Chapter 269

Chapter 269. Between His Role As Emperor and His Role As Husband (2)

Translator: Aura / Editor: SaWarren

Fighting the Eternal Thousand bandits should not pose any major difficulties for my brother. He has been chasing them for years as a hobby…

However, I couldn’t help but worry even though I was confident in my brother’s ability. There were many unexpected situations in a battle. What if my brother gets caught in a trap?

For the past few days, I had been anxious about it. My ladies-in-waiting were worried to see me like this.

At first, I would reply, “It’s nothing,” whenever my ladies-in-waiting asked me what was wrong.

But, because they were so worried, I eventually confessed to them how I felt honestly.

Hearing my unease, Mastas surprisingly stepped forward,

“I’ll go check it out before I get back from my vacation. I’ll see how he does.”

Mastas had told me she would be taking a vacation soon… but my brother went down to a remote border town. Is she going all the way down there to see my brother?

“Miss Mastas, is your house far from there?”

That seemed too much to me, so I asked Mastas. If she answered that it was far, I was going to tell her not to go.

For some reason, Mastas muttered depressedly at my words.

“Ah, well…”

“If so, you don’t have to go there.”

“Don’t worry. I’m also curious about how he fights against the Eternal Thousand bandits.”

I was about to refuse again, but I stopped myself.

Mastas was interested in my brother and that was probably why she offered to go. Although she didn’t act like nobility, Mastas was a really nice person.

In any case, I didn’t want to unilaterally interfere with Mastas’ interest in my brother.

Finally I thanked her sincerely, and Mastas was startled,

“No need Your Majesty, I’ll go that way anyway. Really.”

After I finished talking with Mastas, I went out to look for my parents.

My parents would not be staying long in the Eastern Empire. I wanted to spend more time with them before they left.

‘There they are.’

As I went up to the second floor terrace I could see my parents. They were walking with Heinley along a path that was clearly visible from the terrace.

Seeing the three of them walking together, a soft wind blew in a corner of my chest.

I was suddenly overwhelmed, so I put my hand to my chest as I looked at my parents and Heinley.

Was there a more touching scene than watching your loved ones get along?

If Heinley’s parents were alive… I could have been as good to them as Heinley is to my parents.

It was sad to think about this. I couldn’t imagine a life without my parents. I would get lonely quickly.

Was there a deep loneliness under Heinley’s smiling face?

When Heinley said something, my parents started laughing.

As I watched the scene, I made up my mind. I will make him happy as much as he makes me happy.

I still don’t believe his love will last forever. But that aside, he was already my husband and my family.

***

They did not know that Navier was watching them from above.

They crossed a beautiful path covered with lavender and cornflowers, and entered a garden full of tulips.

Even Navier couldn’t see them here. Perhaps fortunately.

The atmosphere between the three became heavy as they entered the garden.

This was because the topic turned away from family and personal matters, to focus on state affairs.

“There can be two empires on the same continent. There are even records of the existence of four empires at one time.”

“You mean the time of war between the four emperors. The Emperor of the East, The Emperor of the West, The Emperor of the North, and the Emperor of the South.”

“Yes… There may be many emperors. But the more emperors, the fiercer the competition.”

Duke Troby continued with concern.

“Sovieshu aside, Navier has a deep affection for the Eastern Empire. Despite what happened, it’s still the country where she grew up.”

“That’s true.”

“Your role as emperor and your role as husband will not always be aligned. That’s what worries us.”

“…”

Heinley could not easily respond to Duke Troby’s words.

Duchess Troby also added heavily.

“Even if the Eastern Empire and the Western Empire manage to coexist in harmony, the position of the kingdoms and other allied powers will change as there will be two emperors. You will face each other directly or indirectly.”

They were both right, so Heinley didn’t know what to answer.

Originally, Heinley had no intention of marrying Navier. It was not in his plans to fall in love with the Empress of the Eastern Empire on his reconnaissance trip there.

For Heinley, meeting Navier had been the greatest happiness of his life, but it was also true that several of his life plans changed as a result of this love.

Seeing his son-in-law lost in thought, Duke Troby spoke cautiously and kindly,

“Hopefully it won’t happen, but even if his role as emperor and his role as husband were to change in the future, I hope Navier won’t get hurt.”

* * *

While Rashta was looking for a way to go to the Rimwell Estate, she learned something unexpected.

‘The Empress is looking for something very important.’ This rumor had slowly spread through the imperial palace.

However, Rashta heard about it now.

“What are you talking about?!”

Rashta shouted, her legs were numb.

After attending the wedding in the Western Empire, Rashta moved busily in search of the certificate Koshar had mentioned.

She didn’t leave it in the hands of others, because it was a certificate that represented a great weakness, so she had been looking for it on her own.

‘I can’t believe a rumor has come up about this!’ Rashta angrily ordered Viscountess Verdi,

“Find out immediately who started that rumor!”

When she searched the rooms or the gardens, Rashta found it difficult to escape the stares of people in the vicinity. However, the fact that she was known to be ‘looking for something’, was definitely a rumor started by someone close to her.

As expected, the culprit was caught in no time.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty! Forgive me!”

It had been one of Rashta’s newly hired maids.

“I didn’t mean to start any odd rumors! I just told someone who was watching Your Majesty walk from one place to another that you were looking for something.”

The maid cried and pleaded with clasped hands. She really didn’t have any bad intentions, she just thought it was all right to talk about it.

Rashta’s eyes blazed fiercely, she grabbed the maid’s chin and snarled,

“Didn’t I make it quite clear that in the imperial palace you were to be careful with your actions?”

The maid repeatedly begged for forgiveness, but Rashta had no sympathy.

Besides, she was the first newly hired maid to cause a problem.

To prevent a similar case from happening in the future, Rashta felt it necessary to give a severe punishment as a warning to the others.

Rashta, firmly determined, ordered Viscountess Verdi,

“Viscountess Verdi. What do you know about this girl’s father?”

“Her father is sentenced to death. However, the execution has not been carried out, despite having spent several years in prison, due to his good behavior.”

Rashta coldly ordered.

“Have him executed.”

Viscountess Verdi looked at Rashta in surprise. However, Rashta felt no remorse.

This was not an innocent man, this was a man who would be executed sooner or later. For a prisoner to be sentenced to death he had to have committed a serious crime. She found no problem.

The maid, who had heard Rashta’s order, crawled on her knees, grabbed Rashta by the legs, and repeatedly begged her to forgive her, but eventually collapsed from exhaustion.

After regaining consciousness, the maid immediately went to Rashta and continued to plead with her.

But Rashta lied to the maid.

“Your father has already died by hanging.”

Although he had not yet been executed, she deliberately invented it to hurt the maid.

Since the maid had just started working in the palace, she thought that one word from the empress would have him executed in a matter of moments.

The maid’s lips trembled with rage.

Her father had been sentenced to death for murder, but the victim her father murdered was an unscrupulous criminal who had kidnapped and murdered her younger brother for a few pennies.

For this reason, her father had not been executed despite having been sentenced to death and her relatives were not dragged through the guilt-by-association system either.

She could not believe that it had all ended in such an absurd way.

The maid angrily lifted the chair next to her and pounced on Rashta.

“Die!”