Miss, stop committing suicide

Chapter 56

I made a grave mistake.

I burned a girl alive.

Not that I’m calling it a mistake—it wasn’t.

But the events that followed have made things quite troublesome for me.

Anyway, it was ultimately my actions that drove the girl into that situation.

Despite knowing what state she was in, what she was dealing with, how she was faring these days—I didn’t extend a single hand to help.

If someone asked me how I felt, how should I even answer?

The first time I did something similar, I was trembling uncontrollably, unable to eat for days. But now? Now, I just feel a bit melancholy, and that’s it.

I’ve grown used to it.

And that’s what I hate most about myself.

If I were to make excuses, I could say it was all for the job.

Even though the odds were one in a million, there was always the possibility that the noble houses rallying around House Mecklenburg could incite a rebellion and overturn the nation.

His Majesty wished for it, and I desired it as well.

But regardless of capability, I’m starting to think this job doesn’t suit me.

The middle-aged man who died in what’s widely known as an “accident” didn’t have any capacity to start a rebellion.

Sure, in some fit of madness, he might have rallied troops, but he would never have succeeded.

He managed his domain well enough, brought in some substantial income from the farms in his territories, but that was the extent of his abilities.

He had no ambition, nor the capability to fulfill any.

He was just an ordinary man who loved his children, especially his daughter.

But his eldest son? Now, he was dangerous.

A young man brimming with ambition, backed by the most impressive lineage outside of the Imperial family itself.

He was widely respected, and his skills—when compared to the Crown Prince’s—were by no means inferior.

Yes, he was too exceptional for the Imperial family to tolerate.

Fortunately, my father, a monarch infamous for his cunning in consolidating power, even if not for governing the state or dealing with foreign powers, was quick to assist when I brought up the need to handle this young and promising man.

When the time came to actually deal with him, I found myself hesitating.

It wasn’t a moral reluctance to eliminate such a person, but rather a sense of regret about wasting such remarkable human resources.

Just as the Mecklenburg Duke’s grandfather had invigorated the Empire by using his wealth to sail into the unknown and develop untamed lands, the Duke’s eldest son seemed like someone who could discover or create something new.

Such contributions would have been invaluable to an Empire that, weighed down by its own enormity, was slowly but surely decaying.

But he was too dangerous.

The only enemy of this colossal Empire is itself.

Thus, the most dangerous person to the Empire was the Duke of Mecklenburg’s eldest son.

Even if he was someone of immense potential, this wasn’t an era of chaos, nor a time when the power structure was stable enough to afford sparing anyone.

If a sharp stone protrudes and refuses to budge, then all you need to do is bring a hammer and smash it.

If one noble house could bring such vitality, I thought I could do the same.

Even if I lacked his talent, I had far greater resources and power at my disposal.

And if I failed, I could always point to a neighboring state and accuse them of heresy, burning them all in the process.

So, I got rid of him.

Along with some of his followers.

The excuse? Something no one would believe anyway. I claimed he had embezzled funds from the Imperial treasury to buy explosives and plot to assassinate the Emperor.

In reality, he had merely purchased explosives for use in mining operations.

Regardless, he’s been dead for a long time now.

After crippling House Mecklenburg by eliminating the eldest son, I instructed my subordinates to stir up chaos.

The results were absurd.

The Duchess, rather than grieving discreetly, became the talk of the town for her alleged affairs with six different men.

A dragon suddenly appeared out of nowhere and burned down House Mecklenburg’s ancestral home.

Fanatics occupied a mining town and declared their own nation.

What little remained fell into the hands of an incompetent illegitimate son.

All of this because I killed one man.

The Duke of Mecklenburg, consumed by despair, took his own life.

When I heard the news, I laughed in my room for a long time.

It felt like picking up a pretty rock on the street, only to discover it was a gemstone.

But then, consumed by self-loathing, I frowned, spat on the floor, and lit a cigar to soothe my burning insides.

I killed all the fanatics who had occupied the mining town, labeling every resident, merchant, and miner as heretics tainted by evil.

It was the only logical move since their assets and anger toward the Imperial family had become too conspicuous to ignore.

This Empire is overflowing with people. There was no shortage of replacements.

I let the dragon gorge itself on the Duke’s estate before sending knights to drive it off. A well-fed beast, after all, is less dangerous.

I left the half-wit illegitimate son alone.

He squandered the remaining fortune on frivolities, spent his days drunk, and tarnished the prestigious family name—exactly what I needed.

As for the Duchess, with no money and her husband dead, what could she do?

Despite her youthful appearance, she’d either end up in a brothel or follow the Duke’s path.

Then, I met the Duke’s daughter.

She was buying tea leaves in a shop when I saw her.

She must have once had a life where she could have anything she wanted.

Was it pity that stirred in me for a moment?

I bought the tea she was eyeing along with my own and casually spoke to her.

Not as Johannes, but as Crown Prince, the head of this grand warehouse of hostages.

I told her, “If you want to die, do it quietly in your room.”

And I assigned a shadow to watch over her.

From what I heard, she seemed to have gone mad.

Madness is unpredictable, dangerous. She should have been dealt with.

But perhaps it was a fleeting pity again.

I left her alone.

One day, I heard that Vivian had taken her in. Not only had she stopped the girl from committing suicide, but she also kept her close at all times.

Over time, the precious gem of House Mecklenburg withered—her spirit fading long before her body.

So, I killed her.

I gave her some drugs and a powder to ensure a dramatic death.

She set herself ablaze at the Academy.

Officially, it was said she was overcome with despair after her family’s collapse.

But I spread a different story—that the eldest son of House Strelitz had toyed with her and discarded her.

The results were explosive.

Even if he didn’t seem to care much himself.

It gave me leverage over House Strelitz, if not their throat, then at least their hands or feet.

And that was my mistake.

The man who had loved his family so dearly secluded himself in his room after Erica’s death, reading endlessly behind a veil of magical wards.

Eventually, he began conducting human experiments at the Academy, trying to bring Erica back.

He even tried to recruit Vivian, who rejected him and fought him off.

Apparently, she couldn’t bring herself to kill him and let him go.

Time passed.

Vivian accepted my offer, graduated from the Academy, and became a Royal Magician.

His Majesty, gripped by madness, was locked in a tower by me.

I became Emperor, providing him only with meals and women as needed.

And I forgot about the girl.

Thinking about her never brought pleasant memories anyway.

It was a colossal mistake.

Now that I reflect, it all started with killing that eldest son.

The population of Strelitz, once a target for annexation, was halved, and their famed knightly order sacrificed to demons.

A corrupt kingdom I intended to absorb later collapsed.

The region became a barren wasteland, devoid of life.

The mining towns, docks, and shipyards of Mecklenburg were burned to ashes.

Fanatics I thought eradicated reemerged, slaughtering people in neighboring lands.

And all of this—because one man sought to save one woman.

Being Emperor doesn’t suit me.

I want to quit right now.