677 – Double the Charge! – 2

Me, emperor, empress, situation. The problems that couldn’t be resolved even when four adults put their heads together tormented me even at the mansion.

A birth banquet befitting the status of the first member of the royal family to be born after the emperor’s accession, while showing off the solid succession structure of the Crown Princess. How big would it be to be able to kill two rabbits?

In fact, the best situation is for the second child to be born as a girl. After the first, the Crown Princess and the second, the 2nd Princess, the third, the 1st Prince, is born? Even so, no one would think that the third child would surpass his two older sisters and become the crown prince. If there is such a person, it is probably someone who has a personal grudge against the Crown Princess.

She said, ‘I can’t leave everything to chance.’

However, there is a 50/50 chance whether the second child will be a boy or a girl, and only Enen knows. It is too irresponsible to leave the succession structure of the imperial family and the peace of the empire to chance.

So, you have to think about it assuming that a son will be born. Our future is when a prince who is three years older than the princess appears in the world.

‘When was that?’

And what’s even crazier is that we don’t know when the first prince was born.

The human body is not a machine. When you enter the pregnancy date, the baby is not born exactly 10 months later. The child may be born earlier or later than expected.

In other words, we have a time limit, but we are embracing a crazy time bomb where we don’t know when the limit will be.

‘It’s terrible.’

My mind became dizzy. When will this time bomb explode? If the bomb explodes before the detonator is removed, it will be a hassle for a while. Can we handle it before that?

I don’t know. Nothing can be guaranteed. All I can do right now is pray to all the gods I know that my second child will be the second princess.

“Minister?”

“Huh?”

While I was staring blankly at the garden outside the window, I heard Eri’s voice and turned around.

Then I saw Eri, whose belly was greatly swollen, and Fine, who looked quite pregnant, walking down the hallway side by side. As the days are gradually getting colder, it seems like people are enjoying taking walks in the hallways instead of the garden.

“Why are you moving around when you’re just lying still? White must be tired.”

“I get more tired just lying down. How active Whiteyang is.”

At those words, I looked at Eri’s stomach

Certainly, if she is a child who inherits my and Eri’s blood, she will be far from her introverted personality. If mom stays in her bed, she is likely to lose her temper.

“You’re not dragging me to Fine just because you’re bored walking around alone, right?”

However, it is unacceptable to offer up Fine as a sacrifice to appease Hayang.

No, if Eri had been walking around alone in the first place, she would have thought it was a journey for Hayang, but with Fine by her side, she was just taking Eri along because she was bored. Even saying that Hayang is active could be an excuse.

“What are you looking at me for? I don’t go out of my way to harass my pregnant friend!?”

She was told that if she hadn’t been pregnant, she would have been harassed.

“Besides, Fine asked me to go with him before I asked!”

I heard that even if she was pregnant, she would have taken him with her if she was bored.

Still, I did my best to ignore the reasonable suspicion that was creeping up on me. Fine was the first to volunteer, and I thought it would be bad for Hayang’s prenatal education if she pulled Eri’s lips.

“Then it’s okay, but Fine, rather than move around too much, lie down as much as possible. North probably prefers to stay still because he doesn’t kick as much.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

Fine smiled softly at my words and massaged her stomach.

North. This is the name of the child born between me and Fine. The place where Fine and I first met was in the northern part of the empire, so the name was given to commemorate that.

I think it’s too much to name our children North, but haven’t we already filled our children’s names with nature and color? It wouldn’t be surprising if one direction was added.

Anyway, I decided to think that way.

“By the way, Minister. What were you doing here alone? Is there something in the garden?”

After saying that, Eri waddled over to my side and stuck her face out toward the window.

“Nothing special?”

“Just trying to organize my thoughts.”

She patted Eri’s head and sighed deeply.

That’s a good thing. I was devastated that Eri and Fine, who often saw me messing around with her hair about work issues, caught me, and I would have worried if the employees or other ladies caught me staring blankly at the garden alone. I almost spread the worries I had alone to those around me.

“Is it because of the second child?”

At Eri’s her words her her her her, her hand her that was patting her her head her her her her suddenly stopped.

“…How did you know?”

“My senior told me that my second child will be born soon, and it hurts my heart that I can’t congratulate him purely due to adult circumstances.”

I smiled bitterly without realizing it. As the Empress said, even though it is the moment when a new life is born, people cannot truly rejoice in that birth due to the dirty adult circumstances and politics.

It’s a shameful thing. What is the first thing the Empress sees when the second child in her arms she comes into the world? Is this the face of a parent full of joy? Or is it a look of relief or sighing after confirming the gender?

Of course, it should be the former, but looking at the current situation, it might go towards the latter. No human being has any memory of when they were born, but this is not a suitable sight to show to a child.

