episode_0095

One morning at the end of a long winter.

“Umm…”

Something is hugging my body.

Something with just the right temperature keeps rubbing against my chest.

what…?

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling numb as if the blood in my left arm was not flowing…

Theodora is hugging me tightly, probably because she was cold all night.

“Whoaam…”

Sleepy.

I want to sleep a little more, but I have a lot of work to do, so I try to get her off me carefully.

They were hugging me so tightly…

I carefully straighten the fingers that were holding my waist, one by one, and pull the blanket up to her neck to prevent her from catching a cold.

I’ll have to check with everyone later and ask them to change the bedding.

Winter is almost over, but…

Because sometimes it gets quite cold in the early morning.

With that in mind, I wash up and head to the study room.

“Your Highness, good morning…”

I wave to Müller and Lucius who are tired.

“Okay.”

-Squeak…

I start my day today by sitting in my office chair.

The moment when you have breakfast with the royal family and are about to go back to work.

[His Royal Highness Princess Joy has arrived.]

huh? Is Joey ever coming?

With that in mind, let’s tell him to come in.

Joy runs up to me like a curious puppy.

“Brother-in-law!, Brother-in-law, I have a favor to ask!”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

I am curious to hear that Joy, the princess of the empire, has something to ask of me.

I’m willing to do anything for my cute sister-in-law, but…

what? Do you want to eat oysters like last time?

If that’s the case, I’d have to tell my mother-in-law…

The meal menu is within the mother-in-law’s authority.

In other words, no matter how much I rule the empire, it is difficult for my country to allow me to infringe on my mother-in-law’s authority.

Because if your mother-in-law hates you, you can’t get the unicorn horn.

“I want to enter the Imperial Academy!”

“Huh? Imperial Academy?”

Come to think of it, I understand that now is the time to accept new students.

Joy, who nods her head with bright eyes at my words, speaks with excitement, unable to hide it.

“Yes! I also want to go to the academy and learn various things and make friends.”

“That’s…”

Entering the academy when less than two months had passed since my sister-in-law was almost kidnapped…

Since only a small number of security guards are allowed inside the academy, there are more than one thing to worry about.

But Joey doesn’t care about my thoughts and tells me one by one the reasons why he wants to go to the academy.

“If you go to the academy, you will have a lot of friends my age, you will have a lot to learn, and it will definitely be helpful when you work at the university in the future!”

“That’s… not the problem. It hasn’t been long since the kidnapping incident.”

Joey, who looks like a lively puppy, speaks hesitantly.

“Well… But… I’ve only stayed in the imperial palace… but I want to go outside. It’s so frustrating to stay in the imperial palace.”

For her, who has been going back and forth between the imperial palace and Roman city for a long time, the current situation must feel frustrating.

“Sister-in-law, I know it’s frustrating, but there are still forces targeting you. If something happens to my sister-in-law from those guys… how can I look at Theodora and my mother-in-law?”

In fact, unlike my mother-in-law and Theodora, she is lively and cute, so I think it would be quite bitter if something happened to her.

Since she is short-lived in the original work, I am a little more concerned.

“But…”

I think to myself as I look at Joy who wants to leave with pitiful eyes.

“I would rather be allowed to go out about once a month…”

When I tried to say something, Joey firmly cut me off and shouted.

“I don’t like it! I’ve been patient for a long time!”

Even though she’s usually a tomboy, I can’t hide my embarrassment when I see Joy, who doesn’t make loud noises in front of me, shout loudly.

-Quick!

“Who is yelling?”

Theodora opens the door without any courtesy and comes in.

“Uh… sister?”

“Joy, what is your habit of speaking to your brother-in-law?”

Cold sweat runs down my back as I see Theodora glaring at Joey with her red eyes.

For no reason… it seems like they started a fight between sisters because I didn’t give them permission, right?

Of course, there is a valid reason, but compared to the shy Mary, the airy Joy feels more like a younger sister.

To be honest, why would I look at Seonjae Mary as my younger sister?

“That… that…”

Joey takes a step back as if he is scared of Theodora.

“What is it? Why did you scream?”

But the back of Joy’s dress is all cut out?

Isn’t it cold?

When I think like that.

-Tadadadadak!

“Brother-in-law! Sister, you were bad!”

Leave this place.

At least it’s a girlish reaction compared to Mary or Theodora.

“You. Why did you fight with Joy?”

