Dorothea quietly finished the hunting competition and headed straight to the Imperial Palace.
“Princess, are you okay?”
Ethan knew what her stiff expression meant.
It was as if she was trying hard to keep her whole body from shaking.
“What do I do if Raymond dies, Ethan?”
Ethan didn’t answer Dorothea’s question.
Because that assumption would destroy everything he and she had built up to this point.
Everything she had done to suppress her desire to become emperor, to accept Raymond again, to move on, would be in vain.
“I’m sure… His Highness will wake up.”
“Stay by my side, Ethan.”
Dorothea grabbed Ethan’s hand tightly. She needed a place to lean on. Ethan knows everything about her.
Ethan held her hand tightly as if to say he would.
* * *
The two soon arrived at the Imperial Palace.
Clara, who was waiting for them at the entrance of the Imperial Palace, immediately greeted Dorothea.
“Princess, His Majesty the Emperor has ordered you to eat with him right away.”
“Okay. But Raymond, is he not awake yet?”
“Yes, they said he hasn’t woken up yet.”
“…..”
Dorothea bit her lip and immediately went to meet Carnan.
Carnan, as if waiting, brought Dorothea into his room.
“Did you call?”
“For the time being, you must take over Raymond’s work, Dorothea.”
As soon as Dorothea came in, he spoke to the point.
“…..”
“Answer.”
“Yes, Your Majesty….”
The number of cases of rejection doesn’t exist.
“All but important works were distributed or postponed. And if Raymond doesn’t wake up like this….”
Dorothea was upset at Carnan’s assumption.
“You will succeed Raymond.”
Dorothea’s heart pounded at his declaration.
She thought that the desire to become an emperor was still in her heart. However, as soon as it came close to her eyes, Dorothea wanted to run away.
‘I can’t be a good emperor. What if I am judged again and fall into a bad way? The emperor’s position is so scary…’
She remembers the shouts of the crowd pointing at her, laughing and swearing, and throwing dirt and stones at her.
As the memory that she thought she had forgotten came to mind, her whole body trembled.
“Dorothea.”
“……”
“Keep your mind straight. You are Milanaire.”
Milanaire… the sound of that tightened Dorothea’s chest.
Does Carnan know? Dorothea Milanaire, whom he believes, is actually someone who can’t call on a single spirit and is leaning on someone else. That she is not the Milanaire he wants? That she deceives everyone?
Dorothea gasped.
That was then.
“Your Majesty! your majesty!”
Robert rushed in looking for Carnan. Dorothea’s heart tightened, fearing that it might be a report of Raymond’s death.
and.
“His Highness Raymond is awake!”
Robert smiled broadly.
* * *
Carnan and Dorothea left everything behind and ran to Raymond.
“Raymond!”
As Carnan and Dorothea entered the room, Raymond was sitting leaning on the bed, guarded by the doctor and Theon.
As Raymond’s blue eyes turned to the two of them, Dorothea let out a sigh of relief as if something had been lifted from her chest.
She felt like crying.
“Your Majesty.”
Theon and the doctor bowed their heads in courtesy.
Carnan strode to Raymond’s bed.
“Is Raymond’s body okay?”
Carnan looked at Raymond and asked the doctor.
Then the doctor looked at Theon.
“That’s….”
“Your Majesty…?”
Raymond’s clear eyes looked back and forth between Theon and the doctor, confused.
Carnan noticed something strange about his reaction.
“Raymond.”
“…..”
Raymond’s eyes turned towards the doctor as if asking for help.
Then the doctor bowed deeply and said to Carnan.
“The Crown Prince has no memory.”
* * *
“Ray…?”
After Carnan hastily left to speak with the doctor, Dorothea cautiously approached Raymond.
His eyes were as clear as they had always been. It looked like he would smile brightly and say, ‘Dorothy!’ at any moment.
“who…?”
But contrary to Dorothea’s expectations, he looked at Dorothea and asked.
“You really don’t remember?”
Dorothea hoped he was joking.
That he’d tease her like he always did, and then goes on to say, ‘Ta-da!’ and laugh stupidly.
But Raymond shook his head.
