Special Story 1.2

“The weather has completely cleared up.”

At my words, the emperor smiled brightly as if he had heard a funny story.

He was like that the whole time. The way he was so relaxed next to me was so embarrassing for the people around us.

Just as I was about to scold him to be more discreet, Glenn’s grumbling voice followed from behind.

“Exactly. The weather in the south has just cleared up, and it’s sure to be bitterly cold again when we go to the north.”

I knew why Glenn was so upset. But Adrian answered as if he didn’t know anything.

“Yes, it’s cold there, so when we go this time, I’ll have to take better care of the people of the empire.”

Whenever he did that, I often wondered if he really didn’t understand Glenn’s intentions.

The emperor’s procession for the peace talks was not very large.

Owen and Cedric from the First Knights, my closest lady-in-waiting, Leila, and Glenn accompanied us.

I wanted to take the children with me, but because of the ministers’ firm stance that the emperor and crown prince could not leave the palace at the same time, we had to set out alone.

Hailey said she would stay with Hestia in the palace, and my young daughter also bravely and admirably sent me off.

After a long journey, the grand duke’s castle finally appeared. The overwhelmingly large and sturdy appearance had not changed, but after a long period of peaceful days, the atmosphere had softened a little.

The well-maintained large iron gate opened smoothly, and soon the familiar grand duke’s crest and a familiar face came into view first.

“We greet His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress of the Quinze-Nouais Empire.”

All the servants in the grand duke’s castle came out to the main garden to greet us.

I jumped off my horse faster than Adrian and ran to the people.

“Ben!”

It might have seemed like a frivolous act, but my joy was too great to maintain the dignity of an empress.

As I quickly approached and grabbed his hands, Ben’s eyes darted around, and he looked happy. And right next to Ben, Jenny was already looking at me, tears streaming down her face.

I let go of Ben’s hands and hugged Jenny. Everyone was a welcome sight, as if the time we had spent apart meant nothing.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

At that moment, James and Hobbs called out to me from the left, saluting me as knights.

“Have you been well?”

“James, Hobbs!”

Just as I was about to run up and call their names, someone grabbed me by the waist and whispered in my ear. It was Adrian.

“Not that way.”

He had clearly grabbed me in a hurry, in case I tried to hug James and Hobbs. Adrian put on a nonchalant face and gave a benevolent smile to the people.

‘How is it that the empress is always first to you, before me?’

“We apologize, Your Majesty. It was just out of pure joy.”

It was true that James and Hobbs hadn’t seen me in a very long time. When we were decorating the greenhouse together, they probably never imagined such a long separation.

“Please come inside first. My lady, no, Your Majesty.”

Ben blushed, seemingly embarrassed that he had used the wrong title. He looked a little older than before, but he seemed quite healthy. The feeling of warmth, despite the cold weather, made me feel like a new bride returning to her family home.

***

‘The King of Hadena will set foot in the grand duke’s castle in two days.’

“I heard the King of Hadena is just a puppet of his father, the retired king. I don’t know how they are pushing this forward.”

“The retired king’s health has deteriorated rapidly. Rumors are even circulating that he is already dead.”

Adrian only learned the full story of the peace proposal after arriving in the north. It was still difficult for news from the Eastern Continent to reach the south.

“Well, even though Hadena is a small kingdom, he is still a king, so we must be fully prepared for his welcome.”

Glenn nodded and added, “Her Majesty the Empress is in the midst of preparing for the banquet. You don’t have to worry about that part.”

Just the mention of ‘the empress’ was enough to subtly soften the emperor’s face. Glenn shook his head, bowed respectfully, and left the office.

At that time, Owen and Cedric were in the glass greenhouse. For the past few days, they had been receiving extremely generous treatment from the grand duke’s castle servants, simply because they were the captain and vice-captain of the imperial palace’s First Knights.

“By the way, I’m so bored I could die, maybe because we’re not here for a fight.”

Owen chuckled at Cedric’s words and looked around the greenhouse. This was the first time he had stayed in the grand duke’s castle with such a relaxed mind. For them, the grand duke’s castle had always been just a base for combat.

