I Became the Master of the Empress

248 – 252

The next morning.

After what happened at the palace with Theodora yesterday…

I headed to the royal family’s dining room for the first time.

“What’s going on?”

It seems like something like this happened recently, but is it déjà vu?

“What’s going on? Don’t go in?”

“That’s… “

I couldn’t get in and was hesitating, but Theodora smiled softly.

“Why? I’m ashamed of what happened to me?”

“It’s not that… what’s that… “

People who know about our relationship are all aware.

I’m so embarrassed.

I wish we hadn’t sent someone from the Vatican to the palace yesterday, asking for an annulment of our marriage, and we received the decision to maintain our marriage.

It’s clear that the rumor that we’ve finally consummated our marriage has spread.

My imagination is on fire.

As a couple, we would normally do this, but it’s like we publicly declared, “We had s*x yesterday, and it’s no different!”

If it’s not embarrassing, then it’s weird.

“Ha ha, do you know that? You’re really cute like this?”

Theodora was stroking my hair, and I gave her a stern expression.

“Pervert, I’ve never heard of anything like that in my life.”

Of course, I’ve heard of things like footjobs and stockings in my original world, but I never thought I’d hear about them here.

Here, even oral s*x is taboo.

Theodora’s face turned red at my words.

“That… that’s what Mary taught you, right?”

Mary… Agrippa…

I thought of Mary and felt despair, and I thought of Agrippa and felt guilty.

In that moment…

-Screech.

Joy opens the door with a sly smile.

“What are you two doing there?”

“Huh? Just about to go in.”

“Sister-in-law? Long time no see?”

At my words, Joy’s sly smile deepens.

“Huh? How have you been, brother-in-law who wanted to annul the marriage with my sister?”

“Huh?”

“I’m curious, why do you think the annulment failed?”

Joy asks teasingly.

As Theodora and I blush, unable to utter a word, Joy swings the door wide open and says,

“Mom’s waiting, so come on in.”

As we enter the dining room…

My mother-in-law wipes her tears with a handkerchief and says,

“To think you two finally consummated your marriage. I’m so moved. Sob sob…”

And so, we were thoroughly teased throughout the meal.

***

After finishing breakfast, I decided to have a talk with Theodora.

Originally, I planned to hand over power to her and step back, but now it’s become difficult to withdraw.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

At my question, Theodora lays her cheek on my knee.

“Will we stay like this going forward?”

She was supposed to be a woman without blood or tears in the original work. When did her mind become a flower garden?

“No, I mean, what are you going to do about the state affairs?”

I ask her, and she looks up at me while lying on my knee.

“We’ll maintain the status quo. You lead the anti-emperor faction, and I lead the emperor’s faction. As long as we balance each other out in governance, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

At her words, I let out a sigh.

“I want to take a break, you know?”

As I say this, she gets up from my knee.

Then, with a bright expression, she nods continuously and says,

“Take a break. I’ve always been worried about you overworking yourself. Maybe it’s time to implement a mandatory retirement system or something.”

“What… what’s a mandatory retirement system?”

I feel bewildered by a term I’ve never heard before.

Isn’t this something an emperor, who should encourage his subjects and increase productivity, shouldn’t say?

“I’ve realized something watching you. Work is important, and so is productivity, but isn’t the health of our citizens the most important? That’s why I want to create a law that legally prevents working more than 50 hours a week.”

She strokes my face gently.

“If someone works more than that, they should be paid extra wages, or if they work overtime for a certain number of hours in a month, the following month they should work fewer hours to compensate—such laws.”

In modern countries, labor standards laws like these are a given, but they don’t exist here.

The reason being, most people work in agriculture, and once the sun sets, work can’t be done.

So, it would mainly apply to cities or artisans.

“It’s too early.”

I thought it was premature given our modest productivity levels.

But Theodora shakes her head as if to disagree.

“No? It’s not too early. Do you know how many officials are refusing promotions now?”

I cough awkwardly, feeling a sting at her words.

“Ahem…”

She pinches the tip of my nose with her finger and smiles.

