I Became the Master of the Empress - Chapter 261



261-265

After a wild night.

“Did you say you’re bleeding?”

Sena rushed to the palace from lunch.

“Yes. I bled in the early hours of the morning.”

Sena’s voice is filled with concern.

“Did you suddenly start bleeding?”

I feel a sense of guilt hearing her voice.

Theodora couldn’t contain her excitement, and I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

As a busy nun at the Vatican, Sena.

If I say I had a rough night and suddenly started bleeding, wouldn’t it be too embarrassing?

But it seems she misinterpreted my feelings, speaking in a gentle voice.

“If you explain the reason, it might help with the diagnosis. Please feel free to speak.”

Note: I’ve preserved the line breaks as requested, and tried to maintain the original atmosphere and tone of the excerpt.

“That’s…”

“If it’s for political reasons, we support you, Your Holiness. So please, feel free to speak…”

After saying this much… you should say something…

I cursed Theodora, who I presumed was quietly behind me, in my mind.

“Ahem… Last night, she insisted on… intimate relations quite fervently…”

“Excuse me?”

A moment of silence passed between us.

And then…

“I troubled him too much yesterday, so… I ended up bothering Sister Sena.”

Theodora seemed to realize her fault, and a hint of remorse seeped into her voice.

And then…

“Intimacy until the patient has a nosebleed! Does that even make sense?!”

I let out a sound close to a scream.

“From now on, intimacy is prohibited until your eyesight recovers! How could you even think of fulfilling desires with a patient! It’s unclean!”

The secret preference of the saintess, who spoke like that in front of me, was to be disregarded and subjected to NTL.

Hearing Sena say that made me a bit dizzy.

“Ahem… First, Your Grace. Please excuse me for a moment.”

Thus, Sena began to examine my body.

After about ten minutes, she cautiously spoke.

“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly wrong. However, if you’re having nosebleeds, it means your body is accumulating fatigue, which could be detrimental to your recovery. You must refrain from it until you’re fully healed.”

With that, Sena left.

*

Mary has been having happy days lately.

Mary and Agrippa’s son, Ludwig.

He’s still just a newborn, but…

“Mom! Mom!”

“Oh my baby! Who do you take after to be this cute?!”

– Smooch.

“Hehe.”

“Giggling!”

Mary is happy at this moment because she likes her mother so much.

Of course, it can be tiring when Ludwig cries at night, but sometimes when Mary sees him smiling like this, she feels as if her fatigue is lifted away.

“Princess Mary. Um… a diplomat from the Kingdom of Bohemia has arrived.”

“Ah? Really?”

Not long ago, there was a message suggesting a light tea time with Agrippa and his wife from the Kingdom of Bohemia.

The diplomats dispatched here periodically meet with Agrippa and Mary.

The reason is that the real power within the Grand Duchy is Princess Mary, and her uncle is also the king of the United Kingdom.

There are many cases where trade is conducted with the United Kingdom through her.

“Ludwig, Mom will be back shortly, okay? Be good and wait? Rachel?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Make sure to play nicely with Ludwig.”

Rachel, one of Mary’s esteemed maids, has now transitioned to being a nurse and is also taking care of Ludwig.

Rachel smiles brightly.

“Don’t worry. I will take good care of the young lord.”

Thinking of him as the son of her respected lord makes him seem even cuter, and she takes care of him with all her heart.

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

As she headed towards the reception room of the Grand Duchy’s palace, she found the diplomat from Bohemia and Agrippa chatting amicably.

“Haha, isn’t it peaceful these days? I only hope this era lasts long.”

“Indeed.”

When they saw Mary…

“Princess Mary, it’s been a while. I hope you have been well?”

As the diplomat greeted Mary, she responded with a gentle smile.

“Yes. I have been happy watching my son grow day by day.”

Saying this, she sat down next to Agrippa.

After that, the three exchanged stories about how they had been…

“Princess Mary, Commander Agrippa. The reason I have come here is, as you know, because the Grand Duke’s condition is not good.”

At the diplomat’s words, Agrippa and Mary’s faces were filled with surprise.

For them, the relationship between the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Grand Duchy is not bad. In fact, it could be seen as good.

Currently, the Kingdom of Bohemia is purchasing a vast amount of goods from the United Kingdom, and the Grand Duchy is situated between the United Kingdom and Bohemia, appropriately reaping the benefits…

I clearly thought they had come to discuss this matter.

However, it would be strange if they didn’t feel puzzled by the sudden mention of Déviant.

