CH 4

Charlotte, the Empress of the Empire, smiled on her young son as he enjoyed a piece of cake. Because it’s the only time Aegis ever smiles like a child, snack time is extremely valuable.

Charlotte couldn’t help but want to touch his chubby cheeks, but she knew that Aegis would politely forbid it.

‘He’s so handsome’, she exclaimed.

Why, then, does he never use any aesthetically pleasing language?

“As”

When Charlotte called, Aegis put down his fork and swallowed the food in his mouth before answering.

“Yes Mother.”

“You’ll meet a new friend soon.”

“A new friend? Which family is it?”

Charlotte’s smile almost broke for a moment when Aegis asked which family she was from, but she skillfully hid her expression.

“She’s the Princess of Remetio. She’s a lovely young lady who is one year younger than our As.”

At the sound of Remetio, Aegis widened his eyes. After blinking his pretty blue eyes a few times, Aegis smiled and sat down.

“Tilly?”

“You know who she is?”

“Yes, last time I heard Father talking with the Duke and the Count. Father said she might become my potential bride.”

“…What? Bride?”

“The Duke and the Count said they should think about it slowly.”

“I see. If so, then it’s fine.”

Of course it is.

Charlotte reassures Aegis and tells him to finish as she pours milk into his teacup. Relieved, Aegis started eating the cake again. Charlotte’s smile was kind and gentle, but the gestures of her hands on her lap were not.

Charlotte pondered for a while, then instructed her servant to inform the Emperor that she would be visiting the main palace within the hour. Perhaps Phileas, her husband, would jig in preparation for her arrival.

After a relaxing cup of tea with Aegis, Charlotte rushed off to the Emperor’s Palace half an hour later. Phileas dropped his quill and jumped from his feet when Charlotte walked into his office. Phileas’ face lit up with a broad grin, as though he had been anticipating her arrival ever since he received the message.

“Lotty.”

“I have something urgent to say to His Majesty, so could you all please leave?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Normally, she would have spoken kindly to them, but Charlotte asked them to step aside. Realizing that her mood was unusual, the Emperor’s aides hurried out, and Charlotte began to loosen her hands, an incongruous drip sounded from her lace-gloved hands.

“Lo, Lotty?”

After a while, the coveted blonde hair that Charlotte loved the most was caught in her hand. At Phileas’ scream, the knights and aides waiting outside the door looked towards the window.

‘Today is also a very peaceful and happy day.’

＊＊＊

“Roxy, I see a lot of similarities between you and Tilly.”

Roxana gave Yurian the look that says he’s talking out of the blue, but Taleia paid them no mind as she shoved a big chunk of meat into her mouth.

“She brought me outside to play house, but suddenly she became the Great Demon King. Do the Great Demon King normally appear in playing house?”

Roxana was so amused by Yurian’s bewildered expression that she started laughing out loud.

“You might not know but originally, a great demon king is needed for playing house.”

“…Really?”

“You’ve been called a genius ever since childhood since all you did was study, so you might really not know. There’s even the Four Heavenly Kings.”

“There were Four Heavenly Kings?”

“Of course, through the rebellion, he became the new Great Demon King, but at first he was in charge of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Four Heavenly Kings, the Great Demon King, and the five chosen warriors.”

Yurian tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

Because of her outgoing personality and large peer group, Roxana spent a lot of time as a child playing with both nobility and commoners on their estate. On the other hand, as a member of one of the three families, the Emperor Phileas was the only person with whom Yurian could get along.

“Then wouldn’t Tilly also need the Four Heavenly Kings?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a tyrant, I’ll take down the Four Heavenly Kings who are after her back.”

“Well, when the warriors come, you will be at a disadvantage.”

“Don’t worry, the Great Demon King absorbs the blood of the Four Heavenly Kings and becomes stronger.”

Yurian obviously didn’t think he could win an argument with her, so instead he smiled broadly as he fed minced meat to Taleia. Roxana flashed Yurian, who was smiling back at her, a warm smile.

“Tilly.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to visit the imperial palace?”

