I Became the Master of the Empress

59 – Episode 59

The Grand Duchy failed to capture Fort Huntington, and the opposing duchy’s troops advanced and occupied three of the Grand Duchy’s forts.

“What is it?”

After a fierce battle, the fortress was not taken but surrounded. Fortresses easily obtained after their commander surrendered.

Looking around the surrendered fortress, I think it would have been impossible to defend this fortress for long with only a small number of troops and materials.

Stopping our military with less than 500 troops is tantamount to suicide.

How can you protect your fortress when you don’t even have a wizard to block magical attacks?

In the Battle of Huntington, the enemy had quite good commanders, troops, and wizards.

It was probably an army created by squeezing as much as possible from the frontline area.

And the moment the army was defeated.

It is natural for a large hole to form around you.

Since we attacked by removing the troops and wizards deployed from the fortress, it is natural that they could not properly block our attack.

I didn’t know that I would find my way to Win in such a bland way.

“Adjutant, what did you say is going on in the Grand Duchy?”

The adjutant responds to the general.

“They say they are currently gathering troops from cities like Pomerania and Cherburg and sending them to Wynn.”

The general speaks thoughtfully at those words.

“Pomernia and Cherburg are close to us, right?”

The adjutant nods his head at those words.

“That’s right.”

“Then send the cavalry to prevent them from joining Win. “We will stop them from joining and defeat them individually.”

We must inflict as much damage as possible before the Grand Duchy’s forces gather.

The general thinks that if that happens, the battle at Win will be resolved to his advantage.

Although the victory was won, the daughter of that monster still exists in the Grand Duchy.

From what I heard, Princess Mary is incredibly strong for her age.

Before she goes to war, she must inflict as much damage as possible.

That will make it easier to win.

***

So, he and Theodora wait in front of the food warehouse wearing ordinary clothes rather than the fancy clothes they would wear in the imperial palace.

“Who are you waiting for here?”

Theodora says, sitting on the railing of the warehouse stairs with a bored expression, resting her chin on her hand.

“We are waiting for someone to take us out of the palace.”

It is not easy to sneak out of the heavily guarded imperial palace.

Of course, if you mention my name, it will be easy to get out. They even left guards to carry out the secret mission. It becomes dangerous if rumors spread that we are going on secret missions.

That said, I thought about deliberately weakening the imperial palace perimeter and going through the gap, but I decided not to because I was afraid that assassins might come in through that gap.

Instead…

Me and Theodora look at the carriage approaching from afar.

“That is the carriage that will quietly take us out of the imperial palace.”

The carriage has already arrived at the warehouse.

The old-looking coachman who was driving the horse smiled at me and said as he got off the carriage.

“Are you already here?”

I bow my head as politely as possible and say hello.

“Huh?!”

Ignoring the startled Theodora next to me, I smile brightly and say hello.

“How have you been? Uncle Smith?”

When I greeted him warmly, Smith nodded and said.

“hahahaha, it’s always the same for me. But what about the woman in the back?”

When Smith looked at the black-haired Theodora, whom he was seeing for the first time, he asked, and I extended my hand and introduced Theodora.

“This is my wife, Theodora.”

Mr. Smith laughs loudly at my words.

“Wow, I’m jealous that you have such a beautiful woman as your wife.”

When she said that and saw Theodora, she looked at her in surprise as if wondering what on earth she was doing.

“hahahaha… I was lucky. We were childhood friends when we were young. Theodora? This person is a horseman who transports food ingredients to the imperial palace. Did I say this earlier? If I help out a little, there is someone who will take me to Roman City. “This person’s name is Smith.”

Nodding her head slightly, Theodora grabbed the hem of her skirt and bowed like a noblewoman.

“Hello, my name is Theodora.”

Smith responds to her words with a wide smile.

“hehehe, my youngest daughter’s name is also Theodora. “This is meant to be.”

She says that as if Theodora is amused.

“Are you sure?”

The name Theodora is more common here than you might think.

Perhaps… If that’s the reason…

“I thought His Majesty the Emperor was so cute when he was young, so I wanted my daughter to be just as cute and beautiful.”

I continued as I saw Theodora smile as if she was having fun hearing those words.

“Let’s start with today’s work first.”

Smith nods her head at my words and gets off her carriage.

I can feel Theodora’s eyes wondering what Smith and I are doing, but she doesn’t show it as much as possible and takes out the luggage in her carriage.

“There are expensive raw oysters today, so be careful. “If the box breaks and spills, she won’t be able to buy you even if she sells you.”

From Noble mtl dot com

I carefully nod my head at Smith’s words.

As we put all the high-quality food ingredients loaded on the wagon into the warehouse, Smith straightened her back and spoke.

“Oh my… It’s Saksin. Now get in the carriage.”

With those words, I extend my hand to Theodora and say,

“Okay, shall we go now?”

Theodora responds softly to what I say.

“Is this what you do every time you go outside the imperial palace?”

Let’s answer by nodding slightly in case Smith hears that.

“Oh my… I can’t believe the person who is the Grand Duke of this country and the Minister of State does something that only a servant would do.”

I smile at Theodora, who shakes her head and sighs, as if she doesn’t like something.

