Episode 32
Phoebe winked at me and then vanished. Since Ernst could also be the father, Phoebe had no reason to hinder him from the start.
In the room, now fortunately left to just the two of us, Ernst tapped the bed.
“Sit here, Rue. I’ll do your hair.”
Since Rurik would obviously object, I absolutely needed the cooperation of all three if I wanted to leave for convalescence in two months. Seizing the moment to persuade him, I obediently sat down. The long fingers touching my hair were very affectionate.
‘He’s a Crown Prince, is there anything he can’t do?’
“Instead of marrying, you need to go for convalescence?”
Although I had broached the topic indirectly, Ernst immediately grasped the main point. Swallowing an internal groan, I affirmed.
“Getting married right away is unreasonable in many ways. Since I even fainted at the monastery, it wouldn’t seem strange if my health has worsened.”
Unexpectedly, Ernst agreed right away.
“Yeah, well… The southern part of Flavi would be good for convalescence. If you choose a lakeside city, it’s warm, and if I promise His Majesty I’ll look after you often, he’ll feel reassured.”
I frowned slightly and asked.
“Will Cal and Ren… agree?”
“No matter how arrogant Cal is, he can’t insist on taking a pregnant woman to Babenberg.”
He added.
“And Ren will accompany you wherever you go, according to your needs and wishes, so he probably won’t care about the location.”
Ernst skillfully tied a ribbon at the end of my thickly braided hair.
“All done, Rue.”
Then, very naturally, he buried his face in the nape of my neck. The sweet scent wafting from him tickled my nose. That alone was stimulating, and Ernst whined like a big puppy.
“I know it was because of His Highness the Prince, but I hate that you were stuck with Ren for a whole week. I’m jealous…”
Flustered, I made an excuse.
“W-we weren’t really stuck together! At the monastery, the men’s and women’s quarters were quite far apart.”
He whispered a question.
“Really?”
His voice was unnecessarily low, more like a breeze. The feeling of his breath on my bare skin made me jump, and I answered.
“Mhmm, really!”
But Ernst chuckled as if he didn’t believe me.
“So what? Ren shows up anywhere, anytime.”
“Ah, no…! Rendo was also reluctant to use magic there…”
“So you’re saying he never showed up arbitrarily?”
His apple-red lips tested me again and again. I couldn’t bring myself to lie and confessed.
“He showed up exactly once, but I called him. It’s because my brother suddenly summoned a physician, and I needed help.”
“In other words, you’re saying Magic Tower Lord Ren is someone you need, is that it?”
Sun-like golden eyes sparkled dazzlingly close up.
‘You’re definitely the one using charm magic…’
Unable to avoid his gaze, I hastily nodded.
“That’s right, that’s right.”
Ernst backed off at that point, as if granting me a reprieve.
“Make the convalescence site Flavi. Then I’ll find out who among the palace physicians is easiest to bribe.”
Finally relaxing, I gave a small smile.
“Mhmm, I guess it has to be Flavi.”
Even after that, Ernst clung to me for a long time, whining about this and that.
—Bzzz, bzzz…
A familiar vibrating sound came from his embrace, and a flickering light leaked out.
“…Erni?”
Ernst seemed to want to ignore it, but when I called his name, he sighed and reluctantly moved his hand. I stared blankly at the glowing sphere he pulled from his bosom.
“You’ve had it on you since yesterday again, haven’t you?”
“Mhmm…”
Ernst made his slightly drooping eyes curve into pretty crescents and excused himself.
“You were tired yesterday, remember? I barely got to say hello.”
It wasn’t a false statement, but if it was about delivering the communication orb, he clearly could have done it yesterday too. It seemed like he vented his frustration about being jealous of Ren in the wrong direction…
“Well, alright…”
If he had received a communication from Callisteon yesterday, he would have been even more anxious, trying to gauge whether I was okay or not.
Anyway, the communication orb activated the moment it touched my hand, turning into particles of light that attached to the wall.
“…Rue.”
The man in the screen looked haggard, a far cry from how he appeared in Heim a week ago, and his brilliantly blue eyes seemed particularly hollow today. Stumbling over my words, I blurted out an excuse.
“Um, Cal. About me fainting… it was nothing serious, and…”
The blue eyes in the screen suddenly gleamed with a fierce intensity.
“How can you fainting be ‘nothing serious’? Who dared say that?”
Uh, probably… me? I swallowed hard and hesitated.
“It’s true! I saw a physician, and the baby is healthy too. In two weeks, I’ll be four months along, so they said it’s a bit safer…”
Callisteon on the screen let his solid chest rise and fall as he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, finally showing a trace of resentment, he parted his sun-tanned lips.
“Speaking of which, I helped with the trip for His Highness the Prince, but Rue, you didn’t keep your promise.”
“I-I didn’t not keep it…!”
Under the piercing gaze of those icy blue eyes, I unconsciously wilted and prevaricated.
“Ah, I couldn’t go because I was worried the baby might have a hard time…”
He corrected me clearly.
“Our baby.”
“…Mhmm. Our baby.”
Even though he must have clearly seen Ernst sighing beside me, Callisteon remained unperturbed.
“I’ll let it slide this once. For ‘our‘ baby.”
“…Thank you, Cal.”
However, Ernst seemed to have no intention of letting it go at that. He suddenly cut in.
“By the way, Rue says she’d like to come to Flavi for convalescence soon.”
You…! I turned to look at him in panic, but Ernst just smiled sun shine at the formidable Northern Grand Duke.
“To a warm southern lakeside.”
Even in the ‘Sun and Wind’ story I heard as a child, the sun wins against the wind. While Callisteon on the screen moved his lips as if to say something, Ernst added.
“Winter is too harsh for ‘our‘ baby… I’m sure the generous Duke understands, right?”
Just as I began to suspect the connection had been cut due to the long silence, Callisteon, as if he had a headache, pressed his forehead and demanded.
“Give me the exact location name, Crown Prince.”
“Well, I haven’t thought about it yet… How about Edessa or so?”
Callisteon’s perfect face scrunched up intensely between the brows.
“If you change your mind later, I’ll kill you.”
Is it okay to make murder threats like that to another country’s Crown Prince? But Ernst, not scared at all, still with a sunny face, shrugged his shoulders.
“Is that up to me? I’ll let you know for sure if His Imperial Majesty permits it.”
Just then, perhaps the communication orb’s magic was running out, the light dimmed.
“Damn it! Erni, deliver the communication orbs on time.”
Callisteon swore. Since his complexion looked worse than at the start, I quickly blew him a kiss.
‘I couldn’t even go to Babenberg, so this much is fine.’
As the corners of his mouth softened slightly, the image began to flicker. The increasingly blurry Callisteon opened his lips to say something, but no more sound came through.
Rurik didn’t visit until the evening, and when he saw my face, he frowned.
“I thought you had been resting well since arriving, but your complexion looks worse.”
The magic medicine from Ren hadn’t arrived yet, so we had used Phoebe’s makeup skills, which were quite effective. Fortunately, the effect of the eye drops had worn off.
“It’s just fatigue from the journey, please pretend you didn’t see it, Brother. I don’t want to be known as the Imperial family’s weakest link.”
Speaking listlessly made Rurik chuckle softly.
“As you… said, I’ve sorted out the items brought from the battlefield. So don’t be too…”
Looking up at him as he spoke with heavy lips, he continued in a small, slightly embarrassed voice.
“…Don’t worry. Just take good care of your own health.”
