CHAPTER 03
Milady had just picked a rose and was smelling its fragrance when she gestured for Julia to sit at the table first. Julia nodded and gracefully walked over to the chair opposite her.
“I’m doing fine, as you can see. I’m doing so well that I was getting bored, so I thought we could have a little chat. I invited our great King as well, but he turned me down, saying he was too busy. What an unlovable son. He hasn’t got even the tiniest bit of cuteness in him.”
“Ahahaha.”
Milady lightly teased him in a playful voice. Knowing full well how close the mother and son were, Julia laughed softly.
Even though her mother-in-law was approaching middle age, she was always cheerful and lively. As the two women exchanged updates about their lives and chatted about trivial things, attendants dressed in matching, sophisticated black uniforms brought out an extravagant array of dishes until the table was completely filled.
“Enjoy your meal, Your Majesty the Queen, Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”
“Come on, let’s eat. I hired a new chef, and his skills are quite impressive.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Julia smiled absentmindedly and picked up her water glass first. But when she saw Milady lightly pat the buttocks of the young chief butler who had just greeted her, she nearly spat out her water.
“Cough!”
“Oh my, are you all right, sweetheart?”
The chief butler, who had been smiling warmly at Milady, was startled and quickly offered Julia a handkerchief. Milady accepted it on Julia’s behalf, handed it to her, and sent him away. Then she watched Julia wipe her lips with amusement.
“What? Did I surprise you?”
“N-No. Not really. Just a little.”
“Oh, please. Your eyes went as round as a rabbit’s!”
Milady burst out laughing and began eating. Though her pupils were still trembling, Julia picked up her utensils as well.
“Dear, you just don’t understand because you’re young. Once you reach my age, you’ll understand. No husband, nothing to do. If I were an ordinary noblewoman, I might have remarried. But because I’m the former queen, I’m not allowed to remarry, and I can’t travel either. So I might as well have some fun this way. It’s surprisingly enjoyable to pick handsome young men who are my type and keep them around like flowers in a garden.”
“Oh… So that’s your type, Mother.”
Julia smiled awkwardly, trying to hide her bewildered expression.
Now that she thought about it, every young attendant serving them had been muscular. Their faces were fairly handsome, but they had strong features and thick beards, making them all look as though they had been coated in butter.
Come to think of it, Julia had heard that competition was always fierce whenever servants were recruited for the Grand Duchess’s palace. Apparently, once selected, they received plenty of affection from the Grand Duchess, so quite a lot of people coveted the position.
There were so many applicants that, starting last year, appearance had even been added to the selection criteria…
Respect everyone’s preferences. Respect everyone’s preferences!
Julia savagely cut into her innocent steak until it was practically shredded, desperately trying to erase the image of her mother-in-law patting a muscular man’s rear like he was an adorable puppy.
Fortunately, Milady did not make any more overly affectionate gestures toward her attendants and continued the conversation normally.
After an hour, their delicious lunch came to an end, followed by tea and dessert.
“By the way, dear, are you not pregnant yet?”
The unexpected question caught Julia completely off guard.
Clink!
Her silver fork dropped noisily onto the plate, and Milady burst into laughter at her adorable reaction.
“W-What do you mean by that?”
Julia’s entire face turned bright red. She had never once thought about such a direct question before and had no idea how to respond.
“What do you think I mean? You’ve shared a bed for twelve years, and I thought it was about time we heard some good news.”
Milady cast a mischievous glance toward Julia’s stomach. Julia hurriedly covered her flat stomach with her left hand and waved her other hand frantically.
“M-Mother, that’s… we haven’t, I mean, we…”
“Tsk. Is that boy impotent?”
“What?!”
Julia’s mouth fell open at the blunt remark.
Milady calmly sipped her tea and shrugged.
“You two are adults now. Your coming-of-age ceremony is only a few months away. The succession of a royal couple is always a matter of great concern.”
Her usually carefree mother-in-law had suddenly become serious.
Julia could only blink her gentle eyes, completely speechless.
“I’m not criticizing you. I became a queen consort myself after coming from a baron’s family, so why would I judge you over something like that? I’m simply saying that you need to have a child, whether it’s a son or daughter.”
