I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

[The best graduate of the commoner academy will be a baron!]

[This year, more than 300 commoners entered the academy.]

[Three academies for commoners will be built in the south of the country.]

All the articles with titles related to the Commoners Academy praised the imperial family.

It's already been three years since the Commoners Academy was built. During those three years, Raymond was constantly devising relief policies for commoners and the poor, starting with the Commoners Academy.

Naturally, some nobles expressed their disapproval of the policy of expanding the welfare of the commoners, but they were unable to resist the Emperor.

This was because as soon as Lisa disappeared, the power of the aristocracy was scattered and almost disappeared. In addition, the imperial power became more great when Duke Croft and Duke Drua, the dukedoms of the two main mountain ranges, naturally bowed to the Emperor.

Ellie gave a slight smile when she saw an article that wrote endless praise for the Crown Prince, who thinks of the people all the time. As the imperial power grew stronger, most of the newspapers also published only friendly articles about the imperial family. In fact, these newspapers were popular with the commoners.

The Emperor, who has been praised as a good leader for several years, the Empress who first established the Academy for Commoners, and the Crown Prince who tries his best to rescue the poor. The articles that people were cheering for weren’t fake.

Ellie set the newspaper down on the table as he looked at the praises of Crown Prince in the article.

“Are these all the newspapers?”

Ellie went through all the newspapers every morning. Although articles biased according to the composition of power were published, it was easy to see the situation of the Empire by comparing various newspapers.

‘But I think there are some missing today.’

Ellie turned to the maid when she saw the latest newspaper.

“Oh that's…” the maid avoided Ellie's gaze with an uncomfortable face.

It seemed there were articles in the newspaper that she didn't bring because they would offend Ellie. Ellie spoke quietly as if she was fine.

“I told you to bring everything because it doesn't matter if it's a bad topic. Hurry up and bring it.”

"…Yes, Your Majesty."

The maid who left the bedroom soon returned with two newspapers. As soon as Ellie received the papers, she raised her eyebrows directly at the catchy headline.

"Hmm…"

[The Emperor is so precious that even his descendants are precious]

[Will he be fine with only one Crown Prince?]

[The Prince's 8th birthday… What about the Agrita Empire?]

It was actually an article addressed to the Empress, that pretended to be concerned about the precious imperial family, but pointing that she was unable to give birth to any more imperial descendants.

One of the greatest virtues of the Empress was the succession production. Therefore, the previous Empress gave birth to at least two children, and if the Empress failed to have multiple births, the Empress's offspring was increased with the help of concubines.

They published an article that made sense in its own way. Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant article.

In fact, anxiously mixed words about imperial children have been arriving from time to time among the nobles for a year now. Although the imperial power grew stronger, it wasn’t that there were no nobles who opposed the imperial family for the commoners.

Since they don't dare to openly rebel against the Emperor, they attack with the topic of imperial children, the only weakness of the current imperial family. Raymond's rebellion dried up the seeds of the imperial family, and it was true that the Empress currently didn’t have any imperial descendants except the Crown Prince.

But it is the first time they have published an article so openly.

‘Has the solidarity of the nobles become stronger than expected?'

Ellie narrowed her forehead slightly, trying to see unnecessary strength grow. Just when she thought she should open the back of the newspapers, a low voice echoed above her head.

“They carefully wrote their barkings.”

Ellie, shaken by the vulgar words, looked up. Then a familiar and beautiful face caught her eye.

"Your Majesty."

It was none other than Raymond, the Emperor of this country, who uttered words that didn’t match the dignity of the imperial family. Raymond stopped next to her. Looking at the article, he scrunched up his face mercilessly.

‘A very unpleasant look.'

He was definitely a gentleman comforting her, but Raymond seemed to have taken a bigger hit. Well, he has always been sensitive to this problem.

Whenever words about the Empress's pregnancy surfaced, Raymond would first harden his face.

Raymond is sensitive because he knows her physical condition better than anyone. After the first miscarriage, the two had a hard time after being told that it would be difficult to have more children.

