Side Story 6 – A Peaceful Daily Life (Part 1)

As Ria wished, a new family member was born in the year Lionel and Rizer turned three. The child had Cherta’s red hair and brilliant golden eyes.

There wasn’t much of a hardship while carrying Cherta’s child. She had no morning sickness and ate a variety of foods, even gaining some weight. This was all thanks to Cherta, who experienced the morning sickness in her place.

There was a fleeting moment when Rune and Eden, feeling wronged by this, teased him about how some say such things happen when a husband loves his wife too much. 

The torment Ria endured while carrying Lionel and Rizer was now Cherta’s to bear. He couldn’t even glance at food.

Still, he smiled, saying it was fortunate. If she wasn’t suffering, he could endure this much, even reassuring her in the process.

Despite becoming the first imperial family member since the kingdom’s founding to take a break from work due to morning sickness, Cherta was happy to spend every moment with Ria.

As the months passed, his morning sickness subsided, Ria’s belly grew larger, and before they knew it, the due date approached. Once again, the labor pains began earlier than expected, as if the baby was eager to meet their parents.

Having experienced it once didn’t make it any easier. The four men had to endure that hellish time anxiously. Even though they had spent the past ten months repeatedly hearing from Elpis that Ria would not be endangered by childbirth, when faced with the situation, her pain-filled groans shook their sanity like leaves in the wind.

But when that time passed, and they saw the newborn baby, Cherta felt his fears and worries melt into overwhelming emotion, just as Ria had wished. The tiny child, so small it seemed they might break with the slightest touch, left a profound impact on his heart.

“Sezrian.” 

He softly called the name he and Ria had carefully chosen over the past months.

The year Sezrian was born, Cherta ascended to the throne. Although he wanted to spend more time seeing Sezrian as a newborn before taking the crown, the former emperor and empress persuaded him, suggesting that with a new imperial bloodline born, it would be a good opportunity to take the throne and bring Ria to the Empress’s Palace.

Thanks to this, Ria officially became the Empress and was called “Empress” more often than “Duchess of Astina” or “Countess of Carlisle” or “Countess Fernon.”

Naturally, as the former emperor and empress suggested, Ria’s residence was moved to the imperial palace. Since members of the imperial family are always the first targets of danger, this was a necessary measure for safety. Rune felt a bit regretful, but that was all.

After all, they were planning to move their residence along with her.

The young children would also follow their mother and live in the imperial palace, so what would be the point of the rest staying behind in the mansion?

Thus, the Empress’s Palace became as lively and warm as the Astina estate, always bustling with family. Because Cherta would frequently sneak out of the Emperor’s Palace to visit the Empress’s Palace, the two palaces ended up merging just a few months after Ria moved in, a story that remained in the empire’s history.

Four years later.

One day, as Lionel and Rizer, now seven, and Sezrian, now four, were growing up surrounded by their parents’ love, Letban, following Knox’s words that he wanted to spend the rest of his life looking after his grandchildren, Letban, who had inherited the northern lord’s seat a few years ago and became the new Marquis of Verdandy, came to the capital for the first time in a long while. Katrina was with him.

Letban, who had fallen in love with Katrina at first sight, initially couldn’t even speak properly in front of her, acting awkwardly. However, he showed surprising determination, carefully balancing his actions to ensure Katrina wouldn’t feel burdened while earnestly expressing his charm and feelings.

Although Letban was large, his actions, being younger than her, came across as endearing to Katrina. After a few meetings, she found herself drawn to him. Following his invitation to visit the North, she returned with news of their marriage.

Their son, Linok, now five, was conceived during that visit to the North.

At the time, they hadn’t realized it themselves, but after calculating the dates later, they were surprised. Letban received quite the scolding from Knox. Fortunately, it wasn’t as severe as the scolding the four men received when Ria was first pregnant, mainly because Letban had at least proposed before they realized she was expecting.

“Katrina! It’s been so long. How have you been?”

“Of course, Ria. Oh, should I say, Your Majesty the Empress?”

“Katrina, don’t start with that. Remember, we promised years ago to call each other by name when we’re together. Come in quickly.”

