EBUY 02

Chapter 2……………………………………

Melina blinked her dry eyes and rose from her chair, leaning against the window.

Beyond the glass stretched a shabby, poorly maintained garden.

“I’ll have to redesign the garden too. It would look beautiful with flowers blooming every season.”

A smile naturally formed on her lips. The relaxed expression on her face was something that had never appeared while she lived in the imperial palace.

The sorceress had kept her promise.

When she opened her eyes again, she had become someone else.

“I never imagined I’d switch bodies with someone this extraordinary.”

Melina shook her head.

How shocked she had been when she learned whose body she now inhabited. Even now, thinking about it made goosebumps rise on her arms.

The head of Temno.
The king of the underworld.

Bertha Monmouth.

That was the new life Melina had gained.

Temno was the name used to refer to the empire’s underworld as a whole. In that chaotic realm ruled by disorder and crime, the only true law was Bertha Monmouth herself.

“Thrown out from the position of empress, only to become the ruler of the underworld.”

Melina let out a quiet laugh.

The mage who saved her life had introduced herself as El.

El explained that twenty years ago, while being pursued by the guards, Melina’s birth mother had saved her life.

[Why were the guards chasing you?]
[Because I used dark magic.]
[What? Dark magic?]

Hearing those words, Melina couldn’t help but be startled.

Dark magic was strictly forbidden by law, and dark mages were arrested immediately upon discovery.

[Are you afraid of me because I’m a dark mage?]
[No. You’re my benefactor—the one who saved me.]

The soul-switching spell used on her was also a form of dark magic.

Lost in thought, Melina suddenly stiffened. She sensed someone approaching.

Bertha’s exceptional physical senses could detect even the slightest movement.

At first, the heightened sensitivity had been overwhelming and exhausting, but now it felt as natural as breathing.

Recognizing who it was, Melina curled her lips upward.

The moment the presence stopped in front of the door, she casually flicked her right hand.

Clang!

As the door opened, the sound of blades colliding rang out, followed by something falling onto the floor.

“You’ve become quite skilled.”

The woman entering the room calmly looked at the two hidden weapons lying on the ground.

“I can block them properly now, right?”

Melina grinned proudly.

The Monmouth family had created the name Temno and ruled it for over two hundred years.

As the heir to that family, Bertha had been forced to master every form of combat from childhood.

Swordsmanship, martial arts, stealth techniques, hidden weapons—there was nothing Bertha could not do. Yet she hadn’t been satisfied with that.

Eventually, she even delved into dark magic, and due to a malfunctioning spell, her soul shattered and began to dissipate.

That was how Melina had been given a chance.

Having spent her entire life doing little more than walking and horseback riding, Melina had trained relentlessly for the past six months.

At first, she stumbled awkwardly, but as she let her body follow instinct, she gradually became more proficient.

“Yes. At this level, I think you can safely go outside now. However, you’re still far from Lady Bertha’s level, so you must continue training consistently.”
“Alright. Still, hearing praise from Ran makes me happy.”

Ran was Bertha’s butler and aide.

The reason she remained by Melina’s side was because of Bertha’s command.

Without Bertha, Temno’s future would be nothing but darkness.

Plunged into chaos and disorder, Temno would eventually fall beneath the merciless blade of the imperial family, who had long waited for such an opportunity.

Bertha feared that outcome. That was why she had performed the soul-switching ritual.

To protect Temno.

Ran understood Bertha’s wishes better than anyone, and thus faithfully carried out her orders.

“It wasn’t praise. It was an objective assessment.”

Ran spoke expressionlessly, her purple hair neatly tied back.

At first, Melina had been intimidated by her stiff demeanor and blunt speech, but now she had grown used to it.

“How are things moving in the imperial palace?”

Melina asked as she sat at the desk.

Temno’s informants were spread throughout the continent, including the imperial palace.

For the past six months, Melina had been busy not only with physical training, but also learning about all the work Bertha had done.

The amount of information and records Temno possessed was so vast that reviewing it took far longer than expected.

“Since Her Majesty the Empress’s funeral, there hasn’t been any major movement. However, Duke Renotor and Marquis Salavit have been meeting with the emperor frequently.”

At the mention of her own funeral, a bitter smile appeared on Melina’s lips.

Two days after the soul exchange, Melina Renotor had officially died.

And then her funeral had been held.

Melina herself had attended it, hidden among the mourning crowds, to thank the real Bertha and see her off on her final journey.

Only Ran and Shan, captain of the Black Wolves, knew that she and Bertha had switched bodies.

Watching people mourn her death while she stood there alive felt strangely surreal.

And the grand scale of the funeral only made the emperor’s hypocrisy and pretentiousness more obvious, leaving bitterness in her chest.

“It was a mourning period, so they had to stay quiet. He’s the type who can’t tolerate damage to his reputation.”

