Thank you Somebody for the kofi^^
I gave him a desperate look.
But stubborn Xian gently cupped the back of my head and pulled me in.
Warning alarms started ringing in my head.
Emergency! Emergency!
‘N-No way!’
My dignity! My pride!
With my head spinning, I clung to him like a paper doll and shouted in a panic.
“I-I’m going out! Merton! Lauren!”
I can’t show them something that embarrassing again!
Thankfully, the two of them, looking extremely flustered, quickly ran out.
The room emptied in an instant, leaving only Lindo, who shook his head urgently with a confused face.
‘Ah, what am I going to do with my life? Am I cursed with public embarrassment or something?’
This is all because of Xian, who freaked out at the weirdest time.
Once he takes the medicine, I’m kicking him out immediately!
My face burning red, I ended up squeezing my eyes shut as Xian tilted his head.
Soon, a ticklish breath touched me, and a soft sensation landed on my lips.
Smooch.
Xian forced my lips open and passed the medicine he had in his mouth into mine.
The bitter medicine slid down my throat, and our locked lips gently parted.
Gulp.
The headache and nausea quickly settled down.
I took a deep breath and blinked open my eyes.
Xian, with a stern expression, was staring straight at me.
“I-I’m okay now.”
Ugh, seriously. I touched my burning cheek with the back of my hand to cool it and glared at him.
I know he’s worried, but Xian always overreacted way too much.
He really needs to fix that habit of rushing into things.
“Xian, I appreciate it, but… why do you get so worked up over small things—”
Just as I was about to scold him, embarrassed and flustered—
Thud!
“Huh?”
Xian suddenly collapsed, his eyes losing focus.
Lindo, who was still there, rushed over with a shocked expression.
“L-Lindo, what’s wrong with Xian?!”
“You should’ve stopped him! He shouldn’t have kissed you like that! That medicine has a strong stimulant in it!”
“What? But a stimulant just keeps you awake, why would that—”
I caught Xian’s upper body instinctively and replied in confusion, but then my eyes widened.
‘Wait, stimulant?’
Xian was always super sensitive when he saw blood.
To stop that, I had gotten a pearl from the Gem Club, which helped calm his tendency to go berserk—whether it was someone else’s blood or his own.
But if the strong stimulant triggered the suppressed tendency?
“Lindo, get some rope! We have to tie him up before he wakes—!”
Just as I shouted in panic—
Flash!
The necklace I was wearing—the pearl pendant—suddenly burst into a brilliant light.
“Your Majesty?!”
“Ugh, what’s going on…!”
The pearl trembled violently and rattled, then the light exploded like a whip and was sucked into Xian.
Whoosh—
And then, in the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
The room was suddenly back to normal, like nothing had happened.
“Are you alright?”
“D-Did you see that? The light from the pearl!”
Lindo nodded, still stunned, as we stared at each other.
Then, Xian, who had been leaning heavily on my shoulder, twitched.
“Gasp. Xian, are you awake?”
Did something go wrong? Is he going to lose control again?
Lindo quickly grabbed a curtain tie and tightly bound Xian’s arms behind his back.
I swallowed nervously and watched as Xian slowly opened his eyes.
“…Ugh.”
His eyelashes trembled, and with a small groan, golden eyes were revealed.
Being right in front of him, I met his gaze.
Blink, blink.
Holding my breath, I watched carefully.
It wasn’t the wild, raging look he had when he lost control.
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew. Looks like nothing’s wrong—”
“What’s with that bird?”
Did I just hear something weird?
I tilted my head and asked again.
“What did you say?”
“The garden maintenance is a mess. Why is something like this flying around inside the Imperial Castle?”
“…?”
What is he even talking about?
And his way of speaking… it changed?
I glanced at Lindo, who was untying Xian’s wrists.
Lindo shook his head like he had no idea.
Then Xian suddenly turned his head sharply and looked at Lindo.
“You. Are you the new attendant?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Who gave permission to release things in the Imperial Castle? Was it an order from His Majesty?”
Lindo’s jaw dropped as he looked between Xian and me.
But Xian, clearly displeased with his dumbfounded reaction, clicked his tongue and turned back to me.
I met Xian’s gaze again.
And at that moment, I noticed—Xian’s eyes were different.
They definitely weren’t berserk eyes.
But the gold in his eyes looked dull, like he wasn’t seeing what was in front of him…
“I come back from the battlefield after so long and the palace’s atmosphere has changed. His Majesty’s tastes have gotten strange too.”
Xian’s hand lifted my chin and touched my cheek.
Far more boldly than when he had just been checking my temperature before.
‘After a long time? Battlefield? His Majesty? Why is he talking like he’s the Crown Prince…’
Something’s really off. Eek!
I flinched away from his hand as it kept creeping closer.
But Xian didn’t care and kept touching my cheek however he wanted.
Still with that dull golden gaze.
“Well, you’re fairly pretty, I’ll give you that.”
“Um… I don’t even know how to respond…”
Lindo gulped and carefully tried to say something, but Xian didn’t even acknowledge it.
