CH 127

The next morning.

Charlize got up from the mansion’s bedroom and took an early bath.

The decision was over. The only thing left was practice.

The bathroom is attached to the bedroom anyway. 

After taking a bath, Charlize could see Mary’s back cleaning the bedroom. The maids from the imperial family still stayed by Charlize’s side without any complaints. 

“Mary.” 

“Oh, grandmaster.” 

Mary bowed her head in surprise as she was quite concentrating on folding the blanket. 

Charlize, wearing a white bathrobe, said to Mary.

“Can you make me a perfume? As soon as possible.” 

“…What perfume?” 

Making perfumes is Mary’s specialty.

Mary raised her head with curiosity. It was Charlize who recognized Mary’s talent for the first time in her life.

She had heard orders from His Majesty to make a perfume for the Emperor himself, but she had not yet heard any requests from Charlize.

“It might be quite difficult, Mary.”

“…It doesn’t matter! If it’s for the grandmaster…” 

It burns even more.

Mary pricked her ears intending to work hard at everything with joy. 

Charlize laughed.

Mary put down the blanket for now, pulled out a notepad from her arms, and grabbed a pen.

Charlize started ordering.

“I need a complex and multi-layered scent. I want the top note to be the scent of roses. But it’s not plain. The smell of bitter grass should also be properly mixed. The scent is strong and it doesn’t seem to be easily forgotten…” 

Charlize said as if describing an already existing scent. 

“And for the base note, it has to have the strange sweetness of dark chocolate. To sum up, the first feeling is captivating, and the ending feeling is lingering? The layers of scent were quite exotic.”

Mary, who was taking notes with a serious face, looked at Charlize and asked. 

“Is the scent refreshing?” 

“Not really… It’s not that light. Should I say it’s a bit like an abyss?”

“Ah… Is it plain then?”

“Well, it’s a bit strong and distinctive enough for that. It’s just not watery.” 

“Is it heavy?”  

“It’s normal. It’s not volatile, but it adapts quickly.”

Mary was silent for a moment as if she had a hunch. 

She didn’t ask why she needed such perfume.

“I think I can do it by tomorrow.”

As expected, competence is always thrilling.

“I’m glad.”

Mary was heartily pleased by Charlize’s remark. 

At the feast of jargon, the other maids were holding their breath. 

They don’t know why, but both Charlize and Mary looked great.

Charlize turned her head to the maids and ordered them. 

“Oh, and you guys. Could you bring me all the black dresses and accessories?”

“All of them?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t have to feel like a funeral.”

The maids’ eyes widened, but Charlize’s orders were absolute.

They moved quickly.

Speaking of Charlize, she was the most powerful and prominent aristocrat in the empire. There were also several wagons of dresses sent by the Grand Duke Ronan family as a wish of atonement, and the accessories sent by the emperor whenever he had spare time were already equivalent to the kingdom’s annual budget.

Is that all? All the dresses from all over the country were all for Charlize.

Even though it was limited to black, the bedroom soon filled up as they gathered them all.

Charlize sat in a chair with an indifferent face and pointed her finger at a few sets of clothes. 

“The color of red wine is pretty.”

It was a dress that showed off her shoulders. It looks black because it is very dark, but when you look closely, it is the color of red wine.

It was specially treated and reflected black whenever there was light, giving it a mysterious look.

The dress also came with gloves of the same color. 

The maids obediently served.

“How about a black diamond earring as an accessory?” 

“Okay.” 

“What about your outer garment, grandmaster?” 

“What Chou is holding right now.” 

The nominated Chou came forward with her cheeks red. 

The outer garment, which felt light and feeble, was black. 

“Should I tie your hair up? Or should I just tie it half up?” 

“Half.”

When Charlize all dressed up and stood in front of the mirror, the maids that dressed her up shook their fingertips. 

The red wine dress with an alluring and immoral feeling showed off her white and slender shoulders. She covered her shoulders with her outer garment, but it looked more secretive because it was made of such thin material. 

Her languid, open eyes gave the impression of boredom like an absolute ruler today.

The black diamond earrings, which look like diamonds that are synonymous with transparency, looked perfect on Charlize today.

Their bodies continued to stiffen as they couldn’t breathe.

They were fellow women, but their mouths kept on watering because of the overwhelming feelings they felt towards the absolute powerful person and the decadent atmosphere of fascination.

“…” 

Her hair was tied half down and half up. The vague weary feeling somehow seemed more dangerous. 

Her makeup was transparent, but only the color resembling blood was lightly applied on her lips to emphasize it.

Finally, she wore leather gloves of the same color as the dress. 

Her long, slender fingers were more prominent.

The maids who would normally have been friendly to Charlize were also paying attention today. Because the atmosphere was very different from usual.

[Leader, but how are you going to play the role of the evil god?] 

Charlize recalled for a moment the conversation she had with Payne the night before.

[Isn’t it enough to act as they think of the image of the evil god?] 

[The image of the evil god… If that’s the case, I’m sure they’re aware of it, leader.]

Payne continued to explain.

Payne seemed to have told a long story about why the evil god likes black, but what matters was not the post-war situation, but the objective fact. 

First, the evil god likes dark colors. Dark places, including nights.

Second, the evil god likes situations or places where countless people are gathered. This is because genocide is possible, Payne added.

Third, the evil god is so fascinating that they can be seen even when they stay still. It corrupts the surroundings and necessarily has the nature of the ruler.

[It’s called ‘blackening’ in technical terms!]

[Black… what?]

[Since there is no other reason why the secret magic tower saw Dylan and suspected that he was the evil god.] 

Payne looked unusually excited, but Charlize listened seriously.

She seemed to know what it felt like.

The stealthy and dangerous feeling that flowed from Dylan when Charlize escaped and was captured again three years later. 

