I Became the Master of the Empress - Chapter 269



269 – 273

As the sun slowly set.

The Empress makes her way to the underground prison of the palace.

With haughty steps and a lofty expression.

At this moment, she felt like a person shaped from ice.

Relying on the dim torchlight, she heads toward the torture chamber.

—

I hope this captures the essence and atmosphere of the original text!

When the flickering light illuminated her, shadows began to stretch.

“I present myself before Your Majesty.”

Alice knelt before me and Theodora in reverence.

“Right. What has become of the newcomers?”

“As you instructed, they have done nothing yet and are merely prepared.”

At Alice’s words, Theodora smiled.

It was a beautiful yet cold and chilling expression, but it could not hide her beauty.

“Indeed.”

She coldly gazed at the torture chamber.

Then, as she stepped forward and pushed open the thick iron door, the sound of rusty hinges echoed loudly.

-Creeeak!

Six men were bound and gagged.

They were some of the aristocrats captured today.

“Well then, shall we see just how bold you are?”

At her cold smile, they all fell silent.

-Ugh!

-Ughh!

As she watched those shaking their heads, shedding tears, or screaming in terror, the Empress spoke with a chilling tone.

“Why do you act this way? Surely you’re not regretting your treason now that your lives are at stake?”

The ominous tools hanging on the walls of the torture chamber.

Everyone present knew how they would be used.

Long iron skewers, chains, and a large tub filled with water…

From noble mtl dot com

Tools designed for tormenting people.

Thus, they anticipated what fate awaited them and begged the Empress for mercy.

“Hoho, I wish to hear what these foolish ones have to say. Quickly, remove their gags.”

At the Empress’s command, Alice moved to untie each gag.

“Please spare me! Please spare me! I was wrong.”

“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding!”

Most begged for mercy or struggled to survive in any way they could.

But one shouted defiantly, “You witch! Stop this filthy torture and just kill me already!”

“To infringe upon the rights bestowed upon us by the Divine! You are a tyrant! I shall watch from beyond the grave to see how long you remain in that position!”

There were those who sought to irritate the Empress with such words.

Yet, rather than being angered, the Empress smiled faintly.

To her, those words were simply amusing.

“Oh? So, you nobles believe that the Divine granted you rights, but not to me?”

“Shut your mouth!”

“Have you forgotten that my husband is a saint?”

“If he were a saint, he would not have undergone eye surgery! Do you think we are unaware of his political alliance with the Pope?!”

A nobleman, appearing to be around sixty, shouted loudly, countering each of the Empress’s words, while the Empress regarded him with interest.

“Heh, if I recall correctly, is it not Duke Augustino of Itium?”

Augustino nodded at the Empress’s tone, which held no inflection.

“Indeed! You wretched woman! Surely you will fall into hell and suffer eternal torment!”

Augustino now believed he was facing death.

Fear no longer existed within him.

“How amusing, how delightful. You shall endure eternal suffering while still alive. No… your entire lineage shall.”

A sinister red glint shone brightly in her eyes.

“Those close to you, your in-laws. Anyone even slightly connected to you… I promise they will all be dragged here and tortured until their last breath.”

At the Empress’s words, Augustino’s eyes trembled violently.

“You witch! Do you think the Pope will remain silent?! Collective punishment is a monstrosity! Are you truly willing to forsake even the first Emperor’s decree?!”

He spoke boldly, yet fear lingered in his gaze.

For the nobles, the most important thing was their lineage.

They had been raised differently from others since childhood.

Receiving a high-level education and learning about complex politics and diplomacy.

All of it was for the sake of their families.

To ensure their families thrived.

From a young age, what set them apart was that they belonged to noble families, chosen by the Divine, and wielders of power.

Thus, they wished to be loyal to their families and elevate their lineage.

Of course, it was not just that.

They worried for their children, their grandchildren, and the well-being of their parents.

No matter how corrupt the nobles became, they were still human.

—

The reason they were corrupt was nothing more than for their own benefit, their families, and the interests of their clan.

In any case, the empress scoffed at the bold words of Augustino.

“Is that all you have to say?”

It was a laugh, unmistakably a laugh of derision.

– Knock, knock.

Someone politely knocked on the door of the torture chamber.

– May I come in?

A man’s voice.

The empress recognized the voice well.

“Carl, come in.”

At her words, the Minister of Information, Carl, opened the door to the torture chamber.

In his hands were dozens of sheets of paper.

“I have brought the documents as per Your Majesty’s command.”

At his polite tone, the empress nodded.

“I will grant you my final mercy. Carl, explain to those traitors.”

“Ahem… I will explain Your Majesty’s mercy to those present here.”

