Chapter200

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Elara took the letter and a list of gifts from the attendant.

She first opened the letter and looked through it. Setting aside the long congratulations, it was Mr. Yu who wanted to discuss the batch of iron weapons.

Last time, Mr. Yu traded with her and wanted all the iron weapons she had.

But at that time, Elara needed weapons to fight from the south to the north. So she postponed the weapon trade until after Petunia finished the war with Edelweiss.

Now that the Edelweiss war was temporarily over and she had ascended the throne, she still needed to maintain relations with Mr. Yu. She would find time to talk to him properly later.

Besides Mr. Yu, the list of gifts included congratulations from Bluebell Guild, Lianyi Tower, Puppet Soldiers Valley, and Regent Martin.

Elara looked carefully and sure enough, Regent Martin was on the list.

He was her northern prince uncle with no blood relation.

Elara stared at his name for a while and asked the servant to bring the gift from Regent Martin.

The result was only three words: "Congratulations on the coronation."

Elara confirmed several times with the attendant, and it was true that Regent Martin sent only those three words.

Ha! Elara did not know what to say.

Since she came to this world, this uncle had never contacted her.

Now that she had ascended the throne, he only sent three words?

No accompanying gifts at all?

Elara held the bamboo slip with the three words and smiled coldly.

Other powers at least knew to send some gifts. Regent Martin had taken control of the northern part of her country but only sent a sentence.

Such a stingy old man!

Elara sneered inside and marked this down. She would get it back from the north sooner or later.

Previously System 92 had counted the northern territory as part of the third-tier medium-sized country level.

She would plan to take it back one day.

After reading about Regent Martin, Elara's gaze moved to Lianyi Tower.

In the recent capital battle, Lianyi Tower was the only one inside the city that remained unscathed.

It was no wonder it was the top power across the continent.

Even when the world collapsed, it just smiled and watched while others fought. It stayed firm.

Elara felt she should visit Lianyi Tower sometime later.

But now, at the beginning of her reign, there were too many urgent matters to handle.

She ordered the attendant to record and clear the gift list.

Elara put aside Regent Martin and Lianyi Tower for now and began dealing with the huge pile of state affairs.

...

At the start of her reign, following tradition, Elara issued a general amnesty.

But her amnesty had strict limits.

Only those falsely accused and persecuted by people like Lord Gregory, rebels with lighter offenses forced into outlawry due to internal turmoil, or victims of official neglect and revenge were pardoned.

If the cause was justified and the offense light, she pardoned.

Serious offenders or criminals were executed as usual.

The country had been devastated, and many things needed new rules and laws.

So on the day the capital battle ended, Elara secretly informed Scholar Fu, Hector, and Egbert in Marigold City to arrange follow-up matters and come to the capital.

She also urged the young man Commander Qu sent to Belladonna, Su Ye, to finish his tasks and return quickly.

Elara's talents were scarce. Even before, in Marigold City, there were not enough people.

Now that she was Empress, ruling the whole country, most officials had been executed.

Her available staff was extremely limited. She wished she could split one person into two.

Fortunately, Scholar Fu, Hector, and Egbert were quick.

They arrived in the capital the day after she ascended.

After completing the new empress rites, Elara pulled Scholar Fu aside to discuss the new system for the country.

This was the most important matter.

A country needed a complete and suitable system for stable development.

In Marigold City, she and Scholar Fu had tested some systems.

But now, with the whole country, Elara needed a more complete, detailed system.

To complete the country's foundation, Scholar Fu arrived, and Elara locked herself with him inside the palace all day.

Other departments waiting for her were frustrated but dared not act due to empty official ranks' pressure.

While discussing the system with Scholar Fu, she also kept Mathias nearby.

Mathias had not improved much. Although he had been with her recently and had no relapse, Elara was reluctant to overwork him.

But she was desperate for capable people and kept Mathias close.

He simply brought the person close to him. While Elara and Scholar Fu discussed, Mathias sat quietly beside them listening.

