A Hero's Vulnerability
Deviang had always shown me his strong side. Watching him lead and thoroughly dominate state affairs, my impression of him could be summarized in a single word: a hero. Deviang displayed a boldness that set him apart from ordinary people like us. He had executed Valorang—the most cunning yet strongest knight in the Empire—and when the war with the Emperor's Faction broke out, he had marched straight into enemy territory with only a handful of soldiers to negotiate directly with Yohanes. His actions were like those of a hero straight out of mythology.
And that wasn't all. After seizing political control, he spent sleepless nights agonizing over how to develop the Empire. He personally investigated whether anyone was being unjustly persecuted, and he invited renowned sages to hear their wise counsel. I couldn't help but admire him. He was a man not much older than myself, yet he carried himself as though he had spent a lifetime in politics. He consistently outmaneuvered and negotiated favorable terms against the calculating, battle-hardened imperial senators and high nobles. It was astonishing to watch him effortlessly command ministers who had debated state affairs for decades, especially when we were so close in age.
Since I, the Empress, could not do what he did, I always wished I could be even half the ruler he was. It was as if he had been born to rule, managing the Empire flawlessly and without a single error. Compared to him, I was still far too inexperienced to govern. He truly seemed like a mythical hero, far beyond my reach. No, he seemed like something even greater. Even the heroes of myths and legends eventually met their ruin or faced trials due to their human flaws. But Deviang? My impression of him was that of a flawless hero. His conduct was always so disciplined, and his character so near perfect, that everyone in the Grand Duke's Office marvelled at how he personally attended to even the smallest details.
How could a human being have such an incredible memory? He could recall numbers and details he had heard only once, days later, with absolute precision. And how did he know so much? Watching Deviang, who had mastered military science, alchemy, administration, and countless other fields, I couldn't help but think: He really is a hero. A once-in-a-century genius. Of course he can do all this.
There was a time when I truly believed that.
Even when Deviang heard malicious rumors about himself, he would simply brush them off. The slanders of his detractors were so wildly inaccurate that it made my blood boil just listening to them. Yet, as the target of their malice, Deviang only smiled and let it slide. A magnanimous hero. A hero who felt far more suited to be Emperor than I. The perfect hero in my mind. A man so brilliant that I dared not even think of approaching him.
But that hero had broken down.
Was he human after all? Seeing him in pain over things that weren't his fault, watching him desperately hold back his tears... I wondered how much he must have suffered. He was simply an ordinary man who had been pushing himself to the limit for the sake of the Empire, driven by a fierce sense of responsibility and duty. An ordinary person, no different from me.
Rustle...
Sitting on the bed, I looked over at the sofa where Deviang lay. When I first met him, and even when he forced me into marriage, my first impression of him was that of an incredibly rude man. I had wondered how such a person could exist. He was the man who had brazenly forced a marriage upon me—the woman who had almost become his stepmother, the rightful ruler of this Empire. I had thought him a cold, emotionless machine playing a game of political chess.
But as we spent more time together, I gradually came to realize the truth. He lived entirely for the Empire. Day and night, his every waking thought was of the Empire. With a political acumen and drive far beyond his years, Deviang had completely taken control of Roman's political landscape.
I quietly walked over to where he lay sleeping on the sofa. The moonlight bathed his face. Perhaps because he had drunk so much, he was fast asleep. I stared down at him. Is he really just a human being like me? He had a handsome face and a gentle nature. Beneath that cold, icy reason lay an incredibly fragile heart. I gently caressed his cheek. How much had he sacrificed to achieve everything he had? It was impossible to measure.
"Deviang..."
How long had he been suffering all on his own? Deviang and tears—what an unfitting combination of words.
I let out a soft chuckle. Was it because he wasn't some heaven-sent hero, but a human being just like me? Looking at his peaceful, sleeping face, a thought crossed my mind.
"He's actually a little cute."
Seeing him ache over the sacrifices his choices had caused... I didn't want to admit it, but I found him cute. And I felt a sudden urge to protect him. No matter how strong he appeared, even he would need a place to find peace of mind.
"You've got yourself a good wife."
I chuckled softly again.
"Goodnight."
I gave his hair a gentle stroke before returning to bed. I felt as though we had grown a little closer. To be honest, I had felt hurt by the secrets he kept from me. I knew it was because he didn't fully trust me, but weren't we married? I had hoped he would share more of his inner thoughts. And tonight... I was happy to have caught a small glimpse of his true heart.
I smiled softly, thinking of the crying Deviang from moments ago, and drifted off to sleep.
"You're... cuter than I thought."
Quite some time had passed since our incognito inspection. As a grown man, the sheer embarrassment of crying while being held in Theodora's arms left me feeling deeply unsettled in both body and mind.
Rustle...
"I must have lost my mind... Seriously..."
Even now, just thinking about that day made me shudder with embarrassment. Ever since then, the overwhelming shame made it impossible for me to look Theodora in the eye, so I had gone back to eating and sleeping at the Grand Duke's Office.