Carl took out a sheet of paper and showed it to them.

“This contract is a copy of the blood contract’s magic.”

He approached them one by one, lightly showing them the contents.

About three lines of text.

A brief phrase pledging absolute support and loyalty to the emperor for life.

“Those who sign here and affix their blood will be granted amnesty for this crime.”

“W-what if we violate it?”

The relatively young noble asked, and Carl smiled grimly.

“Are you not familiar with the blood contract? It’s a direct copy of that magic… If you break it, the same fate will befall you.”

At those words, one by one, their eyes began to tremble.

“Your Majesty, wh-what if the Vatican finds out? Both we and Your Majesty will be in grave danger…”

At that, the empress shook her head.

“I will not sign this document. Someone else will sign it, so there will be no way for me to be implicated. The signer will not even be me.”

The empress was considering a workaround to execute the contract with a third-party signature created by Deviant.

—

The blood contract has a significant blind spot.

The condition for the contract to take effect is not a signature, but blood.

When he eliminates the locust, based on the research he conducted, this contract will not bear Theodora’s name nor will her blood touch it.

The nobles who do not understand her words.

“What do you mean by that?”

“In other words… whether the contract is binding or you confess to the Holy See, it means I am not entering into a blood contract.”

The one who will sign this contract is Karl.

He will leave his name on this contract in place of Theodora and inscribe his blood.

If the Holy See raises an issue, he can argue that he used his blood when deceiving the locust, just as Debiang did before.

Of course, the truth is he is a criminal, but they do not know the details.

Even if they do not believe it and try to prosecute Karl, it is not a big problem since he can use the Emperor’s privilege to prevent the trial from taking place or invoke the right of pardon.

Thus, the Empress and Karl do not concern themselves with the Holy See.

“Now, there are many others who need to be guided besides you all. Please let me know quickly who wishes to contract.”

As the hall fell silent, Theodora nodded and spoke.

“It seems there is no one among you who wishes to earn my mercy. Alice, bring forth their livers.”

At the Empress’s indifferent words, the nobles opened their mouths.

“Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!”

“Thank you for your mercy!”

“Long live Empress Theodora!”

Everyone, including Augustino, who had just cursed her, expressed their gratitude for her mercy…

But the Empress clicked her tongue.

“How unfortunate. A true man would not hesitate to sacrifice his own life.”

In her personal opinion, she wanted to kill them all…

Yet, there was one thing that bothered her, so she decided to show them mercy.

Though the notion of “what if” does not exist, had she extracted their livers, perhaps she would have truly awakened as a tyrant.

Her nature craves blood.

Thus, when all the captured nobles signed the contract this time, she released them all.

After completing that series of tasks, it was only late at night that she could finally leave the palace prison.

“Your Majesty. There is one thing I would like to ask.”

At Karl’s words, the Empress replied in a weary voice.

“Ask me.”

“To be honest, eliminating them and absorbing their territory would be more beneficial in the long run. Why did you spare them? Just handling them according to imperial law, not collective punishment, would mean they…”

“Then he would dislike it.”

Karl’s face went blank at the sudden mention of Deviant by the empress.

“What do you mean by that?”

Theodora stretched her arms wide.

“Ugh!”

She spoke as if it was nothing serious.

“I unofficially said I would punish them with collective punishment. I have no choice but to give them the harshest punishment through collective punishment.”

The emperor had informally conveyed this to the nobles.

If she did not uphold that statement, she would be labeled a liar.

To give a simple example, since Deviant had been backstabbed multiple times, the other party had distorted the content he genuinely proposed.

This was because he had acted without trust.

Knowing how dangerous that was, Theodora had no choice but to impose collective punishment.

‘Honestly, punishing them with collective punishment is no big deal… but he would get angry, right?’

Deviant felt pity for the innocent criminals locked away in prison.

For some reason, the empress knew that he hated the idea of an innocent person dying during his reign.

That’s why one of the things he always did late at night was check the trials.

He would personally investigate in case there were any wronged individuals or any suspicious aspects…

If Theodora had brutally tortured and killed those who were not involved in the rebellion through collective punishment, it could earn her his wrath.

Thus, Theodora gave them a way to survive.

And… they had taken the bait, just as Theodora had thought.

Karl, who had somewhat understood the empress’s feelings, asked again.

“What if… someone among them refuses?”

At Karl’s words, Theodora’s gaze sharpened.

“Are you curious about that? Then I’ll tell you. I’ll torture them through Ellice until they sign. I need to make them want to sign the contract, even if it means cutting off their limbs.”

Seeing Theodora making such a sinister remark, he vaguely understood why Deviant had tried to run away.