Episode 118

As soon as the state affairs meeting ended, Lothania darted out of the conference room and started sprinting down the corridor.

“Your Majesty, you might trip if you keep this up,” said Melbrid, the emperor’s personal secretary, running alongside her.

“Do you think I’m a child? I won’t trip,” Lothania replied with a cheerful smile, bounding down the stairs like a squirrel.

She was running through the garden toward the Empress’s Palace, where Dowager Empress Sione was staying.

Under the emperor’s orders, the Empress’s Palace was currently being remodeled as a honeymoon residence for Sione and Aiden.

Panting as she entered the foyer, Lothania called for Tito, the person in charge of the renovations.

“Tito, is it finished? My mother will be arriving soon.”

“Almost done, Your Majesty. We just need to replace the curtains,” Tito replied.

“The curtains are ready? You said they wouldn’t be finished by today, but you made it on time? Mother will love them,” Lothania said, her face lighting up as she looked at the mint-green curtains adorned with white lace.

Tito, who had worked tirelessly to meet the deadline, couldn’t help but feel proud of his efforts.

During Sione’s stay in the north, Tito had expanded the Empress’s room by tearing down walls, transforming the space entirely. The emperor, who adored her mother more than anything in the world, had brought in the best experts in the empire to complete the project. As a result, the major renovation of the second floor of the Empress’s Palace was successfully completed.

Walking through the newly furnished honeymoon suite, which perfectly matched Sione’s tastes, Lothania admired the results.

“You’ve done well, Tito. It’s better than I expected.”

Embarrassed by the praise, Tito asked, “How did the meeting go?”

Recalling the state affairs meeting that had just ended, Lothania pouted slightly.

The main agenda of today’s meeting was the status and authority of Dowager Empress Sione after her marriage to the Duke of Tilender.

As per Lothania’s stance, Sione would retain her status as Dowager Empress and the Luminal surname even after marriage. However, it was decided that their children would take the Tilender family name.

“How does it make sense that my siblings would have a different last name than me?” Lothania muttered.

“The issue of imperial succession makes it unavoidable,” Tito explained.

“What if Mother feels hurt by it?” Lothania asked, furrowing her brow.

Tito chuckled heartily. “Dowager Empress Sione? Your Majesty, I believe she would be delighted instead.”

Although Tito’s reassurance was meant to ease her worries, Lothania seemed even more glum. Looking around the room prepared for its new occupants, she murmured softly.

“I’m afraid of that too. What if, when a real child of Mother’s is born, she no longer sees me as her daughter?”

To Lothania, Sione was still her only family, and at just fifteen years old, Lothania was still a young girl. She wanted her mother to be happy more than anything else, and knowing Sione hesitated because of her, she had secretly prepared the wedding.

Yet, she was also terrified that once Sione married Aiden, she might lose her mother. That fear had even led her to consider giving Aiden the Luminal family name, making him and their future children part of her family.

But as emperor, she knew such a thing was impossible.

In truth, some nobles had even argued that Sione should be removed from the imperial registry altogether. However, thanks to the filial devotion of the emperor, who stood firm against such demands, Sione retained her title as Dowager Empress.

Soon, Belpator would witness a historic first—a dowager empress who was both the emperor’s mother and the Duchess of Tilender. The Tilender family would establish a unique connection to the imperial family and be elevated to the status of a grand duchy.

As she left the Empress’s Palace after inspecting the room, Lothania asked Tito, “How’s the banquet hall? Is it ready?”

“It’s prepared to host the ceremony whenever you wish.”

“And the rings are ready too, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. But… are you truly giving that to the Duke of Tilender?”

The “ring” Lothania referred to was an imperial heirloom, exchanged as a wedding gift between emperors and empresses generations ago. It was more precious than the ring Emperor Nerian had given to Sione, and it had recently been reset with new craftsmanship.

Wanting Sione to be the happiest bride in the world, Lothania replied with a satisfied smile. “Of course. It’s my wedding gift. The wedding jewelry for Mother should be that special.”

“Well… that’s true. But…”

“You know what the duke offered in return for the ring, Tito. The Tilender estate is probably worth more than that ring,” Lothania quipped with a giggle.

Tito could only nod in agreement.

