Empress of Another World

Epilogue 1.1

Lucretius sat down and asked, "Are you okay? Did you want to tell me something?"

When Bina gestured, the maids left the bedside quietly. When they were far away, Bina pinched Lucretius's waist.

"Ugh!"

"Don't be so overdramatic. You sound like I'm dying or something."

Lucretius smiled at first but quickly frowned. He sounded unhappy.

"Your pinch is so weak now that it doesn't hurt anymore..."

"..."

Bina wanted to slap his back as hard as she could. He was being ridiculous!

She would have done it despite the fact that they had an audience, but she really did feel weak. All she could do was to nag her out of his paranoia.

"Stop blaming innocent Lowson again."

Lucretius answered seriously, "How could he be innocent!? He is responsible for the royal family's health, and, therefore, any discomfort you feel means he is guilty!"

Bina smiled feebly. "He is innocent. I am unwell but it's not because he did anything wrong. He didn't misdiagnose me or anything. Besides..." Bina lowered her voice even more and whispered, "Whose fault is it really? Do you think you have the right to get angry at Lowson?"

"..."

Lucretius had no excuse because it was true. Bina smiled at him.

"So please stop bullying Lowson and just stay by my side."

"I'd be happy to, my empress."

Lucretius had Bina rest her head on his legs and tried to cool her down with a fan the maids brought for her.

It was late spring; it was unusually hot during the day. The summer was expected to be scorching, and Lucretius was worried about how hard it would be for Bina.

He would have gladly suffered for her, but there was no way for him to take her pain away from her. He wanted to get her anything she wanted; if she asked, he would search the whole world for it.

That was why he asked the question that would make his life miserable.

"Is there anything you would like to eat? Anything you think you might be able to keep down?"

Bina hesitated. It was unusual for her to look so uncertain and weak. Lucretius felt heartbroken and insisted gently.

"Tell me. I just want to do something for you."

Bina continued to hesitate, but at Lucretius' persistence, she finally answered.

It was an answer that would Lucretius for a very long time.

"The thing is... I want to eat my mom's [kimchi stew]."

This was the most difficult job he had ever had to face in this entire life.

***

This was the first time since the dowager empress Katleyanira's rebellion Lucretius was stumped this badly. He thought he was getting a headache.

Lucretius sat in his office alone and looked down on the paper that held the description of this dish. From the words alone, he couldn't even imagine what it would look like.

Kimchi stew. It was made of something called kimchi and meat or fish. It tasted spicy, sour, and savory.

This was all he heard of the dish from Bina. Since he had never seen it before, he had no idea what it could be.

Bina seemed so weak and tired until she started to talk about this dish. She perked up visibly and swallowed a few times just thinking about it. If talking about it made her this alive, then what would the actual dish do to her?!

He was a man who was capable and willing to do anything. This was the woman who chose him and gave up her own world. She was carrying his child and suffering dreadfully. The only thing she asked for from him was this dish.

He was willing to search his entire kingdom for it if it existed here. He was also willing to go to war if it only existed in other nations.

However, the problem was that it didn't exist in this world.

To get it, he would have to send someone to Aeal, now Bilenae, forest. On the night of the full moon, that person would have to go through the magical gate. However, there was no guarantee if that person would arrive at the right place or even survive the journey.

This was an impossible task.

He felt hopeless.

Until this request, everything was going great. Politically and financially, Lucretius' reign was solid. He was able to get rid of all the dowager empress' forces and confiscates all of their wealth.

He also now had an official empress about to give him a legitimate offspring. There were absolutely no problems for him.

... until now.

Lucretius looked down on the piece of paper again. It was such a mystery, but at least he had a description of its appearance and taste. He could gather the best of the chefs in Cransia and perhaps they could recreate the dish.

This was a matter of incredible importance. This was for the empress and their child. This was a national matter!

Lucretius was determined.