“I want to go to the cemetery. Is it okay to go out?”
“Why do you need permission for something like that?”
Jerald replied with a serious expression.
“Of course it’s fine, Pristin. As long as you come back…”
“…”
“You can stay by your mother’s side for as long as you want and then come back.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“…No.”
Pristin replied with a hint of difficulty.
“No, the grave is far from the palace. And if this is known, the nobles will not like it very much.”
“I can go in secret.”
“…Next time.”
Pristin said cautiously.
“If you have a chance, go with me next time, Your Majesty. This time, I want to go quietly by myself.”
“Okay. I see.”
Jerald didn’t ask her any more. Pristin smiled hard and bowed her head slowly.
“These are all I want, Your Majesty. I don’t want any more compensation.”
“You always have so little greed.”
“…Is that so?”
“It’s okay to be more greedy.”
The voice seemed to comfort her, so Pristin became depressed for a moment.
“If anything like that ever comes up, be sure to let me know. Got it?”
“…Yes.”
Pristin nodded her head, pulling up the tail of her mouth.
“Then rest, Your Majesty.”
After a brief greeting, Pristin quietly left Jerald’s room. After completely separating from him and the space they shared, Pristin raised her head up with a complex expression.
“…Once I go and come back, all these emotions will be resolved.”
She firmly believed that meeting her parents would help her settle her wavering emotions.
And that was a hope she could embrace, completely unaware of what would happen in a few days’ time.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
“Brelin, are you taking good care of Tammy’s food?”
“Of course, my lady. What kind of dog is Tammy?”
Tanya looked after the dog she had brought in with great care. She even named it Tammy and set aside a separate room for it. She made sure to take it for a walk every day to build a bond with the dog. Tanya felt satisfied that she had put in a considerable effort.
“Now, let’s go for a walk today as well.”
Whenever she had the chance, Tanya would go for a walk with Tammy, and their main route would always be around the central palace. She hoped that by wandering around there, she might catch another glimpse of Jerald’s face. Unfortunately, in the first few days, it seemed to have no effect at all.
But Tanya continued her walks without showing a hint of giving up.
And at the same time, Jerald, regretfully, was absent from the central palace.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
“Your Excellency.”
Aruvina spoke quietly to Pristin.
“His Majesty is here.”
“His Majesty?”
It was the first visit since the last meeting at the central palace. Pristin hesitated for a moment and nodded. Jerald came in immediately.
“Pristin.”
The appearance of entering the room with a smile was the same as before. Pristin greeted him with relief that the oddly lethargic figure she had last seen had disappeared.
“I see the sun of the empire. What brings you here?”
“The chef at the central palace makes desserts quite well.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t really enjoy dessert that much.”
“What do you mean…”
“You’re so clueless.”
He chuckled and gave a playful glance toward the waiters behind him. Instantly, they rushed forward and set the plates on the table.
As Pristin squinted, she realized it was all dessert. She looked at Jerald with a bewildered look.
“Let’s eat together. It’s a waste if I throw it away because I can’t eat it.”
In fact, if Jerald didn’t eat them, those desserts would be distributed intactly to the servants and maids of the central palace, and further down to the servants and maids.
However, without mentioning any of that, Jerald simply sat in front of the table.
“Aren’t you going to sit?”
“…”
Pristin was taken aback by how natural Jerald’s actions were and ended up sitting at the table with him. Jerald carefully served a slice of strawberry cream cake in front of Pristin, and she silently picked up her fork.
“I should leave soon, Your Majesty. I don’t have time for this…”
“I know, I know. You’re going to the herbal garden soon, right?”
“…”
“Just take a bite, even just one piece. Please.”
The last words strangely weakened Pristin’s resolve, and she silently took a forkful of the pointed end of the cake into her mouth.
…It was delicious. As he saw Pristin’s expression brighten slightly, Jerald looked at her with a satisfied expression.
“Do you like it?”
“…It’s delicious.”
Pristin said with a slightly embarrassed look.
“Your Majesty, you should try it.”
“I already told you. I’m not really fond of desserts.”
“Then you could have just sent them through the servants.”
“But then I wouldn’t be able to see your face.”
“…”
Pristin took another bite of the cake without saying any more. Then she slowly looked at Jerald’s expression.
‘It’s definitely much better compared to a few days ago.’
The facial expressions, the atmosphere, too. It’s stable. Pristin, who had been secretly worried, could finally feel relieved.
“Do you want more?”
“I’m full.”
“Just after eating one piece?”
“Her Royal Highness fed me a lot earlier.”
“Oh, were you with Claret for lunch?”
“Yes.”
“It would be nice if you could spend at least half the time you spend with Claret with me.”
