“Phew.”

Admund sat in his office, pondering.

How could he find out what illness she was suffering from? And how could he hear it directly from her?

Come to think of it, the Clea he had seen so far was as miserable as it could be.

Her expressions had definitely changed in various ways since meeting him, but before that, the expressions she showed were anger, sadness, and emptiness.

And in the end, she became completely expressionless, as if she had given up on everything.

It was hard to pinpoint the moment when he started to care about her, who completely concealed her emotions like someone who didn’t want to get hurt anymore.

But Admund clearly remembered the moment he wanted to approach Clea.

It was the night when they shared drinks together, just the two of them.

“How can I get to know you?”

He looked at the chess pieces placed on the desk.

He had never had such concerns in his life.

If there was something he wanted to know, he would use all means and methods to find out in the end.

Kidnapping, confinement, torture.

In a position where he inevitably learned many methods while living, Admund had no aversion to such things.

But as soon as the thought of switching the target to Clea came to mind, he frowned.

He didn’t want to give her a single wound.

He couldn’t act rashly because she was someone who had already been hurt by others to an extent that was difficult to express.

What he wanted now was for her wounds to heal.

After healing, what he wanted was to see her brightly smiling face.

‘Since I became aware of my feelings for you.’

The image of her bringing a knife to her wrist still lingered in his mind.

The more Admund pictured that scene, the more his breathing quickened.

His cold head became hot and dizzy.

As he learned that if there was something he didn’t know, he should ask, he realized that ignorance was not something to be ashamed of.

That’s why he had never understood those who were reluctant to ask questions.

But this time, Admund could understand their feelings.

Why asking was so frightening.

Admund pictured Clea’s face.

‘I’m afraid of how you’ll react.’

As he was wandering, not knowing what to do, someone knocked on the office door.

Admund hoped it might be Clea, but…

“Your Majesty, may I come in?”

The owner of the voice coming from the other side of the door was Oberon.

Admund was annoyed, but sensing that something had happened from Oberon’s urgent-sounding voice, he let him in.

Oberon entered and reported first, skipping the greeting.

“I heard that Her Majesty the Empress has returned to the Imperial Palace!”

“Doesn’t she still have vacation left?”

He checked the calendar on the desk.

Elaina still had about a week of vacation left.

Knowing her well, who wanted to escape from the Imperial Palace and enjoy freedom, he thought there was no way she would have returned already, but…

“And now she is coming here with His Majesty the Emperor!”

Hearing the following words, he realized why Elaina had already returned, leaving her vacation.

Hearing Oberon’s words, Admund got up from his seat and left the office.

“Your Majesty!”

Oberon loudly called out Admund’s name as he left, but Admund didn’t stop and hurriedly moved his feet.

* * *

Clea was perplexed by the scene unfolding before her eyes.

“It’s nice to have you back at the Imperial Palace, but it’s not pleasant for you to visit my palace like this. I’ll come find you, so how about you return to the Empress Palace?”

“Is that the only thing you have to say when seeing your mother? I’m truly disappointed.”

“Is there anything to be disappointed about in our relationship?”

“But now you should at least pretend to be disappointed so that you can stay longer.”

Clea wondered what was going on with Admund’s sudden intrusion.

The people who followed in after him were unusual.

If only Odin had appeared, Clea would have probably greeted him with a welcoming smile.

But now, beside him, there was another person.

“Greetings to the two suns of the Empire.”

The person who didn’t need to bow her head at all despite being next to Odin.

Empress Elaina, who was called the mother of the Empire and was actually Admund’s mother.

When Clea greeted her, she smiled kindly.

Seeing Elaina’s expression, Clea’s anxiety lessened a little.

‘I thought she might not accept me.’

Odin had already acknowledged her relationship with Admund.

But she was slightly anxious, thinking that the Empress might oppose it.

Although she didn’t show it on the outside, she thought that the Empress, who had heard rumors about her, might tell her not to interfere with Admund’s future.

Clea was also aware of her own notoriety.

The woman who even tried to kill the fragile and beautiful Aria.

Even though it wasn’t something she had directly done, she couldn’t erase the past before possession, so it followed her like a label wherever she went.

The villainess becomes the wife of the precious son.

