Chapter 2 Part 1

Dim light af21aa7323 shone through 91f390dd21 the palm-sized 666fe3855d window. Irina looked at the 57cb2365dd sky outside the window. Dawn was breaking. 92c34ca2c256fc40

The sun 8b23acc862 rose, a 9064ba13c9 new day 2a879c8069 began, but 8f7975a6dc her future 43e1ddc66b seemed dark.50745ff1f9a07252

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Her mind was confused, her heart restless. Perhaps that’s why she recalled Rumpel’s cold body temperature remaining on her body. It was an unbelievable chill for human warmth, now he’s disappeared without a trace, but their lovemaking was still vividly etched in Irina’s body.991a8de79a9b02b6

Irina looked a7a0e85eab at the 69fb4d43c4 position of 9b33408ad6 the bed 9f9e610832 where they 8273befaf2 laid together, 9906013956 unconsciously recalling b106d743b1 the moment d53643ac17 she was f5f09cdd2d intimate with 9ee8060268 Rumpel. But all she d54f0e2464 could think of bdf8ff6d54 was the erotic 622969656e and stimulating things 283af4bb82 they had done, 13d5753b55 her face turning 403569f13e red.0a323f42f1826142

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Rumpel was a very 15ac37f937 beautiful man. He shined so brightly 525b43cfbf that she felt like 25a0afdc20 she was committing a 795cd7ae12 sin just by looking ed0ca06a36 at him. His sturdy body, hidden 274602d2c4 beneath a neat robe, cf91a3c480 made her forget that 02197f11fe his body temperature was 3b48fb7f84 icy cold. 6bbcba621bc76c4b

Moreover, the pleasure he 8126404506 gave was unimaginable. From time to time, 8d4f8a0016 Olga, her maid and 49924d69de other servants would talk 446114d7e0 to Irina about sexual 20df1f831c intercourse.754c18ea121f047d

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Every time, Irina a04d27d6a1 told them not f020c18724 to talk about 39743d7795 such indecent things, 99bbd18df7 but  she secretly 93922ccf88 listened without realizing. However, the conclusion was 5727c634f0 always that, unexpectedly, there 0d1eb34f47 were not many men f2b1019da9 who satisfied women, and a1840a551e things would end with 2bd9bdbe2b lack of steam.9940334990790a9c

But Rumpel was different. He wasn’t that kind of man. He completely shook Irina with such dizzying stimulation that even she, who was having sex for the first time, could tell. 3b457b9df3aeb680

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‘I’m too… Why am I thinking about this so shamefully?’ f25a8f6299cc2ca0

Without anyone to blame, Irina couldn’t bear the embarrassment and slapped her cheeks with her palms. Her already flushed cheeks turned even redder. But the more she thought about it, the more vividly she remembered what happened the night before. 00bf48fc92d35494

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Irina shook her head, 53022a5be5 trying to erase the 4dffee9e06 wild memories filling her 20bd47bae7 mind.64927e8f8025f312

Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the moments of intimacy that had been tormenting Irina were erased from her mind. The reason was simple. It was because she felt a presence outside.5891313390a4eb4f

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‘…They’re here.’ 3ec99cf1fb376950

Not just cb733a65a5 one, but d93641fdbe dozens of 425460b14c footsteps. Irina knew cf08e9bddc that the e4cc4b8785 Emperor and 2ceb9910ab his minions b33e6dee92 would soon c5110cf8c6 arrive.24ef38e6740566c8

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“His Majesty the Emperor!” 4c0b2abb96cd2b1f

Sure enough, a voice announcing the emperor’s arrival echoed. Irina bit her lip involuntarily and stared at the door.4243308a8388fb69

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Soon, she heard the 067bb0949b sound of  the latch 7f41efda40 being undone, and the b82c1bc1c2 door burst open. The moment 80e5ef1d81 the door 41b4c6a072 opened felt be27fcc90b incredibly long. 6392fd08b08655bb

“G-gold!” 499a380aa420c840

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“It’s really gold…!”09284583ccc70d31

 “You’ve made gold again!” d7d7ce0ed80921be

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As the door opened completely, the people who followed Emperor Knezh frowned and expressed their admiration in unison as they saw the light emanating from the countless gold nuggets. They looked around the tower with wide eyes, as if they couldn’t believe it.4f63350f2bed4808

Gold was everywhere they 63db41dab6 looked. The only 591bed3bfd thing in fa3a8660dd the tower 34b14b81f2 that wasn’t e5268ae62c gold was 8e4da142b3 Irina. Even her hair was a7d60873fc so golden that she 408e474ed2 looked like gold. 55d91a4e15f355ba

