I Became the Master of the Empress - Chapter 285



289

A golden Saturday.

After finishing work today and returning to our honeymoon suite, I see the gray beauty lying on the sofa, trying to sleep.

—

Terra has been sleeping a lot lately, perhaps because she’s pregnant.

Seeing her belly already quite round, I realize that my child is inside her.

I gently approach her belly and carefully stroke it with my hand.

At 26 years old, no, now I’m turning 27.

To think I already have a child.

It’s a new feeling.

Ugh… I wanted to postpone this a bit.

I’m still young; I was thinking of having a child in my late twenties.

I was surprised by how quickly the child came to us.

As I softly caress Terra’s belly, I feel both astonishment and happiness at the same time.

“Hmm, you’re here?”

I said to her as she rubbed her eyes with a sleepy expression.

“Yeah, if you’re sleepy, go to bed.”

“Hehe. It’s hard to get up.”

With her natural smile, I gently pat Terra’s head.

“But sleeping here isn’t good for the baby, come on.”

I continued as I lifted her body into my arms.

“If it’s too hard, I’ll carry you to the bed.”

“Hmm… thank you.”

She hugged my neck and rubbed her face against me.

“But isn’t it heavy in there?”

Do women think about their weight even when they’re pregnant?

It’s true that she’s heavier than before, but it’s not a huge difference.

“Not at all? In fact, considering you’re pregnant, you seem too light. Are you eating well?”

As I teased her on purpose, she turned her face away.

“Tch, always lying.”

I gently laid her down on the bed.

“Then stay here. I’ll go wash up.”

Saying that, I headed to the shower.

I think I’ve been a bit lazy lately.

Perhaps it’s because of the child, but lately, she has been doing nothing but eating and sleeping.

Even the little exercise she used to get at night has stopped since the pregnancy.

The royal family traditionally refrains from such activities during pregnancy for the sake of the child…

Since previous emperors have adhered to this as much as possible, I respect it and refrain from being intimate with her, but Terra keeps bringing it up, which is a problem.

– I’ve heard that men need to be released periodically, or they start thinking about cheating!

I couldn’t help but wonder who instilled such bizarre common sense in her, and I questioned her.

– Who says such strange things? Who told you that?

Honestly, I was genuinely curious about what audacious person would say such outrageous things to an emperor.

– It was Mary!

At Terra’s words, the image of my red-haired younger sister came to mind.

Again… it’s you?

Anyway, how can her figure look so good when she isn’t exercising at all?

Her breasts have even grown larger than before.

They were already quite ample, and now they’ve become even more so, which is pleasing.

Should I go out for a bit?

As I dried myself with a towel and put on a robe, I stepped into the bedroom, where Terra was dozing off, leaning against the bed.

I approached her and hugged her gently.

“Are you okay? If you’re sleepy, should we sleep a bit more?”

She rubbed her eyes and replied with a sleepy smile.

“Mm, I think I’ll sleep a bit more. Oh, right! I want to hear something from you.”

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“Something you want to hear?”

She nodded slightly.

“I want to hear stories about you when you were young.”

Stories from my childhood…

They’re not particularly pleasant tales.

The gossip-loving nobles have likely heard stories from my youth.

“You already have a rough idea, right? It’s not a very cheerful story, but do you really want to hear it?”

With a serious expression, Terra nodded.

“Yes. I want to hear it from your mouth, not from others’.”

It’s not that I can’t share it.

It’s been quite some time since then.

“I can do anything for you.”

Now, we are family.

Real family, that is.

“When I was young…”

***

Originally, I was just an ordinary person living in 21st century South Korea.

I graduated from a decent university and got a job at a small to medium-sized company.

I was living my life, finding joy in borrowing novels from a nearby rental shop after work.

Then I stumbled upon an adult fantasy novel.

At that time, being single, the book marked with a red label indicating it was for ages 19 and up gave me a thrilling sensation.

The content itself was…

A story about a hero named Lee Seo-jun who falls into a fantasy world, saves it, and builds a harem, but I remember enjoying the 19+ scenes sprinkled throughout.

Well, anyway.

The hero was incredibly strong, and the overall atmosphere of the novel leaned towards dark fantasy.

One by one, the hero defeats formidable foes, and four women fall for him.

The illustrations of the heroines in the book were stunning, making it enjoyable to imagine them.

The story was entertaining too.

In the end, I binge-read it in a day, finishing the entire thing before falling asleep to prepare for work the next day, but I never expected to be sucked into the book.

When I first opened my eyes,

I found myself inside a burning building.

“Whoa! Wh-what is this?”

I was sure I had woken up at home, right?

As I hurriedly looked around, thinking I needed to escape this place,

“My… body?”

My large hands had somehow transformed into delicate ones, and my legs had become alarmingly short.

What… what is happening?

At that moment,

– Bang!

A woman with black hair burst through the burning door.

She lifts me up and examines my body.

