Ch.331Chapter 331 – Hang in There

Aurelios Imperial Palace.

The most noble residence in the Gelebrio Empire and the building where the Emperor’s office is located.

In the Emperor’s office at the center of the palace, paperwork was in full swing today as well.

Given his age, the Emperor had handed over some state affairs to the Crown Prince, but crucial matters still required the Emperor’s approval.

That’s why Decatro IV was still diligently working at the palace, continuing his battle with paperwork.

In the midst of this, the Imperial Chamberlain knocked a couple of times before opening the door and entering.

Decatro IV paused his paperwork upon seeing the Chamberlain enter.

“Your Imperial Majesty. Grand Duke Pathos Severio Aurelion requests an audience.”

“Let him in.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.”

This was Pathos’s first visit to the Imperial Palace since his marriage to Karen.

Decatro IV initially considered refusing the audience, feeling displeased that his son-in-law had taken so long to come pay his respects, but he gave up on the idea, fearing complaints from Karen and the Empress.

After all, he was the Emperor of the Empire, and the other party was his son-in-law, a Grand Duke of the country, and a hero who had fought and defeated the Demon God to save the world.

Therefore, even as Emperor, he couldn’t refuse an audience without a valid reason when requested.

“Your Imperial Majesty. I, Pathos Severio Aurelion, pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

“Welcome, son-in-law. Did you enjoy your honeymoon?”

In a public setting, he would have addressed him as Grand Duke Aurelion, but now they were meeting as father-in-law and son-in-law.

That’s why Decatro IV addressed Pathos not as Grand Duke but as “son-in-law,” his daughter’s husband.

“If traveling throughout the Empire and greeting people everywhere counts as a honeymoon, I can’t say it was particularly enjoyable.”

“That’s how it is for everyone who marries into the Imperial family. Since you’ve become a member of the Imperial family, you must travel around the Empire to show your face as the new family member.”

Decatro IV leaned his upper body toward Pathos. This was because he had many questions for him.

“So, how far have you gone with Karen?”

“As far as progress goes, we were so busy that sleeping was all we managed.”

“Tsk, tsk. Young people these days…”

Decatro IV seemed disappointed, not hearing the answer he wanted from his son-in-law.

And here I thought he knew how to be a proper man, but he says all they did was sleep because they were busy.

Back in my day, when I married the Empress…

“Didn’t you marry in haste due to a speed violation, father-in-law?”

“Ahem.”

Hit right on the mark by Pathos, Decatro IV deliberately cleared his throat and cut off the conversation.

Most citizens and nobles didn’t know, but the Imperial family was aware.

That Decatro IV hadn’t had a child after marrying the Empress, but rather had to marry quickly because a child was already on the way.

“I hear that when it comes to youthful indiscretions, you were far more adventurous than I am, father-in-law.”

“Ahem. Son-in-law, it’s troublesome when you poke at a person’s sore spots like that.”

Decatro IV implicitly suggested they end this as a draw.

“Understood. Everyone has things they’d prefer to keep hidden.”

Pathos accepted the proposal, and confirming this, Decatro IV breathed a sigh of relief.

The nerve of this son-in-law, precisely targeting his father-in-law’s weakness for attack! Isn’t that unfair?

But if he could attack someone with such pinpoint accuracy, at least Decatro thought he wouldn’t have to worry about Karen suffering due to Pathos’s indecisiveness.

“Good. So when are you planning the next marriage?”

Decatro IV knew that Pathos had other women, and he tried to take control of the conversation by asking when the second marriage would take place.

“I plan to marry two people at once after graduating from the academy.”

“What?”

“Of course, not here. We’ve decided to hold the wedding in the Eastern Continent, the homeland of my future wife, following their customs.”

“Hooh…”

Decatro IV became interested in the mention of an “Eastern Continent-style wedding” from his son-in-law’s lips.

After all, he had only read about Eastern Continent weddings in books.

But he was somewhat angry that Pathos had already planned a second marriage so soon after marrying Karen.

He was, after all, a daughter’s father. A father wants his daughter to be the most loved, not mistreated.

“Did you decide the order?”

“How could I? The prospective wives, including Karen, determined the order themselves.”

At Pathos’s words that he had only set the date, Decatro IV inwardly sighed.

There were only two people officially known as Pathos’s fiancées.

Marrying them would bring Pathos’s official wives to three.

But from what he was hearing now, there were five more women waiting?

None of the previous emperors had so many official wives.

There had been emperors with multiple concubines, but never multiple legal wives. It was simply impossible.

Yet his son-in-law Pathos was attempting to take eight women as wives, as if trying to break some record.

Moreover, the fact that he hadn’t determined the order himself suggested that a hierarchy was already established among the wives.

Otherwise, they might have fought over who would marry first, potentially ruining their relationships.

‘Hmm, son-in-law. Is he remarkable in this aspect too?’

With eight wives, the maintenance costs and living expenses would be enormous, and how much stamina would he need to fulfill his marital duties with all of them?

“So, can you handle it?”

“Handle… what?”

“Come now, you know. That thing that a man and woman must do when they become husband and wife.”

Decatro IV was genuinely concerned for his son-in-law.

An ordinary man struggles with just one person, and someone exceptional might manage more than two.

But three was practically superhuman territory, and eight was a challenge no one had ever attempted before.

“You’ll have to satisfy eight people. Are you confident?”

Decatro IV remembered that his son-in-law hadn’t learned any special martial arts.

“Thanks to mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I have no issues with stamina. Though I haven’t tried yet, I’m confident I can handle that aspect as well.”

As Pathos expressed strong confidence, Decatro IV couldn’t help but nod.

“I see… if you say so, then it must be true.”

He gave his son-in-law a genuinely sympathetic look.

“Good luck to you.”

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Even I, who has reached the realm of Sword Master, find it difficult to fulfill my duties with two empresses. How much harder must it be for you?”

Decatro IV. He too was an unavoidable middle-aged man.

Regardless of his physical vigor, aging was inevitable.

While his body remained youthful thanks to mana, his mind couldn’t keep up.

“Having mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I’ll be fine. The Heavenly Demon himself has vouched for me.”

“You mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”

Decatro IV was surprised by the fact that his son-in-law had mastered this art.

In truth, he knew quite well about the “Heavenly Demon.”

Ah, of course, what he knew about the Heavenly Demon was closer to salacious rumors than official history—that he was a person with immense martial prowess and a womanizer who could satisfy dozens of women daily without tiring.

“Well then, how many have you been with?”

“None yet…”

“What… you’re a virgin?”

At that age and still never done it! Decatro IV was dumbfounded.

He wondered if he needed to give sex education to someone approaching thirty.

“I am a virgin, but I know everything I need to know. I’ve just been too busy until now.”

“Right. I hope it’s just because you’ve been busy. Shouldn’t we be seeing a grandchild’s face by next year at least?”

Decatro IV’s face showed desperation as he mentioned that he and the Empresses were waiting for grandchildren.

In fact, they had been waiting for grandchildren since hearing the news of Pathos and Karen’s marriage.

Not grown children, but newborn babies—aren’t they the epitome of cuteness?

Considering the average marriage and childbearing age in this world, Decatro IV was already at an age where it wouldn’t be strange for him to be a grandfather.

“If you need something good for your body, just say the word. The Imperial storehouse has many things that are very beneficial for men.”

“Thank you for the offer.”

“Stay strong, son-in-law.”

As he patted Pathos on the shoulder in encouragement, Decatro IV’s eyes were filled with pity for his poor son-in-law who had walked into a trap of his own making.