A ray of sunlight streamed through the curtains.
Feeling a sense of contentment, Cledwin slowly opened his eyes. The fresh, clear air unique to early summer tickled his nose. His back, the tips of his toes, and his forehead, which had cooled slightly while he slept, were chilly, but he didn't feel the slightest bit cold.
Because he had the warmth of the person he held in his arms.
It was a scent he had longed for for a long time, a very, very long time. He had spent all his time with Neris since returning from his past memories, but the time he had to watch from afar before that was too long. So he was still afraid sometimes, afraid that his voice wouldn't reach her.
In fact, he was often afraid.
"You fool."
But he felt reassured when he held her tightly like this. In fact, he was much more stable now than he was right after he returned. As time passed, his fear would fade, eventually becoming nonexistent.
Just like how she, the one who had experienced all of this firsthand, now laughed so comfortably.
Cledwin lovingly gazed at his wife's face, breathing softly. He couldn't hide the smile that naturally arose and kissed her forehead.
"I love you today too."
Neris, who usually woke up around the time the sun shone this yellow, simply sighed, "Hmm…" today. It was understandable. She had only fallen asleep a short while ago.
But hadn't he already woken up? He was the one who had moved first, even though he had clearly watched her…
'I should build up my stamina.'
His wife was perfect, even down to a single strand of hair. But if he had to pick a flaw, there was one. She easily tired, probably because she spent a lot of time sitting at her desk—there was no one who didn't tire easily by Cledwin's standards, but he ignored that fact.
He thought it would be good to increase their daily walks, both in length and frequency. And she needed to exercise more. Until she got used to it. It would be tough at first, but stamina usually increases slowly by challenging its limits.
Actually, today was the day after their wedding, so according to custom, they should have appeared before many people, starting with the senior members of the groom's family, early in the morning, to declare the beginning of a new era. But they had already been actually married for a long time, and he had no intention of disturbing her sleep to make her follow such a pointless custom while she was so tired. She might not even be able to speak today.
Still, they couldn't avoid the various ceremonies prepared to commemorate the wedding, starting in the afternoon, such as ordering gold coins to be given to the poorest people in Penmerwick, or delivering letters with the new Emperor's official seal to all the nobles of the Empire. In the evening, they had to hold a banquet for all the nobles deemed important. He decided that she would be fine if she woke up around noon.
So Cledwin enjoyed the moment peacefully. Then, taking great care not to wake his wife, he slipped his arm out from under her.
"Mmm…"
Neris frowned slightly, muttering in her sleep as the warmth of his embrace disappeared. Cledwin smiled and tucked the blanket back around her shoulders.
He got out of bed as quietly as possible, avoiding any vibrations, picked up his clothes that had fallen to the floor, and went to the next room. The valet, quietly tidying the room, stared at him with wide eyes. Cledwin closed the door behind him and commanded,
"Bring me breakfast. And bring my daughter. She'll be looking for me in the morning."
There were no clueless "senior members" in Meindlandt waiting for the Emperor and Empress's greetings, but there was a princess who was too young to understand the customs of adults about weddings and such.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The valet bowed respectfully and left the room. Cledwin had just finished using the tools and water in his bedroom to make himself presentable when…
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
Duchess Trude, holding Arbyone, and Ellen, carrying a tray, entered. Cledwin couldn't hide the bright smile that lit up his face when he saw the baby, but he politely asked his mother-in-law,
"Please, Mother. 'Son'."
That was a radical statement, even considering the simple culture of Meindlandt. Duchess Trude hesitated for a moment, but knowing her son-in-law's personality, he wouldn't take back what he had said, so she nodded. A happy smile appeared on her lips.
"Alright, my precious son. After your husband passed away, Liz was my only family for a long time, but now I have a son and such a cute granddaughter, it seems God has given me a blessing I can't handle. Here, this is your daughter who wants to see you. She was so insistent on bringing her mom and dad as soon as she woke up."
"She's pretty calm for someone who was so insistent."
"She's calmed down since entering the main palace. Maybe she knows her father is waiting for her. She's so smart."
It was unclear how much a baby who could barely roll over could understand, but everyone in the room already believed without a doubt that Arbyone was a genius. As everyone solemnly nodded, the baby was passed into her father's arms.
"I love you today too."
Cledwin chuckled, feeling the baby's tiny hand touch his cheek. It felt like his day had finally begun.
"I'll leave the meal here, Your Majesty."
Ellen placed the tray on a table next to Cledwin's bed, which hadn't been used in a while. Cledwin, too engrossed in watching the baby, nodded absentmindedly.
What was called a "meal" wasn't actually food to fill their stomachs. It was an important ritualistic tool, according to tradition, gathering symbols to wish for the couple's prosperous future. Especially colorful and abundant flower buds, a pair of white wooden doves with gemstones embedded in their eyes, a golden sculpture of a wolf couple with several young pups…
Among the carefully selected beautiful objects, food that could be eaten even when cold was neatly arranged. Small sandwiches cut to make it easy to eat in bed, cool vegetable soup, and glossy boiled duck eggs, all exuded a delicious aroma.
The meal was prepared for the couple to eat together, so Cledwin had no intention of eating it now. He had the tray prepared now because he wanted no one to enter Neris's bedroom yet. He wanted to completely monopolize their space for now.
