“What? You mean His Majesty is unwell?”
Joel, who had been waiting for the Crown Prince to tie his cravat, asked in surprise.
However, the Crown Prince merely placed a finger to his lips, whispering a soft “Shh,” and offered no further explanation.
He was entirely absorbed in adjusting the lace of the cravat he had just tied for Joel.
“I think it looks better styled this way.”
After shaping the lace to make the folds look more voluminous, the Crown Prince took a step back to admire his handiwork.
Standing with his back to the window, Joel was dressed in formal attire for the first time in a long while.
The pale emerald silk suit and the richly laced white cravat created a lovely atmosphere.
The bright morning sun poured in behind him, creating an illusion of a halo.
Not only the Crown Prince, but even Abe—who thought he had grown used to Joel’s beauty over their travels—found his mouth hanging open.
“Seeing you like this, you really…”
The Crown Prince trailed off, his face filled with admiration.
“Really, what?”
Joel brushed his cheek in embarrassment.
The Crown Prince’s gaze alone was overwhelming, but the numerous attendants and servants lined up behind him were following their master’s lead, looking at him with wonder.
No matter how much Joel tried to ignore the gaze of others, he couldn’t help but feel the pressure in this situation.
Furthermore, having grown accustomed to the light attire of shirts and vests during his three months of flight, wearing a full formal suit felt incredibly awkward and strange.
Joel fidgeted with his fingers, unsure of what to do under the dozens of eyes fixed on him.
“…You are truly as beautiful as an angel.”
Just before Joel’s patience—which was thin to begin with—ran out, the Crown Prince finally finished his sentence, having been momentarily lost for words.
“And cute, too.”
“Your Highness, please, enough…”
Joel grabbed the Crown Prince’s hand, signaling him to stop acting so undignified.
Since earlier, the Prince had been doing nothing but embarrassing things: snatching the cravat from the servant to tie it himself, and openly praising Joel’s appearance in front of so many palace staff.
At this rate, rumors might spread that the Crown Prince’s standards had dropped to match his “foolish” fiancé.
Instead of letting go, the Crown Prince pulled the hand that was pushing him away and kissed the back of it.
Having endured the absence of his mate for two long months, he had no room to care about the eyes of those around him.
Waking up with Joel in the Imperial Palace finally made the reality of having him back sink in, and he couldn’t contain the surge of happiness.
“You slept deeply last night. I was worried about whether you’d adapt well to palace life while pregnant, but I’m so relieved you spent your first night comfortably. Ah, of course, technically it wasn’t our first night together…”
As the Crown Prince began to talk about their married life from the previous life, Joel had to quickly cover his mouth.
The room was packed with servants and attendants preparing them for the morning.
If he started babbling about “past lives” in front of all these people, someone might seriously suggest a mental evaluation for the Crown Prince.
“Yo-Your Highness. Rather than that, please finish what you were saying earlier. Is it true that His Majesty’s condition seems to have regressed to how it was before the demon John was defeated?”
Joel asked, trying his best to focus the Prince’s attention away from his face.
Having spent the first night under the Emperor’s cold treatment, Joel had assumed the Emperor, who was losing his grip on power, had chosen seclusion to show his disapproval of his son’s marriage.
In fact, not just Joel, but everyone thought so.
However, a small incident this morning had brought the situation into a new light.
That incident was the revelation that the Emperor’s declining health was actually real.
The Emperor, who had refused Joel an audience the previous day but promised a morning greeting, sent a servant as soon as morning came to say he would skip that as well.
The Crown Prince had exploded in anger at the continued cold shoulder.
‘Joel has been waiting since yesterday for a chance to see Father, and Father is being truly excessive!’
The Crown Prince had brushed off the pleas of Joel and the servants and stormed directly into the Emperor’s bedchamber.
Left alone, Joel worried that the situation would take a turn for the worst, but unexpectedly, when the Prince returned a short while later, his face held a look of distress rather than anger.
‘Your Highness, are you alright? Did His Majesty scold you terribly? See, I told you we shouldn’t provoke him.’
‘No… nothing happened.’
‘It doesn’t look like nothing happened.’
The Crown Prince looked as if he didn’t even have the strength to speak.
Joel was worried about what exactly had transpired in the bedchamber, but thinking that comforting the despondent Prince came first, he changed the subject.
‘Your Highness, I’m trying to choose between the deep blue and the emerald suit. Which one do you think is better?’
‘The emerald one would be better.’
‘What about the necklace? This one or this one?’
‘…Let me see.’
As Joel deliberately spoke cheerfully, the Crown Prince slowly showed interest.
Fortunately, the brooding Prince soon became deeply immersed in the task of dressing him. Eventually, he even snatched the clothes and accessories from the servants to dress Joel himself.
‘Your Highness, the servant can tie the cravat…’
‘I want to do it myself… Hmm, I think shaping it like this would be better.’
And so—after matching the mood of the Crown Prince, who was fully engaged in this “doll-playing”—a long time passed before Joel finally heard the detailed explanation from the now-calmer Prince.
According to the Crown Prince, the Emperor did not regain consciousness even when he approached.
The sleeping Emperor’s face was deathly pale, and the imperial physician, who arrived shortly after, informed him that the Emperor’s health had declined sharply within the last two days.
Only then did Joel understand why the Crown Prince had returned so dejected.
He had thought the Emperor was merely refusing to meet to show he couldn’t accept Joel as the Crown Princess, but it turned out he was truly in no state to receive anyone.
Having finally grasped the situation, Joel’s face mirrored the Crown Prince’s worry.
Although the Emperor had conspired with his adoptive father to kill him in the previous life, Joel held no resentment toward him now.
Regardless, he was the Crown Prince’s only father, and it was all in the past.
Of course, if he didn’t love the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t have been able to forgive so easily.
When Joel stood on his tiptoes, struggling to whisper into the Prince’s ear, the Crown Prince quickly bent his knees to listen.
“Your Highness, do you think a demon might be involved this time as well?”
“Well, we’ll have to investigate to be sure. But he has been ill for so long that it wouldn’t be strange even if there were no outside interference.”
“I see. I thought His Majesty had recovered after the demon John was sent to hell. It’s a serious matter. What did the physician say? Will he be okay soon?”
“Mmm.”
The Crown Prince replied with an ambiguous smile, and Joel realized that the Emperor truly didn’t have much time left.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s not something for you to be sorry about. I have to investigate if there was any outside interference in the decline of Father’s health, so today’s scheduled meeting with the Archbishop has been canceled. Still, it will be a very busy day. Requests for visits are pouring in from the capital’s nobility.”
As Joel looked away guiltily, feeling as though the Emperor’s health had declined because of his pregnancy, the Crown Prince added, “Especially the very last guest—I think it’s a face you’ll be very happy to see.”
“Someone I’ll be happy to see…?”
There couldn’t be such a person. Joel looked at the Crown Prince with a skeptical eye.
During the last three years living as the brat of Count Lucas’s house, he had offended every noble family.
Who on earth could there be that he would welcome?
“Who is it? Ah, Your Highness, tell me who it is!”
The Crown Prince refused to explain further despite Joel’s begging.
Seeing the mischievous smile on his face grow deeper, Joel realized he was being teased.
Just then, a servant carefully announced that a foreign ambassador was waiting in the reception room.
“I must go now. I’ll see you later.”
“Your Highness, you have to tell me who it is before you go!”
Instead of an answer, the Crown Prince kissed Joel on the cheek and vanished.
Joel stomped his foot in frustration.
