I was sitting in my bedroom, gazing out of the tall window while holding a glass in my hand.
From the outside, it would look like I was enjoying wine.
Well…
That was a lie.
I didn't like wine.
At least, not based on the one time I had tried it.
What I was actually drinking was fruit juice. I didn't know the name of the fruit—it didn't exist in my previous world—but that didn't matter. It had a refreshing taste, slightly sweet with a faint tang that lingered pleasantly.
Honestly…
It was far better than wine.
I took another slow sip, letting the flavor settle as my gaze drifted over the vast expanse beyond the castle walls.
There was still time before the academy reopened its gates.
And for once—
I didn't have anything urgent to do.
Mirella was currently outside the city, training with Zareth. That pairing alone guaranteed results. A Pseudo Powerhouse training under a true Powerhouse—it would be strange if she didn't improve rapidly.
As for Zareth—
I had already instructed him to manage as much of the territory as possible.
After all, in the original story, he had been the Twelfth Lord.
That meant he had the capability.
Even without formal authority, he could handle quite a few things.
And besides—
I had planned to recruit Zareth long before I became a Lord myself.
So in a way, everything was progressing exactly as I had intended.
No problems.
No worries.
Everything was stable.
Peaceful.
I leaned back slightly, exhaling.
What a life.
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
My eyes narrowed slightly.
That knock—
Was far too forceful.
Not the kind of knock one used for routine matters.
Almost like the person outside was—
Panicking.
My Sixth Sense had already informed me
Yes.
There was definitely urgency.
Interesting.
I placed the glass aside and spoke calmly.
"Come in."
The door opened immediately.
A knight stepped inside, bowing deeply. I could already sense more stationed outside the room.
He spoke without delay.
"My lord… the Empress is coming."
I blinked.
…Empress?
For a brief moment, I considered the reason.
Zareth?
No.
That didn't feel right.
She wouldn't personally come just for him.
Not like this.
I stood up calmly.
"Prepare a proper welcome," I said. "And inform Zareth. Tell him the Empress is arriving."
The knight nodded and turned to leave.
"Wait."
He stopped instantly and turned back.
"How long until she arrives?"
"Ten minutes, my lord."
I frowned slightly.
"Ten minutes?"
That was too fast.
Which meant—
Wyvern.
"Understood. You may go."
As the knight left, I let out a small sigh.
So she came by wyvern.
That explained everything.
I quickly changed into more appropriate clothing—something befitting a Lord receiving a royal guest—before making my way toward the roof of the castle.
There was no need to guess where she would land.
The knights would have already prepared the rooftop.
As I stepped onto the roof—
I saw them.
Two wyverns.
Large.
Majestic.
Dominating the space with their presence.
One belonged to the Empress.
The other—
To her escort.
Only one escort.
At first glance, that might seem like a serious lapse in security.
But it wasn't.
Because that one escort—
Was a Powerhouse.
Zareth arrived shortly after me, positioning himself a step behind.
As I approached, both the Empress and her escort immediately looked past me—
Toward Zareth.
I couldn't blame them.
A Powerhouse who had killed a prince was far more attention-worthy than me currently.
After a moment, the Empress shifted her gaze toward me.
Her escort didn't.
He continued staring at Zareth, his body tense, ready to react at the slightest movement.
I smiled lightly.
"It's nice to see you again so soon," I said. "You've become even more beautiful."
That—
Got a reaction.
Zareth leaned slightly closer and whispered,
"Do you not know that you shouldn't compliment a married woman's beauty when her husband isn't present? Especially if she's an Empress?"
I paused internally.
…That's a rule?
Interesting.
Well—
Too late now.
I straightened slightly, maintaining my composure.
"I know," I whispered back.
Then added calmly—
"I don't care."
The Empress spoke.
"It's nice to meet you again, Twelfth Lord. But this time… I am not particularly pleased."
Her tone was controlled.
But there was a clear edge to it.
I tilted my head slightly.
"And why is that? We had quite a pleasant conversation last time."
Her expression hardened.
"This has nothing to do with that," she said. "I came because of him."
Her gaze shifted behind me.
Zareth.
I glanced back briefly before replying,
"He is my subordinate now."
That statement clearly irritated her.
"You are aware that he killed the Third Prince, correct?"
"I am," I replied calmly.
Then continued,
"It was war. He was defending his kingdom."
I took a step forward.
"The Third Prince led the attack. In war, people die. Being part of the imperial family does not grant immunity."
My gaze sharpened.
"I'm aware most would have taken him hostage out of fear of retaliation. Zareth likely would have done the same—if he had known who he was killing."
The Empress hesitated.
For a moment—
She looked conflicted.
"You…" she began, her voice tightening.
