The golden age of the Astrid Empire was under the reign of Emperor Cameron van Astrid and his son, Emperor Ludwig Bourbon Astrid. It’s undeniable that Emperor Ludwig was able to govern the vast empire relatively peacefully and moderately because his father, Emperor Cameron, had laid a solid foundation during his long reign. What’s interesting is that before Cameron ascended to the throne—when he was still the crown prince—the Astrid Empire was in a state of chaos. The empire began to show the brilliant light we know today from the moment Princess Grace, who was rumored to be Cameron’s fiancée, was executed.

Moreover, when talking about the golden age of the Astrid Empire, one cannot omit the Bannister Dukedom, which left its mark on both political and military aspects, as much as Emperor Cameron. Among them, the most familiar figure would be Duke Roan Bannister. One of the records that attest to his prowess is that during the time he remained the commander of the empire under Emperor Cameron’s rule, there were no invasions from other nations. Although we cannot return to the past to witness his martial arts, it is believed to have been extraordinary, and his influence in that era must have been immense.

The Bannister family has such a long history that it is often said in jest that it accounts for a third of the Astrid Empire. When looking at the bloodline of the aforementioned Duke Roan, there are figures such as Marquis Jude, Duke Cesar, who married Princess Caroline, and Countess Louise, who laid the foundation for women entering the political sphere of Astrid.

Until Countess Louise became a countess, all those who dominated the political sphere of Astrid were male nobles. Countess Louise became the first woman to boldly enter the political scene in Astrid. At the time, this was considered a rather shocking change that no one had imagined. According to Countess Louise, who broke through that glass ceiling, her mindset and character were influenced by her mother, the Duchess Delis, wife of Duke Roan.

Duchess Delis was frequently mentioned by Duke Roan and their children rather than by herself. There is even a record of the great mage Jafflin mentioning her. It is said that she spent her later years in their territory with Duke Roan, who was known as a devoted husband, but like Duke Roan, the exact details of her final days remain unknown.

-Excerpt from ‘The History of the Astrid Empire-

November Winter.

“It’s already been over 10 years since I met you.”

“Not that great.”

As I was about to get sentimental in front of a three-tiered cake, Jude responded indifferently. Why hasn’t he changed at all even as he turns 20? He doesn’t have a single bit of the cuteness he had when he was a child. When I glared at him, Louise, who was beside me, spoke up in a clear voice.

“Mom, give it a rest. You like it, but Uncle always pretends not to care.”

Where did she even learn the word “pretend”? I let out a chuckle at Louise’s ever-growing language skills.

“What did you say?”

Like me, Jude also chuckled at Louise’s language sense and asked. You were the same at nine, you brat.

“Well, it’s true, Uncle.”

Louise nonchalantly ignored Jude’s piercing gaze. I’ve felt this for a while, but the two of them get along surprisingly well now. They seem more like friends than uncle and niece.

“Sister, you should restrain yourself.”

Beside them, Cesar quietly tried to curb Louise’s light-hearted behavior. Louise nodded lightly.

“Hmm, alright then.”

This has been my worry lately. One of them speaks without any filter, while the other uses words that are far too sophisticated. Cesar, who has already learned manners, has even started addressing us formally. Given that Cesar spends all day with his books, it would be strange if he didn’t. Naturally, he’s quite different from Louise, who absolutely detests reading.

According to Alexandra, Cesar takes after Roan, and Louise takes after me in terms of personality. But appearance-wise, it’s the opposite—Cesar resembles me, and Louise resembles Roan. Although Cesar accepts it, I find it hard to believe that Louise, that mischievous girl, takes after me, bringing back hazy memories of my childhood. Though no matter what, she’ll always be adorable in my eyes. I thought about this with the heart of a doting parent. It was then.

“Oh, it’s Papa!”

Louise shouted. She immediately jumped up from her seat and ran out. Soon, I saw Roan lifting her up. He lightly kissed her cheek and set her back down in her seat.

“You’ve come down.”

“Father,”

Cesar also greeted Roan as he entered and sat down. Roan nodded and kissed Cesar’s pale cheek. What a heartwarming scene.

But then,

“Roan, what about me?”

I tapped my cheek with my finger. At that moment, a voice cut in.

