I’ll Be The Matriarch in This Life [Novel] Chapter 287

I pretended to cough, covering my nose and mouth while I assessed the situation.

The large conference room, which usually only had light refreshments, was filled today with foods substantial enough to replace a meal.

My favorite sandwiches, my favorite tea, and my favorite cake, among other things.

I knew instantly who had prepared these foods.

Normally, I would have enjoyed them happily.

"…Let's go to our seats for now, Craney."

As I led Craney to our spot, the smell of food grew stronger and stronger.

It was sheer torture.

And at my seat, an even greater spread of food was laid out, seemingly on purpose.

Craney whispered softly so only I could hear.

"Are all these your favorite foods, cousin? His Majesty is remarkably considerate."

"Yes, he is."

The problem was that his timing couldn't have been worse.

I sat down, trying to take the shallowest breaths possible.

While I was trying to catch my breath, I overheard a conversation between some nobles next to me who had completely misread the situation.

"Isn't this quite meaningful? A full meal instead of just refreshments."

"Indeed, His Majesty must be sending an indirect message."

"That's right. He means we shouldn't even think about going home easily today."

I wanted to tell them, but opening my mouth right now was difficult.

"Cousin, is your stomach still bothering you?"

Craney asked worriedly.

Instead of answering, I just nodded and used my index finger to push the plate in front of me toward Craney.

"But you should still eat something…"

"…I'm fine."

I was exercising superhuman patience just by not bending over and dry heaving right here in my seat.

I looked down at the item on the plate emitting the foulest smell.

It was a sandwich filled with thinly sliced ham, cheese, and apples what was usually my favorite snack.

But right now, I couldn't even stand the sight of it.

"Ahem."

Staring at it made me want to gag even more, so I hurriedly picked up my teacup.

The fragrant and calming scent of the tea fortunately seemed to settle my stomach a little.

As I continued pretending to only drink tea to avoid the food smells, I felt a gaze on me.

A very piercing gaze.

Reluctantly, I lifted my eyes from the red liquid, only to find something even redder waiting for me.

It was Perez's eyes.

I had been so focused on suppressing my nausea that I hadn't even noticed him arrive at the conference room.

"Why is he staring so intensely?"

Perez, who was naturally sharp but had an even keener intuition when it came to me, quickly realized something was off.

Mainly because I hadn't even touched my favorite sandwich.

Eventually, his gaze began sweeping over me from head to toe.

Slowly, a crack appeared in his usually expressionless face.

A shallow crease formed on his smooth forehead, and his perfectly shaped eyes narrowed slightly.

It was as if he had figured something out.

Instinctively, I hurriedly averted my gaze.

Without meaning to, I turned my head so fast it nearly made a swishing sound and hid my expression behind my teacup.

"Haa."

A sigh escaped me naturally.

Keeping my pregnancy a secret from Perez left a bitter taste in my mouth.

But it couldn't be helped.

He was making that face just because I wasn't touching the food he'd prepared.

If he found out I was pregnant…

"Phew."

I sighed once more and shook my head side to side.

At the same time, I took another sip of tea.

"This tea is really good."

It was something I drank often, but today, its aroma and taste were exceptionally sweet.

Moreover, as the warm liquid entered my stomach, the nausea faded and my stomach settled considerably.

"Nice."

Even though it was just tea with little nutritional value, finding a food that wasn't nauseating for the first time lately made me feel as moved as if I had discovered a treasure map.

Because of this, I didn't realize… that Perez's face, still watching me, had hardened completely.

After the Great Council, the Emperor's Office.

The atmosphere was grim.

The air was so heavy it felt as if the ceiling of the Great Lambrew Empire's Imperial Palace would collapse at any moment.

Perez's aides and close associates, who had gathered immediately after the meeting, couldn't even breathe properly.

They were all walking on eggshells around one person: Perez.

After an excruciatingly long silence, he spoke.

"Leave only three of you and everyone else, get out."

The three referred to the Academy Trio.

The clerks, breathing inward sighs of relief, all hurriedly rushed out of the office.

However, Perez remained silent for a while longer.

