The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Side Story 2

“He must be someone you’re grateful to.”

“That’s right.”

Damian guessed that the wanderer Simon had met was the Emperor. It was the Emperor who had told him to go to Keros Island.

He calmly told Simon what had happened to Emilia and himself.

“I see. I’m truly relieved that both of you survived.”

Once Simon had calmed down a little, Damian asked what he had been curious about.

“By the way, between Emilia and me, who was born first?”

“Lady Emilia is the older one. Then again, you wouldn’t have known you had a twin sister.”

Simon looked apologetic. Of all the things he regretted over the years, hiding the fact that the young master and young lady had a blood sibling was what he regretted most. No matter how much twins were despised and looked down on in the Richert Empire, he should have told them.

He had done it for their sake, but he deeply regretted it.

After their joyful reunion, Damian stayed on Keros Island for a few days, then brought Simon back to the imperial capital. After that, Simon helped him return to the ducal residence, and now they lived together there.

After hearing Simon’s story, Damian began calling Emilia his older sister.

***

After finishing her conversation with Damian, Emilia spotted a familiar face.

“Duke Asher.”

“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s been a while.”

Asher kissed the back of her hand. He was still handsome and had refined manners, making him popular with women. However, she’d heard that he still wasn’t seeing anyone.

“I heard you returned recently from the Kingdom of Solli. You must’ve had a difficult time.”

“Not at all. It’s my duty. In the meantime, the prince and princess have grown a lot.”

Asher had recently returned after touring the nations of the continent on behalf of the Emperor as the Foreign Minister of the Richert Empire.

“Yes. They grow more and more each day.”

“I suppose it’s because they resemble their father.”

Asher deliberately frowned. Every time he met Emilia, he would jokingly say that the prince and princess should resemble the Empress instead.

“Hahaha. Right? It feels like I’m raising triplets.”

Gerard and Elea resembled Louid, and since they developed faster than other children their age, they were bigger in build and already running around actively.

“Hahaha.”

Asher laughed along with her.

Emilia knew he was doing it on purpose. He was always cheerful.

“Domer wine has been incredibly popular lately.”

Asher said this while lifting the glass in his hand. The wine served at today’s banquet was Domer wine and Dalton wine.

“Compared to Dalton wine, it’s still at a beginner’s level. It’s all thanks to you, Duke.”

Damian was using his strengths to grow grapes in the Berthe duchy and produce wine.

The production volume was still small, and the quality wasn’t as high as Dalton wine, but it was gradually gaining recognition.

On top of that, he had recently started dairy farming to produce high-quality cheese.

“It’s not like I did anything. Duke Damian started from the ground up, so he’ll soon be on the road to success.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Emilia looked at her younger brother, who was mingling and conversing with other nobles. Contrary to her worries, Damian was very sociable. He made connections easily and had a talent for business. People praised him, saying he was nothing like the Duke of Berthe.

‘That’s a relief. Truly.’

The reason the two siblings were able to do well was because they had good people like Asher by their side.

She had thought she was alone, but there were truly many good people. Simon, Martin, Helen, Jamie, Deo, and more, so many that it was hard to list them all.

Among them, the person she cherished the most was, of course, Louid. Thanks to him, she had been blessed with the two children, Gerard and Elea.

Thinking of the people precious to her, she smiled, and the orchestra began to play a waltz.

“Your Majesty the Empress, would you dance with me?”

Asher bent one knee and held out his hand to her.

“Yes, Duke. It would be my honor.”

Emilia did not refuse and accepted his invitation to dance. As the two headed toward the center of the hall, she saw Louid approaching. He stopped in his place and looked back and forth between her and Asher with a sullen expression.

Emilia held back the laughter that threatened to burst out and danced with Asher. She knew Asher was doing it on purpose to tease Louid.

Asher tilted his head toward her and whispered, “He’s looking this way.”

“It’s fine. Let’s pretend we don’t notice.”

“Yes.”

While the two of them danced, Louid fidgeted and protested with his eyes. And as soon as the music ended, he approached them.

“Let go of that hand. It’s my turn now.”

