Judith, still pulling the sheet under her chin, looked at Cheraan's and Mary Anne's faces alternately with a more embarrassed expression. She thought that two people would be better than another person she didn't know, but when she actually met them face to face, she realized that it would have been better to receive help from a stranger.
“Um, so... I wish you wouldn't stare...”
Cheraan and Mary Anne looked at each other's faces. Then they started talking as if they were rushing in without even knowing who would take the lead.
“Do you know how worried I was when you didn’t come back all night!”
“That’s right, Your Highness. Lady Ebelta could not even return to her home; she spent the night at the Argent Palace.”
“I even thought about whether I should release the guards. But for Your Highness...”
Cheraan rarely trailed off. Then she saw the sheet wrapped around Judith's body. Her gaze also landed on her white shoulder, which was slightly hanging down one side of her body. Her face inside her body turned bright red.
“Hey, take a bath first. Mary Anne, would you like to go and prepare some hot water?”
"Ah... Well, I will! Just wait a moment, Your Highness!”
Mary Anne ran to the bathroom and closed the door with a loud bang. She was trying her best not to show it, but she seemed quite agitated. Once she was gone, Cheraan quickly climbed onto thr bed and sat down. Judith bit her body slightly as if asking why.
"Why...?”
Cheraan's eyes narrowed. Judith, who was moving her eyes here and there as if watching, spoke in a low voice.
“Cheraan, your eyes are sinister.”
“Don’t keep saying other things, Your Highness. How did this really happen?”
“Uh, what happened... What happened?”
“Are you really like this? Is that what I think is true?”
"That's... What is that?"
As Judith seemed to be able to hold out until the end, Cheraan's lips pursed. Normally, she has the temperament to say everything she can't say without enthusiasm, but she seemed to be worried about something like this for a while. Then, even though no one was listening, she put her lips close to Judith's ear and whispered:
“With the Crown Prince... Well, something like that.”
It was something she could have known just from the situation she had encountered in the morning, but it seemed like she really wanted to hear the truth from Judith's mouth. Judith, rolling her eyes back and forth, their color pale in the morning sunlight, knew that there was no way to get out of this situation without responding.
“That’s right.”
She tried to answer as calmly as possible but failed because she was coughing at the end of her sentence. Seeing Judith's cheeks turn red, Cheraan thought for a moment, 'Oh my God, this is ridiculous, my God.' She mumbled something and opened her eyes wide.
“What is ‘Oh my God’ and what doesn’t make sense?”
Judith responded in a somewhat pointed tone. Cheraan blatantly pretended to cover her mouth and let out a sinister laugh this time.
“How was it?”
“Oh, what do you think...”
“Hey, Your Highness. Even if no one else knows, you have to tell me, yes? How was it? His Highness the Crown Prince...”
“Cheraan!”
When Judith pretended to struggle, Cheraan giggled and pretended to fall back. She saw Mary Ann, who had just come back from preparing the bath and tilted her head.
“Your Highness, why are you doing this to Lady Ebelta?”
Judith turned her head in a calm manner and spoke quickly.
"I don't know. I guess she’s happy because she remembers the secret meeting she had with Bartholomew last night.”
“Ugh, Your Highness! It's like this! Come to think of it, something like that happened!”
This time, Cheraan's face turned bright red like a baked apple. He was so worried that Judith would not return to Argentine Palace that he had completely forgotten the memory of his embarrassed appearance.
"Yes? What is this talking about? What happened between Lady Ebelta and Master Vergy?”
“Mary Anne, little girl. It’s a story you don’t have to know yet.”
"Yes? What are you talking about! I’m already over 20!”
“Now, let’s take Her Highness and go to the bathroom. If we keep talking, the water will cool down.”
The battle of nerves continued for a while between Mary Anne, whose eyes were shining, and Cheraan, who was trying to avoid her attack. Judith, who was being dragged and pushed back and forth by her into the bathroom with her sheet wrapped around her body, suddenly stopped in her tracks and said:
“You two, this is a secret. Got it?"
Franz and Judith were a married couple, and they were both adults, so they had nothing to worry about, but they still didn't want rumors about this to spread publicly. Cheraan and Mary Anne narrowed their eyes at the same time as if telling them not to worry.
***
The Duke of Vergy was at the bed chamber of King Jedercayer.
It was late in the morning when he returned to the Duke's residence as he had stayed until the banquet was over. Not long after he changed his clothes and closed his eyes, he received word that the King was not in good health and hurried back to the palace.