“This place is always so beautiful. If Lady Claire hadn’t stayed here, I never would have known such a place existed in the desolate grand duke’s castle.”

“You must not speak of Her Majesty the Empress so casually.”

At that moment, the empress’s closest lady-in-waiting also entered the greenhouse, guided by the grand duke’s castle servants.

For the first time since he was ten, Owen was scolded by someone else. From a young age, he had been in the position of teaching others.

That had been his life, so it was a very rare experience to be scolded by someone who was not the emperor or empress.

But the empress’s closest lady-in-waiting walked slowly, her expression unchanged, and sat down in the seat opposite them.

Cedric also felt just as uncomfortable. She was a woman he had once been betrothed to, and he had been quite rude by sending his letter of refusal too late.

But this young lady sat up straight with an unblemished posture and raised the teacup placed in front of her.

The sunlight flickered, illuminating and then leaving her light blonde hair.

“I apologize, Lady-in-waiting. I made a mistake, lost in old memories.”

Since it was a particularly sensitive thing to say in front of the empress’s closest lady-in-waiting, Owen quickly admitted his mistake. Leila gave a slight nod at his attitude.

And soon, a deadly awkwardness hung in the air between the three of them.

Leila was also being treated with great respect here, just like them.

Since it wasn’t the imperial palace, she didn’t have any specific empress-related duties to take care of, so she had a little more free time, just like them.

At that moment, Cedric couldn’t stand it any longer and sprang to his feet.

“Ah, I think I saw a dangerous beast just outside, so I’ll go take a look.”

There was no way there was a dangerous beast inside the grand duke’s castle. But Owen was beaten to the punch by Cedric.

No matter how much they were knights who only associated with men, they were still nobles at their core. He couldn’t leave a woman alone while drinking tea.

As Cedric stood up and bowed, Leila also got up and bowed in return.

The air of awkwardness flowed between the two of them again.

“……The tea tastes good.”

Leila glanced at Owen’s teacup as he said that. It looked as if he hadn’t even touched it, but Leila still bowed her head in response to his words.

“The weather is very nice, too.”

When Owen spoke again, Leila slowly turned her head and looked outside the greenhouse. Just then, the sharp northern wind slammed against the glass wall of the greenhouse.

Owen squeezed his eyes shut.

He would rather a huge beast had broken into this place. Sitting alone with this woman and drinking tea was a very difficult time for Owen, even he couldn’t understand why.

At that moment, a ray of hope appeared for him.

“Captain! His Majesty is looking for you.”

“Ah! Yes. I must go right now.”

“No, it’s not urgent, so you can take your time after you’re done…”

“When His Majesty calls for me, how can it not be urgent?”

Owen gave an awkward smile and unnecessarily dusted off his clothes before getting up.

“His Majesty is calling for me, so I must be going.”

At his words, Leila also stood up like a picture and saw him off. Before she could say not to worry, Owen was gone from her side like the wind.

After everyone had left, Leila’s face finally flushed red.

And soon, she cupped her small face in her two palms.

“Hah, I’ll never be able to get married now.”

Leila stomped her feet in distress.

There was no one in the Quinze-Nouais Empire who didn’t know the story about her.

From the time she was a child and liked Sir Cedric Duncan, begging her mother to send him a marriage proposal, to the fact that she was the last to receive his letter of refusal, all of it was gossiped about by people who enjoyed it.

She had wanted to enter society again to find a husband or go to the academy, but that, too, was met with her parents’ opposition, so she ended up volunteering to become the empress’s lady-in-waiting.

In Quinze-Nouais, many of the noble ladies who went to the academy were women from poor families who wanted to help their families.

Until now, she had no reason to meet Duncan, and her work as a lady-in-waiting suited her quite well, so Leila had been having a very happy time.

But when she was told that she had to go to the grand duke’s castle with him, she felt like crying.

If someone were to ask if she still liked him, she would say absolutely not.

She had been so young back then, and she had only had a brief crush on Cedric as a knight she admired from afar.

But seeing how uncomfortable Sir Owen Devrian was being alone with her, she was convinced that no one in this empire would want a woman with as many rumors as her.

She felt deeply ashamed and sad about that fact.

If he had only acted like that today, Leila would not have felt this miserable.

