I Became the Master of the Empress

252 – Episode 256

“Ugh…”

After a long while of crying, Theodora spoke in a voice thick with emotion.

“I’m sorry… sniff… it must have been really hard for you?”

She looked up at me from my embrace, her eyes still glistening with tears.

“It was tough, but I’m doing quite well now.”

Saying this, I pressed my lips to her forehead, where tears still lingered.

-Page.

“Really. So you don’t have to cry like that. And… if you managed to stop the Demon King’s resurrection by exchanging it for my eyes, then it was a bargain.”

My vision is a bit blurry, but the pain has eased significantly compared to before.

“Why… are you always like this?”

Theodora gently caresses my face.

“Why do you push yourself so hard?”

“I just… did my best. Think about it. If I had only cared for my own safety…”

Valoran and Locust would have summoned the Demon King, and countless people would have already died.

“Don’t say that. I want you to value yourself. You are… my beloved husband, after all.”

Her words tickle my heart.

“As a Grand Duke, you are excellent, and as the Empire’s representative, you are remarkable, but as my husband, as the head of our family, you need to take better care of yourself.”

Theodora speaks with a pitiful expression.

“Promise me. From now on, you won’t overdo it, and you’ll stay by my side for a lifetime.”

Meeting her gaze makes this conversation feel a bit embarrassing, so I shyly avert my eyes and say, “I promise. So please don’t cry… Ugh!”

Before I could say anything more, a subtle rosemary scent tickled my nose.

The reason being, she pressed her lips against mine.

Not a deep kiss, but a brief peck, like when we made promises as children, pressing our thumbs together.

That short kiss felt like our promise.

She said to me, “It’s a promise… we’ve made.”

“Yeah.”

*

Late at night.

Debian sleeps beside me.

I looked at his face while gazing at the faintly shining moon.

Blindness… blindness, they say.

He worked so hard for the Empire.

I recalled the time when he had suffered from eye pain.

Back then, he said it was nothing serious, so I thought it really was nothing.

But a crisis of identity.

I could feel how much he must have suffered mentally over the three years.

Unable to even speak of what he did, he quietly went about his work, surrounded by countless silent observers.

And he, who had tried to step back after achieving all the glory that came with success.

How had he faced the harsh fate of possibly living alone in darkness for the rest of his life?

If it were me…

I don’t think I could have done the same.

Even though I am an emperor, could I sacrifice so much for humanity?

What I would gain in return would be the loss of my sight, wouldn’t it?

If the price of a great sacrifice for a noble cause is losing one’s eyes, who could possibly do it?

If I were him, I think I would go mad with the desire for revenge against the world.

So… was that why he undertook such reckless acts?

In the past, he had handed over Epirus and Egypt, imprisoned William to tarnish his own reputation, pretended to dismantle the papacy, or even to execute the pope—deceptive actions.

To be honest, those were actions that were far too extreme for a politician.

No matter the purpose, what he did was excessively radical.

But perhaps he chose those methods because he knew that time was running out for him, who bore the mission to achieve all of this?

He is truly, truly a sage.

It was foolish of me and many dignitaries of the empire to think of him as the embodiment of power.

He was someone who burned himself to protect the world.

Debian, who engaged in politics not for himself but for everyone, and who faced unjust criticism from the world.

And the guilt of not being able to protect him, but rather hindering him.

The weight of that guilt presses heavily on my chest.

I’m sorry… truly.

If he were to lose his sight…

Tears flowed down without my realizing it.

Because of that, his face appeared blurred to me.

If he truly lost his light, I might have to live my life as a sinner, crushed under this heavy guilt.

*

A few days later.

The Golden Order and William entered Rome.

There were things they did for me.

Because of that, Theodora and I persuaded the Imperial Council to hold a ceremony for them.

The occasion was

A grand figure clad in golden armor stood before Theodora and me.

“Your Majesty! It’s been a long time.”

After enduring long hardships, William returned only after three long years.

From now on, it would be they, not the Grand Duchy’s soldiers, who would protect Roman and the Imperial Palace.

Was it because of the long friendship with the late Emperor?

My mother-in-law began to shed tears.

“Sir William. You’ve truly suffered a lot.”

