* * *
Inside the carriage heading to Sir Bennet’s territory, the early spring weather felt far too hot.
That was because three people—Crown Prince, Robert, and Benjamin—were squeezed together in one seat.
Benjamin was at least slender, but the Crown Prince had a broad, above-average build, and Robert stood at 180cm with a solid frame.
The three of them were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder.
There were three carriages in total for this inspection trip, and the knights of the 4th Order were even driving them instead of assigned coachmen.
There was absolutely no need for the three to ride together like this.
But opposite them sat Joel, glaring with the sharp eyes of a hawk, watching their every move.
That was why the Crown Prince, Robert, and Benjamin were all forced to stay squished together.
Among them, the one suffering the most was Robert, the royal physician.
Why me, of all people…!
Robert had originally been assigned to the luggage cart.
It was cramped and smelled of food, sure, but the thought of riding alone had brought him peace.
Just as he was cheerfully climbing aboard, Joel had called him over—and a short while later, Robert found himself trapped in this nightmare.
It was already bad enough to be dragged on a secret inspection he hadn’t signed up for, but now he had to sit for five whole days between two nobles of far higher rank.
He was on the verge of tears.
And the one responsible for all this misery was Joel.
Robert shot a resentful glare at his so-called friend, who was leisurely stretched out and taking up a whole seat to himself.
Meanwhile, Benjamin, nearly crushed on the far right side, cautiously opened his mouth after watching Joel for a moment.
“Joel, maybe I should just take the carriage my father prepared for—”
“No! This is the only way we’re doing this!”
Joel snapped before Benjamin could even finish.
Startled into silence, the naturally timid Benjamin could only nod.
Everyone else looked like they were going to die from discomfort, but Joel alone was completely satisfied.
Joel, having decided to bring the Crown Prince and Benjamin closer together, had originally planned to put just the two of them in the same carriage.
To him, there was no better opportunity for bonding than spending quiet, close time together in a confined space.
But when it came time to actually leave them alone in such a tight space, jealousy boiled so fiercely in Joel’s chest he thought it might set his hair on fire.
In the end, he decided he had to ride with them.
And then came another problem—he had to seat the Crown Prince and Benjamin next to each other.
That, Joel simply could not bear to watch.
So he used his clever, pretty little head and came up with a solution: put Robert between them.
“Lord Joel, we still have five days of travel. How are we supposed to ride like this?”
Robert finally spoke up, choosing his words carefully.
Honestly, what he wanted to say was: Are you out of your damn mind?
“Why wouldn’t it work? Your Highness, please order the carriage to depart,” Joel said flatly, as if he had any authority.
The one who ended up resolving this ridiculous situation was the Crown Prince himself.
“Benjamin, return to the carriage the Duke prepared for you. Robert, you go back to the luggage cart.”
“But, Your Highness—!”
Joel immediately protested, but the Crown Prince replied gently, “Joel, I have something urgent to discuss with you. Just for today, stay like this.”
Obviously, “just for today” was a complete lie. The Crown Prince had no intention of being crammed in with others for even a single day.
Thanks to the Crown Prince’s bold intervention, both Benjamin and Robert were freed from their cramped prison.
Once they left, faces glowing with relief, the Crown Prince naturally shifted over to Joel’s side.
“What… What are you doing?”
“I told you there’s something I need to say. It’s not something anyone else can overhear, so I have no choice. Bear with it for a little.”
As the Crown Prince whispered with lowered voice, Joel scowled but gave a reluctant nod.
The carriage began to move—and the Crown Prince slipped an arm around Joel’s waist.
Joel, who had been waiting for him to start talking, suddenly felt a flicker of doubt.
Wait. Am I being tricked right now?
Sensing the growing suspicion in Joel’s eyes, the Crown Prince quickly moved on to the next phase of his plan.
“Come closer. I need to tell you something in your ear.”
“…Why?”
“I’m only saying this because it’s something that needs to be kept absolutely secret.”
Joel looked doubtful, but still leaned in as the Crown Prince instructed, offering his ear.
“Closer,” the Crown Prince ordered again.
Joel obeyed, moving a little closer.