‘Who in the world could accept that with a peaceful mind?’

However, Elaina was welcoming Clea with a bright expression.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve wanted to talk to you like this.”

Clea glanced at Admund.

Admund was standing between the two, as if he couldn’t hand Clea over.

She knew well that he was doing it because he wanted to protect her, but…

“Clea.”

“I want to properly greet the two of you, Your Majesties.”

When Clea grabbed his arm and pleaded with him, Admund’s heart weakened.

He still didn’t want to let Clea face the two of them.

Because if the two didn’t accept her, it would be an awkward situation.

But contrary to expectations, the two readily accepted her. So this time, Admund was anxious for a different reason.

Admund felt like Clea was a sandcastle, as he didn’t know her condition properly yet.

Like a sandcastle that would crumble helplessly with a single gust of wind.

‘I wish I knew a little more about you.’

In the end, Admund slightly stepped aside for her.

Following the path Admund opened, Clea naturally approached Odin and Elaina.

Standing in front of the two, Clea raised the corners of her mouth.

“Admund doesn’t make you feel neglected, does he?”

“As you just saw, he doesn’t give me a chance to be lonely, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t call me Your Majesty, call me father.”

“How could I dare to do that?”

Odin, who had been quietly watching Admund and Elaina argue, finally opened his mouth when Clea took a step forward.

Elaina was intrigued by the scene.

Admund didn’t like the look of Odin, who seemed to have ulterior motives.

Seeing Admund’s displeased expression, Clea smiled and said,

“Shouldn’t my husband-to-be address you as father first, so that I can also call you father?”

“You heard everything, so what are you doing?”

Admund’s face was filled with puzzlement upon hearing Clea’s words.

He was embarrassed by the mention of her husband-to-be, and then confused by the words she uttered next.

Then, as Odin’s displeased gaze fell upon him, Admund frowned.

“I don’t want to do it.”

“Then it’s an imperial order.”

“Don’t abuse imperial orders for this.”

“So you’re saying you won’t obey?”

Admund was dissatisfied, but seeing Clea’s smiling face beside him, he soon sighed and said,

“Father.”

It had been a few years since he called him father, and even though the words came out of his own mouth, Admund found it unfamiliar.

It seemed to be just as unfamiliar for the listener, as Odin, who had shown a displeased reaction, then looked at Clea.

Seeing the two of them, Clea smiled and gave the answer Odin wanted.

“Yes, I will call you father.”

“Yes, daughter-in-law.”

“You’ve already become this close while I was away.”

Elaina was jealous but also delighted to see Odin and Clea, who had become close in her absence.

It seemed that the cold and lonely atmosphere inside the Imperial Palace would melt away, just as she had hoped, with a new family member.

But she couldn’t suppress her jealousy, so she approached Clea and linked arms with her.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

“If you called Odin father, wouldn’t I be mother?”

Clea had never thought that Elaina, whom she met for the first time today, would approach her so closely.

Meanwhile, Elaina realized by looking at Admund and Odin’s reactions.

‘As expected, rumors can’t be trusted.’

According to rumors, Clea was someone who should never be by Admund’s side.

Because Admund was an emperor with a guaranteed future.

The person who would become the empress also had to be someone who could stand tall beside him.

So, when Elaina first saw Clea, she even thought of testing her by saying she couldn’t acknowledge her.

She was curious about what kind of reactions Clea would show if she heard the harsh words that Elaina herself had heard from the previous empress.

Elaina thought that the truth of the rumors would be determined according to her reaction.

But now, she thought it was good that she didn’t reveal what she had thought as it was.

‘Seeing how Admund is clinging to her, I can already guess what kind of child she is.’

Recalling how Odin used to embrace her in the past, Elaina smiled pleasantly.

For a moment, the image of him, who even said he could give up the throne, and herself, who was shedding tears, overlapped with the children.

Elaina decided not to be impatient.

There was plenty of time anyway, so she thought she could meet separately and talk later, and she intended to tease her a little, but…

“So how far have you gone? You couldn’t have already gone there, right?”

“Yes, we’ve already gone there.”

“Oh my.”

“C-Clea.”

It was Admund who felt embarrassed by Clea’s straightforward answer.