Chapter 32: A Husband Living as Emperor

When she didn’t respond, as if she didn’t remember, Alec spoke again. Afrosa shook her head.

“Back then, it was just the two of us.”

“It’s still just the two of us in this house.”

“Don’t you see the servants?”

“Those are my servants.”

“Whatever they are, I hate it!”

Afrosa hit his chest and glared at him with irritation. The cottage and this mansion were worlds apart. In the cottage, it really had been just the two of them. Whether they ate dinner or did something else entirely, it didn’t matter.

Back then, there had been no one to see whatever Alec did—whether he laid her across the dining table or anything else. But now… and wasn’t he a prince now? Things were no longer as they had been in Laurent.

Even as a prince, there might be moments when they could be alone and carefree. But how could they behave the same way here, in such a grand mansion, with so many servants around, as if they were still living their secluded newlywed life in a cottage?

“Just one more kiss,” he pleaded.

“You… you’re a prince now. People—”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“How can it not matter? If you keep acting like this, people will—”

His lips silenced her. A warm sensation tingled as he kissed her, teasing her skin with heat. He hadn’t even pressed his tongue against hers, but her toes curled out of habit. Afrosa gripped his broad chest and tilted her head back.

She heard the sound of servants’ footsteps. Panicking, she finally bit down on the tongue that began to slip into her mouth. But Alec, unfazed, simply continued exploring her mouth, savoring every sensation he wanted.

When her strength gave out and she stopped resisting, he moved his hands to her chest, relishing the softness under his touch.

“I feel like I could die from how much I love you,” Alec whispered after breaking the kiss.

Afrosa, trembling at the thought of the servants returning from the kitchen, stared at him. Alec gently caressed her face, his expression dark and emotionless, devoid of even the faintest smile.

“I love you so much it feels like I could die, Rose,” he murmured.

“Why…?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

“You can’t leave me. Like you once promised, we must always be together.”

“…”

“We’ll die on the same day and be buried on the same day.”

Afrosa wondered why Alec liked her so much. But she didn’t ask—it felt like a question she shouldn’t voice. Alec kissed her cheek again.

“I’m hungry,” he said.

Afrosa whispered her concern, worried he might go as far as laying her on the dining table like in the cottage. Yet, despite his words, Alec didn’t seem inclined to let her go, as if waiting for her response. Searching for the right words to move him, she finally said:

“The baby is hungry.”

Alec rang the bell, summoning the servants who had been waiting in the kitchen for their master’s “private time” to end. They entered, carrying trays of dishes to the dining room.

The dinner table was opulent. Unlike the modest meals they had shared in the cottage, these dishes were rich and lavishly prepared with fine spices imported from across the sea. There was a dish of sea bass, likely sourced from the nearby harbor, accompanied by lemon and fresh oysters. Golden-brown roasted pork adorned the table, creating a feast that was both abundant and harmonious.

Even the flowers arranged on the table were fresh. The flickering candlelight reflected off golden candelabras, silverware, and glistening dishes. It was a display of wealth and luxury Afrosa had never experienced, nor imagined she could. Diana’s earlier words echoed in her mind.

“Hey.”

Alec, who had been slicing sea bass to serve her, looked up. Despite having been away from the royal palace for some time, he still displayed perfect manners.

Even when he was begging for alms in the village, he had carried himself with dignity. Afrosa recalled the boy who had handed her a piece of bread with such poise, and then continued speaking.

“You said I should host a banquet.”

“Yes,” Alec replied.

“The Countess offered to help me. I won’t need to thank her separately, right?”

“Thank her?”

“Since she’s helping me. I don’t really know the customs….”

“There’s no need for that. Rosabeth will enjoy helping you.”

“Even so….”

“That woman is my servant. Helping you is natural for her.”

Alec’s tone was curt. Afrosa stared at him for a moment, then nodded. If there were any additional thanks or arrangements to make, Alec would surely let her know. Despite her discomfort, she nodded and focused on her meal.

As they ate in silence, Alec eventually broke it again.

“How long has Rosabeth been staying in this mansion?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I think it’s time to cut her loose. Specifically, after the banquet ends in two weeks.”

“What? Why?”

“She’s no fool. She’ll understand her place isn’t here.”

Afrosa frowned, unsure of what to make of his sudden decision.

“But she’s been helping me….”

“A servant who grows too familiar with their master is an inconvenience.”

Afrosa’s lips trembled slightly. At some point—or rather, suddenly—Alec’s demeanor turned cold as he looked at her. Yet, despite his cold gaze, his actions were gentle as he placed the neatly sliced sea bass in front of her. The contrast was strange, leaving her with an odd feeling.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Afrosa, not adept at handling complex dishes, glanced briefly at the perfectly prepared fish. She wondered what she could accomplish if she couldn’t even manage something as simple as deboning a cooked fish. And if Diana were no longer around…

“Why do you ask about the Countess?”

“A person who’s traveled for days to arrive home wouldn’t stay all day as if camping out in someone else’s home, Afrosa.”

“But…”

“No matter how urgent her business might be, you’re a stranger to her. She should feel uncomfortable, as she should find this mansion unfamiliar. Moreover, you’re not just anyone—you’re the wife of the Crown Prince, and the person she’s supposed to serve.”