On the way here, the empress’s carriage had gotten stuck in the mud.

Since they had to hurry before nightfall, they left the knights who were following them to deal with the carriage and decided to travel on horseback.

The problem started there.

Leila had been weak as a child and had never learned to ride a horse by herself. When she hesitated, not knowing what to do in front of the horse, the empress, who had already gotten on her horse, noticed Leila’s reluctance and ordered Cedric to ride with her.

“B-but, Your Majesty the Empress.”

When the order was given, Cedric was visibly flustered, to a degree rarely seen, and started talking nonsense.

“M-my horse has been feeling a bit under the weather since yesterday, so it might be too much to have another person ride it.”

The empress glanced at his glossy horse once, then looked at Cedric and said something in a low voice through her teeth that Leila had never heard before. But it didn’t sound like a good thing.

“It doesn’t look like a blood oath, but it’s a very careful and cautious move. Our Sir Cedric Duncan.”

Cedric responded with an awkward, hearty laugh at the empress’s words. It was also a relief for Leila that she didn’t have to ride in front of him. After muttering a little more, the empress now gave an order to the captain of the First Knights. But at that moment,

“H-h-he’s on the verge of death.”

“What?”

“My horse, that is. He’s on the verge of, verge of death.”

At that moment, Leila’s face flushed so red it couldn’t possibly get any redder.

The empress glanced at Leila and then gestured for Devrian to come over.

He came back from the empress, hesitated for a moment, then walked slowly over, adjusted the saddle on the horse, and, with his brow deeply furrowed, escorted Leila.

After that, Leila had no idea what state of mind she was in when she rode the horse with him until she was back in the carriage.

The horse, who was ‘on the verge of death,’ snorted loudly and started walking elegantly.

It walked so gallantly that she felt like she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole. A sense of shame and humiliation she had never felt before enveloped Leila.

Even on the horse, if his body slightly touched Leila, Owen would stiffen as if he had been soiled by something.

Since it was almost impossible to not touch at all on the horse, Leila felt truly hopeless.

She could understand Sir Cedric Duncan. It might have been too much for him to have a woman he had a marriage talk with ride in front of him.

But why did Sir Owen Devrian hate her so much?

After that, whenever Leila saw Owen, her mood would become depressed. And she resented him. The man who was praised by the whole empire as the symbol of an upright knight was, in fact, a ruffian.

***

“I swear, that idiot Owen is driving me crazy.”

The emperor smiled as he watched his wife pace back and forth in the room, fuming. He seemed to find her outburst charming, and his expression remained amused as he looked at her.

“Dying! It’s the same excuse he used when he lied about Count Ianster in Turk! Owen must be an idiot.”

“Calm down and come here. Your lady-in-waiting won’t mind that much.”

“Oh my gosh, Your Majesty. There’s no woman who wouldn’t mind something like that. And I arranged a place for them to have some tea and apologize, but he ran off so fast.”

The emperor coughed and averted his gaze. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had summoned him. Adrian looked away from Claire, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Anyway, is everything ready?”

Fortunately, she immediately answered the topic the emperor had changed.

“Yes. I’m a little worried about the cultural differences and the lack of information about them, but we’ll just prepare our own way.”

“The purpose may be to form an alliance, but I think they’re officially coming to ask for aid.”

“Yes, I heard they had a tough winter. It’s a sensitive issue, but you should also suggest they become a part of the Northern Territory.”

Instead of answering, the emperor reached out his hand to Claire. And as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he pulled her into his arms, holding her more tightly than usual.

And Claire, with her sharp instincts, noticed his distress, even though he wasn’t aware of it himself.

“Is something wrong, Adrian?”

Hearing her call him by his pet name, he buried his face in her chest and let out a soft sigh.

“No, what could be wrong when you’re by my side?”

Claire somehow understood his mumbling. The woman smiled without a worry, but the emperor felt a growing sense of unease. He couldn’t understand why he was so anxious when she was right there in his arms.

Adrian had the same dream again last night.

The dream was the same every day, but also slightly different. The black-eyed woman, ever since the dream where she opened her eyes and met his, had continued to meet his gaze and even smiled faintly.

