How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

Requirements: Restore legitimacy, persuade major factions within the Empire, and increase noble support.
♨ Precautions ♨:
The fate of the Empire will change depending on the success of the event.
Failure will result in a penalty where the entire Rubyere Empire collapses at the hands of the Dearsby family.
Urgency: ★★★★★
Recommended Action: Spread the truth as quickly as possible through the little birds ♡
Reward: Permanent deletion of the user’s “gruesome death ending” possibility.

I doubted my own eyes. The content of the event was as I had expected, but a surprising item had been subtly inserted. The reward is… what?

‘System. Is this for real? Is the reward really the permanent deletion of the gruesome death ending?’

Unlike the user, the system does not lie ♡

‘…’

Could you not just quietly say yes? You really had to add that little remark. Still, it was a reward that I could not help but be overwhelmed by.

Because I happened to possess the body of the villainous Grand Consort, my struggle to escape the gruesome death ending had been truly long and arduous.

At some point, instead of Tristan, who had executed Ruellin in the original work, Everett and the Dearsby faction had acted as the main protagonists of my demise. Now, if I could just finish this event safely and resolve their threat, I would be able to live an ordinary life with Tristan.

Now my task was set. I turned my eyes away from the translucent message window, looked at Tristan’s refined profile, and smiled broadly.

“I do not know who is trying to frame whom as a traitor. Well, if they are going to play dirty, we can play even dirtier. Let us start with the battle of public opinion.”

To think they would try to compete in a battle of public opinion with me, someone who came from the age of social media. It was time to show them the taste of 21st-century modern society.

After that day, strange rumors about the new Emperor began to spread, centered around the Port of Belforte.

❖ ❖ ❖

The Hezekia fleet’s new flagship, Arsenia, cut through the water, heading toward Port of Belforte. I went up to the deck and leaned against the railing at the bow, catching the sea breeze.

The walls surrounding the Port of Belforte slowly came into view from afar. Armed with the double stone walls that the Rubyere Empire boasted of, the fortress looked massive and magnificent, yet somewhat heavy.

For this expedition, the Hezekia fleet poured everything we had prepared into it. Ships that had been steadily built over the past few years set out in unison. Nine large ships of the line and five large armed merchant ships, as well as three old, small ships that had been with Hezekia from the beginning, were all mobilized and put in the vanguard. Because we were framed as traitors on the pretext of approaching Istenia Island, we had unintentionally been pushed into a “death-or-glory” situation.

It was definitely a force that could maintain superiority over the Dearsby fleet, but the opponent had Belforte Fortress on their side. A siege is a fight that is usually several times, or even dozens or hundreds of times, more difficult than a typical naval battle. I was worried that the Hezekia fleet alone would not be enough, but surprisingly, nobles who were often classified as being in Constantine’s faction began to declare their participation in the battle one after another.

The rumors that had been steadily spread through the little birds all over Port of Belforte, and even throughout the entire Rubyere Empire, had begun to exert their power.

Since the naval power held by the nobles was not large in scale, the ships that joined were merely a dozen or so small and medium-sized armed merchant ships. However, what I was expecting was not simple military power.

“It is a bit late to say this, but it is truly a formidable fortress. It will not be easy to break through.”

Tristan, who had approached at some point and was staring blankly at the double walls of Belforte, opened his mouth in a grave tone.

He was right. However, I lowered my eyes and shook my head lightly.

“Belforte Fortress will crumble from the inside.”

That was the true goal I intended to achieve by creating the battle of public opinion.

“In one hour, the Belforte fortress will be within shelling range. It is reported that the Dearsby fleet is blocking the harbor entrance and is maintaining strict coastal security.”

Lord Mildred, who had received the situation from the scouts, approached and reported. As expected, the gates of Port of Belforte were locked tightly.