– “Lize! Theo is so cool!”
The coronation was a grand affair.
Watching Theo walk down the long procession to majestic music, greeted by the people’s enthusiastic cheers, tugged at my heartstrings.
But that sentiment didn’t last long. Predictably, the spirits came out and started chattering again.
From the way they squealed and shrieked, they were clearly Theo’s most ardent fan club. Normally I would’ve scolded them for being noisy, but today I was in a good mood.
Smiling contentedly, I nodded along with them.
Well, of course—he’s my brother.
The nobles and citizens, who had been suffocating under the tyrant’s rule, welcomed the new Emperor Theo with open arms.
Who would’ve thought a rebellion would be met with such joy?
Not a single soul dared to question the legitimacy of the new imperial line.
The previous emperor had spent his life tangled up in a woman’s skirts and only sired one son in his twilight years.
Was he six?
With a new imperial family now in place, the former royals had to be dealt with.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the empress had already passed away, and the six-year-old prince was quietly sent off to study abroad.
I personally thought it was a clean and satisfying solution.
“Count Aos just had to come stir the pot again, but now that I’ve seen Theo’s face, it’s all fine. Everything’s good.”
Brushing off the lingering irritation, I beamed and turned to Anton.
“Sir Anton, just look at our Theo. Who did he get those good looks from?”
“…Well, that would be the late Marquis and Marchioness.”
Oh?
As Anton answered with a slight grumble and turned his head away, I shot him a fierce look.
Only then did he flinch and reluctantly say what I wanted to hear.
“Of course, the current Marchioness deserves credit for raising him into such a fine, dashing young man.”
“That’s the wise answer.”
When I dabbed at my nonexistent tears, Anton gave me a look of pure exasperation.
Highly disrespectful, but for now, all I wanted was to take in the sight of Theo on the throne.
So this is what it feels like to send off your grown child to marriage.
Bittersweet but proud—my smile wouldn’t fade. If I stayed any longer, I might actually grab a stranger and yell, “Isn’t he so handsome? That emperor’s my little brother!”
Better to leave before I embarrassed myself.
“You’re not going to watch more?” Anton asked.
“I’ve seen enough. Anyway, you got the footage, right?”
“Yes, yes… His Majesty insisted this angle showed his best side, so he made me shoot from here.”
Anton handed me the enchanted video orb with a grumble.
“Of course. Angles are everything in video. This one’s going into the Metheisa family archives.”
As I lovingly cradled the orb, Anton looked ready to faint.
“Why did it have to be Lord Theo? You could’ve taken the throne yourself, my lady.”
It was only once we’d stepped away from the crowd that Anton finally asked the question he’d been dying to.
He clearly didn’t realize how absurdly dumb it was. I sighed, giving him a look of pity.
“Sir Anton, it truly is a blessing that you became a knight.”
“…Excuse me?”
“If you don’t understand something so simple, you’d have been a complete liability as a strategist—feeding yourself to the enemy, even.”
“Marchioness ! Must you use such vulgar expressions? We’re not in the estate anymore!”
Anton glanced nervously around, terrified someone might overhear. Not that I could say things like that at the estate either, thanks to Molga.
I grumbled under my breath, and Anton grabbed the back of his neck in distress.
“Anyway, I’ll do you a favor and enlighten you.”
Anton gulped, waiting intently. He didn’t have a strategist’s mind, but I had to admit—he could focus when he needed to.
“You see…”
“Yes?”
“It’s a hassle.”
“…”
Anton froze like a statue.
He looked like he was about to cry from gratitude—or not.
But whatever. I decided to interpret it that way.
“Theo didn’t want to do it either. He looked like he wanted to bolt, but I coaxed and coaxed him until he agreed.”
“…My lady.”
“Sir Anton, your face is extremely disrespectful right now. Are you grinding your teeth?”
Anton’s face had turned red from holding back his temper. Unable to lash out, he simply pressed hard on his temple.
“In my next life, I swear I’ll be your superior.”
“Ooh, I don’t plan on having a next life.”
At my joke, Anton trudged behind me with the expression of a man aged ten years.
Tormenting Anton is number 13 of my 31 hobbies.
Satisfied after indulging myself, I walked lightly, despite the weight of the orb in my arms.
Anton followed behind, as if resigned to his fate, while I burst into carefree laughter.
ִֶָ___________𓂃 ࣪˖ ִִֶֶָﾒ ་༘࿐__________
“If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have made him emperor!”