Even though he knew it wasn’t a smile directed at him, Adrian’s heart inexplicably sank at that moment. But last night, the black-eyed woman spoke. And unbelievably, she said that name. Or maybe it sounded a little different.

“Hyuntaek. Wake up.”

He couldn’t make out the rest of the words, but Adrian caught a familiar name in the foreigner’s speech. It was a name he could never forget.

Hyuntaek. Why would that black-eyed woman call that man that?

What was even stranger was that he felt a surge of emotion at her gentle voice calling the man. He couldn’t understand why his heart ached as if it were on fire, as if her calling the man beside her had anything to do with him.

“Let’s have a baby.”

“Again?”

“Yeah, this time I hope it’s a boy. He’ll be a friend and a strong ally for Leo.”

“But…”

Adrian was both so happy and equally anxious watching Claire seriously consider it.

Just then, the empress’s lady-in-waiting knocked and asked to enter.

“Your Majesty, the banquet hall is ready.”

Claire gracefully slipped away from Adrian and followed her lady-in-waiting. Her gentle smile lingered in his mind. It was a dream-like day.

***

Having lived in the Eastern Continent for a long time, I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with them. However, Leila, who was born and raised in the south, seemed quite unaccustomed to the attire of the Eastern Continental kingdoms.

Of course, the Turk Empire had a similar feel to Quinze-Nouais, but this was different. The King of Hadena appeared wearing an animal skin over his long robes. He looked more like a tribal chief than a king. His appearance was similar to the people of Quinze-Nouais, but the difference was that their bone structure was a bit larger and their skin was slightly darker.

In addition, their clothing was very thin, except for the fur they wore even in the cold winter. These were people with a northern spirit.

“Welcome.”

The delegation, including the king, was small, about 30 people. Since they had sent a messenger in advance, I guided them to their designated quarters. I chose the best one among the detached palaces, which was a bit far from the main palace.

Adrian received them without saying a word. His attitude was overly condescending for someone greeting a king. That’s because the Emperor of Quinze-Nouais had lost the lives of many innocent imperial citizens and knights to these Hadena people. Although he agreed to form an alliance, he wasn’t in a welcoming mood.

“It’s a new feeling to meet His Majesty the Emperor without raising a sword.”

Unlike Quinze-Nouais, their tone had a strong accent at the end of their words. The accent I heard in Turk brought a faint smile to my face without me realizing it.

“This should end without raising a sword.”

The King of Hadena showed no sign of discomfort at the condescending remark, which was as if it were the most natural thing.

The delegation also included the King of Hadena’s daughter. The woman had an exotic look, a prominent forehead, and large, beautiful eyes, making her quite a unique beauty.

To break the icy atmosphere, as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on us, I smiled at the King of Hadena.

“There will be a banquet this evening. Please rest for now and we will meet in the banquet hall.”

I had prepared a mix of Turk-style formal dinners and Quinze-Nouais-style banquets. I hoped this alliance would be successful, as I heard the people of the small kingdom were starving. The people of the Northern Great Duke’s territory were also tired of their frequent raids, so Adrian would likely accept their demands to some extent as long as there were no major issues.

***

As darkness fell, a cold wind enveloped the Grand Duke’s castle. But inside the banquet hall, warm light, bountiful food, and people who had noticeably relaxed raised their glasses to each other.

Adrian, however, didn’t touch a single drop of alcohol. He kept his eyes fixed on the King of Hadena. Despite Adrian’s imposing gaze, the king steadfastly and courteously met his stare. Contrary to his fierce first impression, he was quite polite. He had a very young face for someone with such a grown-up daughter. Since Hadena’s marriageable age was earlier than in Quinze-Nouais, he was probably around thirty-five.

As the banquet warmed up, the King of Hadena announced that he had something to present to us. Adrian gave a nod of permission, and the Hadena delegation came forward and set up a stage in the middle of the banquet hall. Soon, the princess stepped into the center of the stage. As she raised her hand, one of the royal musicians began to play a flute-like instrument. The sound was deeper and lower than the flute I knew, and the instrument’s shape was also very different. Adrian and I, already aware that dance-dramas were performed during Turk banquets, were able to enjoy the performance without much surprise. Most of the others who had not been to Turk, however, looked quite bewildered.

