The magical power protecting the baby was still strong, so the magical tool still didn't work. So, everyone, including Endymion, gave up at this point.
But, as a powerful, high-ranking wizard, Julia figured out a way. If she could temporarily drain the magic power without harming the baby, then theoretically, the magical tools would work.
But these days, people around her would make a fuss if even a single strand of hair fell out, so it wasn't easy to bring up the subject.
So Julia secretly conducted mock experiments, testing the stability with repeated success.
'Yes. This should be enough to succeed. And there are no side effects.'
Up until now, she didn't want to worry the people who were already restless over trivial things. So Julia remained quiet, but when she saw the cute Princess, her desire to know more about the baby grew.
Julia diligently organized the results of her experiment. And that night, she ambitiously began to persuade Endymion, the greatest obstacle...
"No."
"Why on earth?"
It failed miserably.
Julia, who had been pushing the impeccable results of the experiment, protested, looking in vain at the documents that had been thrown into the drawer.
But Endymion laid her down with clean hands and smiled as he crossed to the next bed.
"It's dangerous. Even if you're curious, just hold on for a little longer."
"But the chance of failure is less than one in ten thousand..."
"But that won't do. Have you forgotten that last time you were cutting a steak with a knife and you dropped the knife and got a bruise on the top of your foot?"
Julia's face turned red. She just suddenly felt weak in her hands that day!
It was a mistake she had never made before in her life. For her, who boasted perfect manners, to drop the cutlery!
Moreover, her skin became weak after pregnancy, and she started getting bruises right away, which turned her health upside down.
Her mistake was widely reported because of Endymion, who was in a state of deep thought as if a major accident had occurred that day. Because of that, Julia was under extremely strict protection, being able to hold a teacup and a fork with her own hands.
"That, that was a mistake. It's really okay this time, Mion. And you're curious too. Are you a Princess or a Prince?"
"My Queen, it's late, so you'd better sleep."
Endymion pretended not to hear and changed the subject. He spoke in a public tone, making it impossible for her to persist any longer.
"Ugh."
Julia, who had become pouty, stuck her mouth out, and then suddenly her eyes sparkled.
"Mion, should I kiss you?"
"No."
She was rejected outright without any merit in her attempts to seduce him. Even the hand that reached out to touch his collarbone was gently grabbed and put into the blanket. It was absolutely resolute, without even a shred of regret.
'Like this?'
Before she got pregnant, if someone said something like that, he would immediately attack her. Julia was secretly surprised, not knowing it would be to this extent.
Come to think of it, it's been several months since she's used each bed.
Since she sleeps a lot, she tends to fall asleep right away when she lies down, so she got used to sleeping alone and didn't realize how much time had passed.
'Uh...'
Julia stopped moving and blinked silently. Before she knew it, other thoughts began to fill her head.
Regardless, Endymion extinguished his night-dream and said goodbye to the crowd.
"Good night."
No way. You don't have any desire for me anymore?
Julia blurted out impulsively, not being foolish enough to be tempted so openly.
"I want to sleep in the same bed as you."
Julia jumped up. She was about to cross to the bed next to her, but it was far enough away that it was bordering on the edge. But Endymion gently stopped her.
"When you have the baby. It's dangerous now, so I can't. Instead, I'll hold you until you fall asleep."
Then he really came over and comforted her until she fell asleep.
"Yes? Let's go to sleep now."
'This isn't it...'
But her irritated eyelids closed quickly, and she felt tired. Julia fell into a natural sleep, but she also looked gloomy.
'Is it more comfortable for you to sleep separately from me now?'
She knew that his love would never change, because he loved the baby and her so much. However, she was left with a deep regret because it didn't burn as fiery as it used to.
'I said that because I was worried, but I can't ask you to like me more.'
Besides, she felt like she wasn't qualified to be a mother compared to Endymion, who was careful about everything. So Julia kept her mouth shut and endured it.
'Once the baby is born, things will go back to how they were before.'
With that burning appearance that prevented her from sleeping.
But her heart wasn't as happy as her head, so Julia fell asleep with a lightly uneasy mind.
***
Phalang.
"No matter how much I think about it, I don't think it's true."
The magic release experiment report she had been working hard on fell onto the desk. Julia made up her mind and left the palace.
'It makes sense to stop the release of magic power because of the baby.'
No matter how safe it is in theory, it's a parent's job to think about what might happen. Julia also had no intention of pushing ahead despite Endymion's opposition.
But anyway, she guesses they'll have to put the beds together like before.
'It feels like I've gone back to my childhood days.'
They were still affectionate, but it felt like a wall had been built up between them. It felt like the distance between the two, who had been like one body, had grown as wide as the distance between their beds had grown since the pregnancy.
Julia was secretly worried that things would be the same after the baby was born, or rather, that they would become even more distant.
"Wow, Your Majesty. You walk too fast! You ride in a carriage!"
"This much is okay."
Normally, she would have slowed down, but right now, all Julia could think about was Endymion.
