My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 116

"...Hmm...I'll go over there. I also want to see firsthand the current size of the Duchy of Koschei..."

"Size?" Yang Hao was somewhat confused and worried: Your Majesty, are you planning to demolish our home by examining the size of the Duke of Kosiché?

"It's nothing serious." Faced with Yang Hao's concerns, Her Majesty Catherine simply smiled, indicating that he didn't need to worry: "And you can rest assured. What has belonged to the Dukedom of Kosiché since ancient times still belongs to the Duke of Kosiché. My inspection of the city's size was merely to make arrangements for some minor matters later."

Well, it's just an investigation into whether the Duchy of Kosiché can annex another castle, St. Johann. It's nothing serious.

However, Ekaterina knew that if they continued to delve into this topic, Yang Hao's confusion would likely only increase. So, while enjoying her bread, she thought for a while and decided to change the subject.

"By the way, Mr. Yang Hao, may I ask you a question?"

"Oh, please ask. If I can answer."

"Exactly, why would you choose an immortal being as your partner?"

This is also something that Her Majesty Catherine was curious about.

As far as she knew, Ursus was established when Duke Kosichä existed. Duke Kosichä had lived to this day under countless different guises, while the emperors of the Ursus Empire had changed generation after generation.

Why would Yang Hao, a short-lived person who is no different from her, choose Duke Koschche, a long-lived person, to be his partner?

She was really curious about it.

Moreover, if Yang Hao's answer satisfies her, perhaps some adjustments will need to be made to the following matters.

third chapter

"Well, if Your Majesty Catherine is going to ask this question, I can only say that it was all an accident at first." Faced with the Emperor's question and her curiosity, Yang Hao smiled awkwardly, eating the delicious fried meat while remarking something: "An accident. If it weren't for that accident, I probably wouldn't have met Koschche."

"An accident?"

Not only was His Majesty the Emperor stunned, but even Lady Sonia beside him was momentarily taken aback. The two of them stared simultaneously at Yang Hao's face, their knives and forks seemingly frozen in place.

"Yes. How should I put it? Your Majesty Ekaterina, you know that for a man to be almost 30 and still unmarried is a heavy burden... And it just so happens that my... childhood friend was a silly Sarkaz Blood Demon. After pursuing her unsuccessfully and discovering that she was planning to make me wait another five or ten years because of her race's long lifespan, I had no choice but to use my phone to find a blind date."

"...Is this the phone?"

Ekaterina was silent for a moment, then took out her phone from her pocket. This phone, which had suddenly appeared in front of her, still didn't understand any of its functions—she only knew that it didn't need charging, had an app called a marriage agency, and that there was a man in the marriage agency called the Puppet Master, Mr. Yang Hao. Beyond that, she knew nothing.

...Was it because of this phone that he approached Duke Koschche? Because he failed to win over one immortal being, he ended up successfully pursuing another immortal being.

Um...

That's very interesting. Because, in Ekaterina's understanding, Koschke would never marry a man "because of feelings."

She might not mind letting one of her bodies become a man's husband, but only if this immortal old snake could see the benefits that her marriage partner could bring to the Dukedom of Koschche and the Ursus Empire—at least that should be the case when they first met.

In other words, did Mr. Yang Hao already demonstrate the ability to pique the interest of the Duke of Cosice during his time in Colombia, and even ultimately lead to his complete surrender?

What incredible power this is... to make an immortal black serpent, dedicated solely to the prosperity of Ursus, display such a virtuous wife-like expression... Ekaterina really wants to understand what's going on...

However, this also indirectly confirms one thing: that this man is at least trustworthy in terms of ability. Although His Majesty the Emperor had acknowledged this long ago, after further reflection based on today's conversation, the question of whether or not to trust him is now completely settled, and no one can shake that conclusion.

However... Her Majesty Catherine asked her a question.

So next.

"And actually, I'm also very curious... why does Your Majesty trust me so much?"

Yang Hao also needs to ask himself some questions.

He truly couldn't understand why His Majesty the Emperor trusted him so much. Putting aside any talk of "unique charm," surely His Majesty needed a reason to trust him?

Yes, he knows he is very capable. But being capable and being loyal are two different things.

Why was Her Majesty Catherine so convinced that he would be loyal to Ursus? Yang Hao was very confused about this... He hoped to get an answer.

...And when faced with this question posed by his future minister, His Majesty simply smiled:

"It's just a very simple logical problem."

