"Arabella? Is something wrong?" Ferdinand noticed.

[She’s clenching her hands. And her lips are drawn into a thin line. Did she think I would not allow her to join the morning courts? Is that why she looks annoyed?]

"Eh, no. Nothing’s wrong I just suddenly recalled something that annoyed me," Arabella smiled.

She noted that she had to be careful of unmarried ladies who would approach her husband once she attended events with him.

"Then, why are you suddenly looking at me like that? You don’t like me gazing at you?" Ferdinand pretended to be hurt.

[It’s like she was planning a lot of things in her mind. Or was she displeased with my behavior since we were in the dining hall? Or was she truly annoyed about something? If she was, what would it be about? Even her smile just now was faked.]

Ferdinand was too observant so he noticed everything.

"I was just wondering if you would allow me to attend court sessions," Arabella reasoned.

How could she possibly tell him here that she found him too adorable to expose to hungry wolves and that she was beginning to doubt her life decisions?

She even thought about him so possessively.

"Since you are determined, you can do as you please," Ferdinand said and Arabella was wide-eyed. It did not take much to convince him this time.

The last time they talked about her working, he was clearly against it. But now, he easily agreed to her attending the court sessions.

"Thank you!"

Arabella almost kissed him on the cheek but recalled that she had just eaten earlier. She already wiped her lips and drank some tea but who knows if her lips still had some oil whatsoever?

Thus, she held his hand instead.

Ferdinand did not like them sitting so far apart so they seat beside each other while eating.

[Wasn’t she just about to kiss me?]

Ferdinand eyed her with a disappointed look, he wanted the kiss.

"Continue what you were about to do. It’s unfair that you suddenly stopped," he voiced out his dissatisfaction.

"Later," Arabella pouted, trying to act all cute to escape it. But Ferdinand kept looking at her expectantly.

’Alright. Alright. Don’t blame me if get something on your face.’

Arabella wiped her lips with napkins first before leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek.

Only then did Ferdinand finally smile again.

The maids, butlers, and chefs who were there to take care of their meals were delighted at what they witnessed.

[Oh my goodness! They get along so well now! We might be expecting heirs soon.]

[They have been through a lot now and are so sweet!]

[Kyahh! Look at them having a world of their own! Just a glance at each other and look at this!]

[His Majesty must have been so devastated when she poisoned and could no longer hide his affection for her after he realized how unpredictable life could be.]

[It’s good to see them being honest with each other.]

.

.

.

The following day, Arabella woke up early for her morning preparations to attend the court sessions.

Her maids took great care in dressing her up since it was her first appearance in court. She wore her official attire as the empress.

The dress itself and all the royal garbs she had to wear were heavy. Add the pieces of jewelry which were all genuine, and things got even heavier.

It took a while before Arabella was ready.

"Wow! It suits you very much, Your Majesty!" Carla gasped as she regarded Arabella from head to foot after their long work.

It was obvious that the former was satisfied with the results of their efforts.

Carla had been lonely since Renee "died," since the two usually competed when it came to dressing up Arabella and deciding what was the prettiest.

Thus, when Renee was gone, Carla was quite sad for a while.

Thankfully, Carla and the others finally bounced back and were cheerful again.

"Oh my goodness!" Irene joined. "It’s like you were born to wear this, Your Majesty!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Even Aletha seemed so impressed and eyed Arabella with such pride in her eyes.

[My Lady is still young but being the Empress suits her. She exudes the aura of an Empress instead of a princess who was wed away from home. I’m so happy she’s truly cherished and loved by His Majesty.]

Aletha was getting emotional as she compared things from several months ago t how things were now.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone," Arabella smiled at them.

"It is our honor, Your Majesty."

Just as they were done cleaning up, Ferdinand arrived to pick her up.

"Then, I must head out now," Arabella headed to the door without waiting for Ferdinand to knock.

The maids opened the door for her.

"Ferdinand, I’m ready," Arabella said since she knew before the door was even opened that he was just a meter away. Her senses for him were getting stronger by the day.. She smiled and asked, "How do I look?"

"...."

Ferdinand was speechless and just gazed at her for several long seconds. Even his thoughts were empty.

Arabella was confused at first but recognized the look of awe and admiration in his eyes. He loved it.

Soon, he finally had thoughts about it.

[It suits her very much that it makes me feel bad that she would only be able to wear this dress for at least a hundred years or more.]

’Huh? Why is that the first thing that comes to his mind? And a hundred years is too long.’

Arabella liked her official clothes as the empress too but they were rather uncomfortable with all the heavy jewelry and designs.

The clothes themselves were heavy but Alwin had cast a spell to lighten them up when she asked him.

"Does it suit me?"

Arabella reminded her husband that he needed to talk instead of just looking at her.

"It does. You look too dazzling, My Empress," Ferdinand kissed the back of her hand.