With an amused look, he kept stroking me and asked,
“Where did you get this cute little bird?”
…Xian was seeing a hallucination.
“If it’s not His Majesty’s, can I take it back to the Crown Prince’s palace?”
…And he thought he was back in his Crown Prince days.
I stared blankly at Lindo in silence before snapping out of it.
N-No way! What even is this?!
I shook the pearl pendant frantically, but no more light came out.
Hey, bring him back! Bring him back, now!
“X-Xian. Are you hurt? Okay? Talk to me.”
“Even the chirping is cute.”
…My husband’s gone crazy.
****
“Then stay well. I’ll stop by again next time.”
“Yes, Count. Please have a safe journey back.”
An elderly man with a bent back bowed his head. Louis Appenzeller gave a small smile and took the reins of his white horse.
“Hyah!”
His journey, with only his horse and sword, lasted just one day.
Since the day he buried her here, 21 years ago.
‘Amelia.’
Louis repeated the name of his one and only lover, his beloved wife—now no longer of this world.
This place, Triton, was her favorite in life.
It had been their honeymoon destination, and every summer, they would stay here for weeks. The fruit of their love had also been conceived here.
‘When my time comes, I want to be buried here with you.’
That’s how much Amelia loved Triton.
Her family, noble since her great-grandfather had been granted an honorary barony, didn’t have much wealth. They didn’t even have a private estate.
When asked why she loved Triton so much, she would only smile gently.
‘It’s a secret.’
She liked the sea and the water—maybe she wished Triton could be her own estate.
Louis had made up his mind:
When their child was born, he would give Triton to Amelia as a gift.
He had planned to move here together when they grew old. To pass away on the same day, be buried in the same grave.
He had planned to confess that he wanted to be with her forever.
But while Louis left for war, asking his older brother to look after Amelia, who was heavily pregnant— she passed away in a tragic accident while giving birth.
When Louis returned late and heard of her death, he was not in his right mind.
He buried her in Triton, just as she had wished, but memories of her came crashing down like waves, and he fled.
Since then, Louis has never stayed in Triton for more than a single day.
Every year, he visits whenever he thinks of her, tending to her grave, recalling memories— but the longing and pain remain.
Because she is no longer by his side.
The old man guarding the grave, a retired butler from long ago, gently suggested he move on and remarry, but Louis only gave a bitter smile.
How could he forget her?
How could he forget love?
Amelia was everything to him.
After her death, Louis gave up on buying Triton— it became someone else’s estate. And he let it be, aimless in his grief.
Just seeing the word “Triton” brought up Amelia, and it was too painful to bear.
At that time, he was so broken by guilt and sorrow over losing his wife, he couldn’t even care for their newborn child.
It wasn’t until their daughter, entrusted to his brother, turned three,
that Louis came back to himself.
“Father, you’re here?”
“Eloise.”
Louis warmly called out to his daughter, who had come to greet him.
Their only daughter, left behind by Amelia, had silver hair like his. Her violet eyes were a blend of his red ones and Amelia’s blue.
He thought it would’ve been nicer if she had inherited her mother’s blue eyes instead. Just a small, lingering wish.
“I wondered if anything happened while I was away.”
Still, Eloise was his one and only precious daughter, his reason to keep living.
“You haven’t been sleeping well lately. Did you sleep okay last night?”
Louis handed the reins of his horse to the butler and strode toward his daughter.
Dark circles under her eyes, and her chapped lips— Eloise’s skin was rough. Louis gently touched her cheek with a worried expression.
“It’s just the change in season. I’ve been having a little trouble sleeping. Don’t worry too much, Father.”
Eloise looked up and smiled sweetly.
His daughter was so pure-hearted that she sometimes got caught up in unexpected trouble, but she was kind and gentle.
As she grew, she never once caused any problems or let him down.
While he and Amelia had playful and mischievous personalities when young, Eloise was calm and mature.
Louis’s heart always ached, thinking she had grown up too fast because she had no mother.
With eyes full of concern and warmth, Louis wrapped his arm around his beloved daughter’s shoulders.
“Let’s go inside. Is there anything you’d like? I want to get you a gift to cheer you up.”
Louis would buy Eloise anything she wanted. To his one and only daughter, money and jewels meant nothing.
Thanks to that, Eloise, even as a count’s daughter, had dazzling clothes, expensive jewelry, and a grand carriage.
“I’m fine…”
“Come on, tell me.”
A few months ago, she had broken off her engagement to Crown Prince Cedric, who had been accused of illegal dealings and attempting to assassinate a royal.
That engagement had happened because Eloise, who had liked Cedric since childhood, had begged for it.
She said she was fine on the surface— but could she still be heartbroken about it?
‘She doesn’t even go outside much anymore.’
The maids said she was spending more and more time locked in her room lately.
Louis thought it was for the best— that he hadn’t sent his cherished daughter off to someone like him.
Still, afraid she might be hurting inside, Louis gently urged her to tell him what she wanted, hoping to cheer her up.
“Then… I’d like a pearl from Triton.”
