episode_0188

The evening of the cabinet meeting.

-Squeak.

“came out.”

When I enter the room, Theodora, who is reading a book on her bed, makes eye contact with me.

“Are you here?”

“Yeah, I’m a little tired.”

Saying that, he lies down on the sofa and loosens his tie.

“Are you very tired?”

“Yeah, I really feel like I’m going to die.”

I wonder why there are so many things to do, and I feel like I could die from overwork these days.

When you close your eyes and feel like you’re going to fall asleep for a while.

A hand gently stroking my head.

When the touch feels good.

I hear a sweet voice coming from above my head.

“Could you trust me a little more?”

I answer her slightly sad voice.

“I always believe in you.”

To be honest, I don’t believe it.

Because the political world is like a place with thin ice.

A place where yesterday’s enemy can become today’s comrade, and yesterday’s friend can become today’s enemy…

Because it is imperial politics.

“P, lie. If you really trusted me… you would have told me the truth.”

Those words make me tingle inside, and I try to find a lame excuse.

She speaks first.

“I’m sorry.”

I don’t understand her sudden apology.

What am I sorry for? Out of curiosity, I ask her.

“What?”

“Just… everything. How you insulted your mother-in-law who died while protecting you that day… and everything you said back then.”

At that time…

It’s that day.

She cried that day and I held her hair.

And she insulted and cursed me.

I left her indifferently and left.

Memories of that day.

She and I had deliberately avoided mentioning that day until now.

“Is that why you don’t trust me?”

“That’s not…”

Her gentle touch.

On the contrary, a trembling voice.

“Then why aren’t you telling me anything?”

“What… should I say?”

“Why you are still leaving the protesters alone, and what Savinelli saw that night. You won’t tell me?”

I close my mouth at her words.

Because I have nothing to say to her.

This is the best for now.

How many strongmen have I defeated so far the way I did?

He defeated Valorant, the strongest knight in the empire, and defeated King Ioannes, the leader of the most powerful force in the empire and who had acquired three kingdoms.

All of that is because I thoroughly control my emotions.

I close my eyes and suppress my shaking heart as much as I can.

“Okay, if you can’t speak first, I’ll speak first.”

What do you mean?

“I don’t know about you, but some time ago, after you said you would appoint Savinelli as Minister of Justice, a banquet was held at the Imperial faction.”

I know that.

At that time, the banquet was attended by Roman’s biggest figures, so after the intelligence department wiretapped it, the important information was reported to me.

It was that time, right? Did the Emperor’s faction notice that I was secretly practicing?

“At that time, a count named Dera insisted that you be assassinated.”

The story at that time was summarized and reported to me.

Count Terah, who wanted to kill me, and Theodora, who punished him.

“I snorted at his absurd words. Because if you die, your soldiers will go on a rampage.”

What do you want to say?

“But Count Terah said so. The reason I can’t assassinate you is because if you die, command of the Grand Duke’s army will pass to Princess Mary and there will be chaos… I will assassinate you when a child is born between you and me.”

-I flinch.

My body is shaking without me knowing.

“Huh?”

As I flinched slightly, she made a curious voice, so I quickly turned around.

“So?”

You must remain calm.

My body reacted instinctively to the fact that she knew what I was most afraid of.

Pretending like nothing happened… pretending to be bold.

I don’t know what she’ll do if she finds out I’m afraid.

You should leave her virginity alone, annul the marriage, and leave.

If I were to leave after living with her, I would be complicating the succession issue of this empire.

I think calmly and suppress my emotions.

“Uhm… I was very angry at those words. I felt unbearably insulted by Terah’s words about using the fruit of your love for me politically.”

I have mixed feelings about her words.

Is it her trap? It could be that she mixed the truth with lies by saying something like this happened.

On the other hand, maybe it was her true feelings.

What should I do?

What are her true intentions?

I gently open my eyes because I want to know her true feelings.

Theodora looking down at me.

When I look at her, her eyes look a little strange.

A puzzling emotion is projected into her red eyes, as if she is faced with a situation that is difficult to understand.