"You dare speak to me like this?"
Her tone carried both anger and something else.
Frustration.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble this creates for me?"
I chuckled softly.
"I do."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You cannot simply ignore this," she continued. "He killed the Third Prince."
I shrugged slightly.
"And yet, here we are."
I met her gaze directly.
"You cannot leave without demanding an explanation. But you also cannot act against him."
I gestured casually.
"Because doing so would mean opposing not just him—but me."
I paused briefly.
"And right now, you only have one Powerhouse with you."
Her escort stiffened.
The air grew tense.
But I continued calmly.
"Meanwhile, both Zareth and I are Powerhouses."
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
The Empress exhaled slowly.
Her anger faded, replaced by something more controlled.
"You are… quite bold."
I smiled faintly.
"I prefer honest.'"
Her escort, however, looked ready to draw his weapon at any moment.
Good.
That meant he understood the situation.
Understood the imbalance.
And understood—
That this wasn't a battlefield he could control.
The wind moved lightly across the rooftop, brushing against the wings of the wyverns.
For a brief moment—
Everything felt still.
Balanced.
Like a fragile equilibrium that could shatter at any moment.
And yet—
Neither side moved.
Because both understood one simple truth.
This was no longer about a single death.
This was about power.
And the consequences of challenging it.
Empress was at a loss of words as her anger faded and she sighed
"You are smart."
Her escort on the other hand was getting tenser with every passing second.
I diverted the topic from Zareth as things were a little calm now
"Well. Since you are here for the first time. Come and let me be a good host."
I looked at her escort and told him
"Calm down we aren't attacking. Hahaha"
Powerhouse still looked ready to fight but he calmed down, Empress gave him a look and he left a little farther from us but never taking his eyes away from Zareth
Empress said
"Okay... Let's go inside. You need to give me an explanation."
I started walking towards the room where guests of importance were met
"The last time we met was at the hero ceremony. I wasn't really expecting to see you so soon."
Empress followed me as she replied my statement a bit dryly
"I wish it was under better circumstances."
I smiled and replied
"A Lord of The Coalition of The Twelve Lords and Empress of Empire won't generally meet under good circumstances. Though they would still be better than this."
Empress chuckled darkly
"I see even as Twelfth Lord you have sharp tongue."
She then sighed
"I have a proposal."
I asked confused
"What kind of proposal?"
Empress said
"Give Zareth to me."
I looked at her for a moment then I laughed
"He is a Powerhouse.
You really think I will surrender him?
Or you thought no harm in asking?"
Empress looked annoyed
"Of course I don't think you are stupid enough to just surrender a Powerhouse but I had to ask."
Then she muttered under her breath
"It would have been so much easier if you had."
I said amused
"There is nothing the Empire can give which can be traded for a Powerhouse. Also I am rather protective of my subordinates.....More than others are."
I added
"Other lords are also in favour of keeping him here."
I said the last part so they know all Lords are in favour of protecting Zareth. Just in case Empire later tries anything funny
Empress looked at me in disbelief
"You are protective of your subordinates?"
Empress couldn't believe that a Lord of Twelve Lords is being so protective of his subordinates
"Are you sure you are a Lord? Because you are acting like a mother hen."
She must be so shocked because of my nickname.
Sigh
That nickname is a pain in the ass.
I replied
"I guess the reputation of Lords isn't that good. And some Lords might see benefits as higher in priority."
I added
"More like even in other kingdoms benefits are higher in priority."
I continued
"But I am a little different. In the first place if we surrender Zareth to the Empire it will make us look weak."
And The Coalition of The Twelve Lords strives on strength rather than rule. Here we don't govern like kings. Strength is everything in the end.
Empress was thinking as she heard my words
"You really are different... So... What are we going to do now?"
I could tell from Sixth Sense that she seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.
But I don't want to go deep in this topic. So I will just move on and she is smart so she will just play along.
I asked Empress
"If I am not wrong you must be going to Academy city for the Event in Academy?"
Empress nodded
"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"
I thought so
After all it's not Empress responsibility to meet me for Zareth. She can't take away Zareth from me. And it's too soon for anyone to reach from Empire.
So I assumed she must be going to Academy and came here by changing route when she got information of Zareth.
Empress doesn't really care about Zareth too much anyway.
It's because Third Prince was son of previous Empress. In fact he was just competition of son of Empress. So it's a good thing for Empress.
But the Empress still had to come because of Third Prince being a member of imperial family.
So it's more of a duty than her really caring.
I replied to Empress
"Since you are riding wyvern you will reach earlier than time."
I suggested
"Why don't you stay in my castle till then? I will also go there. We can go together."
Empress raised an eyebrow
"You want me to stay here? Interesting..."
she smirked
"And what makes you think I would agree?"
