Chapter 6

Episode 6: Pathetic

“I’m happier that you congratulated me.” Aren’t you the most famous person in the capital city?”

“…… It’s all thanks to you two.”

As Miss Rosaline said, the person most talked about in the capital recently was me, Lady Chloe Garnet of the Grand Duke Ludwig.

Initially, the Emperor’s carriage, which had been visiting the Duchy twice a week, gradually began to increase its number. Three, four times…in the end, there were days when I didn’t even come back from the Imperial Palace.

Servants of the Duchy, who have a heavy mouth, spread rumors at a high speed until their mouths caught fire.

Perhaps because of the rumors, guests who came to see the engagement ceremony of Grand Duke Ludwig and Marquis Rosaline were glancing at me at least once.

Since it is a place to show the solidarity of the two families’ unity, all the prominent nobles of the Asta Empire gathered here today. I had a headache at the curious gazes, but I didn’t show it.

It was then, along with the humming sound, a loud sound could be heard from far away. Everyone, including me, was embarrassed at the moment.

The emperor had come.

“Congratulations on your engagement, brother.”

“How did you make such a precious step, Your Majesty?”

Only Kailos welcomed the emperor with a smile without panic.

“It’s my only brother’s engagement ceremony, so I can’t miss it.”

No way, there was certainly no brotherly love between Kailos and the emperor. In addition, the emperor was not a saint who visited places like these every time.

He then looked at me with a grin and at the same time everyone’s eyes turned to me. But soon, I and the emperor turned our heads as if nothing had happened.

It was funny. Even though everyone knew about my relationship with the Emperor, it was funny to pretend that there was no relationship at all.

Due to the sudden appearance of the emperor, users of the Great Hall hurriedly created a place for him. The emperor, who came to celebrate Kailos’ engagement, looked around with a soft look on his chin.

Just before the engagement ceremony began, the emperor called in his servant and spoke in his ear. At that moment, the eyes of the emperor and I met once again. As before, the emperor smiled and got up from his seat and disappeared somewhere.

After a while, the emperor’s servant came to me. Upon hearing his words, I sighed softly.

Kailos didn’t seem to have time to care about me for the upcoming ceremony. After looking at him for a while, I immediately left the ceremony.

“I see the sun of the empire.”

When the emperor, who was sitting crookedly like the owner in the largest guest room of the Grand Duke, found me, I looked up with a smile.

“I would have said there was no need for such a greeting.”

“Your Majesty, now is the time and place…”

“Shh.”

The emperor’s thick fingers gently pressed my lips. When I slowly swallowed my breath and faced him, saw the face of the emperor smiling playfully at me. Crap that smiling expression looks like uncle.

“It’s a big deal. It’s getting harder not to see you.”

The Emperor is falling for me, which was what my uncle hoped for so much.

“Come here, Chloe.”

At some point, the Emperor, who snatched my wrist, hugged me and sat on the edge of the bed. It suddenly became like I’m riding on the Emperor’s lap. My face was reflected in his red eyes. Unlike the sour feeling, fortunately, I was smiling shyly.

“Really, I couldn’t stand it.”

“Me too, Your Majesty.”

I put both hands on the hard chest and whispered softly,

“I’ve missed your Majesty so much in that short period of time.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

The Emperor hugged me with a face that could not control his joy. I could feel the red hair tickling over my shoulders, I blinked slowly.

Outside the window staring blankly, I heard a congratulatory sound indicating that the engagement ceremony of the man I love has begun.

“I’m looking for a way. I’m going to stick you to my side somehow.”

“But Your Majesty already…there’s a person that you promised to for the rest of your life.”

“The marriage with the empress was done under the previous Emperor’s will. It wasn’t what I wanted.”

The applause and cheers of the people disturbed my head. I wanted to close the open window, but I couldn’t because I was caught by the Emperor, Instead, I looked up at the emperor and laughed sadly.

“I’m satisfied enough, Your Majesty.”

“…Chloe.”

The Emperor, who was staring at me for a while, rubbed my eyes with his thick thumb.

“Don’t cry.”

No wonder my eyes were teary, I must have been crying.

“I will definitely come up with a way. So that I can keep you by my side somehow……”

“So please don’t cry, Chloe.”

With a large man in front of me, who was restless at what to do, I just closed my eyes. Rough lips came down, as if comforting me, over the hot eyes where tears were spreading.