I was the one who cut down the tyrant and threw the throne at Theo— And yet, I was the first to regret it.
Anton clicked his tongue at my fickle change of heart.
But I didn’t care.
“I mean, he’s so busy! Is it too much to ask to see my own brother’s face?!”
Frustration welled up inside me.
Theo was neck-deep in stabilizing the empire, and getting a moment alone with him was nearly impossible.
It was a little sad.
Whenever I buried my face in a handkerchief and whimpered, Anton never failed to scold me for not anticipating this.
In the end, all I could do was pout with a barely audible voice.
“I knew he’d be busy, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad. If I had, I wouldn’t have made him emperor.”
“You’re the same person who was going on and on about how handsome His Majesty looked in imperial robes, remember?”
Anton had a talent for saying all the right things in the most annoying way.
“Anyway, since the new imperial household has been established, are you aware your retainers are pressing you now?”
I tossed aside my tear-and-snot-stained handkerchief, and Anton cautiously brought up the real issue. We were on our way back from the palace, where I’d barely exchanged a glance with the overworked Theo. He knew better than anyone that I was in a foul mood.
“What? They want me to get married?”
“The empire is stabilizing. As the Marchioness, it’s time you considered marriage—for the sake of an heir.”
“Are they paying you off or something? Since when do you carry messages for the retainers?”
Still sulking, I answered dryly. Anton looked offended but quickly calmed himself with a deep breath.
“Of course not. I’m merely offering sincere advice, thinking of your age and the future of the Metheisa family.”
It made me long for the old days, when my marriage wasn’t everyone’s business.
I made no effort to hide how displeased I was. Anton clutched his head, clearly full of things he wanted to say.
“A husband, huh…”
“Lord Theodor is doing an excellent job as the new emperor. It’s only right that you do just as well as head of the Metheisa household.”
“So you’re saying that doing my duty means marrying some boring nobleman?”
I half-glared at him, and he reluctantly nodded.
It was reasonable for Anton to care about the heir, given his family’s role as knightly retainers of Metheisa. But I’d had enough.
Lately, I’d been hounded by retainers pushing for my marriage and submitting endless lists of eligible noblemen.
I hadn’t even made it past the first line before crumpling the list and burning it.
“Was there no one you liked on the list?”
“Of course not! What good is a respectable appearance if the rest is rotten? Do you know how obscene Count Aphelios’ second son is?”
Everyone who mattered knew of his depravity, yet someone still added him to the list. I clicked my tongue and launched into a scathing critique of every name on it.
Anton didn’t deny it—he’d heard the rumors too.
“There’s no way I’d be happy marrying a man like that.”
“…”
“Could you sleep peacefully at night knowing I was stuck with someone like him?”
I pouted and fiddled with the chess pieces in front of me. Anton wisely refrained from pushing the succession argument any further. He pretended not to care, but he put my happiness—and Theo’s—above everything.
I acted like I didn’t notice his silent worry.
“Marriage? Maybe after Theo gets married first.”
It’s not like I was swearing off it completely.
My retainers were far more concerned about it than I was.
Satisfied with Anton’s silence, I fell into thought.
‘Before Isabella and Theo meet, maybe I should leave for a while. I support them, but if I stick around, I might get caught in the crossfire.’
Just then, a brilliant idea hit me.
‘Marriage, survival—why not handle everything myself?’
I didn’t need some pre-approved list of suitors. I could choose my own husband!
Not just someone physically sound, but mentally stable and handsome, too.
Preferably someone who fit my tastes.
With my plan fully formed, I let out a sly chuckle, slammed my chess piece onto the board, and declared—
“Checkmate!”
“Gah!”
Anton flinched hard.
Was that really so surprising? Some knight he was.
Tsk, tsk.
I clicked my tongue and gave him a disappointed look.
He flushed red and looked about to argue, but I raised my hand to stop him.
Though clearly upset, he obediently shut his mouth.
“Marriage aside, I’ve just had a brilliant idea.”
“…What is it? I suddenly feel a chill.”
“Anton. If you’re that frail, should you even be calling yourself the Marchioness’ bodyguard?”
“That’s entirely unrelated! And if it’s another one of your strange ideas, please drop it now.”
“Nope. Hear me out.”
He looked like he was trying to block a disaster in advance.
Unfortunately for him, that never worked on me.
“I’ve decided…”
“…”
“…I’m going on strike!”
Anton visibly turned pale.
But I pretended not to see that, either!