“He couldn’t even remember who he was or what kind of person he was, so after waking up, I explained it to him for quite some time.”
Theon, who was beside him, added.
All Raymond knows now is his name and status.
‘Stupid Ray has become really stupid…’
“Who are you…?”
Raymond’s pure question again. He was trying to somehow fill his empty head.
‘Where the hell should I start?’
“Dorothea. Dorothea Milanaire.”
Dorothea introduced her name to him.
Then Raymond rolled his eyes and nodded.
“Milanaire…you are my family.”
“Yes. I’m your sister, you idiot.”
Dorothea snapped at Raymond, furious at his cluelessness.
Then Raymond laughed like a fool.
“My little sister is very pretty.”
“What…?”
“Pretty.”
Raymond looked up at Dorothea and said.
“Don’t talk nonsense…!”
It was Raymond, who was seriously dying and was talking weird things.
‘Is there really nothing in his head?’
Just then, Ethan knocked on the door and came in.
Theon, who found Ethan, wrinkled his brow.
“Ethan, this is not your place.”
Raymond’s condition is a sensitive issue. but to have a man with no ties to the imperial family come in….?
“I’m sorry, Theon. I called him.”
“But Princess Dorothea—”
“Theon, I need his help. He is trustworthy.”
She couldn’t stand her nervousness and anxiety without Ethan. She wasn’t ready to accept this situation yet.
He was her stabilizer, her only support, the one thing that kept her from being swayed by the shadows of her past.
The only one she could confide her confusion over Raymond’s accident.
Theon shut his mouth. But he was still wary of Ethan being told about this.
“I already heard while waiting outside that the Crown Prince has lost his memory.”
“Everyone has a light mouth.”
“I have good ears.”
Ethan said, standing next to Dorothea.
He made eye contact with Raymond, who was sitting on the bed with a bandage on his head.
At Raymond’s gaze, which seemed to ask who he was, Ethan greeted politely.
“My name is Ethan Bronte of the Duke of Bronte family.”
“Ethan Bronte…?”
“I am in charge of music lessons for Princess Dorothea Milanaire here.”
“I see…”
‘What’s your relationship with me?’ Raymond seemed to want to ask such a question.
“I often exchanged greetings with the Crown Prince. Because I see the princess often.”
“I see…I don’t remember at all.”
Raymond shook his head.
Ethan looked at Raymond like that, then turned his gaze to Dorothea.
“Are you okay, Princess?”
Ethan asked quietly. It was because of Dorothea’s still stiff expression.
Dorothea shook her head without saying a word.
It’s not okay.
“I… I must have confused everyone.”
Raymond hugged his knees and muttered.
Then Theon knelt next to him and made eye contact with him.
“Your Highness, please concentrate on your recovery for now.”
“But….”
“Theon is right. Restoring the memories of the Crown Prince is our top priority.”
Dorothea nodded her head.
Making Raymond cower doesn’t solve anything.
The most important thing now is for him to regain his memory.
Then Raymond looked at Dorothea and asked.
“If I am a crown prince and you are a princess… Did you have a bad relationship with me?”
“It wasn’t bad…”
Then Raymond’s face relaxed a little.
“Thank god. I’m afraid of having a bad relationship with you.”
“Are you afraid that I will even threaten your life?”
“No, I think I would have been a really bad guy if I had a bad relationship with my pretty little sister.”
“……”
Dorothea bit her lips inward at Raymond, who smiled bashfully.
If the relationship between the two is bad, it must be Dorothea’s fault. But Raymond, who knew nothing, was still bright and kind.
‘If we lose our memory, won’t our nature go away?’
That was then.
“Princess Dorothea. His Majesty the Emperor is calling.”
Carnan’s call.
Dorothea nodded her head. She already knew what he was going to say.
“I will be back.”
Dorothea made one last eye contact with Raymond before leaving.
Then Raymond opened his mouth.
“Please come back and tell me your story, Dorothy. I think it would be helpful to get my memories back.”
“…..”
Instead of answering, Dorothea nodded and followed Robert outside to meet Carnan.
* * *
Poor Ray, but I somehow get the feeling this would only improve their sibling relationship more.
Hopefully 🥲