I shrug my shoulders and say that.

“I’ve never had a fight. Just…”

It must be frustrating.

Haven’t I been so frustrated that I go to the night market once a week?

Of course, I have not gone into hiding since the assassination incident.

If my personal information is exposed, it will inevitably be dangerous.

However, if you go to Rome with knights…

It attracts too much attention, so I can’t do what I want to do in secret.

No… I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my freedom properly.

“What is it?”

“Hmm…”

Can you tell me?

I can’t open my mouth because I’m worried that if I say something, I’ll break Joy.

Originally, I had no intention of confining him to the imperial palace for this long…

Now that I think about it… the night market opens today, right?

ah! Shall we do that?

A good idea comes to mind and I say it with a smile.

“Later… I’ll tell you later.”

Theodora narrows her eyes and sighs softly.

“Don’t you think it’s strange?”

As I flinched a little as if being stabbed by those words, her gaze became colder.

“Suspicious.”

“Kuhm… What’s there to be suspicious about?”

I spoke as shamelessly as possible and Theodora sighed.

“Are you really going to do something strange again?”

“Doing something strange?”

He nods his head with a gentle smile at my words.

“Secretly leaving the imperial palace, or having Lucius practically imprisoned in the imperial palace in the name of recruiting talent… or taking Lucius’ freedom as a hostage and bringing Müller and Maximilian to the imperial palace.”

I say that because I am dumbfounded.

“You secretly left the imperial palace… What you say will be misunderstood if anyone hears it…”

And Lucius was never imprisoned in the imperial palace.

They send you off in the imperial carriage until you get off work?

And to top it off, he gave Lucius his freedom as a hostage.

“To say that the emperor gave birth to a baby…”

Theodora is embarrassed when she looks at me with cold eyes while saying those words.

“Well… why is that?”

“The emperor must always use civilized language. Isn’t that right?”

In response to my words, he folds his arms and speaks hesitantly, as if he is a little embarrassed.

“Heung, Hwa… The emperor is also a person, right? And only at times like this is he called emperor. As for the things I usually pamper, I always pamper myself.”

I chuckle at those words.

“Really? Then I won’t cook it for you.”

I say as I get up from the chair, gesturing to her for a chair.

“Would you like to sit here and work instead of me from now on?”

She blushes at my words and shakes her head.

“I don’t like it, I won’t do it! I won’t do it.”

At those words, I chuckle and sit back in the chair.

“I’m sorry…”

“No? Since she’s your sister, she’s just like my sister, right?”

Honestly, I don’t know what you’re thinking…

Theodora, with a gentle smile, sits down on my desk and says.

“Thank you for saying that.”

Theodora said that and slowly approached me.

uh? Wait a minute? Is this something like that?

I turn my head as fast as I can as I see her lowering her upper body towards me with a shy face.

I have a feeling that if I kiss here, I will be assassinated while pregnant.

What should I do? How can we avoid this situation?

I close my eyes and my heart races as I see her face slowly getting closer to mine.

Damn… it’s pretty, but wake up!

“His Royal Highness, the Minister of Finance visited.”

nice! Lucius. nice! Frank.

“Kuhm… Come on in.”

When I spoke so hastily, Theodora’s face turned red…

-Quick!

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, what you said last time… Ah! His Majesty the Emperor was here too… Ugh!”

As Theodora hurriedly turns her head, Frank collapses awkwardly.

Like someone who has encountered the grim reaper.

Would I be lucky if only the back of her head was visible from my side?

“Secretary Frank…”

“Wow, Your Majesty… Your Majesty?!”

I say as I see Frank approaching with great strides.

“Keuhum… Your Majesty. I’m on official duty right now. We’ll talk about the rest at night, right?”

Her steps stop at my words, and her shoulders tremble slightly.

And then… he clears his throat and stares at me with a heated face.

“Kuhm… Well… I think that would be a good idea. I guess I’ll just go.”

Theodora says that and leaves.

and…

“Your Majesty the Archduke! Woah… His Majesty the Emperor glared at me almost as if he was going to kill me. Um… am I going to be fired now?”

I say this as I look at Frank, who is shaking and unable to hide the smile on his face.

“It absolutely can’t happen, right? The Minister is essential to the Empire. No matter how angry His Majesty is with the Minister, I will tell him well.”

Frank’s smile disappears at my words.

Where are you trying to run away?