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Prologue––My Little Brother Killed the Emperor and Came to Me
It was a sunny spring day, and Raviel had been standing by her office window since morning.
The butler of Count Sutton's family, House Sutton, couldn't help but nervously swallow as he gazed at Raviel, who stood unwaveringly with her long pink hair.
Raviel, with a worried expression as she looked out the window, turned to the butler and repeated the question she had asked just a while ago.
"Have you heard anything from Eddy yet?"
"No, my lord, not yet..."
"Where could he be at a time like this, for God's sake?"
Turning her gaze back to the window, Raviel was deeply concerned about Edwin—her little brother—whom she hadn't seen in days. She wasn't one to get flustered easily, but today was different; she couldn't stay calm.
The night before, Philander Islands, a region within the Seven Hills Empire, had been thrown into chaos. A mysterious group of soldiers had attacked the imperial palace and executed the last emperor of House Haldeir, the royal family, ending his tyranny. This shocking news had sent shockwaves throughout Philander.
Like most of the islanders, Raviel had locked the mansion's gates and was closely monitoring the situation. As the head of House Sutton, she had decided not to take any hasty actions until she knew who had taken the throne in place of House Haldeir and what the future held for the Seven Hills Empire.
But what troubled her the most was not knowing where her brother Edwin had disappeared amid this chaos.
'You little rascal. I've raised you with love all these years, and you choose this moment to run away from home? When you come back, you won't be allowed to leave the house for a year. You mischievous brat.'
As Raviel clenched her teeth in frustration, a servant rushed into the head of the house's office, trembling as he spoke, "My... my lord! The soldiers! They're surrounding the mansion!"
"What?"
Raviel looked back, her green eyes shaking. Why were the soldiers besieging the mansion when the imperial palace was in turmoil? It was undoubtedly a bad sign.
"I'll go and figure it out, my lord. Just in case, you should consider escaping," the butler, who had served House Sutton for a long time, suggested in a determined voice.
Raviel stared at the loyal and concerned butler, then shook her head. She brushed off his attempt to stop her and headed for the entrance door.
The soldiers in black uniforms surrounding the mansion had already advanced to the entrance. A man riding a black horse approached at a leisurely pace, passing through the soldiers lining both sides of the path leading from the main gate to the entrance door.
The pale butler, who had followed Raviel to the entrance, couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the man's face. Mounted on the black horse was a handsome young man with a radiant smile that still had a youthful touch, gazing at Raviel and subtly hinting at a smile by lifting the corners of his lips.
"Hah..."
Dumbfounded, Raviel let out a hollow laugh. The man on the horse was none other than Edwin Sutton—the leader of the rebellion who had executed the emperor the previous night. He waved his hand with an innocent smile.
"Raviel~!"
Edwin jumped off the horse and rushed toward Raviel. His pink hair, resembling his sister's, swayed with each light step he took. His green eyes, matching his sister's, were hidden by his smiling eyes.
Raviel initially felt relief as her little brother, whom she had been worrying about, appeared to be physically unharmed. However, her emotions quickly shifted from astonishment, stemming from the sight of soldiers surrounding their mansion, to anger, as she found it unfair to have been concerned for him.
Unable to react, unsure of where to start, Raviel watched as Edwin knelt down in front of her. He placed his right hand over his chest in a gesture reminiscent of a courtesy to an empress and then looked up at Raviel, his left hand holding something that shouldn't have been there.
"Raviel, I've brought a gift that suits you perfectly."
"No way... Don't tell me that the gift in your hand is what I'm thinking... Huh?"
"Why not? This is now yours, Raviel."
With a proud expression, Edwin extended a large gold crown adorned with extravagant jewels. It was the emperor's crown, the very same object that might have adorned the head of the last emperor from House Haldeir until yesterday.
"Was it you...?"
"Huh? What?"
"Were you the lunatic who led the rebellion?!"
Raviel grabbed Edwin by the collar who was twirling the emperor's crown. She had always thought her little brother might get into some trouble one day, but she never imagined he would cause such havoc.
