“I did not expect that Her Majesty the Empress would value the lives of the few at the expense of the common good.”
"The greater good?
How does giving up my child serve the greater good?"
“If an imperial heir is born from you, won’t the political situation become more complicated?”
“Speak plainly.
Do you think I don’t know that you view the Pyrenees as mere barbarians and simply do not want to serve my lineage?”
Dr.
Lavarro took off his glasses with a frown and cleaned them with an elegant cloth, as if his shrinking eyes were only due to poor eyesight.
“Didn’t Your Majesty agree to prevent pregnancy?
Why do you change your mind now?”
“I have no desire to get involved in the empire’s politics, nor to bear the Emperor’s seed.
But since the situation has come to this, I must protect my child.”
“…this is great.”
Dr.
Lafaro tilted his head slightly, and his inorganic eyes scanned Yaris from head to toe.
“I never realized that Her Majesty the Empress had such a hunger for power.
To secure a place in the great empire by raising an enemy’s child.”
“Doctor, did you understand what I just said?”
“After all, you mean to produce a royal heir.
Even if it is the child of the man you despise.”
Yasiris closed her mouth and stared at Dr.
Lavarro.
Her hand instinctively tightened around her stomach.
"It's my child.
Not the Emperor's child."
“You talk as if you got pregnant on your own.”
“Isn’t it in my womb?
In any case, His Majesty the Emperor will not show interest in my offspring and will not grant me a claim to the throne.
So leave it as it is.”
At first, Yasaris considered aborting the baby as Dr.
Lavarro suggested.
But the more she argued with him, the more her decision changed.
Her child.
Life would come from her body.
Perhaps her offspring would be the only being that would share the warmth with her in this lonely cage.
Yasiris's heartbeat quickened.
She began to move away from her skeptical thoughts, and gradually felt a sense of hope.
She began to look forward to the birth of the baby.
What does it matter if Kazan is the father?
She will raise the child alone anyway.
Dr.
LaFaro responded coldly to her belief that it was as if she had gotten pregnant on her own.
“I warned you.
It is not good for Your Majesty to give birth to a royal heir.”
“Then let me warn you.
If anything happens to the child in my womb, I will accuse you of treason against the royal family, even if it is not of your direct doing.”
From the moment he introduced the pill, he had already committed a crime.
Yasiris gritted her teeth as she stood up, looking at the now stiff doctor.
“So help me.
Make sure my baby is delivered safely.”
“Crack-crack-
The sound of high heels echoed in the corridor leading to the Emperor's office.
Yasiris walked with purposeful steps, attracting many curious glances behind her.
It has been a long time since she as Empress entered the Imperial Palace.
Every time she visited him, the Emperor's mood would fluctuate unexpectedly, causing servants from the noble families to watch her every move warily.
What harm are you doing now?
Their gazes did not reach Yasiris.
Hiding her nervousness under an indifferent façade, she stood in front of the Emperor's desk and took a deep breath.
She replayed her last conversation with Dr.
LaFaro in her mind several times before she finally spoke.
“I announce my visit”
“The Empress is here to see you!”
After a short silence, Kazan's voice returned.
It was directed directly at Yasiris.
“Let her in”
Yasiris stepped through the open door held by the attendant.
As she walked over the carpet laid at the entrance to Kazan's office, she saw his hand lowering a pen.
“Have you seen the doctor?”
“Yes, Your Majesty”
“How did it go?”
Kazan looked Yasiris up and down with a hint of a smile.
Her eyes were calm.
Her lips closed in an expressionless line.
Strange body position.
At first glance, nothing seemed noticeably wrong.
Her skin was rather pale, as it had been for some time now.
“The insomnia was due to stress.
Along with the loss of appetite and other minor symptoms, I received a prescription to treat it.”
“I understand”
Kazan nodded in response to Yasiris's normally calm voice.
As he had suspected, or perhaps hoped, the answer that it was nothing serious was satisfactory.
