I Became the Master of the Empress

306

Thus, Valoran planned to make Theodora the empress and marry her.

He executed all the royals as per his plan, and the rest is a story everyone knows.

Looking back, I never imagined I would marry someone who was once to be my stepmother and have children with her.

Life truly is full of surprises.

—

Anyway, as my long, long story of the past came to an end….

“Ugh…”

Theodora’s eyes are filled with tears.

“How… have you lived such a life?”

Her eyes are full of compassion and sorrow, but to me, it’s something from long ago.

It has been nearly four years since Valoran died.

And after Valoran’s death, I lived in a daze for almost three years.

I managed the chaotic political situation after the late emperor’s death, restoring and taking control of the fallen pro-emperor and anti-emperor factions.

And I dealt with the demon worshippers as well.

“Well, that’s a story from quite a while ago.”

As I felt awkward seeing her cry.

—Hug.

Terra tightly embraced me.

“It must have been really hard, right?”

“Yeah, but not anymore.”

Rather, I am happy now.

If I had to choose the happiest moment between my past life and this one, I would say it’s today.

“So don’t cry; it’s not good for the baby if you do.”

I’ve heard that children can sense their mother’s emotions.

I gently lifted her face to meet her gaze.

Beautiful ruby-red eyes.

I wiped her tears and pressed my lips against hers.

The sweet and fragrant scent of rosemary brushed against my nose as I savored her lips, then let her go. She spoke, almost pouting.

“I feel like we sent Valoran off too beautifully.”

“It couldn’t be helped. We couldn’t afford to delay back then. By the way, are you going to keep having such cruel thoughts? What if the baby’s temperament becomes violent?”

“Still….”

“I’ve almost forgotten everything.”

In truth, it’s unavoidable to feel anger when I think of Valoran.

But aside from that, he is already a dead man.

Moreover, Heinrich, who betrayed me, met a suspicious death not long after his betrayal.

—

—

No one left in this world is meant to take revenge.

So, there aren’t many things that remind me of that time.

“Come on, Terra, it’s time to sleep. The night is deep.”

I lift her into my arms and head toward the bed.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

As I lay her down on the bed and turn off the light ball, preparing to fall asleep.

– peck.

“Good night.”

I kissed her cheek and lay down.

Is it because I haven’t thought about the past in a long time?

The countless times death lingered near me.

Having overcome that and survived.

Have I truly done well until now?

Today, I miss my mother terribly.

Mother, have I done well? And will I continue to do well?

With those thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

That night, I saw my mother in a dream for the first time in ages.

My mother, with her long, black hair.

“It’s been a while, Debbie.”

“Yes, it has.”

She gently stroked my hair and embraced me tightly.

“I always believed you would do well.”

“Mother.”

“You’ve grown wonderfully.”

I whispered the words I had long wanted to say to her.

“I’m sorry. If only I hadn’t been caught that day…”

At my words, my mother looked up at my face.

“Hehe, it’s okay. Haven’t you grown up so well?”

Tears welled up in my eyes at my mother’s kind smile.

—

“Wow, it’s been so long since we met, and you’re crying. Isn’t it a waste to cry on such a beautiful day?”

I shook my head at my mother’s words.

“It’s been too long, hasn’t it?”

It felt like I had seen her in a dream last time, but unlike then, my mother felt like my mother now.

“Yeah, you’ve really grown a lot in the meantime. And you even have a child now. Your little one is the emperor, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. A lot has happened.”

“Hehe, will you tell your mother your story?”

“Of course!”

As I talked with my mother, I shared how I had been living.

When I reached the part about Terra’s pregnancy, my mother looked up at the blue sky.

“Now it’s time for me to go.”

“Ah….”

“Let’s meet again later. Devi. And I have always loved you.”

-Smooch!

The moment my mother’s lips touched my cheek.

“Haah… haah…”

I woke up.

Tears streamed down my face.

And only Terra, lying next to me, was there.

***

Time passed, and after checking on the state affairs until evening and finishing work, I was taking care of Terra.

“Ah~”

As I fed her pudding, she…

“Mmm~ It’s delicious.”

She smiled, seemingly pleased.

“Did you read a lot of prenatal education books today?”

Looking at the prenatal books on our tea table, she nodded with certainty.

“Yes. Our child will surely become a wonderful adult.”

But they haven’t even been born yet?

—

Come to think of it, my mother-in-law seems to think it has to be a son…

What if it’s a daughter?

“By the way, how’s the work with the Ministry of Education going?”

I pause for a moment at her words.

Sena is stepping up to organize the foundation of the education bill.

Using that as an excuse, we haven’t raised taxes yet, but soon we’ll need to start on textbooks and teacher training programs.

“We’re still in the stage of drafting the bill.”

“Hehe, I can’t wait for the school to be established so I can see the kids studying.”

Tera has become increasingly interested in education, perhaps because she’s pregnant.

After all, education is something that’s absolutely necessary.

“Huh?”

It’s so endearing to see Tera, usually so proud and beautiful, open her mouth slightly to ask for pudding.

“Okay, okay, just a moment.”

I chuckle softly and place the pudding in her mouth.

– Munch munch.

So cute…

Seeing her swallow the pudding with a happy expression lifts my spirits.