“More.”
“Just a bit more.”
As the Crown Prince repeated “a little more” several more times, Joel found himself practically in the prince’s arms.
Then, with Joel still completely unaware, the Crown Prince pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
“Your Highness!”
Joel finally realized he’d been tricked and snapped.
“I want to get off! Tell them to stop the carriage!” he shouted, fuming like an angry wildcat.
The Crown Prince chuckled and released a burst of pheromones.
For the pregnant Joel, there was no sedative more effective than the Crown Prince’s pheromones.
Though Joel grumbled for him to stop, the pheromones quickly worked their magic, and he settled down.
With a drowsy expression, Joel leaned against the Crown Prince.
“Sleepy?”
“Yeah… got up a bit early today, I guess,” Joel murmured, resting his cheek lightly against the prince’s chest.
Surrounded by the bergamot-scented pheromones, he couldn’t help but feel comforted.
Not wanting to show just how much he was enjoying it, Joel muttered in a grumpy tone,
“So what’s this super important thing you had to say? Did you really have to be this close to say it?”
“Hmm.”
“Come on, just spit it out already.”
“Well then… this blond hair. Did you get it from your mother, by any chance?”
The question, after all that buildup, was completely out of left field.
“Wait—how did you know that?”
Joel forgot all about pretending to be annoyed and stared in surprise.
His mother had passed away long ago, and his father was just a minor rural lord—so how on earth did the Crown Prince know what his humble parents looked like?
“I happened to meet Lord Bennet during an inspection trip a while back. This might sound rude, but… you really don’t resemble your biological father at all.”
Joel was startled that the Crown Prince even remembered someone as insignificant as his father, who was no more than a knight.
In his previous life, Joel would have immediately wondered: ‘Could it be… His Highness is interested in me?’ and spun all sorts of wild fantasies.
But the current Joel wasn’t that naïve anymore.
Well, he is the Crown Prince.
Of course he’d have a good memory, he told himself.
Still, the mention of his father soured his mood.
After all, his father was the one who started this whole mess.
If only you’d gone on that trip when I told you to, Joel grumbled silently.
Money could always be earned again—but more than the wealth he’d lost, Joel was worried about his kind but foolish father possibly being exploited for labor by some cult.
His father was getting old. If he broke a bone, it wouldn’t heal well anymore.
If he got injured doing something dangerous…
Having once received a letter from his father filled with fanatical religious rambling, Joel couldn’t help but worry.
Dad, if you get yourself hurt being stupid, I swear I’ll kill you myself, he muttered, glaring at the Crown Prince.
“So? You don’t think you resemble him?” the prince asked.
“Actually… just one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The stupidity.”
Joel’s scathing insult toward his own father left the Crown Prince momentarily speechless.
‘Still, he’s your father—should you really say that?’ didn’t feel quite right.
But neither did ‘Well, I don’t think you’re that stupid.’
‘And Is your father really as dumb as you?’ was definitely off the table.
As he hesitated over what to say, the Crown Prince suddenly noticed the sadness and anxiety clouding Joel’s face.
Joel had a habit of speaking harshly when he was upset or worried.
Seeing through him, the Crown Prince gently whispered,
“You’re anxious, aren’t you? Worried about your father?”
“…Not a lot. Just a little.”
Joel replied gloomily.
The truth was, he wasn’t just a little worried—he was immensely, catastrophically worried.
And honestly, his father really was stupid.
Joel remembered when he was a child and one of his father’s friends had come to visit the estate.
The man had tried to teach his father the rules of a card game that was popular at the time.
Unfortunately, Joel’s father still hadn’t understood the rules by midnight.
Frustrated, the guest ended up leaving that very night—and before he did, he had pulled Joel aside and said,
“Joel, I’m begging you. Whatever you do, don’t inherit your father’s brain.”
It hadn’t taken Joel long to realize that the only thing he’d inherited from his burly father was, tragically, his brain.
Sensing Joel’s sadness, the Crown Prince released more pheromones in a quiet attempt to comfort him.
They seemed even more effective now that Joel was pregnant.
Joel quietly buried his nose into the prince’s firm chest.
* * *
