After sending May out, I went to see Perdes.
I tried to ask him what he had heard, but here again, a variable arose.
“Perdes hasn’t returned yet?”
Sir Eren answered my question.
“Yes, Miss.”
Perdes, who went to see the Emperor before me, has not returned yet.
The Emperor has a lot of things to do for him, so he probably isn't holding on to him for now.
I was worried that something had happened.
Sir Eren asked as I stared at Perdes' bedroom door.
“Shall we find out what happened to Perdes?”
“Can you do that?”
“Among the knights of the imperial palace, I have classmates at the academy. I’m going to ask them.”
Oh, come to think of it, Lord Aldor also found out information about the 5th Prince like that before.
"It's okay."
Although it was an attractive offer, it was dangerous to delve into the Emperor's palace.
I refused because I could be misunderstood as having impure intentions and could be arrested.
“When Perdes comes back, please let me know right away, Sir Eren.”
“Yes, Miss.”
I returned to the room and waited for Sir Eren or Perdes to come, but no matter how long I waited, no one came.
I went to check to see if Sir Eren had forgotten to tell me, but that wasn't the case.
'When on earth are you coming back?'
As time passed, my anxiety grew.
Unable to sit still, I paced around the room anxiously, thinking.
Should I have asked Sir Eren to investigate?
No. What if a spark flies from Sir Eren?
But I can't just wait like this.
What should I do?
How do I...
“...Shall I go and see for myself?”
Before I could finish my thoughts, my body moved.
I opened the door and went out, but before I could open the door, the door opened from the outside.
“Perdes!”
The person who opened the door was Perdes.
When I saw the person who had been waiting so anxiously, all kinds of emotions swirled in my heart, including relief, joy, and joy.
Sir Eren could also be seen behind Perdes.
When Sir Eren tried to come in, Perdes stopped him.
“Don’t come in.”
His voice was considerably lower than usual.
Perdes closed the door so hard that it made a loud noise and looked at me.
The golden eyes looked very tired. He looked sad, and sometimes he looked angry.
"What happened...”
I was about to ask what happened in the Emperor's palace, but Perdes hugged me.
“Tsk.”
He hugged me so hard that I was pushed back and fell to the floor.
Fortunately, the carpet on the floor was soft, so the impact wasn't that big.
Perdes, who had collapsed on his back, continued to hold me desperately as if I were a rope of salvation.
His shoulders trembled as thinly as an aspen.
It looks like something happened in the Emperor's palace.
I patted Perdes on the back to help him calm down.
Perhaps it helped, as the slight tremors in his shoulders gradually subsided.
Perdes buried his face in my shoulder and muttered.
“The Emperor spoke about my mother.”
“Perdes’ mother?”
"Yes. He knows what my mother was like, how they met, and... He even told me who killed my mother.”
"Yes...?”
What is this sound?
Perdes' mother must have suffered from postpartum fever after giving birth to him and then passed away?
“He said my mother suffered from postpartum fever after giving birth to me.”
As expected, what I knew was correct.
“But he say she could survive if she took the medicine at the right time.”
“...”
“She could have survived, she could have survived with just one good dose of medicine... He said the second Queen prevented her from using medicine.”
His grip on my back gained even more strength.
“He said she did that because she was jealous that some maid gave birth to the son she couldn’t have.”
You would do such an insane thing with someone's life just out of jealousy.
It was absurd and shocking, but it wasn't something that didn't happen.
This was especially common in imperial palaces where there was intense competition for the throne.
To take away the power that the opponent has.
To protect one's body.
And, like the second empress, it was common to kill someone simply out of jealousy.
As a result, people who knew the circumstances of the imperial palace well described it as a hell without demons.
I thought so too.
Even after the shocking story was over, Perdes continued burying his face in my shoulder.
I can't believe the Emperor would say something like that to someone who is already having a hard time because of Jack's job.
Of course, since it is a story related to his mother's death, it is right that Perdes, as a son, should know, but the timing was not good.
At the same time, I was curious as to why the Emperor told Perdes such a story.
There was no reason to guess.
I thought that if I listened to Perdes explain the situation more, I would be able to understand why the Emperor said that.
The timing wasn't too good to ask that now.
I thought it was right to at least wait until Perdes calmed down, so I continued to pat him on the back without asking anything.
Somehow, my heart sank.
***
It was when May knocked on the door to ask if I wanted dinner that Perdes, who was hugging me tightly, fell away.
I glanced sideways at Perdes, who was sitting unsteadily on the sofa and went outside.
Because I didn’t think I should show Perdes to May right now.
Outside was not only May but also Lord Aldor and Sir Eren.
“Dinner will be served in the bedroom, so please prepare something for Perdes as well, May.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“And can I get some cotton candy?”
I said, recalling Perdes' fondness for eating cotton candy at the train station.
"Well. I’ll ask the kitchen and let you know if it doesn’t work out.”
"Yes."
After sending May away, I was about to go back into the room when Sir Eren asked.
“Is he okay? Perdes?”
I answered by shaking my head and went into the room.
Perdes was sitting on the sofa, almost passed out.
As I carefully approached and sat down next to him, Perdes asked with his eyes closed.
“Aren’t you asking anything?”
"What?"
“There are a lot of things to ask, such as why the Emperor said that, whether he said anything else, and how I reacted.”
I was silent for a moment before answering as if he was looking into my head.
“If I ask you, will you answer me?”
“If you ask.”
"That's Okay."
At my answer, Perdes opened his eyes and looked at me.
“Why aren’t you asking?”
“Because Perdes is in a bad mood. I’ll ask when things get better.”
Perdes laughed at my answer.
