Chapter 10
As soon as the Empress spoke, all the nobles in the conference hall became quiet. Even those who had vehemently opposed the transfer of the imperial throne until recently could not easily respond to those words.
When Risid was young, he was so shocked by the death of his half-brother, Crown Prince Joseph, that he lost his ability to speak and his mental age briefly regressed. This was an incident that everyone knew but kept quiet about.
No one dared to mention it first.
Unless it’s Risid’s mother, the Empress Regent.
“It is true that the crown prince was sick for a while, and because of that, I had no choice but to take over as regent and maintain this position until now. But now the disease seems to have disappeared… … If he gets married and have heirs, there will be no need to delay the abdication.”
The opinions of the nobles attending the meeting seemed to agree with those words, and no one objected.
“Even now, marriage proposals are still coming in from overseas.”
The chairman opened his mouth.
“It’s a marriage proposal.”
The sound of tapping the oak desk continued evenly. The Empress’s gaze rested on Risid, then looked around at the nobles again.
“Actually, when the crown prince was young, we as his parents have already decided whom the crown prince was going to engaged to be married. The crown prince probably already knows… … .”
The Empress looked at Risid with kind eyes.
“Did you say it was an arranged marriage?”
The nobles began to make a fuss again.
“Who is that, Your Majesty?”
“His Majesty the Emperor has already given permission. He even signed the marriage proposal himself.”
“The marriage proposal… … Are you saying there is one?”
The Empress smiled deeply at the sound of someone shouting sharply.
“It is like that. It’s an engagement that I have approved, when he was young.”
The Empress smiled happily and looked at Risid. He looked at his mother with eyes of reverence.
“If His Majesty hadn’t been lying down there, you two would have gotten married a long time ago. It’s truly a pity. So even now… must fulfill Your Majesty’s will.”
The meeting ended with a gentle and gentle voice.
* * *
“Are you awake?”
“… … .”
Even with her dazed mind, she could immediately understand who was talking to her.
“Chief maid?”
When I barely opened my eyes, Mrs. Heston was standing in front
of me with an expressionless face. There was a glass of water in her hand.
“Drink.”
“Thank you.”
My throat was burning, so I immediately took what she offered and swallowed it down my throat before I seemed to come to my senses a little. Then, feeling embarrassed, Héloïse grabbed the sheet and pulled it to cover her breasts.
It hadn’t been a day or two since Mrs. Heston had visited her after their affair, but she still felt embarrassed.
Is there a way to not be embarrassed? In any case, it was shameful for her to associate with the crown prince and also to show herself to the head maid in this state.
“Drink this too.”
Mrs. Heston held out the teacup she had placed on the nightstand. The clear brown liquid with a sour scent seemed like ordinary tea at first glance, but it was not.
“… Yes.”
She took the teacup carefully. And she started pouring it into her mouth, sip after sip.
I would drink it all anyway without her having to watch me. But Mrs. Heston would always stay by her side until she had emptied every drop of what was inside.
Heloise had just woken up after being tormented by Risid the whole time, so she drank all the remaining tea to soothe her upset stomach.
“Rest here today.”
“yes… … ?”
Mrs. Heston sighed softly as she looked into her wide green eyes.
“It’s His Majesty’s order. You cannot take a single step from here. No matter how much he loves you, but I don’t know what he will do if you break his orders.”
“But.”
Since he was attending a meeting with nobles, no one knows how long it will take. Sometimes it even leads to all-night meetings. The thought of having to stay locked in the bedroom all this time made my vision blurry.
“It’s an order. Please remain calm.”
“Yes, but… … .”
Mrs. Heston, who was about to turn to leave, looked back at her.
“My clothes… … can you give it to me.”
The dress that Risid had already torn was not visible. Even though I have it, I can’t wear it, but it’s still better than being naked.
Usually, if her dress tore after a rough affair, he would always send her a new one. Much more expensive and luxurious than the one he ripped off. But today I couldn’t see anything.
“There is none.”
Mrs. Heston’s voice turned a little sad.
“Yes… … ?”
“There are no clothes for you to wear. This is an order to stay where you are.”
Mrs. Heston left the bedroom, leaving Héloïse sitting with a blank expression on her face.
