The Bridal Chamber Battleground
Clap, clap!
As I clapped my hands, the light orb illuminating the room went out, plunging the Grand Duke's Office into darkness. I stepped out of the Grand Ducal Department, walking down the dimly lit corridor.
I guess Lucius has already gone home.
A flicker of annoyance rose within me as I thought of Lucius and Theodora, both of whom had been leaving work earlier than me lately. Here I was, working late into the night, while my administrative slaves went home before me. Of course, as Slave Number One, it made sense that I had to stay longer than Slaves Number Three and Four, but it still felt fundamentally unfair. Grumbling internally, I made my way toward the bridal chamber.
Honestly... what was Theodora thinking? She had originally promised to send a letter to Sir William, only to change her terms at the last minute.
Since it was a surprisingly simple request, I had readily nodded. In return, she wrote the letter and dispatched it to Sir William right on schedule. Had I sent it myself, he would have undoubtedly ignored it. But since it came from Theodora, the Empress, he would have no choice but to act.
Before long, the bridal chamber came into view. This was the Gold Area, the residential zone reserved exclusively for the imperial family. Normally, there weren't many guards stationed here. Although I had increased the security presence after seizing control of the Imperial Palace, I eventually restored the original guard layout after realizing how uncomfortable it made my sister-in-law, Theodora, and my mother-in-law. I had been somewhat anxious at first, but after re-examining the internal structure of the building, I reluctantly agreed to revert the security detail to its previous state.
As a residence for royalty, the layout was unique. There was only a single entrance, and the security protocol relied on a whistle system—if blown, the guards waiting just outside the Gold Area would immediately rush in. I had found it a bit strange at first, but I was told it had been designed this way because my mother-in-law despised having her privacy invaded.
Knock, knock.
"Come in," Theodora's voice called out from within.
I let out a soft sigh. "Haa..."
Creak...
I opened the door and stepped inside. Seeing her lying on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, I spoke. "I'm back."
"You're later than I expected today," she remarked.
I sighed again, loosening my tie. "The final battle is just around the corner. Besides, I need to purchase more call options on the imperial bonds."
The funds sent to the Allied Kingdom had not yet been liquidated, causing more delays than anticipated and giving me a slight headache. At that, Theodora offered a gentle smile and slowly sat up.
"But haven't you already made a fortune?"
I nodded. "I've made a lot, yes."
I had pressured the Financial Committee to allow the Pieta Guild to trade options freely. If we won this final battle, we would have more than enough to fund both the chemical fertilizer project and the Information Department in one fell swoop. In fact, I was planning to use this opportunity to establish a development investment fund to foster the Empire's technological growth in the long run. Explaining this, I sat down on an empty sofa and pulled some documents from my briefcase.
"More work?" Theodora asked, her face tight with exasperation.
I replied, "Once the war is over, I'm going to thoroughly reform the tax system. There's a lot I need to review beforehand."
If we won this time and the Anti-Emperor Faction was restored, we would secure enough seats to pass bills with just my faction and the neutrals, without having to rely on Yohanes. And... I would need to send a warning to Yohanes as well. With those thoughts in mind, I reviewed the final tax reform proposal. Though I had already read it three times, I went through it meticulously to ensure I hadn't missed a single detail.
"Honestly... you really don't care about anything but work, do you?"
Looking at Theodora, who was resting her head on the armrest and watching me, I replied, "Isn't that my duty? Oh, by the way, did you look over the reform proposal?"
At my question, Theodora's face turned pale. "Ugh! I didn't! I told you I didn't look at it!"
Seeing her shake her head violently as if terrified I might quiz her, I sighed. "Haa... The Empress should be paying closer attention to state affairs than I am."
Frankly, I was worried. She knew far more than she used to, but she was still no match for the seasoned politicians in the Imperial Assembly or the State Council. Well... we still had plenty of time, so I could teach her step-by-step. If I surrounded her with capable talents before handing over the reins, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. But, unaware of my thoughts, Theodora simply offered a faint smile.
"Since I have you, who knows far more than I do, it's fine if I don't know."
She was talking nonsense again. "Theodora... a good ruler is..."
Just as I was about to lecture her, she sat up on the sofa, locking her eyes with mine.
"You are going to govern this Empire magnificently anyway, aren't you? Since I am the one who possesses you, that makes me a good Empress."
"W-what...?"
As fluster washed over me, she let out a soft breath. "Whew... isn't it a bit warm in here tonight?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? It's currently..."
My voice trailed off as the blanket covering Theodora slipped down.
