…
I didn’t know what to say. He needed to stop this ridiculousness right now.
When I stood speechless, the chancellor laughed and said to the emperor,
Your highness, you are embarrassing her highness.
Is that so?
They laughed at their own jokes. Lucretius had such a thick face it was impossible not be get annoyed.
If I was braver, I would have thrown a teacup or a piece of cream pie at his face.
While smiling at me infuriatingly, he suddenly glanced at my maids who were standing behind me.
…
He slowly looked at every one of them. I became tense, but I tried my best not to show it.
I didn’t know exactly where Lisbeth was situated behind so I couldn’t tell when Lucretius saw her.
I studied his facial expression carefully, but he remained the same the entire time. I felt a little scared he might compare me to the beautiful Lisbeth. Then I quickly hated myself for thinking it.
Hmm…
Luc seemed to be contemplating for a few seconds before smiling brightly and nodded.
I agree with what my wife said before.
Pardon?
When I seemed confused, Luc stood up and walked towards me quickly. His eyes were only on me and nowhere else.
We will talk about it again when we are alone.
As soon as he said this, Samantha seemed to understand quickly.
She bowed deeply and replied,
Yes, your highness.
Huh?
While I watched the scene in confusion, it seemed Samantha and the emperor had an unspoken understanding. They looked at each other and Samantha added in satisfaction.
Then we will leave you alone at once.
Huh?
It wasn’t me who exclaimed but Lisbeth. When I turned around, I saw her trying to get the emperor’s attention.
What? W, wait a minute…
No one paid attention to her. Agnes glared at her and pulled her by her blue dress towards the door.
Within seconds, it was just the emperor, the chancellor, and I in the room.
While Lisbeth was dragged away, Lucretius’s gaze didn’t linger for a second on her. He didn’t show a single shred of interest in her.
Slam.
The door finally closed.
His cold fingertips grabbed my chin and turned my face towards him. Familiar green eyes looked down at me.
He pouted.
Why can’t you show even a little interest in your own husband?
What was he talking about?
When I looked at him in confusion, he didn’t miss a beat.
His lips covered mine. They felt warm and forceful.
When I flailed my arms, he quickly hugged me and thereby trapping me in his embrace. I felt weak.
His kiss was always passionate and intense. My whole body burned.
Before I became out of breath, he finally released me.
Tears filled my eyes while I glared at him. It wasn’t that I was emotional. I just needed more air, which made my eyes water.
I protested in a low voice,
What do you think you’re doing!?
Lucretius treated me like I was a pouting cat.
What do you mean? I’m just showing how much I love my wife.
How…! What’s the point…!?
I was about to say there was no point since Lisbeth wasn’t in the room, but his hand quickly covered my mouth.
He whispered to me,
Shh. We aren’t alone in this room.
Oh!
That’s right! I forgot about him. Lucretius laughed at me as I looked shocked.
When I turned around, the white-haired gentleman was smiling at us kindly.
Oh, my. I need to apologize. It seems I have ruined your time together.
Lucretius smiled and let my waist go.
He nodded towards the chancellor and replied,
No worries. I just couldn’t help myself when I saw my beautiful wife. It’s my bad.
…
I didn’t know what to say.
I wanted to scream at Lucretius, but obviously, I couldn’t. I decided to forget about this for now.
One thing I found interesting was how Lucretius treated the chancellor. I have never seen the emperor treat someone with genuine respect. He was polite to everyone, including the dowager empress, but anyone could see he wasn’t sincere towards her.
However, this time, it was different. It seemed Lucretius truly liked and valued the chancellor.
I watched their conversation with interest.
The chancellor continued to smile at us kindly like a grandfather.
He continued,
This kingdom is blessed your highness and her highness have such a loving relationship.
It’s not bad.
That means it’s good. Your highness always has difficulty expressing his true feelings. Anyway, I am relieved and happy to see you like this.
Lucretius laughed quietly. It was a genuine laugh, which surprised me.
It was now obvious to me Lucretius really liked this gentleman.
The chancellor turned to me.
The truth is, I was a bit worried when his highness announced to take you as his wife.
That was understandable. I was a nobody with no power. I also almost became the former emperor’s concubine. I was definitely not an obvious choice.
When I didn’t say anything, the chancellor smiled mysteriously and continued. His tone was kind, but his words were chilling.
At your marriage ceremony with the former emperor and when you first gave a witness statement… I felt like you were too weak to be the emperor’s wife and stand beside him to rule this kingdom.
…
His words were sharp, but he continued to smile generously. The contrast was shocking.
He continued,
To me, it seemed like you were being forced into various situations, and you didn’t seem to have a strong will. Of course, I didn’t think it would be bad for his highness to take a wife he liked, but… To have a meek woman as his first wife especially when he doesn’t have an empress… I thought it would be too much responsibility for you.
If the emperor or the dowager empress said this to me, I would have taken it as a direct challenge.
However, the way this man said it to me… It felt neutral. It felt like he was just stating facts.
This made me become even more afraid of him.
This was not a man to be played with.
I forced a fake smile on my face and replied with a textbook answer,
That is an understandable reaction.
He looked at me quietly for a moment. I felt like his soft eyes could see right through me.
It seemed he knew exactly what I was thinking and feeling.
He said to me kindly,
I see that this old man’s silly words have upset you, your highness.
…
I started to sweat.
I knew if I didn’t give him the right answer here, he would always see me as a silly young girl.
My mouth felt dry. I tried my best to sound calm.
It is normal to feel upset when hearing any kind of criticism. I admit I still have much more to learn. However, being upset doesn’t mean I wouldn’t accept the facts and learn from them. I would like to think I’m not that small-minded.
…
I still couldn’t tell what this man was thinking. He continued to study me quietly. It was different than how Lucretius studied me. In front of the emperor, I often felt like a mouse in front of a snake.
In front of the chancellor, however, I felt like a student being judged by her teacher.
Why was it that everyone here liked to study me?
One thing I knew for certain was this was no ordinary man.
Just then, the old man softened. This time, it wasn’t just his lips but his eyes smiled at me as well. He pleaded with me like he would with his own granddaughter.
Your highness, please take good care of his highness.
I knew what was expected of me.
I acted like a blushing new bride and replied,
I am not worthy, but I will do my best.
He smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
Before he left, he added,
Soon, my daughter-in-law will be visiting to greet your highness. Please be kind to her.
It would be my honor.
I could tell the subtle change in his attitude towards me, but I didn’t know why. After the chancellor left, Lucretius said to me comfortably,
I’m glad Cornelius seems to approve you.
Cor… nelius?
It was a long name, like Lucretius’.
He nodded and explained,
That’s the chancellor’s name. Cornelius des Lonensia. He is the Duke of Lonensia and has served three generations of emperors. He is also my teacher.
So I was right. He was no ordinary man.
What Lucretius said next, however, was a big surprise.
And his granddaughter was one of my many fiancés.
