By Zephyria 
“What?”
The Empress leaped from her chair. Her ten fingers splayed wide, clutching at the empty air in a mixture of absurdity and humiliation.
“What do you intend to do with Cecile? You thunderstruck brat! Do you plan to use that child as your plaything?”
“Plaything? You speak absurdities.”
Alexis showed no agitation. However, contrary to his calm voice, the gaze he leveled at the Empress was as cold as ice.
“I will look after Cecile more preciously than anyone else until the day I die. But he will never be your child. Cecile will remain by my side, as mine and mine alone.”
Alexis slowly pushed back his chair and stood up. Because of the significant difference in height, he couldn’t help but look down coldly upon the Empress.
“This is my proposal.”
“Ha, a proposal? Not a notification? Where do you get off babbling nonsense and calling this a negotiation!”
Alexis gave a light scoff. He straightened his clothes—which were hardly wrinkled—signaling that he intended to end the conversation.
“I will give you three days. I suggest you spend that time considering what is more beneficial for you and make a wise decision.”
He wasn’t worried about the outcome of the negotiation. Even if she was raging like a fire now, the choice the Empress would make was obvious.
Alexis left the audience chamber first. As soon as he stepped outside, Cecile clung to him like a magnet. Seeing that their joined hands were sticky with sweat, it seemed Cecile had been quite anxious on his own.
“How did it go?”
“Hmm, well. As expected.”
“I could hear the shouting all the way outside….”
Emerald eyes busily scanned Alexis’s face. It was a look of worry, as if fearing he might have been scratched.
“My mother… has a bad temper, so she tends to swing her hands when she’s angry.”
“I can’t tell if you’re defending the Empress or putting her down.”
Alexis laughed and swept Cecile up into his arms. Despite the numerous royal guards and attendants lined up around them, he kissed Cecile. He looked so happy that the corners of his eyes curved into a red hue.
Cecile hurriedly grabbed him and whispered in his ear.
“Alexis, please! Stop it. There are so many eyes watching.”
“Then you shouldn’t have been so pretty. I’m not the one at fault. It’s because you looked at me like that.”
Kisses rained down evenly across his lips, the bridge of his nose, and both cheeks. A massive wave of affection crashed over him. Giving up on checking their surroundings, Cecile wrapped his arms around Alexis’s shoulders in return.
Just then, the door to the audience chamber burst open, and Empress Elizabeth saw the scene. A gasp, almost like a scream, escaped her, and a look of horror spread across her face.
“Good heavens!”
The Empress staggered. The attendants by her side supported her as she nearly collapsed, but she shuddered and shook off the hands clinging to her.
“Two madmen have truly found their match!”
The heavy hem of her dress fluttered as she turned. Before leaving, the Empress hurled a piece of vitriol filled with genuine sincerity. Cecile looked slightly surprised, but Alexis simply let the Empress’s words slide.
“I suppose even in the Empress’s eyes, we look well-suited?”
“…What?”
Cecile burst into laughter at the absurd remark. He shook his head and eventually buried his face in the crook of Alexis’s neck.
No matter what kind of madness ensued, it felt like everything would be alright as long as he was with Alexis. He did not doubt that Alexis would be a steadfast shield for him, and he vowed to protect this man with all his heart.
As Alexis predicted, the Empress accepted the proposal before long. Furthermore, as if conscious of the lack of time, she moved into action immediately. Though she claimed to be young, the Emperor was quite advanced in age, so she seemed very urgent.
Word reached Alexis’s ears that she was researching health foods and methods to ensure a successful conception. Needless to say, she attended to the Emperor every single night.
Perhaps thanks to the Empress’s active efforts, a child was conceived quickly. Emperor Arnold could not hide his joy at having a late-born child, and the entire empire, including the Imperial Palace, sincerely congratulated her and prayed for a safe delivery.
As days passed, the venom left the Empress, and she became gentler than her original personality. Whether it was due to prenatal care or because she had finally conceived the imperial seed she so desired, it was clear that she looked happy.
“I would like you two to name the child when it is born,” the Empress said, stroking her swollen belly. Her relationship with Alexis had softened to the point where they could now gather for tea.
“Since we don’t know the gender, we should prepare two names.”
“It’s definitely a girl. The shape of the belly is different from when I carried Cecile.”