With a strange grumpiness in his voice, Pristin couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“Now are you jealous of Her Highness, too?”
“I’ve always been. How can I not be when you’re always spending time with her?”
“Anyway, I should get up now.”
After tidying up, Pristin stood up slowly.
“I might be late for the herbal garden.”
“Shall I come with you?”
“Your Majesty, aren’t you busy today?”
When Pristin squinted her eyes and asked, Jerald shrugged in response.
“I always make time for you, even when I’m busy.”
“…”
“And besides, I happen to have something to do there too.”
“In the herbal garden?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the matter…”
“They’re the ones who work tirelessly for my health and the advancement of herbal studies in Limburg.”
“…”
“It’s only right to visit them occasionally and give them encouragement.”
“My colleagues might feel burdened if Your Majesty visits.”
“No, Pristin. If I go, it might ignite a sense of duty in them.”
“…”
“Let’s go. We might be late at this rate.”
Seeing that she couldn’t dissuade him, Pristin quickly gave up and started walking. Like an obedient dog, Jerald followed closely behind her.
“Did you always walk this fast, Pristin?”
“…Wouldn’t it be better if you walked separately, Your Majesty?”
“Why?”
“If anyone sees us together…”
“Would they be jealous?”
“Especially the empress candidates. If Tanya sees us, she’ll be even more…”
But Jerald didn’t seem too concerned about Pristin’s words.
“I wouldn’t mind if they saw us.”
“…”
“And strictly speaking, I’m not following you. I’m just going to the herbal garden because I have something to do there.”
“Yes, yes.”
Pristin gave up persuading Jerald more and walked on. Jerald went after Pristin again.
“Let’s go together. It’s lonely when you go alone.”
“I’m not lonely at all.”
“But go with me.”
“…”
And Tanya was watching from afar. When she first heard Jerald’s voice, she eagerly walked toward them, but her expression quickly hardened as she noticed Pristin as well. She tightened her grip on Tammy’s leash.
‘Again, that woman…’
Tanya glared at Pristin, who was walking next to Jerald, with an unmistakable look of disdain. And then, with a resolute expression, she changed her direction and started walking toward the two of them. And after a few more steps…
“Bark!”
Tammy unexpectedly started running forward. Startled by the sudden movement, Tanya accidentally let go of the leash, and Tammy began to sprint toward Pristin and Jerald at a faster pace. Pristin, who had initially been oblivious to this, suddenly noticed Tammy running toward them and became flustered.
“Why is there suddenly a dog…”
“What?”
Only then did Jerald realize that there was a dog running toward them. His expression quickly changed. Pristin knew that Jerald disliked dogs, so she quickly turned her gaze toward him.
“Your Majesty…!”
But it seemed like it was already too late. Jerald’s face was completely unsettled, as if everything he had shown before was a lie. Filled with panic, Pristin felt a surge of fear. She immediately grabbed onto Jerald and called his title.
“Your Majesty, are you all right? Your Majesty.”
“Oh, no…”
Jerald’s pupils dilated and his eyes shook rapidly as if about to have a seizure. He didn’t know what to do when he saw the dog running toward him.
In an instant, Jerald’s body turned as cold as ice and he began to tremble like a willow tree. Pristin realized that the situation was urgent.
The dog running toward the two of them seemed completely non-aggressive, but Pristin desperately opened her mouth and shouted.
“Stop the dog, right now!”
The other royal guards who were following from a distance realized late that Jerald was not in a good condition and rushed to block the dog. The innocent and people-pleasing dog, thinking that the approaching guards were there to play with him, barked louder and thrashed around.
Because of this, they had a bit of trouble, but regardless, the guards succeeded in keeping the excited dog from approaching Jerald and Pristin any further.
“Phew…”
Pristin let out a sigh of relief, but unfortunately, Jerald’s condition didn’t improve at all compared to earlier. His body continued to tremble and his skin became even paler as if he would faint any moment.
No, to be honest, it seemed even worse than before. Pristin tried to calm down Jerald with an anxious voice.
“Your Highness, it’s fine. The dog has stopped. It won’t come any closer.”
“No, Arthur…”
“Your Highness, please look at me. There’s nothing to worry about…”
“We need to escape…”
“Your Majesty?”
“No…!”
And then, Jerald screamed in terror and fainted on the spot.
“Your Majesty!”
A panicked Pristin quickly supported him, but he had already lost consciousness.
A startled Pristin sank to the ground and held Jerald in her arms.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”
“…”
“Your Majesty, are you okay? Your Majesty!”
Pristin desperately shook Jerald to wake him up, but he was completely unconscious. A distraught Pristin yelled toward the guards who were still present.
“Summon the palace doctor, immediately!”
