I Became the Master of the Empress - Chapter 256



256 – 260

I entered the room upon hearing that the surgery was over.

Tears began to flow as I saw Davian, his eyes covered with bandages.

“What happened to him?”

Sister Senara said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

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“First of all, the surgery went well. However, we’ll have to wait and see how it progresses.”

Th… thank goodness. Davian.

I don’t know if he’ll fully regain his sight, but still, things are looking good so far.

And all of this must be thanks to that woman, Sister Senara.

I bowed my head to her and expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you… truly, thank you.”

“No, Your Majesty has no reason to thank me. Taking care of the Saint’s health is a natural duty for us nuns.”

I can’t help but doubt if that sharp-tongued woman is really a nun.

As expected… this woman hasn’t given up on Davian yet.

When I had that intuition, Senara and the doctors were gathering the surgical tools.

“Your Grace… no, please inform me when His Holiness awakens.”

With that, she left the room.

I gaze at the one who sleeps.

Though I can’t see his face clearly, he still feels serene, doesn’t he?

I caress his cheek.

Enjoying the warmth, I wait for him to awaken.

—Knock, knock.

After waiting for a while, I dozed off.

Huh? How long was I asleep? Looking at the clock, it seems about two hours have passed.

“Who is it?”

—Prime Minister Alexander and Minister Karl have arrived.

I instinctively sensed they had come for work.

Since I decided to handle the important briefing myself.

“I’ll go out.”

Saying that, I left the honeymoon suite.

Alexander, looking tired, and Karl, with a serious expression.

Their faces felt unusually grave.

“Alright, let’s go to my office and hear the report.”

The report began in my office.

“What? What are the pro-emperor nobles saying?”

“Well… When the Duke’s power waned, they conspired to weaken the anti-emperor faction.”

“Their power waned? Ah…!”

A few recent events came to mind.

The Golden Knights were summoned into Roman territory.

That means the overwhelming military force within Roman has vanished.

“And… Recently, His Grace the Duke was forcibly retired by the Golden Knights, wasn’t he? That’s why they judge his power has diminished. If they find out he underwent eye surgery, they will likely start doubting his saintliness.”

“Goodness, that’s absurd.”

I have supported the pro-emperor faction because I dislike the anti-emperor faction monopolizing power.

With their support, it becomes easier to manipulate the council.

That said, I have no intention of casting aside my beloved husband.

Compared to Debian’s abilities and fairness, they are loyal only to their own families.

“Karl, find out the details of their plans. I will use their schemes to create more influence for the pro-emperor faction.”

I’m not sure how it will turn out, but I plan to use this opportunity to bind their hands and feet.

However, I cannot be as radical as Débiant.

The biggest problem during Débiant’s reign was impatience.

He had to accomplish a lot in a short period, so he dealt with the opposing factions boldly and harshly.

But if I were to do the same, the backlash would be severe.

“Yes. First, I am recruiting one or two nobles from the Imperial faction. Once their plans are confirmed, I will report a concrete plan.”

At those words, I nodded and received several important reports.

Alexander, looking haggard.

He must be very tired since he is also handling the affairs of the Grand Duchy.

But seeing him trying not to show it, I genuinely encourage him.

I know all too well how difficult it is to stand in for him.

“Chancellor Alexander. You are truly working hard.”

“Haha… Thank you. But His Highness the Grand Duke is truly a monster… I never imagined he would gather and review so much data and give instructions like this. Honestly, it’s astonishing.”

At those words, I smile bitterly.

Débiant is meticulous in everything, making decisions after reviewing countless documents.

The concepts of GDP and economic growth rates were introduced for the first time during his rule over the Empire.

I remembered not understanding what those terms meant when I first encountered them.

“Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m doing the work of the Grand Duchy properly because of the unfamiliar terms I’ve heard for the first time in my life.”

Seeing Alexander express his frustration with a look of exasperation, I smiled.

“But you are the Chancellor appointed by him; I have no doubt you will do well.”

“Thank you for saying that… But how is His Highness’s health?”

At Alexander’s words, Débiant’s image came to mind.

“I heard the surgery was successful. But the results can only be known with time.”

I force myself to believe that he will regain his sight and calm my trembling heart.

Still… I don’t know what has happened.

I forcibly suppress the trembling of my hands.

“Anyway, thank you all.”

