Chapter 850

Chapter 850: 850

"Yes. I was afraid of Her Majesty taking a fancy to Ethan and appointing him as Prince Consort, but now it seems my worries were unnecessary."

"As long as he doesn’t step into that position, being a Duke of the outer region holds no threat to us."

The nobles continued their discussion, and most of them seemed relieved.

They believed the situation had become much safer.

However, they didn’t know that two figures were hidden in the background as they walked through another part of the palace.

Ethan glanced toward the nobles from a distance before turning his attention to the woman beside him.

"I didn’t know your noble Lords were so afraid of me." Ethan spoke.

Ophelia smiled as she walked beside him.

"How can’t they? The matter of my marriage has already been a thorn in their eyes that pricked their throat."

Ethan glanced at her.

"It was the first time since they have seen such a prodigy that had both strength and appearance. Naturally, they are afraid."

Hearing this, Ethan grinned.

"But who knew the thing they were worried about came true."

He spoke while eyeing Ophelia for a reaction.

Ophelia’s steps slowed slightly.

Her expression remained calm, but Ethan noticed the subtle change in her eyes.

Since doing the deed, the two hadn’t talked properly, and Ethan found it awkward. They had both returned to their usual positions as if nothing had happened, but neither of them could completely forget what had happened inside that chamber.

Now that there was a chance, Ethan wanted to know how to proceed.

He looked at Ophelia for a moment before speaking again.

"Your Majesty..."

Ophelia turned her head toward him.

"What?"

Ethan hesitated for a moment.

There were many things he wanted to ask, but none of them seemed easy to say.

The Empress also seemed to understand what was on his mind. Her steps slowed as she looked at him quietly.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them was different from before. It wasn’t the silence between an Empress and a Duke.

It was the silence between two people who had crossed a line and now had to decide what would happen afterward.

Ophelia stared at Ethan’s hesitation and thought about that day.

The matter between a man and a woman wasn’t something to be ashamed of. It was just that her status was special, so she had restricted herself.

It wasn’t as if several people hadn’t sent her routes to play with, but it wasn’t as if she could play with anyone.

As an Empress, she had her own arrogance and couldn’t bring herself to play with anyone. Her requirements were quite strict.

The first was that the person should have strong potential and be able to reach a high level. So that in case she became pregnant, her child shouldn’t be inferior. If she wanted to pass the throne, the child should be able to bear it.

But which Transcendent Rank wasn’t older?

Even the youngest in the world took around a hundred years.

As for Mages, it was even higher because Mages often lost themselves in unique research that wasted their time.

She herself took around 120 years to reach that level. As a Mage, she knew the deficiency of Mages, so she wanted her partner to be a Knight so that the power of both would be passed to her child.

But despite several years, no one met her eye.

During this time, she refined Heliana to go around, do tasks and see if anyone met the eye.

There were naturally several guys who were qualified, but they were still not up to par.

Except Ethan.

Who knew that in a few decades he would be standing between them?

Heliana’s desires were all controlled by Ophelia. As an Empress, she couldn’t create a clone with her own mindset that might create complications later, so the matter of missing Ethan was her wish.

Who knew this guy would be so bold?

Since a mere Duke could be this bold, why couldn’t she?

Now that she was thinking about that experience, a strange feeling surfaced in her heart.

’No wonder people lose themselves to lust.’

Ethan suddenly felt a tremble when he saw Ophelia licking her lips and swallowing slightly. Her gaze had changed for a moment, and he could clearly see that her thoughts had wandered somewhere else.

"Your Majesty!"

Ophelia snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him.

"You certainly don’t want to become Prince Consort, right?"

Ethan made an ugly expression upon hearing this.

He couldn’t become a Prince Consort, and she wasn’t going to enter his household either.

"And I can’t be your wife. Our status makes us different."

"Then what do you want to do? I won’t let any other guy come."

"How fierce!" Ophelia chuckled.

She took a step forward and reached out to cup Ethan’s chin before leaning closer and kissing him.

After a moment, she pulled back slightly and looked at him with a faint smile.

"You really taste sweet. Your possessiveness... I liked it."

Ethan looked at her with a complicated expression.

"Seeing you reacting like this, I presume you have a solution."

"Of course I have." Ophelia spoke while looking ahead.

"I have already decided for our future. If I can’t find a suitable Prince Consort, I have announced to take a child from the clan. But now..."

She paused for a moment, and the corners of her lips curled upward.

"Now..."

"Once I become pregnant, I will go into seclusion and will register the child under someone of the Royal Clan and will groom as successor."

Ethan thought about it for a moment before asking.

"But if it won’t be easy to handle?"

"It won’t, but who said I can’t create more clones?"

"I see." Ethan nodded in understanding.

Ophelia stepped forward and looked at him calmly.

"So, Dear Duke, you need to work hard. Every month from 15-20, I will be free. This Empress wants you to come and work hard."

Ethan immediately straightened his posture and gave a salute.

"As you wish, Your Majesty!"

Ophelia couldn’t help but smile when she saw his serious expression.

The matter that had troubled her for so many years seemed to have found a solution.