episode_0031

A few nights after getting married.

I can’t sleep today.

I thought they would attack you like an animal.

Fortunately, what I thought didn’t happen.

That he wouldn’t take my virginity for this long.

Perhaps this means that he has no intention of taking it by force?

“That one thing is fortunate.”

With that thought in mind, I look at one side of the empty bed.

A person who stays in his office every day except the day he gets married.

According to the rumor told by Ifa, I heard that they eat there and sleep there too.

Even before we got married, I had heard a few times that he was crazy about work.

I heard that his office is brightly lit every day until late at night.

It’s a good thing that people are more interested in work than me.

I feel very grateful that I can sleep alone like this after getting married.

But why does he work so hard?

Foolishly… It’s unfamiliar to see me working all night.

Neither her father nor her brother did anything like that.

Perhaps because they were both family people, they always ate breakfast and dinner together, and after 8 p.m., they would eat fruit in the family area and talk about what happened that day.

Even my father, who was an emperor who always seemed busy, didn’t work all day like that.

Of course, the four of us, my mother, Joey, and I, have breakfast every morning at Devian, but unless there is anything else special to do, we are always in the office.

It’s a public holiday for a week, so what’s there to do?

I don’t know what there is much to do during the period when most of the imperial administrative agencies are on break.

It’s a good thing that I can’t see your face thanks to you.

Actually, I don’t understand him.

-Yes, that’s right. What do you think I would have done if you kept saying you didn’t want to write?

-In the end, my threat was blackmail. It was Ifa’s hair for that purpose, and I just happened to hear that Ifa was giving my information to someone.

When I heard him say that he had achieved his desired goal by shaking me with my family. He felt like a monster devoid of emotions.

Is it really possible that he has no emotions?

However, Debian is not an evil person.

-Who are you looking at as a murderer? Actually, I actually like this group.

-You like it?

-huh. He is very loyal and will not hesitate to do dangerous things for his master. In fact, I only wish I had a servant like that.

If he were a villain, he would have just killed Ifa.

They wouldn’t have had the trouble of taking it out of the palace. So, is this a power-mad traitor?

Are they staying up all night trying to find something to rob the empire?

That can’t be… no way.

For a moment, I erase the absurd imagination I had in mind.

I don’t know. I just can’t figure out what he’s thinking or what he wants.

He’s not a villain, but he’s not a traitor either.

As expected… is he trying to usurp us?

I can’t sleep because of the constant thoughts.

-Sleep…

Enjoying the soft feel of the blanket, you toss and turn to force yourself to sleep.

Moonlight faintly enters the room.

The time when we can live in peace like this will soon end, right?

Once the holidays are over, won’t Debian try to expand its influence in earnest?

Wouldn’t that disrespect my authority?

He has already taken away all real power from the emperor.

That’s why I’m afraid of him working so hard at something.

Because I don’t know what he’s planning.

I am afraid of him.

Power cannot be shared even with children.

That word has been heard for a long time to the point where it makes my ears tingle.

There is no way that Devian, whose emotions have been worn away, would respect himself.

If the opportunity arises later, he may try to remove me and become emperor himself.

Until then… you might try to embarrass me.

To trample on the authority of the emperor. To further solidify his power.

But I have no intention of accepting it gently.

The only authority you have.

Because you have the right to inspect the Archduke.

Couldn’t we do something with that?

Wouldn’t that be enough to save the empire?

With that thought in mind, I finally fall asleep.

***

“Waaam!”

I’m so sleepy that I yawn.

I didn’t sleep… too much.

All overdue work has been completed.

I look around my desolate office with no one around.

Is it because Agrippa is not there?

“I don’t want to work.”

I’m struggling with my papers and thesis, but someone else is having a happy time with their girlfriend.

Feeling unfair, I force myself to open my eyes and look at the clock.

“Ike… It’s time to say hello to my mother-in-law.”

After a quick wash in the bathroom provided in the office, I leave the room.

As I live with my in-laws, my mother-in-law is a great source of strength to me.

Instead of unconditionally hating me like Theodora, she looks at me with a bit of pity.

Maybe it’s because he knows the abuse I received from Valorant when I was young.

Because that incident was so famous.

If the late emperor had not stepped forward at that time, his head might have been cut off by the guillotine.

So, although I cannot be nice to the late emperor who is already dead, I think I should be nice to his wife, my mother-in-law.

Perhaps because I visit my mother-in-law every day, I make eye contact with the guard whose face now feels familiar to me.

-smart!

“The Empress Dowager and Her Majesty the Grand Duke have arrived.”

[Ask them to come in.]

A guard opens the door at the sound of a benevolent voice.

“Mother Empress Dowager, have you been at peace?”

My mother-in-law speaks with a kind smile at my words.

“Yes, thanks to you, I was able to sleep without any problems.”

Theodora and Joey next to their mother-in-law.

“Did your brother-in-law sleep well too?”

“Yes, I slept well too.”

Saying that, he sits down next to Theodora.

“Our whole family is here, so please serve dinner quickly.”

At the mother-in-law’s words, the servants bring breakfast.

That’s how breakfast started.

As the meal comes to a close without speaking to each other, a light dessert is served.

