As the Long Winter Fades
"Mmm..."
Something was clinging to my body. A warmth of just the right temperature kept rubbing against my chest. What is this...?
Feeling a numb, bloodless tingle in my left arm, I slowly blinked my eyes open... only to find Theodora holding me in a tight embrace, as if she had been cold throughout the night.
"Yaaawn..."
I was still half-asleep. I wanted to drift back off, but with a mountain of work waiting for me, I carefully tried to untangle myself from her. She was holding on incredibly tight. One by one, I gently pried open the fingers wrapped around my waist, then pulled the blanket up to her neck so she wouldn't catch a cold.
I'll have to tell the servants to change the bedding later. Winter was almost over, but the dawn breeze could still be quite biting. With that thought, I washed up and headed to the Grand Duke's Office.
"Good morning, Your Grace..."
I waved back at Müller and Lucius, both of whom looked utterly drained of life.
"Morning."
Creak...
Sitting down in my office chair, I began another day. After a quick breakfast with the imperial family, I was just about to dive back into my paperwork when—
"Your Grace, Her Imperial Highness Princess Joy has arrived."
Huh? What would Joy need to see me for?
As I called for her to enter, Joy bounded into the room like a puppy bursting with curiosity.
"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, I have a favor to ask!"
"Oh? What is it?"
I was genuinely curious about what the Princess of the Empire could possibly want from me. I was willing to do almost anything for my cute sister-in-law, but... what could it be? Did she want to eat oysters again like last time? If so, I'd have to talk to my mother-in-law. The palace menu was strictly under her jurisdiction. No matter how much absolute power I wielded over the Empire, even I couldn't easily encroach upon her authority. If I got on her bad side, I wouldn't be able to secure any more Unicorn's Horns.
"I want to enroll in the Imperial Academy!"
"Huh? The Imperial Academy?"
Come to think of it, it was around the time they accepted new students. Joy nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling with excitement she couldn't hide.
"Yes! I want to go to the Academy, learn all sorts of things, and make friends!"
"Well, about that..."
It hadn't even been two months since she was nearly kidnapped, and now she wanted to enroll in the Academy? Since only a limited number of personal guards could enter the Academy grounds, I had a dozen different concerns. But completely ignoring my hesitation, Joy began listing her reasons one by one.
"If I go to the Academy, there will be so many friends my age! And there's so much to learn. It'll definitely help me when I work at the Grand Duke's Office later!"
"That's... not the issue here. The kidnapping attempt happened very recently."
The usually bubbly, puppy-like Joy hesitated before mumbling, "B-but... I've only ever lived inside the Imperial Palace. I want to go outside. It's so suffocating being cooped up here all the time."
For someone who used to freely roam between the palace and the streets of Roman, the current restrictions must feel like a prison.
"Joy, I know it's frustrating, but there are still factions targeting you. If anything were to happen to you... how could I ever look Theodora or your mother in the eye?"
Unlike her mother and sister, Joy was bright, cheerful, and genuinely endearing. If anything happened to her, it would leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Besides, she was destined for an early grave in the original novel, which made me worry about her even more.
"But..."
Looking at Joy's pleading eyes, I pondered.
"How about I allow you to go out once a month instead..."
Before I could finish, Joy cut me off with a sharp cry.
"No! I've already held back for so long!"
Though she was a known troublemaker, she had never raised her voice at me before. I was caught completely off guard by her sudden outburst.
Creak!
"Who is shouting in here?"
Theodora threw the door open, completely bypassing any courtly etiquette.
"S-Sister?"
"Joy, is that any way to speak to your brother-in-law?"
Watching Theodora glare at Joy with her crimson eyes, a cold sweat broke out down my spine.
Great. It felt like I had just instigated a sisterly feud by refusing her request. Even though my reasons were perfectly valid, compared to the wild and boisterous Mary, the delicate Joy felt much more like a proper younger sister. Honestly, it was hard to view a tomboy like Mary as a little sister.
"W-Well..." Joy took a step back, clearly intimidated by Theodora.
"What is it? Why were you yelling?"
By the way, isn't the back of Joy's dress completely exposed? Isn't she cold? As that random thought crossed my mind—
Pitter-patter!
"Brother-in-law! Sister is mean!"
Joy bolted from the room. At least her reaction was much more like a normal teenage girl's compared to Mary or Theodora.
"What did you and Joy fight about?"