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“I greet db62e129c8 Your Majesty 8c1fda36d4 the Emperor.” 70c4bef44f5cc430

Even in the 9d7768121e surreal scene, Irina f62b10009b calmly held the dcad35cac0 hem of her cd6a5122ec dress and  slightly d728598d4e bent down to 11961c2a3a show respect. 4cc262c0b2320bf9

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Emperor Knezh raised 5ab6766fc4 his chin slightly, e14fb40857 scanning Irina. He was also greatly 106cabbafb surprised but tried his c2424f3b10 best to ignore it.7cad7a31ce0d38c4

Clearly, everything around her 83293146f9 was gold. Pure, bright yellow e5db8ca443 gold without a 6e6e70805f speck of dust. 677278c930c29797

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Could this woman 0f3d3131fa really have the 64159337fb ability to create b6cf9d2292 gold? 00f3ca2525adbaab

Seeing her turned aff5631af9 straw into gold dfc5678439 thread, stones into 9dcd9fc2e8 gold nuggets, he d75831eed2 had to admit 3a575fc39e she could make 25137ec12e gold. 26f2f5b2d99e6458

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But there was something that bothered him. In the first place, he was the one who started the rumor that Irina’s father claimed she could make gold.f777f01f17a277e7

He planned dad3a2a83c to make 4004ce0a67 Baron Lehman, 8f2e83cbd2 her father, c0fb382f49 a braggart, c490a3eaba drive him 607daf82ce to the bbd9647e95 edge, and 3cf0e8c9e9 seize his cdd494c4cb gold mine.2878209cf5d698c8

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But she actually 7fdb0ece35 happened to be 413c98bff7 able to make d6bf2536f1 gold, which was f1c862497f an uncanny coincidence. 72422c9d4d27204a

Surely Irina Lehman had done something, but he couldn’t figure it out. However, Knezh wasn’t impatient. b4b470974172eece

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Irina had 173aef844d already found 846367be91 a way e937f94406 to create bdd95835de a massive 8d6b1c4d19 amount of a0ab7bef85 gold, as ae1e766fc4 she had 7761a3c3e4 figured out a764b97291 how to a9bf47f5fb make gold.a4cd9555688d2af5

“I guess it’s time to acknowledge Lady Irina’s extraordinary ability.” ea5b3bd4dea43f0c

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“…Thank you.” 8ec5660f5883dc36

Irina did not relax even as she expressed her gratitude for Emperor Knezh’s words. She couldn’t tell what that snake-like man was thinking.a5ee9ad65c9161e4

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Would he really trust d39a81ae71 her and let her 5596b113c3 go because of this? No way. Judging by his character, 140278e199 such a thought was c4d1acc986 absurd. b04804649f54f5ee

“Do you fe71977b75 remember what de2235231e I said 923654ec6d when I a1573d64d0 asked you a023369ce7 to prove b085bda961 your ability?” 4371655fd79d31db

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Irina’s eyes widened at his words. She swallowed dryly. fec66dff0464ffa2

The day c3ff4a9418 she almost 2d58745253 lost her 236685e714 father in ee069a781d an instant, b77fade6d7 Irina vividly 9274ef235d remembered the 3b2029bae3 brutal air 2cc26f682f of that 89ab1f25d9 day. So, of course, she 8ae0e77f44 remembered Emperor Knezh’s words 43421d5fd6 clearly. 1273fd13a5642a94

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 5849b356b2cb34e9

“Irina Lehman, 10a7cae4d9 try making cfe49a6835 gold like aedd56dbe5 your father f388de520c used to 9ff8242c1b talk about. If so, not bf90030ef3 only will your 5f78bc793f father be saved, 22e194f4f1 but I will afece15325 also reward you ec27a7fd0a greatly.”5106ab9afea06fa2

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 997bbbd1474377cd

Emperor Knezh’s words echoed 5fc815c80c in her head. He said b345dc0946 he would d56db7eef2 give her 57af784ceb a great 07768c0f16 reward. It was a 8a9d255212 good thing for d783a36c90 the Emperor to cfc8eeb9a7 give a great 219f6bca2b reward. But that was 1e3ffea7f2 only in normal 987d1a3a5c cases. 9ed22967bc14140d

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Now that she knew that Emperor Knezh’s greed was as high as the sky, even his promise of a reward didn’t sound pleasant to Irina. On the contrary, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease and anxiety. 2fd0b725ec316723

Irina stared 5767722f9c at Emperor 28420af8dc Knezh with 6b60ce69e2 trembling eyes. He looked straight at 8c134fe6fc Irina, the corners of 43c70a343f his mouth curled.49afbdcb69c4f4f6