“From what I heard, I heard that you slept late again today. Are you really okay?”

How did you know I slept late?

At those words, the eyes of the other two women naturally focused on me.

“Don’t worry. It’s not difficult at all because I think it’s for my wife and Her Majesty the Emperor.”

Let me say this in a very playful voice.

-Cook!

Theodora pokes my thigh with her finger.

“Although you are young now, it is okay to overwork yourself, but it will all come back when you get older.”

Joy also takes up the baton from her mother-in-law, who speaks with her eyes closed while holding a teacup.

“That’s right, brother-in-law. It’s a holiday, so take a break.”

Although it is a holiday, Theodora’s duties will soon begin.

The first meeting with the ministers of the 5th division.

The existing imperial political system has an emperor and is directly below the emperor.

The emperor rules the empire through five ministries: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Military Affairs, and the Ministry of the Interior.

However, the law was recently changed, and a new institution called the Grand Duchy was created between the emperor and the five ministers.

And the head of the Grand Duke is me.

As a result, there is a lot to prepare for this cabinet meeting.

“Haha… I have a lot to do after the holidays, so I’m going to do it in advance.”

Saying that, I look at the clock on the wall and stand up.

“Mother-in-law, sister-in-law. I have some business to attend to, so I’ll leave.”

“Okay, you’ll have a hard time today too.”

“I hope your mother-in-law has a good day today. And… honey?”

I bow my head once to my mother-in-law, who speaks kindly, and look at Theodora and say.

It’s not a big deal to be married to someone else.

But we never do it when me and Theodora are alone.

I started writing it on my own just to reassure my mother-in-law that we were getting along harmoniously, and every time I hear it, I’m scared to sing it because I think of Theodora, who causes a stir.

“What is it?”

I say this to her who frowns and shows that she doesn’t like it when I say she’s my honey.

“Can you come to my office for a moment after the meal?”

He nods his head as if my words are no big deal.

“Well, of course.”

With those words, I stand up and head to the office.

-Tap…tap…

I’ve been worried about Theodora lately.

That’s right… Theodora I wonder if she has a good grasp of the reality of this empire.

The position of emperor is a position where enormous authority and power are concentrated.

If you use that power incorrectly, it is not a problem to ruin a country.

Theodora in the original learned things about reality by rolling around, but the girl I am now married to does not.

If I don’t want to be embarrassed at this cabinet meeting and if I want the empire to run smoothly when I disappear in the future…

I need to teach politics to Theodora soon.

Therefore, whenever I have time, I organize important issues in the current empire.

“Really… I wish I had just one more body.”

With that in mind, I arrive at my office and look through the papers.

How much time has passed?

-smart!

[His Royal Highness, the Emperor has arrived.]

“Hurry and take them.”

-Squeak!

As I said that, the door opened and Theodora came in with a frown on her face.

However, when Theodora saw papers neatly piled up all over the room, her eyes widened and she spoke.

“I’m going to clean up my room.”

“I need to see all of that.”

To be more precise, Theodora clicks her tongue and says after seeing the pile of papers I read in my spare time, fearing that there might be papers that could be helpful to the empire.

“Tsk tsk… But why did you call me?”

I say this to her who says she doesn’t like me being alone with her.

“There’s a cabinet meeting soon, right?”

“So?”

“Do you know what agenda is coming up this time?”

She shakes her head at my words.

“Ha…”

I sigh from the beginning.

It is understandable that the emperor’s assistants did not know since the positions of the emperor’s aides became vacant during the Valorant period, but it gives me a headache to hear that the emperor, who is the chairman of the State Council, does not know the agenda of the meeting.

If you are the chairman and no one tells you the agenda, shouldn’t you find out for yourself?

With that in mind, I think I did a good job preparing in advance.

and…

“Now then, take this.”

I hand Theodora a sheaf of paper containing hundreds of pages.

-Smurf

Theodora takes it, flips through a few pages, and asks me with red eyes full of doubt.

“What is this?”

“I have summarized the agenda to be presented at this cabinet meeting and the background to the agenda. Look at it here and ask if you don’t know anything.”

“Uh…?”

Ignoring her wide eyes as if she was embarrassed by my behavior, I put the papers on the desk.

“For your information, if you don’t understand half of that, you won’t be able to leave this room today.”

“Now… wait a minute?!”

“Huh? Why?”

“This is… too much, right?”

I say this with a puzzled expression as I look at Theodora, whose face has become haggard.

As I say that, I point to the mountain of thousands of sheets of paper on my desk.

“No? It’s only a few hundred pieces.”

His expression scrunches up at my words.

“Hundreds of copies!, and why should I do that?”

I calmly ask that question.

“So you know all this?”

“No…”

“But you are the emperor, right? Wouldn’t it be a shame if the emperor didn’t know how the empire works?”

“That… That…”

“Or during the cabinet meeting, are you just going to nod your head without knowing anything and do everything your subjects tell you to do?”

“No…”

She shakes her head slightly at my words.

“Then I guess I’ll have to see it all.”

“…”

I see him frown at my words and sit on the sofa and slowly begin to read, so I do my own thing.

-Sreuk…

that day…

Theodora could barely fall asleep until dawn.