The emperor undoubtedly wanted to make Nora the empress as soon as possible, but the six-month mourning period prevented him from doing so.

“When do you think discussions about selecting a new empress will begin?”
“Soon enough. Duke Renotor is incredibly impatient. If Leila wants to become empress, she’ll still have to wait much longer.”

Since becoming Bertha, Melina never once called the duke “father.”

The illegitimate daughter of the ducal house named Melina was already dead.

“Rumors are spreading that the duke intends to put Lady Leila forward as a candidate for empress.”
“He stepped back for Leila’s sake, but he must regret losing that power. Does he really think the emperor will grant his wish? Foolish.”

Melina clicked her tongue at the duke’s impatience.

To her, he had always seemed terrifying and powerful. But now, viewing him from the outside, she could only feel bitter wondering why she had feared him so much.

“The emperor will never give up Nora. And he absolutely cannot tolerate opposition against himself. If we play this right, we can make things very interesting.”
“Then I’ll arrange matters so that Leila and Nora become the center of conflict during the empress selection.”

As expected of Ran. One word was enough.

“To strike at the emperor, we’ll ultimately have to move the nobles.”

Since Bertha was technically a commoner, she couldn’t enter the imperial palace or participate in noble society.

Isn’t there a good method?

Tapping her fingers against the desk, Melina considered several possibilities before grinning.

“Yes, that’s probably the best option. Ran, send a request for a visit to the Grand Duke Caster’s estate.”
“You intend to go personally?”
“Of course. I needed to meet him anyway, but now I’ll simply move up the timing.”

As empress, she had met Grand Duke Caster several times in the past, though they had never been particularly close.

“If we use our lord’s name, it will attract too much attention. People may become suspicious. One of our merchant groups frequently travels through the grand duchy. We’ll use that name instead.”

Every move made by Bertha, the ruler of Temno, was watched carefully by everyone.

Her choices and actions affected the entire empire.

“Do that. Still, just in case, we need something to divert people’s attention.”

As though waiting for those words, Ran handed over the documents she had been carrying.

“What’s this?”
“Bern caused trouble in the grand duchy. Everyone knows the rule: ‘If a member of Temno causes problems, the leader personally resolves them.’”

Ran’s lips curved slightly upward.

Melina was briefly startled by the rare change in her expression before quickly understanding her intention and smirking.

She skimmed through the papers.

“A perfect excuse. Prepare for departure to the grand duchy. You’re coming too, Ran.”

She still lacked confidence going alone.

Though she had trained hard for the past six months, this would be her first real operation.

“Understood.”

After Ran left, Melina leaned back in her chair.

Thanks to Bertha and El, she had obtained power she never could have imagined.

At first, it all felt unreal, but as time passed, she began to think of it as a heaven-sent opportunity.

A chance to take revenge on those who had killed her.

Death alone would be too merciful for them.

I’ll make them scream in despair and regret.

To do that, she planned to take away the things they cherished most.

From the emperor, his throne.

From Duke Renotor, his power.

And she intended to steal away the people they loved as well.

“Rejected again today?”

Melina asked as Ran entered the room.

“Yes. This is the fifth time.”

Even Ran seemed surprised at being refused this many times, judging by the slight furrow in her brows.

They had already spent a week staying at an inn in the grand duchy.

Considering it had taken over ten days just to travel there from the capital, nearly half a month had already passed.

“I wonder if they’d still refuse us if we revealed we’re from Temno.”
“My lord, that would—”

Ran immediately shook her head with a serious expression.

“I know. I’m just frustrated. Keep sending requests. Let’s see how long they keep refusing us. And if it really doesn’t work, we’ll just storm in.”
“Understood.”
“Did you find Bern?”
“Yes. We confirmed his location. There will be a slave auction tonight.”

The trouble Bern had caused was precisely that—a slave auction.

The very first thing Melina had done as Temno’s leader was dismantle the slave trade business.

No matter how dark the underworld was, she couldn’t accept people buying and selling other human beings.

Naturally, her decision caused massive backlash.

However, after minimizing losses and supporting business transitions, the resistance gradually subsided.

Even so, some still refused to abandon the slave trade.

Bern was one of them.

“Perfect. Then let’s deal with that first.”

Rising from her seat, Melina began stretching her body.

It was her first time appearing before others as Temno’s leader, and though she was nervous, she also felt strangely excited.

“Shan.”

At her call, a man clad entirely in black except for his eyes appeared from the shadows.

He was the captain of the Black Wolves, the warrior group tasked with protecting Bertha.

“Tonight, don’t let a single one of Bern’s subordinates escape. We need to make an example out of them.”
“Understood, my lord.”

After bowing his head, Shan disappeared immediately.

The commands of Temno’s ruler were law itself.

Anyone who disobeyed had to be punished thoroughly and publicly.

So that no one would ever even think of disobeying again.

It was something Ran and Shan had repeated to her endlessly over the months.

Now it was time to put those words into action.