"Marry, marriage?"
Ian never expected that the first thing he would hear from Nero after waking up would be this.
But despite that, the man's mind hadn't become confused because of his time in a coma.
He quickly gave the answer he should have given:
"Nero, didn't we already talk about this?"
"I can't marry you—because if we get married, you won't be able to keep your position as the Roman emperor."
"Of course I know that!"
Nero held the man's hands down on both sides, showing her wolf-like side.
"So the marriage I'm talking about this time isn't the kind where it's a big public affair and everyone knows about it."
"I want to invite someone I know to officiate the wedding for Teacher and me—that way, I can satisfy my desire to get married while still meeting Teacher's demands, right?"
"..."
Ian was silent for a moment, then replied:
"But Nero, you should know that this is meaningless, isn't it?"
"How is it meaningless!"
Nero stared at the man beneath her, not allowing him to escape.
"The greatest meaning is that I can become your de facto wife this way, isn't it?"
"Or is it..."
The young empress gently placed her hand on the man's heart, as if she wanted to hold it in her palm.
"After sleeping for so long, does Teacher no longer care about taking things a step further with me?"
"Of course not. It's just that I..."
Ian stopped talking.
He couldn't tell the Nero in front of him about the feeling that his time was up.
Otherwise, she would definitely do many unexpected things.
"Teacher, what are you worrying about?" Nero buried herself even lower, almost completely lying on him.
"Tell me quickly."
"I'm the emperor of Rome. There are many ways to solve a problem!"
"..."
Ian was silent for a moment, then he laughed.
"There's nothing."
"I understand—if you want to do this, Nero, then... let's get married the way you want to."
"That's right!"
The young woman showed a happy smile.
"My husband must be Teacher!"
[This was a very special wedding.]
[As the emperor of Rome, Nero's wedding should have been incredibly extravagant.]
[But because it couldn't be made public, it turned out to be extremely simple.]
[Besides the two of you, there was only one other person present—that was Locusta, who was training the magic unit for you and Nero.]
[She was granted special permission by Nero to attend this wedding.]
[At the same time, she would also be the witness for this wedding and offer you her words of blessing.]
[Although... you had some doubts about whether her mental state would allow her to complete all of this smoothly.]
A certain academy within the city of Rome.
This was originally a place for the magic unit to study, but now it had been cleared by Locusta in advance.
The reason was that Ian and Nero had decided to hold their wedding in this perfectly hidden place.
It was hidden enough to not attract the attention of the Roman people.
"Ahem!"
Locusta, dressed in a beautiful uniform, cleared her throat and then announced to Ian and Nero in a serious yet comical manner:
"The groom, Lucius Annaeus Seneca."
"The bride, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus."
"Do you two wish to become husband and wife from the bottom of your hearts?"
Before Ian could answer, Nero had already spoken.
She held up the man's hand beside her and said loudly as if she were showing off a trophy:
"I do!"
"I want to become husband and wife with Lucius Annaeus Seneca!"
"..."
According to common etiquette, it should have been Ian, the groom, who said this first.
But looking at Nero's happy face, the man didn't want to ruin her mood.
Let the order be reversed—only three people knew about this wedding anyway, so he would do whatever made her happy.
"I do."
"I want to become husband and wife with Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus."
Hearing the words she had been waiting for, Nero's gaze fell on him, and her green eyes were filled with the excitement of having her wish fulfilled.
"Teacher... I'll remember those words."
And Locusta, the witness, was also very excited.
She clapped her hands continuously, seeming to have fully embraced her role as a witness.
"I have understood your feelings—!"
"In that case, please exchange your feelings with a kiss."
Without any hesitation, Ian lowered his head and kissed Nero, who was much smaller than him, holding her tightly in his arms.
It was a passionate and warm kiss that even made Locusta blush.
"Is this what they call 'love in its depths'?" she couldn't help but think.
The contact lasted for a while before Ian let go of Nero's lips and then asked gently:
"Nero... you put on that rose-scented lip balm again."
"Hmm," the shy Nero covered her lips and nodded.
"Teacher, you found out—today is a very important day for me, so... I wanted to leave you with a memory in the most beautiful way."
"Then it seems you succeeded."
Ian smiled slightly.
"Teacher will never forget this scent for the rest of his life."
"That's good~" Nero smiled happily.
"Seeing you, Your Majesty Nero, so happy is truly the most fortunate thing in my life!"
Locusta said this while wiping away tears.
It was clear that even though her mental state wasn't great, the eccentric poisoner was genuinely happy for Nero from the bottom of her heart.
But she hadn't been crying for long when she seemed to remember something and started rummaging through her clothes.
Then, under the watchful eyes of Ian and Nero, Locusta took out a small bottle containing a purple powder and walked carefully toward the two of them.
"Um—!"
"Although it may be rude, can I interrupt for a moment?"
"..."
Although she was a little displeased, considering that Locusta had played a significant role, Nero finally nodded.
"Okay, no problem."
"I'll give you one minute."
"No, I don't need a minute!" Locusta stuffed the small bottle into Nero's hand and then reported happily.
"Your Majesty Nero!"
"This is the medicine you asked me to research that day—it's ready now!"
