Since Hilaria was still in the Northern region of the empire, winter came faster and lasted longer in this area. Kirsi departs at night in a horse-drawn carriage which has a heating stove in it. She wore thick, layered clothes, and drank a warm potion made by Alruna that was even more bitter than her life, and not long after they almost got stuck on the road because the carriage wheel nearly got stuck in the snow.
The palace doors guarded by a group of imperial soldiers were immediately opened when the coachman showed the Crown Prince's imperial clan family insignia. Their horse carriage entered without a hitch and stopped in a parking lot not too far from the reception building. Kirsi went down accompanied by Alruna and Laura. The tip of her frozen nose was already as red as a tomato. She didn't enter the warm, heated room in the reception hall but instead went around to get straight to the Emperor's study. The two ladies who followed her held their breath nervously as they continued to carry kerosene lamps and red umbrellas in their hands.
Upon entering the Emperor's private residence, many large lanterns were hung along the corridor that connected one building to another. Dozens of guards that were temporarily taken over by the imperial army's ranks looked back and forth in various places. Generally, not many people could enter the area of the Emperor's private residence. But Kirsi was one of the exceptions considering she was a member of the imperial family soon after she married Cedric. Because of that, no one dared to rebuke her.
This was the first time she had visited the imperial palace in person. The reason why she knew the palace plans with certainty like the palm of her hand was that she had read the novel.
Kirsi's eyes wandered between the monochrome world filled only with black and white. Not far from where she was standing, Kirsi spotted the figure she was looking for.
Amid the snow that was not heavy but quite troublesome to bear, a man prostrated himself with his head half buried in the snow. His black hair had almost turned white with a splash of snow, and on his broad back, another pile of snow had begun to build up. Kirsi took the kerosene lamp from Alruna's hand and the red umbrella in Laura's hand saying, "You guys wait here."
"Yes, Madam." They both answered at the same time.
Kirsi didn't mince words anymore and instantly headed to where her husband was being punished. The man certainly heard the sound of footsteps walking towards him, but chose not to raise his head at all. Kirsi casually knelt next to Cedric, sticking a wide umbrella into the ground to cover the two. Kirsi brushed a pile of snow on Cedric's hair and back before leaning lazily on the broad back, as if Cedric was a tabletop equipped with natural heating. After a few moments of silence, then Cedric commented.
"You are so heavy."
Kirsi bragged, "I came here to be your knight in shining Armor. Be happy."
Cedric did not respond. His face which was prostrating on the ground could not be seen at all. Kirsi could only speculate about what kind of expression he was wearing right now.
"Hey..." Kirsi called softly. Cedric still didn't answer, but his back moved slowly in search of some comfort. Kirsi continued, drawing random patterns across Cedric's broad and sturdy back. The bearskin cloak temporarily protected him from the freezing weather. "If you're still angry that I ruined your plans, I'm sorry."
Cedric neither answered nor responded. Kirsi continued to ramble, "I'm not going to say that I have no other choice, or say that I am vulnerable just to justify my actions."
Like the poor people who go steal to fill their stomachs. Even if they have to eat stone and sand, starving to death is still better than having to seize the rights of others to cover their own needs. There is no such thing as "no other choice" or "vulnerable" if the perpetrator is doing it consciously. Kirsi may occasionally forget and think that she has no other choice and is vulnerable, drifts into discontent for a while, and is a little depressed. But it won't last long. As soon as she feels wronged that she has been thrown into the body of a troubled woman and has to bear someone's fault that she never even did, Kirsi will move on and find a solution.
Even if life is painful like holding on to a rope that binds tightly until it leaves a wound, life must be lived.
Kirsi sighed loudly, feeling a little sentimental. Even though she had only known Cedric for a few days, no matter how serious Cedric was when he choked her the other day, Kirsi still had an inexplicable emotional attachment toward him. Maybe because Cedric was the first person she met in this world. Or perhaps it was because the original owner of this body had a special attachment to Cedric, that an intruder like herself couldn't just dodge it.
To be sure, Kirsi neither hate nor grudge Cedric. Just like herself, Cedric also has his own circumstance. While Kirsi wanted to understand Cedric, she also wanted this man to understand her. That way they wouldn't have any more disagreements.
"Next time you discuss your plans first, I will also be happy to discuss mine with you. I feel wronged that you are angry with me, when I have every right to be angry with you for taking my package without my permission and keeping quiet about it. You are extremely cunning. " After thinking back on her 2000 silver coin package that suddenly disappeared somewhere, Kirsi felt a pain in her heart. Not only did she feel wronged, but she also felt cheated. Now all she could do was bite her fingers wondering about Kirsi Daciana's real past which she either knew or didn't. "Hey, you hear me?" Kirsi shook Cedric's back, craving a response.
