This was the first time Anje had ever told Aiden that she loved him.
She had said she liked him many times before, but the words “I love you” had always felt too embarrassing to utter. Whenever Aiden expressed his love first, she would simply reply shyly, “Me too.”
But now, to ease the pain etched on his face, it was time to set aside her embarrassment.
Surprise and joy, followed by a wave of anguish, swept across Aiden’s face.
“I only have you. But…”
With tears welling up, he struggled to continue.
“I don’t have much to offer you. I feel… like I’m far too inadequate for you.”
Anje wanted to refute his words, but he quickly continued.
“If I become emperor, I could give you a better life. You could live like any other noblewoman again.”
“…Is that what you truly want?”
She asked softly, settling onto his lap. She wanted to be closer to him, more so than just sitting on the opposite chair or even embracing him.
“Yes, truly. Because your happiness is my happiness.”
“Even if that means spilling a lot of blood on the path to the throne? You became a farmer instead of a hunter because you didn’t want to stain your hands with blood, didn’t you?”
She had witnessed William’s betrayal of Philip up close.
William’s long-prepared and calculated rebellion had been swift and effective. However, in the process, dozens of knights loyal to Philip and the nobles who stood by him until the end were all beheaded or hung.
This time, Aiden, who no one considered a candidate for the throne, would lead the rebellion. There would be endless debates over the legitimacy of his marriage certificate, and even if it proved genuine, nobles would oppose crowning someone with “commoner blood” as emperor.
Even with the support of Duke Glasster, a massive conflict and chaos were inevitable.
“I’ve prepared myself for that. Anje, for you…”
“Wait, you’re greatly mistaken about something. Actually, several things.”
Anje placed her palm on his lips momentarily to stop him from speaking further.
“First of all, do you realize how much you’ve already given me? Especially here. you’ve given me so much.”
She placed her other hand over her heart.
“You gave me the feeling of being loved by someone and the ability to love someone in return. You gave me the courage, independence, and confidence to challenge anything freely.”
These were things she never would have learned if she had stayed in the capital. They were rooted in the trust and affection Aiden had shown her.
“Since I came here and got to know you, I’ve learned to love people, nature, and animals. I never genuinely liked anything before, but now I love so many things that it’s hard to count.”
She wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to become emperor. She didn’t want him to stain his hands with blood and live with yet another burden of guilt.
Though deeply moved by her words, he felt compelled to address the harsh reality the moment her hand left his lips.
“But to people like Duke Glasster and others, you’ll always be seen as a disgraced princess married to a lowly illegitimate child. I don’t want you to be treated that way.”
Anje’s eyes widened before she flicked his nose with her finger.
“Fool. Whatever they say, we won’t hear it all the way here in Leslie, will we? Why does their opinion matter at all?”
Her words were so ridiculous that she exaggerated the “foo” part, elongating it for emphasis.
Aiden rubbed his nose, looking flustered.
“But if I become emperor, I could give you wealth and honor—”
“While looking at the maple branch you brought me recently, I realized something, Aiden. If your happiness depends on others’ standards, life becomes far too miserable.”
That’s the kind of person she used to be. She once believed she would find happiness by obeying her father’s wishes and living as society dictated.
“My happiness is living joyfully with the one I love, savoring each season to the fullest, and being surrounded by people who cherish us. What about you?”
Aiden brought his face closer to hers.
“My happiness is the same. It’s living and laughing with the one I love, forever.”
“Then the throne doesn’t matter, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Then, putting me aside for a moment, how do you feel about the throne, based solely on your own desires?”
Their noses touched. He playfully rubbed his nose against hers before finally confessing honestly.
“I prefer this Dilton farm over the imperial palace.”
“Good.”
Anje let out a soft, relieved sigh just before accepting Aiden’s kiss.
TL/N:
“It feels like I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I had to tighten my corset again and wear a crinoline dress.”
Becoming an empress promised much in terms of material wealth and status, but it also meant having to give up a lot. Especially for Aiden, whose position was precarious, she would no longer be able to live freely like she does now, and would have to strive to become a “model” empress.
