Side Story 3.2

The Emperor’s sudden announcement of regency caused an uproar throughout the nation.  

In social gatherings, nobles clustered in groups, each exaggerating what they had heard.  

“He seemed perfectly fine during the royal wedding… Isn’t this strange?”  

“Well, given his age, perhaps it’s just old age catching up with him?”  

“Even so, it’s all so sudden…”  

“The most surprising part must be about Consort Ailette, don’t you think? They say it’s for her recovery, but who believes that?”  

“On top of that, it seems her son was expelled with her… What on earth did she do wrong?”  

“I knew this would happen to her. She’s been so arrogant, relying solely on the Emperor’s favor. I heard that ever since giving birth to her son, she’s been constantly badmouthing the Crown Prince to His Majesty.”  

“My goodness, could that be why His Majesty was enraged?”  

Speculative rumors spread like wildfire, and amidst the chaos, the Crown Prince and Princess returned to the palace under the Emperor’s decree.  

As always, Servante handled state affairs with reliability, while Carnier began fulfilling her duties as the Crown Princess.  

“At least the Crown Prince is wise.”  

“Indeed. And the Crown Princess is impeccable as well.”  

The noble circles were generous in their praise for the couple.  

Even among the common people, who remembered the grandeur of their royal wedding, the Crown Prince and Princess were immensely popular.  

Despite the abrupt start of the regency, the calm and composed demeanor of the Crown Prince and Princess quickly quelled any unrest.  

And Carnier…  

“Does anyone else know?”  

At the first imperial banquet hosted by the Crown Princess, Carnier, who had stepped back from the festivities to observe, asked her brother in a low voice.  

Though her question lacked context, Tristan understood and briefly glanced around.  

After confirming there were no eavesdroppers nearby, he replied, 

“Only those who need to know.”  

“And those who shouldn’t know have already been dealt with?”  

“Carnier.”  

“I’m not trying to sound righteous.”  

Carnier now understood that what Servante and Tristan had built was not merely friendship and trust.  

The day she learned the truth about their parents’ deaths—that it wasn’t an accident—she was both furious and resigned.  

She hadn’t been the first to learn the truth, and thus, she felt she had no right to vow revenge.  

“Just one question. Am I someone who needs to know, or someone who doesn’t?”  

“…Someone who will know.” 

Tristan replied slowly.  

It was the same answer he had given when she had previously asked about their parents’ deaths.  

“His Highness wanted you to enjoy this journey with peace of mind. …So did I.”  

“…”  

One day, when Servante ascends the throne as Emperor, Carnier will become his Empress.  

And as Empress…  

‘I won’t be able to leave the palace easily anymore.’  

Carnier gazed at Servante, who was speaking with the High Priest across the hall.  

She recalled his earlier suggestion to visit the Raymore Duchy first during their journey.  

• I was wondering if we could visit your late parent’s grave during our honeymoon.  

• I appreciate the thought, but I’m not sure if we’ll have time to visit the Raymore Duchy…  

• We’ll adjust the schedule.  

• Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness.  

• …It’s only natural.  

Unspoken but implied in his words was, ‘It will be difficult for you to leave the palace, let alone travel to the distant duchy, in the future.’  

Swallowing a sigh, Carnier maintained a composed expression and asked, 

“What about Aisha?”  

“The fewer who know, the better.”  

“…You’re too protective. Of her, and of me.”  

It wasn’t as though she didn’t understand his desire to keep them safe.  

But because she understood, Carnier narrowed her eyes and added, 

“But don’t underestimate us. Not me, and not Aisha.”  

“That’s not what I—”  

“You’ll see soon enough.”  

With a dismissive wave, Carnier signaled him to leave.  

Tristan hesitated briefly but eventually obeyed her gesture.  

As he walked away, the Duchess, Aisha, approached him.  

“How is Carnier? She must have been surprised to return to the palace so suddenly during the trip.”  

“She seemed fine. Composed.”  

“And you?”  

“…Me? I’m fine as well. I was more worried about you, Aisha.”  

“Were you?”  

Aisha firmly grasped her husband’s hand and smiled gently beneath her veil.  

“Then I think it’s time to tell you.”  

“…What?”  

She guided his hand to her lower abdomen.  

It took Tristan a moment to understand, but when he felt the slight swell beneath her voluminous skirt, his eyes widened.  

Still looking straight ahead, Aisha spoke calmly.  

“It’s been a while now.”  

“Aisha, you don’t mean…”  

“I didn’t want to interfere with your work, so I kept quiet until now.”  