That day, the emperor hugged me silently and comforted me until the dark darkness fell.

The moon, which used to come once a month, didn’t come. It was the man I loved who noticed that before me. (T/N: moon=menstruation)

“Your Majesty is moving as we wish more than we thought,” he said at the dinner we had together after a long time.

“He wants to make you the Queen.”

“Isn’t it a system that disappeared a long time ago?” (T/N: Queen is below the Empress, second wife of the Emperor)

A long time ago, the Emperor of the empire was able to have two or three Queens as well as his wife, the Empress. However, not only the Emperor, but also all men of the empire have maintained monogamy in accordance with the doctrine of the Ramie Church, which became the current state religion more than 200 years ago.

“It’s not without a very good cause. Since the Empress has not been able to give birth to children for nearly a decade.”

Kailos, who put down his fork and knife, looked up at me. As soon as I met his eyes, my heart fluttered with his curved eyes. He added, rolling up the corners of his mouth gracefully.

“There will be no children in the future.”

The Empress was unable to give birth. And it was none other than Kailos who made the empress that way.

“I won’t stay invisible to the nobles of the Empress and the members of the Ramie Church.”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

After finishing the meal, he got up first. As he was going out of the restaurant, he suddenly stopped walking and looked back at me following him.

“Come to think of it, Chloe.”

Since the emperor sent a carriage, he has been monitoring my menstrual cycle even if he doesn’t remember my age.

“Are you still menstruating this month?”

“Oh…”

Later, I realized that I was already a week late.

“I’ll send a doctor, so take a rest.”

Kailos turned around casually and that evening, found out that I was pregnant with the Emperor’s child.

*

*

*

As Kailos wished, I was pregnant with the Emperor’s child. When he heard the news of pregnancy, the Emperor called me into the Imperial Palace, despite opposition from the nobles and the church.

It was none other than Kailos who was most pleased with the fact. I recalled Kailos, who was more pleased with my pregnancy than the Emperor, as I was leaning on the emperor’s chest.

It stung in a corner of my heart, but it was still good. I was happy with the fact that I was the one that he needed.

“What are you thinking?”

The Emperor’s grumbling voice broke my thoughts. I smiled as I looked back at the Emperor caressing my lower abdomen.

“I was thinking that I wish my child would resemble Your Majesty.”

Perhaps my answer was satisfactory, but a low laughter rang in my ears.

“You were thinking the opposite of me. I think it’s better to resemble you than me.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t that the only way for our child to be a little more lovely?”

The rattling carriage was quiet, so the Emperor’s husky voice was deeper.

I looked at the Emperor with affectionate eyes and hid my smirk, what a foolish man. It’s like he is rolling around without knowing whether it’s a plant or a poisonous plant.

The Emperor’s marriage required approval from two groups. One was the approval of the Ramie Church, the state religion of the Asta Empire, and the other was the approval of a noble council consisting of ten noble families.

In particular, the noble council needed more than seven out of ten families, and the high-nosed nobles could not easily allow me to become his wife,

The Emperor called me to the Imperial Palace as if to show me, but it worsened the relationship with the nobles to the point it was out of control. Eventually, the nobles and the church did not allow the Emperor to have a wife other than the empress.

The Emperor was sorry for not achieving what he wanted. However, I didn’t care whether I was the ‘Emperor’s wife or not. What do you mean by being the wife of a man who will die soon?

To me, Kailos asked me to take advantage of the Emperor’s guilt. On second thought, he had a natural talent for playing with human emotions.

“But I think it’s better to resemble Your Majesty than

me.”

My face in the emperor’s eyes looked pathetic.

“Only then will people know a little bit. That this is the child of Your Majesty.”

“What are you talking about? The child in your stomach is my blood!”

“But he’s still an illegitimate child.”

Like Kailos, and like me. In addition, unlike his mother, who was born with noble blood, I was a woman who had nothing.

“Why are you saying that, Chloe? I never intend to raise this child as an illegitimate child.”

“But… I heard that both the nobles and the church are opposed. I know Your Majesty is still working very hard for me.”

“That’s nothing to worry about.”

Two palms wrapped around my cheeks. Unlike his(Kailos) always cool hands, the Emperor’s hands were hot.

“Chloe, I will surely make you my wife. The child in your womb will also grow into my official child.”

“It’s impossible under Imperial law.”

“If some reasons are impossible.”

The emperor smiled and gently brushed my cheek.

“You will be my only wife.”