Chapter 79
“…Wh-where am I…?”
When Louis Hart opened his eyes, he looked around.
It was his familiar room.
Just as he tried to grasp the situation, his head suddenly throbbed as if it were splitting apart.
By his side stood many people—including the Emperor himself.
Angelina ran straight to Louis Hart.
“Brother Louis…!!”
“Angelina… How come you’re here…?”
“This is the Lepia Palace. Do you remember now?”
“Y-yeah… In the end, we defeated Phemos… Jaina… Jaina!”
As he tried to piece his memories together, Louis Hart suddenly called out for Jaina.
Hearing her name, Jaina hurried to stand before him.
“…Your Highness, it’s such a relief you’ve woken up!”
Jaina barely held back the tears threatening to fall.
It had been so long since she last saw those brilliant crimson eyes looking at her.
But this was the Imperial Palace, and she was a knight of the guard.
This was no place for her to forget her station and reveal her emotions.
“Jaina, you did it in the end!”
Louis Hart grinned from ear to ear.
It seemed Jaina had beheaded Phemos and returned to the capital.
If his body had been in better shape, he would have embraced her on the spot in praise.
“That knight…”
The Emperor clearly remembered her.
Not long ago, he had personally pinned a medal of martial honor on that knight. A female knight was rare in the Empire, and coupled with her bold nature and striking beauty, she was unforgettable.
The Emperor knew his son, the Crown Prince, all too well.
After all, the boy took after him perfectly.
He had worried that perhaps, because of that knight, Angelina might be made to cry.
Or perhaps… the woman his son would make cry for the rest of his life might actually be her…
Sensing something unusual in the air, the Emperor narrowed his eyes.
“It was none other than Lady Angelina who healed His Highness. With holy power surpassing even the priests, she restored the Crown Prince!”
The High Priest passionately proclaimed Angelina’s miracle, spittle flying as he spoke.
Embarrassed by the praise from the clergy, Angelina squirmed with shyness.
“Angelina…”
Louis Hart’s gaze now fell upon her.
He could hardly continue his words.
At last, the Crown Prince’s unrequited love seemed to be returning his way.
Jaina quietly stepped back.
This was the moment for her to withdraw.
“Brother Louis…”
Angelina burst into tears at last, and Louis Hart beamed at her.
“Angelina, you’re incredible! I always knew you were a devout believer, but to think you possessed divine power too!”
“N-no… it’s nothing compared to you, Brother, who defeated that giant monster Phemos…”
“Angelina, you’re the savior of my life.”
“And you’ve always been mine, far longer than this…”
Wiping her reddened eyes, Angelina recalled her first meeting with Louis Hart.
Her cherished scarf had been carried off by the wind into the academy’s pond. When she tried to retrieve it, she fell in. It was Louis Hart, studying abroad, who had found and saved her.
Ever since that day, they had always gone to the academy together.
“…Though honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing saving you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it doesn’t make sense to rescue a mermaid from water, does it?”
“…Did you really think I was a mermaid back then?”
Angelina, eyes turning red again, burst into giggles.
A knight of the guard was never permitted to leave their post without the Crown Prince’s permission.
It was the most important rule.
But Jaina wanted to break it.
She felt like an intruder between the two of them.
No—worse, she felt like not even an intruder at all, just invisible.
To avoid overhearing their conversation, she fixed her gaze instead on meaningless paintings hanging on the wall.
Fortunately, the emotional reunion between Louis Hart and Angelina ended there.
The Imperial physician who came upon hearing the news insisted that Louis Hart must first have complete rest.
When the Emperor and Angelina departed, Jaina too had wanted to go home.
But Louis Hart insisted that his knight, Jaina, be the one to tend to him.
Cautiously, Jaina asked:
“Your Highness, wouldn’t you be more comfortable with one of your attendants instead of me…?”
“After coming back from the brink of death, you expect me to stay alone with some man…?”
Louis Hart shuddered in distaste at the very idea.
From the way he joked, it seemed the divine healing had worked quite well.
With a small sigh, Jaina began to see to his comfort.
“…Very well. Do you need anything?”
“Hmm…”
Louis Hart appeared deeply troubled.
Crossing his arms, he stared seriously at the robe he wore.
“What’s wrong?”
“How many days have I been unconscious?”
“About a week.”
“…A week, huh.”
Louis Hart looked as though he had just received devastating news.
“Jaina, what if my abs are gone…?”
That was his great concern.
He had trained day and night to carve out perfect abs, rivaling even Grand Duke Sieghart’s.
Now he had gone over a week without training.
The thought of facing a vanished six-pack terrified him.
“…You nearly died, and you’re worried about abs?”
“Jaina, would you still be fine with me if I didn’t have them?”
His sulky voice made Jaina dumbfounded.
What did it matter to her if he had abs or not?
He had barely escaped death, yet rather than focusing on recovery, he fretted like a child over his muscles disappearing.
“I… I don’t care at all. Though I’m not sure Lady Angelina would feel the same…”
Her voice trailed smaller and smaller.
She was a knight.
Whether the Crown Prince had abs or not, he was someone she was sworn to guard and serve.
…Even if one day he spent the rest of his life with Angelina.
Suddenly, a surge of uncontrollable anger welled up inside Jaina.
She hated how he could playfully tease her, oblivious to her feelings.
“I see…”
Then why—why was he looking so disappointed?!
At her words, Louis Hart looked like a drenched puppy, pitiful and forlorn.
But I’m the one who should feel pitiful…
After seeing him with Angelina, Jaina realized she had been unconsciously drawn to the Crown Prince.
She no longer felt she could keep her promise to help his unrequited love.
Watching them together hurt too much.
“Jaina… then…”
Louis Hart tried to change the subject.
But Jaina, her face dark, cut him off.
“…How long must I remain Your Highness’s knight?”
“What?”
“I want to become a true knight!”
In truth, she had been glad to serve as his guard.
To protect the future Emperor was to protect the Empire itself.
But if she continued in this role, she feared her heart would shatter into pieces. She could endure no longer.
Louis Hart looked startled at first, but soon nodded in understanding.
“…Alright.”
He nodded again.
Jaina was an excellent knight.
She could protect far more than just him—she was a remarkable swordswoman.
Guilt surged within Jaina. She wanted to make an excuse, but didn’t know what to say.
She couldn’t admit she’d only spoken out of sudden jealousy.
“A-anyway, I should probably change your bandages. I’ll fetch the physician.”
Unable to bear the heavy atmosphere, Jaina quickly left the room.
The Emperor strode quickly down the corridor upon hearing his son was asking for him.
At last, Louis Hart had awoken.
The Crown Prince might not know it, but on the very day he regained consciousness, the Emperor had gone to the temple inside the palace to offer a prayer of gratitude to the Sun God.
Though father and son only ever exchanged words that cut each other, Louis Hart was still his only precious child.
Now that the boy had asked to see him, perhaps the festering father-son relationship might finally begin to heal.
Could it be that his son, at last, had come to understand a father’s heart?
If so, he would gladly accept him, even if it meant pretending to be reluctant.
Buoyed by that hopeful thought, he soon arrived at the Crown Prince’s chambers.
A servant entered first to announce the Emperor’s arrival.
“You’ve come, Father.”
Still in his robe, Louis Hart half-rose from his bed and greeted the Emperor.
