“Your Majesty... no, Your Highness Zelda, what is it?”
Stiane, who had been waiting in front of the office, asked in surprise as I hurriedly approached.
“It’s urgent. Please tell His Majesty quickly, it’s urgent, it’s urgent!”
Sharon said urgently to the chamberlain.
But you know, Sharon? It’s not urgent enough to make you stomp your feet...
Stiane looked at me with surprised eyes, and I nodded vigorously, as if agreeing with Sharon’s words.
“Ah, yes, yes. Please wait a moment.”
Then Stiane, perhaps realizing something urgent had come up, hurried back into the office.
Just seconds after entering, he dashed out the door again.
“Go in. His Majesty is waiting.”
“Sharon, I’ll be back for the baby's health.”
I thanked Stiane, turned around, placed a hand on my stomach, and whispered to Sharon,
“Yes, for the baby's health!”
Sharon clenched her fists and stared at my stomach, sending me a look of encouragement.
Stiane looked at her, curious as to what Sharon was talking about.
I clenched my fists in unison with a smile on my face as I entered the office.
“...Ah.”
Entering the office and seeing Linel, I was speechless and could only stand still.
“Why are you standing there?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
He was quickly taking off his uniform jacket.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty... I don’t think you need to go that far, do you?”
I walked over to him and waved my hands.
He looked as if he was determined to strip off all his clothes.
“How would you know? You came because our baby is too hot right now, right?”
“Yes, but not too hot... not really.”
“You might not be aware of a gradual temperature rise. Besides, you’ve been suffering from unbearable fevers periodically.”
Linel’s hands worked down the buttons of his shirt, and his words continued without pause.
“What I’m saying is, the fever you’ve been experiencing and the fever our baby will feel are on a different level.”
It made perfect sense.
“Well, even if you’re just faking it, I’m fine with that.”
Oh, that hit the nail on the head.
But it wasn’t just faking, so I quickly raised my voice.
“...It wasn’t faking, was it? I was saying that on the way back from Rosie’s place, I felt a knot of heat in my stomach.”
I raised my voice at first, but as I spoke, my conscience began to creep up on me, and my voice lost its strength.
He smiled faintly.
It was clearly a mocking smile, but that smile already made my body feel tired and relaxed.
To think that just his smile could make me feel so at ease.
He unbuttoned his shirt and opened his arms toward me.
His perfect upper body radiated a radiant glow, welcoming me.
I swallowed twice without realizing it.
I lifted the hem of my dress slightly and ran towards him.
"Zelda, don't run. Oh dear, I should have gone."
He quickly stepped forward and hugged me.
His cool breath brushed my ear, and my head felt clear.
I put both hands inside his shirt, which was bulging at the side.
I could feel the smooth muscles of his back filling my hands.
My eyes automatically crinkled.
I knew exactly what my expression would look like as I looked up at him, and I secretly anticipated his reaction.
"Is it okay for a pregnant woman to have such a sensual smile?"
He lowered his head, rested his forehead against mine, and gently pushed.
"You're my husband..."
"You keep getting short of breath."
"It's just the two of us, so what..."
I spoke again, slyly, waiting for his response.
He gazed intently at my face for a moment, then said,
"Yeah... so what? Even talking to the Emperor is so pretty."
He gazed down at me with loving eyes, as if he had no other choice.
My husband has really been smitten.
When I shook my head and clicked my tongue, he chuckled, as if he found it funny herself.
"I wish I were the only one who saw this smile, but I'm worried you might show the same smile to your best friend, ma'am."
Linel wiped away his smile and spoke in a completely serious tone.
“That smile only appears in front of my husband. How arrogant am I in other places?”
I lifted my chin and retorted bashfully. His expression quickly changed to one of satisfaction.
“Hmm, being arrogant is a problem because you’re pretty.”
He muttered, hugging me.
Ah, I thought that if someone heard our conversation right now, they’d probably get goosebumps and roll around on the dirt.
The power of love is truly great...
Seeing how he could endure even when his hands and feet were shriveled up like this.
“There’s something difficult about beauty that can’t be hidden, right?”
“Ah, hahaha. You heard that, baby? Remember what your mother just said, and when you’re born, you’ll see it with your own eyes.”
Linel stroked my belly and spoke vaguely.
What did he mean?
“But, is it okay for me to just hold you like this?”
He asked, placing his hands gently on his belt.
“I think the heat dissipated quickly because your bare body was touching my belly.”
“If it’s uncomfortable here, you can move over there...”
He reached out and pointed to the lounge door inside the office.
“Not so much today.”
I replied with a smile, looking up at his lips that were slightly raised with regret.
Then he placed both hands on my belly again and spoke gently.