The impression she had when she was sure he had become a blatant tyrant.

‘Maybe that’s why the secret magic tower approached Dylan.’

But they eventually realized Dylan wasn’t the evil god. 

But Charlize had to wrap the secret magic tower.

‘We have to fool them completely.’

That’s why she asked Mary to make the perfume. 

They needed to be more certain. Charlize recalled the scent of Kahu’s evil and ordered it to Mary.

It’s because Charlize’s aura is similar to evil, but as Payne said, Charlize’s energy is a little more like evil spirits, which has a slightly different trajectory from Kahu’s.

“…I will go to the Imperial Palace. Prepare the carriage.”

“Yes, grandmaster.”

Seeing that the maids hardly make eye contact with Charlize, the image of her appearance seemed to have succeeded. 

The unconscious is powerful, and humans are more visual than we imagined.

She knows how to act to make them think the way she wants them to.

Charlize looked up as she moved her fingers with gloves on. Slip. Her hair, half unraveled, tickles the nape of her neck and runs down.

Even when the sun was shining, Charlize only shone black.

The maids withdrew to both sides in absolute obedience.

***

Imperial Conference of the Imperial Palace

The one who sat at the top was by far the emperor of the Empire, Dylan I. It was a formal gathering where the heads of numerous noble families were represented by the aristocratic society.

After the empire united the continents, representative envoys from the kingdom that had been downgraded to a colony also participated one by one.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was the place where all political matters of the empire-continent were decided. Dylan was the only one who had a boring face because it was an era when the Emperor was unusually strong.

In the era of peace when wars have ceased, politicians with swords in their mouths have the most power.

As usual, the meeting was in progress in a solemn and rigid atmosphere.

Suddenly, the front door of the conference hall opened without notice.

“……?”

All eyes turned to the front door at once.

If it were the servants, they would have been fired immediately and severely punished for interfering in a quiet meeting. But there.

‘Grandmaster?’ 

There was Charlize. 

Charlize stared at Dylan in the highest seat. The eyes of the nobles stick to the skin to the point that it stings, but what is the big deal?  

No one in this hall does not know the power of Charlize. How strong Charlize’s power was could be clearly seen from the current status of Grand Duke Ronan, who was superior but his status flying and crawling now.

Dylan’s boredom had already been broken.

Although the meeting was interrupted, no one dared to move. Charlize walked to Dylan in the spotlight.

‘Master, what is this?’

Because she hadn’t consulted Dylan beforehand, Charlize could read his bewildered expression.

Still, the emperor did not fail to manage his expression.

Dylan didn’t hate it, though embarrassed. On the contrary, he looked a little interested. 

“Your Majesty, may I join the meeting?”

“…Of course.”

The etiquette was no longer considered.

However, because she was not in the planned attendance, there was no place for Charlize to sit.

The imperial noble who sat next to the emperor stood up from his seat.

“Well, grandmaster, here…” 

“No.” 

Charlize declined softly and moved closer to Dylan.

For a brief moment of embarrassment, Dylan had a strange face as if he had understood the situation.

Charlize grabbed Dylan’s tie with her gloved hand.

A gasp of breath was heard from all sides. 

“I’m on His Majesty’s lap, so why would I?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Uh, I’m doing great, right?

Dylan soon hugged Charlize with a short smile like a skillful actor. Although she was prepared, Charlize’s cheeks tickled a little as she tried to look down at the conference hall from the real emperor’s lap. 

She feels like a fairy who captured a tyrant.

She’s aiming for it, though it’s right for her to act like this.

She could see the faces of the terrified and frightened nobles. 

Dylan’s thighs are hard. Dylan seemed to be enjoying the situation, but Charlize hugged him a little awkwardly by the neck. 

Dylan’s hand held Charlize by the waist. 

“Um, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, Master.”

Dylan’s voice was as sweet as honey. 

With a gentle and soothing touch as if treating a woman he loves.

Dylan didn’t even have to act. Because he’s already crazy about Charlize. Blindly looking up at her, lovingly brushing her hair back. It’s not difficult at all. 

The eyes of the nobles widened even more as if there was something more surprising. Their eyes widened, but no one dared point out Charlize.

“I want to be the Duke.”

“…”

Dylan’s expression was blank for a moment. 

But soon it was filled with laughter. The Emperor seemed to be genuinely delighted by Charlize’s first publicly stated wish.

Dylan ordered, keeping his gaze fixed on Charlize.

“Marquis of Svian.”

“Yes, yes! Yes. Your Majesty.”

“Confer Charlize Ronan above the Duke and grant her a suitable castle, territory, and servant.” 

“I, I will obey your order.”

There were only three nobles with the title of Duke or higher in the Empire, but it was a very swift move.

However, the nobles who were strict with the status system were just watching.

In fact, wasn’t Charlize the noble who made the most decisive contribution to Dylan’s accession to the throne? The Duke was never overdone.

“Is there anything else, Master?”

Dylan returned again in a very friendly voice.

Her disciple was so good at acting that Charlize was surprised for a moment.

Still, she can’t miss out on being immersed.

“Now that I have become a duke, give me a congratulatory gift, Your Majesty.”

“What gift?”

“Please hold a very large festival. A splendid and grandiose festival of the empire that will go down in history.”

Anyway, the evil god prefers crowded situations.

So. 

‘This will shake the secret magic tower.’

Charlize thought coldly to herself and then raised her head.

For a moment, she returned with a cold, charismatic look, but no one knew. 

Dylan’s expression, which was the only one who could see through her inner feelings, was strangely distorted.

“As Master wishes.”

Dylan looks up at Charlize as if he were watching an exciting play. In their own atmosphere where no one could intervene, Charlize smiled calmly.