“It must be very difficult for Her Majesty the Empress.”

“If she wasn’t pregnant, she would have mixed it with alcohol.”

After hearing the comment without hesitation, I looked at the garden again.

It’s a strange thing. It was a more bitter word than anything else, but on the contrary, it clarified my complicated mind.

“Eri.”

“Neng.”

“Whether it’s the 2nd princess or the 1st prince, you’re probably not even a few weeks older than Hayang, right?”

“I guess so? “I got pregnant around the same time as you and I.”

And as I thought about Hayang, who would be born soon, and Book, who would be born in about half a year, my decision became even firmer.

It may be more accurate to say that I was finally able to see the answer I had been ignoring.

***

Shortly after the moon rose, the minister came.

It was an unexpected visit. It is rare for a minister to visit twice in one day, and it is even rarer for him to visit when it is dark. It is safe to say that this is the first time that these two cases occurred at the same time.

“A banquet commemorating the birth of someone who will be born soon. Let’s make it as grand as possible.”

But before I could even ask what was going on. The minister shook my head with a serious face and firm words.

“He is the first member of the royal family to be born since His Majesty’s accession to the throne, and isn’t this a once-in-a-lifetime commemorative banquet for him? So, it is our duty to congratulate him as best we can.”

“…Will it be okay? If it’s a daughter, there’s no problem, but if it’s a son, something unnecessary may come up.”

At the minister’s words, I finally opened my mouth that had been closed for a long time.

Those are happy words. It is the happiest thing for a father to have everyone congratulate him on the birth of his child and to celebrate it in a grand manner.

However, it is a decision that cannot be made easily as an emperor. Also, as a father, it is troubling because brothers and sisters may be at odds with each other, seeing each other as objects to be eliminated.

“I will take responsibility for my convictions.”

The minister dismissed those concerns in one word.

“Sosin is the godfather of Her Highness the Crown Princess. He is the Minister of the Inspector General, a member of the Honorable House of Nobles, and the owner of countless fiefs. He is a commander who is loyal to the northern nomads.”

He showed off the sword he had and comforted me.

“I will risk my everything to support Her Majesty the Crown Princess. Sosin’s family and the families connected to Sosin will mobilize their strength to support Her Majesty’s reign.”

“Minister.”

“So, Your Majesty, please do not worry. If there is anyone who dares to question Her Majesty’s authority and dignity Her Her, Her Majesty the Crown Princess, they must first overcome their convictions Her Her Her.”

Maybe he told me what I desperately wanted, what I wanted to hear.

Everything will be okay, there’s no need to worry. There is no need to do bad things to your soon-to-be-born child because of political issues.

“Minister, do you know that?”

He raised the corner of his mouth that had already risen and patted the minister on the shoulder.

“It was Livnoman’s Hongbok who made the minister the princess’s godfather.”

“These are great words.”

He looked down at the back of the minister’s head as he lowered his head and burst into laughter.

It was a situation where the child could have been hurt by the adults’ circumstances. The adult took the initiative and solved the problem. Even as he pledged to risk everything.

‘As a father, the minister is higher than me.’

A thought that I could no longer deny lingered in my mouth. After all, the father of six children is different no matter what.

No. He is the father of eight children, including those not yet born.

‘The first wedding was only two years ago.’

2 years. Even if you give it a long list, you could say that she had six children in about three years. No matter how many times I think about it, it is amazing.

After finishing the conversation with the minister, time had already passed until the Crown Princess fell asleep.

It’s a dangerous time. In this case, you may see her daughter sleeping soundly without being able to kiss her goodnight.

She wasn’t nervous, though. Perhaps because she had just heard the most reassuring words, her mind was surprisingly calm.

“Apppa!”

And when she arrived at the empress’ palace, she was greeted by the princess dressed in blue pajamas.

She was holding her crumbled piece of paper that the Crown Princess called her brother’s calendar.

“Our Crown Princess. Looks like she’s been waiting for this dad.”

As she approached the princess with a smile, the princess also opened her arms.

He’s an amazing kid. She took a stance to hug this dad.

“Ugh! Me! I have something to ask Dad!”

“Do you want to ask?”

“Wow!”

The Crown Princess, nodding her head repeatedly, began to flap her arms with sparkling eyes.

“My little brother! His name is Moya!?”

She thought of her own little brother who would soon be born.

“It’s a name.”

She felt joy and shame at the same time at that innocent look.

“I have a few things in mind. Would you like to choose one together?”

“Wow! Jo!”

She probably would have felt ashamed if the minister had not come.

“Mom too!”

“Yes, of course I should.”

Perhaps the Empress also gave birth to her second child in her sorrow.

Thanks to her ministers, the imperial family was able to maintain both dignity and happiness.