W-what in the world...?
Were they always that big?
She was wearing black lingerie. My mind went completely blank at the sight of her pale skin peeking through the sheer fabric. W-what was this?
"Mmh~ I must have put too much firewood in the fireplace earlier."
Watching her fan herself with a flushed face, speaking with forced casualness, I desperately suppressed my instincts.
This... this is a trap! She's trying to seduce me, get pregnant, and then poison me!
My survival instinct violently overrode my reproductive urge, and I managed to force my eyes back down to the documents.
"Ahem... It's the dead of winter. You'll catch a cold if you sleep in such thin clothes."
As I desperately focused on the paperwork, I stole a glance at her. Theodora was trembling with sheer frustration. She muttered under her breath.
"Idiot... Hmph! I'm going to sleep."
With that, she leaned over to the candle on the table—whoosh—blew it out, and stomped off to the bed.
"Wait... I can't work like this."
"If you love work so much, why don't you just marry it?!" she snapped back.
Stung by her sharp retort, I decided to just call it a night and lay down on the sofa she had just vacated. A faint scent of rosemary lingered. Realizing it was Theodora's scent, the image of what I had just seen burned behind my eyelids. The sheer fabric clinging to her pale, toned stomach. And the black bra...
Gulp.
They were definitely bigger than I thought. When she was fully clothed, she looked quite average... but with the clothes off, whether it was the cut of the lingerie or just her natural shape, her breasts were remarkably prominent. They were surprisingly large. I closed my eyes, trying to banish the image from my mind, but... they looked incredibly soft.
Slap!
I slapped my own cheek, forcing the image away, and desperately turned my thoughts back to the tax reform. Hmm... should I lower the tax ceiling a bit more?
That night, I barely managed to fall asleep.
Idiot. Dumbass. Impotent bastard.
Looking at Deviang lying on the sofa, I cursed him in my head.
I mean, didn't he say he loved me? If the woman you love is wearing such revealing clothes, shouldn't there be some kind of reaction?
I had gathered an immense amount of courage just to put this on... yet the utterly clueless Deviang was so obsessed with work that he brought his paperwork right into our bridal chamber, completely blind to my feelings. Unbelievable. It was absolutely ridiculous!
Under the pretext of protecting me, Deviang hadn't laid a single finger on my body. At first, I hadn't believed him, but now I felt grateful for his consideration. After all, my first impression of him had been the absolute worst.
The very first time I saw him was probably when Valorang staged his rebellion. During my forced engagement ceremony to Valorang, I had only caught a glimpse of Deviang's face from a distance, as a member of the Grand Duchy. The second time was on the day my family was executed, if I recalled correctly. And when Deviang killed Valorang and forced me into marriage, I had hated him so much I wanted to kill him... but now, I didn't hate him at all. In fact, he was rather cute... and I was... a little interested in him. That was why I had made such a bold decision to wear this lingerie.
When my mother gave me that book recently, I had been confused at first, but I could vaguely understand her intentions now. She was probably starting to worry about an heir. After all, one of the primary duties of an Empress was to produce an heir to ensure a stable transfer of power in the future. Of course, if Deviang were an evil man, I would have avoided marital relations at all costs. But now? Looking at him, I felt that having his child wouldn't be a bad thing at all. If the child took after Deviang... they would probably be incredibly cute and lovely...
Yet that excuse of a husband of mine wouldn't touch a single hair on my head, all under the guise of protecting me. But it wasn't as if I could bring myself to beg him to touch me. I would rather die first. It wasn't like I was desperately begging for his affection, and my pride would never allow me to tell him he had permission to touch my body.
Besides, didn't he say he loved me in the first place? Then shouldn't he be the one falling all over himself to get to me? That was why I had tried to seduce him by wearing this, but that absolute blockhead...
Here we were, alone in our room, yet he wouldn't even share a bed with his beloved wife. And even with me wearing such revealing clothes, he showed absolutely no reaction... If Deviang had let his lust get the better of him and tried to initiate something, I was fully prepared to pretend to resist before giving in... The more I thought about it, the angrier I got!
How on earth was a virgin like me supposed to ask him to touch her? I wasn't some wanton woman. Besides, it would make me look cheap, and I was absolutely not cheap. The more you liked someone, the less you wanted them to see you that way. That was why I had decided he needed to be the one to break first, which led to this plan.
That jerk. How dare he resist? Just you wait.
This was only the beginning. Starting today, I would make sure he couldn't resist me.
With that, I stoked the flames of war in my heart.