Kirsi was worried that Cedric might have overslept and caught frostbite, so she got up from on top of Cedric's back and brushed the hair on the side of his face to peek. Not only did she find Cedric still awake, but the man was also looking at her with ambiguity. Kirsi patted him on the shoulder emotionally, slightly angry, "Answer me when you awake."
Only then did Cedric finally reply, "Noisy."
He stopped looking at Kirsi and buried his face back into the snow. Kirsi also returned to the starting position. This time her hands wrapped around Cedric's broad back to share a little more warmth after seeing his face just now that looked tormented by the freezing weather.
"I can be noisier than this." Kirsi retorted. Her cheek rested lazily on his back which trembled every time the owner inhaled and exhaled.
Kirsi spoke again, this time expecting no response. "You just need to remember that I will always be by your side, okay? Even though our paths and executions are different, our goal is the same."
The reason why Cedric had to kowtow regretfully in front of the Emperor's study was to make him look guilty and avoid the Empress' unnecessary hatred. If Cedric manages to get out of the hunting grounds well and doesn't even receive a single punishment, the Empress will not stay silent and start planning even more troublesome things.
The Emperor was very grateful for the help of the Crown Prince the other day, but his fatherly love could not be clearly displayed in public. The Emperor's favouritism could harm the subject. Even more so if it is a Crown Prince who wants to be deposed. If it seemed even the slightest that the Emperor paid more attention to the Crown Prince, the more trouble his son would face. Kirsi at least understood the purpose of this punishment, and couldn't help but feel a tiny sympathy for the man under her arms.
Cedric will never be able to experience what a normal family is like, and he probably won't be able to provide his own family with the normalcy of a normal family. It can be seen from how calm he is when he finds out that Kirsi is pregnant with a child that may not be his. Kirsi was initially embarrassed and a little uncomfortable with that kind of response, but when she thinks about it, isn't it normal for a child who even grew up in an abnormal family, to start forming abnormal habits and responses as well?
The more Kirsi thought about it, the more convinced she became. If the normal approach wouldn't work for Cedric, then she would approach him in an equally eccentric way to get her husband in the same boat. It doesn't matter if Cedric can't love her and her child sincerely in the future, Kirsi just needs a little help from this man's compassion to help support her and her child's future life.
Kirsi's small hands wrapped around Cedric's overwhelming abdomen, giving more warmth to the man who had been prostrating in front of his father's study for the past 6 days.
"Oh my God, Daciana, come here!" The emperor, who had been shutting himself in for the past few days, suddenly opened the door of his study and mumbled his daughter-in-law's name affectionately. Since the last hunting event when the Grand Marshal said truthfully that his arrival and rescue of the Emperor was thanks to Kirsi's help, the Emperor had begun to forget the mischief and how troubled Kirsi had been in the past and began to accept her as his daughter-in-law from the bottom of his heart.
The door to the Emperor's study was made of fragrant agarwood, with carvings of vines and a dashing dragon on each side. When the Emperor opened the door and called for Kirsi, the young woman immediately let go of her husband and bowed to the Emperor with her head hitting the snow-covered ground. Her tiny nose started to freeze with all her fingers and her knees started to go numb. Kirsi retorted, "I would not dare, Your Majesty. I will accompany my husband here."
The Emperor looked furious but didn't truly feel irritated. It's just an expression to show in public like a scene from a cheesy soap opera, and say, "What are you doing? Leave that brat out there alone. Come on in, the cold weather will make you sick."
Kirsi remained stubbornly in her position, putting aside her discomfort to continue accompanying Cedric.
Feeling irritated and helpless, Cedric next to her finally lifted his graceful face off the ground and said to his father with a frozen face, "Your Majesty, let this little wife of mine come into your study and warm herself. It's quite embarrassing to convey it in this way, but your daughter-in-law is pregnant." His expression was sad, completely artificial and fake. An insignificant number of ice crystals seemed to be piling up and hanging from his eyelashes. It emphasizes the surreal impression on his face.
The Emperor, who was wearing an indifferent face, momentarily lost his composure. He was quite old, and of the many kids who were born and grew up in this palace, not a single one of them had given his old life happiness through the presence of a grandchild. As soon as his precious son suddenly said that he would give him a grandchild soon, the Emperor was so happy that he couldn't hide it anymore. His dim eyes shone with a gleam as warm as the sun, and his slightly wrinkled lips kept on smiling happily.
"Jeez, what have I done? Daciana, wake up and come in here. Cedric you brat, go help your wife up and escort her into my study. Eunuch Grey, bring me various snacks and hot tea."
Kirsi who heard the joy in the Emperor's commanding tone could only swallow her saliva with difficulty. If this child was suddenly born with hair anything but black and didn't resemble Cedric at all, would the Emperor behead her? Was this guy on purpose?
