Episode 41: Succeeding the throne (2)
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“Don’t we have work to do?”
Aristine asked the three men.
Seeing the serious look in her eyes, their faces also sank and became serious.
“Right, we do.”
The three men exchanged glances and nodded.
With a wave from Tarkan, the court ladies went out to bring something.
‘What’s going on? Have they already written a contract?’
She thought they were just playing around, but surprisingly, they were doing everything they needed to do.
However, what the court ladies brought was quite different than Aristine expected.
“Wait, why is it a mirror…”
An enormous mirror was propped right in front of Aristine.
“They say stimulating the five senses is important for the baby.”
“So far, we’ve done a lot of stimulating with taste, touch, hearing and smell, right?”
“But we haven’t done very well with the visual stimulation.”
Aristine looked around.
A band was playing a song, and freshly blooming flowers were spread around the room, showing off their scent.
Whenever she felt fetal movement, she patted her stomach and talked to the baby, and while propelling the barrier project, she naturally touched and assembled the prototype.
After her morning sickness subsided to some extent, all kinds of delicacies were brought to Aristine’s mouth, so she had no way to refute.
Just as they said, they had accomplished exceptional prenatal stimulation with hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
So, she understood that they wanted to stimulate the baby visually but…
‘Why is it a mirror?’
“The baby needs to see good things and pretty things.”
The moment Tarkan spoke, Aristine turned to him with bewilderment on her face.
“Wait, so right now…”
To stimulate the baby with good things, they were using a mirror…so the baby could look at her face.
‘Wow…you cannot be serious.’
You couldn’t even call this overindulgence. This man was past overindulgence.
This was just…just from another dimension.
At the same time, she was embarrassed.
To say something so absurd in front of her belder brother and her father-in-law…
She couldn’t even turn her head because she was too ashamed to see the look on the other two’s faces.
Just as she expected, Launelian and Nephther spoke one after another.
“At first, I thought it would be good to have a famous masterpiece.”
“Right, but indeed, it would be better to see a living work of art created by God himself.”
However, their reactions were different than Aristine expected.
The three of them were even looking at each other and smiling warmly as if they were very satisfied with the decision.
Now that she thought about it, when Tarkan was talking about stimulating the 5 senses, the both of them were adding their input.
The moment she figured it out, Aristine broke out in goosebumps. Her fingers were curling at this revelation and Aristine rubbed her arm roughly.
Even someone like her, who considered herself shameless, could not handle it. Maybe she had assimilated into society a little too well, but she simply couldn’t bear it.
‘I want to disappear…’
Aristine groaned and told them to take the mirror away.
The three men protested, claiming they need to provide proper prenatal stimulation, but Aristine ignored them.
‘Seriously, it’ll be better for me to do it, than have these guys be emperor or what not.’
She even inadvertently had immoral thoughts.
‘Maybe this is why God Visnatev chose me to be the next emperor.’
She suddenly began to trust God’s decision.
Aristine looked at the three depressed men with dull eyes, then she paused.
The sight of a middle-aged man and handsome men of different style looking at her with sullen eyes…
On the one hand, was an aristocratic and arrogant man with sophistication and elegance.
On the other hand, was a man with a wild nature and a presence that erred almost on violent.
And Nephther was not to be set aside.
The lofty noblewomen of Silvanus couldn’t stop sighing when they saw his broad shoulders and tight body that hid his age completely.
‘Hmm, the prenatal stimulation might be doing just fine already.’
The thought suddenly flashed through her mind and she had to agree.
“What’s wrong?”
Tarkan asked after Aristine had stared at them in silence for a good while.
Aristine simply replied.
“In the middle of visual stimulation.”
An enormous silence followed.
‘What, you three started it first. What’s with this reaction?’
She couldn’t understand.
Aristine did not withdraw her gaze.
Right then, Launelian stepped forward with a determined look on his face.
“Yes, look at cool and handsome things. Big brother is the best, right? Watching me will be the most helpful for prenatal stimulation.”
Tarkan’s eye twitched at those words.
He subtly unbuttoned another button on his shirt.
Then he took Aristine’s hand and placed it on his chest.
“Touch stimulation is also important.”
Aristine looked at her husband’s face, enjoying the feel of his chest as if mesmerized.
‘Wow, prenatal stimulation is the best.’
Just as she thought that, a thudding sensation came from her stomach. Like it was telling her to come to her senses.
‘Ah, that’s not right.’
Aristine frowned, taking her hand away from the wicked chest that was bewitching people.
