Alphonse thought for a moment about people with supernatural abilities.
The power to bring back to life those who are no different from corpses just by clinging to life.
A miracle that raises even the sick, for whom the shadow of death is clearly cast.
He recalled the ability that he had seen his whole life, yet couldn't believe.
His son's question asking if he was sick was probably...
Vania must be guessing that she used such power on him.
'How did you know?'
Alphonse turned his head blankly.
Open door.
The power to bring back to life those who are no different from corpses just by clinging to life.
A miracle that raises even the sick, for whom the shadow of death is clearly cast.
He recalled the ability that he had seen his whole life, yet couldn't believe.
His son's question asking if he was sick was probably...
Vania must be guessing that she used such power on him.
'How did you know?'
Alphonse turned his head blankly.
Open door.
He saw his attending physician, Lemon, examining Vania. Yes, he might have asked him and heard the answer.
He was flustered.
He's flustered and...
At the same time, he let out a hollow laugh at the strange feeling rising up in his chest.
"Father."
Ah, really.
At Nike's call, Alphonse snapped out of his thoughts.
“Please let me know if you have any hunches. I intend to persuade Vania and decide whether or not to return based on Father’s answer.”
“...”
The son's words had a rather cold side to them.
It meant that if the condition was not serious enough to require harm to the young lady's body for treatment, he would restore his father's condition.
No... maybe.
Regardless of his father's condition, he must have intended to return from the beginning.
Just moments ago, hadn't the son blurted out the secrets he had been hiding for a reason?
It didn't matter anyway.
Since he won't be able to remember anything if he goes back in time anyway...
"Ah."
At that moment, Alphonse was surprised by the emotion that suddenly surged up in his chest.
Disappointment.
It was a thought that crossed his mind in an instant.
"Just..."
It’s ridiculous. He wouldn’t dare feel this way toward a son he's never done for his entire life.
"I have a minor chronic illness."
Alphonse stammered and mumbled.
"It’s nothing special, but it looks like Young Lady did something unnecessary. Do as you please. Hurry up."
“...”
Nike looked at his father's face without saying a word.
Silence fell between the two.
In the meantime.
“Your~ Majesty~!!!”
A sudden, booming scream from the room.
"Please stay healthy~!!!"
Alphonse was stunned, and Nike gritted his teeth as he flinched and looked back at the room. He seemed to have lost his temper because of his disobedient lover.
Vania, who was talking about the Emperor's health, was clearly telling Nike not to return.
He couldn't help but understand the euphemistic expression that, at best, she would treat the Emperor again.
"Ha."
Through clenched teeth, Nike let out an angry sigh.
***
Inside a small room. Lying down wearing floral pants, pretending to be asleep.
I opened one eye. I saw the ceiling.
I pricked up my ears. It was quiet beyond the firmly closed door.
After Mr. Lemon checked my condition closely and left, telling me to get absolute rest, about 30 minutes had passed.
Nike did not return.
Because I desperately shouted for His Majesty the Emperor to stay healthy.
If Nike were smart, it would have noticed what I was doing that made me get a nosebleed.
But his father is sick, so what can I do?
'Of course, saying something to me is a different matter.'
I had been gritting my teeth and telling him not to use his ability and to recover, but since he caused trouble while I took my eyes off him for a moment, I must have felt resentful.
Didn't he even throw a tantrum, telling me not to regress?
\Oh, but it's really fine!'
I bled from my nose, but I didn't use this ability without a plan.
Right now, I am in a state like a mud human.
I am waiting for it to harden completely, but I need to tap it a few times in the middle to check how much it has hardened.
It was the right time to check, and the Emperor happened to be sick.
Isn't this practically a situation where everyone is satisfied?
'Yeah, of course, Nike wouldn't think so, though.'
I quietly got up.
I crept stealthily and peeked through the door.
There was no sign of life outside.
I crawled a little further out onto the floor, placed my hands on the floor, and looked around.
'Oh.'
As soon as I turned my head the other way, I saw a familiar leg.
I look up.
It was Nike.
...Nike with an expression so angry that it sends shivers down my spine just by looking at it.
"Haha."
"Go inside."
Nike held the door and spoke in a cold voice. Seeing that I was just watching nervously, he spoke one more time.
"Go inside."
“...Yes.”
I crawled back on my knees just as I was. Nike followed me in.
I felt it instinctively.
It's time to get things organized...
***
"I will return to the palace as soon as it is light tomorrow."
