I widened my eyes and stared at Rinel.
He was returning to his original stern expression, preparing to greet the Duke Martins.
The Duke who entered the office bowed to us, sitting side by side on the sofa.
“I see the two suns of the Laphion Empire.”
“Come and sit here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Duke Martins observed me as he walked to the sofa.
“Her Majesty the Empress looks pale. Are you not feeling well?”
The Duke asked, pretending to worry about me unnecessarily.
“The Empress is a bit angry.”
Rinel glanced at me and replied to the Duke on my behalf.
“Ah, I see. Have you already heard about the harem issue?”
Duke Martins speculated on Rinel’s words.
“I heard about it from the officials today and have been worrying about Her Majesty the Empress.”
He’s putting on a show.
I snorted at the Duke’s hypocritical gaze.
“No, the Empress is not angry about the harem issue. It’s because of the interrupter.”
Rinel’s finger pointed at Duke Martins as if to poke him.
“Duke, it’s you.”
“Excuse me? What interruption have I…”
The surprised eyes of Duke Martins rolled towards me.
Don’t look at me like that. I don’t know what he’s talking about either.
I just shrugged.
Then the Duke’s gaze returned to Rinel.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty? The Empress is upset because of me?”
“We were in the middle of a kiss.”
Rinel grinned as he rubbed his lips with the back of his hand.
“!”
Oh my.
I held back my laughter at Rinel’s playful joke.
No, it wasn’t a joke, because the kiss was real.
“I, I interrupted the kiss… cough, cough.”
Duke Martins stammered with a quite surprised face and started to cough uncontrollably.
In response to the Duke’s questioning gaze, I nodded.
“Yes. We were discussing the harem issue, and the mood just led to a kiss.”
I gently touched my lips with the back of my hand as I spoke.
Rinel, who had been laughing softly with his hand over his mouth, held back his laughter at my words.
“As the matter is serious, it was necessary to strengthen the relationship between the Empress and me. Right, Empress?”
“Exactly.”
I responded, squinting and nodding.
Surprisingly, he held my hand tightly, winking at my reaction.
Duke Martins, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, gradually wore a confused expression.
“Duke, what do you think about bringing in a harem?”
Rinel asked seriously, wiping the smile off his face.
“If you want my opinion…”
Duke Martins’ gaze briefly lingered on my face before he slowly opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, I understand the worries of the officials. We have accepted an Empress from the Kingdom of Shatoneil given the international situation, but the issue of the royal successor is another problem for them, isn’t it?”
I somehow felt that Duke Martins was speaking for the officials here.
Why would the Duke of Shatoneil do that?
I wondered whether the Duke would have acted the same if the Empress of the Laphion Empire was Princess Resilia.
“It is indeed another problem. So they insist that only the blood of the Laphion Empire should follow me and try to bring their precious daughters into my harem.”
Rinel replied with a bitter expression.
“It is true that the more descendants the royal family has, the more secure the empire becomes.”
Duke Martins had a point.
“Besides, it’s rare in any country to want the prince born to a foreign empress to be the next emperor, Your Majesty.”
Despite this, I felt annoyed.
What was it?
The Duke’s intention to side with the officials of Laphion, beyond a neutral position?
“I’m not unaware of that. But the fact that they’re trying to bring a harem to me, who hasn’t even been married for a few days, means they’re intentionally trying to lower the Empress’s authority. That’s what makes me angry.”
I was surprised at Rinel’s words, who I had been secretly watching.
I didn’t realize he was so considerate of my position.
“So, does Your Majesty mean that if it’s not the officials’ proposal, you have no intention of bringing in a harem…”
Duke Martins asked him with a surprised look.
Rinel answered immediately, as if he was asking something obvious.
“No. I have no thoughts of a harem.”
His voice had a weight that could be felt.
I stole a quick glance at Rinel’s side profile.
He wore an expression as though he could easily fast for 10 years.
Archduke Martins, who was looking at Rinel with a surprised expression, shifted his gaze to me.
It was a look that wondered how the Emperor had been cornered to provoke such a reaction.
I deliberately avoided the Archduke’s gaze and feigned ignorance.
“Your Majesty, I think it might be better to accept their will sooner rather than ordering the opposition with the brief thinking of the gods.”
“Is that just the Archduke’s thought? Or does the Shato’Neil royal family think the same?”
Rinel asked Archduke Martins with a curious tone.
The Shato’Neil royal family would think the same.
That was what I thought.
If they accept this issue easily in the Shato’Neil Kingdom?
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
