The Tyrant Empress is Obsessed with Me

36 – The countryside is not as comfortable as you might think

She fell behind in the succession to the throne.

After the series of events had ended, Serena sensed that fact first.

The commotion surrounding Ascal Dever, the empire’s sleeping dragon, had changed many things.

Virtually everyone who had wielded considerable power in the Empire, except the emperor, had been demoted, and the neutral White Tower, which had taken no side, had formed an alliance with the empire.

Ascal Dever had become a name known not only nationally but also internationally.

And.

There was no mention of Serena Barva’s name among the noble royal families that helped clear Ascal Dever’s name.

“Being the second is an ambiguous position.”

Serena whispered to Inyoung sitting opposite her.

“The eldest takes away from it for being the eldest, and the youngest takes away from it for being the youngest.”

I don’t want to be robbed.

I want to have something of my own.

That was the motivation behind Serena’s actions.

“So I didn’t want the empire to be taken away by anyone else.”

Serena takes a step forward.

The lights brighten.

Inyoung had black hair, and her face was hardly visible as she wore a half-mask for the play. The fluttering black cape trailed on the floor.

“That’s why I wanted to be the emperor. But recently, my reason has changed.”

Serena reaches out to Inyoung.

However, her hand passed right through her.

With a small sigh, Serena waved her hand, and Inyoung disappeared without a trace.

“If I become the emperor, will you pay attention to me? And I’ll be able to find you, who doesn’t leave a trace.”

The illusion created by magic disappeared quickly, but she still kept the memory of that day.

Serena composed herself and walked to the desk.

There, a pile of half-written letters was mixed with a rejection letter from Ascal.

Also, there was a list of people to capture in order to become the emperor.

Gaius the Marquis – Has many connections in central politics. Owns a vineyard. Wealthy.

Telio the Earl – Commander of the Rose Knights. Difficult to persuade but once loyal, he doesn’t betray easily.

And at the top was:

★☆★Ascal Dever – A necessary target to become the emperor (remember this)★☆★

“Ascal Dever, you’re mine. I can’t give you to anyone. To become the emperor and to find that person.”

If they don’t come to me, I’ll just have to go to them.

Serena headed to the office personally.

To obtain Ascal.

“Chief Ascal is not here. He’s left for his family home yesterday.”

“Why???”

The carriage rattles.

This carriage isn’t running on the empire’s roads but on a countryside path.

Ascal cautiously checked the opposite side.

The soft-looking platinum blonde hair fluttered as the carriage raced along the path.

Sigh, sigh.

Either she was tired, as the platinum blonde girl had let out a faint breath, and fallen asleep in the uncomfortable carriage.

They were on their way down to their family home.

He really didn’t want to go, not even the slightest. He’d rather spend this holiday in the capital city.

On top of that, there was an imminent ticking time bomb on the other side.

Yulia Varva.

‘Please, keep sleeping.’

The third imperial princess was going down to Ascal’s hometown together.

To see how it happened in the first place, the story goes back to the day before.

“Boss. I have something to say.”

There is a timing that people cannot avoid in life.

For example, when you finish your work just before leaving and get up from your seat, only to face the serious-looking face of your counterpart.

Moreover, they are barring the door.

This is, therefore, deliberate.

Lia, who already noticed his avoidance of her several times, deliberately blocked the door.

“What’s the matter?”

Ascal pretended to be calm, but he was desperately trying to stop his trembling legs.

At this time, in a place where there are only two people, if a woman says she has something to say, there are only a few expected scenarios.

In other words, it was the inevitable flow that would come at some point since Lia became his secretary.

He tried to flee after getting fired from his job beforehand, but ultimately failed.

The time bomb exploded before that.

At the end of this unstoppable flow of time, that moment finally came.

“I have always wanted to say something to you.”

Lia hesitated and stalled for time.

‘After all, coming out is not an easy thing.’

The princess’s coming out.

Lia confesses that she is actually the third imperial princess Yulia Varva…

Ascal prepared his body to kneel and apologize sincerely at any moment.

He was ready.

He had already completed dozens of image training sessions.

At the end of that training, Ascal was always ready to apologize sincerely when Lia came out.

‘I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know. Please forgive my rudeness during that time.’

He was also prepared to hit his head against the ground.

There was even a carpet laid out in advance to avoid risking an accident while doing it. When Lia asked why there was a carpet in such a strange place, it was all a product of thorough calculations.

