Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 165

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story, Part 1, Episode 3
After exchanging a few pleasant remarks, my sister’s eyes widened as she glanced out the window.
“Ah, he’s here now. I should step aside.”
My sister was right. Auredhian approached the window, carrying Brizni effortlessly in one arm. Brizni, nestled comfortably in his embrace, waved her hands excitedly.
“Auntie!”
“Yes, I’m right here.”
I waved back warmly, and Brizni squirmed in his arms—clearly eager to be held by me.
“Do you want to come to your auntie, Bri?”
“Yes!”
Auredhian smiled and lifted the child onto the windowsill with ease. Even though she was still young—only five years old—he showed no strain whatsoever hoisting her to a height level with his shoulders.
“Wheee!”
Brizni squealed with delight. I rose from my seat and opened my arms wide to her. The red-haired five-year-old laughed brightly and tumbled into my embrace.
“Did His Majesty play with you nicely?”
She nodded enthusiastically. Auredhian’s face glowed with satisfaction. I couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle at the sight.
“He really does adore this child, doesn’t he?”
“Hmm? What was that, Yeni?”
“Nothing at all. Bri, His Majesty adores you very much.”
I whispered the last part into Brizni’s ear. The child giggled.
“I adore Uncle so much too!”
“My goodness, Brizni.”
Tezebia gasped at the child’s casual form of address. Yet Auredhian appeared entirely unbothered—in fact, I could tell he was secretly delighted. He had been eagerly anticipating seeing Brizni again ever since hearing that Tezebia was coming as part of a diplomatic delegation. Though he tried not to show it, his eagerness couldn’t escape my notice, given how much time I spent at his side.
Tezebia sternly corrected her daughter.
“You must call him His Majesty, Bri. You shouldn’t address the ruler of the empire so informally.”
“I know. Uncle said it’s good to be careful when other people are around.”
Brizni answered in her still-childish voice, each word precise and deliberate. Charmed by her innocence, I pulled her close and nuzzled my cheek against hers.
“Oh, what a clever girl you are.”
“Hehe.”
Her plump cheeks flushed rosy. I gently pinched those soft, strawberry-like cheeks. With each passing year, Brizni grew more and more to resemble Tezebia. I glanced back and forth between them for a moment, then my gaze fell upon Auredhian.
“….”
The silver hair that symbolized the Belgot Imperial Family. Those crimson violet eyes. His features were so exquisitely handsome that even I sometimes found myself staring blankly at him in a daze.
“Mm….”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
* * *
After Tezebia and Brizni excused themselves, I rested my arms on the windowsill and propped my chin on my hands. From that position, my eyes aligned perfectly with the man standing outside. We remained silent like that for a while until Auredhian asked, puzzled.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Mm….”
I chose my words carefully as I gazed into those reddish eyes.
“I was wondering… what if you had a son who resembled you?”
The moment those words left my lips, his gentle expression wavered. Auredhian blinked in surprise, caught off guard.
The moment those words left his lips, his affectionate expression suddenly wavered. Auredhian Belgot blinked his eyes in confusion.
“All of a sudden…?”
“Brizni seems to adore you so much. Do you dislike it?”
“Dislike…”
He had been about to parrot my words back to me in a daze, but he flinched in surprise and closed his mouth. Auredhian blinked silently for a moment before slowly opening his lips again.
“It’s not that I dislike it, of course…”
His tone was laden with bewilderment. The question had caught him off guard, it seemed. Then again, I had never asked him so directly before. I subtly pressed for an answer.
“What would you think if we had a child?”
“A child is…”
As I rose to my feet, his gaze dropped. I leaned against the window and looked down at Auredhian with a gentle smile.
“A child?”
“…It would be fine without one.”
His face was full of regret as he spoke those words, yet his voice remained resolute.
“Your wellbeing comes first. I don’t want you bearing any risks or burdens.”
“Mm.”
Auredhian had always been honest with me. More than two years had passed since he began revealing his expressions and emotions openly, and as a result, he seemed unable to hide anything from me. It was the same now. Eventually, a quiet laugh escaped him.
“I see. You must love me an awful lot.”
“That goes without saying.”
