Marisandra Naiadia’s POV
“W-What’s going on here? What the hell are we looking at?”
“Hey… come here and l-look at this… I can’t believe my eyes…”
“SHI—”
“Shhh!! Be quiet, you idiot!”
“M-Man… what the fuck is happening right now? This has to be some kind of sick joke, right?”
“I-I don’t know… but it sure as hell ain’t normal…”
Whispers rippled through the streets of the Naiadae Empire as people froze in shock.
Their beloved rulers… the ones they admired, worshipped, and feared… were walking through the streets, but it wasn’t walking in the way they knew.
No!!
This was something far more humiliating.
“I-Is that really… the Empress?”
Eyes widened, hands trembled, and gasps filled the air as they took in the sight before them. The regal woman they had once idolized—the Empress, a living legend who had risen from a mere commoner to the highest seat of power, a symbol of strength and ambition—was now crawling naked on the filthy ground.
A thick leather leash was wrapped tightly around her delicate neck, pulling her forward as she moved on all fours like a pathetic animal. Her once-proud posture was gone, replaced by a degrading display that left nothing hidden. The woman who once stood above all, commanding respect, now had her bare body exposed for everyone to see.
Her hands and knees scraped against the rough stone streets, her every move dictated by the leash yanking her forward.
And…
“W-Was that… the E-E-Emperor?”
More gasps followed. Horror spread through the crowd like wildfire as they noticed the man beside her.
The Emperor—once the most feared warrior in the land—was also naked like her, but he was in an even worse state.
One of his legs was missing… Gone!!
Torn from his body, leaving behind a grotesque, bloodied stump. But that wasn’t the worst part.
His eyes… were no longer there.
Empty, gaping holes stared back at the world, the sockets dark and hollow!!
A shiver ran down the spines of everyone watching.
If this was the fate of the chosen ones—the rulers, the gods of their empire—then what did it mean for the rest of them? If even they had been reduced to this… what hope did anyone else have?
Step… Step…
The eerie silence was broken by slow, deliberate footsteps.
The people’s eyes moved away from the broken rulers and landed on the one holding their leash.
A woman.
She moved with an air of absolute control, her body draped in deep purple robes now soaked in blood, staining the fabric with dark patches of crimson. Her face held no emotion, no joy, no rage—just cold indifference as she pulled them along the streets like nothing more than dogs.
“H-Hey… W-Who is that woman…?”
“I-I don’t know… but she’s terrifying…”
Of course, they didn’t recognize me. My face was unknown to most.
I had always stayed hidden in the shadows, away from their sight. It wasn’t surprising. After all, I had been the disgrace of my family, the one they wanted to forget.
“Wait! That’s… that’s the daughter of the First Queen!”
A voice in the crowd suddenly shouted in realization.
I couldn’t help but smirk.
‘Daughter of the First Queen.’
Even now, they wouldn’t speak my mother’s name.
These bastards didn’t even deserve to.
Not a single soldier, general, or official dared to step forward as I paraded my trophies through the streets.
They knew better.
They had seen the battle.
They had witnessed the fight that nearly destroyed the oceans…. Fu~Fu~
They understood that no one—not even the gods they had once worshipped—could stand against me.
Except…
“… What have you done?”
A familiar, aged voice called out.
I stopped. My gaze flicked toward the voice… I knew that voice though few times but still I knew that…
“Do you have any idea of what have you done?”
When I heard those words…. Mortimer?
I frowned at the sound of his voice. That same voice that once disgraced my mother, speaking to me now.
I tilted my head. Then, slowly, I smirked.
Without a word, I let my power unfold.
A crushing force swept through the air.
Everyone in the vicinity collapsed, knees slamming into the ground. Some struggled, gasping for breath. Others simply fainted on the spot, their bodies unable to withstand the pressure.
“Argh!! T-This power… H-How…?” Mortimer choked out in disbelief.
I wished I could see his expression now.
It must be priceless… Haha!
Anyway since I took down two chosen ones… They had no choice.
They would bow! Whether they liked it or not.
As for my two pathetic pets, who had already lost everything, I made sure their final moments were just as humiliating.
I hung them from the palace gates like rotting decorations, their broken bodies swaying in the wind for all to see, as the last bit of life drained from them.
Then, without hesitation, I tossed their corpses into the waiting mouths of the monsters without a hesitation!!
They had been gods once.
Now, they were nothing.
Though I could no longer see their faces… I knew.
They died in absolute despair!!!
“Hahahah!!”
Then, without so much as a flicker of hesitation, I turned and stepped into the throne room.
Then… I sat on the throne, my deep purple robes soaked in the blood of my father and stepmother, the once-majestic fabric now clinging to me with the warmth of their fading lives.
The rich violet hue, once a mark of royalty, was now darkened with crimson streaks…. My fingers, coated in fresh blood, traced lazy patterns on the cold armrests, smearing red against the dark, intricate carvings.
“This feels… amusing,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper, yet it echoed in the silent chamber.
The blood beneath me, soaking into the seat, was proof of my rule—a throne built upon the bones of those who thought they could control me.
