'Huh? I definitely did it last night...'
Karina put her hand on her forehead with a blank expression. The situation from last night, when everything inside her had been cleared away, came to mind vaguely.
'No way...?'
Karina quickly denied her memories. No matter how drunk she was, there was no way she would have behaved like that in front of Jeremiah, whom she hated.
'Yeah. It must be a dream. It can't be real.'
Karina shook her head.
'This is a real dream... right...?'
Karina's face turned pale.
"Your Highness, are you okay?"
Jen looked worried as he saw Karina's complexion suddenly worsen. Karina quickly turned away from the memory that came to mind and asked something else.
"What about the palace attendants?"
"The palace attendants returned to the palace as soon as they finished their inspection at dawn. Even though you were drunk, it seems like the annexation was completed without a hitch."
"..."
Karina couldn't readily believe Jen's answer as she spoke with a smile.
'But seeing as how Jen knows that, it seems like Jeremiah took care of things after I passed out...'
Something about this uneasy feeling didn't go away.
'Yeah. After all, the only thing I can trust is fertility drugs.
Karina was determined to get the fertility drug quickly
'Even if the marriage fails by any chance, infertility will definitely be grounds for divorce!'
Karina slowly inhaled and exhaled. Jen, who had no idea what was happening, was smiling brightly.
"Your Highness, would you like to eat right now?"
Karina nodded to Jen's question. Jen set a low table on the bed so that Karina could eat and prepare the meal she had brought.
As the fragrant aroma of the still-warm soup rose, she felt hungry. Karina began to eat slowly. The softly cooked vegetables and finely minced meat disappeared in her mouth after a few chews. Her stomach felt a little better after eating the soup. Karina asked while putting down the bowl she had finished eating.
"His Highness?"
"His Highness the Grand Duke is now meeting His Highness the Crown Prince in the reception room."
"What? His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Karina was surprised by the sudden voice of the Crown Prince.
"Yes. He came to see you this morning."
Karina never thought the Crown Prince would come back so soon. But thanks to that, Jeremiah was now being held captive by the Crown Prince.
"Jen! Get ready to go out right now."
She thought she should take this opportunity to go out and tell Selena to get the fertility drug as soon as possible and ask the Dark Lord to get the fertility drug for her as well. She also thought about going to the midwife. There should be a midwife in the capital, so if she goes to them, they should know how to get the fertility drug.
'It would be better if I could get it right away while I'm there'
Karina was filled with anticipation.
***
A few hours before Karina woke up, Jeremiah was in the living room, welcoming David, who had come to the mansion.
"I heard you came to see me yesterday. I didn't know it was so urgent that you had to come so early in the morning."
Jeremiah did not hide his discomfort with David's sudden behavior without prior notice.
"Because it is very important business."
David answered with a leisurely smile on his lips.
"Go ahead."
Jeremiah asked straight to the point as if he had no intention of making a formality. David shrugged his shoulders as if it didn't matter and got straight to the point.
"It's about the recent increase in the appearance of monsters. Grand Duke Colesburg, you are in charge of the monster subjugation in the North, so I think you would be well aware of this strange phenomenon. I came to hear your opinion on the current situation."
"I have already reported that part to the Imperial Family. You can check with the relevant department."
"I know. But what I want to know is not such superficial things. Doesn't the Grand Duke know better than anyone that the current trend is by no means natural?"
"I didn't know His Highness the Crown Prince would care about such things."
"It is a matter directly related to the safety of the empire, so of course we must pay attention to it."
"..."
Jeremiah looked at David with a blank face. What he was saying was right. There were traces of something artificial concerning the increase and frequent appearance of monsters. However, even when he reported this to the imperial family, it was continuously ignored. Rather, they raised a controversy over Jeremiah's qualifications, saying that it was because he was not doing a good job of subduing monsters.
Whether it was because he was hostile to Jeremiah or because he was truly uninterested. Although the reason was unclear, it was clear that the Emperor had no intention of actively resolving or Investigating this issue. And Crown Prince David, who was considered the next Emperor, was obedient and followed the Emperor. Considering that David was working under the Emperor, Jeremiah could not understand why he came to him separately today and asked him such a question. Furthermore, Jeremiah had almost no contact with David, so they were not close enough to exchange opinions in private.
'What are you thinking?"
It was hard to guess whether he wanted to separate himself or whether he wanted to blame him for the situation. And whatever the reason, it wasn't going to be a good thing for Jeremiah. While Jeremiah was thinking about it, David spoke again.
"I heard that the temple is also quite concerned about this matter. Are you aware of that?"
Jeremiah's eyebrow rose diagonally at the sudden mention of the temple. Jeremiah's expression quickly returned to normal and he answered calmly.
