Side Story 3.1

At the peaceful Imperial Palace, many would agree that the most serene place was the Ruby Palace. During the previous Emperor’s reign, countless consorts vied for his attention, but now there was only one Empress. And that Empress, Edelis Cronad, was peacefully sleeping on her bed. Perhaps it was the peace, or the nice weather, or the gentle breeze, but she had fallen asleep without even realizing it. When she finally opened her eyes, Lehan was sitting beside her.

“Lehan.”

With sleepy eyes, Edelis smiled faintly and placed her hand on top of his. The warmth confirmed that this happy scene was not a dream, making her even happier.

“Are you resting well?”

“Mmm. I’ve been sleeping a lot lately, it’s strange.”

“It must be because the weather is so nice.”

Lehan moved a strand of Edelis’s hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek. She giggled at his touch, and his smile deepened.

“I was about to wake you up. You should eat on time.”

“Eat…? Already?”

“Yes, it’s already a little past lunchtime.”

“I only planned to sleep for 30 minutes…”

But contrary to Edelis’s plan, three hours had passed. She felt like she was sleeping more than usual, but she just enjoyed the peace, assuming it was because she had fewer things to worry about. Lehan helped Edelis sit up, and she put on the slippers next to the bed and stood.

“You still look tired.”

“I know, it’s strange how tired I’ve been lately.”

Lehan was the one working hard, but she felt like she was more tired. Was this the difference in stamina?

“Because I was worried about your health, I ordered a special nourishing meal for lunch.”

Edelis naturally took his arm and walked with him to the dining room.

“…I’m not that unhealthy, though.”

“I thought I might be the root cause of your fatigue.”

Edelis playfully glared at him for his joke. She didn’t deny what he said at all. The biggest reason for her fatigue was probably because Lehan didn’t let her go until the morning sun rose.

“If you know that, why don’t you let me sleep early?”

“Since I can’t do that, I’ve prepared a nourishing meal.”

“You have an answer for everything!”

She playfully hit his shoulder, and he laughed happily at her reaction, as usual. They were so peaceful, unlike people who had recently gone through various troubles.

“Actually, preparing this nourishing meal was not only my idea, but also the ministers’ strong desire.”

“The ministers? Why?”

“It’s probably about an heir, but you don’t need to worry about it.”

“An heir? …They’re already talking about that?”

“It’s almost been a year since we married, and the fact that we share a bedroom isn’t a secret among the palace staff.”

Even though they shared a bedroom, until recently, they had truly just held hands and slept. But to the ministers, it had been a year since the wedding, and there was still no news of an heir, even though the couple seemed to get along better than anyone. There were no consorts, concubines, or mistresses, only the Empress, so it was understandable for the ministers to be worried.

“B-but, there will be news soon.”

Before, nothing had happened, so there was no news to be heard. But now, after something, something so incredible… she thought there might be news. Although she said that, Edelis was also a little anxious. She was receiving all of Lehan’s affection now, but if she couldn’t have a child, the ministers would surely suggest bringing in consorts for an heir. Usually, in such cases, they would adopt a royal family member from a side branch, but all the existing royals had been purged when Lehan ascended the throne. All of the previous Grand Duke Raksid’s children, except for Lehan, were assassinated by the former Emperor, so there was no one left.

‘I was just sleeping without a care in the world a moment ago.’

But now, facing the problem of an “heir,” she felt a strange pain in her lower abdomen. Because of that, even the food prepared by the Imperial chef with all his heart didn’t taste sweet. When Edelis ate just a few bites and put down her fork, Lehan’s worried gaze fell on her.

“Edelis, are you already done eating?”

“I’ve just lost my appetite, it’s strange.”

Knowing that Edelis’s expression had soured after he brought up the topic of an heir, Lehan blamed himself for bringing it up.

“Didn’t I tell you not to worry about an heir?”

“…How can I not? It’s the most important thing for an Empress.”

“You are here as my wife, not just as the Empress, so it’s alright.”

“Even in a common noble family, having an heir is the most important thing.”

“Even in a common family, if I, as the head of the household, say it’s fine, it’s fine.”

“You always have to have your way…”

Still, she didn’t dislike that he said it was okay. Whether a child would be born or not wasn’t up to her to decide; only God knew. A child might not come even if she wanted one, so Lehan’s words were a great comfort. And somehow, she felt that even if the ministers asked him to bring in a consort, he wouldn’t. For the sake of the country, it was right to have a consort to produce an heir, but she didn’t want to share Lehan with anyone else.

‘They say affection grows for one’s children, so Lehan wouldn’t be able to ignore the consort who gives him a child.’

Then she would naturally be pushed aside… The thought made her stomach ache again.

“If we don’t have a child, we’ll just be happy together, and if we do, we’ll be happy with the child.”

“…Will we?”

“Yes. Your happiness is what’s important. Is a child who hasn’t even been born yet more important than you, who is right by my side?”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Edelis smiled faintly, feeling at ease, and he smiled back. And it had only been a year since they were married, so it wasn’t impossible yet. She would take it easy and not worry; a child would come in due time.

“Then please eat your meal comfortably.”

“Mmm, no. I don’t really have an appetite today.”

“It’s not just today; you haven’t had an appetite for a while, have you?”

“…No, I’ve been eating a little bit.”

“Isn’t that too little?”

Edelis’s gaze fell on the plate in front of her. Just as Lehan said, the amount of food on the plate had barely decreased.

“But I really have no appetite…”

“Don’t force yourself to eat if you don’t want to. I’m just worried, that’s all.”