If Aiden really wanted to become emperor, she could endure that level of discomfort. She would surely miss Leslie’s green meadows, the clear sky, the sound of Pa-Pi-Pu grunting, the busy insects, and the friendly neighbors. But since she loved Aiden, she thought some sacrifice was acceptable.
However, neither Aiden nor she had any desires for power or wealth. They only had love for each other.
“I love Aiden and this farm so much. You know that, right?”
“……There were moments when I doubted, but now I understand completely.”
The kiss between the couple, after shaking off the long-built doubts and guilt and confirming their honest feelings, was passionate. Had it not been for the intruder who barged into the kitchen at that moment, it might have lasted much longer.
“Squeak!”
“Pu!”
Anje quickly rolled off the table and greeted the unwelcome guest. Pu, wagging his curly tail, pounced on Anje, sniffing around the wooden floor, diligently searching to see if there was anything to eat.
Aiden, buttoning up his shirt, asked in confusion,
“How on earth did he escape again? We just changed the lock not long ago.”
TL/N: MIND TO ASK? WHY DID HIS SHIRT GET UNBUTTONED?! ANJE, YOU…XD
Pu, the smartest of the three pigs, had somehow learned how to open the wooden lock by sticking his nose into it. After several struggles to chase the escaped pigs, Anje realized that it wasn’t that she had forgotten to lock the door, but that Pu had managed to get up onto her head.
Seeing that he came out alone today without Pi and Pa, it seemed he had found another way to escape. The good thing, at least, was that even if the three pigs wandered around squealing everywhere, they didn’t venture into the dangerous forest but only roamed around the house.
TL/N: BRO LITERALLY STOPPED THEM FROM MAKING A NEW GENERATION!! I JUST KNOW IF AUNT MEG HAD KNOWN ABT THIS, SHE WOULD HAVE MADE BACON OUT OF PU XD
“How did you get out, Pu?”
“Oink?”
Pu innocently snorted and just poked his nose into her apron.
Anje sighed with exasperation and then tapped her forehead.
“Ah, I just realized that I was so distracted by Father that I forgot to give Pa-Pi-Pu their lunch.”
“Even we didn’t have time for lunch.”
So shocked that she hadn’t even realized she was hungry until now, Anje, feeling apologetic, took a cookie from the cupboard and fed it to Pu.
After watching her for a while, Aiden came back to his senses and resumed their conversation about the succession of the throne.
“So, in the end, we’re pulling out of the Duke of Glasster’s plan, right?”
“That’s right. But I’m not sure if Father will willingly step down. He might try to find the marriage certificate and make you emperor, whether you accept it or not.”
“And he’ll try to make me a puppet, too. Oh, I’m sorry for putting it that way, about your father.”
“No need to apologize. You’re absolutely right.”
This was another reason they didn’t covet the throne. If they became emperor, the Duke of Glasster would surely try to get involved with the imperial family, using his accomplishments as leverage. There was a great chance he would use the imperial wealth and power for his own selfish gain.
In order to expel or neutralize him, they would need to secretly form alliances with the nobles, but whether that would be easy was questionable.
“I’d rather be a bird that flies freely under the blue sky, even if I have to starve and suffer a little, than a bird trapped in a golden cage, eating expensive food and crying only for its master.”
“As long as the nest is here, you won’t have to starve, Anje.”
Aiden took out another cookie and gently placed a small piece in Anje’s mouth.
“We need to think about how to make the Duke give up his greed for the throne without causing us harm.”
“Hmm, he’s not someone who would easily give up, that’s for sure.”
As they pondered, Pu suddenly cried out loudly.
“Squeak!”
It meant that he had finished the cookie Anje had given him and wanted more. While Pu was affectionate and playful with Anje, he was rather rough with Aiden.
“Alright, alright. I’ll give one more cookie to the crying pig.”
Aiden tossed the remaining cookie into Pu’s mouth.
As Anje watched the scene, a light sparkled in her eyes.
“How about we take the initiative and break into the palace ourselves to find the marriage certificate? What do you think?”
* * * *
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