The princess’s movements were beautiful. Every finger seemed part of a delicate performance, and her somewhat flashy, reddish-pink dress suited the dance perfectly. The music, which filled the banquet hall, was so magnificent it was hard to believe it came from just one instrument.

When the princess’s dance ended, the last vestiges of tension between Quinze-Nouais and Hadena seemed to dissolve. This was probably the scene the king had envisioned. The kingdoms that had oppressed the people of this castle for three years, including the Kingdom of Hadena, had been obstacles to the castle’s restoration. But now that one of their kings had extended a hand, it was time for Quinze-Nouais to grasp the hand of that small kingdom.

The voice of the King of Hadena broke the silence. “Hadena wishes to become a territory of Quinze-Nouais.”

Reading the atmosphere, the king himself proposed what we had planned to suggest. But Adrian’s face remained impassive. Although we had been a couple for a long time, it was difficult to tell what he was thinking when he wore such a cold expression.

“Why not go to Turk?”

At Adrian’s words, the King of Hadena walked forward and bowed his head. “The reason is simple. Hadena’s border is intertwined with Quinze-Nouais’s. Turk has not yet been able to bring the kingdoms near Hadena under its influence. Our people can no longer starve, and my father, who had been preventing this alliance, no longer has the strength to do so.”

The former King of Hadena was said to have been regent for a long time even after stepping down. Because of this, the current king had not been able to push his decisions through. But with the former king’s health deteriorating, the current king, unable to stand idly by, came to Quinze-Nouais with a proposal more significant than a mere alliance.

“If Hadena becomes a territory of Quinze-Nouais, the kingdoms bordering us will soon want to share in Quinze-Nouais’s glory. And for me, my people’s well-being is more important than the empty title of king.”

Adrian drummed his second finger on the table. It was a habit he had when he was thinking about something. Honestly, I didn’t understand why he was taking so long to consider this. Hadena had always been a headache for the Northern Grand Duke’s territory, and Quinze-Nouais had the power and wealth to absorb them. Hadena was a small country, only about one-tenth the size of this northern territory.

“This is not a matter to be decided in the banquet hall.”

As Adrian postponed his answer, the King of Hadena bowed his head even lower. “If you find it hard to believe, I will offer my daughter as a token of our promise.”

I don’t know why he would say something like that when things were going so well. But Adrian, perhaps used to such proposals, didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

“What use would I have for your daughter?”

The King of Hadena’s proposal was not entirely incomprehensible. In fact, the Emperor of Turk sometimes took the daughters of the small kingdoms he absorbed as his wives. There was no quicker or more certain way to swear loyalty than with a hostage.

“If she is not to your satisfaction, I have other daughters…”

“Enough. If my empress is not at ease, I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“Pardon?”

I now knew this was Adrian’s type of joke, but the King of Hadena, who couldn’t have known, looked quite flustered. So it was my turn to step in.

“Your Highness. I appreciate the offer, but in this empire, not even His Majesty can take concubines without my permission. And I have no intention of giving my permission.”

“But for the safety of the empire, it is best to secure the succession… Besides, I understand that in Quinze-Nouais, both the emperor and empress can take concubines.”

“Is that so, Your Majesty? Then may I be the first to take a concubine?”

Adrian, who had remained impassive until now, glared at me at my words. “Claire, how could you say such a thing?”

Seeing the emperor’s truly hurt face, I let out a puff of air and giggled. If this was acting, he deserved an Oscar. And the King of Hadena, from our short exchange, realized how big of a mistake he had made.

“My apologies.”

“It’s alright. It’s a cultural difference. It seems the banquet is coming to an end. Let’s officially discuss this again tomorrow.”

In the Quinze-Nouais Imperial Palace, according to the palace rules, we couldn’t share the same bedchamber every night. Of course, Adrian’s constant visits to my room often caused a stir in the Empress’s palace, but for him, it was far from enough. However, in the Grand Duke’s castle, no one could stop the emperor and empress from sharing a bed.

“By the way, Adrian, why didn’t you accept the King of Hadena’s proposal right away?”

