Remembering the chamberlain’s words that Jerald was still sleeping, Pristin entered the room, making as little sound as she possibly could.
She was going to leave after seeing him sleeping for a while.
“…Oh?”
However, the room became brighter and brighter as she moved inside.
‘I thought he said he was sleeping… Is he already awake?’
Pristin continued to move with a puzzled expression.
When she finally spotted Jerald, she couldn’t help but panic.
“…Your Majesty.”
Jerald had been drinking, guided only by a single lantern. Pristin doubted her eyes at first, but it was Jerald, unmistakably. She froze in place, a look of great panic on her face.
Her lips moved helplessly.
“Your Majesty…”
Only then did Jerald lift his eyes from the glass. Even in the dim light, it wasn’t hard to see that both of his eyes were red and bloodshot. Pristin felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight.
Why, why was he like this? She couldn’t figure it out.
‘What happened today?’
But she hadn’t heard anything in particular. After all, he was fine the last time she saw him during the day. Pristin continued to stare at Jerald with a puzzled expression.
Jerald was only slightly surprised to see her, but he didn’t speak first. It was so different from his usual demeanor that Pristin felt uneasy.
“Your Majesty, why are you drinking…”
“…”
“What’s the matter with you?”
Pristin was about to approach Jerald with a worried look on her face.
Jerald reached for Pristin and made a gesture not to come closer. Pristin was shocked at the sight.
“Your Majesty…?”
“Pristin,”
Jerald told her, his voice gravelly,
“Don’t come any closer.”
“Your Majesty, why are you suddenly…”
But Pristin ignored Jerald’s words and continued walking toward him.
“What happened?”
“Don’t come any closer, Pristin,”
He begged in a mournful voice,
“I beg you.”
“Your Majesty…”
“I can’t… I can’t bear to look at your face right now.”
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
Pristin eventually couldn’t move more and complained of her bewilderment right there.
“If you do this all of a sudden, I’ll be so worried. This situation is confusing.”
“…”
“Tell me what’s going on, Your Majesty; we’re about to be husband and wife.”
“…Husband and wife.”
Jerald repeated the words silently, then looked up at Pristin and asked,
“Are you sure you can take me as your husband?”
“Your Majesty, what does that mean…?”
“I mean… would you really be… okay with marrying me?”
“Why do you say that all of a sudden? Of course I wouldn’t mind.”
“…You weren’t going to tell me until now.”
“What do you mean…”
“I’m saying,”
Jerald threw up the words with a troubled expression,
“I destroyed your family.”
Hearing those words, Pristin felt the blood in her body run cold.
She stared at Jerald, her face stiff with surprise.
“…Your Majesty.”
And with that look, Jerald knew that the story he had heard from Tanya was not a lie.
His face became even more despairing than before, and he muttered in a hollow voice,
“Your sister missing, your parents dead.”
“…”
“I caused every tragedy in your family.”
“What the hell…”
Pristin shuddered and asked,
“Who told Your Majesty that nonsense?”
“It’s not nonsense.”
Jerald asked Pristin with a sad look on his face,
“Isn’t the way you’re freaking out right now proof of that?”
“…No, it’s not.”
Pristin shook her head firmly.
“What surprised me was the fact that Your Majesty had heard such nonsense and I wonder who on earth brought it to you.”
“It was Princess Gennant.”
…That woman.
Pristin’s expression quickly cooled.
“Do you believe the words of Princess Gennant?”
Pristin took a step closer to Jerald, looking dumbfounded.
“Even more than me?”
“…Pristin.”
“No, Your Majesty, I don’t know what she told you, but it’s not something you should blame yourself for, ever.”
“How is it…how is it not my fault?”
Jerald said to Pristin, his eyes uncomprehending.
“The ring I gave you should have caused you to suffer such tragedy.”
“The ring was not given to me by Your Majesty because you wished me misfortune,”
Pristin said firmly, her voice unwavering to the end.
“Not a single part of my misfortune was Your Majesty’s doing.”
“…”
“It’s the former emperor who made me and my family that way. Not Your Majesty.”
“…Pristin.”
“You must be clear about who is responsible, Your Majesty. My parents’ enemy was the former emperor, not you.”
“And yet you pushed me away in the first place.”
“…”
“Because of the guilt over your dead parents and missing sister.”
“Yes. I did.”