“Now… I told you the secret I had been hiding from you. So… can you please tell me a secret too?”

My firm resolve is shaken by the earnest expression and tone of voice.

No… I’ve won so far… It’s all because of thorough security.

If I had accidentally revealed the secret, the triumphal ceremony might have gone to Ioannes.

Or maybe Valorant lost his head.

You can’t let a moment’s emotion ruin your future actions.

“I have no secrets.”

Theodora’s eyes turn dark at my words.

“Aren’t there really demon worshipers active?”

I nod my head at those words.

“Yes, I have never received such a report. Maybe Savinelli saw it wrong.”

She shakes her head at my words.

“Lie. You are scared now.”

-I flinch.

“You are good at lying… but when you get caught. It’s sloppy.”

As I hear those words, I fall into silence, lost in thought, and my mind becomes complicated.

She says, gently licking her lips.

“Still, I think I know roughly what they’re hiding. I won’t disturb you, and I won’t tell anyone.”

When I felt strange hearing her voice change in mood for a moment.

-side!

“Anytime… If you change your mind, please let me know. I am your only wife, right?”

Saying that, I glance at her heading towards the bed and close my eyes.

I don’t know what’s what… anymore.

***

What is he so afraid of?

I get lost in thought while listening to his feeble breathing.

[But Count Dera said so. The reason I can’t assassinate you is because if you die, command of the Grand Duke’s army will pass to Princess Mary and there will be chaos… Let’s assassinate you when a child is born between you and me.]

-I flinch.

Strange, why did he react to those words?

Does he really think that when I have a child, I’m going to kill him?

[Aren’t there really demon worshipers active?]

[Yes, I have never received such a report. Perhaps Savinelli saw it wrong.]

[lie. You are afraid now.]

-I flinch.

His reaction was very small.

Is it because I lived with him for a long time?

I can feel some of his habits.

That he feels fear when he mentions having children and demon worshipers.

He is not a demon worshiper, but he clearly wants to stop them.

I don’t know why, but he doesn’t want people to know that demon worshipers are active.

Probably… to bring down the demon worshipers.

His specialty is deception.

The moment his opponent becomes confident that he has won, his specialty is throwing him off a cliff.

It’s probably because they have something in mind that they are withholding information from us.

Something is bothering me.

Why does Debian push itself so hard?

Can’t we trust the people around us a little more?

Is it because of something that happened when I was young?

A childhood story about Debian that I heard about from my mother.

He heard that he lost his mother due to the betrayal of a servant he trusted.

Is it because of that? Is that why you don’t open your heart to me easily?

It’s sad and frustrating.

He fights against demon worshipers in unseen places and supports the empire alone.

He works hard and overworks himself until late at night every day.

I have no idea what Debian is seeing or thinking.

I gently get off the bed and walk towards the sofa where Devian sleeps.

Devian curled up on the sofa and sleeping.

“You… are fighting a very difficult fight.”

If I had let it be known that a demon cult was active… I wouldn’t have had to hear that insult from Savinelli just a moment ago…

Watching him sleep soundly, I press my lips against his cheek.

-side.

“Lean a little more on me.”

He must be acting like a maverick because he has a plan.

Because that’s the only time he goes out like this.

Previously, when he succeeded in killing Valorant, and during the civil war with Ioannes.

There were times when he behaved in ways that were difficult to understand.

Epirus and Egypt were handed over to Ioannes, and the Golden Knights, the strongest military group in the empire, were all imprisoned.

Everyone criticizes and criticizes him… but in the end, what he did while being criticized played a decisive role in turning the situation around.

Looking at Devian’s sleeping face, I feel a little disgusted.

Even if you had told me in advance… I wouldn’t have done it.

But he doesn’t share his thoughts with me.

I wish you would trust me a little more.

Come to think of it…

It seems like they’re afraid of something happening…

Could it be that he is considering what Count Dera said?

“No way.”

She still loves him so much, but how could she kill Devian when she and him even had a child?

Thinking that it couldn’t be possible, I quickly shake off the ridiculous thought.