To think that she was under so much stress that she couldn't sleep or eat properly.
Yasiris informed him in a steady voice, while Kazan frowned slightly at the mention of Runelia's tormenting behavior.
“After taking the medicine through my maid for a few days, I should get better.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, Your Majesty”
Yasiris quietly spun a lie and studied Kazan.
Fortunately, he seemed to accept it, and seemed convinced.
This lie was part of a deliberate plan with Dr.
LaFaro.
This advice was reasonable.
If it weren't for the later intentions, Yasares could have respected Dr.
Lavaro more.
Only I know about the Empress's pregnancy, so if we handle the matter calmly before it's too late, no one will knowYasiris pushed Dr.
LaFaro's bespectacled face out of her mind.
She did not fully trust the temporary alliance with the Doctor, but decided to listen to his advice.
Conceal the load and test the Emperor's reaction.
“I have been advised to refrain from strenuous activities until my body returns to normal.
It shouldn't matter much anyway, since Your Majesty has the Empress as a wife.”
Kazan glanced sideways at her at her unnecessary remark.
There was only one reason to mention Runelia as an alternative.
“It seems you refuse to share my bed.”
“I was just relaying the doctor’s words.”
Blue eyes and red eyes met in the air.
Kazan hadn't been particularly affectionate towards Yasaris lately, but the feeling of being rejected for no reason made him slowly get up from his seat.
“Is there a reason why I should follow these words?”
“Don't you care about my well-being?”
“Taking medication should be enough.”
“There is no need for you to sleep with me.
After all, no matter how much we intertwine, a child will never be conceived...”
“Empress”
Kazan, who suddenly appeared in front of Yasiris, bowed menacingly.
He looked at her sharply like a predator stalking its prey.
“Do you think I'm sleeping with you because of a baby?”
Yasiris was taken aback by Kazan's sudden intensity, but she managed to maintain a calm expression.
What does this mean?
Is he saying he doesn't want a child with Yasiris?
After treating her like prey all this time?
What are his intentions if she becomes pregnant?
Kazan examined carefully, not sure what to believe.
Considering how to get the information she wanted, she chose a direct approach.
“Isn't that true?”
Yasiris's question caused Kazan's lips to twitch awkwardly.
Although he always had something to say, this time he found himself at a loss.
His embrace of Lisaris was evidence of their relationship.
In addition to marking her as his property, he was tracing traces of their past through their constant contact.
Sometimes, when Yasiris gives in to his instinct and embraces him, he finds comfort.
This was the only time he was satisfied.
Now that she was here, the only thing he could take from Yasiris was her body.
So, isn't it inevitable that he realizes this at least to the fullest extent?
…For her, who saw him as an enemy, it would be endlessly damning.
“Do you still not understand your role?
You are nothing more than my prize.
Even if you give birth to a royal child, I have no intention of treating you differently, so abandon any vain hopes.”
Kazan's words were cold and decisive.
This was the nature of their relationship.
Building a happy family with Yasiris now was not within the realm of possibility.
From the moment she betrayed him, their fate was sealed.
Her hasty introduction into his life was only a complication of the empire's policy.
So…
“This means that you must present your body calmly as you have done so far.
This is your only use.”
Kazan did not wait for Yasiris' response.
He grabbed her head and swallowed her lips in one quick motion.
Ignoring her wide, astonished eyes.
Despite her shock and struggles, the inappropriate situation only increased her distress.
Her reckless provocation in his office was a mistake.
She didn't expect him to suddenly pounce on her.
Yasiris felt her mind slipping away, overwhelmed by the stress and shame of possibly hearing them outside.
This is not true.
They shouldn't do this...
The feeling that she had been reduced to a mere bedroom puppet tainted her emotions, turning them into a chaotic spiral.
Kazan's lips quickly wiped away the tears of misery that rolled down her cheeks.
It was a cruel and nauseating gesture.