“From now on, you’ll have to tease your mother more. I’m telling you to kick her belly if you feel even a little hot. You should keep in mind what your father said.”
They say prenatal education is usually about not making your mother suffer, but what was this man saying?
“Baby, you have to answer.”
He raised his head from his conversation against my belly and looked at my face.
Is he asking me to speak for him?
I was taken aback, but I immediately cleared my throat. Mmm, mmm!
“If your father hugs you tightly every day, your belly won’t suddenly feel hot!”
I tried to sound cute, like a child, but my lisp sounded too much.
“...What’s so wrong with you?”
Linel asked with a worried look in his eyes, placing one hand on my stomach and the other on my forehead.
As I was about to take a moment to reflect, he burst into a cheerful laugh and began to shower my cheeks with merciless kisses.
“Hey, hey. I told you I’m the cutest pregnant woman in the world?”
“...”
“Is that so? If you hug me tightly, won’t it be hot?”
“!”
Wow, I can’t hear that...
I unconsciously took a step back from him and spoke honestly.
“Your Majesty, your cute voice doesn’t suit you.”
“If that suits me, how could I be human?”
Linel shrugged as if it were perfectly normal and asked me as if he were arguing.
Well, it would be so unfair if he could also be cute.
I had no choice but to nod and admit it.
“I’ll be going now. I don’t feel any heat at all anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I feel comfortable just from you holding me.”
I opened his open shirt in front, said goodbye, and was about to turn to leave when he said,
“Come here.”
He turned me around again and hugged me.
“If you want to be okay until dinner, kiss me before you go.”
Linel whispered, gently lifting my chin with his hand.
“It’s really okay...”
“I’m afraid you’ll be worse off if I just let you go like this. Please, please...”
His lips, pleading, parted mine.
The moment I felt him filling my mouth, I realized.
What would have happened if I had just left...
Just as he had said, I felt my high body temperature, which I hadn’t been aware of, returning to normal.
Knock knock.
We were sharing a long, passionate kiss when there was a knock and the office door opened.
“Oh my, what a surprise!”
Raphael absently stepped into the office and dropped the papers he was holding on the floor.
“Who said to knock before coming in?”
"...No, Your Majesty. It's not that I didn't knock, I knocked as usual and came in. How can you say such a thing?"
Raphael snapped at Linel's clenched sound.
Picking up the papers that had fallen to the floor, he added another word, still feeling a pang of remorse even after thinking about it.
"And by the way! Who would come in before knocking?"
"From now on, knock and stand until I tell you to come in."
“Yes, yes, that’s right. But why are you leaving your shirt unbuttoned?”
“Raphael, just as you are the open trousers of the Imperial Palace, I will also be the open shirt of the Imperial Palace from now on.”
“...Should I ask why?”
Raphael looked at Linel with a bewildered look before asking me.
I pretended not to hear, staring into space and pretending not to hear.
“Raphael, there’s a difference between you and me. You are an open space for the general public, but I will be open only for certain people.”
Linel grabbed both sides of his shirt, flipped it to the side, and began buttoning it back up, one by one.
“Your Majesty, I’m very upset, so I won’t be able to work properly today.”
Raphael grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Yes, seeing your body makes me feel so ashamed that I wonder if you’re even the same man. I told you to exercise regularly. But that doesn’t guarantee you’ll end up like me.”
“...Since I can’t end up like Your Majesty, I’ll just live like this.”
Raphael seemed to want to end this conversation, as if he was just accepting his opinion without question.
Even though he didn't like his boastfulness, he found it difficult to argue with him, so he seemed to just let it be.
"Oh, by the way, Your Majesty. How is Grand Duke Joseph?"
I asked, turning to him before leaving the office. Suddenly, I remembered Grand Duke Joseph's chubby, pale cheeks.
"Oh, and he said he wanted to visit your quarters this morning."
"Really? Then I guess I should meet him while I'm at the palace."
Bellos visited the office, but turned away when he heard Zelda was there.
He returned an hour later.
"You said you had something to say last night, so I came to see you."
"Yes. For now, let's go and sit on the sofa."
Linel ordered the chamberlain to bring tea and finished reading the papers he was reading.
By the time two cups of black tea were placed at the table where Bellos was sitting, Linel had finished signing the documents and stood up from his desk chair.
As soon as he sat down across from Bellos, he got straight to the point.
“A memory I lost a few days ago came back to me.”
Bellos was startled as he picked up his teacup.
“...When you say lost memory, do you mean that your memory of Her Highness Zelda... has returned?!”
The black tea in Bellos’s cup spilled onto the floor.
“Yes.”
He replied curtly, staring blankly at Bellos’ cup tilted to the side.
