I Became the Master of the Empress

203 – 207

I finished work a bit early today.

The reason being, I need to have a talk with Joy.

Soon, when Joy comes of age, she’ll need to marry, and I need to ask her who she wishes to marry.

Walking towards Joy’s room, I knock on the door.

-Knock knock.

-Who is it?

Joy’s voice comes from inside, and I reply.

“Is my sister-in-law in?”

-Huh? Brother-in-law? Just a moment.

Amidst the hustle inside,

-Click.

Joy opens the door with a surprised look and says,

“What brings you here, brother-in-law?”

“Yeah, I have something to discuss. Can we talk inside?”

Seeing Joy nod, I enter the room.

It’s hard to say. I’ve rarely been in my sister-in-law’s room, but it looks similar to Theodora’s.

“Brother-in-law, do you need a drink?”

“No, it’s late. Time to sleep early.”

As I say this and sit on the sofa, Joy sits opposite me and asks with a puzzled look,

“What’s the matter, brother-in-law?”

I shake my head and smile gently.

“No big deal, haha. Just haven’t seen my sister-in-law’s face much lately and was curious how you’ve been.”

I need to subtly inquire about her marriage prospects.

After all, if it’s not the marriage she wants, I plan to stop it.

I’m already dealing with my wicked wife Theodora, aren’t I?

It’s not the era of marrying for love, but I wish for Joy to have a happy marriage.

So the conversation with Joy begins, and I hear about recent events.

She’s been caught up studying by Lucius and sometimes wishes to go out and have fun.

Hearing her say she might as well attend the academy instead, I wear a troubled expression.

“Brother-in-law, how long do I have to stay locked up like this?”

I hesitate at her words.

The group planning to kidnap Joy soon are devil worshippers.

They know how to handle magic, so it’s a bit daunting to rely on regular guards.

“Can you hold on just a little longer? It won’t take much time.”

I think it won’t take long since we’re about to make a decisive move against them soon.

“Sigh… It’s so boring just staying inside the palace.”

Seeing my cute sister-in-law pouting her lips, I can’t help but smile.

“I’ll allow you to go out occasionally, though.”

It must feel suffocating to be in the palace all the time.

Mary used to take Joy out of the palace, but now that Mary is pregnant, she has returned to the duchy.

Now that I think about it, once my niece or nephew is born, I should start preparing to renounce my inheritance.

It’s been over a year since Agrippa joined the Ryan family and we had a new addition to the family.

As I’m lost in thought, Joy’s lips protrude in a pout.

“Tch…”

I ponder as I watch Joy become sullen.

Doesn’t my sister-in-law have a boyfriend or someone she’s seeing?

It doesn’t seem like it, but just in case, I cautiously broach the subject.

“Ahem… The reason I wanted to see you, my dear sister-in-law, is that your birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?”

Joy responds in a downcast voice to my question.

“Yes… But why do you ask?”

“Well… I’ve been receiving a lot of marriage proposals lately. Do you have someone you like?”

At my question, Joy lifts her head and blinks at me before responding in a flustered tone.

“Marriage… proposals? Someone I like?”

Joy seems to have forgotten that she’s of marriageable age, as she responds with a noticeably flustered voice.

“No! And… I want to marry someone I love, like my sister or sister Mary…”

I ask her gently, hearing her words.

“Hmm… I have no intention of forcing you. I hope you marry someone you truly wish to.”

Joy looks a bit moved by my words.

“Really, brother-in-law?”

“Yes. Didn’t your father promise the same to you and Theodora? That you don’t have to marry for political reasons.”

Theodora might have married for the sake of survival and the empire, but Joy has no such necessity.

Of course, if the political situation were unstable, it would be a different story, but that’s not the case right now.

“Thank you, brother-in-law!”

Watching Joy bounce around as she gets up from her seat, I say,

“But if you wait too long to get married, the mother-in-law might bring a suitor herself. You know what I mean, right?”

I’m certain that if Joy becomes an old maid, the mother-in-law will surely find a suitor for her.

Then there would be no way for me to stop the mother-in-law.

After all, she is an elder of the Augustus family to which Joy belongs, my mother-in-law, and the Empress Dowager.

The right to choose a suitor primarily lies with the mother-in-law.

Whether Joy knows what I’m thinking or not, she says with a carefree smile,

“I know! I’m aware. Hehe…”

She must be well aware, right?

Anyway, seeing my sister-in-law so happy makes me feel good too.

***

On a sunny morning.