Baby Arbyone touched her father's cheek, eyelashes, and hair, grabbing at them as she pleased. Then, she giggled with delight. Her clear eyes and small mouth were as dazzling as the sun to Cledwin.
After a while, Arbyone was carried by her grandmother to meet the nursemaid. Ellen followed behind, her face beaming with excitement. Cledwin picked up the tray and returned to his wife's bedroom.
Neris stirred once, sensing the presence in the quiet room. Cledwin placed the tray on the table next to his wife's bed and drew the curtains.
He returned to the bed in the same state as before, and Neris, as if she had regained her senses for a moment, slowly opened her eyes. Cledwin hugged her and kissed her forehead several times.
"Time to wake up…?"
"It's dark. It's still a while before you have to wake up. Sleep more."
Neris, who would have questioned that statement if she had been in her right mind, quickly fell back asleep. Cledwin, pondering how he would feed her when she woke up, soon followed her into dreamland.
***
"I was a fool to believe you."
Neris, finally waking up around noon, with a sense of "Why do I feel so refreshed?", was slightly annoyed to realize that her husband had lied to her earlier.
Still, they ate breakfast together in bed. She didn't fall for the lie that "this is the Meindlandt tradition," but she obediently ate what he fed her. Thanks to that, Cledwin was able to enjoy his leisurely time with his wife until it was time to officially wake up the new Emperor and Empress, when he could no longer delay it.
As the couple officially woke up, bathwater, clothes, jewels, and the like were brought into the Emperor and Empress's bedrooms. Arbyone, who had been playing with the nursemaid or sleeping all morning, wanted to see her mother, so she and the nursemaid came in together. Neris was completely preoccupied with talking to the baby or holding her while she got ready for her afternoon schedule.
Cledwin, who had already finished getting ready, took the baby away so that he could give his wife a good massage before she put on her Empress's robes. As he left the office with the baby in his arms, the officials waiting at the door had bright faces.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty."
"The Princess is an angel today as well."
Cledwin only nodded at the congratulations directed at him, but he was clearly pleased when Arbyone was praised. People quickly picked up on that and showered the baby with a hundred or so compliments.
Rex Bronson, a chancellor who, despite his high rank, was personally holding documents and waiting at the very front of his office, opened the door with an expression of awe. Cledwin entered and sat down at his desk. It was the new Emperor's first official duty.
The nursemaid, who had naturally followed, was about to gently take Arbyone in her arms. It wouldn't do for the baby to be held in the Emperor's arms while he was working. But Cledwin stopped her with a nod and gestured to Rex to begin his report.
For a brief moment, a web of sharp gazes intertwined within the office. But the conclusion was already decided. Who could refuse an order from Cledwin Meindlandt?
In the end, Rex, with his arms occupied by holding the baby, flipped through the documents he had brought one by one, explaining them personally for the Emperor.
"I've reconfirmed the list of those in need of relief, and there are no issues. This afternoon, you two will go out to the balcony together to show yourselves to the people, and at the same time, lower-ranking officials will depart to deliver gold coins. The preparations for the banquet are also going smoothly. All the nobles who received invitations are expected to attend, and there are no issues as far as we can tell."
"Alright. You've also checked the wording of the letters to be sent out today, right?"
"Yes. We've correctly written the new national name that will be applied from today."
The name of a country and the family name of the group that rules it often coincide, but not always. For example, Bisto's descendants used the surname Bisto, but the name of the Empire was Vista. It meant "of Bisto," and they chose a slightly more grand national name than the family name, which would inevitably lose its mystique the more it was used. It also meant to boast that the Empire would forever be in the hands of their bloodline.
The names became more diverse as you went to the smaller countries around the Empire. Some countries that had changed dynasties in the middle kept the name of the family that ruled when the country was first formed, and some republics used the values that the people considered important as their national name.
Since the national name Vista could not be used, several meetings were held to discuss a new national name. Most people thought that Meindlandt would become the national name, but that was rejected. The reason was that the name Meindlandt had a clear origin, so it was more appropriate to leave it as the name of this area, the northern part of the Illium Mountains.
After many people searched through all kinds of dictionaries, pulled their hair out, and argued loudly, the result was the new national name that would be used from today.
"Ameteria." This name, created by combining the sacred word for friendship and the sacred word for land, signified the friendship between the two unjustly slain heroes and the dragon. It also signified the friendship between the newly established royal family and the people.
Neris was the first to come up with the idea of including the word friendship in the new national name. It was a typical Neris idea. Friendship is affection shared regardless of bloodline, and it is recognition that can be given even to those who stand on the edge of a cliff with nothing.
Cledwin nodded in satisfaction.
"The wording is good, so we just need to stamp the seal and send it out. All the nobles of the Empire are recipients, so there will be many difficulties, especially when delivering to the lower nobles. I trust you will handle it meticulously."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Ah, this page here is about the special surveillance targets you designated."
The "special surveillance targets" Rex mentioned were broad. Those who survived from the Bisto royal family branch, those who were ambiguous in their attitude during this war, and… those related to Neris's previous life.
Cledwin casually scanned the items listed in the report. Most were unremarkable, trivial changes. But there was one item that caught his eye.
"Eustace Gruenhals is dead."