The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 190

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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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In Search of the Duke’s Husband
Side Story – Episode 5

Side Story 2: Father Killian

After enduring a long labor, Artia finally cradled her newborn in her arms.
The first child of House of Orpheus.
A small, delicate breath.
As Killian gazed upon the infant who had just released her first cry into the world, his fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
He carefully took the child into his arms and made a solemn declaration.
“The princess shall be named Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus.”
A name that honored both her father’s and mother’s lineages.
In an empire that had always revered patrilineal descent, it was unprecedented.
Though audacious, no one dared to voice a single objection.
For none were foolish enough to defy the will of Killian, the Emperor who now ushered The Empire into its most resplendent era in history.
Moreover, there was profound respect for Artia, who as both Empress and Duke of Edenberg had flawlessly proven her worth.
Unwavering power.
Unchanging love for one another.
Nestled in the secure embrace of such steadfast parents, Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus flourished and grew.

* * *

Emperor Killian von Orpheus now faced the greatest crisis of his life.
Before him stood neither an enemy general coveting continental supremacy nor a scheming nobleman plotting treachery.
It was a small baby with soft, silvery hair—Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus.
“Nngh…!”
At one hundred days old, Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus flailed her short limbs desperately, straining with all her might to roll over.
Killian von Orpheus gazed down at her with an expression far too grave, and at the sight of it, Artia burst into laughter.
“Your Majesty, if you look at her with such a frightening face, Aisha will be terrified.”
Killian von Orpheus immediately objected.
“Nonsense. She’s bold enough to meet my gaze directly.”
Since marrying Artia, Killian von Orpheus had grown considerably gentler, yet he remained the Empire’s most ruthless and dignified presence.
Few in the Empire could calmly meet those eerie golden eyes of his.
But Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus was different.
The newborn faced her father’s terrifying gaze without so much as a blink, even laughing with delight.
The problem was that courage and physical ability were entirely separate matters.
“…”
Killian von Orpheus looked down at Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus, grunting and thrashing.
Short arms, short legs, a plump belly.
No matter how he looked at it, she seemed incapable of rolling over on her own.
Finally, he spoke in a low voice.
“Perhaps I should help…”
But Artia shook her head firmly.
“Our role is to encourage Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus.”
At those words, Killian von Orpheus’s expression hardened further.
‘How is she supposed to flip that plump body with such short limbs!’
Watching the struggling infant, his mind raced with countless thoughts.
Did she truly need to exert herself so?
I am her father.
I could ensure she lived her entire life without ever needing to walk alone, wanting for nothing.
Knowing Artia would cry out ‘Are you trying to ruin our child?!’ if she knew his thoughts, Killian von Orpheus clenched his fists tightly.
Otherwise, he feared he would immediately flip that small, soft body over himself.
Unaware of her father’s inner turmoil, Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus tried again and again.
And finally.
Pop.
Her small body rolled over completely.
A moment of silence fell.
Killian von Orpheus was the first to react.
“She succeeded.”
His golden eyes trembled with disbelief.
That day, Killian von Orpheus proclaimed a commemorative holiday throughout the Imperial Palace.
Wine and bread were distributed across the Empire, and fireworks adorned the night sky.
The nobility were summoned to the Imperial Palace and forced to offer their congratulations, while the orchestra played until dawn.
The ignorant citizens of the Empire ate the food the Emperor had praised and shed tears of emotion.
“As expected, Your Majesty…”
“Frightening, yet surprisingly tender-hearted.”
“Like a tyrant, yet a benevolent ruler.”
That day too, the Empire remained at peace.

* * *

A heavy tension settled over the Emperor’s Imperial Office.
A regular state council meeting.
Though an ordinary agenda, the nobility’s faces bore the tension of wartime.
It stemmed from the oppressive aura emanating from Killian von Orpheus.
Each time his golden eyes slowly swept across the office, the nobles unconsciously held their breath.
The atmosphere felt as though a single mistake would cost them their heads.
Then it happened.
Creak!
The office door swung wide open.
In an instant, the nobles’ eyes widened.
For the door to the Imperial Palace—and specifically the Emperor’s own office—to burst open without warning was unthinkable.
‘What are the guards doing?!’
The shocked nobles turned their heads in unison.
And then fell silent.
Standing in the doorway was neither an intruder nor an assassin.
Soft, fluffy silver hair.
Plump cheeks.
A small child clutching a rabbit doll tightly in her tiny hands.
It was Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus.
“Papa!”
With a bright cry, Aisha came pitter-pattering toward him.
The nobles gasped at the sudden intrusion.
But one person—the Emperor alone—was different.
Killian von Orpheus opened his arms without hesitation.
Aisha leaped and nestled into his embrace.
“Papa! Play! Sha! Play!”
Though her words resembled some alien tongue, Killian von Orpheus understood them perfectly.
“Do you want to play together?”
Aisha’s round head bobbed vigorously up and down.
Killian von Orpheus paused to consider.
Part of him wanted to end the meeting immediately.
But if he did, he would certainly hear a scolding from Artia.
“We’ve had quite enough embarrassing history of causing trouble everywhere out of excessive affection during our courtship.”
Having risen from the Dukedom of Edenberg to the position of Empress, Artia had become far more rigorous than before.
She was extremely cautious about allowing personal emotions to influence her public duties.
‘There’s no helping it.’
Killian von Orpheus spoke to Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus, who stared at him with pink eyes identical to her mother’s.
“Sit on Father’s lap.”
“Mm!”
Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus answered promptly.
Killian von Orpheus retrieved a small container of sweets he had prepared for moments like this from his breast pocket.
Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus began picking up the sweets with her tiny fern-like hands and eating them.
To keep her from growing bored, Killian von Orpheus occasionally bounced his knee slightly.
Despite this simple gesture, Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus laughed with delight as though riding an amusement ride.
Hearing that laughter, a satisfied smile spread across Killian von Orpheus’s lips as well.
And in that very state, he turned his head toward the nobles.
The nobles stood frozen with their jaws hanging open.
Killian von Orpheus spoke in a low, weighty voice.
“The Princess is currently studying the administration of state affairs.”
“…?!”
In that instant, the air in the Conference Room trembled.
Someone wanted to cry out right then and there.
What kind of nonsense is that?!
But the person before them was Killian von Orpheus.
Not a soul possessed the courage to dare contradict him.
“Let us continue.”
In the end, the nobles could not even show their displeasure and reluctantly resumed the meeting.
Meanwhile, Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus sat obediently on her father’s lap, munching on sweets and thinking.
‘Father is more handsome than anyone.’

* * *

Killian von Orpheus found Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus utterly fascinating.
This small, delicate being had grown entirely on her own.
Day by day, her body grew larger, she learned to speak with faltering pronunciation, and she came to understand the world one piece at a time.
Every moment—her breathing, her laughter, her tears, her growth—felt like a miracle.
Killian von Orpheus often held Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus in his arms and remained perfectly still for long stretches.
A happiness that defied words.
It was entirely different from his love for Artia.
His chest tingled with tenderness, swelled with emotion, and sometimes trembled with an almost irrational fear.
Yet not every day brought such joy.
It was one such day.
Aisha von Edenberg Orpheus developed a fever.

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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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