Kaela was crying profusely while trying hard to wipe away her tears.
She was determined to stop crying right then and there. Though her will was strong and her hands vigorously wiped her face, tears she couldn’t control kept pouring from her eyes.
She had become unnecessarily tearful. Really unnecessary. She shouldn’t cry – crying was a weakness, so why did tears keep coming?
“Kaela.”
As always, Peon called her name with various meanings embedded in it. Tears she thought had completely dried up flowed even more at that gentle voice. Her husband would worry.
“Kaela, look at me. It’s alright.”
He easily removed her hands that were rubbing her face red, then kissed her reddened cheeks. His lips were better than her rough hands.
“It’s alright.”
Asking what’s wrong to a wife crying like this would be foolish. She couldn’t even answer through her crying, so he should just stroke her back.
Peon scanned the desk with sharp eyes before picking her up and carrying her to the bed. Though they often ended up at the bed, it couldn’t be helped. If she collapsed from exhaustion, she’d end up in bed anyway.
He held her as she tried to forcibly hold back her tears, stroking her hair and back while patting her. What could have suddenly caused this? Peon savagely reviewed recent events and scanned their surroundings. His wife had been alone. But why?
“H-how did you, come…?”
Kaela forced out the question while panting, unable to even complete her sentences. Her determination to have a conversation with him was strong, evident in how she strained to speak.
“I came because you were crying. Let’s talk after you calm down.”
But before he could finish speaking, Kaela burst into tears again, leaving Peon very bewildered.
Was she unhappy with his answer? Had he upset her? Was his tone too harsh? Was his voice frightening? He was well aware of how large and threatening a man he was. Looking at Kaela made him very aware of this.
Even now, she was small enough to fit in his arms with room to spare, delicate enough that even slightly rubbing her eyes would make them red like now, and fragile enough to collapse at the slightest thing.
So he had to be extremely careful not to frighten Kaela. After all, he had already made a significant contribution to teaching her what paralyzing fear felt like.
“When I cry, you…”
“Kaela, after you’re done crying.”
So he had to remove more force from his voice, remove strength from his hands, and hold and comfort her preciously. If he didn’t, he would lose her forever.
“You come when I cry?”
Kaela finally faced him and asked through her tears. Peon sighed. He couldn’t break his wife’s stubbornness.
“I do. I come when you call me too.”
“But, you must have been working…”
“That’s not important.”
Even the ongoing Lusenford expansion construction didn’t capture Peon’s interest. He felt no sense of responsibility that he had to do it. He was only doing it because Kaela had cared about it, because he was wearing the mask of the Grand Duke of Lusenford.
What could be more important than that? If Kaela was crying while barely managing to breathe, he had to drop everything and come.
“I’ll come even if you don’t call. I’ll come just because you’re crying. Even if you think that’s creepy, I can’t help it. I can’t let you cry alone.”
At his blunt tone, Kaela shook her head.
“It’s not creepy.”
“…Why not?”
That couldn’t be right? Peon couldn’t understand.
A man who constantly checks for the slightest breath and heartbeat, who appears immediately at the slightest disturbance or hint of tears – that’s creepy.
If that man was the cause, it’s even creepier. How much must she hate this man who keeps suddenly appearing in her daily life?
“No matter where you are, you’ll come, right?”
Kaela asked, panting. Her nose and eyes were red. Peon gently wiped her eyes.
“Yes. I’ll come even if you tell me not to.”
“Yes.”
“Are you alright?”
“You must come.”
Kaela nodded and buried her face in his chest.
“You must absolutely come.”
Why? Peon wanted to ask once more, but he could only embrace her back.
It felt like suddenly being struck by lightning from above, and standing there as the sky opened up to pour down a torrential rain. Kaela was that lightning, that sky, that rain.
He had no way to handle his wife suddenly approaching and embracing him. Until this nonsensical fortune suddenly bestowed upon him was taken away, all he could do was hold tight and bury his face in it.
Even if he would writhe in agony from an even greater sense of loss when it was taken away, he didn’t know how to push her away. He couldn’t do that.
“You’re mine exclusively, right?”
He had no will to resist the woman who tried to speak as calmly as possible while crying, raising her blue eyes.
“I’m yours exclusively.”