Stiane, who had been waiting in front of the office, asked in surprise as I hurriedly approached.
“It’s urgent. Please tell His Majesty quickly, it’s urgent, it’s urgent!”
Sharon said urgently to the chamberlain.
But you know, Sharon? It’s not urgent enough to make you stomp your feet...
Stiane looked at me with surprised eyes, and I nodded vigorously, as if agreeing with Sharon’s words.
“Ah, yes, yes. Please wait a moment.”
Then Stiane, perhaps realizing something urgent had come up, hurried back into the office.
Just seconds after entering, he dashed out the door again.
“Go in. His Majesty is waiting.”
“Sharon, I’ll be back for the baby's health.”
I thanked Stiane, turned around, placed a hand on my stomach, and whispered to Sharon,
“Yes, for the baby's health!”
Sharon clenched her fists and stared at my stomach, sending me a look of encouragement.
Stiane looked at her, curious as to what Sharon was talking about.
I clenched my fists in unison with a smile on my face as I entered the office.
“...Ah.”
Entering the office and seeing Linel, I was speechless and could only stand still.
“Why are you standing there?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
He was quickly taking off his uniform jacket.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty... I don’t think you need to go that far, do you?”
I walked over to him and waved my hands.
He looked as if he was determined to strip off all his clothes.
“How would you know? You came because our baby is too hot right now, right?”
“Yes, but not too hot... not really.”
“You might not be aware of a gradual temperature rise. Besides, you’ve been suffering from unbearable fevers periodically.”
Linel’s hands worked down the buttons of his shirt, and his words continued without pause.
“What I’m saying is, the fever you’ve been experiencing and the fever our baby will feel are on a different level.”
It made perfect sense.
“Well, even if you’re just faking it, I’m fine with that.”
Oh, that hit the nail on the head.
But it wasn’t just faking, so I quickly raised my voice.
“...It wasn’t faking, was it? I was saying that on the way back from Rosie’s place, I felt a knot of heat in my stomach.”
I raised my voice at first, but as I spoke, my conscience began to creep up on me, and my voice lost its strength.
He smiled faintly.
It was clearly a mocking smile, but that smile already made my body feel tired and relaxed.
To think that just his smile could make me feel so at ease.
He unbuttoned his shirt and opened his arms toward me.
His perfect upper body radiated a radiant glow, welcoming me.
I swallowed twice without realizing it.
I lifted the hem of my dress slightly and ran towards him.
"Zelda, don't run. Oh dear, I should have gone."
He quickly stepped forward and hugged me.
His cool breath brushed my ear, and my head felt clear.
I put both hands inside his shirt, which was bulging at the side.
I could feel the smooth muscles of his back filling my hands.
My eyes automatically crinkled.
I knew exactly what my expression would look like as I looked up at him, and I secretly anticipated his reaction.
"Is it okay for a pregnant woman to have such a sensual smile?"
He lowered his head, rested his forehead against mine, and gently pushed.
"You're my husband..."
"You keep getting short of breath."
"It's just the two of us, so what..."
I spoke again, slyly, waiting for his response.
He gazed intently at my face for a moment, then said,
"Yeah... so what? Even talking to the Emperor is so pretty."
He gazed down at me with loving eyes, as if he had no other choice.
My husband has really been smitten.
When I shook my head and clicked my tongue, he chuckled, as if he found it funny herself.
"I wish I were the only one who saw this smile, but I'm worried you might show the same smile to your best friend, ma'am."
Linel wiped away his smile and spoke in a completely serious tone.
“That smile only appears in front of my husband. How arrogant am I in other places?”
I lifted my chin and retorted bashfully. His expression quickly changed to one of satisfaction.
“Hmm, being arrogant is a problem because you’re pretty.”
He muttered, hugging me.
Ah, I thought that if someone heard our conversation right now, they’d probably get goosebumps and roll around on the dirt.
The power of love is truly great...
Seeing how he could endure even when his hands and feet were shriveled up like this.
“There’s something difficult about beauty that can’t be hidden, right?”
“Ah, hahaha. You heard that, baby? Remember what your mother just said, and when you’re born, you’ll see it with your own eyes.”
Linel stroked my belly and spoke vaguely.
What did he mean?
“But, is it okay for me to just hold you like this?”
He asked, placing his hands gently on his belt.
“I think the heat dissipated quickly because your bare body was touching my belly.”
“If it’s uncomfortable here, you can move over there...”
He reached out and pointed to the lounge door inside the office.
“Not so much today.”
I replied with a smile, looking up at his lips that were slightly raised with regret.
Then he placed both hands on my belly again and spoke gently.