He reached out and gently grasped the back of my neck, drawing me closer. Our lips met briefly before parting. I laughed brightly and spoke.
“Understood. Then we’ll just live the two of us for the rest of our lives.”
“Yes…”
Despite his earlier firm declaration, his handsome face grew slightly downcast. He had been the one to set this prohibition in stone, yet lingering regret continued to surface.
“It would be fine without one.”
His final words seemed almost directed at himself. I looked up at him, his appearance now tinged with melancholy, and secretly smiled to myself.
It seemed I would need to think about this more deeply.
* * *
What if there were a child who resembled Auredhian? Though I had posed the question impulsively, it lingered in my mind for quite some time. Perhaps it was simply easier to imagine when I had a specific face in mind rather than pondering the vague necessity of a child’s existence.
“Edi, what kind of child were you when you were young?”
“Me? Ordinary.”
When I asked him this, Auredhian answered without hesitation. I found myself at a loss for words, looking at a man who surely must have been anything but ordinary even as a child.
“Your appearance alone is far from ordinary…”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, no matter how you look at it…”
Only then did Auredhian seem to seriously delve into his memories. After a long pause, what came back was:
“I don’t think I was a good son, but I suppose I was a good student.”
“…”
It was much the same answer as before. I laughed broadly and turned my attention to someone else. I turned my head toward Felix, who stood before the Office door.
“What was he like, Felix?”
“Ah…”
A strange twitch crossed Felix’s haggard face.
“He was absolutely anything but ordinary, I assure you.”
“I thought as much.”
Auredhian appeared to be listening with genuine interest to the stories about his childhood. Felix glanced at him cautiously before continuing.
“Compared to the Previous Emperor, he was considerably more lenient, but he wasn’t exactly kind either. There hasn’t been any significant change in his temperament since then.”
“Ah, so he must have been this adorable even as a child.”
“Pardon?”
Felix, who had been speaking freely, suddenly widened his eyes as if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have. I shrugged and smiled warmly at my husband. He was subtly jealous, subtly childish at times, and always poured his affection with overflowing abundance. I knew he was the type to shower those within his circle with love that bordered on overwhelming—but to think he’d been that way even as a child. Picturing that impassive, languid boy who had been blindly devoted to those he cherished, I felt my lips curl upward involuntarily.
“The thought of it is just too endearing.”
“…Where exactly?”
Even Auredhian himself seemed to struggle to accept my words. If he inherited this trait, it would truly be precious. Cold and composed to the outside world, yet an absolutely adorable son to his mother! And if it were a daughter, she’d be just as lovely!
“That would be absolutely wonderful…!”
“…?”
“So cute…!”
Felix nodded with a gentle smile, his expression worn and weary.
“Yes, I suppose that would be your perspective, Your Majesty…”
There was something melancholy in that expression. After Felix, the next person I sought out was Roxanne, the head Maidservant who had served longest in the Imperial Palace.
“His Majesty’s childhood, you say?”
Roxanne tilted her head thoughtfully.
“Well, I was just a young girl back then… hmm.”
Roxanne seemed to search her memories for a moment before the words came pouring out.
“The Former Empress passed away early, and there were virtually no Imperial Family members of his age, so he grew up almost entirely alone.”
I already knew that much from what I’d heard. I listened intently to Roxanne with sparkling eyes.
“Because of that, I believe he was heavily influenced by the Previous Emperor. The Previous Emperor was quite… very cold-hearted, you see.”
“Oh my.”
Had the Previous Emperor still been alive, I might have found myself constantly walking on eggshells. Auredhian had never been sharp with me, not once, but he didn’t extend that same tenderness to others as he did to me. Sometimes he could be so cutting and composed that I’d catch my breath in surprise. That aspect, he inherited from Father.
When I made that startled expression, Roxanne waved her hand and laughed.
“However, even during his time as Crown Prince, His Majesty was never a difficult master to serve. As long as one observed proper conduct, he was more generous than anyone.”
“I see…”
“Come to think of it, he seemed remarkably mature for his age. I remember the Nursemaid saying she was almost sad because he required so little care.”
My husband had clearly been born and raised as the perfect sovereign of a nation. I imagined him as a child and asked.
“Do you happen to have any portraits of him?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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