He couldn’t sleep well for a few days, and his head started pounding like it was going to explode. Erhart pressed his temples. That didn’t make the pain go away, but it did distract from it so it felt a little better.
The nobles gathered looked at each other at Erhart’s cold expression.
“… I don’t think we have anything more to say, so that’s enough for today.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
There was no way that they could not sense the atmosphere. Erhart rose to his feet, trying to calm his nerves. His expression as he left the conference room was as sharp as a knife, as if it could be cut at any moment.
Although it was due to the renewed insomnia and whitish nightmares, the people at the court assumed that the reason Erhart had been waking up so much these days was because Karel Isaac was away.
It was a ridiculous assumption, but he left it at that. Anyway, it was meaningless gossip and not even worth worrying about.
Why was up with his insomnia again? No, more importantly, there was no reason for him to be like this just because of insomnia, but he had been sleeping comfortably for a few days before, and his treacherous body had already become accustomed to the feeling of comfort.
Erhart walked through the corridors toward his office and raised his eyebrows when he saw a woman standing in front of the office door. She was Marielles’s nanny. The woman who spotted Erhart politely bowed.
“I greet the honored Your Majesty.”
“What is going on here, ma’am? Why are you not by Marielle’s side.”
“Her Highness Marielle is currently napping.”
“Marielle is?”
They didn’t interact much despite being siblings, nor were they affectionate siblings. However, since she was Erhart’s only remaining blood relative, there were many things to say.
First of all, Marielle was a very active child, so she wasn’t the type to take a nap. Not only her predecessor, but also her mother, Olivia Winston, did not have very energetic personalities, but she was so energetic that it was difficult to tell who she resembled. So much so that she even regretted taking a short nap during the day. Hence, he couldn’t hide his surprise.
“So, I’m sure you didn’t come to tell me that Marielle was taking a nap. Is she sick somewhere?”
“No, but Her Highness has been strange recently.”
Before her words, Erhart was about to say “In that case, it would be better to call the doctor rather than me”, but then swallowed his words that were lingering and took her inside his office. He sat down in his chair, touched his temple, and nodded as if to tell her to continue speaking.
“Her Highness has been asking for naps a lot for the past few days.”
“Marielle is very energetic, as anyone in her court would recognize, so it is possible that she is simply taking a nap because she is exhausted.”
“Her Highness’s energy is the same as before. She says she is tired and goes to bed early. What has changed is that the amount of time spent sleeping during the day has increased.”
“Perhaps it’s time for her to grow up.”
She was a little smaller than her peers, so it’s time to grow taller. She needed to grow up quickly so that she looked more decent when taking a partner. But Erhart was quite pleased with Marielle’s growth, as he had no intention of filling the empress’ palace for the next few years.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“I also want to not think of it as such a big deal…”
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The nanny’s concerns were not entirely unreasonable.
Olivia’s sudden death came as a great shock to Marielle. In addition, there was the disappearance of and change in Erhart, even though she was not close to him. At most, it would have been too much of a shock for a seven-year-old to handle.
He only heard about it later, but Marielle had been silent for about two months. She didn’t say anything and didn’t even smile. Since the nanny was the one who had been watching her closely, it was natural for her to worry that her depression at that time might be coming back.
“… “Did Marielle go to Renée Palace again?”
“I apologize. Her Highness was so stubborn that I could not bear to stop her.”
Erhart tapped his fingers on the table.
“You should have stopped her. She should have turned her attention elsewhere. That is the reason for your existence.”
The nanny only lowered her head in response to the harsh rebuke.
Erhart hated Renée Palace. Since it was Olivia’s residence during her lifetime, one might wonder why he would dislike it, but she was disgusted by the traces of the Emperor that remained there.
It was Olivia’s residence for over a dozen years. Small things like hanging tapestries, decorations placed throughout the corridors, and even a small lake that imitates the beautiful Kalea on the western side of Djerba.
They were all traces of the emperor.
How could he like the ghost of his ancestor, who had cherished her Olivia so much, but ended up killing her, and even ruined her own life? He was even thinking of plowing it over sooner or later.
The fact that the Emperor took Olivia’s life in order to lure Erhart to her deathbed was a truth too harsh for Marielle to know. He hid it and refrained from entering Renée Palace, but Marielle’s resentment, who did not know the exact reason, was inevitable.
“I apologize.”
“…”
“Ah. Now that I think about it, Her Highness said something a little strange that day.”
“Which is?”
“I’ve asked her again and she wouldn’t tell me, so I don’t know the details, but it seemed to be something about a fairy or a spirit.”
These were all nonsense words that could only appear in a children’s book.
“I guess she wanted to read a children’s book about something like that.”
Even though he responded indifferently, Erhart went back one by one to what the nanny had said. Renée Palace. Fairy. After going there, she had been taking a lot of naps. Sleeping early at night. It felt familiar somehow. Although it should not be something familiar.
“… Does Marielle sleep alone?”