“Oh.”
“Look at me. Even though I came from an insignificant background, I had a son, and now my later years are guaranteed to be comfortable. I can even keep all those sturdy young men around me.”
Milady pointed toward the attendants approaching from afar with a trolley carrying the final dessert and gave Julia a wink.
Julia instinctively turned to look in the same direction, only to be startled when one of the handsome attendants winked back at her with an attractive smile. She immediately straightened her posture.
“You do have the great honor of being beloved by the gods, but that won’t guarantee your future in your old age. Your father-in-law even publicly announced that he would pass the throne to an adopted heir. If Endymion were to die before you, it’s not as though you could simply return to Ametrine as an old woman. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
“Yes…”
Hearing that, Julia began wondering whether she had been living far too carelessly.
Even if she could be excused for not thinking about it as a child, this was something she should have planned for ever since Endymion ascended the throne at sixteen.
At the very least, she should have made a plan for herself, even if Endymion had not.
As though she had expected her innocent daughter-in-law to react this way, Milady folded her arms and set down her empty teacup. Then she crossed her legs and continued her advice in a gentle voice.
“I don’t know the exact details, but it’s been about three years since you and Endymion became physically intimate, hasn’t it? The fact that a young married couple still doesn’t have a child is a significant concern.”
“Um…”
Julia opened and closed her mouth in bewilderment.
Why on earth did her mother-in-law simply assume that she and Mion had been intimate?
And for three years?
How could she possibly think that a couple who had been together since they were seven-year-old children had suddenly begun such an intimate relationship the moment they ascended the throne?!
But I can’t exactly tell her that we still haven’t.
They had never even kissed.
But it was far too embarrassing to tell her mother-in-law the exact details of how far she and her son had—or had not—gone.
No matter how close they were, almost like mother and daughter, that was simply too awkward.
In the end, Julia could only sit there blankly and listen to Milady’s endless advice.
“Even if you’re not legally adults yet, sixteen is practically considered adulthood here. There are plenty of noble families where people marry around that age and have children. Semele may be peaceful, but everyone is desperate to secure their position, so they make sure to establish an heir quickly.”
It was quite different from the culture of Ametrine, where people generally began marrying at eighteen.
Most high-ranking nobles in Semele married at sixteen and had children before turning twenty.
Then again, people in Semele matured physically earlier than those in Ametrine, so perhaps it made sense.
The legal age of adulthood being twenty was really just a technicality.
From that perspective, Julia and Endymion were an unusual case: they had married unusually early at seven, yet had reached nineteen without having a child.
“Well, you’re still young, so there’s no need to worry just yet. I brought this up because you’re about to have your coming-of-age ceremony, and I wanted you to be more aware of the matter.”
“Yes… Thank you, Mother.”
Milady was not scolding her to produce an heir. She was offering advice because she genuinely cared about her daughter-in-law, who had nowhere to return to and no powerful family backing her.
Julia bowed her head sincerely in gratitude.
Milady pulled her chair closer and whispered with an understanding look.
“If you keep trying and still don’t become pregnant, you should consider whether Endymion really is impotent.”
“Mother!”
Honestly, where had she even learned such a blunt word?!
Milady was the one who had said it, yet Julia was the one who shrieked and covered her mouth with her hands.
Amused by Julia’s adorable reaction, Milady deliberately teased her further, laughing merrily as she patted Julia’s shoulder.
“Oh, I’m only joking. His eyes are practically burning! Whenever I see him like that, I get goosebumps all over.”
“His eyes are… burning?”
Julia touched her flushed cheeks and tilted her head.
Endymion’s eyes were famous for being as cold and distant as a freezing glacier.
They were somewhat gentler toward Julia, whom he had known for so long, but even with his own family, Milady and Iris, he was extremely reserved.
So what did she mean by his eyes burning?
Was she speaking ironically?
“Hm. Anyway, if you still don’t have a child, you should consider taking a concubine.”
“A concubine…?”
Today, Julia seemed to be doing nothing but staring blankly and asking questions.
But she couldn’t help it when one shocking statement after another kept coming at her.
A concubine?
That was by far the most shocking thing she had heard today.
