Regina Rena – To the Unforgiven

Proof of Value

Translated by Wook
Edited by Wook

“Is there any reason why I should kill you?”

The emperor’s voice was monotonous.

“Tell me, Rena Ruber.”

However, the tone that fell firmly was a clear pursuit.

Rena was a bit bewildered at Nihil’s unpretentious question.

Is there any reason why the emperor should kill her? A few things came to Rena’s mind right away, without having to think deeply.

Because of this, Rena was secretly surprised, but she kept her secret and kept her thoughts busy.

Why was Nihil suddenly saying such a thing, what did she know?

Just because of the rumors that she might be the daughter of the Northern Marquis?

Or was it the secret meeting Clavis and Ruber had in the past?

Or, did she know that Clavis had asked her to kill the emperor a few days ago?

Countless thoughts ran through her head, but Rena pretended to know nothing and gave an innocent look. She was left with no choice but to start gambling.

“That can’t be revealed yet.”

“It can’t?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand that I have to kill you? Or, do you mean you want to die?”

Nihil’s voice was still calm. To that dullness, Rena responded more politely.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what?”

“You said there’s no need to say it out loud, so I just came to the conclusion.”

“You’re cheeky.”

Nihil’s rebuke was also monotonous.

But Rena did not mistake it for gentleness. Nihil made Rena and Lynn fight with that expression, and took away the vitality of a knight.

So Rena added with the determination not to be surprised no matter what Nihil did.

“If you allow me, I will explain.”

Nihil’s sky blue eyes stared intently at Rena.

The sensitive tyrant looked at Rena like a predator contemplating her hunt, and then muttered softly.

“Bark.”

Fortunately, Nihil didn’t punish Rena straight away.

“I am merciful, so I will listen to your disposition and judge.”

She just buried her body in the cushion and tilted her head as if to ask her to try something.

Rena smiled at Nihil’s reaction. She didn’t show it, but it felt like a knife had been put in her throat.

But through that laid-back attitude, one thing was confirmed.

The emperor does not yet know the connection between Rena and Clavis. If the emperor knew, Rena would be decapitated immediately right after she became aware of it before going back to sleep.

 Rena realized that Nihil’s suspicions were very shallow and started slowly.

“I was abandoned by my parents when I was young. After that, I learned how to fight to survive, and it flowed all the way to the battlefields of the South.”

“Did you catch the eyes of the Southern Duke there?”

“Yes.”

Rena nodded quietly and looked at Nihil’s complexion. But Nihil was still as insensitive as a still life.

“After that, I was offered the position of representative to the Southern Duke. It’s certainly too much, but I accepted it because I thought I could meet my father.”

“You came all the way to the Imperial Palace, but didn’t even meet your father. Why is this?”

When asked by Nihil, Rena was sure. This is all Nihil knows. Rumors that the mercenary who participated in the Silent War was the daughter of the Northern Marquis, just that far.

So Rena continued to speak more lightly.

“Yes. Because he claims that his daughter died of illness.”

“That’s funny.”

“Right. I think he’s my father, but he says I’m not his daughter. This means either one is lying or mistaken.”

“Therefore?”

“Therefore I can’t tell Your Majesty yet either. Whether Your Majesty has a reason to kill me is a matter of knowing who I am first.”

When Rena’s story resulted in her first question, Nihil’s eyebrows were slightly lifted.

“So, wait until the truth is revealed, then I will return the correct answer to Your Majesty.”

“As expected, you’re very cheeky.”

When Rena had finished speaking like that, Nihil held her chin and muttered in a drowsy voice.

“So it means don’t meddle until you come to a conclusion with that person who you claim as your father or whoever.”

Unexpectedly, Nihil was quite sharp.

Rena thought she didn’t think deeply because she was half out of her mind, but her judgment was surprisingly intact. No, it was not only intact but accurate.

As she said, Rena didn’t want her to. The emperor should never interfere in her affairs.

It couldn’t be anyone. This was between herself and her father. How did she get here, how long she waited for this moment.

Rena answered beautifully, hiding her feelings.

“Because I can’t go against Your Majesty’s will with my personal affairs.”

“Your words.”

Nihil muttered as if she was talking nonsense. Perhaps because of her mood, the brief rebuke felt like laughter.

“You are doing weird things. Are you going to play with that spoiled father like a rat in a trap?”

Nihil’s words were also correct this time, making Rena feel troubled.

She realized it at the same time. That this crazy emperor is more than 100 years old.

It was only natural that the insight of those who had reigned as emperor for a long time was superior to those of the criminals.

Even though she was half crazy and insensitive to everything, her intellect was still sharp. However, she rarely uses it because of the rust called boredom.

However, the emperor, who was always bored, is not sparing her thoughts and words for the first time in a long time today.

“There are two types of people who plan things like that. A poison that has risen to its height, or someone who has the power to do so. Which one are you?”

Rena narrowed her eyes at the question that saw through everything. Then she answered honestly.

“I think it’s both.”

“You really look like Naja.”

Naja. The name that Nihil mentions a lot.

Rena felt curious about the name that was heard one after another.

“You must have paid a lot of attention to the Eastern Duke.”

“I did pay a lot of attention. Compared to things that were lowly and not worth dealing with.”

“Are you… friends?”

“Friends?”

At Rena’s question, Nihil asked, as if she had heard something strange.