After a cozy meal with the family, Eurydice, the Empress Dowager of the empire, is at ease.

-Knock knock!

“What is it?”

-Empress Dowager… Letters of courtship for Princess Joy have arrived.

At the butler’s words, her forehead throbs.

Eurydice feels like her arm will fall off from responding to hundreds of letters.

All because her daughter is beautiful and the current Emperor’s cherished only sister.

“Bring them here first.”

Seeing the several boxes brought in by the butler and maids, she already feels a headache coming on.

“How come… they just keep increasing day by day.”

As Joy’s coming-of-age ceremony approaches, the number of suitors grows.

And with that, the despair of having to reply to each one grows in Eurydice.

If only she had the savvy of a Devian, she wouldn’t write each letter herself but have the maids do it…

But as per the noble etiquette, a formal proposal from a family must be answered in writing by hand, so she finds herself penning each letter.

Yet, separate from that, Eurydice’s mind is in turmoil.

“It’s all because the princess is beautiful and kind-hearted, isn’t it?”

Seeing the butler’s expression as if he received the proposals himself, Eurydice feels wrinkles forming on her forehead.

‘Such thoughts come from not knowing the complex political situation.’

Eurydice once rejoiced at her daughter’s popularity, but now it’s too early to be simply happy.

“Joy’s marriage, of all things.”

Among them are suitors from the kingdoms of Eren and Sardinia, possibly even the next kings.

In other words… depending on which family’s man Joy marries, it could shake the very foundations of the empire.

Even Johannes, for instance, didn’t he try to marry his son to Joy?

‘For now, Devian holds a tight grip on the political scene. It might not be immediate, but surely those nobles dissatisfied with the current regime will target Joy.’

Having seen Theodora become a political victim, the Empress Dowager does not wish the same for Joy.

Who would want their child to be dragged around by political interests?

It’s a natural thought for Eurydice, yet it’s not so simple for her.

‘First of all, Joy isn’t seeing anyone.’

Joy, secretly in a not-so-secret fling with Lucius, has yet to confess her feelings to anyone due to their status difference, not even her mother knows Joy’s circumstances.

‘Maybe it’s better to marry her into a moderately powerful noble family rather than a great one?’

Eurydice, who herself comes from a great noble family, worries about potential problems with Theodora if Joy marries too well.

Of course, when she married the former emperor, his power was solid.

That’s why even the rampant Balor had no choice but to bow his head.

However, Eurydice, not wanting Joy to live in poverty, finds the idea of marrying into a lower nobility a bit difficult.

Marrying a baron or a viscount could disadvantage Joy in social circles.

In this world, a woman follows her husband’s status.

No matter if she’s of royal blood, marrying a baron means becoming a baroness.

Moreover, marrying too low a noble could even strip her of her right to the throne, so she must marry into at least an earl’s family with a solid lineage.

“Ah… this isn’t something I usually enjoy.”

As a mother, Eurydice dislikes the current complex situation while considering her child’s marriage.

“I should discuss this with Terra later, shouldn’t I?”

Of course, Theodora is currently too busy expanding her power, but Eurydice believes she would still be interested in her sister’s marriage.

‘Anyway, I must respond.’

Eurydice, thinking her arm might fall off from all the writing, orders the chief servant.

“Chief servant, lay the letters next to my desk for a reply.”

***

Upon returning to Roman, Amon faintly senses a change in the atmosphere.

Different from before, how should I put it? The mood seems better, doesn’t it?

“Tch. Fools.”

Amon grumbles at the sight. Just a few years ago, people starving was a common sight throughout the empire.

Especially in the provinces, where some even died of hunger. But with the spread of windmills and the cultivation of new farmland, the number of those starving gradually decreased.

Dissatisfaction with society, dissatisfaction with the gods.

The more there was, the stronger the power of the demon worshippers became.

They could lead the starving to become faithful demon worshippers by giving them bread and care.

This plan was no different.

Dissatisfaction with the government.

Many citizens of the empire harbored discontent during the early reign of the Archduke, but gradually, that dissatisfaction began to fade.

Knowing well that this was due to the funds operated by the empire, Amon feels a surge of irritation when he thinks of Deviang.

He had almost overturned the nearly completed plan by killing Valoran, and had tried to lead the dissatisfaction against Deviang to overthrow the empire, but all had failed.

“If only Valoran hadn’t died… that imbecile who got killed by his own offspring.”

Muttering softly to himself, Amon’s day begins.