The Empress' Beast Selection (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
From her perspective, it was a statement uttered only after enduring much.
At that indifferent reply, Demios’s neat eyebrows twitched uncomfortably.
“Is that all?”
“What else should there be?”
It was Sophia who owed him a debt of gratitude.
Thus, she was always the weaker party.
Even though they were married by the goddess’s will, to Sophia, Demios was her savior.
‘Had it not been for the goddess’s voice, he wouldn’t have sought me out.’
Therefore, she couldn’t afford to complain, nor was their relationship one that allowed such indulgence.
They were no longer young lovers.
The long absence of sharing a bed was proof enough.
‘Perhaps his true beloved has finally appeared.’
All she needed to do was hold onto her position as empress.
Yet, knowing this, why did her heart ache so?
Not understanding the reason made her even more disoriented. Demios watched her silent figure for a moment before rising from his seat.
“Get up first.”
Sophia had barely been seated for ten minutes.
Seeing him abruptly leave his seat, Sophia felt shaken.
Though he rarely smiled warmly at her, they had at least reached a point where light banter was possible.
Was even that now impossible?
She wanted to reach out and stop him from leaving. But—
“May the Imperial Sun forever shine brightly upon you.”
At her flat, formal farewell, Demios paused briefly in his steps.
Yet, seeing him turn away irritably a moment later, Sophia resigned herself.
To their relationship, which had grown even more distant.
Sophia gazed out the carriage window. Outside, a deep sunset blanketed the horizon.
The imperial palace of the Suin Empire resembled a small city.
Consequently, carriages were frequently needed even for travel within the palace grounds.
She was returning to the Empress’s quarters after concluding a meeting regarding the upcoming Victory Festival.
“Shall I prepare your bath as soon as we arrive?”
“Please do.”
Preparing parties and commemorative events fell to the empress.
The Victory Festival was drawing near.
And with rumors circulating about Demios and his Name, she felt utterly exhausted.
‘They say he meets her every day.’
According to gossip, the emperor had been leaving the palace repeatedly.
It was only natural.
He had finally met the one he’d longed for.
‘I should prepare myself mentally.’
Yet, she simply didn’t wish to think any deeper.
Was ignoring it again today the only answer?
Just as she thought how much she wanted to sink into hot water—
Screech
“Kyaaah!”
The maid’s scream pierced the air as the carriage abruptly halted.
Sophia nearly pitched forward, her face almost hitting the wall.
“Your Majesty, are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Though startled, she was unharmed.
Her maid, having first checked on Sophia’s condition, was now furiously pounding the small window.
“How dare you make such a sudden stop while Her Majesty is aboard! She could have been injured!”
“I—I’m terribly sorry! A young lady suddenly dashed right in front of the carriage….”
The coachman looked visibly flustered under the maid’s scolding.
The maid clicked her tongue in disbelief.
“Where in the world is there a noble who doesn’t know this is a carriage lane?”
The palace roads were clearly divided into pedestrian paths and carriage lanes.
Sophia turned toward the window. Outside, the crimson sunset hung thick in the air.
‘Not a servant, but a young noblewoman.’
A noble who either couldn’t distinguish such basic things—or deliberately chose to ignore them…
“I should step outside for a moment.”
“Your Majesty?”
A sudden, uneasy premonition struck her.
Before her maid could stop her, Sophia glimpsed the scene through the narrow gap in the door.
In front of the ornate carriage,
a woman as white as snow stood weeping.
Her hair, fine as delicate silk thread, was pure white.
Her eyes shimmered like amethysts.
That unique hue appeared even more mystical against her porcelain skin.
‘An albino.’
Her entirely pale complexion, reminiscent of Eastern porcelain, and her rare violet eyes confirmed it.
‘Titié Louvre.’
Sophia instantly recognized the woman as the one bearing her husband’s Name.
According to rumors,
‘Even without the Name, they said Demios would surely be captivated by her beauty.’
Though her albinism was likely kept strictly concealed, her beauty alone would have inevitably spread far and wide.
Titié, startled and crouched on the ground, resembled a pitiful white deer nearly struck by the carriage.
Sophia’s maid, still unaware of Titié’s identity, began scolding her harshly.
“How dare you cross into the carriage lane! That’s incredibly dangerous—especially when Her Majesty’s carriage was passing!”
