The Blackened Second Male Lead's Wife

The empress dowager exclaimed with a bewildered expression. 

“H-how did you get into my room? It’s a felony to enter the Empress Dowager’s room without permission!” 

Lucian’s face was calm despite the empress dowager’s outburst, and the servant beside him replied hastily. 

“Empress, please calm down. This is by His Majesty’s orders. Lord Kardien was granted permission to enter every part of the Imperial Place whenever he wants. That’s why I brought him here.” 

“What?” 

The empress dowager’s face was colored with astonishment. 

‘You slow-witted bastard. No matter how much you care about your subordinate, how  could you give him such authority?!’ 

Of course, that wasn’t the truth. 

[No one can stop Lucian when he wants something. If there’s anything he wants, just give it to him.] 

That was the emperor’s thought process. 

Of course, the empress dowager’s anger would not crease if she had heard that.

“I shall never allow such rudeness. You…!” 

She tried to shout, “Get out!” 

But she couldn’t do it. 

For Lucian’s face, bending down to look at her, looked so harmless. 

“It’s been a long time, Your Majesty. My visit surprised you, didn’t it?” 

There was no malice or anger in his clear voice. 

Which made the empress dowager feel embarrassed of her angry outburst.

In the end, the empress dowager was unable to chase Lucian out.

She settled down on the bed with a tired face. She asked in a soft voice. 

“Yes. Why did you come to see me without prior notice?” 

That question was asked out of formality. She knew he was there to talk about Estelle. 

Just as Pew did when he visited the other day. 

But Lucian’s words were completely different from what she had expected. 

“I don’t care what you do. If you torment Miss Estelle and the Crown Prince, threaten your death, or put on a show.” 

“…what?” 

“But Nia won’t take it well. She cares greatly for you.” 

One moment later, the empress dowager realized that the name ‘Nia’ refers to Lucian’s fiancee, Pernia. 

“It’s unpleasant seeing the person I love think of someone other than me everyday. It feels very dirty.” 

Lucian said, looking down at her. 

“So don’t make her worry about you any longer. I want you to be as quiet as a corpse. Do that for me, yeah?” 

The stern empress dowager had never had someone say such a harsh and rude thing to her. 

Nevertheless, the empress dowager did not even realize that Lucian had threatened her.

For Lucian’s face was so pitiful. 

Lucian’s words turned into this in the empress dowager’s ears. 

‘She’s been having a hard time, so please calm your wrath.’

The empress dowager could barely hold herself back from saying, ‘okay.’

Nor could she let herself fall for Lucian like this. 

The empress dowager said with a stern look as she controlled herself.

“Estelle is infinitely lacking as a partner for Carlix. Their social status are too different, and she doesn’t have the power to help the Crown Prince take his place. I will never accept her.” 

She spoke in a strong tone. 

Lucian looked at the empress dowager silently, without answering. 

The empress dowager continued firmly, feeling a strange pressure from his gaze.

“Now go home. You won’t be able to persuade me as easily as you did before. And even if you use the emperor to threaten me, my answer will be the same. I’ll never back down on this.” 

The empress dowager thought Lucian would be taken back or disappointed by her words. 

But Lucian….. chuckled and laughed.

He smiled like a child. At the same time, however, his smile gave her goosebumps. 

“I see you’ve got the wrong idea. I did not come to persuade you, or to threaten you.” 

Then? 

The empress dowager looked at Lucian, pondering what he could mean. 

At that moment, Lucian’s eyes bent like half a moon. 

“….!”

The empress dowager was aware of Lucian’s beauty. There was a time when she had forgotten her honor and fell in love with him. 

However, he does not look the same. He looked more like a human being before. 

His looks weren’t as unrealistic as it is now. 

She couldn’t believe that the person in front of me was a living human being. 

It was like an illusion created by God. 

Lucian smiled coldly at the empress dowager and said.

“Do you understand now? What I came here for?” 

“…..”

The empress dowager could not answer. 

She wasn’t in a good condition to answer. 

She was recalling the things that are too overwhelming which makes people tremble in fear.

An extremely high castle. A huge storm that swept the world. A giant tree that has lived thousands of years. 

…and Kardien. 

The man in front of her was so beautiful. 

To the extent that it is difficult for an ordinary person to make eye contact and smile at him.

Before she knew it, cold sweat was running down her face. Her hand was shaking violently. 