At the sound of my mother-in-law’s voice, filled with emotion, William knelt down.

“No, it is with the grace of Your Majesty that I have returned, and I am deeply moved.”

At William’s words, Theodora smiled gently.

“No, Uncle. You’ve really been through a lot.”

“That’s right. It feels so good to see you like this!”

Joy’s face lit up with happiness at the sight of William.

Is everyone really that happy?

But now it was time to gradually hand over the duties to William, so I decided to step in.

“Now, now… Sir William. Let’s catch up later; I have something to discuss regarding our work.”

“Understood. I shall take my leave for now to attend to the matters of protecting Roman and the Imperial Palace.”

With that, we headed to the Grand Duchy together.

We discussed the current supplies, the Grand Duchy’s plans for withdrawal, and how to divide responsibilities during our uncomfortable cohabitation.

The Golden Knights would be in charge of the Imperial Palace, while the Grand Duchy’s forces would handle places like the city hall and the castle gates, which required a lot of manpower. We decided to work on filling the gaps that would arise when the Grand Duchy withdrew.

Once the long meeting concluded, William stroked his beard and said,

“By the way, it took longer than expected to call you back, Grand Duke.”

At those words, I made an awkward expression.

“I apologize for the delay in matters.”

The truth was, the reason I hadn’t called back such a significant force was due to the uncomfortable relationship between Theodora and me at that time.

It would be madness to give the strongest military force in the Empire to Theodora, who was trying to oust me.

Of course, I was somewhat aware that William and Theodora had been exchanging letters in secret.

“I know there was a brief discord between you and His Majesty. Still, I’m glad it has been resolved.”

At William’s words, I lowered my head and conveyed my apology.

“I’m truly sorry for sending you far away for three years. However, as you know, the power of the Golden Order was too great a threat to me.”

“I understand; I couldn’t fully trust you either. We can consider it even.”

I felt a sense of relief at William’s reaction.

If he were to sulk and refuse to cooperate, it would be the most bothersome situation.

“Thank you for saying that.”

I spoke sincerely.

– Knock, knock.

Who could it be at this hour?

Feeling puzzled, I called out to the door.

“Who is it?”

– His Majesty the Emperor has come to visit.

It was Theodore, who consistently appeared around this time.

Oh… is he coming to see me again?

I smiled inwardly at that thought.

“Show him in.”

As I said that, the door opened as expected.

“Has the handover been completed?”

I nodded at Theodore’s question.

“Yes, it’s all done.”

He must be suggesting another date.

Should we go out today?

The ring that changes appearance, commissioned from the Mage Tower, had just arrived, and I thought it wouldn’t be bad to recreate the atmosphere from when we first got married and go on a secret date.

“Well then, Uncle William, do you have a moment?”

“Yes! Command me.”

“Huh?”

I was taken aback by his unexpected response.

Wasn’t he here to take me out somewhere?

As I pondered this in confusion, she let out a small laugh.

“Cough, cough… Why are you so surprised?”

I felt as if I had mistakenly drunk kimchi soup all by myself…

“Ah… no, it’s nothing.”

Since it’s been a while since we last met, I should understand.

Saying that, the two of them left my office.

*

“How does it feel to be back at the palace after such a long time?”

At my words, Uncle William made an awkward expression.

“It reminded me of that day. The memory of not having completed my mission.”

“Uncle… that day wasn’t your fault. It couldn’t be helped.”

But the stubborn Uncle William shook his head.

“I had the duty to prevent that unavoidable situation. What happened with Valoran back then was my oversight. That sin is something I must carry in my heart for the rest of my life.”

A silence fell between us.

“By the way, what brings you to see me?”

As Uncle William spoke, I cautiously replied.

“Well… um…”

It’s a bit embarrassing.

Even though Devian is my husband, I can’t shake the feeling that I seem like a wife who is overly attached to her husband, which makes my face a bit hot.

But I know that if I don’t do this, he won’t stop…

“The palace security will be handled by the Golden Knights, right?”

At my words, Uncle nodded.

“Yes, since we are inside the palace, our Golden Knights have decided to take charge starting today.”

“Then… going forward…”

With that, I entrusted a mission to William.