At the Emperor's words, the eyes of the doctor, who was crouching in the kitchen brewing medicinal herbs, and the aide standing beside him widened in surprise.
He immediately beamed and was happier than anyone else.
“Excellent, Your Majesty! You’ve made a great decision! Hahaha!”
"Of course~ Young Lady came to take care of you even though she’s not feeling well~"
Alphonse swallowed a sigh as he watched the two of them, genuinely happy.
"I will give you the details after you return to the palace."
Nike, who ultimately did not return due to Vania's stubbornness, seemed to regret having revealed the secret.
He cut him off abruptly, telling him not to ask any more questions, and left.
In fact, even if it hadn't been for Nike's demand that he return to the palace if he was curious, Alphonse would have intended to go back.
A union between two people of mismatched status to begin with. Everyone would assume that the Emperor, who never showed his face, opposed their relationship.
'...Right, just because I don't object doesn't mean everyone understands your true intentions.'
The son and Vania are innocent.
They should not have gone through the most important event of their life, which should have been celebrated the most, with discomfort while becoming the subject of gossip.
"Is it all done?"
Alphonse asked as he watched Lemon transfer the herbal medicine into a bowl.
"Yes. I couldn't use medicinal herbs that don't suit her body, so I just brewed this using only ingredients that are good for relieving fatigue and protecting the stomach."
“It doesn’t matter. Good job.”
Alphonse reached out his hand.
"Give it to me."
“Oh, are you going to bring it to her, Your Majesty?”
Lemon smiled contentedly and placed a bowl of herbal medicine and a couple of candies on a tray and handed it over.
"Young Lady fell asleep, likely due to fatigue, so you don't need to wake her up."
"Yes."
Alphonse personally picked up the tray of herbal medicine, left the kitchen, and headed to Vania's room.
He hesitated for a moment in front of the door.
Vania, who seems to have secretly treated him while enduring her own illness.
“A secret just between the two of us!”
It was an action that showed no intention of showing off, rather than being done out of a desire to make a good impression.
If he hadn't caught it because of a nosebleed, Vania wouldn't have said anything, and Alphonse would never have known why his body had recovered.
The Emperor was deep in thought.
That kindness of suspecting his physical condition—which even his children were unaware of—and even treating him in such a short time...
It's a bit awkward and unsettling.
“...Young Lady.”
He called out, but there was no answer.
Alphonse carefully opened the door.
Shock.
The tray he was holding fell to the floor.
Clang!
Two men and women are stuck together without a gap.
The crazy son was kissing Vania like a beast, holding her close as she was practically lying down on the floor.
Crash, bang, thump!
Startled, they violently stomped away from each other...
That embarrassing sight filled Alphonse's vision like slow motion.
This is, really...
Is this a dream?
The Emperor, having come in to give medicine to his prospective daughter-in-law, witnessed a gruesome scene and had absolutely no idea how to react.
Just opening and closing his mouth.
Is that guy crazy?
No matter how much lust gets in the way, to come into a woman's room and do something like this when she was just lying down in pain after a nosebleed...?
Really?
My son...?
Alphonse raised his trembling finger and pointed at Nike.
“You’re crazy...”
“Father!”
Just then, Alphonse flinched and turned to look to the side.
Vania spoke, trembling as she lay flat on the ground like a frightened rabbit.
“No! I, I attacked...! Wait, that’s! That is...”
Poem of Regression
***
A hot tongue moved ceaselessly between our locked lips. We were kissing again.
Even a good song gets old after a while. I absolutely couldn't stand Nike's mouth, which kept repeating nagging like a machine gun while making a menacing face with his handsome one, so I just shut it up with my own mouth.
As expected, Nike, who had completely forgotten about the discipline he was handling, lunged at me, and we passionately entangled and quickly made physical reconciliation.
A variable that suddenly appeared.
Without either of us saying who was first, we fell quickly this time.
Nike, who had quickly sat up like someone who had come to nurse, spoke.
"Lie down."
I quickly pulled the blanket over myself and lay down.
However, there was nothing I could do about my ragged breathing and flushed face.
“...Young Lady.”
The Emperor made a rather loud noise outside the door.
I can't believe I didn't hear this either.
Eventually, the door opened, and I looked up at the Emperor with the blanket in my hand.
“Haa, haa, haa...”
He paused, looking at me with a pitiful expression as I gasped for breath.
"Are you feeling very unwell?"
“...Haa. Phew.”
“...”
“I-Haa, it’s alright, Father...”
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