"For the rest of the time, please enjoy it yourself, Your Majesty!"
"I'll take my leave now!"
After saying this, Locusta looked at Ian and then at Nero. She then ran out with a blushing face, and she even thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
In an instant, the vast room was left with only the two like-minded teacher and student.
"..."
[Even though Locusta had sworn her loyalty to Nero, this did not mean that you had forgotten her original identity.]
[This was Agrippina's poisoner, who had once committed the terrifying act of assassinating an emperor.]
[Now that you and Nero had just sworn to get married, she had handed over a bottle of unknown powder.]
[This was a highly suspicious act no matter how you looked at it.]
[You knew that the best choice now was naturally to throw this bottle of powder away.]
[But you noticed that Nero's expression seemed a little off—she looked quite concerned about this bottle of powder.]
"Nero?" Ian asked in confusion. "What is this?"
"Why did Locusta give it to you?"
"This..." Nero's expression became a little awkward, and it seemed that she was unwilling to explain.
"That idiot Locusta... why did she have to give it to me at this time?"
"Hmm?"
Ian's hand gently stroked Nero's fair and rosy cheek, and his tone was a little displeased.
"Miss Nero, you just finished your wedding vows—and now you're going to lie to your husband?"
"No way!" The young woman quickly denied it.
"Then tell me—what exactly is this thing?"
Perhaps she knew that she couldn't hide it anymore, or perhaps she understood that continuing to do so would make her teacher unhappy.
After a moment of silence, Nero replied:
"Teacher, it's medicine."
"Medicine? What kind of medicine?"
"Medicine that can make Teacher become a lion only for me—I had asked Locusta to research something like that before."
"..."
[This sounded quite absurd at first glance.]
[But you realized that Nero would really give such an order.]
[Her desire for you was unusually deep—this had been proven countless times during your previous intimate moments.]
[She once again proved how much she was afraid of not being able to please you.]
[You knew that you had to do something.]
"So that's what kind of medicine it is," Ian nodded thoughtfully. "Can I take a look?"
"You can!"
Nero, who felt that Ian's tone wasn't angry yet, quickly handed him the medicine in her hand.
"Here, Teacher."
The young woman thought that he wanted to see what it was, but she didn't expect what happened next to be far beyond her imagination.
The moment Ian got the bottle, he let go of it, letting it fall to the ground.
The purple powder spread across the room like sand and then was blown away by the wind.
"Teacher, what are you doing?!"
"Shh," Ian put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. He then leaned toward Nero's ear and whispered.
"Teacher doesn't need something like that to be a lion just for you."
With just that simple sentence, Nero's face turned red.
But it wasn't over yet. Ian continued, "Today, Teacher also wants to leave Nero with some unforgettable memories."
"Unforgettable memories?" The young woman felt her heart beating much faster than usual.
"Hmm," Ian's hand gently stroked Nero's head.
"Today, I want Nero to taste the lion herself."
[You picked up Nero.]
[You carried her and looked for a suitable place in the room.]
[Soon, you found a long chair.]
[You gently placed her on it.]
Nero's body was already quite petite. Sitting on the chair, she could barely reach Ian's waist.
And at this moment, wearing a wedding dress, she was incredibly shy—this was a position she had never tried before, and she had no idea what would happen next.
At this time, Ian spoke softly.
"Nero... you're beautiful in this wedding dress, so don't miss a single thing later, okay? If it gets dirty, it won't look good."
After saying this, the man placed the young woman's hands on his waist, and she quickly realized what this meant.
Those fair and slender fingers, as they did in the past, began to play a rather passionate piece of music.
She saw it—this was the first time the young woman had directly witnessed the majestic thing that symbolized her teacher's lion side.
She looked up, watching her lover with shy eyes, as if asking if all of this was real.
And with his nod, Nero no longer hesitated. Instead, she gently grasped the instrument that she was supposed to play.
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm—
A crisp and melodious sound echoed in the wedding venue. There seemed to be a few traces of the young woman's shame but also her blissful instinctive reaction.
Gradually, Nero, who was already very interested in playing musical instruments, became a little addicted.
She met her teacher's gaze and began to try various fancy ways of playing until she was completely engrossed in it.
This was a wonderful moment. Ian was quickly captivated by Nero. He placed his hand on her head and slowly pressed the young woman's body toward himself.
Mmm, mmm, mmm, gurgle, gurgle, whoosh—
Ian, who had just listened to a complete piece of music, breathed a sigh of relief. He stroked her head as if to encourage her and then wanted to put his instrument away properly.
But just then, Nero held him back and took the instrument for herself again.
The young woman stuck out her tongue and, in Ian's sight, swallowed everything that was on it. She then replied, still not satisfied.
"Teacher, I've just found something very delicious."
"Hmm~ Don't move until I'm completely full—otherwise, I don't know what might happen."
"Nero, you..."
Before Ian could finish his sentence, he felt that he was once again dominated by Nero.
But none of this seemed surprising—after all, she was the emperor of Rome.
Looking at the instrument that was now completely taken over by Nero's lips, who was wearing a wedding dress, Ian silently made up his mind.
He must... find a way to stay by her side.