“How bad must it be for there to be a saying that becoming an official leads to death by overwork? Alexander and Sabinelli, they’re all screaming they’re going to die.”

I raise my hand slightly to push her hand away and say,

“I admit that. Sigh…”

I never intended to maintain the current situation in the long run.

I’ve known for a while that the number of applicants for bureaucratic positions has hit an all-time low…

If I had to make excuses, it was a struggle to recover from the civil war and its damages, and to develop further.

There’s no concept of overtime pay in the laws here. And I had to manage the empire with limited resources.

So, even if we make them work overtime, the labor costs remain the same, so the capable talents and officials are overworked to the maximum to somehow increase productivity, which in the short term helps the citizens and the nation.

And I was prepared to be criticized for this situation once I step down.

“Everyone’s having trouble finding talent because of this. And… ahem… it’s not good for your health either.”

“I have nothing to say to that. Alright. Do as you please.”

As I say this, she stands up and gently kisses my cheek.

-Smack.

“You’re not upset, are you?”

At her words, I let out a chuckle.

“I’m not upset over something like this. In fact, it’s only natural when one rules for a long time.”

Even in the military, they plan combat and training schedules considering the soldiers’ stamina.

An army that relies solely on mental strength is foolish beyond measure.

After all, sheer willpower won’t stop a sword or spear right before your eyes.

“Besides, I’m thinking of collaborating with the Vatican to expand the existing Sunday schools and focus on education.”

I nod at her words.

“Maybe it’s time to establish compulsory education?”

Due to a shortage of hands for farming, children from the households head to the fields from dawn.

They may be small, but they are helpful when working.

Of course, it’s good for short-term productivity, but in the long run, it’s definitely a loss.

Just reducing the illiteracy rate alone would accelerate technological advancement exponentially.

However, I’m not sure how much resistance there will be.

With that, we pondered how to handle the empire’s politics and what kind of laws to create.

I realized that Theodora had thought and prepared more than I expected.

Having lived in a more socially advanced place than here, I roughly understand, but for her, it’s different when a professor says something, and according to a paper, this is how it should be done, isn’t it?

As the sun slowly set, I was astonished by Theodora’s scholarship and asked her.

“When did you start thinking about all this?”

To be honest, I could feel that she had learned and strived more than when I first came to power.

“Hehe, you said it before, didn’t you? An emperor should have a clear goal on how to govern.”

Her face brightened.

“So, I watched and observed how you govern. Focusing only on the empire and its people, even if not recognized by them, but stubbornly sticking to it till the end, made me think that I should also do politics for the empire and its people.”

Theodora paused her speech and whispered in my ear.

“So, it’s all thanks to you.”

I felt a warmth in my ears at her words.

“Hehe. I love you, truly.”

Theodora, blushing faintly as if shy, smiled at me.

Looking at her, somehow… I felt like a fool for having worried about her assassination before.

I really was a fool.

“Are you not going to tell me?”

“Huh?”

I felt a sense of bewilderment at her words.

Theodora puffed out one cheek, her expression clearly sulking.

“I said I love you, and I want to hear it too.”

Something… it’s embarrassing to say it now.

In the early days of our marriage, I often told her and the imperial citizens, the nobles, that I loved them, but I didn’t feel this emotion then.

How should I put it? My heart tickles, and suddenly I feel heat on my face.

“I… I love you too.”

As I said that, she poked my cheek with a flushed face…

-Poke poke.

She prodded.

“Your words are sincere now, aren’t they?”

“Huh?”

“Your face has turned red. When you lied before, your complexion didn’t change at all. Did you know that?”

“What… what?”

“Your face is really red now?”

Saying so, she lightly pressed her lips against mine.

“I love you. Really, very much. So, please say you love me more often from now on.”

“Uh-huh… I will.”

This kind of emotion feels unfamiliar.

Surely I had romantic experiences in my past life.

As we were about to go out for dinner.

She smiled brightly and said,

“But you’re not hiding anything from me now, are you?”

At her words, I remembered that I had forgotten to tell her that I needed eye surgery.