Another side to consider was Elias. If I wanted him to be born again, I needed my wife to accept me at least the day we shared the bed for the first time. Ah, no... A year later! I wasn't sure when we conceived our son, but it wasn't during the first year of marriage.

I had four years, almost five up to then.

That afternoon, I locked myself in the office once again. I tried to remember how often I had sex with my wife during the year before Elias was born, but it wasn't that easy.

First of all, because we did it often. Luckily, we tried some different positions during that period, so I could try to reconstruct our love life through the sequence of stuff we did.

I remembered with clarity that I tied my wife to the bed two months before she told me about the baby. Oh, I was quite convinced that Elias was a result of that night. Yet, I couldn't risk it.

«The day after, Thea wanted to bathe together,» I muttered. She had insisted on rubbing my back, but she gave up half-way and melted in my embrace when I cornered her in the small pool she used as a bathtub.

Sex in the water was good, but not such a smart idea. The first time everything went smoothly, without issues, but the second we got stuck and couldn't part for a while.

In the end, we resolved somehow and laughed out loud when everything was over. After that incident, we decided to climb out of the pool and do it on the floor whenever we felt aroused while bathing. Which, in fact, happened quite often.

Maybe, I could skip the embarrassing part of that day. It wouldn't have changed my chances to have Elias. Also, the floor wasn't that bad as an alternative.

There were some things to consider, but I could compute how much to tease Thea before actually having sex. That way, I would have made sure to come at the precise same moment as in the first life.

I wrote down that part on the paper in front of me. Just to be sure no one would have decoded my thoughts, I used Thea's code.

Just like when I suspected someone was embezzling, I wrote her letters to mask my intentions.

I spent a couple of months planning our bedtime with maniacal precision, and then I hid the papers in the books. I would have moved them to somewhere else once back. For the time being, the bookshelf was the safest place for the notes.

The longer I thought about the past, the more precise the details I could recall were. In the end, I could relive all the moments passed with my wife as if it had happened a day or two earlier.

It had a backlash that should have been easier to identify: I dreamt about Thea almost every night.

So often that her scent was printed anew in my brain, her moans echoed in my ears, and her sighs made me shiver even when she was so far away.

Dreaming of her was sweet, but it made me wake up unsatisfied and longing.

Finally, time to pass to action finally arrived! I had waited for just enough, and I travelled to the Palace in time to convince the Emperor not to accept any peace treaty.

«I will bring you glory and a new harbour, your majesty,» I proposed.

The Emperor looked at me for a moment, and then he replied.

«What do you want in exchange for that?»

I lifted my brows, surprised. The young Emperor from my memories was older than the one in front of me, yet he was shier and clumsy. I didn't know if it was just by chance or Martia's influence, but the young Emperor was a new, more confident ruler.

If I used the same words as with the late Emperor, I might have ended with my Queen by my side. But not on terms she could have accepted.

I didn't want to force her. I didn't want to make her unhappy.

One day, I would have given Polis back to her. After deleting Asteria's threat. It would have been my way of asking for forgiveness.

«All I ask is that the Queen of Polis becomes one of your majesty's citizens. I ask for a title for her, even at my own cost. Your majesty may take away a part of my fief.»

«You would agree to that?»

«Yes, of course. I just ask that the Queen of Polis is allowed to live freely.»

«She won't know that you were so merciful with her. She'll see you as the man that fought against her. Admitting that you win the war. It's not an easy feat, Archduke.»

«I don't like easy, your majesty.»

«Why are you so fixed on that city? What is it that makes you ask for being the one of conquering it? And later, you want that woman by your side... The counsellors told me that you asked my father, the late Emperor, to be sent to her as her husband. When he rejected that offer, you wanted her to become your wife. Why?»

«Because this is what I desire, your majesty. I've always worked when I had something on my mind, and I don't like giving up after a few small obstacles. It's just the way I am...»

«I'll agree to your conditions, but not all of them. I can't let that woman stay here free and with a title. It would become problematic dealing with discontent nobles and jealous courtesans.»

Indeed, that could have been a problem. But I would have passed the following years courting my Queen and closely watching over her.

I wouldn't have let anyone hurt her.

«Some people are thinking that you would be a better choice for an Emperor,» he added. «And they're becoming noisy.»

I tilted my head, wondering if that was a threat.

«What do you think about it?» he asked, analysing me in a way that was even less direct than mine.

«If I thought I could do a good job, I would have claimed the throne,» I pointed out. «It's not my destiny nor duty.»

«Is being an Emperor such a challenge?»

«Yes, your majesty, it is. Especially one as fragmented as Ethiro,» I explained. «There are threats at every corner coming from outside; rebellions are starting every hour. Not to mention all the local nobles that evade taxes, take advantage of your majesty's subjects, and don't ever report to the capital.»

«I will let you conquer Polis, and I will spare the Queen's life. In return, I want your help.»

«With what?»

«Saving the Empire.»

I dropped my shoulders, dejected. Saving Ethiro was a lot of work. Not to mention that I would have been required to travel from one side of the Empire to the other. When could I find the time to woo my wife?

«We need a plan,» I decided.

A plan that would have left me with enough time to have a family and take care of it. And which would have brought freedom to Polis.

«If anyone is seriously thinking of betraying your majesty, who would be the first person they contact?» I said, grinning cunningly.

I just had to become a threat, and the rebels in the court would have talked to me about a change on the throne.

«The one that has some motive to hate me,» the Emperor pointed out.

Our good relationship was known, high and wide. It wouldn't have worked without some help.

«I don't have enough motive, indeed,» I nodded. «Not yet.»

«Do you suggest we pretend to argue?»

«Oh, that would be simple. But rather than arguing, which would bring me closer to execution without any use for your majesty, it would be better to show disagreement through actions.»

«What kind of actions?»

«Send me to solve issues for your majesty, and don't give me any prise after any achievement. Or take away something every time I fail or don't reach enough results.»

«Are you really willing to do this, Archduke?»

«I am, your majesty.»

I didn't need a famous name, and my Queen could decide to get closer to me to reach some revenge against the Emperor of the country that attacked her city.

«I feel like your motives are well-hidden, Archduke.»

Oh, he didn't have a clue about my real motives.

«I will save Ethiro.» And with a stable Empire, no one would have dared to attack Polis.

I couldn't accept the throne, or it would have put Thea in extra danger, but I could let her live a good life. Maybe, I could deliver her Polis in an acceptable shape.

«I have another request if your majesty wishes to listen to me,» I said.

«Tell me.»

«Let me choose the men that will govern Polis.»

I would have made sure that my wife's city became prosperous and safe.