Pristin nodded in acknowledgment.
“But I knew even then. That Your Majesty was innocent.”
“…”
“That’s why it pained me. If it had truly been Your Majesty’s fault, I might have resented you, but it wasn’t.”
“… Were you planning to keep hiding it from me?”
“Yes.”
“How much of a villain were you trying to make me by making such a vow?”
“Your Majesty, it is clear you’re blaming yourself for something you didn’t even do.”
The current situation was proof of that. Pristin now gazed at Jerald with tear-filled eyes.
“From the moment I first met you, until now, I have never not loved you, not once. I have always been true to you, always thought of you.”
“…”
“So I couldn’t tell you, because the thought of how badly a good man like Your Majesty would blame yourself if you found out. I was going to bury that fact until my dying breath, even if it meant we were separated forever.”
“I…”
Jerald whimpered in a distressed voice,
“I don’t have the confidence to see you.”
“So you won’t see me forever?”
Pristin took another step closer to Jerald. Finally, they were completely close.
Jerald stared at her, his eyes filled with fear and sadness.
“Abandon me.”
Pristin cautiously took Jerald’s hand in her own. Jerald flinched at the unexpected touch, but Pristin didn’t let go of his hand, and gently moved it to her stomach. Jerald flinched again at the touch.
“You’re… going to… abandon this child?”
“I didn’t mean that…”
“I know. What Your Majesty is thinking.”
Pristin took Jerald’s other hand and held it tightly.
The coldness of his fingertips reminded her of what he must be feeling.
“I know, and that’s why I’ve kept it hidden all this time.”
“…”
“Your Majesty.”
Pristin lifted her head slightly and looked at Jerald. She could see tears pooling in his eyes, just like her own. Pristin spoke up, her voice full of regret.
“All the misfortune I’ve suffered is your uncle’s fault, and I love you so much.”
“…”
“That’s the only truth that matters to both of us right now.”
As soon as he heard those words, Jerald swept her into his arms, unable to fight the rising emotions. Pristin meekly returned the favor, gently cradling the grieving Jerald in her arms. She could hear him sobbing faintly as he caught his breath.
“I’m sorry.”
After a long time, a muffled voice apologized,
“I didn’t know that, and I…”
“Shh, Your Majesty.”
With her face buried in Jerald’s arms, Pristin quietly restrained him.
“Don’t blame yourself anymore. My parents wouldn’t want that either.”
“Pristin…”
“Neither would my sister, so please, Your Majesty…”
Pristin slowly raised her head and gently wiped her thumb across Jerald’s tear-streaked cheek.
Jerald looked up at her, his eyes still moist with tears.
“I hope this doesn’t make things awkward between us.”
After saying so, Pristin carefully lifted her heel and kissed him first. The suddenness of the kiss made Jerald flinch for a moment.
But Pristin was undeterred, and she wrapped her arms around Jerald’s upper body a little tighter. She continued to press their lips together.
The emotions she must be feeling right now slid across his lips, urgently communicating to him.
‘…Such a kind person.’
She thought this would happen, so she hid it, and hid it again and again…
Pristin’s heart split in two. Part of her felt sorry for Jerald. And then there was the bitterness toward Tanya.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
The next morning.
“Lady.”
Brelin cautiously called Tanya. She hadn’t been feeling well since yesterday. It was to be expected, given that she would be leaving for exile in two days.
Nevertheless, Tanya couldn’t have been more proud of herself for visiting Jerald yesterday and telling him a great secret he didn’t know.
“What? What’s going on?”
“There is a person from the imperial palace.”
“From the imperial palace? So suddenly?”
“Yes.”
“What’s going on?”
“Sent by Countess Rosewell.”
Tanya’s face frowned, expecting to see someone from the emperor.
“…Why her?”
“She wishes to see you before you leave for exile.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Tanya looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked,
“What could it be, has she learned of the story I told His Majesty yesterday?”
“Maybe she’s trying to get even with you?”
“Get even with me, for what?”
Tanya snorted in disbelief.
“Okay, so she wants to take it out on me for yesterday, but doesn’t she realize she’s making herself look ridiculous, or is she too stupid to realize that?”
“Well… what do you suggest I do?”
“Tell her to come here herself.”
Tanya muttered, the corners of her mouth making an arc,
“Fine, I wonder what she’ll say.”