That night, Elara and Scholar Fu worked late into the night. Elara, who had been used to sleeping early for months to recover her health, was so tired that her eyelids barely stayed open. Mathias, who had been silently sitting beside them all along, finally moved.

He gently picked up the clothes by the table and put them on Elara. Then he took the papers full of writing from Elara's hand and took over a part of it. He continued organizing the new national laws with Scholar Fu and added many useful improvements and suggestions based on his own experience and understanding.

This was the most he had spoken in days.

With the help of these two talented men, Elara once almost fell asleep but woke up. She saw the two gentle and handsome men carefully revising the thick new laws by candlelight.

Her heart felt at ease. She lifted her hand to pat her face to wake up more. Elara then reached out, holding the hands of the two men on either side of her. When they turned to look at her, she smiled happily and encouraged them:

"Thank you for working so hard. Since the country is just established, these laws are very important. The three of us will work together to try to finish a rough framework tonight."

That night, the candlelight in the imperial palace never went out. The shadows of the three on the screen barely moved.

When dawn came, Elara, having passed the hardest tired phase, took a medicine given by Oswyn. After washing her face with cold water, she held the results of their day and night of hard work. She felt so happy that she told Scholar Fu to rest first.

The outline of the new national laws was barely finished after a whole day and night of discussion and revision.

Although many details still needed to be filled in, at least the big framework was there. Elara could first use this framework to set rules and general guidelines. After handling the most urgent matters, the rest could be worked on slowly.

Scholar Fu left the palace.

Elara looked at Mathias beside her, whose face was a little pale. Her smile froze. Worried that this sick man might be feeling worse after staying up all night, she went to him and touched his face.

"What's wrong?"

She did not know until she touched him. The burning heat under her hand surprised her.

"If you feel unwell, you must tell me immediately, Mathias. Haven't I told you many times?"

Elara frowned, looking at the pale man. A wave of guilt suddenly rose in her heart.

Sigh, she was still a capitalist at heart.

Before she could remove her hand from his head to call for a doctor, she felt him shiver.

Suppressed, rapid breaths came faintly from Mathias's mouth.

His voice was very muffled, as if he was holding it down tightly.

Elara stopped her call for help and sat next to him, watching carefully.

She saw that the man's pale face gradually turned a charming red. When she touched him lightly, his whole body shivered slightly.

It was happening.

And this time it seemed stronger than the first.

Elara ignored everything else and put down the new laws. She hugged Mathias tightly.

The man's body trembled and went limp in her arms.

But perhaps because he still had some reason left, he wanted to push her away. Yet his body instinctively wanted to get closer to her. It was a very contradictory state.

Elara felt his strong reaction and hotter body temperature than the first time. A sudden thought crossed her mind.

"Mathias, you have been holding it in all these days and that is why it did not happen before."

Oswyn was still in Marigold City dealing with the last of the soldier injuries. He would come back to Plumera City immediately after.

The doctor who had examined Mathias at the start never said how often Elara should be close to Mathias. But he had emphasized they should be close often.

Elara had been too busy these past few days, and Mathias was a quiet man.

Although he had always been with her, if he was feeling unwell, he kept it all to himself. That was why now it had gotten out of control and was very intense.

Elara looked at the man in her arms, who wanted to push her away but also wanted to be close. Seeing his painful struggle, she sighed softly and hugged him tighter. She kissed his forehead.

"I told you, don't hold it in. If you feel unwell, tell me."

"Next time, don't hold it in again. Or your condition will get worse and worse. You might end up needing me all the time."

The man stiffened when she kissed his forehead. His breathing became louder and uncontrollable but very pleasant and even a little charming.

As Elara wondered whether to take him to bed or solve it right here,

the man holding her suddenly wrapped his arms around her, rolled over, and pulled Elara into his embrace.

He was thin but strong, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, almost covering her whole body.

His once cold and clear eyes were now filled with tears, staring at her without blinking.

He slowly lowered his head and softly pressed his lips to hers.

His condition was indeed worse than the first time, but his kiss was still gentle and careful.

He gently sucked at the corner of her lips, testing slowly.

Elara had experienced love before in her past life, but few of those left a mark in her heart.