“I’ll eat a little more.”

“Thank you.”

She didn’t know why Lehan was thanking her for eating, but after she took one more spoonful, he smiled with satisfaction, which somehow made her feel a little tingly.

“Right, if I think about it, it’s still too early to have a baby.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, we’re still newlyweds. I think it would be nice to have more time just for the two of us.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be together sweetly until the day we close our eyes.”

Lehan said it with a completely serious face, and it really felt like it would be true. Edelis giggled, and he laughed with her, and she felt a warmth warmer than the spring sun embrace her.

“But I do want a child. I think a son who looks like you would be nice.”

“If we have a child, I’d prefer a daughter who looks like you.”

“Wouldn’t the ministers want a son more? To inherit the throne?”

“It’s not common, but a daughter can also inherit the throne. And just because the ministers want a son doesn’t mean you have to have one.”

How could every single thing he said be so perfect? She had been worried that if she had a daughter, she would have to have another child to pass on the throne, but Lehan’s words made all her worries fly away.

“Still, there might be some friction if a daughter inherits the throne.”

“That’s fine. I can just take care of it before she inherits the throne.”

“How?”

“It’s not a pleasant story, but do you want to hear it?”

For the first time in a while, Lehan had a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Looking at his cold eyes, she worried about what kind of scheme he would come up with, but since it was for their family, she thought it was okay.

“No, I’m sure you’ll handle it well. I trust you.”

“I’ll have to live up to your expectations.”

“Though it’s a bit premature to worry since we don’t even have a child yet.”

Lehan’s expression suddenly turned serious. He pondered Edelis’s words for a moment and then, as if he had come to a conclusion, he spoke.

“A child. You said you want a child?”

“I did, right? A son who looks like you.”

“Then we’ll have to work to have one.”

“…Huh?”

“If we want to have a child, shouldn’t we put in the effort to have one?”

To catch a tiger, you have to go into a tiger’s den. To eat bread, you have to farm wheat. It wasn’t wrong. It was a perfectly obvious statement that you have to put in effort to achieve a goal. But, still, no, how?!

“More than this?”

“Oh, not here… How embarrassing.”

Lehan’s gaze fell on the servants lined up on both sides, and Edelis unconsciously followed his gaze. The shocked faces of the butlers and maids were visible.

“But if you want, I can send them all away and…”

“Ugh!!!!!”

Edelis almost threw her spoon onto the table and jumped up. She got up so quickly that her chair fell backward.

“W-what are you saying right now!”

“I believe you are the one who said ‘here’.”

“No! No! That’s not what I meant! The ‘here’ I meant was ‘now’!”

“N-now…?”

“Why are you blushing there! People will misunderstand!”

“Misunderstand? Is there anyone who misunderstood?”

Lehan glanced around coldly, and all the servants in the dining room bowed their heads. Lehan looked at them with a satisfied smile.

“I guess not.”

“With the Emperor saying that, who would dare to raise their hand?!”

Edelis, her face completely red, launched into a tirade, and Lehan could no longer hold back his laughter. He had succeeded in his prank to tease Edelis again today.

“Don’t laugh!”

This time, as soon as Edelis finished speaking, Lehan’s face turned serious and he looked at her with a stern expression. How could he manage his expression so perfectly in one second after laughing so hard? She was more annoyed than amazed by his calm demeanor.

“I’m leaving.”

“Even though I specially told the head chef to prepare a dessert with lots of your favorite nuts?”

“…”

“He said he put his heart and soul into it… It’s okay if you don’t want to eat it, but I think the chef would be a little disappointed.”

He was so devious. So, so devious. With the Emperor staring so menacingly, the chef wouldn’t be disappointed if the Empress didn’t eat a dessert. He put his heart and soul into every meal, so a dessert was no different. But Lehan added the reason about the chef being disappointed to give her a reason not to refuse. And yet he said it would be okay if she didn’t want to eat it.

“W-well, just one bite… Since he made it with so much effort.”

“Sounds good.”

It would probably be more than one bite, perhaps a whole piece, or even two, and maybe she would have another one during teatime later, but for now, she only agreed to one bite. The maids took the food from the table one by one, and when the table was finally empty, a maid wheeled in a cart. On it was a tart that showed the chef’s culinary passion and a fragrant tea. It was a flower tea from the southern continent that paired perfectly with the tart and that Edelis loved very much. A combination of things she liked should have made it a favorite, but Edelis’s reaction was unexpected.

“Ugh!”

A pale Edelis retched and waved her hand, telling the maid to take it away. The maid, flustered, quickly left, and Lehan, even paler than Edelis, immediately called for the royal physician.

“Edelis, are you alright?”

Edelis shook her head and asked for some fresh air, and all the windows in the dining room were opened. She felt a little better with the fresh air, but the nausea hadn’t subsided. The smell of the tea and the sweet smell of the tart were no different from before, but strangely, a feeling of nausea washed over her. Feeling dizzy, she leaned on Lehan as the head royal physician rushed in with disheveled hair and examined her.

“Your Majesty, has she been sleeping a lot lately?”

“Yes, she seems to be sleeping all day.”

“And has she suddenly lost her appetite for foods she used to enjoy?”

“Yes, she has.”

“And has she been craving sour fruits…”

“Yes, before, I didn’t like sour things like lemons, but they’ve been tasting strangely delicious.”

“Why is that?”

The chief chamberlain standing behind the physician covered his mouth with both hands, his expression full of emotion. The physician’s expression was no different.

“What, what’s wrong?”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“…”

“The Empress is pregnant!”