CH 143

Episode 143

Side Story 5. Autumn News

The blue sky from the office window was clear and high.

The warm sun shining through the cracks of the curtains gently covered the whole body.

“Achoo!”

But why is my body so chilling?

‘What’s wrong, really.’

Even though I wore several layers of clothes, I seemed to be catching a cold.

“Yerine, are you cold?”

Cassius, sitting on the couch in my office, asked with his eyes wide open.

I smiled nonchalantly, waving at him.

“No, it’s okay.”

But Cassius was already lifting himself off the couch before I could finish.

Just by looking at his face, he didn’t see me sneezing, but he seemed to have heard that I had collapsed somewhere.

“Hold on a second. I’ll get a blanket.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that…”

But Cassius couldn’t hear me and left the office.

‘It’s gonna start again….’

We’ve been married for four months.

It was a sweet time for any newlywed couple.

And Cassius, who had devoted a great deal of love to me even before marriage, poured out a great deal of love like a waterfall after marriage.

Not only did he look at me passionately with his sweet as honey eyes that never changed every day, but he tried not to fall apart from me.

That’s why he left his office and came to my office, sitting on the couch to handle his work.

In addition, he made a lot of fuss when I was hurt or sick.

A month ago, I only sprained my ankle slightly, but all the doctors in the Empire were called in and went crazy.

He could also call for a blanket.

But Cassius always tried to bring me what I needed without calling the servant.

I asked him why the emperor didn’t call his servant, and he said he wanted to be praised by me.

I guess it’s the same this time.

When I thought it was childish but cute, the door of the office opened again.

“Yerine, I brought you a blanket and tea.”

Cassius, who came running after closing the door, put a blanket around my shoulder and put another blanket over my lap.

“Oh, my God, you’re also bringing me tea?”

“Yes. It’s good to drink when you have a cold.”

Cassius said, blowing the teacup with a teaspoon first

“It’s cooled, so it won’t be hot.”

“Thank you, Cassius.”

In the words of gratitude, Cassius’s cheeks turned red.

I smiled and reached for his hair.

“Such a good boy.”

I have to pat him like this to compliment him so that he won’t feel sullen later on.

Cassius, who was receiving my touch with a smile, sat on his knees and hugged me at my waist.

And he leaned his head on me like a cat acting cute to its master.

Naturally, I hold the document in my left hand and wrap his shoulder with my right hand.

“Huh?”

At that time, Cassius sounded strange.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why is your arm so hot?”

Cassius sat right down and said, clasping my hand.

“Your hands are hot.”

“Is it that hot?”

“Yeah, didn’t you catch a cold already?”

Cassius looked at me with anxious eyes and said.

“Yerine shouldn’t catch a cold…….”

He was right.

I have a lot of work to do now, and if I catch a cold, I’ll be behind on my work.

Wanting to finish things as soon as possible and spend time with Cassius, I didn’t want that to happen.

And if I caught a cold, it was clear that Cassius would abandon all his work and nurse me instead.

If I didn’t want the people working for Cassius to come to me crying, I had to deal with this cold somehow.

“Let’s drink this and go to the palace doctor.”

I took a sip of tea, nodding at Cassius’s words filled with anxiety.

***

“It’s the fifth week of pregnancy.”

That was the first word that came out of the mouth of the royal palace doctor who had completed the examination.

“Yes…?”

I looked blankly at the face of the doctor, who had spread his laughter, and said.

“Congratulations. Your Majesty, the Emperor and the Empress.”

“Am I really, really pregnant?”

My doctor nodded enthusiastically at my question.

“Right, Your Majesty the Empress. I’m sure.”

His words made me cover my mouth with my hands.

‘Oh, my God. What should I do?’

I was surprised by the sudden news, but I was happy.

“Cassius, we’re going to be…….”

I called him with my head down in an excited voice, but there was no return answer.

“Cassius?”

Instead, only sniffles were heard.

“Cassius……”?”

Carefully calling his name again, Cassius slowly looked up at me.

“Oh, my God, are you really crying?”

Cassius couldn’t answer and bit his lips, shaking his eyelashes and shedding tears.

“No, don’t cry. It’s such happy news, but why are you crying so sadly?”

I hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it around Cassius’s eyes.

Only then did Cassius stutter, swallowing his tears.

“But… I’m so sorry because I think that you’re going to have a hard time because of me……”

“No, it’s not because of Cassius. It was done by mutual agreement.”

“But again I’m so happy to have a child….….”

I sighed as I watched Cassius shedding tears again.

I hugged him and patted him on the back as if I couldn’t help it.

The doctor looked at us with a big smile.

***

“Yerine, here’s the pudding and the cookies.”

Cassius said, putting down a pudding bowl and a plate of various cookies in front of me.

“Thank you.”

“Hasn’t the tea cooled down? Do you want me to reheat it?”

At Cassius’s question, I tried the tea with a slight lip on the teacup.

It occurred to me that it was moderately warm.

“Well, I think it’s okay.”

“Isn’t it cold by any chance? Do you need more blankets?”

“No, it’s perfect.”

“You want me to feed you cookies?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Having heard of the pregnancy news, I knew Cassius would pay more attention to me than usual.

