Jerald instinctively sensed that Akkad intentionally brought up the story.
‘Interesting.’
However, contrary to his thoughts, his expression didn’t seem amused at all. He was currently in a very uncomfortable state, but he made an effort not to show it while looking at Akkad.
And Akkad immediately turned to Pristin.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“No, I’m okay.”
“If the treatment is done, you should leave now.”
When Jerald tried to smile and spoke to Akkad, the latter responded casually.
“Forgive me, but, Your Majesty, I need to change to different herbs in a moment.”
“In a moment? How many minutes are we talking about?”
“Between five to ten minutes. I’ll check and adjust during that time.”
“But seriously, Lord, didn’t you say it was a small wound?”
“Even for a small wound, it’s better to take definite measures to avoid any aftereffects.”
“…”
He spoke so well.
Jerald did his best to hide his discomfort with a forced smile. It meant he had to stay here with that man for ten more minutes.
It was so uncomfortable.
“I didn’t expect you to be here.”
At Akkad’s words, Pristin quickly opened her mouth in case he misunderstood.
“I’m serving a penalty.”
“Penalty?”
“I played a card game with Her Highness… but I lost.”
“I see. That’s how it is.”
Akkad unexpectedly reacted with a surprised expression.
“I heard you’re very skilled at card games. It seems Her Highness is quite the player.”
“I was surprised myself. I pledged not to be overconfident again.”
“More than that, the penalty seems unusual.”
Akkad looked at Pristin with an expression of curiosity.
“Why are you here for a penalty related to a card game?”
“Ah.”
Pristin hesitated for a moment, and replied so as not to be as misleading as possible.
“Her Highness expressed a desire to ride the carriage alone during the journey. So…”
“Ah, then you didn’t need to come all the way here.”
“What do you mean…”
“The carriage I was riding until now was quite spacious. If Her Highness wanted to avoid any discomfort, you could have used our carriage…”
“That’s not possible, Lord Bachell.”
Jerald opened his mouth before he could finish talking. Akkad and Pristin’s head turned to that at the same time.
“What do you mean…”
“Thanks for thinking of her, but it was an unnecessary kindness. I want Countess Rosewell to use the same carriage as me.”
“Oh, is there any particular reason?”
It was a question disguised as pure curiosity. Jerald noticed it and looked at Akkad with a rather intrusive look.
However, Akkad maintained a genuinely curious expression and calmly received Jerald’s gaze. In this situation, Jerald chose not to respond immediately, and a brief silence hung in the air.
In addition, there was an unknown exchange of eyes between the two, causing subtle discomfort in the atmosphere.
“I hurt my ankle just now, and it might be a bit challenging to move around.”
Pristin sensed a strange atmosphere and quickly opened her mouth.
“So, I appreciate your consideration, but I’ll stay with His Majesty during the journey.”
“Ah, now that I think about it.”
Akkad nodded with an expression that he was convinced. Then, he replaced the herb mixture on Pristin’s ankle with a different one.
As soon as the treatment appeared to be over, Jerald asked.
“Is it over?”
“You can remove it after twenty minutes.”
“I can do that.”
Pristin answered quickly.
“You may leave now, Lord Bachell. Thank you very much.”
“Not at all. It was my pleasure.”
Akkad gracefully lifted the corners of his mouth, creating a charming smile.
“Then I’ll see you again in Itidian, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Take care on your way, Lord Bachell.”
With a farewell that carried a subtle urge, Akkad returned to his carriage. Once the two were left alone, Pristin sighed deeply and muttered to Jerald, as if expecting him to listen.
“I’ve never experienced such discomfort.”
“What does that mean?”
“It seems like you were jealous of Lord Bachell again.”
“Of course, at first.”
Jerald retorted with a slightly resentful tone.
“But then he provoked me from behind.”
“Provoked?”
“It’s because you didn’t see that look earlier.”
Recalling the situation a few minutes ago, Jerald made a face. Even now, it was an unpleasant moment.
“Talking about treating wounds twice while looking at me with such a triumphant expression?”
“What? No way.”
“You don’t know men very well.”
Jerald shook his head.
“It seems to me that Lord Bachell has some dark intentions toward you.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sure. My intuition has never been wrong.”
“No way. I’m purely a colleague of the herbal garden with Lord Bachell…”
“That’s probably just your perspective.”
Jerald muttered, still with a stern expression.
“Anyway, I don’t like it.”
“As an emperor, you need to be more accommodating.”
“First of all, the lord behaved rudely.”
“It could be a misunderstanding. Anyway… don’t worry too much about it.”
Pristin stumbled through the conversation, unsure of how to conclude it.
“Jealousy seems to be too much for you, whether it’s now or in the past.”
“It’s never happened to me before.”