"A very simple logic problem?" Yang Hao was even more confused. How did this involve logic?

“Your wife is Duke Kosichä, and Duke Kosichä’s only bottom line is the prosperity of Ursus—in other words, you, who are deeply trusted by Kosichä, will naturally gain my trust as well. After all, aren’t both Kosichä and I working hard for the prosperity of Ursus? If she is willing to trust you, then naturally I can trust you too.”

"I see..."

In short, Koschei and Ekaterina share a common bottom line: they both desire Ursus to prosper. Moreover, as an immortal being, Koschei has been practicing this for over a thousand years—in other words, a partner whom Koschei can trust on this basis is also someone Ekaterina can trust and who wouldn't stab her in the back.

But this... left Yang Hao somewhat embarrassed. After all, he had... you know, he had thought many times about... arguing with the emperor and berating her crown prince, hadn't he?

He felt that he had somewhat let his wife down... Whether he had let His Majesty the Emperor down or not was another matter, but he didn't want to disappoint his wife.

Sigh. Maybe I shouldn't think about things so much in the future, okay?

He smiled, and his first lunch with His Majesty the Emperor ended in a rather awkward manner.

...

After lunch, Yang Hao took his leave of the Emperor—he was utterly exhausted, partly from the journey and partly from the work he had just finished. He needed a good rest this afternoon, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would be going to the Imperial Council tomorrow to make a show of attending a meeting and to conduct an on-site inspection of the situation there.

"Then please get some rest. And Mr. Yang Hao, I hope you are mentally prepared for tomorrow's meeting—I don't want to complain to you too much, but in short, the Imperial Council has now turned all its attention to you and me."

"I'm mentally prepared. Your Majesty, where is my residence...?"

"Hehe, Imperial Guard, take him there."

The imperial guard appeared suddenly like a ghost. After bowing slightly to His Majesty and Yang Hao, he led Yang Hao away from the royal private restaurant and, two minutes later, brought him to his temporary residence.

how to say?

Isn't this temporary accommodation... a bit too far inland?

Yang Hao glanced at another room next to his own, which looked much larger... Looking at that obviously luxurious room, he felt that his temporary residence was probably an empty room belonging to some royal relative.

But that's fine too. His Majesty the Emperor has shown me such great respect, so I should reciprocate in kind.

After delivering the room key to Yang Hao, the emperor's guards left. Yang Hao then used the key to open the door and entered his room with Ms. Sonia, who had been following him and had a somewhat strange expression on her face.

“...My lord, this place is very luxurious.” After entering Yang Hao’s temporary residence and secretly closing and locking the door, Sonia said this. “It doesn’t seem like a room for outsiders. It has a royal style of decoration...and it seems like there’s still the Emperor’s scent here.”

"Smell? Hmm, that's just your imagination, isn't it? Maybe it's a room that His Majesty's relatives used to live in?"

"...Perhaps."

Seeing the adult in front of her flop onto the soft bed and comfortably close his eyes without even taking off his shoes, Sonia smiled subtly. She walked to Yang Hao's side, helped him take off his boots and put them away carefully, then found a sturdy-looking chair and sat down.

"Sonia, aren't you going back to your room to rest?"

"No, I must stay by your side. After all, this palace only allows one guard to accompany you."

"makes sense..."

Yang Hao rolled over in bed, feeling utterly exhausted. He sighed heavily and began to complain to Sonia:

"Even if I could understand, I still feel a bit awkward... Why should His Majesty the Emperor require me to bring only one guard in? This land is unclaimed, what right does she have..."

"My lord? I think you seem to be too tired?"

"Perhaps... Ah, I haven't rested since I arrived today. Discussing important matters with His Majesty the Emperor has taken a bit too much of my energy..."

"Then please get some rest."

Sonia rose from the chair and slowly walked to the bedside. She first gently tested the bed with her hand to see if it was sturdy, and after confirming that there were no problems, she gently sat down where Yang Hao's head was.

She gently lifted Yang Hao's upper body and let him rest his head on her lap, then gently stroked his forehead.

"Sonia?"

He looked extremely tired, but still felt a little strange about the current situation.

"It's nothing. Please consider it my service. Sleep well... I'll take care of you."

"...I always feel like you're like a mother to me..."

"Perhaps it's because I'm older? Haha. Please go to sleep."