Peon was truly angry at himself for not understanding anything. He didn’t know why Kaela buried her face in him again and cried right after he said those words. It made him incredibly anxious.
[Crying is a good sign, Your Highness. She needs to cry. Think that it’s good that she’s crying. The habit of forcibly holding back is more deadly than poison. Her Highness needs to let out what she’s been holding in.]
At least Darinka had said that, so even though his heart was breaking at the sound of crying, he could only keep telling himself it was a good sign, a good sign, and hold her in return.
Kaela didn’t cry freely. After a brief sob as if overcome with emotion, she wiped her face with the soft towel he carefully offered.
“Don’t you need to go back?”
“How could I go anywhere when you’ve been crying?”
When Peon spoke seriously, Kaela smiled broadly with her tear-stained face.
“I just asked in case. It should be fine.”
You’ll handle it. You’re a dragon.
The one who had effortlessly gripped and dragged down the ducal house that had shone brilliantly at the top of Craine’s social circle, and even pulled down the emperor who seemed like he would rule the empire forever – someone far beyond comparison to that ducal house – would handle it.
Kaela let go of the standards she had obsessively maintained to avoid terrible things happening, and Craine’s implicit rules, though she felt a bit anxious about it.
“Why were you crying?”
Peon asked carefully while gently wiping Kaela’s face.
“Did someone upset you again? Did I do something wrong?”
He had thoroughly checked that there were no visitors – it wasn’t Beatrice, and the Marchioness of Schroz wasn’t in any condition to come.
There were hardly any people who could freely come and go, so why was she crying? Peon hid his worry that was making his blood run dry as he looked at her.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I wasn’t crying because I was upset.”
“Then why were you crying? May I ask?”
His very careful tone held the hidden meaning ‘don’t tell me if you don’t want to.’ Kaela smiled again while sniffling. Peon was trying his hardest until Kaela would be okay.
“Today was too peaceful, and quiet, and there wasn’t anything scary at all.”
Peon, who understood what that meant, nodded.
“Yes.”
Kaela looked at him then buried her face in his chest again. It was a bit embarrassing to talk while facing each other.
“So I was happy.”
“Yes.”
Then Kaela closed her mouth. She wanted to say more but now it wasn’t just a bit embarrassing – it was too embarrassing for words to come out. But Peon silently held her, waiting for her to say more.
Silence fell for a while. Peon, who had been waiting for more words, whispered into her embrace.
“I see.”
Ugh. Kaela gritted her teeth. She wanted to say something more.
“If you cried because you were happy, that’s fine. You don’t have to force yourself to speak.”
When she raised her head, her eyes met Peon’s. He nodded at his wife who was hesitating again.
“It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me everything.”
There was no law saying Kaela had to be completely honest with him. No law saying she had to force herself to speak.
“Let’s stop here for today.”
He kissed her swollen eyes.
“It’s alright.”
Kaela, who had been blinking her eyes, finally nodded. Just this far for today. No need to push herself.
“If you cried because you were happy, I’m glad.”
If she hadn’t cried because she was sad or upset or angry, that was enough. Peon accepted what she said as it was. Because he accepted her words as they were without digging deeper, she added one more thing.
“Because everything is peaceful.”
“Yes.”
He smiled faintly.
“If you’re happy, I’m happy too.”
It was a smile he showed only in front of her. Kaela was fine, and he smiled too.
“You’re crying again.”
Peon held Kaela with a very troubled expression.
“I’m crying be-because I’m ha-happy…”
“Yes.”
****
Watching others fall is an entertaining spectacle. But the one who is falling frantically searches for a way out while thrashing about in the heated hellfire.
How else could they endure this heat? But even then, they despair at the hell spread before their eyes.
The Crown Prince rubbed his face.
“Keep everyone quiet.”
Even though his succession to the imperial throne was right before him, somehow it didn’t feel like salvation at all. Rather, he felt anxious.
The Regency Council that acted while excluding the Crown Prince as if they had been waiting for this, and all the difficult political affairs they spoke of felt distant.
“Choose carefully who will attend to Mother.”
There were too many things to resolve. The Crown Prince’s head ached more as he thought of the maids who had followed his mother around in a line, those maids who had followed the Marchioness of Schroz because of him.
