“!”
Lilian gasped and opened her eyes in the Grand Duchess’ bedroom.
“…wife?”
Damian called out to Lilian in a sleepy voice.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing…”
Thanks to the faint moonlight, Lilian was able to discern Damian’s silhouette to some extent.
“…I just had some nightmare.”
“Is the bed not comfortable…?”
Damian reacted sensitively to Lilian’s sigh. And far from being angry that she woke him up, he was worried about Lilian, who had a nightmare.
“I’m okay, Your Highness.”
A feeling that can’t be described. It felt like something hot was clogging her throat. Lilian first stretched out her arms and hugged Damian.
“…it must have been a terrible nightmare. For you to hug me first…”
Damian patted Lilian in a voice mixed with light laughter.
“It’ll be fine. I’ll keep an eye on you, and if I think you’re having another nightmare, I’ll wake you up.”
“…”
“Please sleep in peace, wife. I’ll protect you…”
Lilian looked at the wound on Damian’s neck and closed her eyes.
Even though he had suffered an injury that split a part of his soul, he always thought of Lilian.
She vowed to do everything she could to save this blind man.
13. Love and soul.
Ever since she hid the fact that she was terminally ill, Lilian had tried not to keep a secret from Damian. So she was also candid on her dream about Zagreb.
Damian didn’t take the damage to his soul very seriously, but when Lily said, ‘I’m worried about Your Highness’, he was easily taken over.
“But Zagreb belongs to the imperial family. Of course, if my wife permits it, I can rob the imperial palace…”
“Not possible.”
“I thought you’d say that. Hm, is there any other way?”
“Yes, I have a much milder method than raiding the imperial palace.”
“I can do it…”
“I’m not stopping you because I think Your Highness won’t be able to do well. It’s because I think you’ll do too well.”
Damian’s awe-inspiring skills are now something Lily can guess.
However, it’ll be difficult if his skills were known.
With Damian protecting Matteo, no one questioned Damian’s strength.
But what if Matteo became the emperor?
Damian would become the number one in the succession line with a history of raiding the imperial palace and subduing an emperor. Even if Matteo had a son, and that son would grow up to have grandchildren, Damian’s rank would probably be within ten fingers until his death.
Even if Matteo didn’t suspect Damian, there’s a good chance that the people around him wouldn’t let it go.
He had to be careful from now on to prepare for the time when everything went well.
Hearing Lily’s explanation, Damian sighed in a daze.
“Your Highness? Why are you looking at me like that…”
By the time she realized that those eyes were impure, it was already too late. When Lilian came to her senses, she was already in Damian’s arms.
“I think it’s so cool when my wife isn’t innocent and coolheaded…”
“What does me being coolheaded relate to Your Highness suddenly clinging to me?”
“It’s so cool that it makes my heart flutter.”
Damian fawned and kissed Lily on the cheek. Then he poured out praises in between.
“Unlike me, you’re nice, good-natured, and polite, but at the same time, you’re smart and coolheaded… I don’t know where this person came from.”
“Your Highness.”
Lilian was embarrassed, but she couldn’t help but smile. She was a human being too, so she couldn’t help but love seeing her husband, who she liked, point out her good points one by one and look at her with intoxicated eyes.
“So good. I don’t know how I ever lived without you. Please don’t leave me in the future…, alright?”
At Damian’s appeal, Lilian recalled the fragment of his soul she had seen in the mirror.
She was as honest as possible about her conversation with Zagreb, but she couldn’t say anything about seeing Damian’s past.
Unlike usual, Lilian hugged Damian tightly, containing the complexities she could not tell.
“…wife!”
Startled, she lifted her head from under Damian’s chin. Then she spoke out, enduring shame.
“…I like Your Highness as well.”
“I don’t want to leave Your Highness as much as possible. I’m serious.”
Damian couldn’t answer. He took a deep breath and hugged Lilian, preventing her from seeing his expression.
“You promised.”
“Yes.”
“You can’t break it.”
“I’ll try my best.”
These were insignificant answers compared to the size of Damian’s heart.
Like. Not leaving as long as possible. I will try.
Those insignificant words were still Lily’s sincerity.
Lilian hoped that the heartfelt answer that’s the best she could do would be in Damian’s heart.
***
The next day was the first meeting of the Electors during the Reconciliation Period.
As Damian became the Elector of Hemenlinna, the seat of the host of the electorate meeting became vacant.
It was a great honor to be the host of the meeting of the electors. Being the head of the only group capable of threatening the Emperor was a great privilege, both symbolically and practically.
“That matter will definitely come out at this meeting of the electors.”
If you go a little deeper in the superficial debate, it also becomes a matter of which faction, the emperor’s faction or the crown prince’s faction, will occupy this honorable position.
“His Majesty the Emperor may have promised to make one of the three electors the Grand Feudal Lord’s position during his usurpation of the throne.”
Damian nodded when Lilian mentioned what she knew by guessing.
“It’s not a difficult matter.”
When nobles lost heirs, the emperor will reclaim titles and lands. Such was the case with the Count of Rockwell given to Rachel.
The Emperor could also be involved in electing the host of the meeting of the electors. At the meeting, three candidates were selected, and one of them was approved by the emperor.
The elected person on his side will be duly conferred the title and be like the Great Feudal Lord.
That shallow method angered Lilian. She had no choice but to feel so.
“The former Great Feudal Lord of Hemenlinna pioneered the Alt Sea with his own hands and became the Great Feudal Lord. I’m sorry for them but I cannot allow other electors to follow in his footsteps in that way.”
“To be honest, I don’t have that much loyalty to my maternal grandfather…”
The relationship between Damian and the Great Feudal Lord was far from the typical grandson relationship formed by the cuteness of the child.
…to put it bluntly, it’s like an old man with an eccentric temper who had no choice but to hand down everything to his one and only successor?
However, unlike Damian, Lilian followed the Great Feudal Lord like a paternal grandfather.
“…but if my wife wants it, let’s do our best to defend his honor.”
“I will only trust Your Highness.”
Damian could do anything for her even if she didn’t trust him. But hearing that, he’d feel a little happier to do the dirty work.
***
The couple entered the imperial palace side by side.
While Damian attended the elector meeting, Lilian…
“I intend to visit Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Sister-in-law?”
“The last time I saw her, I helped Her Majesty Aratine in a small way, and she thanked me very much.”
“Aha…”
Damian seemed to know more about what had happened.
“My sister-in-law is a weak person. If you show her a little favor, she’ll immediately turn to others.”
Lilian only smiled vaguely. Damian licked his lips.
“I’m the only one who can bother the Duchess.”
“Your Highness.”
“But I don’t want to lose it.”
Lilian comforted her husband, who behaved like a child. She felt a little proud because she knew Damian didn’t do this to anyone.
“Once you leave this carriage, you must stop acting foolishly and act as a worthy Grand Duke and Elector of Hemenlinna. Do you understand?”
When she pretended to be strict, Damian smiled and played along.
“If the Duchess kisses me as a prize, I’ll think about it.”
There’ll be no Ivan who’ll be frightened while watching, so Lilian, a little embarrassed by the provocative request, cautiously kissed Damian on the lips.
Damian didn’t act rashly and calmly shared his breath in line with Lilian’s shyness.
The taste of the tickle of the shy lips and careful movement was also quite good. More than anything, it was terrifyingly good to feel Lily take initiative.
That Lily was in charge of this kiss.
He liked the fact that she was kissing him, all of her own will.
“…what should I do if I want to see you?”
“It’s just for three hours.”
“Aren’t you sad about being away from me for three hours?”
“I don’t think it’s that sad.”
“So cruel…”
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