A Tangled Family Tree
A long, tedious court ruling. Staring at the legal document, which was crammed with dense, incomprehensible jargon, made her eyes throb. That wasn't all. The writing itself was incredibly convoluted. It was filled with archaic phrasing and obscure vocabulary rarely used in daily life, to the point where she questioned whether she was even processing the sentences correctly.
"Sigh... My eyes hurt..."
To make matters worse, the tiny print spanned anywhere from five to dozens of pages. And aside from the ruling itself, once she factored in the evidence files, exhibits, and other trial-related documents, the pile of paperwork she had to review easily reached into the hundreds of pages.
There's just too much... I've barely scratched the surface with these few dozen pages, and my head is already about to split.
"Your Imperial Majesty. General Agrippa has arrived."
General Agrippa? To see me?
Puzzled by the sudden visit from her husband's closest friend, she replied, "Let him in."
The door creaked open.
"Your Imperial Majesty, have you been well?"
Theodora felt a pang of unease as she noticed the shadow of worry lingering on Agrippa's face. Did something happen to Devi? For Deviang's right-hand man to seek her out directly surely meant something unusual was afoot.
"I have been well, thank you. But... what brings you here?"
Agrippa hesitated at her question. After a brief pause, he spoke cautiously. "The Grand Duke requested that I deliver a message to Your Imperial Majesty."
He is right here in the Grand Ducal Department. It wouldn't have been hard for him to walk over to my office himself...
Puzzled, she asked, "Indeed? And what did my husband wish to convey?"
Agrippa's eyes darted nervously. What on earth did Deviang ask him to say that made him look so incredibly uncomfortable?
"Speak freely. Your lord is my husband, after all. I will not take out any anger on you simply for delivering his words."
Agrippa gave a slight, tentative nod.
"Tonight, His Grace will be going out with Princess Joy. He asked if you could speak to the Empress Dowager so she does not worry."
Theodora froze in sheer bewilderment. "What? So suddenly?"
Agrippa nodded with an apologetic, strained expression and quickly tried to excuse himself. "Well, now that I have delivered the message..."
She stopped him just as he was about to make a hasty retreat. "Wait. I would like to hear the details."
How dare he... After saying those things to me in my office...
He had the audacity to say something so cheeky, and now what? He's going where? With whom?
Something hot and volatile began to simmer deep within her chest.
"Pardon?" Agrippa's face paled with panic.
"Explain to me, in meticulous detail, why my husband went out with Joy, where they are right now, and exactly what they are doing."
Just you wait, you jerk.
After finishing dinner with Joy, we strolled through the streets of Roman. We enjoyed the various amusements at the night market, including a game similar to target-tossing. It featured a long wooden board with a small hole carved at the far end, just wide enough to fit two adult fists. The goal was to toss stones directly into the opening. Surprisingly, simple traditional games like this—reminiscent of those back on Earth—were still incredibly popular here.
Thud!
Every time Joy tossed a stone, it slid perfectly into the target, drawing gasps of admiration from the gathering crowd.
Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, I voiced my genuine admiration. "Wow... you're really good at this." Honestly, I was impressed.
"I'll have you know I'm the undisputed champion of this game in Roman," Joy boasted, her chest swelling with pride. She tossed another stone, but this time, it bounced off the rim.
"Tsk." Clicking her tongue in frustration, she turned to me. Despite the single miss, she had landed nineteen out of twenty shots. Beaming with triumph, she challenged, "Why don't you give it a try, Brother-in-law?"
"Oh, me? I'm not really into this kind of thing."
Honestly, as someone from the computer game generation, how could I find throwing rocks entertaining? When I politely declined, Joy smirked mischievously. "Scared?"
Did she... did she just call me chicken?
"What?"
"You're only refusing because you know you'll lose, right?"
As she threw down the gauntlet...
I let out a silent sigh, looking at the citizens who were unwittingly committing imperial blasphemy. She and I were brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Ours was a perfectly wholesome, innocent relationship, not some scandalous dynamic straight out of a trashy adult novel or film. Yet, here they were, jumping to conclusions...
"Hehe~ Brother-in-law is chicken! Chicken!"
The sheer absurdity of the situation made my head spin.
"Fine, I'll do it."
We needed to head back soon anyway. I took the stones handed to me by the stall keeper. Then... I tossed the first, second, and third stones in rapid succession. Every single one sank cleanly into the hole.
"Huh...?"
Before anyone knew it, I had rapidly sunk ten stones in a row. I was, after all, a man who had commanded the Grenadiers. I had spent countless hours training to hurl heavy iron spheres infused with fireball magic. Compared to those massive weights, these tiny stones were practically weightless, and the distance was laughably short.
As the crowd's murmurs grew into excited cheers, I sank the final stone, completing a perfect score of twenty. "There. I win, right?"
My display seemed to ignite her competitive streak. "One more round! I only messed up because it's been a while since I last played."
I shook my head. "It's time to head back."
Joy stiffened, her shoulders slumping. I patted her head gently. "I'll bring you out again next time. Let's call it a night."
"R-really?"
I nodded. "The night market opens once every two weeks. We can come back the week after next."
Joy gave a small, reluctant nod. With that, we made our way back to the Imperial Palace.
As soon as we arrived at the Imperial Palace, we headed straight to Joy's room.
"Brother-in-law, that was so much fun!"
Seeing her bright, happy face, I let out a soft chuckle. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, give me back the ring."
Joy hesitated, her smile faltering.
"Um, Brother-in-law... can't I just keep this?"
"Huh? Why would you keep it?"
This was an artifact I had specifically crafted for Theodora, whose striking appearance was far too recognizable in public. Why did Joy want it?
