The Concubine Does Not Love the Emperor - Chapter 28

“You had a knife.”

“I don’t want to kill you brutally, so behave quietly.”

“Oh my, I’m scared.”

Margaret bowed her head. The  eunuch, who had rushed towards her, froze when Margaret lifted her head. The woman’s gaze was stern.

“Did you say you’d kill me anyway?”

She slowly pulled out a dagger from the fallen man’s chest. It was smaller than the eunuch’s sword. The eunuch, sweating coldly, laughed bitterly, but when she skillfully spun the dagger in her hand, his face stiffened like stone.

“Who, who are you?”

“Don’t repeat the same words.”

Margaret swiftly threw the dagger into the air. The blade spun spectacularly before landing precisely in Margaret’s hand. The eunuch’s face turned pale.

“Don’t play around.”

“You shouldn’t play around either.”

The eunuch gritted his teeth. He charged at Margaret, mocking herself. Again, Margaret threw the knife into the air. This time, it spun faster and more dazzlingly. The eunuch, unconsciously, lifted his head to watch the knife. Margaret quickly caught the knife in mid-air and threw it again.

“Ugh!”

The dagger swiftly flew and pierced the man’s neck accurately. Unaware of what had happened, he blinked his eyes for a moment. Then, he slowly lowered his head. Only the handle of the dagger stuck out of his neck. As if enchanted, he slowly tilted his head back, pulling out the embedded dagger. Simultaneously, blood sprayed like a fountain. The eunuch’s knees gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor. It was a silent death. A pool of blood gathered beneath the fallen man’s feet.

“We don’t need two.”

Muttering quietly, Margaret approached the eunuch and picked up the fallen knife from the ground. She remained vigilant, not relaxing, in case someone like a hidden rat was lurking. Slowly, she opened the door and walked outside.

She found that the eunuchs standing with their spears, the secretary, and even Altair, who had been waiting at another door, were all deeply asleep.

“Of course, there wouldn’t be anyone bold enough to refuse the food provided by the Emperor.”

No longer sensing any presence, she closed the door and quietly returned to her quarters. All the fallen individuals were black. Without exception, they were all eunuchs. However, it could be a disguise. Margaret briefly considered checking the pants of the fallen men but decided against it. No matter how good her stomach was, the unpleasant act of stripping the pants of a dead man, with blood flowing freely, was not something she could bring herself to do.

“He might really be a bribed eunuch.”

There were no eunuchs in the harem. Only eunuchs played the role of both eunuchs and soldiers. So, today, the minimum personnel to eunuch the Emperor were the two soldiers at the door and Altair—just three people.

“The Emperor might not come to the harem due to the threat of assassination.”

She approached the unconscious eunuch she had subdued with a stranglehold. If she woke him up, she would naturally find out everything. She lightly slapped his cheek.

“Ignore me.”

However, contrary to her expectations, the eunuch lay limp without opening his eyes. She slapped his cheek again.

“Wake up; let’s have a conversation.”

There was still no response. Margaret grabbed his collar. There was no need to hesitate. Her hand struck fiercely. Once, twice, and eventually, the man slowly opened his eyes. When she delivered one more blow, he finally spoke.

“Kill me.”

The eunuch, tied with the silk rope she brought, realized his mistake. Margaret smiled coldly.

“Why are all the captured men the same? If I were going to kill them, I would have done it before waking them up.”

As she stood up, the eunuch’s gaze naturally followed her. It was the body of a sensuous woman who had entertained lustful thoughts before fainting. But now, with blood stains scattered, fear has replaced any sensual appeal.

“And.”

Margaret slowly lifted her foot and pressed it firmly on the eunuch’s chest. There was no flesh to feel under her foot.

“Agghhhh…”

The embarrassed eunuch, with a reddened face, let out a painful scream as she applied pressure with her foot.

“Of course, it would be nice if you answered.”

She lifted her foot again, but the eunuch didn’t stop whimpering.

“Why did you attempt to assassinate the Emperor?”

“I-I didn’t plan to assassinate the Emperor.”

The man, who had asked to be killed, willingly opened his mouth.

“Then who could it be? Were you trying to kill me?”

“….”

As Margaret raised her foot again, the man urgently shouted.

“Right, we, the Kadimans, were just trying to kill you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know the reason. We just did it for the money. It’s common for concubines to engage in secret struggles out of jealousy.”

“So, tonight, jealous Kadima’s paid you to assassinate the Emperor while he was in my company?”