Kirsi looked at Cedric in disbelief, finding the man shrugging his shoulders innocently. Kirsi whispered between her teeth, "You're sneaky."
Cedric spouted, "You said you would be my knight in shining Armor. You have my gratitude."
When Kirsi rose from her kneeling position with Cedric's help, her nervousness was tightly hidden in a corner of her mind.
They entered the Emperor's study which even the Empress could not carelessly enter. The interior of the room contains furniture that is not much different from most study rooms in general, with bookshelves lined in every corner of the room. There was a long desk with its back against a large window, a lazy sofa and dining table opposite, a pile of documents on one side, a classic tall cabinet clock on the other, and several potted plants that would be changed every night. The Emperor sat in his casual robes on the lazy sofa, while Kirsi and Cedric sat side by side on the long sofa across.
The little eunuch arrived shortly after the Emperor's orders, carrying two food trolleys filled with sweet and savoury snacks along with two jugs of black and green tea which were safe enough for pregnancy. The emperor was so considerate that Kirsi felt bad for him.
"Why not tell me right away, huh? This is very pleasing news and you guys keep it to yourself." The emperor looked playfully angry. His hands were busy sorting out the best snacks to serve Kirsi, taking over the work of the little eunuch who was frozen in fear next to him.
Cedric was about to answer, but Kirsi cut him off and spoke first, "Pardon us, Your Majesty. This pregnancy was only discovered a few days ago when I was unconscious. I just told Cedric earlier, and he is still as shocked as Your Majesty. "
Kirsi's hands were casually draped over Cedric's thighs, giving a disguised code to ask him to cooperate. Cedric confirmed with a light nod.
The emperor smacked his thigh in exasperation, making no further comment. "Eat then. Eat a lot."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Kirsi took the gingerbread cookie the Emperor had served and ate it neatly. After she finished about 3 cookies, Cedric poured some extra tea for her and handed it to Kirsi.
Cedric asked the Emperor, "I have never seen this eunuch before. Your Majesty, where did you get him?"
The little eunuch Cedric was referring to was instantly frightened until a cold sweat the size of a grain of corn ran down his forehead. The Emperor waved his hand, casually replying, "The eunuchs of the Palace Servant Directorate can't be trusted anymore. I took them from the Grand Chancellor's residence."
"Oh, that's better." Cedric nodded his head.
As the two begin to get into business mode, Kirsi officially begins to dispel her presence and pretends to focus on cookie chips and other desserts. But actually, all her five senses were focused on their conversation.
Legal certainty regarding the tragedy in the last hunting event is still being investigated by 3 ministries at once, which almost dragged out a large number of names of important people in the empire. This will take a long time. Not to mention that the imperial guards who were usually tasked with roaming around and looking for evidence of crimes now had to remain silent in the training grounds when their own names entered the ranks of suspects. The people within the palace knew that the imperial guards were just pawns being scapegoated. But even the Emperor couldn't do anything about it, and could only rely entirely on the investigations carried out by the 3 ministries. Meanwhile, unnoticed by many, the Emperor locked the Empress in her own palace and did not let anyone visit under the pretext that the Empress was still traumatized by the tragedy the other day.
"Your Majesty, when will the Livia Armored Cavalry leave the capital?"
"At least later this month. The palace still needs them to alert the enemy faction that is still hiding in the pit. But we can't hold them back for too long though."
Cedric noticed his fingers entangled in Kirsi's lap as she played with it, then said, "In this situation, it doesn't seem good to return the Livia Armored Cavalry to Pordis. The new silk road can still be put aside, and even if Your Majesty still wishes to hurry, at least continue after the new year. After all, once spring comes everyone will be busy. There is a high possibility that Verdant will launch another attack once their granary is filled." his blue eyes looked calm without the slightest emotional turmoil, as if he wasn't talking about things that had recently been troubling the military faction.
Kirsi listened and concluded that Cedric intended to take a subtle approach. And if the Emperor still insisted on keeping the desert lion trapped in the middle of the tiger's forest, then Cedric had no other choice but to do it the rough way. Kirsi couldn't predict what kind of rough way Cedric would use to corner the Emperor and make him change his mind. If Cedric's method was as extreme as last time, then Kirsi couldn't just let it go.
The Emperor probably didn't know what his son was thinking as he replied giddily, "The verdict will be out after the hunting case hearing later."
Cedric smiled sweetly and praised, "You are very wise, Your Majesty."
Such heavy chatter immediately turned to lighter chatter and was easily consumed by all, including Kirsi. They didn't take Kirsi too lightly. It's just that they wouldn't have thought that a noble girl who only knew how to make things up was suddenly good at critical thinking and made unexpected plans.