'Rebellion? Against the emperor?!'
Edwin, obediently swaying along with Raviel's grip, flaunted a bright smile.
"Raviel, you said you want to become the empress?"
"When?!"
"Don't you recall two years ago during wintertime? You said you could do a better job than the current one."
Raviel couldn't remember the exact events of that winter two years ago. Dealing with the emperor's tyranny while managing the family had consumed much of her energy, and she might have muttered such words on several occasions.
"How could you interpret it that way?!"
"I asked you back then, Raviel, if you wanted to become an empress. And you said, 'Yes, if I could become one, I'd do my best.' Don't you remember?"
Raviel's grip on Edwin's collar, shaking him, loosened. Edwin caught her falling hand, kissed the back of it, and then placed the emperor's crown on his beloved sister's head. He looked at the dazzling crown atop her pink hair and beamed a smile as if it meant the world to him.
Triumphantly, he turned around and shouted toward the soldiers, "Now! We're returning to the imperial palace! Guard our new majesty!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lost amid the roaring responses, Raviel's murmur went unheard by anyone.
"You... are insane..."
Edwin ran down the stairs with seemingly excited footsteps. The door of a luxurious royal carriage, as lavish as the emperor's crown, opened, and he beckoned to Raviel.
"Raviel, hurry! Everyone is waiting for you!"
Raviel barely managed to suppress her urge to shout, 'Tie that rascal to the bed and nail the door shut to lock him up, now!'
Although Edwin was widely considered the most eccentric in Philander Islands, he remained her cherished little brother. Perhaps it was her fault for being too indulgent while raising him.
Raviel held onto the crown to keep it from falling and let out a long, deep sigh. Then she lifted her head and took steps toward Edwin, who beckoned at her with a bright smile.
There was no use crying over spilled milk; she had to handle and resolve the situation.
Edwin was in awe, watching Raviel descend the staircase with her usual, confident demeanor under the glorious spring sunlight. No one could fit the emperor's throne better than her. He was convinced. Even if there were contenders, it didn't matter. He could always eliminate them.
Ever since Raviel had jokingly mentioned wanting to become an empress, that beautiful crown had belonged to his sister.
With Edwin leading on the black horse, Raviel and the members of House Sutton entered the imperial palace. The royal servants and maids, who had worked tirelessly throughout the night to clean up the traces of last night's bloody event, stood in line in front of the imperial palace.
Edwin, who had been raving like a madman, and Raviel, the new empress he had brought, appeared intimidating to them. They were the ones who had killed the former emperor and taken control of the empire. There were chilling rumors circulating that they might execute all the royal servants and maids for serving the former emperor.
Raviel lightly stepped down from the carriage, escorted by Edwin. Her expression remained unreadable as she gazed up at the imperial palace. She walked nonchalantly, with the royal servants and maids following her nervously.
They wondered what the new empress, who had ascended the throne amid bloodshed, would do first. And it turned out that Raviel was heading to the empress's office, which had been left vacant for quite some time.
"Lord Chamberlain."
The Lord Chamberlain quickly prostrated himself at the sound of her calm, unwavering voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Looking down at the trembling Lord Chamberlain with an indifferent gaze, Raviel issued her command, "Inform all the empress's secretaries to assemble, and gather all the available documents regarding the financial status of the royal household and the current state of the empire's administration."
Lord Chamberlain, dumbfounded by the unexpected command, gazed at the new empress's face. When he heard Edwin clicking his tongue, he quickly left the office in surprise.
Raviel, surveying the office, called for the butler who had accompanied her since their time at House Sutton.
"Butler."
"Yes, my lord. I mean, Your Majesty."
Despite the unfamiliar title, Raviel nodded toward Edwin, who was smiling beside her.
"Tie this little rascal to that desk so he won't cause any trouble."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
And so, the Seven Hills Empire welcomed its new empress. The reign of Raviel Sutton, the first empress from House Sutton, began.