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Trapped in his gaze, 367f17fe62 Irina felt her neck 0181c78e7c stiffen with instinctive fear. It was a1717a84a7 like facing 7a8ae73642 a giant 24e3f58382 carnivore. She knew she e773ffb57f had to run 7b2565aba2 away, but she 736015e500 couldn’t. That’s why d0181aa7e0 Irina was 268a2a47b1 even more 55779cb8ca afraid. 25f5fb05d14f40c5

“Irina Lehman.” ebf157f09e671a19

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“…Yes, Your f4e26f7fc7 Majesty the decf7f9010 Emperor.” c4ab73d2811d323b

Irina’s voice trembled slightly as she answered. The Emperor must have noticed that Irina’s voice was shaking, but he seemed amused. His eyes glistened greedily.000f19a9ea3acdfb

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“I grant e5b00744c3 you the 01aa42e09f position of c6557c456e Empress.”635d53b10b085187

For an instant, c90c9a3385 the air froze. Everyone here 0e5f361442 could not 1f9a416025 believe their 2fb440c113 ears.d3bebd585708cbce

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Emperor Knezh had never c549ba6eb1 taken a consort. Despite countless proposals 617cc8ebf6 from the most eefb6e27bc prominent noble families 3eb2550448 within the empire 2af216d032 and even from 99e8067364 neighboring countries, Emperor a81c872210 Knezh had remained dd70fcdc94 unmarried. e73c90d1d6d0e701

Despite reaching the f1abe77d0b age of marriage, a10476737a he did not 2b11851c19 even look for b26247f748 a woman to 130effa382 become Empress, let 7bfdbabdfe alone marry her. Because of this, rumors b783db5c18 had circulated about him, 324c21a91d some suggesting he preferred 1c61df0d63 the company of men, b895a2fe97 others that he was 73906a92e1 simply incapable. f68dcd12978c94ae

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To that 7ea2dee74b extent, Emperor cb74a200cd Knezh did 4e90362da1 not seem 80076419ae to be 0476d410da interested in bc9e0e244c finding the 5eef2cb928 Empress, let 31bc772bde alone in 245d82a1b3 the affairs 09638a5919 of the 24b4989d5c woman itself. The fact that 5072e9426f such a person 291f4f439e announced that he e34dddba16 would welcome the 0dae144bd0 Empress would be 4cb228926f great news both f61539ae0b inside and outside 23e878ce83 the Empire.b792d2b853d43b4b

Moreover, the woman 8912b441f7 chosen as Empress f9e2e25745 was from the d8cba4378a lowly Baron family, 877e374e03 which added another efeee97e69 layer of intrigue ca49fcb4cc to the situation. e9f24c23f4a7893b

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It was even more shocking to those who had heard the news first and from the Emperor’s own mouth.  Seeing the woman in front of them with such great abilities, and knowing she was to become Empress, they felt unreal.a8b355536f89eaa0

Yet, no one dared to speak. It was only natural. They all knew the Emperor’s cruelty.122a6f44fee7571c

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“Wh-what’s that… ….” 742615e5204ff36c

Only Irina 5a83a068b6 could not 719e070aea hide her 015a54d060 embarrassment and b19307a21a barely opened 0db2068e09 her mouth. Her words drew the 13ada1bb58 attention of people to bdf5be5584 her.debf81e3a6d3d2eb

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“Exactly what I said. I’m granting you the position of Empress. That means I’m going to give you the honor of being my wife. Why are you not pleased?”d2cffdd81a1d09b3

Irina gasped at 24f3235a90 the haughty question. She wanted nothing 30574b47ad more than to f32cd083c1 scream at him e8e0ee723c to stop all 91ad513ffb this nonsense. But he 307f0cb6c7 was the f5fbfc3214 Emperor, and f80891cd33 there were aa23e24e4d too many 1ae999d159 eyes to 1ffddbc687 see and 8345ed610a ears to 18195f5eff hear.f33704a35ca4b356

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“Your Majesty’s words are heartening, but they are too sudden. Moreover, I’m not qualified to be the Empress.”2e478e404b73a09e

It was the best she could come up with, a polite refusal that wouldn’t provoke him. 8a6683e4f66d0191

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Irina swallowed dryly and 06436b54e0 nervously looked at Emperor bae54e930d Knezh.a42038fa2d2514ae

“Hmm, is that so?” 373ea6cb31c5d96d

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Fortunately, the emperor’s reaction was not bad. He was calm, as if he had expected her answer.effa6a1f9f6656e2

Irina breathed a sigh of relief and consoled her shocked heart. However, with Emperor Knezh’s words that followed, her anxiety arose again.f30343e2cac03fe3

