“Then, I shall also take my punishment. You must be aware that I tried to cover up the fact, even though I knew about it.”

“…….Your Majesty.”

Hercesis stared at his faithful servant in silence and made a clicking sound with his tongue.
“Do you still not know me? I don’t punish for things that I might have done to the country.”

“…….”

“Whining is something children do. Because children find scenes where someone scolds and fights amusing. Without even imagining how much blood-scented the fight would be.”

Hercesis extended his arm and tapped his shoulder, speaking.

“I have forgiven you. At least for this time. So, relax.”

“I’ve never feared punishment, so there’s nothing to relax about.”

“Quite cheeky.”

With a consistently calm attitude, Hercesis once again clicked his tongue.

Ishar bowed with a somewhat relieved expression and turned away.

“Oh, I’m planning to give the Empress some rights as well.”

At the unexpected words, Ishar stopped in his tracks.

“She should also hold power. That way, no one can easily touch her, right?”

“Can’t you take it slow?”

Ishar turned around to face his standing counterpart and spoke.

“It’s been three hundred years since the Emperor and Empress ruled the country as equal authorities, but it hasn’t been like that for a long time. Suddenly elevating the Empress to a ruling partner will face backlash from the elders and major nobles. It’s better to wait until the Imperial Family is stable…”

“There’s no later.”

Hercesis decisively interrupted Ishar’s words.

“I need to act now, Ishar.”

“Do you have a compelling reason to do so?”

Ishar asked. It was a tone that meant he wouldn’t agree unless there was a convincing reason.

“I do have a reason.”

“…….”

“The Empress is carrying my child.”

Somewhere, the wind of the night entered, causing the wall-mounted lamps to flicker. So, Hercesis thought Ishar’s pupils seemed to shake like that, not because he was nervous.

“The most certain barrier to protect from all dangers, is it the protection of the sword or power? I think it’s the latter, Ishar.”

“…….Your Majesty.”

Hercesis stared at his loyal servant in silence and made a clicking sound with his tongue. Ishar strengthened his gaze, and there was some muffled noise coming from the corner of his lower lip.
The retreat had ended early, but due to being busy for a while, I hadn’t seen Rene’s face. Only the warmth I felt next to me when I woke up and got up indicated that he had stayed by my side during the night.

“Is this outfit better? Or this one?”

Rene answered as Liz, who wanted to show a pretty appearance for a rare date, successively brought two dresses close to her body.

“Neither is good.”

“Not good…? Why?”

“It’s too loose, isn’t it? Are you trying to hide your belly because you gained weight?”

When Liz narrowed her eyes thinly, Rene shrugged as if to say he spoke only the truth. Liz relaxed her gaze and sighed.

‘Should I tell her just once?’

It was something she would find out anyway. Besides, Rene found it difficult to keep her lips sealed.

Moreover, revealing the fact of her pregnancy could make many things easier. Above all…

“Instead of saying that, how about exercising a bit? Even if you’re married, you still need to take care of yourself.”

This scolding could at least silence her babbling mouth.

“This belly didn’t come out because of neglect.”

“……?”

Rene raised an eyebrow, asking, ‘Then what is it?’

“It’s a pregnancy belly.”

“…….”

Liz’s answer was concise and clear, but Rene’s face still showed bewilderment.

Rolling his eyes back and forth, slowly as if combining some memories based on what he just heard, seemed as if he were examining something.

Then…

“Pfft… Hahaha!”

Suddenly bursting into laughter.

“…?”

Liz stared at Rene as if looking at a strange creature. Then, after laughing enough, Rene wiped the tears from his eyes and said.

“So that’s how it is. I knew it would be something like that.”

“Something like that…? What?”

“That’s how it is.”

With an expression like he was holding back a smile, Rene said.

“I’ve been curious because someone hasn’t been seen at all lately. Now I finally seem to know the reason.”

Liz wondered if her head had dulled during that time. Otherwise, she couldn’t explain why she couldn’t understand a single word this child said.

“What does that mean? Who is that ‘someone’?”

“There’s someone like that.”

Rene made a gesture as if he were raising a medicine and didn’t say anything more. Perhaps he thought he might tell her if she asked a few more times, but Liz didn’t.

It didn’t seem very interesting, and it didn’t seem like an important matter either. At least not to her.

‘I should have told Hertz first.’

That was the only thing important to Liz.

He was her husband and the originator of the being growing in her belly. It bothered her that she had informed someone else, someone who had no relevance to him. Even if there were reasons for it.

‘Ah…!’

Suddenly, a point of memory came to mind. It was a memory that could be a comfort to her.

‘Come to think of it, I did say it.’

She had said it when he was in a state of unconsciousness.
No matter how hard she tried, when he didn’t wake up, she spoke with a feeling of ‘whatever!’ and continued with any stories. Stories from her childhood, stories from the adolescence when he showed a crazed obsession with her, and…

She also talked about the background that led her to abandon that obsession.

At that time, she was almost out of her mind.

With the thought that Hertz might not wake up like this, she didn’t hide anything, as if confessing a sin. Nothing at all.

When he woke up, she slightly regretted that point. However, he not only didn’t remember her story at all but had even lost some of the memories he had. While she thought it was fortunate in a way…

Anyway, she said it!

“Your child is in here.”

She said it clearly after putting his hand on her belly.

“Your child is here. So please, open your eyes. Please.”

So, what she said to him first was indeed correct!

Liz felt her heart become much lighter.