“…!”  

A surge of emotion swept over him, leaving him momentarily speechless.  

He stared at his wife, whose green eyes, once always bright, now held a somber depth.  

“The library is my workplace. Just as there isn’t a single book here that hasn’t passed through my hands, there isn’t a single name of a visitor I don’t know.”  

“Aisha…”  

“I’ve done what you needed.”  

Turning her head away as if to say there was no need for further discussion, Aisha’s gaze was as resolute as Carnier’s had been earlier.  

It was then that Tristan realized his wife had known everything all along.  

And Carnier’s warning not to underestimate them had been about this very moment.  

They—his wife and sister—were precious to him, but they were not weak.  

They, too, had resolved to stand by their loved ones for life.  

“All that’s left now is to decide on a name for our child.”  

“…I see.”  

Tristan struggled to suppress the overwhelming emotions rising within him.  

“I’ll think of a good name.”  

It felt as though one chapter had ended, and a new one had begun.  

***

It wasn’t her brother who told Carnier the truth about their parents’ deaths.  

• …This is the weight of the crown you must bear.  

It was a woman on the brink of death.  

• I had to live my entire life with the man who killed my parents, my sibling, and my family. Because there was still something left for me to protect. 

• …

• Child, Carnier.

The person who had secretly summoned Carnier was the Emperor’s wife, a woman who loathed her husband to the core, a mother who dearly loved her only son, and the Empress who ruled the Empire.  

But on her deathbed, she was merely a powerless woman shedding tears of anguish.  

• It is true that I intentionally revealed this truth to my son and your brother. To take revenge on that man.  

• …  

• It is also true that I am now revealing this truth to you. Even so, I ask you to protect my son.  

Her frail, branch-like fingers intertwined with Carnier’s hand.  

• It was I who asked your mother to give you to me in the first place. All of this is my sin. So please, do not resent my son.  

• …Your Majesty, Empress. 

• On the day I pass this heavy, sinful crown to you… do not forgive me…  

From the moment she received it until now, whether she wore it on her head or not, the Empress’s crown had always been unbearably heavy.  

It will be difficult… but even so… please…  

Carnier closed her eyes and then opened them.  

In place of the feeble voice of the dying woman, a loud roar filled her surroundings.  

After what felt both like a short and a long time, the day had finally come.  

The day of the coronation when the promised crown would be placed upon her head.  

“…May the blessings of the gods be upon His Majesty, Servante Lupen Asherit.”  

The man who had just received the crown from the High Priest rose beside her.  

He ascended the steps to the throne, turned around, and faced the crowd.  

The crimson cape that billowed behind him suited him perfectly as he stood tall before Carnier.  

‘Ah…’  

The tender gaze and warm voice that had once looked upon her so fondly were nowhere to be found.  

“…The Empress’s crown.”  

The Emperor, as imposing as a mountain, looked down at her.  

The High Priest handed over the Empress’s crown, passed down through generations, and the Emperor took it in his hands.  

Carnier gracefully knelt before him.  

The crown, so heavy that even the former Empress had struggled with it, was placed directly upon her head…  

‘…?’  

The crown, undeniably weighty, was placed on her head, yet she felt no burden.  

Carnier slightly opened her previously lowered eyes.  

She subtly tilted her head just enough to glance upward.  

His hands, holding the crown, were slowly, almost imperceptibly, lowering it onto her head.  

‘…Pfft.’  

Carnier barely managed to stifle a laugh.  

The way his hands moved revealed his concern that the crown’s weight might overwhelm her.  

Yet his expression remained stern and resolute, leaving no one aware of the Emperor’s small act of consideration for his Empress.  

Thus, the crown, which seemed heavy to all others, was placed upon her head so gently that it didn’t feel burdensome at all.  

Rising gracefully from her kneeling position was no challenge at all.  

“With this, Carnier Ruble Asherit is proclaimed Empress.”  

The Emperor’s solemn proclamation was delivered as if nothing had happened.  

Only she knew how tender and warm his fingertips had been.  

‘There’s no need for apologies or requests.’  

Amidst the warm sunlight, cheers erupted, and blessings for the new Emperor and Empress filled the air.  

The Emperor and Empress waved with dignified expressions.  

‘We will continue to bear this together.’  

The fact that their unshaken hands were tightly clasped beneath their flowing garments…  

That was a secret only the Emperor and Empress knew.  

<The Secret Romance of the Engaged Couple> Side Story End