The awkward family meeting ended without any major issues, thank goodness.
Right after that, until the wedding day, we spent our time at Castle Sophia.
Although the days rolled by smoothly, they were also quite busy due to various diplomatic matters that needed to be handled.
However, thinking of the benefits that would come from this, I couldn’t help but immerse myself in work, barely noticing my exhaustion.
“Before long, that time will come… And if I just move accordingly…”
All preparations were complete, and according to the unchanging guidelines of the original work, everything was bound to happen inevitably.
Especially if the subject was related to the so-called “climate,” which flows without regard to human will…
Thus, while holding onto a mindset of waiting for a predicted rise in fortune, I decided to focus on the wedding that was now truly approaching.
*
In the deep interior of Castle Sophia, there she was…
A woman dressed in a maid outfit, her face adorned with a joyful smile as always.
Polena spoke lightly as she looked at the person before her.
“Long time no see, Mom! Have you been well?”
“Hah…”
The woman, wearing a black veil, looked at Polena before her.
The Emperor of Dragona Empire, Mina Rozebeta Dragona.
After taking a slight breath of relief at Polena’s carefree tone, she began to cautiously lift the veil that was covering her face.
And shortly after, her face was revealed.
With red hair and red eyes, her face was almost the same as Polena’s, sharing a striking resemblance.
The only difference was that whereas Polena gave off a bright and light feeling, her face bore a seriousness, along with a profound sense of nobility and warmth.
As the emperor revealed her face to the daughter she had given birth to, a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
“Well… it’s been a while, my little one. Have you been well?”
“Yes, Mom! I’ve been having a lot of fun.”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces. You’ve been the maid for that man, Santana, in the special room, right?”
“Yes, it just happened that way. Thanks to that, I’ve had a great time without any boring days.”
With a cheerful smile, Polena chatted away.
Seeing her like this, Emperor Rozebeta sipped her tea quietly, not losing her smile, showing the face of a mother who cares for her daughter rather than her usual authoritative demeanor.
“Well, if you enjoyed yourself, then that’s enough. But I hope you won’t get into overly dangerous situations. You know that things aren’t going too well over there.”
“Haha, Mom! How could I possibly be in danger in a fight between humans?”
“Never let your guard down, my little one. If you think like that, I worry you might get hurt.”
“Yes, yes! I’ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”
Polena responded lightly to the emperor’s motherly scolding.
Watching this, Emperor Rozebeta sighed softly and then, with a slightly more serious expression, said,
“Now, on a different note… how is the etiquette issue going, my dear?”
At that moment, Polena dropped her light attitude and put on a serious expression as well.
She then set her teacup down and spoke in a quiet voice.
“I found it. Quite certainly… That guy is probably meeting the Emperor of the Sacred Empire with the accomplice he marked right about now.”
“It’s become a troublesome matter. A guy who gets headaches just wandering around now has entered the realm of big shots.”
“I had a feeling this would happen since we couldn’t stop him beforehand. What remains is just eliminating him, whether on the battlefield or through assassination.”
“Yeah… that seems to be the scheduled course of action.”
As the emperor sipped her tea, albeit briefly, Polena could easily sense her mother’s mind racing with thoughts.
Her mother was calculating the next steps.
Polena could easily predict what conclusion would come from it.
A short while later, after placing her empty teacup down, Emperor Rozebeta looked at her daughter and spoke seriously.
“But, my dear. Given how things have progressed, it might be a bit tough for you to handle things alone, right? If needed, this mother…”
“No, please don’t. I’ve told you before, I’ll handle my own affairs. I have no intention of asking for your help at my age, nor do I need to.”
“Hmm…”
“Right now, you should just focus on the eastern matters as you always have. Leave the western affairs to Kattlena and me, and you should concentrate on reaping the benefits.”
“…Sigh… Yeah, thinking about it, that might be the right answer.”
Although her maternal instinct to worry was strong, Emperor Rozebeta had to step back.
As her daughter said, the matters she needed to focus on were in the east, and securing the far reaches of the continent was more important.
This was a matter that would determine the future of the nation, leaving no room for her to interfere with trivial matters.
However, she could never help but worry about her daughters, and the thought of wanting to assist her children, even at the risk of overexerting herself, always lingered in her mind.
And so…
Understanding her mother’s feelings, Polena firmly refused again.
It wasn’t just out of a sense of duty.
Without her mother’s help, the situation seemed advantageous enough in her eyes.
For she had someone capable of navigating through this crisis…
Her master, the man who could create miracles, Santana Andreas.
“Good timing, and I’ve got a splendid master. There’s no need to complicate matters. Surely, that man will…”
Calmly sipping her tea, Polena thought.
At that moment…
“Oh, by the way, my dear, I had a question I was curious about…”
“Yes?”
In the next moment, a serious tone emerged from Emperor Rozebeta.
Polena, while sipping her tea, looked slightly puzzled, and seeing her like that, the emperor spoke in a calm voice.
“Just to check… What is your relationship with that man, Santana?”
“Cough!”
The unexpected blow made Polena reflexively cough.
“Cough… cough… What do you mean by relationship? Well… obviously, he’s my master and I’m his maid…”
“Hmmm… Is that all?”
“Th-that’s all.”
Wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, Polena spoke.
At that moment, Polena knew well the intent behind her mother’s question.
“After all, I’m going to marry Cazerose, right? Do you think I have any strange feelings for someone like that?”
“I didn’t say anything of the sort. I was just purely… curious about when my daughter might bring home a suitor.”
“Ah… no. That’s not it, um… um…”
Momentarily caught off guard by her mother’s facade, Polena cleared her throat lightly.
Immediately after, she managed to stabilize her emotions and spoke in a calm voice.
“Anyway, I don’t have those kinds of feelings that you’re thinking of. I’ve told you before? I have no intention of getting married.”
“Your younger sibling already has eight children…”
“Sigh…”
With her mother’s successive blows, Polena sighed heavily.
And…
Seeing her like this, Emperor Rozebeta quietly began to smile inwardly.
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