“No.”

At Taleia’s immediate reply, Yurian smiled as if he knew that and fed her meat again. She didn’t have to move her hand today, after all it was so comfortable since the food just went into her mouth.

“Yuri, it’s good that you’re feeding Tilly, but eat your own food first.”

“…Yes.”

“Whenever how much the royal family may have hinted at an engagement, nothing official has been announced as of yet. Don’t fret too much, the kids are still young, and His Majesty only mentioned it casually.”

Taleia was taken aback when she heard about the engagement. Engagement between the Duke of Remetio and the Imperial Family? Surely there was no such story in the original?

‘No, no.’

In the original story, Royna was the only heir to the Duke of Remetio. However, since there are now two heirs to the ducal family including her, there was no problem with the succession even if one married into the imperial family.

‘But the prince is the sub male lead.’

The sub male lead had a crush on Royna from a very young age. But if Royna was engaged to the prince, that would be a major problem that could force a change in the male lead.

Roxana called to her in a perplexed voice as she saw my mouth full of food.

“Tilly?”

She suddenly regained her composure and finished the meal she had been eating. While removing the sauce and grease from her mouth, Taleia examined the situation calmly and objectively.

‘So, when I was asked to go to the imperial palace, it wasn’t just about going to play.’

Is it really a good thing to avoid it right now? Wouldn’t it be better to go to the Imperial Palace and mess around when she’s still at the age where it would still be tolerated?

‘After all, it turned out that the engagement had already been talked about, and the fiancé was no other than the prince!’

It is estimated that by the time Royna’s superpowers become apparent, she will be fifteen years old, and Taleia will be around the ages of nineteen or twenty. Once Royna begins manifesting her power, she will automatically be named as the next duchess. In that case, the younger will succeed instead of the older.

Commonly, this can be broken down into three cases. Taking a spouse from another family, inheriting a title from one’s mother’s side, or being given a title only in name. Even though Roxana has her own title, she has already appointed one of her nephews as her successor. Since she is a thorough person, she has no intention of giving the county to either Taleia or Royna.

Any reasonable person would conclude that marrying into the Imperial Family is preferable than to being given a title only in name or being forced into an arranged marriage.

Even though she knew Roxana and Yurian wouldn’t do anything without her consent, Taleia was still nervous. The Duke’s family is closely related to the Imperial family, so her motive would be questionable.

It’s more accurate to say that Royna got what she has since birth leaving her with no choice.

Nonetheless, she detested the idea of becoming the Empress, after all, the Empress is responsible for a lot of tasks and had to work for long hours. Above all, the sub male lead was a typical prince character that she was not very attracted to. Because her taste, as straight as a pine tree, never changes. To her, a non-married person, marriage sounded like something out of a fantastical story like Andromeda, set far, far away among the stars.

‘If I do well, I can fulfill my previous life’s dream of living as a rich unemployed man with a title and wealth, but now I have to voluntarily wear a silver bracelet to get engaged to a five-year-old kid.’

“Taleia, are you listening to your mother?”

She looked up and met Roxana’s gaze. Her eyes were full of worry so Taleia took advantage of her concern and asked with a sullen expression.

“Must I really go to the Imperial palace?”

“No, you don’t have to. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to go.”

“……”

“It was because there was a child in the imperial palace who could be Tilly’s friend. If you don’t want to be friends with him, then we won’t pressure you.”

To her knowledge, His Highness the Crown Prince is the only child at her age that currently resides in the Imperial Palace.

Roxana appears to have exhausted all other options after repeatedly having Taleia run away from her attempts to make her a friend.

Taleia sighed and said it couldn’t be helped.

Roxana beamed when she got the go-ahead, and Yurian made a perplexed face. However, Taleia had other goals in mind. Getting a five-year-old boy to cry wasn’t hard at all. After a few months of bullying, Aegis is guaranteed to despise her.

What if the prospective spouse insists on not getting married under any circumstances, including death?

‘To prevent myself from getting married, I have to instill enough fear to the Crown Prince so he would never want to see me again.’