* * *
When the boring meeting was over, he returned straight to the crown prince’s palace. He felt so uncomfortable that he wanted to wash his ears in water after listening to the nobles talking all this time.
“The Crown Prince lost his speech due to some kind of illness when he was young, so the wedding was delayed. So we must hurry now.”
The story, which was considered an imperial secret, was now known and talked about by everyone. The moment I thought everything would be okay, pain came in without warning. The same goes for afterimages that I don’t want to remember.
He was barely able to breathe after walking quickly and opening the bedroom door connected to the office.
Heloise was asleep on his bed, just as she had been when he left earlier.
She must have felt frustrated while sleeping, so she kicked off the blanket, leaving half of her naked body exposed.
She still had bad sleeping habits. His gaze became a little relaxed as he scanned the white exposed arms and legs, and the appropriately raised mounds one by one.
He took off the decorative button on his collar and approached the bed. When he sat down, one side of the bed was pushed down deeply, but Héloïse seemed to have fallen asleep soundly and was sleeping well without any sign of waking up.
The way she sleeps with her face buried deep in the pillow has not changed at all from before.
Héloïse would always fall asleep next to him in case he had nightmares or sudden seizures at night. When he woke up, she was holding his hand tightly and not letting it go.
The tears had dried around the eyes, and the redness had not gone away. She has been crying quite a bit, so it was only natural that this level of traces would be there.
“I didn’t mean to do this. Tsk..”
He clicked his tongue. But the sight he saw in the morning was enough to turn his stomach.
At first, without realizing it, I was following Heloise as she walked through the rose garden and filled her basket with flowers.
In the gently blowing wind, a few strands of hair flowing down from the high ponytail fluttered softly, and even the silk ribbon wrapped around her hair fluttered in the sky, catching his
attention.
What caught my eye was the mouth shape that seemed to be humming a song. Here steps were also very excited, as if she was dancing. She was picking roses one by one and filling them into a basket, following them like a butterfly circling a flower.
It was a moment when I thought that she was probably picking flowers to decorate his rooms.
When I thought of Héloïse and the Count facing each other in the rose garden, my mind was immediately filled with discomfort.
Mine, mine alone. From the moment she was first thrown into his toy room, Heloise was his. It was an absolute, immutable truth that could not be doubted even for a moment.
Count Asher’s red face could be seen from afar. When he saw him snatch one of the flowers in his hand and run away like a fool, his mood plummeted to the ground.
Then, even more so at the moment when Héloïse, feeling his gaze, turned her head and looked at him just to ignore him… it made him feel miserable.
He gently placed the back of his hand against her cheek while she was sleeping soundly. When he touched her face with his fingertips, she wrinkled her nose and crouched to avoid his touch.
A slight smile appeared on his lips and it tickled his face a little more bothersomely. He had been upset since the morning, and it was strange to see her sleeping peacefully.
I didn’t mean to strip you and lock you up like this. It was at that moment that I thought that next time I should at least tie chains to your hands.
“… your majesty?”
The thin eyelids trembled and lifted upward. Eyes filled with the colors of the greenery that was streaming outside his window looked up at him.
Her eyes, still sleepy and hazy, were staring at him. When she was taken by him earlier, it looked like a lush forest with rain pouring in, but now it was colored in a calm green color.
“It’s very saggy.”
As he spoke reproachfully, Héloïse woke and stood up.
“So who told you to keep me locked up all this time?”
When a grating sound escaped, he burst into laughter as if it were amazing.
“But you followed my words well…”
“There’s nothing I can do, so I just sleep well. You did too much this morning.”
Heloise whined in a sleepy voice and sat closer to where he was sitting.
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if savoring the sweet scent wafting through her body. At times like this, he had to stay alert. This was because he was fully aware that there was a purpose to her acting pretty.
Sure enough, a voice nearing his ear whispered to him.
“I… … Can I please put some clothes on?”
“No.”
The small face was full of disappointment at the answer that came back at once.
“I look like Shaved Nini… so I’m embarrassed.”
One day, a cat named ‘Nini’ kept in the empress’s palace had a skin disease and had all of its fur shaved off.