Ascal took a deep breath.

Now was the crucial moment.

He had to apologize so thoroughly that anyone who saw him would think, “This person is truly sorry. I should forgive him.”

All this time, he had treated the princess of the country as a mere messenger, having her run errands such as making cocoa, and passing messages between departments.

Occasionally, when he didn’t feel like going to the break room, he even received shoulder massages from her on the spot.

“I’m really sorry for everything…”

“Would it be possible for you to take me with you when you go home during the upcoming Holy Night holiday?”

“…?”

Lia’s face seemed slightly flushed, as though she was ashamed of what she had just said.

Holy Night.

A religious event and an official holiday in the empire.

It was one of the rare breaks for the citizens of the empire.

Ordinary people took advantage of this time to go back to their hometowns or, if they were particularly devoted, to offer prayers at church in accordance with the original purpose of the day.

But Ascal had no intention of going home or to church during this holiday.

He planned to stay cooped up in his house, playing and eating in the capital.

‘Going home would only be a hassle…’

The Debre Baron family home was located in a somewhat remote area.

It was the countryside.

The air was fresh, and the natural scenery was beautiful.

That meant there were lots of bugs and the sun set early, and there was absolutely nothing to do.

Moreover, if he went, it was obvious that his younger sister would pester him for no reason.

“I’m sorry, but I actually have something to see in the capital during Holy Night.”

“Is that so? Then there’s no chance unless it’s now. Actually, I…”

“I’ll take you with me. To my hometown.”

There was a habitual coming-out patient here.

Ascal managed to stop Lia’s coming-out just in time, his face pale with shock.

‘There’s no hesitation anymore.’

Now that Lia had come out like this, Ascal had no choice but to comply.

He had to postpone the princess’s coming-out as much as possible.

And during that time, he had to find a way to escape somehow.

“Would it be alright to leave early tomorrow morning? It’ll be a bit of a tough journey, but are you okay with that?”

“Yes, I’ll bring clothes and travel tools.”

And so, the two promised to meet in front of the government office tomorrow morning.

That was the reason why Ascal and Ria went together to the house of Baron Devre.

“We’ll arrive soon, Sir Ascal.”

“That’s fast.”

“Thanks to the empire’s prosperity, they’ve taken care of the roads here and there. It seems like we’re benefiting from that.”

No, if they have enough money, why do they diligently do road repairs instead of indulging in luxury and pleasures?

Ascal, with a serious question in mind, looked out at the surrounding scenery through the carriage window.

It was a familiar road.

The fields where grains grow were beautifully spread out. The trees were filled with fruits this year, probably because of the good weather.

Cattle were often left to graze, and they used to nap on the hills.

From No ble mt L dot c om

‘I can’t seem to get used to this darn manure smell.’

However, the countryside scenery isn’t always beautiful.

Although it has improved compared to the past, the smell of livestock feces still stung Ascal’s nose whenever he passed by the fields. Ria, who was asleep, frowned.

Woof woof.

Sheepdog dogs followed the unfamiliar carriage.

Heehee~

The horses became excited, looking at those dogs, and sped up. The coachman tried to calm them down, but it was useless.

Trot trot.

‘Wait, this speed is too fast?’

A terrible article about how the imperial manager and the third princess died together in a carriage accident was about to make the front page of the newspaper.

“What’s happening?”

Ria, who felt the commotion, woke up from her sleep.

Ascal answered succinctly.

“It’s a minute before we all head to the afterlife together.”

“Excuse me?”

The scenery outside the window was changing in real-time.

“Stop for a moment.”

“The horses, they won’t listen to me.”

Ascal opened the carriage door and tried to calm the horses down from the driver’s seat himself. It was quite a struggle to keep balance.

The moment he sat down on the horse.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

A loud male voice rang out.

Amazingly, the horses came to a halt.

“Phew…phew…”

The horse rider, who had almost crossed the Samdochon River, breathed a sigh of relief.

There was only one person among those he knew who could perform such a feat.

“It’s been a while, my son.”

Earl Aser Debrur.

The father of Askal Debrur and the head of the Earl of Debrur’s household.

Askal got up, seeing his father after a long time.

But something was off about the house.

What should have been a modest-sized wooden house had magically transformed into a giant mansion.

And there were unfamiliar servants bustling around.

“What happened to the house?”

“We made a fortune with magic stone investments and discovered a gem of a frog habitat, thanks to you, my son.”

“…”