Empress of Another World

Eighty Eight

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence fell.

Hmm, I wanted to be alone with Yulia, but I didn’t know how to start the conversation. I still had an ice pack on my eyes, which made it even more awkward.

I decided I should get rid of it first.

I removed the pack and slowly sat up. I wanted to look natural and casual, but the bed made a screeching metal noise as I moved.

Dammit!

Well, it didn’t matter. I turned towards Yulia. This conversation had to happen.

“…”

“…”

Why was this so hard? Why did it feel so awkward?!

I had to say something, anything.

What should I say? What should I tell her?

I was wondering if I should start talking about the weather when Yulia finally opened her mouth.

I felt relieved until she said something unexpected.

“I’m sorry, your highness.”

“… pardon?”

I couldn’t understand why she apologized to me.

‘Hmm? What was she sorry about?’

At my confusion, Yulia seemed astonished. After a brief hesitation, she looked into my eyes and explained.

“I… I cannot accept the honor and responsibility your highness plans to bestow upon me.”

“Pardon?”

What the heck? What was she talking about? When I continued to look blank, Yulia seemed confused. She looked cautiously at me and continued.

“I am referring to what happened last night when you ordered me to dance with his highness.”

“Oh…!”

So we WERE talking about the same thing, but why was she saying I ‘ordered’ her? I still couldn’t understand.

I must have had a stupid expression on my face. Yulia seemed to make up her mind to be direct.

“Your highness, I… I cannot live as someone’s wife or mother.”

“Pardon?”

This was very unexpected. When I didn’t say anything else, Yulia kneeled in front of me and looked up.

“I grew up seeing how my mother ended up having an unhappy marriage.”

“…”

“My mother was weak ever since she was a child. When she was sixteen, she was told she wouldn’t live past the age of twenty. When she turned twenty, she was told she wouldn’t be able to bear any children. This was… a devastating fact for an unmarried noble lady, so instead of being married to an appropriate nobleman, she ended up marrying my father.”

It was a surprise to me that Yulia would refer to her father this way.

I remembered what Agnes told me, which matched what Yulia was telling me. Yulia’s father, Viscount Morian, was much lower born than his wife.

“My father was only interested in my mother’s dowry. He was very cold to her. My mother tried her best to appease to him, and that was why she decided to bear children despite her poor health.”

I see, so her mother hoped to give her husband an heir, but ended up with two daughters. This must have made things worse.

Although not as bad as this, I had heard similar things happen in Korea. There were still women who had daughters after daughters in an attempt to bear a son. I had even heard of a husband divorcing his wife after his girlfriend bore him a son.