I Don't Need A Husband - Chapter 67
Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi
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Chapter 67
“What do you want from me? I know you’ve worked hard for my illness. What do you want?”
“Will you listen to everything if you want?”
“If I can listen to it.”
“Give me the position of Larchen’s consort.”
“Nonsense.”
Responding lightly to Usman’s words, Isilis was about to go.
“Why, is that position given to Berthas Hillenton?”
“Usman Khalifa.”
“Why can’t I?”
Even asking Isilis was useless. She didn’t even know why does it have to be Berthas Hillenton or why does her heart move for him. She didn’t know.
“I cannot tell you what I do not know.”
“Isilis.”
“I hope you don’t call me that anymore.”
“Worrying that Berthas Hillenton will misunderstand?”
“He’s not that narrow-minded.”
“He’s not?”
Usman’s reaction conveyed his disbelief, prompting her to regard him with a perplexed expression. The Berthas Hillenton she knew was such a person. He had always shown kindness towards her and accepted her flaws without judgment… that was the Berthas Hillenton she knew.
Usman, who was about to say more to Isilis, chose to keep silent.
“I don’t need any compensation.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t help you to get that.”
“Then…”
“What I wanted was you. But since you don’t come to me, my efforts are in vain.”
“I’m sorry.”
He instinctively felt Isilis’ face was showing a really sorry expression. It was clear that no matter what he said or did, she would not come to him.
‘…Is it time to leave?’
It has been a long, long time.
“Isilis.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Sorry.”
“What did you say?”
“I said sorry.”
“What is there to be sorry about? For calling me…”
“No. I’m sorry.”
He was sorry. He was sorry she got a mental illness, and he felt guilty for resorting to superficial tactics to distance her from Berthas Hillenton. He felt sorry for her because she lost her radiant smile and even sleepwalked.
With a bitter smile at his cowardice for not being able to confess everything, he uttered to Isilis.
“Will you forgive me just once?”
“Forgive you?”
“Yes. Forgiveness.”
“I don’t know what you did, but I forgive you because you did so much for me.”
“Thank you.”
Unable to impede his departure, she found herself in a state of disarray. Seeking solace, she redirected her attention to the garden outside her office. Convinced that sitting amidst the serene ambiance and feeling the gentle breeze would bring some relief, she made her way to the garden.
Settling down at a table, she was served a cup of carefully prepared tea by a maid. The invigorating aroma of the tea provided a momentary respite for her troubled mind.
As Isilis took a sip, a figure cast a shadow before her.
To her surprise, it was Berthas.
“What is it?”
“You look tired from a distance.”
“Then?”
“To give you a rest.”
“You?”
“Of course.”
He whispered, extending his hand to her.
“Please give me the honor to escort you.”
“With pleasure.”
Berthas took Isilis’s hand and walked away. She asked as she followed him down the corridors of the Imperial Palace.
“Where are you going?”
“Where there is no one.”
“There is no place in this imperial palace where there is no one.”
“If there were two of us, people would go.”
Her eyes widened at his imposing words before curving into a soft smile. He smiled brightly, seeing her smile that he hadn’t seen for a long time.
The place where Berthas arrived was another garden.
‘He said it confidently, but it’s just a garden…’
She was curious. As he sat down on a long chair in the garden, Isilis looked into his face.
“Lie down.”
“What did you say?”
To ask her, the empress, to lie down on a chair in the garden.
“When was the last time you saw the sky?”
“Berthas.”
“When was the last time you saw the sky, Isilis?”
It had been ages since Isilis experienced such a moment. In her childhood, there were instances when she would recline in the garden alongside her father, gazing up at the vast expanse of the sky.
However, those days were long gone.
Since assuming the role of empress, she had forsaken the simple pleasure of lying down and admiring the heavens above. She had been taught not to do that, and no one had told her to look up at the sky.
“Lie down.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. Lie down here.”
She hesitated momentarily, unsure of how to respond to Berthas’s gesture. Still, before she could make a decision, he firmly grasped her shoulder and gently guided her to recline on his thigh.
As her head rested against his leg, a clear view of the sky opened up before her. With a gentle touch, he removed the weighty crown from her head and placed it on the nearby table, freeing her from its burden. Adjusting her position with care, Berthas ensured that Isilis was comfortable in her reclined state.
One of the handmaids arrived with a soft blanket, but Berthas motioned for her to stay away and utteredto Isilis in a hushed tone.
“Isn’t it pretty? Today is a good day.”
And indeed, it was.
The sky she beheld with him possessed a stunning shade of blue. As she watched the serene drift of white clouds, her heart felt a sense of tranquility. Everything felt harmonious—the warm rays of sunlight, the firm grip of Berthas’s hand, and the comforting warmth it imparted.
“Isilis.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“I love you.”
Her eyes turned to his face. Without turning his face away, Berthas spoke again.
“I am in love with you. So I’ll protect you.”
Islis smiled faintly as she looked up at his closed jawline. That kind of stubbornness was also Berthas-like.
“There are many who say that they protect the Empress of Larchen.”
“No. It’s not that I’m protecting you, the Empress of Larchen. It means protecting you who gave birth to my child.”
“Is it different?”
“Of course, it is different.”
Only then did Berthas smile as he lowered his gaze.
“I didn’t love you because you were the Empress of Larchen, I love you just because it’s you.”
She struggled to find the words to express her emotions, feeling a weight lifted from her chest. As she suppressed the overwhelming surge of emotions welling up within her, Isilis managed to part her lips to respond.
“Did you say you loved me?”
“Yes. I love you.”
“Even on the day, I’m not the Empress of Larchen?”
“Do you remember the day we first met?”
He responded with a rhetorical question, his hand tenderly stroking Isilis’s head as she mustered a faint smile. Leaning closer, he whispered softly, his touch gentle as he lifted a strand of her hair and pressed a tender kiss upon its ends.
“Even then, you weren’t the Empress of Larchen. You were just a woman in danger.”
Berthas spoke again, watching Isilis shut her mouth at his words.
“I fell too deeply with a woman like that.”
“So, do you regret it?”
He gave a small smile as he looked down into her eyes, who were looking up at him with somehow shaking eyes.
“Even now, I’m in love with you, but I have no regrets. Don’t you know what I did to Hillenton?”
“The news was blocked.”
“I wrote a little bit.”
It was an arduous task, one that went beyond the realm of ordinary challenges. Dealing with hidden spies scattered throughout the expansive imperial castle proved to be a formidable endeavor. Berthas had exerted immense effort to ensure that his ascension to the position of regent remained discreet in every country.
Once the arrangements were in place, he swiftly made his way to Larchen, leaving his trusted lieutenant, Sir Hector, behind to oversee the military while loyal nobles worked diligently to maintain stability in Hillenton, garnering support and soothing public sentiment.
Though he was aware that his hold on the country was not yet absolute, his steps were unwavering as he pressed on towards Larchen.
His sole remaining goal was to be by her side.
“Berthas. There is no turning back if Hillenton is handed over to Larchen.”
“I know.”
“Is it okay for the country you love to disappear?”
“The country I love? There are only two things that I love in the world… you and our child.”
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