Ch.383Chapter 383 – The Emperor Simply Laughed

His Majesty the Emperor, my father-in-law, apparently wanted Karen and me to have five children together.

But that would be difficult…

“I’m afraid that might be challenging, Your Majesty.”

“What do you mean? You’re both still young, aren’t you?”

The Emperor gave me a look of incomprehension.

Well, by this world’s standards, Karen and I did marry late, but we’re still in our prime.

Unlike commoners, many nobles learn to handle mana or aura from a young age because they grow up eating well.

Even if they don’t actually rank among the truly powerful, handling mana itself directly or indirectly helps prevent aging and extends lifespan.

Some nobles have late children even after turning fifty, so for Karen and me, who are only about thirty, we are indeed still in our prime.

Thinking about it that way, the Emperor’s reaction isn’t strange.

“Well… besides Karen, several other wives are also pregnant…”

“…”

Yes, this is precisely the issue.

To be honest, at first I thought only Karen was pregnant.

But when Etherna investigated just to be sure, it turned out that two more wives were pregnant as well.

“How many?”

“Two more, Your Majesty.”

“Ho ho…”

“One is carrying triplets, and the other is carrying twins…”

So including Karen, I suddenly had seven children on the way.

“Ho ho, ho ho, ho ho ho ho ho.”

Upon hearing my words, the Emperor just let out a hollow laugh.

Then he grabbed my shoulder and said,

“Stay strong. It will be difficult, but seeing your children’s smiles will give you strength.”

Why did that sound suspiciously like “suffer a bit, my son-in-law”?

Anyway, as soon as my meeting with the Emperor ended, my audience with the Empress began.

“Son-in-law, I need to speak with my daughter alone. Could you step out for a moment?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Figuring it was probably women’s talk, I quickly excused myself.

About two hours later, the door opened and the Empress emerged with Karen.

“Son-in-law, I hear that besides Karen, your other wives are pregnant as well. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The heir to the Grand Duke’s family will be Karen’s child, correct?”

“Pardon?”

I couldn’t answer the Empress’s question immediately.

The question had come from an angle I hadn’t even considered.

“Son-in-law, you are the head of this country’s only Grand Ducal family. Although the Grand Duke title is merely a single-succession title, your children will each receive different titles as members of the Grand Ducal family.”

This was news to me. So the children of a Grand Ducal family receive different titles.

“This is legally established to prevent disputes over family assets. Therefore, only children born to the official wife can inherit the Severio family name. And even then, only children born to a wife of the highest noble status qualify.”

I could only nod at the Empress’s words.

“So I’m telling you this in advance. To prevent any issues later, make it clear to your wives. As Karen’s mother, I wish for Karen’s child to become the heir to the Grand Ducal family.”

“Mother, you needn’t worry about that. We’ve already discussed this among ourselves.”

“What?”

Both the Empress and I were startled by Karen’s words.

She had never mentioned this to me before. When did they have this conversation?

“Everyone knows that since I’m a member of the imperial family and the first wife, my children have priority in succession rights. And the others aren’t particularly interested in having their children inherit the family headship. They all want their children to continue their own work rather than inheriting the title and getting entangled in political struggles and family feuds.”

“That’s a relief.”

So the wives had already discussed this among themselves without my knowledge.

It would have been troublesome if they all insisted that their own children should become the family head…

It seems my wives have reached a good agreement, so such problems won’t arise.

“By the way, besides Karen, who else is pregnant?”

“Headmistress Regina Blasteria and… Etherna Lumio Sol.”

“My goodness!”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Regina and Etherna to get pregnant.

Who would have thought that Regina and Etherna, with whom I had early relationships, would become pregnant.

For reference, Regina is carrying the triplets, and Etherna is carrying the twins.

“Then I’ll need to prepare five more sets.”

The “five sets” referred to gifts for babies that parents send to their children when they become grandparents.

In the Celebrio Empire, it’s apparently tradition for grandparents to gift the first clothes their grandchildren will wear.

“Son-in-law, be sure to bring the children when they’re born. And if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. The imperial palace has very skilled midwives.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”

After securing the Empress’s solid promise of support, Karen and I headed to the mansion where the others would be waiting.

“I think this is my first time visiting the capital mansion.”

“The servants regularly clean and maintain it. And it’s the home where we’ll all live together after graduation, right?”

Karen was right. The capital mansion would be our home once I graduated.

From this semester on, I won’t actually be attending the academy.

That’s because my wives are pregnant, and I need to focus on taking care of them.

I’ve heard it said before:

If you don’t properly care for your wife during pregnancy, her resentment will last until death.

Especially during early pregnancy, when morning sickness is severe and food preferences become particular, it’s really difficult.

‘Hmm, I should prepare plenty of ingredients.’

For the wives I’ve found in this world, especially those carrying my children, I must take care of them diligently day and night.

Of course, there are servants, but there’s a world of difference between caring for them myself and asking servants to do it.

If I don’t want to face complaints later, I need to work hard now.

“Your Grace, we’ve arrived at the mansion.”

“Thank you for your work.”

I thanked the coachman driving the imperial carriage and entered the capital mansion with Karen.

As expected of a mansion built on prime real estate in the capital, it was magnificent and splendid.

It seemed His Highness the Crown Prince had prepared a proper mansion.

“Grand Duke, Grand Duchess, I am the head steward managing this mansion by order of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

A well-dressed man in butler’s attire introduced himself at the entrance.

“Pleased to meet you. When I see His Highness, I’ll tell him you’ve done excellent work.”

“That’s unnecessary, Your Grace. This is simply my duty.”

He then guided us into the mansion.

The mansion within Glesius Academy was nice, but we weren’t going to live there forever.

This mansion, however, would be where my wives, our children, and I would live for the rest of our lives.

“This mansion is officially registered under Marquis Severio’s name. Therefore, even if you relinquish the title of Grand Duke Aurelion, this mansion will still belong to you, Your Grace.”

“Head Steward, is the pantry well-stocked with ingredients?”

“Yes, of course. The other Grand Duchesses have already inspected… huh?”

As the head steward was about to report on the inspection status in response to Karen’s question, we suddenly heard something collapsing.

Along with the sound of something crumbling, a man who appeared to be a servant rushed over and bowed to the head steward.

“Head Steward! I apologize! During the storage expansion construction, a pillar collapsed due to what seems to be defective materials!”

“Any casualties?”

“No casualties, but… well…”

Seeing the servant’s nervous demeanor in response to the head steward’s question, I guessed something had happened.

“What happened?”

“Well… when the pillar fell, it damaged part of the mansion wall.”

“What?!”

Shocked by the servant’s words, the head steward immediately rushed to the accident site with the servant.

Curious about what had happened, I sent Karen ahead and walked to where the steward and servant had gone.

“What are you doing?! You need to focus when you work! How do you expect to make a living like this?!”

“I’m sorry, Head Steward! It seems there were defective materials mixed in…”

At the accident site, I could clearly see a pillar that had split in two, rotted in the middle.

Finding myself with nothing better to do, I picked up a hammer lying nearby and tapped the pillar three times.

Instantly, the rotten, broken wooden pillar became whole again, with a glossy surface.

“Huh? Your Grace?”

“The pillar is good as new now, so continue with the construction.”

“Ah, yes! Resume construction immediately!”

“Yes, Head Steward!”

As construction resumed, I left the site and went inside the mansion to see my wives.

“Can’t you focus? Why do you keep spacing out and breaking things?!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

What I saw was a maid being scolded for breaking a glass.

Well.

Clearly, defeating demon gods doesn’t mean the world will always be peaceful.