The King collapsed on his way to bed. Although he did not lose consciousness, he complained that his vision was dizzy and he had difficulty maintaining his balance. The courtier used medicine and incense in a cautious manner, and by the time the Duke of Vergy arrived, the dizziness had largely subsided. However, his body seemed to have lost strength and he had difficulty moving.
The Duke was well aware of the fact that the King's health had worsened since he regained consciousness. The biggest causes were continuous overwork and lack of sleep. He asked him to take care of his body, but there was no sign of listening. Even if he had wanted to obey the Duke's words, the rush of work would have prevented him from resting comfortably.
“You need to rest, Your Majesty. The National Foundation Festival has just ended, so please, at least for today.”
“I understand. The Duke's nagging has not changed since then. In fact, it seems to have gotten worse.”
The King, who was lying in bed, still looked listless, but he had regained consciousness and stamina enough to tell a joke. It was a fortunate thing for the Duke, who was so heartbroken that he rode his own horse to the palace within a month, let alone a carriage.
“Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”
“Ask them to come in.”
Not long after the chamberlain left, the sound of busy footsteps on the carpet was heard. Perhaps because he arrived in a hurry, Franz's bangs were still wet. The King smiled kindly as he looked at his son's face.
“Are you here?”
“I’m sorry, Father. The body...”
“It was the first time in a while that I had a good time and I was just overworked. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
"However...”
“Is that true even if you say it’s okay? By the way, where did you go yesterday? I looked for you when the banquet was over, but you were nowhere to be seen. Judith too... Were you two together?”
Of course, the King said he did not know what had happened, but the embarrassment was clearly visible on Franz's face. The King and the Duke, seeing emotions that were rarely revealed, exchanged glances without anyone taking the lead. He felt like he knew what happened.
Said the king.
“I’m glad you guys are getting along so well.”
Before he could finish speaking, the King suddenly lowered his shoulders and coughed violently. Franz and the Duke of Vergy were startled at the same time and tried to approach him, but he raised his hand to stop them.
“It’s okay, don’t worry.”
“Father, you look very tired. Rather...”
“Hehe, why are you still doing this even though I said it was okay? My body can take care of itself. Isn’t it time for you to worry about me?”
"But...”
“The coronation ceremony will be held soon. Be sure to focus on preparing for it. And since the repairs to Nathion Palace are almost complete, prepare to move the residence with the Crown Princess.”
At the same time, the King glanced at Franz. Even so, the coronation ceremony was due to concerns that people might appear defensive or skeptical about merging their residences. But Franz nodded his head calmly. There was a moment of silence, but it didn't seem to be due to conflict.
“I will do as my father says.”
“Keep in mind. You are a wise child and I am sure you know this, but becoming a Crown Prince means carrying a completely different weight than before. In the future you...”
The end of the King's words became blurred for a moment. When Franz blinked, the King suddenly smiled gently and stretched out his hand.
“Come closer.”
Franz approached immediately. The King held his son's hand.
It was so long ago that he doesn't even remember the last time he held it. In the meantime, his son, who was young and small, transformed into a full-fledged young man. He felt strength in his strong hands, which contrasted sharply with his own, where wrinkles had begun to appear. With these hands, he was expected to be able to grasp anything. Whether it's a crown, a sword, or silk so beautiful that it obscures his vision.
“Franz, you are my son.”
The King spoke in a quiet voice. Franz looked once at his face, then at the face of the Duke of Vergy, and then again made eye contact with the King.
“Yes, Father.”
“Everything I have, everything I ever had, is yours. That will happen in the near future. Also, you will be able to have what I did not have. You must become that kind of King.”
“...Yes."
“You will not yet know the full meaning of my words. But Franz, take note. Depending on what your hand holds and what it points to, the future of the country will change. That’s what being a King is.”
It was the first time that the King or his father had told Franz this story. This was the first time he had declared that he would definitely give the throne to him.
“When difficult times come, you must always remember that you are not alone in your troubles.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Franz nodded and held the King's hand tightly. The father and son's hands holding each other looked very similar.
So that the King could rest comfortably, the Duke of Vergy and Franz went to bed together. Looking back at the closing door, Franz looked very anxious, and the Duke spoke as if comforting him.
“Don’t worry too much, Your Majesty. Didn’t Your Majesty also say this? It looks like you were so happy that you overexerted yourself a little.”
“...I feel like you’ve aged a lot, uncle.”
Although he did not know the meaning behind Franz's words, the Duke deliberately smiled as if it was no big deal.
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