“To propose the position of empress to me… ”

I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence.

My mind was in confusion. The idea that Helcyon would want to make me his empress was a situation I had never thought of, not even once.

The genealogy of the Kalua Imperial Family came to mind.

Helcyon had already welcomed a woman from the powerful Manoco Marquis family in the Kalua Empire as the empress.

The empress’s name was Seluna Pa Petra Manoco.

Even though it was a political marriage, I heard that the Manoco family and Seluna greatly assisted Helcyon in ascending to the throne.

So, I couldn’t even guess. He was already considering raising me to the position of empress.

“Does this mean my magic engineering weapons are that tempting?”

Already seated on the imperial throne, I couldn’t understand what more he could want here.

As I struggled to respond with a surprised expression, Helcyon seemed to anticipate it and spoke again as if he knew.

“For the Arwen Empire’s noble Brellopf family, marrying into the imperial family is not an impossible task. I’m well aware that many empires covet you, even if it’s not me.”

That was true.

As the genius in the field of magic engineering and the greatest weapons artisan on the continent, many suitors sought me.

If I wished, becoming an empress in one of the countries was not an impossible feat.

Therefore, Helcyon’s proposal of the empress’s position was unexpectedly surprising, and I didn’t feel much merit in it.

“The position of empress may not be appealing to you. But when you hear this story, your feelings might change a bit.”

What is he trying to say?

As I stared at Helcyon in curiosity, he continued to speak with the same enigmatic smile on his face.

“If you become my empress, I promise to make your child the heir.”

I was once again surprised by this bold proposal.

Unless there were special circumstances, the son born to the empress became the crown prince. But to make the child born to the empress the heir?

How on earth?

Does it mean he’s willing to kill the child born to the empress?

The thought that it sounded absurd crossed my mind for a moment, but strangely, considering the Helcyon sitting in front of me, it seemed possible.

I tried to gather my thoughts.

There were several flaws in Helcyon’s current proposal.

“I understand what you mean. However, if I cannot bear a son or if my body cannot conceive, this plan would be difficult to realize.”

To gracefully reject Helcyon’s proposal, I provided my own excuse.

Looking at the history of the imperial family, attempts to render formidable rivals infertile through women’s struggles were quite common.

In this case, it was impossible to exclude the possibility that Helcyon might propose such a thing in front of me while trying to render me infertile behind my back.
Somehow, Helcyon’s laughter deepened.

“Such a sharp question, indeed, Lady Brellopf. So, I’ve thought about it too. If you bear a child, even if it’s a daughter, I’ll make them the heir. If you can’t have a child, I’ll choose someone you’ve adopted as the successor. How about it? Can you believe me now?”

I was speechless.

Actually, when considering only the conditions of marriage, it was splendid beyond measure.

Becoming an empress alone was already an honorable thing. However, choosing the successor was solely dependent on the emperor’s heart, and it wasn’t guaranteed that the child of the empress would automatically become the heir.

But could my child be confirmed as the next emperor of the powerful Kalua Empire?

It was nothing less than a promised path more secure than being an empress.

Without realizing it, I glanced at Ascan. At first, he seemed slightly surprised, but now his expression was emotionless and unreadable.

But is it just my misconception that he looks somewhat resentful?

I suppressed the surprise of hearing an unexpected proposal. Then, in a calm voice, I said, “The issue of marriage is not something I can decide alone, so I will discuss it with my father.”

Helcyon was the emperor of the Kalua Empire. Even if I wanted to refuse, I couldn’t show any signs of displeasure right in front of him.

“Didn’t I send a proposal letter? I asked Lord Brellopf for his opinion before I met you. The response I received was that he wanted to respect his daughter’s will.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t know because Oland didn’t say.

In another sense, I was a little surprised. In this world, marriages were often decided according to the father’s will rather than the feelings of the parties involved.

The marriage conditions Helcyon presented were excellent. Nevertheless, Oland considered my will first, which moved me.

“Of course, I could have written down this content and sent you a letter, but if possible, I wanted to see you in person. I heard rumors, but I was curious about what kind of woman you are. And now that I see you in person…”

Helcyon’s words slowed down, and his intense green eyes seemed to narrow.

“In many ways, I’m becoming more greedy.”

The passion in his eyes made my spine tingle for a moment.