“I was just about to do that, Your Majesty.”

Even at Louid’s icy expression, Asher showed no fear at all. He winked at Emilia with a relaxed expression, then leisurely walked away.

Emilia’s shoulders shook as she tried to hold back her laughter. Louid was generous about everything she did, but he was still very jealous. The only people allowed to dance with her in the banquet hall were Asher and Damian, and even then only once each.

“Let’s dance.”

As the music began, she took Louid’s hand and whispered. Then Louid relaxed his expression and took her hand. The two of them enjoyed the banquet with happy smiles.

***

After the busy banquet ended and everyone had left, the imperial palace at dawn was quiet.

“Aah.”

A child’s loud cry rang out.

“Waaah.”

After a moment, another child’s cry followed.

“Hah.”

Emilia, who had dozed off, suddenly opened her eyes. From the day the twins were born, whenever the children cried, she woke up automatically no matter how tired she was.

“I’ll do it.”

Louid smiled and stopped her. He had already gotten out of bed reflexively. After the twins were born, they left the children with the nanny during the day, but at night they kept the children in the bedroom next door and took turns checking on them themselves.

It was Emilia’s wish that children should stay with their parents.

Louid wanted her to be comfortable, but he couldn’t object when she said she didn’t want to be apart from the children. And he also wanted to see the children often.

He fully understood why Emilia felt that way, so he didn’t oppose her. Instead, he woke up first and took care of the children so she wouldn’t be exhausted.

“Thank you.”

“No need.”

After kissing Emilia on the cheek, Louid put on a robe and went to the next room.

‘You little ones, isn’t it about time you slept through the night without waking?’

A smile spread across his lips at the sight of the children wriggling and crying.

“Gerard, Elea.”

Gerard had been born five minutes earlier than Elea.

“You should sleep quietly so your mother can rest, alright?”

He lifted the two children, who had grown quite a bit, one in each arm at the same time.

Then the children’s crying stopped abruptly. When they fussed too much, he would call the nanny or the duty court physician, but most of the time the couple handled it themselves.

Emilia opened the door and came in.

“I said they’d sleep.”

“It’s alright.”

She gave Louid a quick kiss on the lips, then kissed the children’s cheeks one by one. The children, having spotted their mother, smiled brightly.

“Kids, it’s time to sleep now, okay?”

Emilia gently soothed them and took Elea from Louid’s arms.

After being patted for a while, the children gradually fell asleep in their mother and father’s embrace.

“They’re cute.”

“Haha.”

At the sight of the children completely limp with sleep, Louid laughed out loud. When it came to work, he was cold and sharp, but in front of his children, he completely fell apart.

“They must’ve been very tired today.”

“They must have.”

These days, the children played all day mischievously without a break. On top of that, today they greeted the citizens of the empire on the terrace and even had a birthday party, so it was only natural they were tired.

After laying the children on the bed, Louid gently touched Gerard’s cheek. Then Gerard tapped his father’s chest with his small clenched fist.

“Ah, he’s already strong.”

Louid exaggerated and laughed loudly.

“He’s telling you not to play around.”

Emilia quickly patted Gerard’s chest.

“They seem like they’ll sleep well now, so you should go rest too.”

Once the children had fallen into a deep sleep, Louid said.

“Okay.”

Even after Emilia returned to the bedroom, he stayed by the children’s side for a while longer.

A smile rose to Louid’s lips.

Emilia was his only salvation. She was becoming more and more lovely.

If she touched her arm, he worried whether it hurt, and if she showed a tired expression, he blamed himself for not taking better care of her.

Whenever he saw her, he wanted to stay with her and couldn’t bring himself to leave.

It was the same with the children.

Watching them grow so well, he thought that even if he bowed to Emilia for the rest of his life for giving birth to such treasures, it still wouldn’t be enough.

***

“Since you’re awake, should we start the treatment?”

Louid, who had gone to the couple’s bedroom, wrapped his arms around Emilia’s waist as she lay on the bed and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She hadn’t fallen asleep and was waiting for him.

“Yes.”

Emilia’s cheeks turned red.