Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 166

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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 1, Part 4, Episode 1
“I’m not entirely certain. I don’t recall him having any portraits from very early childhood.”
Auredhian seemed to have been a child who despised the tedious ordeal of sitting for portraits. I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
“I would have liked to see one…”
“Ah. If you visit His Majesty’s office, there should be a portrait from around the time of the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony. He’s never been fond of displaying it prominently, so it seems he’s tucked it away somewhere.”
“Oh? In his office?”
My husband as a boy. I knew his investiture as Crown Prince occurred on his fifteenth birthday. Not that fifteen could be called very young, but… in any case!
“But Your Majesty, why are you suddenly curious about His Majesty’s childhood?”
I laughed evasively. If I’d answered straightforwardly—’I wonder what a child who resembles him would look like’—the entire Imperial Palace would have erupted into chaos.
Celebratory cannons might have been fired from somewhere.
But Roxanne’s eyes were gleaming far too brightly, so I had no choice but to deflect my answer somewhat.
“Just curiosity. I want to know the sides of him I don’t yet know.”
That wasn’t a lie. I truly was curious. Roxanne smiled with satisfaction.
“How remarkable—even after two years, you both remain unchanged.”
I laughed awkwardly and deliberately avoided Roxanne’s sparkling gaze. Was I being overly self-conscious?
It felt as though if we continued talking much longer, the conversation would inevitably turn to children.
“Your Majesty, could it be that…”
Oh no! My premonition wasn’t unfounded!
Heat suddenly flooded my face.
“Ah, well, I—!”
I flashed a bright smile and began backing away.
“I’ll go check the office!”
“Your Majesty! Running is dangerous—”
“It’s fine!”
Patter-patter-patter.
I fled the scene like a coward. For some reason, I felt terribly embarrassed.
* * *
Auredhian’s office, vacant while he attended meetings, was as orderly and serene as always. The curtains swayed gently in the early spring breeze, as if the windows had been left open.
“…”
Though I’d always moved freely through this office as though it were my own room, something felt strange today.
“Perhaps it’s because it’s so quiet…?”
Click. I pushed the door shut behind me and exhaled softly. My mind remained consumed by a single thought.
A child. Our child. Family. Parents. Mother.
“To love. To be ready to love.”
“…”
Tezebia’s voice echoed in my ears. I turned her words over in my mind as I slowly ventured deeper into the office.
“Where could it be?”
I knew the location of nearly everything in this office. Since she’d mentioned a portrait, it wouldn’t be small. I began opening the large drawers in the corner, ones I’d never thought to explore before.
“…Ah, found it!”
It didn’t take long to locate the portrait. I quickly discovered a large painting leaning haphazardly behind the massive bookcase directly behind the desk. It seemed to have been tucked away and forgotten for quite some time—the cloth covering it was blanketed with a thick layer of dust.
I brushed the dust away without much thought and swept the cloth aside. Then my breath caught entirely.
“…Oh.”
Before my eyes stood a young boy with a cold, indifferent expression. Gleaming silver hair. Crimson violet eyes. A sharp, penetrating gaze. Even the precise shape of his closed lips.
Unmistakably my man. Auredhian Belgot at fifteen years old. I stared at the exquisitely detailed portrait as if it were real, unable to close my mouth.
“What kind of fifteen-year-old carries such an aura…?”
The boy in the portrait was expressionless. Far from arrogant or world-weary, yet showing almost none of the tenderness or gentleness I knew now.
The first thing one felt from the boy’s face was composure. The natural ease that only the future master of one of the continent’s mightiest powers could possess. An atmosphere that overwhelmed those around him effortlessly, without any deliberate effort. …And beyond that, he was devastatingly handsome.
“Why does he look exactly like my type?”
I couldn’t tear my gaze from that subtly mesmerizing face. I’d wager anything that from this age onward, he must have captivated everyone around him. I myself could barely look at it without risking drooling…. The moment that thought crossed my mind, I shook my head vigorously.
“No, stop it! Get yourself together! He’s your husband!”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This really wasn’t good for my heart. I was grateful there were no portraits from when he was even younger. I would have completely melted away.
“…Still, how beautiful must he have been?”
I opened my eyes, unable to suppress the longing. After seeing the portrait from his boyhood, it was easy to imagine an even smaller child with silver hair and those crimson eyes.
