Chapter 154…………………………………………………………………….
As soon as they entered the palace, Minerva and Lloyd hurried to the main palace upon hearing that Ayla was suffering from indigestion and lying down.
They found Ayla weakly groaning in a temporary bedroom. Once they understood what had happened, both of them pressed their foreheads in frustration.
Yupiteria arrived later, looking embarrassed, in front of Minerva.
“I’m sorry, my dear.”
“Your Majesty.”
“I didn’t expect her to eat so much that she’d get sick. Truly, I didn’t.”
“Haah…”
It was hard to even say anything harsh, since he was the emperor.
Minerva felt upset thinking about how much Ayla must have eaten to still be groaning.
She also checked on Aslan, who was sticking close to Ayla.
“Aslan, are you feeling okay?”
“I ate just the right amount.”
On the surface, he seemed fine, but she asked just in case—and, unsurprisingly, Aslan was energetic.
Apart from looking a bit more tired than usual, that was all.
Aslan, perhaps noticing what Minerva wanted to say, yawned and replied,
“I haven’t taken a nap yet. Ayla keeps groaning.”
Fortunately, Aslan seemed like he would recover quickly after a good rest.
Minerva grumbled that Yupiteria had left the kids to them and picked up Aslan.
Lloyd carefully lifted Ayla as well so she wouldn’t wake up on the way back to the princess’s quarters, but with all the surrounding noise, it was hard to keep her asleep.
“Uh… Dad…”
“Yes, I heard you were sick. How are you feeling now?”
“Better than before…”
Ayla weakly responded, then groaned again.
They would probably need to give her medicine again as soon as they reached the princess’s quarters.
“Your Majesty, then shall we go in?”
“Oh, Minerva. I have something to talk about.”
“What is it?”
Minerva couldn’t help but answer a little tersely.
Right now, nothing was more important than the kids being sick and tired.
Yupiteria was already feeling guilty, so she didn’t insist on keeping Minerva there, but it truly was important.
“We need to start preparing for the wedding.”
‘I had completely forgotten.’
In the end, the kids were left with Lloyd, and I was brought along with Yupiteria.
I briefly thought it was lucky to avoid being alone with Lloyd because it felt awkward—but that feeling didn’t last long.
Seeing the large room filled with samples and catalogs thicker than most binders made me feel like I had run from a tiger only to meet a crocodile.
‘The designers must have cried.’
I knew the wedding preparations were progressing step by step, but with Baron Velly and his wife’s matter plus the trial, I had been too busy to pick a dress.
The designs were already done, but the palace staff kept telling me to wait, so I could only imagine how anxious the designers must have been.
Thinking about the seamstresses who would be working through the night made me feel a little guilty for forgetting.
So now, I was diligently looking through the design sketches and samples, unable to escape Yupiteria’s watch, trying to choose a dress.
But between what happened with Lloyd earlier and worrying about the kids, there was no way I could focus.
I put down the stacks of papers I had been barely glancing at and told Yupiteria,
“Your Majesty, I should consult Lloyd too, so I can’t choose today.”
“You’ve had plenty of time. I understand you’ve been busy, but have you been busier than me?”
I had no response.
Only her ladies-in-waiting could dare claim to be busier than the emperor.
After a brief moment of silent rebellion, I went back to reviewing the designs.
Minerva’s taste leaned toward luxurious yet not frivolous, elegant—basically, difficult criteria.
Each design reflected her taste well.
Which meant there were too many similar designs.
‘Honestly, they’re all so similar it feels like I could pick any.’
Even though it was a wedding, the designs were all so alike that I didn’t feel excited about choosing.
I sighed and shook my head.
“They’re all nice, but aren’t they too similar?”
“No, they all suit your taste. They’re formal, flawless! And what do you mean ‘the same’?”
Yupiteria went on at length about subtle differences between the designs, but I barely listened.
Honestly, I’d wear any dress quietly if I married anyone—but my partner was Lloyd.
I wanted it to look a little more polished.
I had only shown him one properly styled look, so it had to be a little better than that.
‘…Ah. I just remembered again.’
Thinking of Lloyd made his face pop up in my mind.
Ah, if he brings it up again, what should I say?
It would be much easier to just say, “Let’s become a family.”
Perhaps sensing my expression had grown serious, Yupiteria, without me saying anything, assumed what I was thinking.
“Right, this is the dress for the wedding, so it should be something you like. I’ll have more options sent, so this time, make sure you choose immediately. Understood?”
Phew, at least I had an escape.
But it wasn’t an entirely happy escape.
Once my business here was done, I would have to return to where Lloyd was.
At least I didn’t have to pick a dress I didn’t want.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ll choose right away this time.”
If nothing good is available, I could at least consider the kids’ preferences.
Just as I thought I was done and began to get up slowly, Yupiteria made me sit back down.
“There’s more to discuss, Minerva.”
“Excuse me?”
Other than choosing a dress, I didn’t think there was anything else for me to interfere with regarding the wedding—invites, festival, procession, venue, reception, etc.
She had previously told me to only pick the dress, and now she was changing her mind…!
Fortunately, that wasn’t the matter this time.
“What do you think about asking the crown children to be flower children?”
“Ask Aslan and… Aslan?”
“Yes. You announced they’re twins, and wouldn’t it be cute if the two girls wore pretty clothes and stood side by side next to you both?”
Yupiteria looked at me expectantly, and honestly, I was tempted.
Flower children are another highlight of a wedding, and I agreed that it would be adorable.
“I’ll ask them.”
So I nodded without hesitation.
Aslan would probably say yes naturally, and Ayla would pretend not to care.
By evening, Ayla’s condition improved significantly, and I finally brought up the idea of being flower children with the two kids.
“So, Your Majesty would like you two to be flower children. What do you think?”
Ayla, still eating her soup reluctantly because she wasn’t fully hungry, froze.
Aslan didn’t seem to understand what it meant, so Ayla whispered to explain it.
Even so, he still looked unenthusiastic.
Before I knew it, I was persuading Aslan, assuring him it wasn’t troublesome.
“It’s nothing. You just come out in front when mom and dad march and sprinkle flowers. That’s it. Easy, right?”
My heart raced in case Aslan refused.
When would I ever have a wedding where my own children were flower children?
Fortunately, Ayla hesitated shyly, half wanting to do it, half embarrassed.
But Aslan, true to his indifferent expression, pouted.
“Do I really have to?”
“Hm? Mom wants to see how cute you look, and it’s our official announcement that we’re a family. Wouldn’t it be nice if the whole family participated?”
“You know, I’d be really happy if Aslan is a flower child too. Please think about it.”
Lloyd joined in, seeing I was worried.
But somehow, it backfired.
Aslan frowned and suddenly got up from his seat.
“I’m not doing it.”
“Huh? Why!”
Honestly, I thought Aslan would be the first to agree happily!
Because I trusted him, the sense of betrayal was strong.
What should I use to persuade him now?
I was about to grab Aslan with the thought of using some secret bargaining trick…
But my heart sank.
Just a while ago, Aslan looked stubborn, but now his face was sad.
Before I could ask what was wrong, Aslan asked me,
“Mom, can we not have the wedding?”