If he suddenly hid Mother in a back room, those gossipy women would find it strange, what should he do?
“Absolutely no word of this must leak out.”
There must be no talk of the Marchioness of Schroz losing her mind, or doing unspeakably strange things. How long had it been since such an opportunity had come! Yes. The Emperor’s collapse was an opportunity for the Crown Prince whose position was unstable.
Gregory understood that much. So he knew that in this situation, he had to do very well. First, hide Mother who had lost her mind to the point where communication was impossible. After hiding her, what should he do well? What on earth should he do?
There was nothing to do. Even now the newspapers were in an uproar about the discovery of the Duke of Monde’s corpse, and the Regency Council was investigating the Monde duchy for disgracing noble honor.
Moreover, all matters of diplomacy, politics, and military were decided through the Regency Council. Even Prince Elkanan, who had been leisurely enjoying his travels, seemed to have caught the scent and returned to Craine.
But Prince Elkanan couldn’t approach the core of central politics. At most, he could only observe what the Crown Prince knew. The Regency Council was running flawlessly.
“Somehow find a good doctor too. Mother needs to regain her senses.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I will keep it in mind.”
The Crown Prince bit his lip. With even his still-young mother becoming like that, he truly had no one on his side. Mother was just temporarily shocked and startled, that’s all.
Mother was discovered, the Grand Duchess disappeared, and then there was that strange fire in the magic tool room. When he thought of the voice he had heard in front of the magic tool room, he reverted from Crown Prince to just the boy Gregory.
The still immature boy with many fears had nearly wet himself and collapsed.
He hated how desolate and quiet the Crown Prince’s palace was.
Originally, this place should have been busiest when the Emperor fell ill, but Gregory, who was just a precious person who knew nothing, was only quietly attended to. No one listened to his opinions.
Gregory frowned and went out to the palace garden. He planned to avoid people’s gazes in the shaded area where cool winds blew.
His mind was troubled because of his mother who couldn’t even recognize her son and alternated between drooling while laughing and screaming while trembling. He needed to catch his breath somewhere where no one was around.
“I knew you’d be like this. What are you doing, Your Highness? Even after your ascension, the regents will run everything, yet you’re leisurely taking a walk?”
Suddenly red eyes that emerged from the shadows glared at Gregory while hook-like hands grabbed him. The nation’s Crown Prince froze in shock.
“I’m dying of heat crawling here on the dirt wearing this thing, yet you’re sitting idle? Do you really want to be cast aside after ascending? The Regency Council is running everything now – do you want to be Emperor or not?”
Were they red eyes? No, no. They were pink eyes that appeared redder due to bloodshot.
The Crown Prince was too shocked to speak properly. Beatrice, disguised as an attendant, didn’t release her tight grip on the Crown Prince. The skinny hand’s strength was remarkable.
“Are you going to let the Grand Duke of Lusenford take everything? Hm? The sun is falling, Your Highness.”
How did this woman know about the story that only those who were in the magic tool room knew about and had been strictly ordered to keep silent? Gregory anxiously looked around at these incredible words that wouldn’t be strange to charge as treason.
But there was no one around. There was no one to hear, no one to pull Beatrice away from him.
“The prophecies are all coming true. What happens when the sun falls? The next sun rises!”
Beatrice shook the one destined to be the next sun. The twenty-one-year-old Crown Prince was terrified looking at Beatrice with her rolling eyes.
“We must fulfill the prophecy. Don’t you understand? If we don’t, we’ll all die!”
“W-we?”
Finally feeling disgusted, the Crown Prince tried to remove Beatrice’s hand, saying not to lump him together with her.
“Don’t say such pathetic things. We keep getting victimized.”
She spoke showing her teeth.
“Your Highness is victimized, and I was victimized. Then up there, who has taken the seat that Your Highness should sit in?”
The Crown Prince, who had closed his eyes in despair at seeing hell, reflexively recalled one face.
“There is a prophecy, Your Highness. The crown of the new Emperor will rise.”
We absolutely cannot die like this. Beatrice, who had to secretly inspect the magic tool room that had nothing left like a criminal when Count Horhen called, nodded while meeting the wavering Crown Prince’s eyes.
Her eyes full of whites and her upturned but uncertain lips had lost reason long ago.
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