“Actually, I’m thinking about the succession to the throne,” Aristine confessed.
If Aristine became the emperor of Silvanus and Tarkan became the king of Irugo, their children would have the right of succession to both countries.
They could have a second child and give one to each of them, or they could pass it on to a niece/nephew but…
‘If we pass the throne to a niece/nephew, there is a good chance it will cause political divide and another political conflict…’
And then, there was the biggest problem of all.
Where would the royal couple that was Aristine and Tarkan reside?
The residence of a ruler was a very important issue.
How would the people react if the emperor of Silvanus conducted government affairs in Irugo or if the king of Irugo conducted government affairs in Silvanus?
There might be days when they were together, but she would have to spend time most of the time apart from Tarkan.
‘I don’t want that.’
Since their child had the right to inherit both countries anyway, she was also considering a unification.
‘That’s not an easy task, but…’
The possibility was still there.
Throughout the continent, many countries have merged through royal marriages, and it was a common occurrence on Earth in her previous life as well.
‘If I can persuade the three of them and we join forces, convincing the nobles and the people would be…’
“Ah, did I not mention it?”
Launelian asked with a tilt of his head.
Before Aristine could even question him, Tarkan replied as if it was obvious.
“Our child will have to go through trouble to unify both countries, so we’ll have to lay the foundation first.”
Aristine tilted her head in confusion.
Because Tarkan’s words were premised on a certain condition.
“Wait, it sounds like you’re saying you’re going to integrate the two countries…or at the very least unite them.”
When Aristine said that, the three of them looked at her as if she was asking something so obvious.
“Rineh, even if you give up the throne, your child will have to succeed the throne of Silvanus. After your 〈Enlightenment〉, the only ones born with abilities will be your immediate descendants.”
It would be different if Aristine died, but it was meaningless to consider that notion.
“Personally, I can’t be apart from you. From now on, even if you tell me to go somewhere else, I won’t do it.”
Tarkan hugged Aristine tightly and said.
He seemed to have been hit hard by the fact that Aristine almost died while he was away.
‘I understand both of their views but father…’
Aristine met Nephther’s eyes, and he slowly opened his mouth.
“Rineh, your establishment of a road in the demonic beast plains goes beyond acting as an exchange route for both countries. It will act as a cornerstone for integration between our two countries, will it not?”
“…Yes.”
“Even I can’t imagine how much of a benefit that road will bring to not just us, but to the entire continent.”
Opening a distribution channel didn’t only increase the amount of product exchange.
“Our hostilities have lasted long.”
Nephther closed his eyes. His voice steeped in regret.
“The reconciliation between our two countries brought peace last year and mankind achieved new heights.”
He was not just talking about the changes brought about by Aristine’s stainless steel.
As technological alliances and cultural exchanges occurred, people’s livelihood and thoughts began to undergo changes.
“I can only wonder what other heights this integration will bring about.”
It was bound to have a huge impact on the entire continent, going beyond the development of the two countries.
“Above all, Rineh, I want the child between you and this silly son of mine to rule Irugo, and if they feel the same way as well, unification is not a hard thing to decide.”
In other words, it was satisfactory to him, both as a king and as a father.
“Father…”
“You can hug me.”
At Nephther’s words, Aristine quickly hugged him.
“I can’t believe a unification was decided so easily…”
Aristine mumbled and Nephther shook his head at her words.
“It is definitely not an easy decision. But Rineh, it was made possible because of you. Look what you have accomplished.”
It was not just one result, but the many things Aristine did that came together and created this current result.
“The people of Silvanus are already crowning you the new emperor, and I’ve heard they are many in Irugo who want to crown Tarkan because they want you as queen.”
“Despite being hostile for a long time, the sentiment between our countries is very amicable now.”
“Rineh, you are the one who became that link.”
“Silvanus and Irugo ultimately share the same roots, so if we frame it as reuniting a divided country, the integration will be accepted more smoothly.”
Aristine fell silent at the words of Launelian, Tarkan, and Nephther.
Her heart was strangely fluttering in her chest. It was noisy, like a bird flapping its wings.
When she closed her eyes, she saw the bird soaring into the wide sky.
“I thought the first step would be to convince the three of you, but I guess that’s not necessary.”
Aristine opened her eyes and smiled.
“You have already decided on the justification and course to proceed.”
She placed her hand on her stomach.
A new future was growing inside.
*.*.*
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Just like that, huh? 😂
Just when you think they’re doing nothing, they’ve already done everything.