Aiden Tilender had brought the Tilender estate as his dowry to marry the Dowager Empress. Though Aiden would remain the Duke of Tilender, the estate’s ownership had already been transferred to Sione without her knowledge.

On her way back to the main palace, Lothania casually remarked to Melbrid, walking beside her, “You should accept the Zernia dukedom already.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Stubborn as ever.”

“Not as much as Your Majesty.”

When Melbrid responded in his usual monotone, Lothania shot him a sideways glare and pouted again.

Thanks to the groundwork Sione had laid, there were no obstacles to restoring the Zernia dukedom. Yet the person in question, Melbrid, adamantly refused the title.

Halting in his steps, Melbrid turned to the sulking Lothania and spoke.

“I’m grateful for Your Majesty’s intentions, but I will only become a target for those seeking to find fault with you.”

“Mel, I will be a great emperor—fair and just to everyone.”

“You already are, Your Majesty.”

“Then you must try too. Prove to everyone that you’re not a weakness of mine. Do it with confidence.”

“Your Majesty…”

Melbrid’s pale lavender eyes shimmered with emotion.

From the day he first met Lothania, there had never been a moment when she didn’t shine.

Even when he thought he had lost everything, the most precious and invaluable person always remained by his side.

Melbrid’s nose turned red as he nodded, and Lothania responded with a radiant smile, extending her hand toward him.

“Here. Take it.”

The hand of a bashful boy, now growing stronger and steadier, clasped hers, and the two began walking side by side.

* * *

At that moment, Sione was entering Brincia, where a festive atmosphere filled the air.

When she instructed Amy to find out what was going on, Amy returned with the explanation that the Emperor was preparing a festival to celebrate the Dowager Empress’s wedding.

Sione let out a dry laugh and turned to Aiden, who was diligently pretending not to notice.

“So, this is what you and she were scheming together?”

Aiden, carefully gauging Sione’s mood, smiled helplessly as if caught. Then, with a serious expression, he spoke.

“Will you join me, Sione?”

“Aiden, are you proposing to me right now?”

“Yes, Your Grace. I have nothing to offer you, and it shames me, but if you’ll allow me, I wish to stay by your side.”

All Aiden owned was a crumbling estate and a cold, barren land. He had never even possessed a simple ring in his life. He knew he was unworthy of standing beside the most noble woman in the empire.

What finally gave him the courage to act was Lothania’s gentle push.

Though Aiden had never hesitated to leap into enemy territory alone, he found himself stiff with nerves as he waited for Sione’s answer.

As their eyes met, filled with his anxious anticipation, Sione’s composed gaze softened, and she broke into a wide smile.

“You’re all I need, Aiden.”

Sione never desired a grand mansion or lavish jewelry.

She had been married off, almost exiled, to a foreign land, made Empress, and then thrust onto the throne as a regent. Each day had felt like a trial as she fulfilled her duties for Belpator, unwilling to burden the empire, especially for Lothania, who relied on her so deeply despite their lack of blood relation.

Though she had found happiness with those who stayed by her side, Sione always felt as if she occupied a space that didn’t truly belong to her.

For the first time, she made a choice entirely her own.

“Let’s get married, Aiden. Let’s become a family.”

At her gentle words, Aiden forgot to breathe as he gazed at her smiling face.

It felt like a dream.

A life spent fighting and eventually dying a meaningless death—that had been the only future Aiden had once envisioned for himself.

Had he not met Sione, that was likely how things would have ended, just as they had for his father.

If this was a dream, he wanted to shatter reality itself to stay with her.

As if afraid it would all disappear if he said the wrong thing, Aiden remained speechless. Sione reached out and touched his cheek, wiping away tears he hadn’t even realized were falling.

Smiling tenderly, she asked, “Don’t you have anything to say, Aiden?”

“I love you. I don’t know if I deserve to hold such a precious feeling, but I love you,” he confessed, pouring out his heart as if he’d been waiting for her to ask.

Sione couldn’t respond—not because she didn’t have an answer, but because Aiden didn’t let her. His lips claimed hers, and they stayed locked together until their carriage, racing down a petal-covered avenue, arrived at the imperial palace.

TL/N: Made a mistake sorry