Ellie and Raymond already knew that although they miraculously gave birth to Carlisle, it would probably be more difficult now. In a way, the Empress's pregnancy problem was also a weakness that they couldn't deny.

Raymond was always over-setting the day, wondering if words would hurt her. Like now.

“How dare they write an article like that? …I don't need to see more,” Raymond recited coldly.

Unlike his sharp eyes, however, Raymond carefully took the newspaper from Ellie.

"Burn it all," Raymond handed the maid newspapers without hiding his unpleasant look.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Due to Raymond's sharp atmosphere, the maid quickly left the room, and he took a deep breath. After cooling off from the simmering heat, she looked down at Ellie.

Ellie wasn't looking at him like she was lost in thought. Unlike usual, her forehead slightly wrinkled and her eyes sunken.

‘Is Raymond taking worthless words to heart?'

Raymond called her name in a low voice.

“Ellie.”

Deep purple eyes captured him.

"Don't worry about that. They are just barking in dissatisfaction with the order to increase the taxes of the aristocrats starting this year.”

Raymond spoke lightly, but his eyes were filled with concern. Ellie stopped thinking because of his worries.

It would be a lie if many of those words about the pregnancy were right, but she wasn't hurt enough to worry Raymond. Ellie had already been through too much to be shaken by someone's fight or gossip.

Ellie smiled, putting his hand over Raymond's hand, which was holding his shoulder.

"I'm fine, Ray."

"Really? You don't have any smile around your mouth," Raymond caressed the corner of Ellie's mouth with his thumb.

"I was in thoughts for a moment."

"And what were you thinking about??"

"How should I deal with the shouting of the aristocrats?"

Ellie tried to get to her feet, holding harsh words ыhe didn't like to her mouth, as if to presume ыhe was okay. She didn't want to worry him, so she tried to ease the atmosphere, but her fingertips quivered as he touched the corners of her mouth.

Unlike the reaction she thought, his face strangely hardened.

Raymond's lips parted as Ellie, who was embarrassed for no reason, tried to pull away from his hand.

"Hmm… I've never imagined you saying such harsh things."

“Let's pretend you didn't hear…”

"That's very good. Say more, Ellie.”

"…What?"

Raymond drew a line at the end of his mouth. Ellie's face was colored with embarrassment at the strange energy that spread through Raymond's black eyes.

‘What… are you telling me to do?'

Ellie caught his hand running over her lips into her increasingly colored eyes.

"Your Majesty, your taste is quite strange."

“How can I not fall for Her Majesty's fascination, since she is an Empress who makes even vulgar words sound elegant?”

“When I seduced you…”

Raymond grabbed Ellie's hand, who was holding his finger awkwardly, as if swallowing it upside down.

"I can't take it at all, Ellie."

Raymond naturally grabbed her neck lightly with his other hand and kissed her plump pink lips. As if the petals were falling, he kissed her softly, lightly biting her soft lips.

Ellie, who had been hesitating for a while, soon smiled at the ticklish kiss as if giving it permission.

"It tickles, Ray."

"Then I should do it correctly so it doesn't tickle you."

A very low voice spread across her lips.

Ellie, feeling his warm breath, wrapped his arm around her neck as if she'd let him. And as if he had waited for her permission, he grabbed Ellie around the waist and sat her down at the table.

The newspapers on the table fell to the floor, and Ellie's eyes widened.

"No way. Here?"

‘What do you mean on the table… I have never been hugged by him in a place like this.’

"It's not bad to have this kind of diversion, right?"

He caressed her waist, rolled up the corners of his mouth.

As always, when Raymond smiled so beautifully, Ellie had no choice but surrender. The mesmerizing smile he made on his statuesque face was a great power.

Maybe it's a deviation that goes well with the first new word she has used.

"At least once… It wouldn't be bad."

As soon as Ellie pretended not to win and wrapped her legs around his waist, their lips met again.

Raymond's mouth filled with a satisfying smile, and heavy breathing continued to be heard in the Empress's room for quite some time.