The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Side Story 7
“Thank you. I love you.”
Louid sprang to his feet and lifted her into his arms. In an instant, Emilia was held in a princess carry, looking at him with a flustered expression.
“Why are you doing this? People are watching.”
“They seem busy playing, don’t they? A man who picks up a lady’s shoe sleeps with its owner. You know that, right?”
Louid recited a custom of the Richert Empire.
“Oh my.”
Emilia’s cheeks flushed red.
“Haha.”
“Hahaha.”
Setting Emilia back on her feet, Louid gave her a light kiss on the lips.
“Keep your promise tonight, Your Majesty the Empress.”
“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”
That night, after putting the children to bed, the two kept the promise they had made during the day.
***
After finishing their vacation and returning to the imperial palace.
Louid was so busy with piled-up work that he barely had time to breathe. From early morning until late at night, it was an endless stream of duties.
One day, when he finished state affairs early for once, Louid headed to the third floor. He first went to the playroom where the children were and confirmed that Gerard and Elea were playing well with their private tutors.
With a smile, he then headed to the Empress’s bedroom to see Emilia. But when he entered, she wasn’t there.
For a moment, the memory of the time he had heard news of Emilia’s death long ago flashed through his mind.
‘It was like a nightmare.’
Louid’s face twisted. Whenever he didn’t know where Emilia was, memories of the time he wandered searching for her would come back to him.
No, that’s not it. Calm down.
As he tried to steady his rapidly pounding heart, Helen entered the sitting room at that moment.
“Your Majesty.”
Helen bowed her head in greeting.
“Where is the Empress?”
“At this hour, she is usually in the greenhouse.”
“I see.”
A faint smile appeared on Louid’s lips as he quickly headed outside. There were many greenhouses in the imperial palace, but the place Emilia would be was the ‘Empress’s greenhouse’ in the Prince’s palace.
“Finished.”
At that time, Emilia was finishing a painting in the greenhouse. It was a family portrait she had devoted herself to for a month. In the painting, she, Louid, Gerard, and Elea were smiling brightly. After leaving the completed portrait to dry, she stood up from her seat.
‘It’s beautiful.’
In the greenhouse she and Louid had tended, various wildflowers were blooming beautifully. Because of that, the scent of the wildflowers Louid liked filled the air. Emilia looked at the pretty wildflowers and thought of Louid.
‘I wish we could look at this together….’
Today, she especially wanted to drink tea and talk with Louid. But he had been very busy lately.
What if the children forget their father’s face….
“Heh.”
She let out a small laugh at her own thought. No matter what, Gerard and Elea would never forget their father’s face. The three of them looked exactly the same.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh my. When did you get here?”
“Just now.”
Hearing Louid’s voice suddenly, she turned around to see him standing in the passageway. The two smiled brightly at each other.
Just like when they reunited in the greenhouse three years ago, they slowly approached each other.
“Come over here.”
Holding Louid’s hand, Emilia led him to the table. On the table were a teapot and teacups. Emilia prepared tea and handed it to him.
“It’s good.”
After taking a sip of the fragrant tea, Louid set down the teacup and spoke. He hadn’t known the taste of tea before, but after drinking it because Emilia liked it, he had come to enjoy it.
“It’s tea grown in the Eastern Continent. The taste is excellent.”
“I see. But what were you doing?”
Louid was more curious about what Emilia had been doing than the taste of the tea.
“I was painting.”
What Emilia held out was a portrait she had painted herself. In the painting were the four of them: him, Emilia, Gerard, and Elea.
“It’s our family.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
For a while, he looked at the portrait without saying anything. He had once disliked portraits because he hated seeing his beloved mother only through one. But that was no longer the case.
When he thought Emilia had died, how heartbroken he had been that there was no portrait of her.
He no longer disliked portraits and planned to have a painter capture Emilia and the children every year. Of course, himself included.
“You did well. Let’s hang this in the bedroom.”
“Yes.”
“There’s something I want to give you.”
He took off the necklace he had been wearing. Hanging from it was the ring Emilia had given him. He had kept it on the necklace because he was afraid of losing it. He removed the ring and placed it back on Emilia’s finger.
“But I gave that to you.”
Emilia looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“It was your mother’s keepsake, so you should keep it. You need it more. Pass it on to Elea later.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Emilia stared quietly at the ring on her finger. A mysterious ring that could start and stop fire. It was the ring she had placed on him in the secret passage, hoping it would protect him when he was injured.
“I know you gave it to me to protect me.”
“You had completely lost consciousness back then. You still remembered?”
Emilia looked at him with a startled expression.
“I could still tell. Not right away, but this ring helped me remember you. From now on, it’ll protect you and the children. I can protect myself well enough, so don’t worry.”
“Alright. I’ll take good care of it and pass it on to Elea.”
Emilia smiled. She felt like she understood Louid’s heart. He was worried about her and the children. That was why he was returning his mother’s ring.
“Good.”
Louid looked at her with gentle eyes. The two drank tea and talked about the children and about state affairs.
“But…, what do you think about the children having a younger sibling?”
After finishing her tea, Emilia looked at him carefully, as if she had something to say.
When the children were born three years ago, she heard Louid had been extremely worried that something might happen to her. At the time, he told her they shouldn’t have more children.
“You don’t mean….”
Louid’s eyes widened.
“I think I might be pregnant.”
Emilia gathered her courage and said it. She hadn’t been examined by the physician yet, but her cycle had stopped recently, and she felt increasingly fatigued and sleepy, just like when she was carrying the twins.
“….”
“You don’t like it?”
When he stayed silent for a while, Emilia asked with a worried expression.
“Don’t like it? Thank you, Emilia. The children will be happy to have a sibling too.”
Louid’s voice trembled. His eyelashes gradually grew moist.
“I was wondering. Do you think it’ll be twins again?”
She had been worried about when to tell him in case he might not like it, but fortunately, he looked genuinely happy.
‘I was worrying for nothing.’
She let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
“Whether it’s twins or not doesn’t matter. Just give birth safely.”
Louid said as he pulled her into his arms. He wanted to have many children who resembled Emilia. But he was always worried that Emilia, who had gone through a difficult labor three years ago, might be in danger during childbirth.
Still, he decided to think positively. He intended to mobilize every physician in the imperial palace to look after Emilia’s health and bring her anything that was good for her body.
“Maybe this time the child will resemble you?”
Louid said it like a joke. But his expression was sincere. This time, he hoped a child resembling Emilia would be born.
“I’m fine if they resemble you.”
Resting her face against his chest, Emilia whispered shyly.
“It’s fine whether it’s twins or not. As long as the child is healthy.”
Whether it was twins or not didn’t matter. As long as the child was born safely, that alone would be something to be grateful for.
“What about William if it’s a boy, and Chloe if it’s a girl?”
“What is that?”
Emilia shot him a look. He had said they shouldn’t have more children, yet it seemed he had already thought of names.
“Haha.”
Louid laughed awkwardly.
The two embraced each other for a long time, thinking about the child who would be born in the future.
***
That night, even after Emilia and the children had fallen asleep, Louid continued to stare at the family portrait hanging on one wall of the bedroom.
“What are you doing?”
Emilia, who had woken up, rested her hand on his shoulder.
“Did I wake you?”
“No. I just woke up.”
“Liar.”
She was always worried about him and the children. But she didn’t show it much on the outside.
“Were you looking at the painting?”
“Mm. Like in this painting, let’s never be apart again. Us.”
“Yes.”
The two embraced each other and shared a happy kiss.
<The End>
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miakatame
Thank you for the wonderful story