“Is there any doubt about that?”

“Thank you for saying that.”

After receiving the reports and giving a few instructions, I returned to the honeymoon suite.

Debian, who seems to be sleeping as if he is already dead.

Sitting next to him, I ponder what I should do when he wakes up.

He must not be able to sleep much since he has slept a lot, right?

I select a few books to read to him so he won’t be bored.

At first, a recently read… erotic novel by Joy caught my eye, but…

No… this won’t do.

The protagonist couple created using our names.

Their actions are so lewd that I can’t bring myself to read that to him, so I look for another book.

The Knight of Hope, Job?

A knight who, without losing hope, ultimately achieves his goal.

This story gives a positive lesson, so I decided to read it to him.

Hoping that even if he loses his sight… he won’t be discouraged.

“Muul…”

I was startled by the cracked voice that suddenly came through.

“Uh? You’re awake? Water? Just a moment.”

Seeing that he was thirsty, I carefully poured water into a cup and brought it to his lips.

Watching him carefully lift his hand to take the water, I gently said,

“Hold the cup carefully here. That’s right… that’s right.”

-Glug, glug.

Debian gulped down the water.

“Phew…”

He turned to me and said,

“How did the surgery go?”

“They said we have to… wait and see how it goes.”

He nodded his head.

“Theodora. Where should I put the cup?”

Noticing that he didn’t know where to place the cup, I took it from him.

“I… I’ll clean it up for you.”

Once I placed the cup on the table, I heard Debian’s voice filled with laughter.

“I’m hungry. Can I eat?”

Ah… I must have been asleep for a long time.

And then I remembered Sena’s words, asking to be woken when Deviant awoke.

“Yes, just a moment. I will prepare the food and bring Sister Sena.”

I ran to the room where Sena was staying.

– Knock, knock.

I knocked on the door and said.

“Sister Sena, he has woken up.”

– Click.

Sister Sena, dressed in her pajamas.

She looked at me with surprised eyes and said.

“I will be there right away.”

As we headed to the honeymoon suite together.

I commanded a passing maid to bring food for the Duke and arrived at the room.

“Your Grace, have you awakened?”

At Sena’s words, Deviant, with bandages wrapped around his eyes, turned his head.

“Is it Sister Sena?”

“Yes, I heard you had awakened.”

Sena approached him.

“How do you feel?”

“Other than being hungry, I don’t know much.”

“I see. Please wait just a moment.”

Sena used a metal stethoscope to examine his arm here and there and said.

“Fortunately, there are no abnormalities. I have left urgent medication with the royal physician, and I will come back in a week to check on your progress.”

Soon, the maids brought a soup that would be easy to digest and soft bread.

The maids set up a movable table by Deviant’s bed and placed the food on it before stepping back.

Seeing him gently touching the table, I felt that I should help him and said.

“I will feed you.”

I tore off a piece of soft bread, dipped the fork into it, and brought it to his mouth while continuing to speak.

“Ah, try it, ah.”

But how should I put it? Deviant’s expression turned slightly red.

“Just… if you give it to me in your hand…”

So cute… The usually sharp and capable Deviant is being shy.

Something in my emotions feels ticklish.

What should I say about the situation where he, who is so competent, needs my help because he can’t see?

Should I say I’m a little excited?

“What if you spill it? Come on, hurry up.”

As Deviant hesitated at my words, I urged him on.

“Dear, my arm hurts.”

At my words, Deviant hesitated.

“Ah…”

He opened his mouth slightly.

As I put food into his mouth, I felt his cheeks heat up.

“Is it good?”

“Um… um… yeah, it’s good.”

Why… why is this happening?

It feels strange feeding him.

Saying that, I scooped up some soup.

“Hehe… then please take a bite of the soup now.”

As the meal came to an end, I paused for a moment, looking at the soup smeared on his lips.

Seeing Deviant fidgeting and looking awkward brings a fresh wave of nostalgia.

Why does he look so adorable today?

His usual strong demeanor is replaced by a fragile and tender appearance that tickles my heart.

My face feels hot.

What if he saw this…?

He might misunderstand and think I’m a pervert.

But the good thing is… he can’t see right now.

So, I had the confidence to do something I usually wouldn’t hesitate to do.

“Ah? You have a bit of soup on your lips. Just a moment.”

– Kiss.