Is this the joy of having a child?

Just watching Tera eat, knowing our child is in her womb, fills me with pride.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because you’re cute.”

Her face turns red at my words.

“C-cute? What’s cute about it?”

Seeing her flustered more than I expected, I feel a bit puzzled.

Now that I think about it… I haven’t really said she’s cute much, have I?

I’ve always called her pretty and beautiful, but I’ve hardly ever said she’s cute.

Could that be why?

Her shy expression, which I haven’t seen in a while, is so lovable.

“Watching you munch on pudding is just too cute!”

“Everything seems cute to you.”

—

—

Her neck, slightly turned, seemed to blush just a bit.

“Come on, we have to do this, right?”

She doesn’t turn her head, perhaps out of embarrassment.

“Dear? My arm hurts.”

At my words, she slowly turns her head and meets my gaze.

“Ah~”

I placed a soft pudding in her mouth.

This is happiness.

***

As time passed, Theodora’s due date was drawing near.

In the meantime, Joy and Lucius formally greeted my mother-in-law.

It would be easier to think of it as seeking my mother-in-law’s permission to take the princess before making any specific engagement plans.

“Hehe…”

Joy rubbed her face against Lucius’s arm, while my mother-in-law looked on with disapproving eyes, and Lucius, sensing this, stiffened in a rigid stance.

In contrast, Terra and I had no particular objections to their marriage.

After all, Joy had been advocating for love marriages since long ago.

“Ahem, Joy, they aren’t engaged yet, so seeing them act like this isn’t very pleasant.”

My mother-in-law’s veins were visibly bulging on her forehead.

Is she quite angry?

“Why? I like Brother Lucius!”

Joy’s eyes sparkled with sweetness.

I know you like him… but the thought that your future fiancé might be stressed to death lingered near my lips, yet I held it back.

“Uh… Your Highness?”

Lucius, perhaps feeling awkward himself, tried to gently push Joy away.

But Joy only frowned in response.

“Brother? What did you say?”

Lucius hurriedly changed his words at Joy’s sharp tone.

“J-Joy? I think what Her Majesty the Empress said is right.”

However, calling Joy by her name seemed to upset my mother-in-law, who shot a glance at Lucius.

Wow… Lucius is in for it.

—

If I were in that situation, I would have run away from marriage and everything else, right?

The reason we gathered today was to have a modest dinner while discussing the engagement of Lucius and Joy…

I wonder if Lucius will choke on his food.

Honestly, I can understand how Lucius feels.

Everyone gathered here can be considered very high in imperial protocol.

Officially, there’s Terra, ranked first, and then me, ranked second.

And aside from the Minister of State, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Chief Justice, the next in line are my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

In other words, everyone here holds a status that could easily take Lucius’s head with just a word.

But as I try to gauge my girlfriend’s mood, I feel like I might die under my mother-in-law’s scrutiny, and when I try to read my mother-in-law’s mood, I feel like I might die under my girlfriend’s gaze. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him.

Good luck… I hope Joy can successfully prevent him from writing any erotic or BL novels…

“Hehe, Joy, are you that happy?”

As Theodora smiled and spoke to Joy, Joy nodded vigorously.

“Of course! I’m getting married now, right?”

Watching Joy fumble with Lucius’s hand, I discreetly glanced at Terra.

The expression of a sister who truly loves her younger sister was evident on Terra’s face.

But on a separate note, Lucius might get assassinated by my mother-in-law right now, right?

“Well then, let’s talk about Joy’s marriage first.”

My mother-in-law suddenly interrupted the conversation between the two sisters.

“Right, so you don’t want a son-in-law living with you?”

A son-in-law living with them.

Joy’s marriage means she will be entering Lucius’s household.

In other words, if she marries and has children, those children will not belong to the Augustus family.

That means the right to the throne itself would disappear.

At my mother-in-law’s words, Lucius looked troubled.

“That might be a bit difficult. My parents are also opposed to it.”

“Then, while you’re alive, even if you work in the palace and support Joy, wouldn’t it be hard to live comfortably without a title? May I ask what your plans are for that?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Lucius spoke awkwardly.

“Believe it or not, I don’t receive a small amount of money.”

My mother-in-law nodded.

“I’ve heard that, but compared to noble families, isn’t it true that your income is low?”

Terra, sensing what her mother-in-law might say, stepped forward with a bold statement.

“Mother, I plan to grant you a territory in Nicaea.”

However, her mother-in-law shook her head.

“What I want to say is not that. I have heard that Lucius has betrayed the emperor’s decree. Is that not true?”

Previously, he had forged my orders and had nearly faced punishment.

But he was acquitted, so he did not face any consequences.

“Though he was found innocent in court, I cannot be certain about accepting a person who has betrayed once as my son-in-law. Moreover, I do not like the idea of a son-in-law who refuses to take my daughter.”

At her mother-in-law’s words, Lucius and Zoe’s faces turned pale.

“Um… Mom?”

“But parents cannot be outdone by their children. Therefore, I will give you an order, Lucius.”

“I will do anything!”

At Lucius’s words, her mother-in-law smiled wickedly.

“Anything, you say? Hehe…”

So she can make that kind of face too?

It looked malicious, but knowing how kind she truly is, I just quietly watched.