Milady immediately waved both hands, as though worried Julia might misunderstand.
“Don’t take it the wrong way. I was a concubine myself, remember? Don’t be offended. It’s simply for the sake of producing an heir. Of course, it would be best if you could have one yourself, but if you try and try and nothing happens, there’s no helping it. Not every concubine becomes jealous of the queen. You just have to choose carefully. Someone like me, a young lady without ambitions. I never once envied the former queen, you know?”
What would happen if it were the other way around, though?
Julia raised the corners of her mouth into an ambiguous smile.
Milady and the former queen had apparently had a warm relationship while the latter was alive. That was largely thanks to Milady, who had never been interested in power.
Even so, Julia had heard that the former queen had inevitably found the situation somewhat troubling.
Milady, however, who was remarkably carefree and free-spirited, still seemed completely unaware of it.
“You understand what I’m saying, right?”
Even so, Julia nodded.
A baby and a concubine were rather bewildering topics, but her mother-in-law’s advice was genuinely meant for her benefit.
Julia decided that she needed to seriously consider the matter of succession before her coming-of-age ceremony and continued chatting with Milady for a while.
“But it seems you two are still newlyweds, huh? No matter how late Endymion finishes his work, I hear he sleeps with you every night. You both certainly have plenty of stamina.”
“Mother!”
“Hohoho! I’m only joking, only joking.”
“Goodness, Mother…”
On her way back, Julia shook her head repeatedly as she carried the delicious snacks Milady had packed for her.
Her maid, who was carrying the basket for her, asked whether she would like to take the garden route and get some fresh air.
Apparently, Julia’s face was still quite red.
“Yes. I think I’d like to take the cool garden path.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Grand Duchess’s palace had many spacious gardens, all designed according to Milady’s tastes.
Julia turned toward an area shaded by trees with a large fountain.
A baby…
Julia turned the unfamiliar word over in her mind.
After receiving formal education about puberty and reproduction, reading romance novels, and interacting with noblewomen at social gatherings, she was not ignorant about the subject.
But she had never actually applied that knowledge to her own situation.
Besides, Endymion was her husband, not someone she had ever thought of as a man in that sense.
Still, after her mother-in-law had so directly brought up pregnancy, Julia found herself becoming strangely worried.
What should I do? Could I really be with someone I don’t have feelings for?
She felt that having a child was probably necessary, but she simply could not bring herself to consider becoming physically intimate with Endymion.
He was her friend, her family, her younger-brother-like companion, and sometimes even someone who felt like an older brother.
How could she possibly do that?
From what she had learned, becoming physically intimate with someone without wanting to could be emotionally and physically difficult.
And Endymion doesn’t see me as a woman, either.
“I said I’ve never had such a reaction while thinking about the Queen.”
It had happened three years ago, but Endymion had definitely said those words.
Julia fidgeted awkwardly with her fingers.
Come to think of it, I was a little hurt back then… No! I only looked into it because I was curious.
She hadn’t conducted any serious investigation. It had merely been a little checking around.
But since Endymion had never been seen meeting anyone in particular, it seemed that whatever feelings he had for someone had ended as a one-sided crush.
Still, it was certain that he did not see Julia romantically.
Otherwise, at their age, after sleeping beside her every night, surely he would have shown some sign of affection.
Julia naturally loved Endymion.
He was the person she trusted and relied on the most, and the person with whom she felt safest and most comfortable.
But she wasn’t sure whether what she felt was romantic love.
Isn’t romantic love between a man and woman supposed to feel like sparks, butterflies, and a racing heart?
To Julia, Endymion was the one and only family member who was closer and more precious to her than even her biological father.
“Ah, my head hurts.”
She didn’t want to become physically intimate with Endymion, but she didn’t want to face an uncertain future like Milady had described, either.
Wouldn’t it be enough if I just made sure Mion ate lots of healthy food?
If Mion lived a long, long life and died after her, wouldn’t that solve everything?
Julia believed that Endymion wasn’t the kind of heartless person who would abandon the wife who had been with him for so long simply because they had no children.
She giggled softly at her own silly thoughts.
Then something suddenly rushed toward her and wrapped itself around her leg.
Julia was startled out of her thoughts.