“Since last year, since she is no longer young, she has insisted on going to bed alone.”
“Sleep with her today.”
“Yes?”
“Even if she’s all grown up, you’ll have to.”
“Yes.”
The nanny quickly obeyed despite her puzzled expression. Erhart sent her out only after he had added that she should call the doctor if the child seemed to be unwell. As Erhart, who was left alone, lowered his head again with his forehead resting, the chamberlain noticed and placed brandy in front of him.
“What. You want me to drink this and take a nap like Marielle?”
“Your Majesty seemed to need some relaxation.”
“What relaxation. I’m in a bad mood.”
He didn’t know what people drink alcohol for. Wasn’t it just intoxicating and unpleasant? Instead of moistening his lips with brandy, Erich held his glass and shook it lightly, and funny enough, he ended up thinking of Rayan.
There was no connection.
Of course, if you look at it in detail, it’s not completely unrelated, but it was still a little strange to see the alcohol and think of the man who emptied so many bottles in a bar that it was difficult to count them with one hand. … No, was it really strange? In the first place, the fact that he turned a deaf ear to any news about him and closed his eyes when he brought him in was proof that he was thinking and conscious of everything.
“How is that guy doing?”
“He is learning royal etiquette. From what I heard, he is quick to learn.”
He expected it to be difficult because he was polite in a subtle and unexpected way and rude in an unexpected way, but this turn of events was unexpected.
“I was just asking. But you seem to be well-versed.”
However, regardless of how surprising it was, the answers that came out one after another felt like the other person prepared for the questions Erhart would ask at any moment. When that point was pointed out, the chamberlain lowered his head and said he would correct himself. However, Erhart saw a slight smile on the chamberlain’s lips.
“Now that he has learned some etiquette, wouldn’t it be right for him to fulfill his duties?”
The chamberlain had already known that the emperor’s insomnia had worsened over the past few days.
“Isn’t that why you brought him here in the first place? Your Majesty.”
It was simply a justification… to rationalize his own decisions. That was just it. It occurred to him then that he should bring Rayan with him.
So, in hindsight, it wasn’t just because Rayan was someone who could fill in the gaps in his memory. Only after several days had passed did Erhart admit that his decision that day had been more of an impulse.
“… I have somewhere to go tonight.”
Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow would be better. He vaguely announced the day and motioned to the chamberlain to leave. Then he raised his hand and rubbed his face. The stained fatigue did not go away easily.
***
As he attended to his work, the sun set quickly. After ordering his aide to leave the palace and spending some time in his bedroom, Erhart left the palace when it became somewhat dark.
After shooing off the servants, saying there was no need for them to follow, the destination he headed to was none other than Renée Palace.
Erhart narrowed his eyes as soon as he saw the palace. Although it was not known to the outside world, it was at this Renée Palace that the Emperor met his end at the hands of Erhart. It was disgusting. He missed the woman he murdered, and followed her footsteps in the end. Perhaps this was why Erhart avoided Renée Palace.
Because he remembered his father’s disgusting last days.
If it weren’t for Marielle, he would never have set foot in a place like this. Erhart clicked his tongue.
But it was clear that there was something here that was drawing Marielle. She must have gone to her bedroom to pretend to sleep early and left the palace through a secret space, so in turn she was filling the lack of sleep during the day. He wondered how he could assume such a thing when he’d never done it, but it was just an assumption that came naturally.
In any case, Erhart, as her guardian, needed to determine what it was and eliminate it if it was a threat.
As soon as Erhart entered Renée Palace, he raised his magic power and disappeared. As soon as he entered, there was a faint smell of grass. It was clear that when spring came and all the flower buds opened their petals, the fragrant smells would also be mixed together.
He felt like burning it down.
Suppressing his impulse, Erhart slowly began to look for signs around him. There must be something that attracted Marielle. Whether it’s a human or, as the child said herself, a fairy.
After looking around, he eventually walked to the garden with the lake and stopped for a moment.
A small humming sound. Long, wavy hair that goes down to the waist. The face seen from the side was pale and delicate in the moonlight, but only the red lips were clearly visible.
“…”
So, it was Rayan.
A person he never thought he would see here.
He was sitting on the shore, dipping his feet into the lake and humming. Smack. He was unable to avoid the stone beak in front of him and made a sound. At that sound, Rayan stopped kicking his feet.
“You’re here?”
The beautiful voice took on a welcoming tone.
The moment he turned around, a blurry image overlapped him. Look. I kept my promise. A voice of unknown origin. At the same time, an impulse took hold of Erhart’s rationality and shook him. Instead of suppressing the impulse, he walked towards Rayan, who pursed his lips at the unexpected sight of him.
By the time he reached in front of Rayan with impatient steps, his lips were touching Rayan’s.
Ohoooo ~ 👀
Okaaay, so how will he explain that kiss now? lol And nice that Marielle kept the secret a secret :3
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
Quéeee, no me lo esperaba pero estoy feliz.