I Married a Sick Husband

Theodore’s face quickly hardened as he looked at the contents of the box without any expectations.

 

Meredith, who hadn’t yet seen the expression hidden on his bowing face, smiled brightly and said.

 

“Congratulations on your birthday, Your Majesty.”

 

“You—”

 

Theodore opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

 

“What is this?”

 

“It’s a teddy bear.”

 

After answering, Meredith asked just in case.

 

“Does it not look like a teddy bear?”

 

That wasn’t possible. Diane had told her that it was a pretty teddy bear no matter how one looked at it.

 

At Theodore’s question, Meredith suddenly became anxious.

 

“Now this… It’s my gift?”

 

“I asked Sir Felix, and he said that the first thing Your Majesty said he liked was a teddy bear.”

 

“….”

 

“So I prepared this. I’ve been thinking about other things, but it seems like Your Majesty already has everything of value.”

 

“… Did you make it yourself?”

 

“Yes, I made it myself.”

 

Meredith grinned.

 

“So it may be a little sloppy, but it’s full of my sincerity.”

 

She added, stroking the chin of the brown furry teddy bear.

 

“I’m not making an excuse, but it’s the reason why I went downtown. I was looking for the red ribbon on the bear’s chin.”

 

“….”

 

Theodore said nothing, only stared at it.

 

It was a small teddy bear, perfect for holding while sleeping.

 

Its eyes and nose were decorated with black glass buttons, and a ribbon was tied around its neck.

 

The doll had everything from the fabric to the buttons and ribbons selected and sewn personally by Meredith.

 

“Of course, you are older, but there is no rule that says only children should have dolls. It’s good for your Majesty’s insomnia….”

 

Meredith failed to finish her sentence, because, at that moment, Theodore hugged Meredith tightly.

 

Meredith’s body went stiff at the unexpected gesture.

 

She looked at Theodore with a puzzled look on her face.

 

“Your majesty…”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

After a while, she heard a soft voice coming from him.

 

“Thank you, Empress.”

 

“….”

 

“Sincerely.”

 

Although it was merely a few words, it was enough for her to feel his sincerity.

 

Because he was crying.

 

It was easy to guess from Theodore’s trembling voice.

 

Meredith was taken aback by his unexpected reaction.

 

‘What I expected was a smile…’

 

‘But tears…’

 

For Meredith, it was an embarrassing situation.

 

So, she couldn’t push him away, instead, she chose to cautiously question him.

 

“… Are you okay?”

 

“… Yes. I’m okay.”

 

He answered, his voice still quiet.

 

“It’s alright. It’s just… I never thought of this kind of situation.”

 

“….”

 

“I’m so surprised. And my heart… … I feel so gloomy today. I guess it’s because it’s my birthday.”

 

It was really just a dull thing.

 

It had been a while since he had last met Fabian, and it had been even longer since he had received a gift, not out of formality.

 

It was all so long ago that it was emotionally difficult for him.

 

“….”

 

Meredith thought that Theodore’s reaction was unusual, but instead of asking him any more questions, she gave him a gentle pat.

 

Just like that, for a long time, he stayed in her embrace.

 

“Are you okay now?”

 

Only after judging that he had calmed down to some degree, Meredith dared to ask that question.

 

After regaining his senses, Theodore nodded with a slightly red face, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed.

 

In fact, he himself didn’t know if his face had reddened due to embarrassment or tears.

 

“I don’t know if you liked the gift.”

 

“I really liked it a lot.”

 

Theodore answered quickly.

 

“It’s actually the best gift I’ve received so far. Almost no one has ever given me such a thoughtful gift.”

 

‘What kind of life had he been living?’

 

Even though she really wanted to ask him, the idea that it wasn’t the right time kept holding her back.

 

‘But even if one didn’t ask, it’s not very difficult to guess vaguely.’

 

It seemed like it must have been a lonely life just as much as her own.

 

Meredith smiled faintly and said to Theodore.

 

“From now on, please sleep holding the doll I gave you. To some extent, it should be helpful with your insomnia.”

 

“… Okay. I will do so.”

 

He answered in a voice that sounded like a quiet sigh.

 

“I will.”