“I’m not saying I won’t answer.”
“Do you wish I didn’t ask?”
"No. I wish you would ask.”
A spark flashed in Perdes' eyes.
“So, I want you to take revenge on the Emperor who gave me such a terrible feeling.”
“I can promise you that.”
Please trust me. As I added those words, Perdes drew a faint smile on his saddened face.
"Head... Can you pet my head?”
Then he brought up an unexpected story.
As I stared at him in silence, he scratched his cheek and made excuses incoherently.
"Just... I heard so many terrible stories that I missed human body heat. That’s why I hope there are no unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Perdes pursed his lips and then spoke.
“Instead, you looked at me with strange eyes.”
“I didn’t look at you with strange eyes.”
“Then with what eyes did you see it?”
I saw it with pitiful, pitiful, sad eyes.
I feel like I sympathize with him too much, to be honest.
So, afraid that he would be offended, I stroked Perdes' head instead of answering.
Perdes immediately noticed that I was avoiding answering and glanced at me.
But he didn't say anything.
He just closed his eyes and let his head rest with me.
Suddenly, soft hair fell between the cracks of my hands.
I felt this again, but his hair was really soft. It looked like real puppy fur.
“I think Perdes’ hair is softer than mine.”
“So you like it?”
"Yes, I like it."
There was no reason to lie, so I answered honestly.
Except that I like it because it looks like dog fur.
Then Perdes muttered as if he was talking to himself.
“...I must do well.”
After dinner, May brought the cotton candy I requested for dessert.
The excellent skills of the chef at Spring Palace were clearly displayed in cotton candy.
The pretty cotton candy in the shape of a bear was beautifully arranged in color, so just looking at it was a delight to the eyes.
As soon as Perdes saw the cotton candy, he turned his head and looked at me so hard that he made a sound.
“Isn’t that what you did, Young Lady?”
“What do you mean?”
“Cotton candy. Did the Young Lady ask them to make it?”
"Yes."
I handed the cotton candy into Perdes’ hand.
“Eat and feel better.”
The corner of Perdes' lips twitched.
“I think you really think I’m a child.”
“Wasn’t you?”
“Have you seen a child this big?”
Perdes stood up as if he wanted to show off his height.
Obviously, judging from his height and size, he wasn't a child, but then what could I do? He speaks and acts like a child.
As he was holding the bear-shaped cotton candy tightly in one hand, he felt even more like a child.
“Even though you are tall and big, you are younger than me, so you are still a child.”
Perdes might get upset if I say that, so I said it around.
“But I'm not a child.”
“Not even a saint. Perdes hasn’t had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.”
Perdes sat back down as if he had nothing to say.
Then he looked at the cotton candy I gave him and nudged it.
The fluffy cotton candy was pressed firmly as Perdes poked it.
“I’m not playing around with my food.”
“I never played around.”
“You’re hitting it now.”
“I was just checking to see if it was poisoned.”
“There’s no way you heard something like that.”
I thought about it because it's strong, but when does Chernoser send champagne?
The sun had already set, and I even ate dinner.
While I was wondering if he was planning another trick, something came into my mouth.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Perdes pursed his lips and then spoke.
“Instead, you looked at me with strange eyes.”
“I didn’t look at you with strange eyes.”
“Then with what eyes did you see it?”
I saw it with pitiful, pitiful, sad eyes.
I feel like I sympathize with him too much, to be honest.
So, afraid that he would be offended, I stroked Perdes' head instead of answering.
Perdes immediately noticed that I was avoiding answering and glanced at me.
But he didn't say anything.
He just closed his eyes and let his head rest with me.
Suddenly, soft hair fell between the cracks of my hands.
I felt this again, but his hair was really soft. It looked like real puppy fur.
“I think Perdes’ hair is softer than mine.”
“So you like it?”
"Yes, I like it."
There was no reason to lie, so I answered honestly.
Except that I like it because it looks like dog fur.
Then Perdes muttered as if he was talking to himself.
“...I must do well.”
***
After dinner, May brought the cotton candy I requested for dessert.
The excellent skills of the chef at Spring Palace were clearly displayed in cotton candy.
The pretty cotton candy in the shape of a bear was beautifully arranged in color, so just looking at it was a delight to the eyes.
As soon as Perdes saw the cotton candy, he turned his head and looked at me so hard that he made a sound.
“Isn’t that what you did, Young Lady?”
“What do you mean?”
“Cotton candy. Did the Young Lady ask them to make it?”
"Yes."
I handed the cotton candy into Perdes’ hand.
“Eat and feel better.”
The corner of Perdes' lips twitched.
“I think you really think I’m a child.”
“Wasn’t you?”
“Have you seen a child this big?”
Perdes stood up as if he wanted to show off his height.
Obviously, judging from his height and size, he wasn't a child, but then what could I do? He speaks and acts like a child.
As he was holding the bear-shaped cotton candy tightly in one hand, he felt even more like a child.
“Even though you are tall and big, you are younger than me, so you are still a child.”
Perdes might get upset if I say that, so I said it around.
“But I'm not a child.”
“Not even a saint. Perdes hasn’t had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.”
Perdes sat back down as if he had nothing to say.
Then he looked at the cotton candy I gave him and nudged it.
The fluffy cotton candy was pressed firmly as Perdes poked it.
“I’m not playing around with my food.”
“I never played around.”
“You’re hitting it now.”
“I was just checking to see if it was poisoned.”
“There’s no way you heard something like that.”
I thought about it because it's strong, but when does Chernoser send champagne?
The sun had already set, and I even ate dinner.
While I was wondering if he was planning another trick, something came into my mouth.
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