This must have been the Previous Emperor’s office back then. I could vividly picture the young prince scurrying about his father’s workspace. As if it were real.
Would he have sat on that sofa reading? With that characteristic relaxed expression, would he have gone to his father and recounted everything that happened that day?
“He must have been so adorable….”
For some reason, my feelings had grown strange again.
After that, something had definitely changed. I genuinely marveled at my own imagination. Empty corridors. A quiet garden with no one around. Silent bedrooms and offices. On days when I wasn’t poking about, the Imperial Palace settled into such stillness that it felt slightly suffocating. And as I gazed upon those scenes, a small child created by my imagination would appear. Again and again.
The imagination grew and took shape. The child running through the garden just as I once had. The child nestled in his father’s arms, waving at me. Then I would stop mid-step and stand there thinking.
If only that scene were real.
How wonderful that would be… I thought.
“…I must be insane.”
I lay draped across the terrace like laundry, looking down at the garden below. Husband. Child. Inserting my own image between them….
“….”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult at all.
* * *
There was no point in deliberating further. After applauding my own imagination for days, I finally admitted it. I wanted a child. Not a “nice to have, but it’s okay if not”—now I genuinely, strongly wanted one.
Of course, I still had no confidence in becoming a mother, and I didn’t feel prepared…. But wasn’t it remarkable how much my thoughts had developed in just a few days?
“Strike while the iron is hot….”
I’d bring it up today. Seriously. The moment I made that decision and entered the empty office, I noticed the desk was slightly messier than usual—as if Auredhian had left in a hurry while reviewing documents.
“…?”
Among the scattered papers, a white letter peeked out. It was in Auredhian’s handwriting. I picked it up without thinking. And the moment I read what was inside, I froze completely.
“Huh….”
I stood there holding it, unable to move for a long time. It took a moment for my thoughts to resume functioning normally. And only after several more minutes did shock strike my brain. I couldn’t help myself and let out a shriek.
“What is this!”
The letter crumpled in my hands with a crisp sound.
“…No, this won’t do. This absolutely cannot be handled with a normal conversation.”
I shook the crumpled paper frantically and pounded the desk.
“While I’m agonizing over this, he’s thinking like that? This man, seriously!”
Isn’t this the perfect case of two people dreaming different dreams? No matter how misaligned things get, how can we be thinking such opposite thoughts!
“There must be… another way.”
How could I draw out an honest answer? To have a proper conversation. Whenever we spoke with clear minds, we always went in circles. My husband was a man whose every thought centered on my wellbeing.
Since I mattered far more to him than his own desires or true feelings, I needed a different approach to hear the genuine thoughts he barely acknowledged even to himself. I turned the matter over in my mind, sighed, and made my decision.
“Well, there’s no helping it.”
The method I chose was, as always, simple. First, I would wait. Wait for Auredhian to finish all his duties for the day and return to the bedroom. And then…
* * *
Auredhian returned to the bedroom late that night, having finally completed all his tasks. He was running behind because of time spent with Brizni, and now those postponed duties could no longer be delayed.
I held something cool, firm, and smooth close to my chest before suddenly pulling him into an embrace from behind. A slightly sullen voice escaped him.
“Not a sound…”
“I made one. You simply didn’t hear it.”
Soft lips brushed against the corner of my eye, then withdrew. It was Auredhian’s habit—not quite a habit, but close—to shower me with affection the moment he returned to the bedroom, making up for what he couldn’t express during the day. He held me like a cherished doll, pressing kisses to every corner of my body. Then came a sigh, as if finally able to breathe.
“Ah… now I feel like the day has truly ended.”
I tried to resist, but my heart melted away regardless. I laughed softly like a sigh and patted Auredhian’s arm.
“You must be exhausted. Is Eastern Belgot causing trouble again?”
“Yes. Disasters have been unusually frequent this year.”
He explained that the situation had grown dire due to the tidal waves that recently struck the seaside of Eastern Belgot.
“I wonder if Raulus has been sleeping on the job…”
His voice carried a tired jest. I should visit the Eastern region soon. Yes, choosing tonight had been a good idea after all. But if I voiced that thought now, he would certainly jump in alarm. I smiled sweetly and gently broached tonight’s true purpose.
“Say, would you like to have a drink with me?”

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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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