 Chapter 12. Discordance 

When the next day dawned, two guests visited Blair before Meredith.

 

The first was the Duke of Schwartz.

 

“Greetings to Her Highness, the Empress Dowager.”

 

Blair may have been reading a book, as she was wearing her spectacles.

 

“What’s going on so early in the morning, Duke Schwartz?”

 

Blair, seeing Duke Schwartz, asked in a sharp voice.

 

Duke Schwartz seemed to know why she was in a bad mood. No, he knew it very well.

 

Blair was a person who cared for her son more than anyone else.

 

The same son almost got into big trouble the previous evening.

 

… All because of his own daughter.

 

‘I should have stopped Catarina from doing that yesterday!’

 

She had planned the entire fiasco without even consulting him, leaving him clueless about the situation.

 

Everything had unfolded at such a fast pace that there was no time to stop it.

 

“In the past, have you ever come to visit me so early?”

 

“Your Highness the Empress Dowager, I have come before you to apologise for what had happened at His Majesty’s birthday banquet.”

 

“An apology? You just happened to arrive at a good time, Duke Schwartz.”

 

Blair spoke in a cold voice.

 

“Princess Schwartz need not come to work at the Empress Dowager Palace starting tomorrow. You can take her with you when you leave.”

 

“Your Highness the Empress Dowager, what do y…!”

 

“It is as I said. I can no longer have Princess Schwartz as my maid.”

 

Blair firmly stated.

 

“If I do not do this, then my image will be tarnished. I wonder how much Princess Schwartz’s reputation has fallen in the social circles by now.”

 

Blair asked, slightly raising the rim of the glasses she was wearing, “You must be aware of this without me having to say it, right, Duke?”

 

“Your Majesty the Queen Mother, are you saying you will abandon Schwartz?”

 

“I never said that.”

 

Blair drew a line.

 

“Did you forget? The reason we joined hands was because we thought we could help each other.”

 

“…..”

 

“But Princess Schwartz is of no help to me now.”

 

It was true.

 

The Duke of Schwartz would have done the same if he had been in Blair’s position.

 

As such, the current position of the Schwartz family was very precarious in the social world.

 

“And it wouldn’t be appropriate for Princess Schwartz to remain my maid now.”

 

“I understand what you mean. But Your Highness, please give my daughter one more chance….”

 

“I think I’ve already given her that chance.”

 

Blair pointed out sharply.

 

“I heard that Princess Schwartz burst into the Empress’s tea party last time and caused a scene.”

 

“Well, that’s….”

 

“I should have been careful back then. There is no need to act rashly like this again.”

 

Blair sighed.

 

“The child who will become my daughter-in-law has disappointed me in many ways now.”

 

“Your Highness the Empress Dowager, please show mercy just this once more….”

 

“My decisions shall remain unchanged, Duke. Tell the princess to remain quiet and not behave recklessly anymore.”

 

Blair said firmly in a displeased voice.

 

“Unless you really want me to change my partner.”

 

The last sentence was clearly a threat.

 

“… I understand what Your Highness the Empress Dowager means.”

 

In the end, Duke Schwartz had to quietly step down.

 

“I will take my daughter home and watch her very carefully. There will be absolutely nothing to worry about from now on.”

 

“Yes. The Duke is a clever man, and I believe you understand what I mean.”

 

Blair finally smiled.

 

But Duke Schwartz couldn’t laugh.

 

He decided that there was no benefit to staying before Blair for too long and quickly retreated.

 

“….”

 

And as soon as he disappeared from her sight, Blair’s expression became cold once again.

 

‘Do I really need to change partners?’

 

From Blair’s point of view, it would have been better if her partner wasn’t Duke Schwartz.

 

Now, any power that is dissatisfied with the emperor can be elected.

 

There were also many families that wanted to become contributors to the rebellion by electing the new emperor.

 

To Blair, the Schwartz family was becoming less and less attractive.

 

‘I have to find out soon.’

 

It was at that moment when Blair closed the book she was reading and was about to fall into contemplation when—

 

“Your Highness the Empress Dowager, Prince Fabian has arrived.”

 

The second guest had arrived.

 

It was her own son, whom she had been anxious to see.

 Kofi donated by HeathBar (1/5)