Ria warmly greeted Katrina, who had come to visit. Although they were scheduled to have dinner with the Marquis of Verdandi family tomorrow, Ria had invited Katrina a day early, wanting to chat with her old friend as they used to.

Just as they were about to head inside, another carriage arrived behind them. Soon, Serena stepped out with her five-year-old daughter, Selenia. Spotting them, she smiled brightly.

In the same year as Katrina, Serena held her wedding with her two lovers. Although she married earlier than Katrina, her daughter Selenia was born later, making the two children’s birthdays close.

Perhaps because of this, the two children resembled each other quite a bit. However, unlike the calmer Linok, Selenia inherited both Ennen’s artistic sensitivity and Serena’s bold personality, making her lively and straightforward about her likes and dislikes.

On a sunny and clear day, a tea party was held outdoors, with the adults and children seated separately but not far apart. Having met a few times before due to their mothers’ friendship, the children had grown comfortable enough to call each other familiarly.

“Selenia, not again with that.”

“Rizer, you’re always so grumpy.”

“Look at this little one, saying whatever she wants.”

Selenia glared at him as she spoke, and Rizer shook his head while sipping his apple juice. Though he was used to these situations by now, the sudden interruptions still caught him off guard, leading to the unfortunate waste of his precious apple juice.

“Lion, you’ll marry me, right?” 

Selenia cupped her face with her hands and gazed at Lionel. Rizer glanced at his twin, who looked entirely uninterested, and chuckled inwardly. Every time he saw her, he thought Selenia’s dreams were quite ambitious.

“Selenia, it’s not Lion, it’s Lionel.”

“Ugh, can’t I call him a nickname too?”

“No, you can’t. And you can’t marry him either.”

See? With that kind of firmness, how could she ever break through? Neither he nor his twin allowed anyone to use nicknames for them except their parents. Laughing inwardly again, Rizer drained the rest of his apple juice.

“Why not? What kind of person does he like then?”

Pouting her lips adorably, Selenia grumbled and asked. Yet, her ears perked up as if she didn’t want to miss even a single word of the answer.

“Mother.”

“Mother.”

The answer came simultaneously from both Lionel and Rizer. It was as if the question was so obvious that they didn’t even hesitate. The twins looked at each other and smiled.

“That’s why marriage is out of the question. We have to protect Mother.”

“Her Majesty the Empress already has four people protecting her. Why do you need to protect her too?”

Lionel answered the first question, and Rizer followed up in response to Selenia’s query. Lionel nodded in agreement with Rizer’s words.

The two sons adored their beautiful and kind mother more than anything in the world. Even at the age of seven, they would sometimes lie in bed with her and act like little children, just as they did when they were younger. Her soft, clear voice and warm brown eyes filled with affection were among the things they cherished most.

But their fathers constantly interfered with these moments. Claiming the boys were now grown up, they would steal their mother away. This happened especially often at night, and during those times, the boys felt as if their delicate and gentle mother was being taken away by the bad beasts from fairy tales.

On mornings after their mother was “taken” by their fathers, they wouldn’t even get to hear her sweet morning greetings filled with love. When they went to her bedroom, their fathers, wearing victorious expressions, would tell them not to wake her because she was tired, and they would carry the boys to the dining hall. Those days, they couldn’t see their mother until lunchtime.

“Anyway, that’s why it’s a no. I don’t plan to get married.”

Lionel said this firmly, then downed the orange juice in front of him in one gulp. Seeing Sezrian rub his sleepy eyes as if he was about to go to their mother to ask for a nap, Lionel decided he couldn’t disturb her when she was smiling so brightly, enjoying her time with her close friends.

Rizer noticed his twin standing up and quickly understood what he was about to do. He stood up as well and ran to Ria. The twins, being twins, often communicated without words.

Lionel watched as Rizer sought permission from their mother to take Sezrian inside. Once granted, Lionel lifted his younger brother from his chair, held his hand, and turned to Linok and Selenia.

“If you want to keep playing, get permission from Marchioness Rosevita and the Marchioness of Verdandi before coming inside. I’ll put Sezrian to sleep.”

Without hesitation, Lionel turned and walked back to the palace. Linok and Selenia, familiar with his demeanor, got up and went to their respective mothers to ask for permission.