Return of Black Lotus system:Taming Cheating Male Leads

Chapter 154: Chapter-154

”Consort Larus Okmana,” she said, her voice taking on the ceremonial tone used for official imperial business. ”Before I proceed, I must ask you one final time, in front of all these witnesses: Are you certain? I am giving you this last opportunity to reconsider. If you wish to withdraw your request, you may do so now, with no judgment or consequence.”

Every eye in the hall turned to Larus.

He stood there, his head slightly bowed, looking up at Heena with an expression that was equal parts devotion and determination. A small smile played at his lips.

”Never, Your Majesty,” he said, his voice clear and steady. ”Whatever my wife chooses to give me, I will accept it with gratitude and honor. No matter what it is.”

The certainty in his voice sent a ripple through the assembled nobles.

Heena’s expression shifted into something that could only be described as satisfied pleasure. She’d given him an out, and he’d refused to take it. Good.

”Very well,” she said.

She drew her sword—the ceremonial imperial blade that had been passed down through generations of rulers—and held it point-down in front of her, both hands on the hilt.

The gesture made everyone in the hall straighten to attention. This was serious. This was ’official’.

”Today,” Heena proclaimed, her voice ringing with authority, ”as the sovereign ruler of this empire and the last direct descendant of Emperor Aldric the Wise, I make this proclamation before all assembled witnesses:”

She paused, letting the weight of the moment settle.

”Whatever gift I bestow upon Emperor Consort Larus today shall be his and his alone, in perpetuity. No one—not the nobles, not the council, not even ’I myself’—may revoke or reclaim what is given here. It shall be his by imperial decree, bound by law and witnessed by all present.”

Stunned silence.

That was... that was an ’irrevocable’ gift. Those were almost never given. They couldn’t be taken back, couldn’t be negotiated, couldn’t be modified. Once granted, they were permanent.

What could possibly warrant such a declaration?

The massive doors at the side of the throne room opened, and Heena’s secretary entered, carrying a large leather portfolio stuffed with official documents. His face was as expressionless as ever, but there might have been the tiniest hint of satisfaction in his eyes as he walked forward and bowed to Heena.

”Your Majesty,” he said, his voice professionally neutral. ”The documents, as requested.”

He walked up the steps and presented them to Heena with a deep bow.

Heena took them and glanced at the secretary. She leaned down slightly and whispered, ”Do you want to read them, or should I?”

The secretary’s expression didn’t change, but he whispered back, ”I would be honored to announce them, Your Majesty. If you’ll permit me.”

”Go ahead,” Heena said, handing the documents back to him. ”Make it dramatic.”

”Always, Your Majesty,” the secretary replied, and there was definitely satisfaction in his voice now.

He turned to face the assembled court, opened the first document with a flourish that was completely unlike his usual efficient movements, and began to read in a voice that carried to every corner of the hall:

”By the grace and authority of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Celeste, sovereign ruler of the Eternal Empire, the following gifts are hereby bestowed upon His Imperial Majesty Emperor Consort Larus Okmana, on this day, as witnessed by the assembled court and recorded in the imperial archives for all time:”

He paused for dramatic effect, and the hall was so silent you could have heard a pin drop.

”’’First’’,” the secretary announced, his voice rising slightly, ”Emperor Consort Larus is hereby granted, in perpetuity and without condition, the ’’Imperial Jade of Orohu Kingdom’’.”

The reaction was immediate and explosive.

Gasps echoed through the hall. Several nobles actually stumbled backward in shock. One elderly duke looked like he might faint.

For those who didn’t immediately understand the significance, whispers quickly spread the explanation:

The Orohu Kingdom. One of the empire’s greatest military victories. A conquest that had taken a ’decade’ to achieve, spanning from Heena’s grandfather’s reign through her own ascension to the throne. It had been ’her first major victory’ as Empress—a brutal, costly campaign that had finally ended with Orohu’s surrender just two years ago.

And the Imperial Jade of Orohu? It was priceless. Not just monetarily, though it was worth more than most nobles would see in ten lifetimes. It was ’symbolic’. It represented imperial authority, military conquest, the strength and reach of the empire itself.

And Heena had just given it to Larus.

On his first day as consort.

One of the dukes—Duke Remington, an older man who’d served under Heena’s father—stepped forward, his face red.

”Your Majesty, you cannot—”

Heena turned to look at him, and the sheer ’weight’ of her gaze—the cold, absolute authority in her eyes—made him fall silent mid-sentence.

She didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to.

The message was clear: ’I can do whatever I want. I’m the Empress. Try to stop me.’

Duke Remington stepped back, his mouth clamping shut, though his face remained flushed with suppressed objection.

The secretary, looking thoroughly pleased with himself despite his neutral expression, continued reading.

”’’Second’’,” he announced, ”Emperor Consort Larus is hereby granted sole and complete authority over the ’’Lavender Palace’’, to be designated as his primary residence and private domain.”

More gasps, though these were slightly more controlled. The Lavender Palace was beautiful and historically significant, but this wasn’t entirely unprecedented. Consorts often received their own palaces.

But then the secretary continued, and jaws dropped again:

”Within the Lavender Palace, Emperor Consort Larus shall have absolute and unchallenged authority. No person, regardless of rank or station, may issue orders, make appointments, or exercise any authority within its grounds without his explicit permission. All staff, all resources, all decisions regarding the Lavender Palace shall be his and his alone. It shall be recognized as his independent sovereign territory within the greater palace complex.”

’That’ was unprecedented.

That was essentially giving Larus his own mini-kingdom within the palace. A place where even ’Heena herself’ would technically need his permission to exercise authority.

”This is madness,” someone whispered.

”She’s giving him too much power—”

”On the first ’day’—”

The secretary’s voice rose over the whispers:

”’’Third’’, Emperor Consort Larus is hereby granted, in perpetuity and without condition, the ’’Pearl Territory’’ in its entirety, including all lands, resources, revenues, and administrative authority therein.”

The hall exploded.

Not with gasps this time, but with actual ’shouts’ of disbelief and protest.

”The ’Pearl Territory’?!”

”That’s the Empress Dowager’s personal holding!”

”The gold mines alone are worth—”

”The agricultural output feeds half the empire!”

The Pearl Territory wasn’t just valuable. It was ’critical’. It was the most prosperous, productive, resource-rich territory in the entire empire. It had been Heena’s mother’s personal domain, passed down through the female line of the imperial family for generations.

It produced gold, gems, the finest agricultural products, controlled several major trade routes—giving it to Larus meant giving him economic power that rivaled some entire kingdoms.

And Heena had just handed it over like it was nothing.

The five consorts looked absolutely shell-shocked. Even they—married to the Empress for three years—had never ’dreamed’ of asking for something like the Pearl Territory. The sheer audacity of it was staggering.