“Isn’t there something more important, Claire?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve become very anxious.”

“About what?”

“The fact that both the Emperor and Empress of Quinze-Nouais can take concubines.”

“Did you not know that, did you?” I laughed lightly at Adrian’s words, answering as if it were no big deal.

“But until now, I had never once thought about that issue. Of course, I assumed there was no way it would ever happen.”

But then, seeing his serious face, I burst into laughter.

“Don’t laugh, Empress. I’m serious. I don’t know about now, but I’m thinking about what I should do if you ever want to take a young man as a concubine in the future.”

“And do you have the confidence to just leave that man alone?”

The emperor’s face twisted as if the man were already in front of him. “I’ll tear him limb from limb…”

“Stop. I’ll never do that, so don’t think such scary thoughts, Your Majesty.”

“But your feelings aren’t as strong as mine. I feel that deeply even now. And you’re a woman for whom running away from me is very easy.”

“That’s only when you’re tormenting me. And that was back when we didn’t know each other’s hearts.”

“Still, there’s always a ‘what if’.”

“So what are you going to do, Your Majesty, the great Emperor of Quinze-Nouais? Are you going to seek an answer from Sir Glenn Doherty?”

“No, there’s no need to go to him.”

“Then?”

“I’ll change the law.”

“What?”

“From now on, the royal family, without exception, will practice monogamy.”

I put my hand over my mouth. Of course, I know that monogamy is the most beautiful institution. I also know how primitive other forms are.

However, most royal families practiced polygamy or polyandry for a reason: the potential absence of an heir to the throne, a problem concerning the very survival of the royal family. But now, our Emperor Aurelian Quinze-Nouais was planning to change the law as if none of that mattered.

“Why are you making that face? Are you unhappy about it? Am I not enough for you?”

At this point, I stopped trying to persuade him. And I rested my head on his shoulder as he sat on the bed. When Adrian was like this, no one could stop him.

“No, you’re enough for me.”

At my words, his intertwined hands tightened.

“With just you, my life is perfect.”

As soon as the words were out, the emperor lowered his head and pressed his lips against mine. It was a deep, long, and somewhat insistent kiss that always left me helpless.

When the kiss ended, Adrian naturally began to untangle my hair and unfasten my dress. But I pushed him away and asked again about the thing I had been curious about.

“Adrian, just a moment.”

“Why?”

His half-lidded eyes and passionate lips twisted in frustration.

“I asked you why you didn’t answer the King of Hadena’s proposal right away.”

“Is that important right now?”

I nodded, burying my lips in his neck. When I tickled his earlobe with my tongue, he pulled me even closer.

“Yes, when I’m curious, I can’t concentrate.”

At my words, Adrian’s ears turned crimson. And he started moving his hands again.

“It’s because, if we absorb the Kingdom of Hadena, other kingdoms will follow, and eventually, the distinction between the Eastern Continent and our continent will become blurred.”

As Adrian said this, he was completely engrossed in undressing me. And with the last layer of clothing left, he began to kiss my collarbone again.

“And… then?” I managed to ask, trying to gather my increasingly distant thoughts.

“What do you think will happen? It won’t happen right away, but eventually, we’ll have to consider a war with Turk.”

“What?”

I pushed Adrian away, who was holding the last ribbon in his hand, and stood up abruptly. He just looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“You’re right… It would. So what should we do?”

“Claire, what is this…?”

“What should we do? Should we accept Hadena or not?”

“Empress, I will worry about that, so come here right now.”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t come here right now, I’ll start a war with Turk tomorrow. You know better than anyone that I’m a man who can do that, don’t you?”

“What did you say?”

I was both surprised and laughed at his words. Oh yes, of course. He was a man who could do that. I meekly went and sat next to him.

“Don’t ever do that again, Your Majesty. Or I’ll run away again.”

“Claire!”

Adrian pulled me down and pushed me onto the bed. In an instant, my vision was overturned, and my eyes were filled with nothing but him.

And after that, there was no more conversation. I thought I wouldn’t be able to concentrate because of my worries, but after that, I couldn’t think of anything else. For the first time in a long time, we were able to relax and focus only on each other in the Grand Duke’s castle.