She smiled, and after Yang Hao gently closed his eyes, she began to hum a lullaby of her tribe in a soft, melancholic yet slightly bright voice.

Although Yang Hao couldn't understand the Agor language spoken by the Deep Sea Hunters at all... it didn't matter.

He fell into a deep sleep to the sound of the song, and even as he slept, he didn't forget to gently stroke Sonia's hair as a reward.

...... ......

While Yang Hao was resting, at the same time, around 1 p.m. on July 6, within the Duchy of Kosiché, the Duke of Kosiché was extremely agitated because of Yang Hao's departure.

"Lord Cosiche..."

"..."

"...Lord Cosiche?"

"..."

"Alas, Lord Kosich!"

"...what?"

It took three calls from Head Maid Monica, each with a gradually rising tone, to bring Koschei, who was seated on the throne, back to his senses. He had been like this ever since Lord Yang Hao left.

Like a young girl in love, eagerly awaiting the return of her husband who has been away, Lady Koschie, ever since Lord Yang Hao left, would spend a certain amount of time each day lost in thought on her throne. Her right hand would always rest on the armrest of the two connected thrones. Monica knew very well how much she missed Lord Yang Hao.

But isn't this going a bit too far? The Lord Koschei in Monica's memory wouldn't be so fragile. Besides, if Lord Koschei continues like this, it will also place a heavy burden on Lord Yang Hao, which won't do.

"...Am I spacing out again?"

She sighed heavily, rubbed her forehead, and with a wry smile, rose from her throne with Monica's help and walked to the ground.

"Yes."

"Sigh...it seems my husband's departure has affected me more than I imagined. Is this the so-called downside of 'love'? Sigh..."

"But sir, it is precisely because there is bitterness that love seems so wonderful, isn't it?"

"I know, I know... Never mind, let's go, let's go back to the palace first. By the way, Monica, has there been any news from the Duchy of Nikolai lately?"

"No, Miss Theresa and Mr. Paul have been on standby—they've done everything they can, and now they're just waiting for the adults' signal."

"Then I understand."

Knowing her own situation clearly, Koschke, somewhat painfully yet happily immersed in the bittersweetness of love, continued with her work. Sigh, ever since Yang Hao left, she knew she had been spoiled rotten.

She'd grown accustomed to discussing work progress with her husband daily, to relaxing with him after work through physical and emotional intimacy, and even more accustomed to his nightly sweet words that sent shivers down her spine, bringing her a sense of security and joy... Now, she couldn't bear her husband being away for even half a month or a month. So, if she were forced to leave him for a year or two just to obtain something, wouldn't she be the one crying and begging him to come and reunite with her...?

This won't do. Koschke, you're a thousand-year-old immortal! You can't be so fragile. Be strong, you have to be strong!

If you keep agonizing over these love matters like you're destined to die young, well... well...

...

It can only be said that love is poison; even the hard-hearted Duke Koschche became so vulnerable because of its effects. But thankfully, her husband will also be an immortal in the future, won't he? So... from now on, Koschche can expose her vulnerability to her husband and her maid. And then? That's it.

She returned to her palace with Monica's help. While Monica prepared lunch, the noble duke, who had never done anything like this in a thousand years, lay down on the bed, breathing in the lingering scent of her husband.

"...Come back soon, darling..."

Kosicie grumbled...hugging her pillow, rolling around on the bed. She didn't want it to happen again, she really didn't.

Chapter Four

At 5 p.m. on the 6th.

When Yang Hao woke up from his beautiful dream filled with the scent of the ocean, he found himself still resting his head on Sonia's lap, and still feeling very comfortable.

Feeling guilty about his actions, Yang Hao made a decision as soon as he realized his current position: he tried to lift his head off Sonia's thighs, only to find that his entire upper body was firmly controlled by Sonia's seemingly gentle hands.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Yang Hao." Her voice came from above him. It was gentle, not at all reproachful. "If you'd like, you can continue resting for a while longer."

"No, no...it really is almost time to start work."

"Yes."

Sonia released her grip on Yang Hao's hand, and Yang Hao hurriedly got up. As he wiped the sweat from his face, he turned his head and saw Sonia looking at him with her red eyes. The leather pants she wore on her soft, plump thighs still bore the dents from where he had been lying.

She didn't seem very tired; she just looked at Yang Hao and finally smiled.

"Um? Could you please loosen my hair first?"

"what..."