Chapter 190: It’s Better to Be Feared Than Loved

Finally they reached the end of a long hallway that ended in enormous double doors that Mark hadn’t seen before.

The throne room.

Mark stopped in front of them and Emilia finally released his arm to position herself at his side.

"Here we go..." he said before placing both hands on the doors and pushing them inward.

The moment both of them entered the throne room, no sooner had they crossed the threshold than Alice was the first to come forward to receive them.

Or rather, to receive Mark.

"Good morning, my lord," she said, walking toward him with her usual firm posture. "How did you wake up?"

"Well... let’s say it was a pretty interesting morning," he replied, casting a discreet glance at Emilia.

"Very glad to hear that," Alice said as she began guiding him toward the throne. "Did you rest adequately?"

"Enough to function."

"That will be more than sufficient," Alice replied with a smile.

Then Ely appeared at his other side, walking in step with him with a satisfied expression plastered on her face.

"Good morning, Master!" she said in a cheerful tone. "I’m pleased to inform you that, just as you ordered, we’ve already found the fastest way to stabilize the kingdom and the effect will be almost immediate."

"Oh, really?" Mark asked, somewhat skeptical.

Ely didn’t respond right away. Instead she exchanged a quick look with Alice and then both of them positioned themselves on either side of Mark while guiding him toward the throne platform.

Mark looked at both of them with one eyebrow slightly raised but didn’t protest. He climbed the platform steps and sat down on the golden throne.

The chair was ridiculously comfortable for a throne. The backrest adjusted to his spine in a way he hadn’t expected and the armrests were at the perfect height.

’Not bad...’ he thought, settling in.

From up there he could see the entire hall.

The white stone columns on the sides, the stained glass windows that filled the place with light, and all his subordinates positioned around the hall.

"So what’s the plan?" Mark asked with curiosity.

The question was met by a few seconds of silence before Rose decided to respond.

"Obviously, the easiest way to fix things," she replied, reviewing the scroll in her hands, "is through fear and violence."

Mark blinked.

"...What?"

"Don’t look at me like that, Master," Rose said, unrolling the scroll. "We spent all night analyzing the situation with the queen’s subordinates and all the diplomatic options require weeks or months that we don’t have."

"..."

"When Rose says violence," Aria continued, approaching from the column she had been leaning against, "she doesn’t mean indiscriminate violence."

Mark looked at her.

"She means selective," Aria explained.

"I don’t think I’m fully following," Mark admitted, leaning back against the throne.

Before anyone could explain further, Yuki appeared beside the platform without making any sound.

"Master," she said with a small bow upon seeing him. "The kingdom’s nobles have just arrived for their meeting with you."

"What meeti—"

"Show them in," Alice interrupted. "But have them wait in the antechamber until the Master gives the order."

Yuki nodded once and disappeared again.

Ely then climbed a couple of steps to get closer to Mark.

"In short, Master," she said, sitting on one of the throne’s armrests. "The plan we decided on is to kill all the troublemakers."

Mark looked at her without saying anything.

"Last night, while you were resting, we identified the leaders of each noble house that’s causing problems," Ely explained with pride. "Those who are spreading rumors, those who are calling for disobedience, those who are organizing resistance against the crown."

"Yuki was able to identify about twenty in total," Rose added from below, opening another scroll. "They’re the ones pulling the strings behind all this instability."

"So," Ely continued with a half smile, "if we eliminate that bunch of troublemakers in front of the other nobles, the message will be clear to everyone."

"In other words we’ll use them as an example," Alice said from the other side of the throne. "So that those who are thinking about joining them or causing any trouble will think twice before doing anything stupid."

"And once they’re all out of the way," Rose continued, rolling up the scroll, "the rest of the noble houses will fall in line with us out of pure self-preservation."

Mark stayed quiet for a moment.

He looked at Ely. Then at Alice. Then at Rose. Then at Aria.

All of them were looking at him, waiting for his answer.

Then Mark let out a short sigh and leaned back against the throne with his arms on the armrests.

"...It makes sense," he said finally. "It’s better to be feared than loved." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Rose looked up from the scroll and looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"What a great line, Master," she said with a half smile.

But then a voice sounded from the far end of the hall.

"Excuse me..."

Everyone in the hall turned their heads at the same time.

Emilia was still standing at the door, watching them with an expression that mixed confusion and mild restrained indignation.

Because since they had entered the throne room, none of Mark’s subordinates had said a word to her. Nobody had looked at her, nobody had offered her a seat, and nobody seemed interested in including her in the conversation.

Everyone had ignored her completely, as if she were just another decoration in the hall.

"What exactly am I supposed to do here?..." Emilia asked, concealing her annoyance at the treatment she was receiving.

Aria looked at her thoughtfully for a moment until she finally spoke.

"Oh... that," Aria said in a carefree tone as she walked toward the queen. "You just have to do what you’re best at."

"And that is...?"

"Being a decoration," Aria replied in a mocking tone as she took her by the arm and positioned her beside the throne, next to Mark.

"A decor—?"

"Stay there, smile pretty, and let it be seen that you support everything the Master says," Aria cut her off, arranging her as if she were just another ornament. "That’s all."

Emilia opened her mouth to protest but before she could say anything, the sound of the antechamber doors opening echoed through the entire hall.

And the nobles began filing in.