Beyond the grand doors, I could hear hushed whispers, and hurried steps—nobles, servants, those who had once looked down upon me now trembling in uncertainty. I let my fingers drum against the throne, my nails still wet, the soft tapping of a cruel melody against the silence. [Imgincmt]
My lips curled into a slow smile, still marked with a faint trace of blood and,
“Summon the nobles,” I commanded, my voice smooth, unwavering, laced with a quiet, terrifying authority.
I wanted them to see…. To feel it. To kneel before me, their rightful ruler—or be reduced to nothing like the ones beneath me.
Within seconds, they all arrived.
All except for one family.
My mother’s family.
The ones who had cast her aside as though she were filth.
They thought they could avoid my judgment.
Fools.
They suffered the same fate as that wretched bitch’s bloodline. Not a single one of them was left alive.
Her parents.
Her brothers.
Her sisters.
Their children.
Their cousins.
Every single one of them was wiped from existence.
Gripping the armrests of the throne, I raised my chin.
“I will hereby be the sole Empress of this Empire,” I declared with my unwavering voice!
Everyone gasped in shock, though a few had already predicted this outcome. Still, even with their suspicions, witnessing it unfold before their eyes was something entirely different.
“E-Even if you have royal blood… w-we cannot accept a blind ruler!” one of the nobles stammered, his voice laced with desperation. He clung to whatever argument he could muster, hoping it would turn the tides in their favour.
As if given permission to speak, the rest of the nobles quickly followed, their voices overlapping in chaos.
“If the ruler is blind, then the Empire itself will be blind!”
“W-What will the other empires think of us? We will be seen as weak!”
“W-We can’t afford to lose our standing in the world!”
“Killing the chosen ones… that’s no different from defying the gods themselves!”
“You have committed treason of the highest order!”
“You should be j-judged and sentenced for your crimes!”
“We know you have endured hardship, but this… this is something else entirely! You are not fit to sit on that thro—”
Before they could continue their pathetic outcry, I spoke, my tone void of emotion.
“Have you finished talking?”
The throne room instantly fell into silence.
I nodded, letting a slow, knowing smile stretch across my lips. My voice was calm, yet laced with a dangerous edge.
“I just replaced this Empire’s rulers… do you honestly believe I wouldn’t do the same with the nobles?”
A suffocating wave of power rippled through the air, like an unseen force tightening around their throats. The very walls of the throne room trembled as the chilling energy pulsed through the space. The nobles flinched, their faces drained of colour as fear took hold of them.
I announced once again, echoing through the hall like an unshakable decree.
“I will hereby be the sole Empress of this Empire.”
With a single, effortless wave of my hand, a force erupted, sweeping through the room like an invisible storm. The nobles stumbled back, their bodies flung toward the grand doors as they were forcibly ejected from the palace.
Not a single protest.
Not a single challenge.
Even Mortimer—the one who had once dared to raise his voice—stood frozen, unable to utter a word.
And just like that, the last noble was thrown out, and the palace became eerily silent.
Until—
Step… Step…
The sound of deliberate footsteps echoed through the empty hall.
I frowned, my senses sharpening as I felt the presence approaching me.
Casually, I leaned back on the throne, resting my chin on my palm. My lips curled into a grin, sharp and amused.
“What? Did you come here for revenge… Celestia?” I asked, my tone dripping with mockery. I already knew the answer.
Of course, she would be here.
Of course, she would be furious.
I had used her innocence… I had twisted her trust and played her like a pawn on my board. And in the end, I had butchered her mother and father right in front of her very eyes.
Anyone else in her position would be consumed with rage…. Just like me!
Anyone else would want vengeance…. Just like me!
I felt her footsteps drawing closer, slow and deliberate.
I clenched my fists, bracing myself for the inevitable.
A strike… A scream… A curse spat in my face!
Anything.
But she simply stood before me.
Her expression was blank, unreadable, like a doll stripped of its emotions.
And then, in that same eerily calm tone, she asked—
“Are you… happy now?”
“…?”
Something inside me shifted as if something clouded my mind cleared!
All of a sudden, everything—everything I had done, everything I had worked for, every ounce of blood I had spilled—felt… dull?
As if it all meant nothing… As if all of it had been for nothing…. No, I felt nothing!!
I should be happy, right?
I got my revenge.
I-I erased those who had wronged me.
Yet… I felt nothing.
Not even… relief?
Why?
Why did it feel so… empty?
Before I could even begin to understand myself—
Drip… Drip…
A single tear slid down my cheek.
Celestia’s gaze remained steady. Without hesitation, she lifted her hand and gently brushed my tear away, her fingertips cool against my burning skin.
Her face didn’t change, her voice just as blank as before.
“Not happy?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she took my hand.
Slowly, she lifted it and placed it against her throat.
“Now?”
“…!”
M-My lips trembled.
My hands—the same hands that had taken so many lives, both those who… deserved it and those who… didn’t—suddenly shook!!
For the first time.
Because of her.
Because of m-my little s-sister!
My heart pounded in my chest, erratic and unsteady. My breath hitched as if I had forgotten how to breathe.
And that’s when I finally realized—
My revenge had blinded me!