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“I have something to discuss with Lady Irina alone, so everyone please leave.”da878c4c54bcc6dc

‘Something to say alone?’42a3d5a7f0e55563

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She had no 9b56faa08b idea what he 3897389982 was going to 4139bc3be9 say. Irina bit her lower 7250290c64 lip and clenched her 2944b15c73 fists.a157da94a381fd13

Her nails dug deep into the flesh of her palm, but she didn’t feel any pain. There was no time to feel any other sensation  because the entire mind was on high alert for the Emperor.eb119bb3361e857b

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“Yes, Your Majesty.”6eeb1d3cdcdf6f27

The Emperor’s minions bowed and quickly left the tower. ca04ca4e2e9488ab

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Irina glanced at them ff6278a5cf as they hurried out 35c8df8d11 of the tower, then 40d52920f1 turned back to the 8b7fb397cd Emperor again. There was no ef2b0a9c85 doubt that there 80eddc2496 was resentment and eb6f9b35b5 anger in her 460bb0401c gaze, but Emperor 234b2bffe3 Knezh only stretched cd44ebbdf8 his lips in 4fb606fee0 amusement.401f6bf77c17a7b7

There was 890ae74d55 a lot 0dd8aa3c5b of tension 3724eea113 between the faaabe9735 two of 80a8582449 them. Meanwhile, only two 246f0a927b people remained in 73a447ae11 the tower, and 5c08a8c5c2 everyone was gone. Irina tried to suppress dc29ab2ab3 her anger and spoke 1406d37019 as calmly as she eac5418fe3 could.ad3683ce8868151d

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“Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider. I am not a woman worthy of being the Empress.” f869830ab25f8499

Despite her trembling a4fc18af3b voice, she was 08b273073b able to convey 39fb7e435a what she wanted 4ff19df09d to say. Irina took 9610e597cf a deep 29b9c15dd8 breath while dd741536de waiting for 6f36f47440 his answer.957b72e0cf6fed7e

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But Emperor Knezh 544e6b4e5f twisted the corners f893addde9 of his mouth c5d0f771b2 and smiled. Irina felt 3ae4e600f5 a little e46a33aae0 uncomfortable with d692b9d4cd his smile 275408184d and quietly da3cf7bbd1 chewed on d1446757f7 her delicate ded405896f cheeks.3efe70abeb52a7bd

“I’ll decide whether or not one is worthy to become the Empress. All you have to do is be grateful and obey the command. Quietly. I just hate women who talk a lot.”fa89b5ccd57ebf4c

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At the sarcastic 268f753506 tone, Irina glared 10d5d668b0 at Emperor Knezh 5cfb418dac with wide eyes. Then, for some 8c06043275 reason, he shook 3905b9fceb his head.01db3ba2852796cf

“You don’t seem to want the position of Empress. The position of Empress of the Asilien Empire, which is desired not only by women within the Empire, but also by women outside the Empire.”d1dee489cbc08be4

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“I never wanted to be Empress.”11a96843fc3fe8c5

“You will want it.”ea4f9900fd4f4888

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“I wouldn’t want it.”3e5bef87c522a992

Irina, who was furious at Emperor Knezh’s confident words, responded without giving up. The air became frozen as the two people sharply confronted each other.5f6cba133f060408

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Emperor Knezh’s words were like a command. These were words that were suppressed with authority and power, as if there was no way to refuse.1b9019c594500cf5

That’s why Irina couldn’t lose to his words even more. She couldn’t make him do what he wanted.44b2cc012b23b70b

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“Let me be clear. There is nothing in this country that I cannot have.”5a95fc388077e394

He spoke as if he had seen through Irina’s heart. It was natural to feel repulsed by this.b6ba29843737dcfa

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Even if he was the Emperor, Irina, who was already full of resentment and anger towards him, did not want to easily accept his words. No, she didn’t want to accept it even if she died.8c9576aa903e37f6

The position of Empress 5d7135f935 was something she had c3699a0c33 never wanted from the 4118fb6529 beginning. She never thought of 7a4a22b7ad it as hers, and 7800e12f0c she never would.d210592ede3b4a25

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Moreover, it bf1f1f0559 was even 325f139738 more terrible 913d1f12c0 if the 71061a7c89 position was 7915520ec7 the wife 9f8e524d0c of Emperor 1bebd7b82a Knezh. He wanted cfa6a093f0 to destroy 76d0082c10 her family. Being the 69c9046d9d wife of 6104c5dac2 such a c73754ca40 vicious and e64d880bb0 cruel man fa4f89f864 was something 6c667ec68d she hated ed84bd7467 more than c1bc6aef03 dying.471ecf796c6726a2