Huh? Who is this person…

A small memory flows into my mind.

This person is my mother, Fulvia.

“Debbie! Debbie?! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

My voice has turned into that of a complete infant.

The memories slowly coming back from my mother’s arms, running through the burning building, revealed to me who I am.

Debian Ryan.

The son of Valoran Ryan, a mid-boss in the story.

“Just hold on a little longer, Debbie. Mommy will save you.”

With those words, Fulvia cradles me and runs toward the outside of the burning building.

It’s quite hot; sweat and ash are flowing down my face and neck.

But why am I here?

Ryan is a noble, so I must be of noble birth too, right?

Why am I in this burning building?

As I ponder these thoughts, I finally manage to escape outside.

“Fulvia! What on earth are you doing?!”

A giant with red hair.

That person is Valoran Ryan.

In other words, he is my father here.

“What are you doing?! Why are you trying to kill my son again?!”

“This is a legitimate test! If he is my successor, it’s only natural for him to survive in a place like that!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Debbie is only three years old! What kind of monster puts a three-year-old in a building and sets it on fire?!”

“A weak boy cannot bear the name of Ryan. He is a Ryan; he must undergo the test!”

“But you’ve already killed two! No more! This can’t go on!”

My mother cries out to Valoran.

But Valoran slapped my mother’s cheek.

-Slap!

The strength of a robust man, no, the strongest knight in the empire, is not something a frail woman can withstand.

– Thud.

“Ahhh!”

“Ugh!”

Thanks to that, I fell alongside my mother, who was holding me tightly.

And in the next scene, I couldn’t contain my horror.

Balorang kept slapping the delicate Pulbia across the face.

As Pulbia staggered from Balorang’s strength, he grabbed her by the collar.

“Ugh, it hurts! L-Let go!”

“You’re just meant to bear children. Children of the excellent Lion.”

“Let go of me!”

– Whack!

– Whack!

“Gah!”

Seeing my mother getting hit, I pushed Balorang away with my small hands and shouted.

Why? Why did tears flow without me realizing it?

“Stop it! Don’t! Don’t torment my mom!”

“What? Are you talking back to me?!”

– Whack!

“Ugh!”

As I tumbled from Balorang’s merciless kicks, my mother hurriedly shielded me with her body.

“You madman! Don’t hit Debi! Why are you doing this to us?! Why?!”

But while she held me tightly, as if to protect me, she roughly yanked Pulbia’s hair.

“Ahhh!”

“How dare you! Are you insulting my husband?! If you truly wish to die, I’ll gladly grant that wish!”

Balorang unleashed ruthless violence upon my fragile mother.

No, this is wrong… He’s lost his mind.

I don’t even know why I’m here, but right now, I can’t comprehend this situation at all.

Is it because my body is so small? The fear of this situation was eroding my reason.

– Whack!

The sight was so horrific and brutal that I instinctively turned my eyes away.

“Y-Your Highness?! Please hold still. The Grand Duchess will die!”

“At this point, the Grand Duchess must have understood! Hold still!”

The people around tried to restrain Valoran, but they could not stop his strength.

Because he was a lion.

Valoran glared coldly at the ministers trying to stop him.

“Shut up! What do you know? Is the Grand Duchess not fulfilling her duties? From now on, anyone who tries to stop me will be treated as a traitor.”

In that moment, as everyone fidgeted nervously at Valoran’s fierce warning,

“Stop it! Grand Duke!”

Someone stepped forward, ignoring the deadly warning.

“Grand Duke, if anything happens to the Grand Duchess, our United Kingdom will not stand idly by.”

United Kingdom?

“Ambassador Alfred. This is a matter within the Lion family. A man has the right to discipline his wife.”

Valoran glared intently at the neatly dressed old gentleman.

“If it were a typical ‘discipline,’ Your Highness would be correct… but if it exceeds that level, you should know it would be disregarding our kingdom.”

“Tch…”

Valoran glared at Pulvia for a moment before letting it go.

“Don’t think your family can intervene forever. If you don’t want to die, don’t meddle.”

Having said that, Valoran looked around and continued.

“Regardless, Debian has survived. I will recognize him as my successor.”

With just those words, Valoran turned to leave.

“Ugh… I don’t want this… I don’t want to live like this anymore…”

Pulvia sobbed with a voice choked with tears.

Why? Seeing her cry made me feel so sad too.

I hugged my mother tightly and began to cry with her.

“Mom… I’m sorry. W-waaah…”

Startled by my sudden outburst, my mother gently patted my back.

“It’s okay, Devi, Mommy is okay.”

Her hair was disheveled, and her lips were torn, but seeing Pulvia comforting me only made me sadder.

“Grand Duchess… I’m sorry. I’m too late.”

My mother turned her head at Alfred’s voice.

“Not at all, Your Excellency. In fact, I owe my life to you.”

At his mother’s words, Alfred turns his head to the side.

“I’m truly sorry.”