Sitting with his long legs crossed, he simply glared into thin air with an icy expression.

The trio quickly exchanged silent glances.

Prodded in the ribs, Lignite Luman finally spoke up cautiously.

"Your Majesty, although it wasn't the bill we initially proposed, didn't you succeed in revitalizing the Academy anyway?"

At that, eyes like dark rubies slowly slid toward Lignite.

Even though they were close friends and confidants who had stuck together since their teens, it was impossible not to tense up under Perez's gaze.

"They were nobles who completely opposed mandating Academy education in the first place. Imposing a mandate of six months of Academy education for one person per generation upon such people is certainly an encouraging achievement."

"That is true."

Perez answered surprisingly smoothly.

"The beginning is what matters. The Academy will soon become a social hub for young nobles. Then, setting obligations aside, the number of those naturally completing Academy education will gradually increase. I am quite satisfied with the outcome of today's Great Council."

"Th-Then…?"

A massive, unspoken question mark appeared above the heads of Lignite and the rest of the trio.

"Something is strange."

"If you would just tell us what is strange, Your Majesty…"

"Tia didn't eat her sandwich."

"…Pardon?"

Expressions that roughly translated to those thoughts flashed across the three men's faces.

"The sandwich…?"

It drained their energy.

Still, he said he was satisfied with the Great Council's results, so perhaps they should be thankful.

"She didn't even touch it."

Perez had personally ordered the Imperial Palace's head chef to prepare that sandwich.

It was exactly Tia's favorite recipe, as always.

"And she avoided my gaze. Even turning her head away."

"…The Matriarch of Lombardi did?"

Tedro asked in surprise without realizing it.

The Matriarch of Lombardi always had a gaze that seemed to pierce right through people.

It was so intense that even when they had to face her, they tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

It was a scene hard to imagine.

Then, Steely pointed out a positive aspect.

"Couldn't that just be something that happened by chance while she was looking away?"

But Perez shook his head, insisting that wasn't it.

And with the gloomiest expression in the world, he said…

"She sighed while turning her head away."

"Oh."

"And she did it twice."

"Haa…"

This time, the trio had no choice but to shut their mouths and blink.

Not eating a sandwich? That could happen if she wasn't hungry.

Avoiding his gaze? That could happen anytime.

But consecutive sighs…

Perhaps thinking the same thing, Perez let out a deep groan of Hmm and rubbed his forehead.

He was Emperor Perez, boasting a stronger imperial authority than any before him, but when it came to matters concerning the Matriarch of Lombardi, he was utterly powerless.

Therefore, for the trio who assisted such an Emperor closely, this was an issue they could never take lightly.

"Your Majesty, did you do something wrong?"

It was a highly disrespectful thing to say to the Emperor, but no one reprimanded Lignite Luman.

This was an emergency situation, after all.

Unable to hide his anxiety any longer, Perez nervously rubbed his face.

"I have no memory of doing so. We've been busy lately, so we haven't spent much time together either."

"But the Matriarch of Lombardi wouldn't act like that if you hadn't done anything wrong."

"Think carefully, Your Majesty. You must have definitely done something wrong."

"Refusing food, avoiding your gaze, and then sighing on top of that? And with the wedding just a few days away…"

Tedro trailed off. Then,

"Ah! Could that be the answer? The wedding."

The three men, not understanding Tedro's words, tilted their heads simultaneously.

"When my older cousin got married, she went through a period of deep depression before the wedding. What did they call it? Marriage Blue or something?"

"Marriage Blue? Is there such a thing?"

Lignite asked, as if hearing it for the first time.

"I didn't know either, but they say it's quite common. Feeling anxious about the future before getting married, or regretting the decision to marry…"

"What did you just say?"

Perez, slowly raising his face from where it was buried in his hands, cut Tedro off mid-sentence.

His unwavering eyes, which were usually filled with strong conviction even when cold, were trembling violently like a bird in the rain.

"N-No, it's just…"

Tedro shut his mouth belatedly, but it was already too late.

Perez muttered, his voice trembling as pitifully as his eyes.

"She regrets… getting married?"