"Well... if I have this, I can slip out and... go play whenever I want."
I immediately shut down the idea.
"Absolutely not. Today was a special exception because you were with me. Normally, you are strictly forbidden from leaving. Now, hand over the ring."
"N-no!"
Hiding her right hand behind her back, she took a step away from me. I let out a heavy sigh. "Sigh... Joy, why are you being like this? We had a good time, didn't we? So just..."
Joy, on the verge of tears, cut me off sharply.
"No! Don't do this!"
I sighed again and took a step toward her.
"No! D-don't come any closer!"
Her voice trembled with a mixture of fear and stubborn determination to keep the ring. What should I do? Do I have to take it by force? I pondered. But I couldn't just let her keep it. It was an incredibly expensive item, and crafting another would take far too much time.
"Just give it to me."
As I closed the distance, Joy shook her head frantically and tried to bolt. And then... well...
Crash!
The resulting position was admittedly a bit embarrassing, but before I knew it, I had Joy pinned beneath me on the floor. She began to sob. "N-no... Brother-in-law, I'd rather do something else... anything else~!"
Perhaps due to our brief struggle...
Riiip!
The skirt she had worn for her disguise tore slightly. The hem was frayed. I'll have to ask Theodora to get this mended later, I thought.
At that exact moment, the door burst open with a violent slam. My mother-in-law stormed into the room, her voice thundering with rage.
"H-how dare you! How dare you defile Joy?!"
Well, I'm doomed.
At dinner, neither Joy nor Deviang had shown up. Thera had simply mentioned that the two of them had gone out of the palace on some business and would return late. Late into the evening, Thera, worried about whether Joy had returned safely, made her way to her daughter's room. But as she approached, a highly alarming conversation reached her ears.
Her mind ground to a halt at the sound of her son-in-law's voice. Why is my son-in-law... in Joy's bedroom? Driven by a sudden, dreadful suspicion, she pressed her ear against the door.
Hearing Joy's tearful voice, Thera felt her heart plummet. S-surely not...
A scandalous affair between a brother-in-law and his sister-in-law, the kind of trashy plot found only in cheap, vulgar novels? No, judging by how desperately Joy was crying, this had to be something far more coercive.
Ah... I should have fought tooth and nail to prevent Deviang from marrying into our family... I naturally assumed the grandchildren I saw in my prophetic dreams belonged to Deviang and Theodora. Could they actually have been Deviang and Joy's children?!
It felt as though the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting open beneath her feet.
What is he demanding she give him? Her purity?
Then came the sound of a loud crash.
Immediately after...
"N-no... Brother-in-law, I'd rather do something else... anything else~!"
At Joy's pitiful plea, followed by a sharp Riiip!—the distinct sound of tearing fabric—Thera could no longer stand idly by. She threw open the door with all her might and burst inside.
"M-Mother-in-law?"
Seeing Deviang pinned on top of Joy, Thera felt her worst fears confirmed.
"H-how dare you! How dare you defile Joy?!"
As she stormed toward Deviang, he looked up with a thoroughly flustered expression. "Mother-in-law... this is a misunderstanding. There is an explanation for this..."
It was then that Thera noticed the black-haired woman beneath him looked strangely familiar. T-thank goodness, it's not Joy... Wait, no, even if it isn't, this is still insane! A son-in-law bringing another woman into his sister-in-law's bedroom? Unacceptable!
Just as that thought crossed her mind, the black-haired woman slipped off a ring. Instantly, her hair shifted to a familiar grey, and her eyes flashed a brilliant crimson.
"Ah... Joy?"
"Hehe, Mother. You see, the thing is..."
Seeing Joy's awkward, sheepish smile, Thera moved purely on instinct—the fierce, protective drive of a mother shielding her child.
Slap!
"H-how dare you humiliate my daughter like this?! I... I truly trusted you as my son-in-law!"
Overwhelmed by the grim reality before her, Thera's legs gave out, and she began to collapse.
"M-Mother-in-law? Are you alright?" Deviang quickly reached out to support her.
"M-Mother, what's wrong?! We were just playing around! Brother-in-law and I are super close!" Joy protested, casually linking her arm with Deviang's. Thera stared at them, utterly shell-shocked.
What do you mean, playing around? Tears welled in Thera's eyes as she watched her daughter casually dismiss rolling around on the floor with a man as mere play. Horrifying rumors of the bizarre roleplay enjoyed by debauched nobles flashed through her mind. Dressing up in maid outfits, nun habits... Is that why you changed your hair color? Is that why you're wearing the clothes of a common peasant woman instead of your usual fine dresses? And you were planning to do... that... with your sister's husband?! Her head spun. Tears streamed down her face as her entire world shattered.
Despair... Our family is ruined. Oh, my dear husband... I am so sorry. Our family tree... has become a tangled, degenerate mess.
"Sob... It's all over... Everything is ruined..."
Her family was completely finished. A brother-in-law and a sister-in-law fooling around... what an unspeakable tragedy.
"Mother-in-law?! What is wrong?"
Where did our family go wrong? I cannot face my late husband in the heavens. I failed to raise our daughter properly...
Just then, Theodora's voice echoed into the room. "Did you have fun, Joy? But why is Mother... like that?"
"We had so much fun! But Mother is acting really weird..."
W-what do you mean, you had fun?!
Theodora's calm, unbothered reaction to this scandalous scene plunged Thera into the deepest abyss of despair. Could it be... is Theodora actually sharing her husband with Joy?! Ah... how could my own daughters be so incredibly depraved... Are they truly the children I carried in my womb?
The room spun violently, and darkness claimed her consciousness.
"Mother! Are you okay?!"
"Mother!"
"Mother-in-law..."