Chapter 167 – The Crimson Empress [2]
Sophie Castria, The First Empress. The Crimson Empress.
History was carved that day.
Because for the first time since the creation of the human domain... a woman had seized power.
And no, this wasn’t just a ceremonial title or a puppet position held under the shadow of some man. No. This was true power. Raw, earned, deserved.
It might not seem like much to an outsider’s point of view.
But inside the human domain, inside the mind of all the people who lived there...
It was fucking massive.
Because this place had been soaked—no, drowned—in centuries of patriarchal rot because of Rome and his predecessors. Where women weren’t rulers but tools. Tools to gain influence. Marriage tokens. Breeding vessels. Silent ornaments and even flashy whores.
That was the brutal truth.
Women were never meant to own power.
They were taught to marry into it. To fuck their way into it. To be used for it.
Even women themselves began believing it. Because when a lie is whispered into your ear long enough, it stops sounding like a lie. It becomes your truth, but also your chain.
But Sophie Castria Vaelgrim didn’t bend to that.
She didn’t accept those beliefs shape her life.
That’s why, when she took the throne, the highest throne in the human domain, it was like a tidal wave hit the foundation of that lie and cracked it open.
All over the domain—noble or poor, young or old—women looked at her and saw something different.
A mirror.
A door.
A Hope.
And when Sophie stood before her new people, standing tall with Elizabeth and Solaris at her side, the world held its breath—expecting a grand speech.
But she gave them just three words.
"It’s not that hard."
Simple. Undeniable.
But it echoed.
It dug deep.
Because it wasn’t about eloquence. It was about defiance.
It wasn’t that hard to break the rules.
It wasn’t that hard to walk away from a fate someone else, or even the society, forced on you.
It wasn’t that hard to dream. Even if they mocked you. Even if they spat at you. Even if your own family called you delusional.
You just had to want it enough.
Yes, it was terrifying.
Yes, it was not easy.
Yes, it hurt.
But everything starts in the mind. Control the mind... and the fear loses its grip. And everything that seemed so impossible, so unthinkable...became something achievable, something you can chase after.
And in that moment—Sophie, standing bathed in light, crowned in silver—became more than a ruler.
Because she embodied that belief...the belief that everything was possible with a strong enough mind.
So,
She became a symbol.
An idol not just for women. But for anyone who had ever been told they were "less."
...
Meanwhile, at the academy—
Zara and Alice sat side by side, watching the flickering projection of Sophie’s coronation.
Alice’s hands were trembling with joy. Her voice, clearer than ever, broke through the silence like a song reborn.
"It’s truly incredible," she said.
And how could it not be?
She could speak now. Fully, freely. No distortion. No chaos in the air from her words. Her dragon bloodline had been cleansed, purified. Her talent now gleamed at Ex-Unique.
All of it thanks to Elira.
Zara chuckled. "What’s incredible? Sophie’s feat... or the fact you can now speak without making the walls crack?"
Alice laughed, radiant. "Hahah, both! But honestly? Me. Definitely me."
After all, no one knows how painful it was to want to talk but not be able to.
Then she grew quiet.
Her eyes turned sharp, serious, almost solemn. Her green gaze bore into Zara’s blue eyes.
"What are you now?" Alice asked.
Zara blinked.
She wasn’t surprised by the question. Alice was a dragon—instinctually attuned to bloodlines. And right now, Zara’s very presence was making Alice’s own dragon blood shiver.
Which should’ve been impossible.
Only dragons could do that to each other.
And yet...
Alice stared. "Not just you. Elizabeth. Sophie. All of you. What are you now?"
Zara’s smirk softened into something gentler.
"Want the short version or the long?"
"Short," Alice said immediately. "Just tell me what’s going on with all of you."
Zara nodded. "Alright. I’m one of Noah’s women now—officially his concubine. Elizabeth and Sophie? They’re his wives. And the change in appearance? Well... we’re not human anymore. We’ve become a new race. A race that’s never existed before, not in this realm or any other."
She paused.
"We’re Elysiari."
She pointed to her shimmering hair. "I’m the first Emotion Elysiari. Elizabeth is the Fate one. Sophie, the lightning one."
Zara grinned.
"Oh—and I’m not Zara Bane anymore."
Alice held her breath.
"I’m Zara HeartWeaver Vaelgrim."
Silence.
Pure silence.
Then, finally, Alice muttered, "Yeah... okay. I think I want the long version after all."
...
Elsewhere—in the quiet of the church—
Christelle stood alone.
Watching the projection. Watching Sophie.
Watching the rise of the first Empress.
And those words...
"It’s not that hard."
They pierced her chest like a blade of shame.
Because she had chosen the easy road. Again and again. She let society fuck her over and smiled through it. She sold her body. Became a tool. Lived in false comfort and chains.
And the worst?
She got addicted to it.
Not the money. Not the luxury.
But the act itself.
The feeling of being used. Pound after pound. Night after night. That emptiness became her home.
And now?
Now she saw what a real woman looked like.
Now she saw the one who clawed her way up even when mocked, beaten, and broken.
And she felt like filth.
"I’m a coward," she whispered, voice hollow. "And...a fucking whore."
Her knees trembled.
"I’m not worthy..."
And then—
A voice. Smooth. Cold. Amused.
"That part is true."
She gasped, whirling around in horror.
And saw him.
She almost kneeled the moment she did.
Noah Vaelgrim.
Beautiful and ethereal beyond reason. He didn’t even look human to her...he looked divine.
"Hello," Noah said as he stepping closer. "I believe this is our first time meeting."
His white eyes gleamed with cold amusement.
"I’m Noah," he said. "A dear friend of your son."
He grinned wider, almost mockingly.
"Nice to meet you... Christelle."
—End of Chapter 167—