The Crown Prince could not hide his anger after leaving the room.
He huffed and puffed the entire way back to his palace while supporting Joel.
Joel tried to soothe him by patting his arm, but it didn’t seem to work very well.
“I promised I would never let you be hurt again, yet I have no face to show you.”
“It’s alright. I expected as much anyway.”
Joel spoke while stroking the arm of the upset Prince.
And he truly meant it.
As long as the person he loved most in the world was by his side, he could laugh off the Emperor’s cold treatment.
Joel was used to being criticized and mocked; unless the words came from the Crown Prince himself, no one could truly wound him.
When they entered the drawing room of the Crown Prince’s palace, Joel was met with a face he had dearly missed.
“My child!”
“Father!”
Lord Bennett, who had been sitting anxiously waiting for Joel, immediately sprang from his seat.
Of course, he had wanted to see his son even a second sooner, but he had intentionally stayed hidden to avoid public scrutiny.
Lord Bennett was well aware that his son was carrying the imperial heir, and he feared that any improper behavior on his part might damage his son’s reputation.
However, even the usually cautious Lord Bennett lost his composure the moment he saw his son’s face after two months.
He hugged his son, sobbing like a child.
Joel, held in his arms, was also a mess of tears and sniffles.
Next to the wailing pair, the old butler Wickham gave a word of caution: “Master, the young master is a grown adult now. Calling him ‘my child’ in front of all these people is a bit…”
“Joel, my baby. Let me look at your face.”
“Ugh, Father…!”
Naturally, whether Wickham cautioned them or not, the father and son were too busy embracing and soaking in the joy of their reunion.
Robert, watching the touching scene from beside Wickham, clicked his tongue.
“Lord Bennett hasn’t slept a wink out of worry and is practically skin and bones even after hearing that Joel was found, but Joel’s cheeks look quite plump. I suppose the Crown Prince took excellent care of him? And yet, he calls that boy ‘starved’?”
“Shh, be quiet.”
Wickham quickly hushed Robert while glancing at the Crown Prince.
Fortunately, the Prince seemed too occupied watching the Bennett father and son with a satisfied gaze to pay attention to anything else.
Robert rubbed his arm where Wickham had pinched him, thinking that anyone could see Joel had been eating and living well.
He concluded that whenever it came to his son, Lord Bennett tended to become more of a fool than usual.
After the emotional reunion, Joel led Lord Bennett and the Crown Prince to the sofa.
There, he heard more detailed stories from his father about the recent past.
Upon learning that the Crown Prince had brought the lonely Lord Bennett to the capital and looked after him with great care after Joel’s disappearance, Joel looked up at the Prince with moved eyes.
“I worried so much about Father during the journey. To think you looked after not just my father, but even my butler… I don’t know how to repay this grace.”
“I only did what was expected. There is no need for such gratitude.”
The Crown Prince brushed Joel’s hair back tenderly, hiding a bitter smile.
Considering the state Lord Bennett had fallen into after Joel’s death in the previous life, he felt he had no right to receive Joel’s thanks.
Lord Bennett, watching his son with fond eyes, spoke cautiously to the Crown Prince.
“By the way, Your Highness. I intend to return to the territory within this week.”
“Already?”
It was Joel who responded to his father.
To his disappointed son, Lord Bennett spoke apologetically: “Work in the territory has piled up, so I have no choice. Most of all, I need to clear out that underground mansion left behind by Cult Leader John.”
“Oh, and my child, there is some good news.”
“Good news?”
Joel, who had been sad about parting with his father, tilted his head and asked.
Lord Bennett exchanged a glance with the Crown Prince before speaking.
“The investigation team sent by the Central Church finished their work recently. They say there are no more traces of the demon in the underground mansion, so it can be used as a tourist resource.”
“Oh…”
Joel recalled John’s mansion, which he had forgotten about.
Since the Crown Prince must have taken all the expensive items, it would be empty and desolate by now… but since it was a structure built by a demon, it did seem like it could make quite a lot of money if used for tourism.
“That’s a relief. It would be a chore to renovate an empty mansion, so you should head back soon.”
At Joel’s words, Lord Bennett asked with a flustered face.
“Empty? Didn’t you see that the mansion was overflowing with all sorts of treasures?”
“But Your Highness took all those treasures.”
Joel replied to his father with an innocent face.
At the same time Lord Bennett blurted out “What?”, the Crown Prince, who had been listening, also looked bewildered and pointed to himself.
“Me?”
“Yes. Your Highness, you were there for days even skipping meals. Weren’t you busy sweeping up all the jewels?”
Joel looked back and forth between the incredulous Prince and his father, responding naively.
“Naturally, that could not be the case.”
The Crown Prince could not hide his absurdity.
He had only been searching for evidence of Count Lucas’s past involvement in the rebellion; he hadn’t spared a single thought for things like jewels.
It was ridiculous to think that his lover saw him as some greedy worldling who would abandon his partner for days just to gleefully pocket money like Count Lucas.
“Then what were you looking for down there all day?”
“I told you, I was looking for evidence of your adoptive father’s involvement in the rebellion! I’ve told you hundreds of times over the last fortnight that thanks to you, the Emperor’s 25-year-old long-standing wish was fulfilled, and that you performed a truly great feat…”
The Crown Prince, who was listing his protests in exasperation, suddenly felt his energy drain when he saw Joel blinking his innocent eyes.
“…No, I mean, I’m sorry, Joel. I should have explained it properly then, but I was so busy and tired, and I was worried word might get out, so I didn’t explain it well to you.”
The Crown Prince apologized in a tone of resignation.
It would be a waste of time to ask if Joel hadn’t felt anything strange while they discussed this topic before.
Everything was simply his own fault.
“Aha, is that so? It’s okay.”
“Thank you very much for your generous forgiveness.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Watching Joel nod vacantly as he finally realized, “So that’s why you said I did a great service in revealing my adoptive father’s crimes,” the Crown Prince felt a sudden wave of extreme fatigue.
Fortunately for the Prince, the quick-witted butler Wickham noticed his tired state.
He stood up, prompting his oblivious master: “Master, His Highness has just returned from a long journey. He must be exhausted, so perhaps we should take our leave.”
After even Lord Bennett withdrew, the Crown Prince carried his lovely Omega toward the bedroom.
He was tired regardless of the misunderstanding with Joel.
He rejected all outside visitors, ordered a simple meal to be brought to the room, and stayed in bed with Joel all afternoon.
By late evening, Joel wiggled out of the Prince’s embrace.
“Where are you going?”
“To see the mule. Things will be busy starting tomorrow, so I want to say goodbye in advance. Once he goes down to the territory with Father, I won’t see him for a while.”
Thinking the palace wouldn’t be a suitable place for a mule to live, Joel had asked Lord Bennett to take him.
He patted and peeled off the Crown Prince, who was clinging to his waist like a spoiled child.
Today was also the last day he could roll around doing nothing like this.
Starting tomorrow, he had a mountain of tasks: meeting a physician for a health check-up, getting measured for clothes, receiving etiquette lessons, and more.
He also had to testify to the Archbishop about the demon John.
Once the demon incident was fully wrapped up, the execution of his adoptive father, Count Lucas, awaited.
“You really adore that mule, taking such care of him throughout the trip.”
The Crown Prince grumbled but ordered his outdoor clothes to be brought.
He intended to follow Joel out, but the Emperor’s attendant arrived at that exact moment, forcing him to let Joel go alone.