The Empress, who had been wearing a gentle smile, suddenly sharpened her gaze.
“You know that a daughter can also become the successor, right?”
Alexis nodded with a smile. Then, he hid the corner of his mouth, which had curled upward, behind his teacup. He thought things had been quiet lately, but as expected, the Empress’s greed never truly vanished.
After finishing the short conversation with the Empress, the two strolled through the Imperial Palace. Holding hands tightly without regard for anyone’s gaze, they looked at peace. By now, there was no one in the palace who didn’t know about their relationship.
Walking slowly, Cecile spoke.
“To think I’m getting a sibling… it still doesn’t feel real.”
“Even after seeing that huge, swollen belly?”
Alexis gave a small scoff. His slow pace came to a complete halt. When Cecile stared at him with wide eyes as if he had something to say, Alexis shifted his shoulders and took a posture for a serious conversation.
“Alexis, are you truly confident that you can love that child?”
“I can’t guarantee love, but I must take responsibility. That child is a necessary existence, even for the sake of the empire.”
“But it’s not your child.”
Alexis gently rubbed the brow bone of Cecile’s forehead. Deep affection seeped through the touch.
“Do you want me to make a child?”
“…….”
“Even if you did want that, I don’t think I could grant that particular request.”
The bridge of his smooth nose wrinkled. He forced a smile.
“Cecile. I have no intention of taking concubines. There will be no children of my own. Until the day I die, I will not embrace anyone other than you.”
“I….”
Cecile stopped mid-sentence and bit his lip.
Just imagining the process of Alexis embracing another woman and having a child with her made his heart burn. Since he was jealous enough of a non-existent opponent, he couldn’t continue pretending to be generous.
“I’m not generous enough to yield you to someone else.”
“Of course. That means you love me that much, doesn’t it?”
A bright smile spread across Alexis’s face. In that moment, he spoke with the happiest expression of all.
“Be as greedy as you like. Because I intend to do the same.”
Cecile chewed the inside of his lip for a long while before hugging Alexis around the waist.
“I won’t give you to anyone. I’ll monopolize you for the rest of my life.”
In response, Alexis lightly bumped the tip of his nose against Cecile’s. It was a private expression of affection that served as a substitute for a kiss.
“That is exactly what I hoped for.”
The Empress’s water broke after eight months. It was a premature birth, followed by a difficult labor.
After a grueling three-day struggle, the child was born, and fortunately, the baby was healthy. As she had predicted, it was a beautiful princess.
“So pretty.”
Cecile gazed endlessly at the baby lying in the cradle.
“Nice to meet you, Briana Lynn Graham.”
As Cecile called her name, the baby’s plump lips fluttered. Briana seemed to be in a very good mood, perhaps because she had been fed her fill of milk.
“Did you see that? She just smiled at me!”
“She probably doesn’t even know what she’s seeing yet.”
Alexis was quite indifferent toward the baby. Still, as if he couldn’t help but be drawn in, he kept glancing into the cradle.
From the moment of her birth, Briana became second in the line of succession to the throne. Cecile didn’t mind at all that his own rank had been pushed back. Rather, he seemed genuinely happy to have a sister he could adore.
Cecile placed both hands into the cradle and carefully lifted Briana. Since she was only about the size of an arm and so light, Cecile was extremely mindful of his movements. Once he sat her securely with the help of a nanny, a smile finally returned to his tense face.
Wow, that baby smell! Cecile buried his nose in her soft cheek and let out an exclamation of emotion. Briana, held in his arms, was so pretty and precious that he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Alexis, do you want to try holding her?”
“You can love her enough for the both of us.”
Alexis shook his head, stepping back. He said that since she was already receiving plenty of love from everyone, there was no need for him to step in.
He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. His tilted face was directed toward Cecile. Seeing Cecile’s clumsy but sincere devotion, a smile naturally escaped him.
“Looking at her now, she looks just like you.”
“Right? I thought so too.”
Briana had dazzling golden hair and deep green eyes. It was natural since she inherited the genes of the Emperor and Empress, but within those features, the faces of Cecile and Alexis were also reflected.
If we could have had a child, would they have looked like this?
Alexis swallowed a laugh at the vague imagination. His gaze became even warmer. Perhaps he might end up being quite fond of his late-born little sister.