The man vigorously nodded.

“Do you take me for a fool?”

Her foot ruthlessly crushed the man’s lower part. No matter how consumed by jealousy, it was the Emperor’s first visit to the harem. Who would engage in a secret struggle like this? According to the eunuch’s words, there were plenty of opportunities when she returned to her room or when she was alone. There was no need to take such risks.

After inflicting enough pain for the eunuch to endure, she lifted her foot again. Then, as if to signal him to regain his senses, she lightly tapped him with her foot.

“I have a slightly different idea; would you like to hear it?”

She sat down in front of the eunuch, crossed her legs, and rested her chin on her hand. She faced the eunuch with a sly grin. When it comes to threatening someone, there’s no expression as effective as a smiling face.

“I think they tried to create a situation where a Kadiman sent by Prince Mustafa failed to assassinate the Emperor and hanged themselves.”

“!!”

“What do you think?”

The man’s complexion turned pale. Bingo. She had the right answer.

“Bold. Is the mastermind behind this someone from the opposition faction trying to assassinate the prince?”

“….”

“Finding it difficult to answer? I’m asking you who gave you the money. You must at least know who handed it to you.”

“I don’t know.”

With a tone of resignation, the man shut his mouth again. Margaret sighed. There were many ways to make him talk, but there was no quick and easy method. The torture methods she knew were vicious and time-consuming.

“It would be better for both of us if you talked easily.”

She casually stood up and kicked the eunuch with her foot. Despite the forceful kick, the eunuch kept his mouth shut. It seemed that there was something suspicious behind him.

“Perhaps a higher rank than a minister. Is it not a noble rank since there is no duke position in the empire? I wonder who it could be.”

After engaging in meaningless repetitive kicking, Margaret noticed a small box hanging around the eunuch’s neck.

“All the eunuchs… wear this around their necks.”

She remembered hearing something about it. When was it? Clearly, it was during the carriage ride…

“Cut off body parts if a part of the body is missing.”

Margaret bent down and looked at the small box hanging around the eunuch’s neck. She remembered the story. Without hesitation, she removed the box. The man, who had endured merciless violence while crouched down, suddenly recoiled and thrashed violently. The metal box seemed like it could easily crumple if force was applied.

“Without this, you can’t go to heaven, right?”

“G-Give it back!”

Seeing the man’s intense reaction, it seemed like this item was more threatening than physical violence.

“How about it? Do you still want to die?”

More violently than ever, the man convulsed and screamed.

“Give it back! Give it back, you witch! That’s mine!”

“A witch… hearing it in the Borman language gives it a new flavor. So, even if you die, you want to go to heaven?”

Margaret grabbed the necklace’s cord as if applying medicine and shook it above the man’s face. The man tried to bite with his teeth as he struggled to lift his upper body, but Margaret quickly moved her foot, preventing him from catching hold. She laughed, and her laughter made her look even more wicked.

“Who gave you the money?”

The man, unable to open or close his mouth, only chewed on his lips. Margaret, who had been gazing at the eunuch with a cold stare, exerted more force on her hand. Both the box and the man’s face began to distort simultaneously.

“No! The incomplete ones cannot cross the threshold of heaven! Please, please return it!”

Desperate, the eunuch started to plead. However, he still didn’t reveal who was behind it.

“Was the plan to capture Prince Mustafa for treason if I died? Since the sleeping Emperor wouldn’t remember anything, even if not execution, it could have caused a rift between the deeply bonded brothers. Unless that was the intention, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Have mercy, please.”

“Would you like to watch heaven slip away?”

Before Margaret clenched her fist, the eunuch desperately shouted.

“I’ll talk. Please. I’ll talk if you return it. I swear in the name of the sacred god, please.”

Margaret spread her hand wide. The necklace fell, landing on the man’s chest.

“Speak.”

“The most noble person in the harem.”

Margaret moved her foot from the eunuch’s neck to the necklace. In a threatening pose, as if she were going to crush both the jewelry box and the man’s body at the same time.

“Tell me who it is.”

The eunuch opened his mouth wide. Confused about what he was doing, Margaret watched as the man extended his tongue and bit down.

Crack.

With a short, muffled scream, the man collapsed weakly. The necklace was still on the eunuch’s chest. For some reason, he had chosen to take his own life, thinking he wouldn’t die gracefully. Now lifeless, Margaret lifted her foot from the body and coldly murmured:

“A suicide can go to heaven. What a strange land.”