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

Jude sarcastically remarked. He must be jealous.

“Jude, that’s because you haven’t found a girlfriend yet.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say he ‘couldn’t’ find one. Rumor has it that Jude is currently the center of attention in social circles. Was Roan like this before he got married? When parties overlapped, I could certainly feel the attention directed towards Jude. Though he himself seemed completely uninterested. He certainly had all the qualities to be popular in society—except for his occasionally frustratingly cute personality.

Even though he’s now a full-fledged adult, Jude is still a nine-year-old baby to me. A baby. Though if he heard that, he’d probably be utterly shocked.

Meanwhile, Roan, having heard what I said, smiled slowly and kissed the corner of my mouth. Jude, who is at the prime age for romance, looked as if he had eaten something bad, but I generously let it slide.

“But when is Mother coming?”

“Good question. Grandma!”

Louise, who has no barriers when it comes to making friends regardless of age or nationality, affectionately called Alexandra “Grandma” and followed her around. In truth, Alexandra didn’t look like a grandmother at all. Frankly, she looked so young that it was almost frightening. And it didn’t seem like she was making any special effort to maintain her looks.

It must be in the family’s genes. Roan, too, hasn’t changed much from when I first met him, except for a deeper presence. They say it’s because of something called “mana,” though. But I have “mana” too, so why do I feel like I’m getting wrinkles? Though Roan reassured me that he wouldn’t mind if I did get wrinkles. Ahem. It’s just that Roan doesn’t seem to age. Just then, the sound of a door opening caught my attention.

“Everyone’s here.”

Alexandra entered, accompanied by fluttering fairies.

“Oh, it’s a cake!”

“Jude, happy birthday!”

“Humans really do grow up so fast.”

As soon as the fairies flew in, they brightened the atmosphere, flitting around here and there.

Oh, and by the way, Reb is currently in the Dwarves’ Forest. Perhaps he’s had a dramatic reunion with the other dwarves there? Not long ago, he sent a letter saying he’s doing well and will visit the mansion soon. The fairies, wanting to explore the human world a little longer, decided to stay at the Bannister Dukedom for a while.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s light the candles.”

A servant lit the candles on the three-tiered cake, which was the result of the head chef’s and the kitchen staff’s hard work. The lights were turned off, and just as Jude was about to blow out the candles,

“Wait! We need to sing the birthday song.”

Louise stopped Jude as he approached the candles.

“Forget it…”

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you-“

Ignoring the birthday boy’s reluctance, everyone, starting with Louise, clapped and sang the birthday song. It was probably the same scene last year and the year before that.

There was still one more thing to do after the song ended.

“Jude, make a wish.”

Jude looked a bit embarrassed, but when I urged him, he obediently closed his eyes. A few seconds passed before he opened them again.

“What did you wish for?”

“They say you’re not supposed to tell your wish.”

That’s true. I didn’t know what he wished for, but he seemed to be in a good mood.

Although it feels like a lot of time has passed since Jude turned 20, it doesn’t seem like it took that long, perhaps because the times have been so happy. I can only guess the passage of time by the fact that Sophia and her knight finally got together, Jafflin became a renowned mage, Cameron, who seemed like he’d never marry, tied the knot after ascending to the throne, and the unexpected pair of Cain and Alicia came together and had adorable children. Those were the events that marked the passage of time for me as well.

Thinking of it, I should send them my regards.

“What are you thinking about?”

At that moment, Roan pulled me out of my sea of thoughts.

“I was just thinking about how there are so many people I should send my regards to. Alicia had twins, so I need to visit them again sometime soon, but they’re so far away.”

Alicia had recently given birth to boy and girl twins and was resting in a territory quite far from the capital.

“Duchess.”

Roan called me in a calm and pleasant voice.

“Yes?”

“How about we eventually move to live in our territory as well?”

“The territory? That sounds wonderful.”

Living in the territory, basking in the golden sunlight over the vast plains. Just thinking about it made me happy. It was even better because it would be with Roan.

I leaned on Roan’s shoulder. I quietly hoped that this life would stay with us forever.

~~End of Let’s Live Together~~

TL NOTE: Visit dusk blossoms for more interesting stories.