IDURHF 12-PART 3

Chapter 12

12. The First Night, Redone

The day after the wedding, His Majesty Aleksanteri—no, I should call him Alek now, since we are husband and wife—was taking a day off from his imperial duties.
I had no lessons for my role as empress that day, nor any urgent sewing work to do, so I intended to spend a quiet, leisurely holiday together with Alek.

As my maid helped me change clothes after returning to my room, she asked in a timid voice,

“How are you feeling, Your Majesty?”
“I’m feeling perfectly well,” I replied cheerfully.

Then I realized what she was actually asking—and my face turned red.
Yesterday had been our wedding day, and the night had been our first night.

Naturally, it would be assumed that Alek and I had done that sort of thing.
At the academy, in the lessons on physical education and womanhood, I had learned that such acts could place a strain on a woman’s body. They even taught us that the first time might be painful. Because of that, men were instructed to be considerate of their partners afterward, and women were told to rest their bodies.

In other words, Alek’s day off today had likely been taken so he could stay by my side in case I felt unwell after our first night.
And my day off, too, had been granted so I could recover.

Once I understood that, I was overwhelmed by embarrassment.
After all, I had fallen asleep before anything happened last night, so I was full of energy now. I wondered what the maid thought of that.
Another maid was probably in charge of changing the sheets in the imperial couple’s bedroom—did they share that kind of information among themselves?

Realizing that the Emperor and Empress had virtually no privacy at all, I thought Alek must have endured a very difficult life for years.
Now that I was Empress, I would need to get used to that too.

Alek said he liked me as I was, but for the people around us, my becoming Empress made everything different from when I was merely a candidate for his bride.

Breakfast, as relayed by the maids, was the same as usual.
Had I answered the maid earlier in a weary tone, they probably would have served something lighter for my supposedly “tired body.”

After breakfast, I went out to the courtyard garden to check on the vegetable patch.
Since the wedding had kept me busy the previous day, I hadn’t tended to it. I pulled weeds, watered the plants, and removed some pests.

While I was picking off a caterpillar, Alek appeared in the courtyard and called out to me.

“You really don’t mind insects, do you, Lacy?”
“No, I don’t. I’m wearing gloves, but I can touch them even without.”

When I tended the garden, I wore gardening gloves borrowed from the palace gardener to protect my hands.
After disposing of the caterpillar, I removed my gloves, washed my hands, and reached toward Alek. His large hand enveloped mine warmly.

Not wanting to let go, I invited him to my room.

“We’re leaving for our honeymoon the day after tomorrow, right? Will you be resting until then, Alek?”
“Yes. After working nonstop as Emperor for eleven years, I think I deserve a little rest.”
“Do you have any hobbies, Alek?”
“Reading, I suppose.”

I smiled. My own hobbies were sewing, embroidery, knitting, and caring for the garden. I also enjoyed making artificial flowers. Alek didn’t seem to have much time for such pastimes.

“I imagine Your Majesty never had much time for hobbies.”
“That’s true. I’m afraid I’m not a very interesting man.”

He looked down a little sadly, so I tried to cheer him up.

“Do you like riding horses?”
“Horseback riding? I don’t dislike it, but I’m not fond of hunting in packs with other nobles.”

For men, horseback riding usually meant hunting outings.
For me, it was simply a fun sport.

“I haven’t ridden since coming to the Imperial Palace. It’s so large here—surely there are places one can ride within the grounds?”
“Ah, that’s right. I had a horse prepared for you, Lacy. I heard you liked riding during your academy days. Shall we take a ride together?”
“Yes! I’d love that!”

At my bright response, Alek gave orders to the maids to prepare the horses.
He returned to his room to change, and I did the same, changing into a riding outfit with the help of my maid. Though women could ride in skirts, it was dangerous, so I preferred proper attire.

Alek, now dressed in his riding clothes, took my hand and escorted me to the palace entrance.
Two horses awaited us.

Mine was a bay mare with a white star-shaped mark on her nose. Alek’s was a slightly larger gray.

“Your horse is a gentle one, Lacy. Her name is Stella.”
“She’s adorable. Stella, pleased to meet you.”
“Mine’s named Astor.”
“Nice to meet you, Astor.”

After we each patted our horses’ noses, they seemed to respond happily.
I mounted Stella, and Alek climbed onto Astor.

The guards followed on horseback as Alek led the way.
We rode through the palace grounds and soon reached a forest. A cool breeze blew through the trees, carrying a fresh woody scent—it was refreshing.

When we dismounted, the guards quickly took the reins.

“I didn’t know there was a forest in the palace grounds.”
“The palace is vast. There are still many places you haven’t seen, Lacy.”
“Will you take me to them someday?”
“Of course.”

As we talked, a maid brought folding chairs so we could sit.
Side by side, we were served tea poured from a flask into cups.

It was midsummer, and we had worked up a sweat riding, so I gratefully drank it. Alek sipped his too.

When we returned from our ride, it was already lunchtime.
After changing clothes, we went to the dining hall.

During the meal, Alek smiled mischievously.

“You should look forward to dinner tonight.”
“Oh? Is there something special?”
“You didn’t get to eat anything at the wedding banquet yesterday, did you? I asked the kitchen to prepare the same dishes for tonight.”

Even though he’d seemed too busy greeting guests to notice, Alek had been watching me carefully.
I hadn’t eaten a thing during the reception, and he’d noticed how regretful that had made me.

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but the food looked so delicious.”
“I didn’t eat much either. Let’s treat tonight as our own private wedding party.”

How thoughtful and kind Alek was, to notice such little things. I felt deeply grateful to him.
When I looked up, his eyes had turned a faint shade of crimson, like the color of a sunrise, as he smiled at me.

For a moment, I remembered young Garne.
Whenever he got excited, his cheeks would flush pink, easily visible against his fair skin.

Garne had been adorable—but Alek, the man he’d grown into, was breathtakingly beautiful.
So handsome, so radiant, I’d once found it hard to even look straight at him. But as time went by, I grew used to it.

I wondered if Alek had also grown used to me—my ordinary face, my once frail figure, my still-small chest and slim build. At least my hair had gained some luster since moving to the palace.

After lunch, I spent time sewing in my room, while Alek attended to some unavoidable official duties in his office.
We had tea separately and didn’t meet again until dinner.

As he’d promised, dinner consisted of the same dishes from the wedding banquet:
meatball soup, steamed summer vegetables, sautéed duck, quail pie, and peach tart for dessert.

The bread was freshly baked—crisp outside, soft within, absolutely delicious.
I used torn pieces to wipe up the sauce and ate every bite.

“That was wonderful. Thank you, Alek.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Did you like it too?”
“Everything tastes better when I eat with you, Lacy. It was delicious thanks to you.”

Seeing him so satisfied, I relaxed completely.

After dinner, I rested a bit, then my maid helped me bathe.
She scrubbed me clean, applied fragrant oils to my skin and hair, brushed it smooth, dressed me in soft nightclothes, and sent me to the marital chamber.

Alek arrived soon after.

“Lacy, I love you.”
“And I love you too.”

He cupped my cheek gently and kissed me.
At first the kiss was soft, fleeting—but soon it deepened, and I surrendered myself completely to his embrace.