“Even so…”

“What kind of servant lingers for hours in a noble’s home, especially when the master has only just arrived and hasn’t even unpacked?”

Alec’s steel-gray eyes were sharp, their intensity almost chilling. Afrosa stared at the man who so casually referred to nobles as “servants.” He wasn’t wrong. Thinking about it, even in their village days in Laurant, similar principles had applied.

Take old Tason, the village elder. Everyone in the village found him an imposing figure, not because his position was so grand but because he was seen as their community’s representative. Even those who casually spoke to him didn’t treat him like an equal neighbor.

No matter how friendly Zenia was with Afrosa, the fact that she was Tason’s daughter made it hard for Afrosa to be completely at ease around her.

If Tason and Zenia had returned home after traveling to meet the lord, no villager, no matter how urgent their business, would have dared linger in their home on the same day of their return. Most wouldn’t even have considered visiting that day.

It was obvious that they’d be tired. Among neighbors, such considerations were natural. Yet Diana, a noble who had lived entirely within the confines of aristocratic society, surely wouldn’t have ignored such etiquette.

Only now did Afrosa understand the meaning behind Diana’s earlier words:

“I’m quite worried. With you being so innocent, Your Grace, I fear you may face many wounds in life.”

Was she testing her? But why? And for what purpose? Afrosa mulled over Diana’s parting figure, her appetite for the sea bass Alec had prepared completely gone.

Thinking back, Diana hadn’t mentioned her prior acquaintance with Alec at all. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but after spending over four hours together, it seemed odd that she hadn’t said a single word about their shared past.

Their conversation had stuck to the upcoming banquet at Marquess Heslo’s estate and the banquet Afrosa herself was preparing. In the end, there were lulls of silence, and despite her exhaustion, Afrosa endured them while waiting for Alec’s return.

“Soon, I’m going to replace all the servants,” Alec said suddenly.

“Why?”

“There are people here who belong to Marquess Heslo.”

“I see. Was this mansion also provided by the Marquess?”

“No, it was purchased with funds I can independently manage.”

Afrosa nodded. Alec took a sip of sherry before beginning to explain the Castro family, his maternal relatives.

Alec’s mother, Eloise, hailed from a noble family, though not as influential as the Marquisate of Oppréesé. Nor was the Castro family as wealthy as Marquess Heslo. However, their lineage was more distinguished than either of the other two houses.

The family’s history, as Alec explained, was older than that of the Imperial family, dating back to before the founding of the Empire. It was said to be a lineage of great antiquity.

According to him, both families—the Imperial line and the Castro family—were offshoots of the royal lineage of the ancient Lapensino Kingdom, which was the foundation of the Empire. In essence, the two families shared a common ancestor.

By bloodline alone, whether paternal or maternal, there was no one in the land as noble as Alec. This was particularly true now, with the current Emperor being the eldest son but facing doubts about his legitimacy.

“My mother was chosen as my father’s second Empress solely because she was the daughter of an ancient and distinguished family,” Alec said casually.

“…”

“All my older brothers are the children of concubines. My father’s first Empress, Ertina, passed away without leaving any heirs. She became pregnant several times but suffered miscarriages each time.”

“…”

“Her last pregnancy resulted in a stillborn child. Unable to overcome the shock of losing the baby, she passed away. I heard that she suffered from severe postpartum fever and couldn’t recover from the trauma.”

Alec recited this indifferently, his face showing no hint of remorse. Afrosa glanced away from his serene expression, thinking of the deceased Empress. A woman with no blood ties to her husband. And yet…

What would it have felt like to give birth to a lifeless child after carrying it for ten months? To finally reach full term after numerous miscarriages, only to find the baby born without breath? How would it feel to lose the child you’d struggled so hard to nurture without even holding it?

Perhaps even more heartbreaking was the husband who replaced her, bringing in a young bride from a renowned family solely to produce a legitimate heir.

No matter how deep her grief, no matter how much she withered away in pain before dying, the Emperor replaced her to ensure the birth of a rightful successor—even after fathering so many other children that counting them required both hands.

How would she feel about the husband who handed over the palace she had cultivated and cherished for so long?

Would Alec become like that too, if he became Emperor? Afrosa lowered her gaze, pondering. If she failed to fulfill her role, would he cast her aside without hesitation and bring another woman to his side?

“Rose,” he called her.

Of course, he would. That was what an Emperor must do. The Emperor was a public figure, and Alec’s father had done the same. Even after his long-time wife had died miserably, he promptly filled the vacant position of Empress.

Not even a month after her death, he issued a decree to select a new Empress. It was a decision made for the sake of the Empire. Alec would undoubtedly do the same.

As an Emperor, personal feelings must be set aside. Even if it meant losing part of his humanity, Alec would have to live for the Empire. That was the path he had chosen.

And so, Afrosa…

“Hm?”

Lost in thought as her food grew cold, Afrosa belatedly responded to Alec’s call.

“What are you thinking about?”

She hesitated, debating whether to dismiss his question with a simple “Nothing.”