“What do you mean by saying my brother’s condition is not good?”

As the two knew that he had undergone eye surgery, the diplomat’s words were unexpected.

‘Could it be that the results of the surgery have come in? Then why hasn’t my sister-in-law told me?’

Mary and Agrippa’s faces were filled with confusion.

For them, the worst-case scenario would be if Déviant’s surgery had failed and he became blind.

“Judging by your reaction, it seems you two are unaware as well.”

“Is it possible… that His Grace the Duke has lost his sight?”

At Agrippa’s words, the diplomat shook his head.

“Not yet, but there is a significant possibility. Therefore, I ask to prevent future chaos. If His Grace the Duke were to lose his sight, who would become the leader of the anti-imperial faction?”

Mary clenched her teeth.

“Even if my brother were to lose his sight, he is the master of the duchy. And the master of the duchy is the leader of the anti-imperial faction.”

Only now did Mary and Agrippa understand the situation.

What they were inquiring about was whether the leader of the anti-imperial faction would change if Déviant lost his sight…

“That would be problematic… I believe many issues would arise if he were to lose his sight.”

The diplomat continued, looking troubled.

“As you know, His Grace the Duke is recognized as a saint and is a sacred, inviolable being. However, if he were to lose his sight, he would likely come under attack from the aristocrats.”

The implication that he was not a complete being would equate to being cursed by the gods.

“Anyone who attacks my brother is an enemy of me and the duchy.”

Mary warned, her eyes sharp.

“Ah, Your Highness, I am merely conveying what I have been instructed to say. Do you not understand? Diplomats like us…”

Knowing well what kind of person the diplomat was who had been negotiating with her for a long time, Mary clicked her tongue.

“You must be in trouble as well.”

At Mary’s words, the diplomat wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

“There’s no helping it. Regardless, the aristocrats are quite eager this time. They all desperately wish for the Duke to lose his sight.”

The great powers of the empire can be seen as the imperial faction, anti-imperial faction, and neutral faction.

Among them, the aristocrats belonging to the imperial and neutral factions… all despise Déviant.

They all want to gather and oust Déviant, but they are merely holding back under the authority of the Pope and the Emperor.

The aristocrats who have swallowed their tears over the appeasement policies that Déviant has implemented until now have, in fact, believed in the Emperor.

Debian, who persecutes Emperor Theodora, thus the aristocrats attempted to join forces with Theodora to oust Debian…

In the end, having allied with the emperor, they now find that no other breakthrough exists for them, yet they endure, fearing the authority of the pope.

However, the declaration that the saint has lost his sight…

It would lead one to think that he may not be a saint after all.

No, they must assert that.

If they remain as they are, they will wither away. Thus, the aristocrats are plotting to ensure that Debian’s surgery fails.

To attack when Debian is a saint would mean inviting the wrath of everyone on the continent for the aristocrats.

But what if doubts arise about his sainthood due to his blindness?

At that point, perhaps there might be a chance to negotiate.

“First… I will convey this to my brother.”

At those words, the diplomat nodded.

“Princess Mary, in fact, the important mission that has been entrusted to me is… to persuade you to claim the title and seize control of the Grand Duchy.”

Princess Mary shook her head at the diplomat’s words, but when Agrippa firmly grasped her hand… Mary looked at Agrippa with a puzzled expression.

“If Mary ascends above the Grand Duke… does that mean the worst-case scenario won’t happen?”

Mary looked at Agrippa as if to say what nonsense he was talking.

The diplomat nodded.

“There’s a high possibility of that.”

At the diplomat’s response, Mary frowned and looked at Agrippa.

“Agrippa, surely not?”

But Agrippa smiled gently and caressed Mary’s hand.

“We need to think about this a little more.”

“Understood. I will visit again in a few days. I hope for a more positive response then.”

As the diplomat left, Mary frowned at Agrippa with her red eyebrows.

“Why did you say it so ambiguously? I have no intention of becoming the Grand Duchess.”

“I know, but it’s better to discuss it with Debian than to refuse outright right now.”

At Agrippa’s words, Mary seemed displeased.

“Hmmm… are you suggesting we pull some strange tricks again?”

“That’s true. We must prevent a war from breaking out, after all.”

At those words, Mary nodded.

“But… it definitely sounds like you’re plotting something strange with my brother?”

Agrippa nodded.

“I… felt it too.”

“I don’t know, let’s send a letter to you and your new sister-in-law first.”

With that, Mary and Agrippa head towards the Grand Duke’s office.