A red carpet was laid in the center of the grand hall, and all sorts of nobles and officials were gathered around. On one side, the priests from the shrine surrounded the emperor’s crown and whispered amongst themselves.
Latil looked at the spectacle and chuckled lightly. Strangely enough, her tension disappeared. Her throat, which had been unbearably dry during preparations, was gradually getting better.
When Latil revealed herself amid the sound of a large drum and horn, silence fell. As people stepped aside, the way to the emperor’s seat became clear.
Instead of looking at the nobles, Latil kept her eyes on the imperial crown at the end of the red carpet. And with a leisurely smile, she walked towards the crown.
When she stopped in front of the crown, a high priest cautiously handed it to her. Latil placed the crown on her head and ascended the small platform.
The princess who had nervously asked her nanny what to do if the crown tilted was not present.
‘I am the emperor.’
Standing in front of the throne, Latil swept over the nobles and officials below with a gaze full of satisfaction. One by one, the gathered people kneeled and lowered their heads in a show of loyalty.
The moment everyone bowed their heads, Latil felt a thrill running down her spine.
[This is the time separator]
According to the customs of Tarium, Latil presided over the first royal council meeting on the evening after her coronation.
The first royal council meeting was less about nitpicking details and more about showing what kind of rule she would demonstrate and presenting the overall direction of the national administration. Also, on this day, many highranking officials were replaced with new people from the new emperor’s side.
However, Latil only filled vacancies associated with Prince Tila and mostly maintained the ministers similar to her father’s time.
Excluding the time spent in the Melos territory, Latil had only lived as the crown princess for just two years.
During that time, it was difficult to create her own people entirely. And since the majority of the emperor’s faction had followed Duke Atraxi to her, there was no need to replace them.
Moreover, her father’s confidants were still in the prime of their activity. Rather than hastily pushing out the old era, Latil planned to gradually adjust while maintaining the existing excellent veterans.
Naturally, with no opposition, the royal council meeting went smoothly. However, the atmosphere began to change a bit as the discussion about Latil’s spouse and heir began.
The officials started to clash in their opinions, and the always peaceful expression on Latil’s face began to harden slightly.
The heir is important to the emperor.
Latil wasn’t upset that they were discussing the heir on the first day of the royal council meeting. What upset Latil was the subtly flowing atmosphere between them.
“Unlike the previous emperors who could have multiple consorts and give birth to an heir, your Majesty can only accept one royal consort, can’t you?”
“Therefore, we must welcome the royal consort as soon as possible for the stability of the royal family.”
“For your Majesty’s health, making an heir should be the top priority.”
“Please focus on welcoming the royal consort as soon as possible.”
While repeatedly clenching and unclenching the royal seal, Latil looked down at the officials quietly, then shook her head. Can you believe what these people are saying?
The notion that a successor had to be created promptly was something she could let slide. The domestic affairs of the Emperor weren’t private matters and this issue was always brought up at the imperial councils of past Emperors.
There was even a case where one Emperor, known for his foul temper, had thrown the imperial throne in a fit of rage, shouting “Am I a breeding horse?”
What irked Latil was something else.
‘Why do I have to have just one royal consort? Are these people odd? They seem to think quite naturally that I can’t have a harem.’
She hadn’t become Emperor with the intent to create a harem, nor had she expected to.
No, since becoming the Imperial Princess, she hadn’t even had the chance to consider such things as she had been relentlessly on the move.
It was overwhelming enough not to think about Hyacinth. The question of whether she could become Emperor was imminent. She had no mental capacity to think about a harem.
However, when the ministers laid the premise right before her eyes that ‘as a female emperor, you can’t have a harem’ and discussed the matter of the royal consort, she felt oddly defiant.
Latil had read the records of the past imperial councils dozens of times during her time as Imperial Princess. In particular, she had continued to read about the first day of the council, almost to the point of memorizing it.
In all of those imperial councils, there were pressures about the Empress and the successor, and there was even more talk about harems.
‘But I have to accept only one royal consort? There’s no harem for a female Emperor?’
Would it have been different if the ministers had brought up the harem first? She didn’t know since she hadn’t experienced it. But now, because they assumed she wouldn’t create one, she felt a strong urge to.
Latil chuckled to herself.
As she had told Lean in advance, Latil intended to be a strong ruler. She had no intention of being swayed by those who constantly compared her to Lean, Tilla, and other royals.
And then…
‘Thinking about it, a harem isn’t a bad idea.’
Why wouldn’t it work? She didn’t have the intention of accepting a royal consort right now anyway.
There were various reasons for this.
Firstly. It was a hit to her pride, but Latil hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of Hyacinth. She had been able to forget Hyacinth thanks to her busy daily life, but as soon as she heard the word husband, the pain that Hyacinth had given her immediately came to mind.
In this situation, she didn’t want to accept a ‘real’ husband right now.
And the second reason: she didn’t like the idea of power being dispersed to the royal consort before she had firmly established her own foundation.
However, if she didn’t accept anyone at all, she would have to endure nagging about the successor issue every day while running the government. If she created a harem and took in several consorts, they would at least serve as excellent barriers against the issue of successors.
Having finished her thoughts, Latil faintly smiled and opened her mouth.
“I’ve given careful thought to your words.”
When Latil opened her mouth, the surroundings became deathly quiet. Latil felt a sudden sense of pleasure. It was a peculiar feeling, having all the ministers, highranking nobles, and everyone else go silent at her single remark.
Hyacinth… yeah. Was this the feeling that made you abandon me?
“You’re right. The stability of the royal family comes from solid successors. I understand your words to welcome a royal consort soon.”
As Latil nodded, a faint smile appeared on the lips of the Duke of Atraxis.
The Duke, who had solidly established his position as a loyal subject by supporting Latil from the start, probably expected that she would mention his son Ranamun.
Ranamun had also been the leading candidate for royal consort mentioned frequently by the ministers just a while ago. In terms of appearance, pedigree, the achievements of the Duke of Atraxis, and even age, Ranamun was objectively the perfect candidate for royal consort.
Latil noticed the subtle smile creeping onto the Duke of Atraxis’ lips.
‘I feel a little sorry for the Duke. He has helped me a lot.’
But she had to say what she had to say.
“So, I’ve decided to first bring in consorts for the harem.”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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