But the King's office, where she arrived despite everyone's worries, was empty.
"When will His Majesty arrive?"
"He always comes back after about two hours."
The escort knight in front of the door answered quickly.
'Every time?'
Was there a regular schedule for leaving the seat? Julia tilted her head for a moment, but without thinking much about it, she hurried inside.
'It's been a while.'
The King's office was filled with the scent of Endymion. It was clean, deep, soft, and slightly cold.
A familiar scent brought a smile to Julia's anxious face. Besides, Endymion had been carrying her around the castle quite often these days, so it felt refreshing to walk around on her own after a long time.
"Hmm. Once you get back, what should I tell you first?"
Julia was slowly walking around the office, trying to gather her thoughts. As she absentmindedly walked with one hand on the wall, something caught her fingertips.
Kururung.
The bookshelf that had been occupying one side of the study suddenly turned the other way. And then, on the inner wall of the King's office, a door that she had not even noticed suddenly appeared.
"What is this? Mion has never said anything like this before...?"
The unknown space was as secretive as a secret room. Even the lack of magical power seemed to suggest that it was a space designed that way from the beginning.
"There was nothing like this in the royal castle blueprint I learned when I was the Crown Princess. So did Mion make it separately?"
The door was locked, but with a little magic, it opened easily.
Click.
Julia peered inside with curious eyes.
***
'It's difficult.'
The King's private bathroom.
The cold water poured down like a waterfall, hitting his whole body hard, but it did nothing to cool down the boiling heat.
Endymion calmly adjusted the lever to turn on more icy water.
Swish.
It was already his second shower today. Still, as he lowered the water temperature, his body, which had been pushed to its limit, began to calm down.
Endymion also washed himself and purified himself. If he didn't do this, he would eventually lose control and touch the pregnant woman.
'Since she's already weak, she'll have to endure it for a year after giving birth.'
Although she said she was fine, Julia was the type of person who didn't show her hardships. And now that she had a baby, he had to be overly protective.
So Endymion decided to wait until a year after giving birth to anything more than a light kiss.
But he wondered how long he could endure comforting himself like this.
'...'
Endymion suppressed the urge that was becoming more and more difficult to endure with each passing day. And with his cleansed body, he hurried to his office to quench his thirst that had not yet been quenched by looking at the portrait.
Endymion arrived at the office via the quick internal passage, only to find that the secret room had been revealed.
'Didn't I lock it?'
It seemed that he had forgotten because he had left in a rather hasty manner. Endymion opened the door without thinking and went inside.
Kuuung, thud.
The corners of his lips curved as he heard the familiar sound of the door. Endymion, who felt good at the thought of seeing a collection of portraits that were still pretty, cute, and lovely even after seeing them for years, hastily turned his gaze.
But, at the end, something that shouldn't have been seen appeared.
"...!"
Endymion froze in place.
The portraits were all open, even the covers, which had been carefully wrapped. And in front of his favorite portrait of a wedding dress, Julia was sitting, drinking tea.
Pause.
For a few seconds, tens of thousands of thoughts flashed through his head. He was frozen, but Julia's eyes met his as she sensed his presence.
"Mion?"
"...Julia. This is, so to speak."
"You, have you been looking at my portrait like this, alone and secretly?"
Julia, with a blank expression on her face, started reciting the production years one after another. How on earth did she memorize all of that with her tiny brain? She matched the original drawing years incredibly well.
"This painting style seems to be that of the painter Jude the Great. So, have you been collecting my portraits since you ascended to the throne?"
Endymion's blood ran cold at the sound of the soft voice.
If Julia thought he was some kind of obsessive pervert who had no answers, he was in trouble!
But what if she asks if that makes him a pervert?
He had no words to say about how much he treasured his collection of Julia portraits. Honestly, just breathing is so beautiful that it makes him go crazy, so how could he not love the paintings that contain each and every one of those beautiful faces?
...Saying it like this made him sound even more perverted. It meant that it was already too late to give it any legitimacy.
It was hopeless. Endymion made excuses with a stern face.
"Julia. So this is..."
"Instead of a painting, I would like to see a real, living, moving day."
The lovely voice he heard at that moment made him feel relieved.
Julia laughed heartily at the sight of him, who seemed visibly relieved, and then looked around at the hanging portraits. Endymion came closer, fidgeting.
"If you move too much, you'll get tired, so just sit here."
He carefully sat her down on the plush leather chair. Then, glancing at Julia, he asked,
"...I'm not scary, am I?"
"Huh. Honestly, it seems a bit perverted...'
Julia deliberately trailed off as she glanced at the portrait of herself in her wedding dress.
They married so young that, as adults, the only time they wore a wedding dress was to have their portraits painted.
But he hung it right in the center. It was obvious how much Endymion liked that look.
Endymion looked at her with an unusually calm expression. Julia laughed out loud and put an end to the joke.
"Well, because you're cute."
"I guess I've fallen for you, too," Julia whispered, caressing Endymion's cheek.
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