Contract Marriage: Rewritten - Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Translator: Yonnee
—
Maybe it was because it was nighttime. Normally, she would have muttered something about how it was better to stop thinking about useless things and just go to sleep, then climbed into bed.
But strangely, thoughts about Hyperion kept spiraling, one after another.
‘He was very open-minded about divorce.’
Perhaps it was because he already had the future in mind to some extent.
Right now, it was a situation where an heir was urgently needed in order to suppress the influence of the former empress and to stabilize and firmly establish imperial authority.
But would that be the case in the future?
He might fall in love with someone someday. And when that time came, the current empress would likely become an inconvenience. Maybe that was why he said he’d agree to a divorce at any time.
‘What kind of person would His Majesty like?’
Unlike the other imperial princes, almost nothing was known about Hyperion.
For the second, third, and fourth imperial princes, everything from their favorite colors and foods to the exact size they preferred their steak cut into had been shared in all sorts of trivial gossip.
Even so, aside from people like Signo who had been with Hyperion at the border, Laniakea was probably the person who knew the most about him.
That was thanks to the few meals they had shared together over the course of three years. Others hadn’t even had that small opportunity to spend time with Hyperion.
Recalling the few memories she had of him, Laniakea tried to imagine what kind of person he might like.
A dazzling beauty like the second prince?
A quiet, modest type like the third prince?
Or perhaps, like the forth prince, someone who was already married…?
“Ugh…”
Along with that thought, some unpleasant memories resurfaced. Laniakea rubbed her arms and shoved the contract into the drawer.
If she had time to think about this sort of thing, it would be better spent getting even a little more sleep. As soon as she opened her eyes, another busy day would begin.
Sliding under the covers, Laniakea felt herself growing drowsy and thought,
Whoever Hyperion marries in the future, it likely won’t be someone who he’d recoil against just from being touched.
* * *
Time passed, and at last, the day arrived for her to move to the main palace.
The day of their first night together.
According to imperial custom, the emperor and empress lived in separate palaces. However, their shared bedchamber was located in the main palace.
The empress’s palace, the main palace, and the emperor’s palace were arranged in that order, and since the empress’s and emperor’s palaces were entirely separate buildings, on days they weren’t sharing a bed, it was possible they might not see each other at all.
There was even a saying in the empire that people would gauge the state of the imperial couple’s relationship by how often the lights were on in the main palace.
‘Well… if they really got along, I heard they’d just go straight to each other’s palace.’
One of the books Laniakea had once read on imperial anecdotes said that the founding emperor and empress had holed themselves up in each other’s palaces for months at a time, making things difficult for the ministers.
They even had so many children that many of the current annexes in the imperial palace were built during that period.
Thinking of such trivial things, Laniakea stepped out of the main palace’s bath. Though it was called a bathtub, it was really more like a full-scale bathing pool.
As she stood, the waiting maids quickly began drying her off and helping her into her sleeping robes.
Watching them, Laniakea held back a sigh. Even someone like her, who had almost never been attended to before, could tell these maids were unskilled.
‘I’ll have to do something about this soon.’
Hyperion had dismissed all palace staff, except those responsible for general chores like maids and servants.
His actions weren’t strange. It was customary for the palace staff to change when the emperor changed.
The problem was that this time, the empress had been ousted so suddenly that there had been no proper handover, and most of the personnel in the palace—especially the empress’s palace—had been replaced without transition.
‘I need to start recruiting ladies-in-waiting immediately.’
Lucy had become one, but she couldn’t handle everything alone, and she had many shortcomings. After all, Lucy had originally been assigned as a bodyguard, not a lady-in-waiting.
Competent people were desperately needed, but she couldn’t accept just anyone. Some applicants were being recommended by various departments and noble houses, but she would still need to carefully select among them.
For any other imperial consort, it might not have been such a difficult task. They would have held banquets, built connections within high society, and received plenty of recommendations for suitable candidates.
But Laniakea, who hadn’t been active in social circles and had no personal connections, had no way of gathering that kind of information.
That concern lingered even after she entered the bedchamber. It was something she had to address quickly in order for the empress’s palace to function properly.
‘I don’t even have anyone to consult with about this.’
It was in that moment of thought—
“Laniakea? What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Laniakea looked up in surprise. What met her gaze was the well-toned, still-damp chest of a man.
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