I get on the carriage first and gently extend my hand to Theodora.

“Now, hand”

And then she holds out her hand.

I hold her hand, and she carefully climbs onto her carriage.

***

After leaving the imperial palace, Smith drops us off at Roman Square and leaves.

“Are you… Really thinking? “You don’t have any?”

And then I listen to the nagging of Theodora, who is next to me in a low voice giving a long speech about dignity as a member of the royal family.

“But if we do this, no one will know that we are doing it in secret, right? “There is no security, so if rumors spread among the guards, we could be in danger.”

In fact, Theodora and I are listed in her entry list as servants and maids who entered the imperial palace in the morning.

Considering the stricter-than-expected palace entrance and exit procedures, the servant couple who comes out on a carriage supplying food ingredients is the most acceptable.

Theodora clutches her forehead as if dizzy from my words.

“You… You normally live like a sword, but at times like this you really… hahahaha…”

I burst out laughing because it seems like Agrippa used to do the same thing as Theodora does now.

“Push…”

Did my laughter hurt her feelings?

Staring at me with sharp eyes.

“Why? Why are you laughing?”

“No, I just look like someone.”

When I said that, he frowned as if he knew it.

“I know who you are talking about. Agrippa once said that you sometimes act like a child. “I think she knows why she said that.”

I chuckle at those words.

“It seems like you two have become quite close.”

Theodora nodded her head at my words.

“We saw each other often before leaving for the Grand Duchy, right?”

I walk around her street, having conversations with her.

“But where are we going?”

Because it’s her first secret trip with her.

“Let’s eat dinner first.”

With that said, I head to the restaurant I wanted to go to today.

Perhaps because it was early evening, there were quite a few people in the restaurant.

“Wow… I guess they eat outdoors here?”

A table that is not neat and rough and rough.

I nod my head as I look at the drunk people around me, eating beer and bread and talking noisily.

“They said so?”

I sat down at the table and ordered the famous sausage, ham, pork, and beer.

Theodora asks with a puzzled expression at my skillful spell.

“Have you come here often?”

“No, this is your first time?”

When I responded like that, beer came out.

An employee leaves a beer in front of Theodora and disappears.

I speak while gently raising my glass of beer.

“Ta-da?”

He looks at the beer and my cup at my action and reluctantly clinks the glasses together.

-Tak!

As the sound of clinking wooden glasses resonates, I take a sip of beer.

Hmm… It smells pretty good, doesn’t it?

But she hesitates and does not drink beer.

“Aren’t you drinking?”

She hesitates and speaks at my words.

“Isn’t this… Uh… Um… A bit of a dirty drink?”

Looking at the foam in the beer, it seems uncomfortable to drink.

Well, wine and spirits are mostly consumed in the imperial palace, so it may be unfamiliar to her.

“No, you can’t say that. Are you going to tell the people you rule that they eat dirty food?”

I speak quietly to her as she frowns at my words.

“If you feel uncomfortable drinking it, try drinking it slowly, starting with foam.”

At my suggestion, Theodora carefully lifted a cup and brought it to her lips.

-Gulp…Gulp.

I ask her as I watch her take another sip.

“How do you feel?”

“Hmm… Not bad.”

-Pisik.

“Is this your first time drinking beer?”

She nodded her head slightly at my words.

Soon, the food slowly starts to come out.

Let’s pick up the pork with the whole bone and take a bite…

“Uh…Don’t you have a fork and a knife?”

-Mumbling…

“This is how we usually eat here.”

I say that and hold her by her bones.

“Take a bite.”

At her words, she grabbed the bone with the tip of her index finger and took a bite.

And then her eyes widen.

“Wow… It’s delicious.”

That’s how my meal with her began.

***

The meal ended like that.

In the restaurant, you can see a minstrel playing a stringed instrument that is similar to but different from the guitar.

“Why~ You♪”

When a song I know comes on, I want to cover my face.

Why is that song coming out now, at this timing?

As the song between me and Theodora plays, shame fills my head.

“I will protect you~♬ forever~!”

I feel like my face is about to explode with shame.

Why did I spread that song so much?

I feel very embarrassed hearing this in front of another party, Theodora.

But, whether she knows my heart or not, Theodora appreciates the song with her red eyes shining.

“By your side~ forever♪.”

When the song ended, he looked at me with a very moved face and asked.

“Do you really… Love me as much as I do?”

“Huh…? Hmm?”

But her eyes sparkle as if she wants to hear the answer.

“Do you really love me that much?”

Is that possible?

This song was originally spread to tell the people of the empire that we got married out of love, not coercion.

But I like Theodora with her eyes shining like that.

Would you be disappointed if I told you the truth?

So I decided to tell a white lie.

“Ugh…”

Theodora says, smiling brightly with a slightly red face at my words.

“Thank you. “For loving me so much.”

Now… Wait a minute? Is something strange?

Why do you like it?

If it were the Theodora I knew, she would rather show rejection or disgust, but…

Why do you have such a beautiful smile?

“Dessert is here.”

At that moment, the employee places a small piece of chocolate ice cream between us, but neither of us says anything.

We just look into each other’s eyes with reddened faces.