Though the maid had only raised her voice slightly, Titié trembled as if doused with icy water.
“I’m sorry. My health is frail, so my vision isn’t very clear.”
Sophia knew of the rumors about her delicate constitution.
But it baffled her that Titié wandered the vast palace grounds alone, without even a single maid.
Before Sophia could fully gather her thoughts,
“I must offer my greetings…”
Titié struggled to rise unsteadily.
The coachman instinctively caught her as she wobbled, hindered by her long dress.
“Thank you.”
“N-no trouble at all.”
Titié offered a faint, blushing smile.
On her pale face, that fragile smile was so enchanting that the coachman’s cheeks flushed deeply.
Straightening her attire, Titié then bowed respectfully to Sophia.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Titié Louvre.”
She grasped the edges of her dress slightly, stepped her left foot back, and lowered her head—a textbook curtsy.
Though clearly proper etiquette, it somehow betrayed the haste with which she’d learned it.
Yet, she appeared pitiful—and precisely because of that, even elegant.
Suddenly, Sophia pictured Titié standing beside Demios.
Her husband, who resembled a silver moon more than the sun.
Titié, glowing like a snowfield beneath moonlight, suited him perfectly.
While Sophia remained trapped in that vivid image,
“Um, Your Majesty… I apologize, but might I ask a favor?”
A request already, right upon meeting?
Moreover, they weren’t even close enough for such a conversation.
When Sophia remained silent, her maid answered in her stead.
“Young Lady Louvre, you’re already taking up Her Majesty’s precious time.”
Ever since the Louvre name was mentioned, the maid’s expression had turned icy cold.
Flustered by the cold response, Titié looked utterly lost.
“I—I’m sorry.”
Her large eyes glistened, on the verge of tears.
Sophia sighed.
She ought to hear it—she couldn’t predict what might be said afterward.
“I’ll listen. Go ahead.”
“…Ah, thank you.”
Titié blinked her big eyes and gave a sweet smile.
“I snuck out of the mansion, so the count and countess must be worried. If it’s alright, could one of Your Majesty’s maids kindly send word to them that I’m safe?”
The maid couldn’t hide her displeasure at Titié’s pointed request.
She couldn’t fathom what had possessed Titié to come alone to the palace.
Instead of reproaching her, Sophia granted the request.
“Madam Remodi, please send word to the Louvre household that Lady Titié is here in the palace.”
“What? But…!”
The songbird-like Suin maid let out a sharp squawk.
Barely containing her anger, the maid finally relented.
“Understood.”
Just as Madam Remodi, swallowing a sigh, was about to pass by Titié,
“Please tell them I’ll be at His Majesty’s residence. ‘The palace’ is too vague.”
“What on earth…!”
Madam Remodi sputtered in exasperation.
So furious was she that several strands of her brown hair transformed into feathers—
a sign of her true form emerging.
Right before fully shifting, she huffed angrily and stormed off.
Sophia stared at the feather left behind, lost in thought.
‘So she was on her way to Demios.’
Indeed, newly recognized as a noble, Titié likely had nowhere else to go.
The sunset was fading.
Titié stood rooted in place, staring fixedly at Sophia.
It was an undeniably awkward situation. Just as Sophia turned to reboard the carriage,
“Um… may I ride with you in Your Majesty’s carriage? I actually got lost on my way…”
Titié flushed with embarrassment on both cheeks.
Sophia silently scanned her surroundings.
Most nobles had already departed the palace by this hour.
The only person available to summon another carriage was the coachman—and that would take considerable time.
Standing idly with Titié until then would only invite ridicule.
‘Better to send her off before drawing more attention.’
She could simply have another carriage sent later after reaching the Empress’s quarters first.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
Sophia extended her hand. The silent guard standing beside her immediately assisted her into the carriage.
Once seated, Sophia looked through the doorway and spoke.
“Come aboard.”
“Yes. Forgive my intrusion.”
Titié also required the coachman’s help to climb in.
But her gaze had already drifted elsewhere. The guard, meeting her eyes, asked,
“Is something the matter?”
“Oh, nothing at all.”
The empress’s guard remained steadfastly by Sophia’s side, attending solely to her. Titié watched him with a hint of longing before finally stepping into the carriage.
Sophia and Titié sat facing each other.
Soon, the carriage began moving.
The well-paved road made no sound, enveloping the interior in perfect silence.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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