I shrugged at her question. "We didn't fight. It's just..."
She must be feeling suffocated. Hadn't I felt the same way, sneaking out to the night market once every two weeks? Of course, I hadn't gone on any incognito excursions since the assassination attempt either. If my identity were exposed, the danger would be immense. But if I went out into Roman with a full escort of knights, it would draw far too much attention to enjoy any semblance of freedom.
"What is it?"
"Hmm..."
Should I tell her? I hesitated, worried that telling Theodora would only result in Joy getting scolded even worse. I hadn't intended to keep her locked up in the Imperial Palace like a prisoner for this long anyway...
Come to think of it... isn't the night market open tonight?
Ah! Should I do that?
A brilliant idea struck me, and a smile spread across my face.
"I'll... tell you later."
Theodora narrowed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "You're not planning something strange, are you?"
When I flinched slightly in guilt, her gaze grew even colder. "Suspicious."
"Ahem... What's there to be suspicious about?" I replied, putting on my most shameless face.
Theodora sighed again. "Seriously, you're about to do something bizarre again, aren't you?"
"Bizarre?"
She nodded with a faint, knowing smile. "Like sneaking out of the palace, or practically keeping Lucius under house arrest under the guise of 'recruiting talent'... or using Lucius's freedom as leverage to spawn more administrative slaves like Müller and Maximilian."
I scoffed at her words. "Sneaking out of the palace... Anyone hearing that would get the wrong idea."
Besides, I had never imprisoned Lucius. I even had the imperial carriage take him home after work! And what did she mean, using his freedom to "spawn" others?
"For an Empress to use a word like 'spawn'..."
When I looked at her with a cold, disapproving gaze, Theodora flinched in embarrassment. "W-What about it?"
"An Empress should always speak with refinement, shouldn't she?"
Instead of backing down, she crossed her arms, her cheeks flushing slightly as she mumbled, "Hmph. The E-Empress is human too, you know. And you only call me 'Empress' at times like this. Normally, you work me to the bone like some common servant."
I smirked. "Is that so? Then I won't work you anymore."
I stood up from my chair and gestured toward it. "Would you like to sit here and do my work instead?"
Her face turned pale at the mere suggestion, and she vigorously shook her head. "No! Absolutely not! I won't do it!"
I chuckled and sat back down.
"I'm sorry..."
"For what? She's your sister, which makes her my sister too."
I wasn't sure what was going through her mind, but a soft smile graced Theodora's lips as she perched herself on the edge of my desk.
"Thank you for saying that."
With those words, Theodora leaned in closer.
Uh, wait. Is this... that?
Watching her tilt her upper body toward me with a shy expression, my brain kicked into overdrive. If we kiss here, I feel like I'm going to get 'pregnancy-assassinated.' What do I do? How do I get out of this?
My heart hammered against my ribs as I watched her close her eyes and slowly bring her face closer to mine. Damn it... She's gorgeous, but get a grip, self!
"Your Grace, the Minister of Finance has arrived."
Nice, Lucius! Nice, Frank!
"Ahem... Send him in."
As I spoke in a rush, Theodora's face flushed bright red.
Creak!
"Your Grace, regarding what we discussed last time... Ah! Her Imperial Majesty is here as well—hic!"
The moment Theodora whipped her head around, Frank collapsed to the floor in a pathetic heap, looking as if he had just come face-to-face with the Grim Reaper. From where I sat, I could only see the back of her head, which was probably a blessing.
"Minister Frank..."
"U-Urrgh, Y-Your Majesty?!"
Seeing her march toward Frank with heavy strides, I quickly intervened.
"Ahem... Your Majesty. We are currently in the middle of official business. Shall we discuss the rest tonight?"
My words froze her in her tracks. Her shoulders trembled slightly. Soon, with a face burning red, she cleared her throat and glared back at me.
"Ahem... Y-Yes, that would be best. I shall take my leave."
With that, Theodora swept out of the room.
And then...
"Your Grace! Her... Her Imperial Majesty looked ready to murder me! Am... Am I going to be dismissed?"
Looking at Frank, who was trembling like a leaf but unable to hide the hopeful twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips, I replied, "Of course not. You are indispensable to the Empire, Minister. Even if Her Majesty is furious with you, I will make sure to smooth things over."
At my words, the faint smile vanished from Frank's face.
Where do you think you're escaping to?