“From now on, you’ll have to tease your mother more. I’m telling you to kick her belly if you feel even a little hot. You should keep in mind what your father said.”
They say prenatal education is usually about not making your mother suffer, but what was this man saying?
“Baby, you have to answer.”
He raised his head from his conversation against my belly and looked at my face.
Is he asking me to speak for him?
I was taken aback, but I immediately cleared my throat. Mmm, mmm!
“If your father hugs you tightly every day, your belly won’t suddenly feel hot!”
I tried to sound cute, like a child, but my lisp sounded too much.
“...What’s so wrong with you?”
Linel asked with a worried look in his eyes, placing one hand on my stomach and the other on my forehead.
As I was about to take a moment to reflect, he burst into a cheerful laugh and began to shower my cheeks with merciless kisses.
“Hey, hey. I told you I’m the cutest pregnant woman in the world?”
“...”
“Is that so? If you hug me tightly, won’t it be hot?”
“!”
Wow, I can’t hear that...
I unconsciously took a step back from him and spoke honestly.
“Your Majesty, your cute voice doesn’t suit you.”
“If that suits me, how could I be human?”
Linel shrugged as if it were perfectly normal and asked me as if he were arguing.
Well, it would be so unfair if he could also be cute.
I had no choice but to nod and admit it.
“I’ll be going now. I don’t feel any heat at all anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I feel comfortable just from you holding me.”
I opened his open shirt in front, said goodbye, and was about to turn to leave when he said,
“Come here.”
He turned me around again and hugged me.
“If you want to be okay until dinner, kiss me before you go.”
Linel whispered, gently lifting my chin with his hand.
“It’s really okay...”
“I’m afraid you’ll be worse off if I just let you go like this. Please, please...”
His lips, pleading, parted mine.
The moment I felt him filling my mouth, I realized.
What would have happened if I had just left...
Just as he had said, I felt my high body temperature, which I hadn’t been aware of, returning to normal.
Knock knock.
We were sharing a long, passionate kiss when there was a knock and the office door opened.
“Oh my, what a surprise!”
Raphael absently stepped into the office and dropped the papers he was holding on the floor.
“Who said to knock before coming in?”
"...No, Your Majesty. It's not that I didn't knock, I knocked as usual and came in. How can you say such a thing?"
Raphael snapped at Linel's clenched sound.
Picking up the papers that had fallen to the floor, he added another word, still feeling a pang of remorse even after thinking about it.
"And by the way! Who would come in before knocking?"
"From now on, knock and stand until I tell you to come in."
“Yes, yes, that’s right. But why are you leaving your shirt unbuttoned?”
“Raphael, just as you are the open trousers of the Imperial Palace, I will also be the open shirt of the Imperial Palace from now on.”
“...Should I ask why?”
Raphael looked at Linel with a bewildered look before asking me.
I pretended not to hear, staring into space and pretending not to hear.
“Raphael, there’s a difference between you and me. You are an open space for the general public, but I will be open only for certain people.”
Linel grabbed both sides of his shirt, flipped it to the side, and began buttoning it back up, one by one.
“Your Majesty, I’m very upset, so I won’t be able to work properly today.”
Raphael grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Yes, seeing your body makes me feel so ashamed that I wonder if you’re even the same man. I told you to exercise regularly. But that doesn’t guarantee you’ll end up like me.”
“...Since I can’t end up like Your Majesty, I’ll just live like this.”
Raphael seemed to want to end this conversation, as if he was just accepting his opinion without question.
Even though he didn't like his boastfulness, he found it difficult to argue with him, so he seemed to just let it be.
"Oh, by the way, Your Majesty. How is Grand Duke Joseph?"
I asked, turning to him before leaving the office. Suddenly, I remembered Grand Duke Joseph's chubby, pale cheeks.
"Oh, and he said he wanted to visit your quarters this morning."
"Really? Then I guess I should meet him while I'm at the palace."
***
Bellos visited the office, but turned away when he heard Zelda was there.
He returned an hour later.
"You said you had something to say last night, so I came to see you."
"Yes. For now, let's go and sit on the sofa."
Linel ordered the chamberlain to bring tea and finished reading the papers he was reading.
By the time two cups of black tea were placed at the table where Bellos was sitting, Linel had finished signing the documents and stood up from his desk chair.
As soon as he sat down across from Bellos, he got straight to the point.
“A memory I lost a few days ago came back to me.”
Bellos was startled as he picked up his teacup.
“...When you say lost memory, do you mean that your memory of Her Highness Zelda... has returned?!”
The black tea in Bellos’s cup spilled onto the floor.
“Yes.”
He replied curtly, staring blankly at Bellos’ cup tilted to the side.
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