"Yes. I heard that they are planning to mobilize the saints to subdue the demons."
"That's right. The backlash from the imperial people is quite severe."
There could not be any opposition to the idea of summoning a saint who would travel throughout the empire on a pilgrimage to cure sick patients.
"Do you think that mobilizing the saints to subdue the demons will be effective?"
The black and ominous aura possessed by the monsters was in conflict with the divine power that had the effect of purification and healing. In some parts of the capital, there were rumors that the monsters with ominous auras were becoming more active because the divine power of the temple was lacking.
"I've heard that the temple's knights periodically perform purification operations using divine power and that they're seeing some results. So I can't say that there's no effect at all, but I'm not sure. Even if they do, I don't think it'll have the effect they want."
Jeremiah's answer to David's question was negative and cold, but very realistic. After that, the business talk continued. And when the talk was almost over, David suddenly asked.
"Now that I think about it, I don't see the Grand Duchess, I don't think she would have gone out this early in the morning."
"Your Highness, why are you suddenly looking for my wife?"
Jeremiah's voice as he asked that question was noticeably lower than before.
"I came to the Grand Duke's residence, so I wanted to say hello. Since I'm visiting someone else's house, it's only natural to say hello to the owners and their husbands."
David answered with a look that said,
"What's the problem?" But Jeremiah still answered firmly with a look that said he was not pleased with him.
"My wife is still sleeping. I didn't wake her up because she didn't seem to be feeling well."
So Jeremiah was going to say that he wouldn't be able to see her face, but David's mouth opened faster.
"Is the Grand Duchess feeling unwell?"
"..."
Jeremiah was annoyed by David's behavior, which seemed to show a secret interest in Karina.
"I will take good care of my wife, so Your Highness the Crown Prince does not need to worry."
Jeremiah drew a sharp line.
"Even though you are about to get divorced?"
David asked back in a sarcastic tone. Jeremiah's expression instantly hardened at those words. A cold silence descended upon the living room.
The Crown Prince's guards, who had been standing behind David as if he didn't exist, tensed up and tightened their muscles. If Jeremiah were to attack David right here and now, they couldn't be sure whether they would be able to stop him. No, they came to the conclusion that it would be fortunate if they could throw themselves at him and block even one attack. They swallowed dryly, hoping that this situation would go smoothly without any problems.
"We are not getting divorced."
Jeremiah, who had been looking at David with a cold expression, broke the long silence.
"Isn't that just the Grand Duke's thoughts? It's quite different from what the Grand Duchess said when we met yesterday."
David smiled leisurely and took the hit. Jeremiah's fist tightened.
"I tell you again, we are not getting divorced."
Jeremiah spoke bluntly as if to engrave his words in their ears with a menacing tone.
"If you're done with your business, you can go back now."
And he immediately gave the order to evict David, revealing his displeasure with him without hiding it.
***
"Your Highness."
As they passed through the main gate of the Grand Duke's residence, David's escort, Nick, called out to him.
"There is no benefit in provoking the Duke of Colesberg. Wouldn't it be better to exercise some restraint?"
Nick, who had been by David's side since he was a child, was one of those who could speak frankly to him freely.
"That's right, Your Highness. There's no need to confront him and draw attention to yourself."
Levy, who was next to him, added. He was David's confidant and bodyguard, and he was the second son of Duke Dandelica. The Duke Dandelica was David's mother's family, that is, the Empress's family. Levy had been David's childhood friend since he was very young and had been taking care of him. Nick and Levy were two of the few people who spoke to David without pretense. However, David asked them back with a completely uninterested expression.
"What do you guys think?"
"Didn't I just tell you? If things go wrong with the Grand Duke of Colesberg like this, then maybe later on."
"Not that one."
David cut off Levy's speech as it began to grow longer.
"The relationship between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess. Do they seem to be on good terms?"
Levy sighed inwardly, thinking that this was the beginning again.
"Your Highness, why are you so interested in the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess?"
Nick asked cautiously, knowing that David didn't usually show much interest in anything.
"Well, it's fun."
David raised the corners of his mouth in an expression of interest.
"... Yes?"
Nick asked back with a bewildered expression, but David did not answer further. Levy, who had also heard David's answer, was shaking his head and resting his forehead next to him. Nick tried to figure out David's intentions but soon gave up after seeing Levy's reaction.
'You just want to have fun and find something interesting to do.'
Nick, who realized this, quietly closed his mouth.
"Are you going to return to the palace now?"
Levy seemed to want to stop talking about this now and openly changed the subject.
"No. While I'm here, I'll stop by 'that place'."
Nicks and Levy reacted to David's words as if they were familiar with him.
"I knew you would do that. Let's go."
"I will serve you."
David walked away, escorted by two people, still smiling.
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