“Friends are a relationship that can only be established when they are equal.”

“Then Lord Naja…”

“Possession.”

Nihil said without hesitation.

“She was a valuable possession.”

Then she tilted her head towards Rena, and whispered with her bored lips.

“So are you.”

“Pardon?”

“I was bored after Naja died, but after a while, I’m finally interested in something. So, if I have no reason to kill you, I’ll let you be mine too.”

Rena’s eyes widened at her sudden suggestion. Nihil added as she licked her lips when Rena was about to say something.

“I don’t need an answer. ‘Cause that’s how I decided. Now there is no one to punish you but me. So don’t lose, don’t give up, and don’t let me down.”

Rena was once again perplexed by Nihil’s endless encouragement.

It was a little too much. It was too unconventional for a single contribution, so Rena asked back with half doubt.

“Forgive me for saying this, but what would you do if I lose?”

“I’ll have to kill you.”

The following answer was easy.

“The day I lose interest, you will die. So keep proving your worth. Just like Naja did.”

Nihil’s words, which had been peeled off one layer, were closer to a threat than to a congratulations.

With that, Rena finally understood Nihil’s intentions.

Nihil chose Rena to appease her boring life. It was simply a matter of interest, and entertainment that could be thrown away at any time if she lost interest, in other words, she was treated as a toy.

Rena realized this and she laughed bitterly. Then she looked intently at Nihil’s face.

She had already lived a century, but the emperor was still young and beautiful. However, that beauty is only the beauty of the form, and there is nothing like the affection of a living human being.

Was the reason she lost her expression was because of the time she had endured or the heart she had cut off? Her transparent eyes were as cold as if they were shaved ice.

Rena knew well what answer to give in front of that harsh gaze. It wasn’t too difficult to properly please.

However, Rena, who was quietly pondering over her thoughts, eventually chose what she wanted to say rather than what she had to say.

“I appreciate the offer, but I will decline.”

Toys? That doesn’t make sense. Did she return from hell only to be treated like this?

Rena smiled softly as she spoke, and Nihil’s eyes widened a little. It was the first expression she showed.

Nihil spoke again, as if she didn’t understand.

“It’s not an offer, it’s an order.”

“Then I will reject it.”

“Do you want to die?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“I just want to exist.”

Rena said so and smiled softly.

“As a person, not a possession or a toy.”

.

.

.

The door opened with a squeaking sound.

Rena, who opened the door by hand when she came out as she was entering, took a long breath, thinking that she had finally escaped the emperor’s realm.

‘It was a cushion of thorns…’

Being alone with the emperor really felt like sitting on a cushion of thorns. She even thought that she was lucky to be able to come out.

Just a few minutes earlier, Rena had rejected Nihil’s orders. It was a pretty reckless act that neither the Southern Duke nor Lynn nor Uni would ever say was good.

So Rena said that and was prepared to take care of the aftermath. If the emperor said she would kill her, she would rather ask to be sent to the Tomb.

Fortunately, such an extreme situation did not occur.

Nihil just stared at Rena, and said:

— Consider yourself lucky, it’s just the two of us.

— If someone else had seen your indulgence, I would have killed you.

― But no one knows but me, so I will give you mercy.

She thought she would be punished as relentlessly as she did during the victories, but Nihil was surprisingly generous.

No, rather, it was not because she wanted to.

So as soon as Rena was about to reconsider Nihil’s character, she said with a more overbearing look.

— Again, I don’t need your answer. ‘Cause that’s what I decided.

— Prove your value whether you like it or not. That’s the minimum condition for you to live.

— If you fail, lose, or do not meet my expectations, you will surely die for me.

It meant that it didn’t matter what Rena’s rejection was.

While Rena was at a loss for words at the emperor’s resolute declaration, Nihil drove Rena out, telling her to stop.

So Rena was able to go against the emperor’s will and still be okay. Really unexpected.

Rena crossed the door and looked back for a moment.

‘She wasn’t in a state where we couldn’t communicate as I thought.’

She was overbearing and eccentric, but she wasn’t irrational either.

In fact, it was Rena who was irrational earlier.

It was just a matter of saying okay.

She had no intention of failing or losing anyway, so it would have been nice to have each other get along and pass it on as usual.

But Rena didn’t end up licking the emperor’s boot.

The words to live up to expectations and to prove value were so deeply engraved in her mind that she couldn’t say yes.

If she answered that way, she thought that the things she had built up until now would collapse in an instant.

Rena, who looked at the emperor’s white palace through the bars, quickly turned her body. Then she rehearsed the emperor’s stern declaration.

— If you fail, lose, or do not meet my expectations, you will surely die for me.

Indeed, it is a tyrant-like speech. And as soon as she heard those words, Rena thought.

Above all, I think my father will be very happy to know this.

***

On the day Rena left the emperor’s residence alone, Cardinal Clavis delivered the news to each duke in the name of the emperor.

He said that he confirmed that the relics brought by the Eastern Duke during the first expedition belonged to Celeste, and declared that the testimony that the Southern Representative called upon Celeste’s name to enter the castle of the dead was sufficient.

As a result, the next expedition date was finally confirmed.

Ten days later, the empire decided to descend again to the Tomb and conquer another king.

Their second target is the King of Burning and Scorching.

It was Hiems Gracia, the direct ancestor of Emperor Nihil Gracia.