Chapter 138 – I Liked Him More Than I Thought (1)
Heinley had a moment of stunned doubt, but then his face brightened. The words he said to me earlier were not empty, and he looked genuinely joyful. I too couldn’t believe that I considered his crazy offer.
Heinley opened and closed his mouth several times before whispering to me quickly.
“If…if you would be my queen, I would be the happiest man in the world.”
Then his voice turned solemn as he made a promise.
“I will do my best to make you not only the happiest woman in the world, but the happiest person.”
His eyes glistened, and the corners of his mouth were stretched into a wide smile as if he couldn’t help himself. He was like a large dog that had been reunited with its owner after ten years. Heinley reminded me of my pet Retriev in that situation, one of the happiest creatures I had ever known in my life. Retriev was a large dog that had been born in the same year I was.
Anxiety still pressed on my mind. One side tried to whisper reason to me and reassure me that I was fine.
On the other hand, it was as if the inside of my mouth was rotted. It could appear too calculating that I already found a remarriage partner before my actual divorce. Well, looking at it another way, it was Sovieshu who had found a remarriage partner first.
“I promise you.”
I opened my mouth and spoke my vow to Heinley.
“I will make a good queen. Not only to you, but to the people.”
I meant it. That was the only way to express my gratitude. And that wasn’t the end of it yet.
“Queen…”
“And I will never interfere if you accept another woman to love as your concubine.”
“!”
At that moment, Heinley’s expression shook as if it were about to collapse. His eyes widened in shock and he stared at me.
“Heinley?”
He blinked when I called his name, and he gave a stiffened smile.
“Concubine?”
The word sounded uncertain on his tongue, as if he never expected it.
Horror swept over me. I realized I had made a huge mistake. Why on earth did I bring up the topic of concubines before we were even married?
“I meant that just in case.”
He looked like he would fall over in sheer astonishment, and I hurriedly tried to amend my words. However, my offer to him was true. Even if Heinley took a concubine for himself…I was already prepared. This time.
Historically, the majority of emperors and kings had concubines. Heinley’s brother had several lovers himself. The few that did not have any were usually not married in the first place. I once thought that if there was an emperor that didn’t take another concubine, it would be Sovieshu, but that assumption proved wrong.
Could Heinley be different? Yes, I suppose so. But I did not want to be taken by surprise again. While Heinley was not as much as a playboy the rumors suggested, it was clear he lived a life of freedom.
Heinley took me firmly by the chin and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Queen, if you don’t mind, would you let me know the details?”
Despite his initial joy, his expression soon turned serious.
“I’m wondering why you suddenly offered me a political marriage.”
I realized I was still holding my hand over his, and I quickly lowered it. Heinley also took his hands off my face.
“Of course, whatever the reason is, I will never persuade you to reconsider otherwise.”
“Thank you.”
“But Queen. If you’re to be my queen, then we’ll be married. We’ll…we’ll be husband and wife.”
Suddenly, Heinley stopped talking and began to fan his face. He looked embarrassed to say the words “husband and wife,” and his cheeks were stained red. I was curious about what he was going to say, but first I held his hand to calm him down.
“Are you feeling better now?”
His face was still flushed, but he smiled and scratched his cheek before continuing to talk again.
“Yes, we’ll be married. I want to know why you agreed to this, Queen.”
If Heinley really wanted to take me as his queen, then so be it. My suggestion was outlandish and unprecedented anyone who heard it. Now that I was here with Heinley, I was going to tell him about my situation.
Before I could speak, however, two people approached us, and we both ceased our conversation. One of the people wore an academy cloak, while the other was dressed in ordinary clothes. They stopped right in front of us, and the one in ordinary clothes bowed deeply before me.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. You had been gone for a long time, and we were worried when we did not hear from you.”
The dean must have sent the escort just in case. Heinley glanced at his watch. Indeed, time flew by far faster than expected. We shared a brief smile, knowing that we had similar thoughts.
When the man in ordinary clothing looked at Heinley, Heinley suddenly lowered his hood with his hand.
‘Ah. He had said he came here secretly.’
It would be troublesome if rumors spread that I met him here, even more so that I was facing divorce as an empress.
“Very well. Let’s go back.”
I spoke as calmly as I could, then looked at Heinley and mouthed “letter”.
***
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The moment Navier glanced at Heinley and mouthed “letter”, he felt as if his knees would give way beneath him. After she left, he staggered to the ground and leaned his head backwards against a pillar.
He couldn’t believe what had just happened.
‘I met Queen…’
In truth, it wasn’t a coincidence that the two met in Wirwol. As soon as Heinley heard that Navier would come to this region, he took flight and rushed here in a hurry.
The meeting at the restaurant, however, was indeed a coincidence, and Heinley was ecstatic about it. How likely was it for two people to think of going to the same restaurant at the same time?
His luck didn’t end there. He and Navier ate together, walked together, and even dressed in the same clothes. While there were also twenty-three people around them wearing the same uniform, to Heinley they were invisible.
He covered his mouth with one hand and thumped his head against the pillar in disbelief.
He was proposed to.
Queen, who he was willing to have at any cost, proposed marriage to him directly. This would be enough to satisfy the nobles’ impatience and McKenna’s nagging. Several passersby looked strangely at Heinley as he kept grinning wildly to himself alone.
However, his expression turned grave soon after. The happiness of marriage was tainted with a dark shadow—of a marriage of convenience, the talk concubines, a promise not to interfere… He didn’t know what Empress Navier was going through, but he was saddened that there was no mention of love.
‘I just need a throne for her.’
He looked down at the ground, and the passersby continued to whisper to themselves. Heinley didn’t even hear a word of it. He stood up and forced a smile.
‘But I’m glad she changed her mind.’
Navier wanted a throne, and he had a throne. Besides, so what if it was a marriage of convenience? As long as she stayed by his side, they would have the opportunity to become closer.
‘But what on earth happened…’