As I was flipping through the documents I needed to review today, one caught my eye.
"What's this...?"
It was a report sent from the Grand Duchy.
• Enemy cavalry forces dispatched near Pomerania and Cherbourg have been successfully repelled.
• The enemy is systematically capturing fortresses and rapidly advancing toward Wynn.
• It is advised that we begin executing the next phase of our plan shortly.
"Hmm..."
I fell into deep thought as I read Agrippa's letter.
"Should I mobilize the army now?"
This was my trump card to turn this disadvantageous situation around. I opened my drawer and pulled out a couple of sheets of blank white paper. Then, I filled my fountain pen to the brim with ink.
Scratch! Scritch... Scratch...
I began to write in elegant, flowing cursive. The anti-Grand Duke faction and Yohanes weren't the only ones who had prepared a hidden move. I, too, held a winning card that would catch them completely off guard.
"Phew, all done."
I poured melted wax onto my letter and pressed the Grand Duke's Signet Ring into it.
"But they won't move just because of this."
They were men who moved solely by the Emperor's will, so they would likely ignore any command of mine.
"Lucius?" I called out to him.
Creak.
"Did you call, Your Grace?"
As expected, Lucius walked in with deep dark circles under his eyes.
"Go tell Theodora to come here for a moment."
Lucius looked surprised at my request.
"Are you finally putting an end to your marital spat?"
I scoffed at his absurd question.
"What marital spat...?"
"There have been rumors lately that Your Grace has been actively avoiding Her Majesty."
I replied with an embarrassed look on my face.
"A-Avoiding her? Who's avoiding whom? Stop talking nonsense and just bring her here."
Lucius nodded and left. Watching his retreating back, I sighed internally. Fine... I'll admit it. I had been avoiding her. But who wouldn't, after crying like a baby in her arms? I had really let my guard down.
As I was lost in thought—
Knock, knock!
"Her Imperial Majesty has arrived."
Creak!
The door opened, and Theodora stepped into the room.
"Oh? I guess you've finally given up on running away from me?"
Since I had been intentionally avoiding her lately, she had a smug look on her face.
"Whew... I wasn't running away."
Theodora offered a faint, knowing smile.
"Liar. You deliberately avoided coming to our bedchamber, and you only received reports through Lucius."
"That was..."
She was smiling, but why did she feel so terrifying right now?
"And whenever I said I had something to talk to you about, you claimed you were too busy..."
Her eyes gleamed like a wildcat's as she closed the distance between us. I cleared my throat nervously.
"Ahem... That was a misunderstanding. First, take a seat."
Once she sat down opposite me, I slid the note I had received from the Grand Duchy toward her.
"What is this...?"
Theodora scanned the letter briefly, then looked up at me with a bright, radiant smile.
"Ah. So you need a letter from me right now?"
I nodded.
"Of course. Sir William only takes orders from the Empress."
Even though I held absolute executive power as Regent, William would never obey my direct commands. He was fiercely loyal to the Empress alone.
Theodora waved the note with a mischievous, playful smile.
"Should I write it for you? Or should I not? Considering how my husband has been avoiding me lately, I'm not really in the mood to write it."
Contrary to my expectation that she would easily write the letter, she was playing hard to get. Uh... this wasn't good.
"H-How can you say that? We already agreed to this, didn't we? You can't just change your mind now."
In politics, trusting your opponent was foolish, but backstabbing like this was highly irregular. You only backstabbed when you were ready to completely crush your opponent and seize everything. Backstabbing me while I was still fully in power was an incredibly foolish move.
Theodora waved the note again, acting completely innocent.
"Well, we were on good terms back then... but now you keep avoiding me."
I massaged my temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Sigh... I wasn't avoiding you. I was just busy. I have to manage both the Empire and the Grand Duchy at the same time."
In truth, with the decisive battle against the enemy drawing near, I had an overwhelming amount of work to do.
"Hmm... Is that so? Let's say I believe you. If you do just one favor for me, I'll write the letter."
I let out a long sigh.
"Whew... What is it?"
I couldn't understand why the usually cooperative Theodora was suddenly being so difficult. Well, she obviously wanted to extort something from me. She had probably been waiting for this exact moment ever since I first laid out my plans to her. I was pressed for time because I needed to move Sir William immediately, whereas she had all the time in the world. Anyone could see that Theodora was launching a surprise negotiation, targeting my moment of vulnerability.
Good grief... I had underestimated her. I had temporarily forgotten that in the original novel, she was a master of underhanded backstabbing. If worst came to worst, I would have to take the imperial family hostage again to force her hand. But before that, I was curious to see what she wanted so badly that she would pull a stunt like this.
As I weighed my options, Theodora spoke with a bright, innocent smile.
"Starting tonight, sleep in our bridal chamber, not the Grand Duke's Office."
"What?"
Her completely unexpected demand caught me entirely off guard, freezing me in place.