I smiled
"Well, I had a feeling you will."
I chuckled.
Empress sighed dramatically
"Fine. But only because I'm curious to see what kind of hospitality the infamous Twelfth Lord offers."
I looked at Lyra
"Lyra, Prepare rooms, food and any other thing our guests may need."
Lyra bowed with small playful look in her eye
"As you wish, My Lord Though I must say, hosting royalty does tend to mess up the wine budget."
Empress blinked
"...Your butler is...unusual."
Sigh
I hardly think any new Lord must be so in good relationship with Empress. And so Lyra just couldn't help herself. But still for sake of not ruining my reputation it was a small gesture. But Empress caught it.
Such a pain in the ass.
I said to the Empress
"I think it's because of the previous Twelfth Lord. But don't mind her"
Empress nodded, still watching Lyra closely.
"It seems she's fiercely loyal to you."
Lyra turned around to Empress
"Loyal...? Why, of course! My Lord is too good to me~"
Please... don't say anything to Empress I can't manage.
I said to Empress
"I haven't done anything to earn her loyalty. But yeah, she is loyal."
I added
"I am not really good at earning loyalty anyway. The Coalition of The Twelve Lords work on strength. As you know, here our word is the law. So unlike in other kingdoms no loophole is going to save if a Lord is after you. So people stay in line just in fear."
Empress nodded
"The Coalition of The Twelve Lords is built on fear. I suppose that's one way to keep order."
She then looked at me with a hint of curiosity.
"But you said you 'aren't good at earning loyalty'. Does that mean... you actually try to gain the loyalty of your subordinates?"
I replied smiling
"For now I actually have earned quite a good loyalty without trying by coincidence. Such situations were formed."
I recounted the past
"The death of the previous Twelfth Lord because of the demon attack gave rise to a terror. Then as you must have already heard, I became the new Lord and wiped out the demon army. So many became loyal. And I also did a few other things by coincidence which made many subordinates loyal."
Empress tilted her head, interested.
"Interesting. It sounds like you've unintentionally gathered loyal followers without even trying. And the death of the previous Twelfth Lord must have scared many into obeying you.
She chuckled lightly.
"You're quite the accidental hero."
I chuckled too
"Yeah"
Empress smiled, a bit amused.
"It's not often you come across a Lord who stumbles into admiration."
Empress then spoke again, her tone turning a bit more serious.
"But tell me, what about those 'other things' you mentioned? The things you did that made your subordinates even more loyal?"
I said
"Well, One is Zareth whose situation you know. And others are more of a personal kind. So I won't go into depth."
Empress gave me a knowing look
"Ah, so you do have secrets after all. Very well, I won't pry—for now."
She glanced around, taking in the castle.
"Though I must say, your hospitality is far more... relaxed than I expected."
I nodded
"Yes"
As I said that maids brought wine for the Empress and her escort.
Perfect timing
I said
"You two should enjoy wine. I hope it's up to your taste."
Empress took the wine and sniffed it, swirling it in her glass.
"Let's see..."
She took a small sip, pausing to savor the flavor.
"...This is surprisingly good."
Her escort, looking rather stoic, merely nodded in agreement. It was apparent he was still on guard, even in this seemingly relaxed atmosphere.
I said
"Your escort is giving his all in protecting you. But, there really is no need. We aren't going to harm the Empress. And if we want to, He won't be able to save you. That came out as a threat but I just want him to relax too."
Empress chuckled, amused by my words.
"Oh, that's just Sir Valen. He's always so serious. Don't mind him. I'm sure your words have no threat behind them."
She took another sip of wine, eyeing Valen with a smirk.
"Though I must admit, he does take his job a little too seriously."
Valen remained motionless but seemed to be holding back a scoff.
my eyes went to his sword
"Valen? The demon slayer? I have heard about him. Before joining the Empire he used to hunt demons. Truly admirable"
Empress nodded, proud of her escort.
"Yes, that's right. Valen is quite renowned for his skills in demon slaying."
Valen remained stoic but couldn't help but puff out his chest a little in pride.
The empress looked at him with a sly smile.
"He's also as humble as a rock."
I suggested
"You must be exhausted. Please rest a little."
Empress nodded
"I suppose I am a bit tired. It was a long journey on the wyvern."
Valen looked like he was about to protest but fell silent when Empress shot him a warning glance.
Empress then looked at me again.
"Do you mind showing me to my room? I would appreciate a chance to freshen up."
I nodded
"Yes"
Then ordered
"Lyra, Show Empress to her room."
Lyra nodded and gestured for Empress to follow her.
"This way, please."
Empress walked gracefully after Lyra
Valen looked at me and I could see he had something to say.