Jerald looked at Pristin and said.
“Because it’s you, that’s why I react so sensitively. Am I repulsive for being like this?”
“You don’t need to put it so extremely. I’ve never thought you were repulsive, but…”
Pristin hesitated and concluded.
“I just think you haven’t changed, as I mentioned earlier.”
“I repeat, it’s because it’s a problem related to you.”
Jerald casually changed the topic.
“Anyway, it’s fortunate that it’s not a serious injury. With Lord Bachell treating you, you’ll recover quickly.”
“You used to dislike the lord, but suddenly you’re speaking highly of him.”
“We need to distinguish between work and personal feelings. I know he’s competent.”
At that moment, Jerald slowly raised his hand and brought it next to Pristin’s face.
When he looked into her eyes and made such a sudden move, Pristin couldn’t help but tense reflexively.
Feeling her heart racing, Pristin looked at him with slightly trembling lips. Soon, his fingers came closer to her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
In what would have been an ordinary display of affection, Pristin’s heart began to beat louder, making more noise than usual.
“You must have been startled.”
“…It’s all right.”
A low voice followed by a quivering voice. Pristin realized that there was too much tension in her voice, unconsciously clearing her throat.
“Thank you for earlier. It could have been much worse.”
“It would have been better if you were completely unharmed.”
“I’m perfectly fine even now.”
Not just empty words, but indeed, she was quite okay.
“Your ankle will heal quickly. Just take it easy for a few days.”
“Yeah. It’s probably a good idea to rest for a few days after arriving, treatment or not.”
“Would you like me to teach you the card game I mentioned earlier?”
Pristin, grasping at the first topic, made Jerald chuckle unintentionally. In truth, he wasn’t particularly interested in card games, and he had no desire to learn. It was just a tactic to sit beside her, on an equal footing.
Jerald, perhaps concerned that she might be tired, shook his head.
“No. I don’t think it’s very right with the current situation.”
“Then…”
Suddenly, Jerald leaned toward Pristin’s knees and lay down completely. Pristin looked down at him with a bewildered expression. His direct gaze was both disconcerting and thrilling, causing her heart to flutter.
“Can’t we just stay like this?”
“…”
“I’m a little sleepy.”
“…Let’s go to bed.”
“Then what if I fall too?”
Pristin was left speechless by the nonsensical excuse. The man who had given an unreasonable answer was now looking at Pristin with a rather serious expression.
“Not for long, just a moment.”
“…”
Without waiting for a response, he slowly closed his eyes. Pristin couldn’t say anything and stared blankly at Jerald. Soon, she confirmed that he had drifted into a light sleep, listening to his steady breathing.
Pristin, without moving, continued to gaze at Jerald, who had his head resting on her knees. Unconsciously, she raised her hand to tidy up his disheveled hair.
Even after she had finished arranging it, she continued to watch him for a while. In a quiet voice, she whispered her hopes.
“Don’t have any bad dreams.”
If he could peacefully fall asleep like this, she thought she could endure allowing him to rest on her knees for a while longer.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
The carriage continued to run for a while before finally reaching Itidian.
“Wow, finally!”
“We’ve arrived in Itidian!”
“Wow, isn’t the palace so beautiful?”
The empress candidates, visiting the Summer Palace in Itidian for the first time in their lives, seemed captivated by the exterior of the splendid Summer Palace, not inferior to the main palace. Even after getting off the carriage, they were engrossed in admiring the palace’s exterior, not daring to enter carelessly.
Pristin was also distracted by the beautiful appearance of the Itidian annex, and someone came up to her and called.
“Pristin.”
There was only one woman who could address her like that. Pristin turned with a smile.
“Your Highness.”
“How was the carriage ride? Comfortable, I hope?”
Pristin laughed awkwardly at the pretty mischievous question.
“It was certainly comfortable because it was His Majesty’s carriage.”
“What, nothing interesting happened?”
“Nothing interesting happened.”
Pristin replied, lifting the hem of her dress on the side of her injured foot.
“I did have a little mishap.”
“Oh no! How did that happen?”
“I was trying to stand up, and suddenly the carriage jolted… It’s not too serious, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
“Oh my! Still, I’m relieved it’s not a major injury.”
With that said, Claret’s face was already full of worry.
“For the next few days, you should rest and not go anywhere, Pristin. I’ll go to your room, so don’t worry too much.”
“It’s not that severe, Your Highness, and I can go to where you are.”
“No, I can’t let someone with an injured foot go around. Besides, it’s right next door.”
Claret held Pristin’s hand tightly and spoke with an excited voice.
“Shall we go? Somehow, I feel like something interesting is going to happen here!”
Indeed, in the Summer Palace of Itidian, a variety of interesting events were bound to unfold.