That’s why I wasn’t too pressured on this kind of attention and care.

The only problem is that Cassius is doing the same now in front of our Academia classmates.

“Wow, I don’t usually talk about this.”

Rachel put down the teacup and opened her mouth.

“You are really excessive, Your Majesty.”

“Huh?”

Cassius, however, did not even think that he was excessive.

“What?”

“No, it’s not.”

Rachel shook her head when she saw Cassius’s reaction, who was seemingly unaware of what was wrong.

Astra burst into laughter when she saw her like that.

“But that’s understandable! Don’t you want to do something more for your beautiful wife who will have a baby?”

“Yes, I understand that feeling.”

Erica said, chewing on the cookies.

Chewing through the cookies, she continued in a low voice, glaring at Cassius.

“Keep that attitude until she has a baby. Comfortably so that she doesn’t have to lift a single finger.”

Cassius tilted his head at the words.

“Blothea, isn’t that obvious?”

“It’s good to know. If you don’t keep that word, I’ll turn the palace upside down.”

“Oops, that’s scary.”

Even after graduating from Academia, the relationship between the two doesn’t seem to make any difference.

‘Maybe even after the baby is born…?’

I put my hand on my stomach that didn’t come out much yet and thought.

“By the way, congratulations, both of you.”

Astra said, clapping her hands.

“You said you wanted to have a baby two months ago.”

I nodded and laughed at Astra’s words.

“Right, I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”

“Yeah, so we were surprised to hear that. You’ve only just been married.”

Then Cassius, who was looking at me quietly, intervened in a low voice.

“Well, thanks to Astra.”

At first, no one seemed to understand what he was saying.

Astra opened her eyes wide and pointed at herself and asked.

“Well, me? Why would I……….”

Just then, I noticed what Cassius meant.

“Oh, that’s what you meant. Yes, Astra played a part.”

“Huh, what do you mean?”

Laughing at Cassius, I turned to Astra and put my hands around my mouth and said quietly.

“The bed you and Ray gave me as gifts, I’ve used it a lot.”

Astra jumped out of her seat and shouted at the words.

“Oh, my God!”

A cool wind blew around the table where a burst of laughter broke out.

A red maple leaf blown by the wind fell on a white tablecloth.

It’s really autumn.

The day around the palace was dyed with pretty red.

The day I got to know you, the sky was very blue.

***

My colleagues who came to congratulate me on my pregnancy left the palace, and a deep night came.

“Water.”

As I lifted my left hand, leaning against the head of the bed, Cassius held a cup of lukewarm water in his hand.

“Book.”

At that word, Cassius ghostly found the book I had read last night in a pile of books on the cabinet and brought it to me.

I took the book and opened the bookmarked part and stuck out my left hand.

“Face.”

Then Cassius straightened his chin on my left hand and gazed at me.

Holding Cassius’ chin and looking around at his face, I let him go a minute later.

“Well, good.”

I had a habit of appreciating Cassius’s face every night before bed.

It’s nothing special, but this way, Cassius’s face is more likely to get in my dream.

When Cassius said good, he smiled brightly and pulled back.

Now he’s going to lie down next to me as usual.

It was just then.

A note fell from the pocket of his pyjama pants.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Unconsciously picked up a note that fell on my lap.

“Oh, no, no! It’s…….”

Cassius uncharacteristically reached out, shouting in a bewildered voice.

“Oh, can I not read it?”

Cassius then paused and took his outstretched hand.

“Well, that’s not it……….”

His face was very red when he said so.

“Then?”

“I’m just a little embarrassed……….”

Cassius replied, twisting his body.

‘No, what the hell is this?’

As I looked at the note with a strange face, Cassius opened his mouth in a crawling voice.

“But I think Yerine should know too……. You can see it if you want.”

I opened a wrinkled note, thinking it was suspicious.

As soon as I saw the handwriting with a flag pin and the traces of anguish seen on numerous sticks, I screamed unbearably.

“Oh, my God, what is this?”

Lots of scattered letters.

It was definitely a sign of naming a baby.

Cassius’s face had turned red as if it were bursting.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but why is he blushing so much.

I can’t let this.

I have to compliment him a lot.

“How did you come up with such a cute idea? Huh?”

“Oh, no, just…….”

Eventually, I kissed Cassius on the cheek.

Cassius’s face turned red in an instant, but unlike just before, the corners of his lip were raised.

“I thought I’d name the baby myself. That’s why I thought about it in many ways.”

Cassius looked down at the paper in my hand immediately and said.

“I thought it would be nice to have a name mixed with the two of us, but fortunately, both female and male names came out.”

Cassius said, pointing to our name on a piece of paper, followed by the two baby names circled next to it.

“Oh, it’s true.”

“Do you like it?”

I nodded violently at his slightly nervous asking.

“I never thought of it, but both the male and female names are so pretty.”

“Really?”

Cassius then continued, slightly dampening his lips with his tongue.

“So…… would our baby like it too?”

Looking at his slowly wobbling golden eyes, I burst into laughter.

Embracing Cassius’s neck staring at me with his eyes blinking, I said in a delightful voice.

“Of course!”

I hoped that day would come soon.

The day when I see the baby’s face and call him/her by this name.