The empress dowager’s heart cried.

You are the Empress Dowager!

Don’t give in to this sort of thing. He’s just a guy with a nice shell. 

In fact, he is just a knight who came from the lower class and has no proper power. 

So don’t be afraid. Don’t be swayed. 

…However, the moment Lucian raised his chin and raised the corners of his mouth arrogantly, the will she had desperately gathered up was momentarily shattered.

The empress dowager put her hands together and nodded. 

“Yes, I will. I will do as Lord Kardien said.” 

So please make me your slave. I beg you. 

She looked as if she was about to say such a thing. 

Lucian murmured with a satisfied smile. 

“I did a good job, didn’t I, Nia?” 

No. Not at all! 

I trembled at Lucian’s words. Lucian’s eyes sparkled. 

As if he wanted a compliment.

But I felt like I shouldn’t praise Lucian for that. 

Lucian had used his looks on the empress dowager to achieve his purpose before.

I also hoped that once Lucian was in good condition, he would once again melt the empress dowager’s heart with his beauty. 

However, I was upset to hear that Lucian did such a thing. 

“Nia?” 

Lucian tilted his head as if he were wondering what was wrong. 

His reaction was frustrating, so I shouted. 

“Why did you do that?” 

“…Huh?” 

“It’s okay to do it to the customers. You have to when dealing with customers. But it’s a completely different case if it’s the empress dowager. How could you seduce her…!” 

As I rambled on and on, I began to throw a tantrum like a child. 

“You can’t do that! I don’t like it!”

“…..”

Lucian opened his eyes wide and looked at me. It was only then that I realized what I had said, and I covered my mouth with a yelp. 

This is the first time I’ve ever expressed such a strong emotion to him who is still yandere. 

Why am I so angry when he did it for me? What if he’s looking at me with cold eyes right now? 

I looked up at Lucian, cautiously. 

But… 

‘Eh?’

Lucian didn’t look angry at all. He wasn’t disappointed. 

He looked as if he had received an unexpected gift.

‘W-what, he likes this??’ 

Come to think of it, he said that he enjoys seeing various sides of me. Is that why he thinks it’s funny even when I’m angry? 

Should I give him a more contemptuous look? 

While I was in deep thought, Lucian asked, unable to control the rising corners of his mouth. 

“Are you jealous?” 

“So what?” 

“…..!”

At that moment Lucian pulled me into his arms and hugged me. 

The hug was so lovely that I didn’t know what to do. I stood there as I didn’t know how to respond.

He whispered in my ear. 

“You’re the best, Nia.” 

“…..” 

“You’re sexy. You’re pretty. You’re cute. Ha, really. I want to eat you up from head to toe.” 

It doesn’t sound funny if you say it like that.

I felt a chill and gave strength to the arm that was holding Lucian.

“Don’t do that again, all right?” 

Lucian nodded happily. 

* * *

Lucian’s attitude toward customers at the store changed 180 degrees. 

“Welcome in.” 

Lucian greeted the customer with an expressionless face. 

“Good to see you, Lord Kardien. The weather is really nice today. The morning sun shone like Lord Kardien.”

It was the same even when ambitious customers complimented him in an attempt to tear down his expression even a little.

“Yes.” 

Lucian replied briefly, looking as if he had heard the most boring thing in the world. 

“……”

Whoosh. A winter breeze blew from somewhere. 

As I looked inside the store, which was colder than the North Pole, I burst into tears.

‘I only told you not to flirt anymore, not to blow such cold wind.’

One thing is fortunate, though, that the customers did not run away due to Lucian’s behavior, which was cooler than the winter wind.

Rather than running away… 

“Kyaa! Did you see that? That scornful look.” 

“I saw it, I saw it. The look that said you’re no better than a cherry on a cake.” 

“Oh, I’ve never been treated like this before in my life as a powerful duchess.” 

“It’s unpleasant but exciting at the same time!”

I AM BACK! Sorry for the tiny tiny hiatus I took (and I left you in a cliffhanger). Some things in life just took too much of my energy. I am still quite busy as it is exam season and I am getting ready to transition to the college I would be going to. Yay! I’ll try to catch up to where I’m supposed to be at asap. Missed yall greatly. (This is also your sign to follow me on Instagram. I will be answering any questions or announce the hiatus if I ever go on one. I did not think that hiatus would happen so there was no announcement)