Chapter 280 – Change From The Past (2)
It had been a month since Carlisle was crowned. Elena, in the meantime, had immersed herself in the late honeymoon. More than once, when their eyes would inadvertently meet, they would go straight to the bedroom. Elena, who usually woke up early in the morning for her exercises, now oftentimes found herself rousing much later from the deterioration of her discipline.
This morning, Elena woke up late again as usual, and she looked into the mirror as she dressed for the day. Suddenly, she remembered a conversation she had with Carlisle in bed last night.
— Carril, you should restrain yourself a little. It’s embarrassing to see the maids cleaning up here lately.
— Look in the mirror, my wife. How can I hold back when what I see is so beautiful?
A wicked smile played on Carlisle’s ace, and Elena’s cheeks turned pink.
She studied her appearance in the mirror. Her hair fell in golden waves over her shoulders, her skin had a warm glow, and her red eyes shone as brilliantly as jewels. Even in her eyes, the person she saw in the mirror was the face of someone beloved.
Mary, who was busy combing Elena’s hair, looked curiously at Elena as she started to blush.
“Is there anything wrong, Your Majesty?”
“N-nothing. I’m just…a little embarrassed for some reason.”
Mary was about to ask another question in reply to Elena’s vague answer, but suddenly the powder room door opened and the nanny entered.
“Your Majesty the Empress. Harry of the Krauss family is here.”
“Yes. I’ll be out in a minute. Show him to the parlor room.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Today was the day Elena promised to have lunch with Harry in return for helping arrange a meeting with Evans. After Mary hurried to finish her hair, Elena stood up from her seat and looked at herself in the mirror. This face was so different from her past self. She was happy now. This was the face of the real Elena.
*
She entered the parlor room a few minutes later, and Harry rose from his seat and bowed politely.
“Hail to Her Majesty the Empress. Eternal glory to the Ruford Empire.”
“Thank you. Now please sit comfortably.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Harry seated himself opposite of Elena and gazed at her with a studied expression. Elena spoke first.
“Do you have a preference for lunch today?”
“I appreciate anything you give me, but if you’re asking for my preference, I prefer meat over seafood.”
When Harry voiced exactly what he wanted, Elena’s mood subtly lifted. Ever since she became empress, the most common word she heard was “Yes.” She was troubled by the constant appeasement from others, but she found it refreshing that Harry was comfortable being honest with her.
“Good choice. Please do not hesitate to express your mind in the future.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. It’s my specialty.”
Elena smiled and rang a bell on the table. A maid waiting outside entered the parlor room and bowed.
“Yes, did you call me?”
“Have the chef prepare a steak lunch for today.”
“I’ll inform the kitchen right away, Your Majesty.”
The maid bowed again and disappeared from the room. Now that the two were alone again, Elena turned back to Harry.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t expressed my gratitude towards you. Thank you for helping me to convince Count Krauss.”
“Not at all. My help was minimal, and it was you who moved my grandfather’s heart.”
Elena did not know of Evans’ past, nor when he decided to change his mind, but she knew that Harry was being overly modest.
“Without your small help, I wouldn’t even have gotten a chance to see Count Krauss in the first place. I never forget my debts, so let me know if there is anything you need later.”
“Haha, now that you mention it, I won’t turn you down on that offer.”
Harry gave a small laugh, and Elena smiled faintly. Since taking the position of empress, everyone around her always tried to flatter her. She felt she couldn’t share her thoughts easily with anyone, but seeing Harry after a long time was like a breath of fresh air. She looked at him in gratitude, then opened her mouth again as a sudden thought came to her.
“Oh, do you know anything about the Duchy of Lunen these days?”
Harry’s face darkened at the question. During the first month of Carlisle’s accession to the throne, the Duchy of Lunen had been attempting to break away from the Ruford Empire and be recognized as an independent state. Their justification was that Carlisle was a corrupt son who cruelly murdered his parents and brother, using Ophelia’s body as evidence. Because of this, the Duchy of Lunen was the largest concern that occupied Elena’s thoughts.
“Everything I know, I’m sure you already know. I’ll tell you if I hear anything new.”
“…Very well.”
While Elena had returned to the Imperial Palace and spent her days in happiness, Paveluc always lingered in the back of her mind like a shadow. Because he had not been properly taken out yet, an incident could happen at any moment. At the thought of it, the light in Elena’s eyes momentarily dimmed, but she quickly smoothed it over and spoke brightly again.
“How is your grandfather these days?”
“Doing well. He’s hale and hearty.”
As Elena and Harry engaged in small talk, their lunch soon arrived. The maids moved diligently and set various dishes before them.
Elena finished her simple appetizer, then went on to the next course and cut a piece of steak.
“…Urk.”
A sudden rush of nausea swept through Elena, and she covered her mouth with one hand. These moments of sickness had become more frequent of late. Elena looked up apologetically at Harry.
“Sorry, I haven’t been feeling myself…”
The smell of cooked meat almost made her want to hurl. Harry looked at her anxiously.
“Your Majesty, I don’t know if I should say this…”
“Tell me, it’s fine.”
“…Are you pregnant?”
“What?”
Elena looked at him in astonishment. She wracked her head, and realized that she hadn’t had her monthly blood. Her mouth slowly opened in shock.
‘Surely…’
Elena’s gaze fell on her still flat stomach.