survival.
While her siblings wept over their father’s body, Jeanne was consumed by a single thought:
‘I don’t want to die. I’ll survive no matter what… I have to survive, no matter the cost.’
It was the moment Jeanne first confronted her selfish nature.
“Cursed bloodlines must be eradicated at the root! Jack, kill all of Jean’s children as well!”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Grave Slash! Grave Slash! Grave Slash!”
One by one, Jeanne’s siblings were slaughtered.
Even Pierre, the crown prince, and Mathilda, who was closest to Jeanne, were killed.
Soon, Jeanne stood alone, drenched in the blood of her siblings, face-to-face with Jack.
“Only one remains.” Jack assumed his stance, ready to strike.
Jeanne’s mind raced faster than it ever had in her life.
In mere seconds, countless thoughts surged through her.
‘I must live… Whatever it takes, I have to survive. I can’t die… I won’t end up like Father and my siblings. I must live!’
In the briefest instant before Jack’s blade descended, Jeanne combined her instincts and wits to devise a plan for survival.
She slid her pajama top off her shoulders and spoke in a sultry voice.
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Stop.”
Jack froze mid-attack at the Emperor’s single word.
Jeanne’s life was extended, if only momentarily.
The Emperor, seemingly aware of what Jeanne was attempting, dismissed the soldiers.
“Everyone, leave us. The princess has something to say to me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Jack, you too.”
“…Understood.”
Jack sneered at Jeanne before leaving.
Now, only Jeanne and the Emperor remained in the blood-soaked chamber, surrounded by lifeless bodies.
The Emperor asked slyly,
“What is it you wish to say, Princess of a fallen kingdom? If it’s to beg for your life, save it. You’ll soon join the corpses on the ground.”
“Oh, mighty Emperor.”
Jeanne marveled at how naturally flattery rolled off her tongue, even as her family’s bodies still lay warm around her.
“Begging for my life? Perish the thought. I am trembling with joy to be in the presence of the Emperor I have long admired.”
“Admired, you say?”
“Indeed. Your Majesty is the most supreme being in the world.”
“Was your father not high enough? He was a king, after all—though now he’s dead.”
“No… My father couldn’t even reach the tips of your toes, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor laughed.
“Hoho, you’re amusing. Go on, say what you wish to say.”
“Your Majesty possesses everything, yet there is one thing I’ve heard you lack.”
“And what might that be?”
“Love♡”
Jeanne licked her lower lip seductively.
Known as the most beautiful among the princesses, her blatant seduction stirred even the Emperor.
However, he maintained his composure.
“Love, you say? How ridiculous. I have a wife and a daughter.”
“I am aware. But I’ve heard that after Princess Irene’s birth, you’ve been estranged from Lady Charlotte.
For a man as magnificent as Your Majesty to endure such loneliness… it’s a terrible waste.”
“And what do you propose?”
“A great man deserves a great woman.”
“And?”
“I, Jeanne, wish to be Your Majesty’s lover♡”
Jeanne uttered those words to the man who had slain her father.
The Emperor, savoring the moment, examined her closely.
“Hmm… Do you not hate me?”
“Hate you? How could I? I’ve long admired you.”
“But logically, isn’t it odd to become the lover of the man who slaughtered your family? It’s hard to believe you don’t resent me.”
“I hold no resentment. Truly.”
“Then say this for me,” the Emperor tested her.
‘Thank you for killing my foolish and incompetent father. Please make me Your Majesty’s woman.’”
“What? Can’t say it? Perhaps you do despise me deep down. Maybe I should summon Jack again to finish you off and find a more suitable lover.”
“…That won’t be necessary.”
Jeanne glanced briefly at her father’s corpse.
His face was twisted with betrayal and despair, his eyes frozen open.
Yet even as she looked at him, Jeanne focused solely on the Emperor, offering him a gentle smile.
Then, without realizing the weight of her words, she spoke, as though the entire world were listening.
“Thank you for killing my foolish and incompetent father. I couldn’t care less about someone like him. All I want is to become Your Majesty’s woman♡.”
“…Heh.”
And so, Jeanne managed to save her life.
For a long time, this secret was known only to the Emperor and Jeanne… until Lesia made it public knowledge, shared across all of humanity.