Chapter 17
“You already know, don’t you? That Lord Leonhardt has, for a long time, been—”
“Still, isn’t it fun? Since it’s the human heart, an interesting variable could always appear.”
“You didn’t lose to me on purpose, did you?”
“Oh, my lady. No matter how much I love you, a wager is a different matter, isn’t it? I’m very competitive.”
“How childish.”
“And thanks to that competitiveness, I married you, didn’t I?”
“I didn’t lose that bet—I let you win. Because I wanted to marry Your Majesty.”
“Oh? That’s news to me.”
Terius slowly stroked Kenis’s leg as they exchanged glances. They truly were a well-matched couple. But this time, the queen clearly had no intention of letting things slide so easily. She smacked her husband’s hand away and said,
“Then why won’t you tell the ministers what Lord Leonhardt said on the battlefield?”
“Well, Leo told me it was a secret.”
“And yet you told me that secret?”
“Husband and wife are one body. I am you, and you are me.”
“That reminds me of something Lord Leonhardt once said about you—that even if you fell into water, only your mouth would stay afloat.”
“Of course. I’d need those floating lips to kiss you.”
As Terius puckered his lips, the queen smiled sweetly and grabbed them, pulling them like a fisherman catching a fish. Thus, the king of a nation had his mouth caught like a fish. The queen looked at her husband fondly and said,
“Then I suppose, to win this bet, I’ll have to make good use of what Lord Leonhardt said about Lady Rosnelli on the battlefield… and his true feelings for her.”
“But if Leo finds out, I’m dead, my lady. I got it out of him after getting him completely drunk. It was practically a confession.”
“Oh my, people speak the truth when they’re drunk. Thank you for the excellent information, dear.”
Queen Kenis grinned, loosened her grip, and kissed her husband’s reddened lips. In truth, she was just as mischievous as Terius—and just as obsessed with wagers.
At that moment, beyond the partition of the outdoor hot spring, they faintly heard staff bustling about. Sensing something had happened, the couple quickly threw on their robes and called a servant to ask what was going on.
“What’s all the commotion outside?”
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has suddenly fainted…”
“Leo fainted? Was it a seizure?”
“No, not that—it’s just…”
The servant glanced around and whispered. After hearing the explanation, Terius clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
Looking around, he saw the young noble ladies gathered for the selection of the Crown Princess—and among them, Rosnelli, gazing at him with the happiest expression of all.
Annoyed by the ruffled blouse that reached up to his neck to hide the bandages, Leonhardt absentmindedly fiddled with his collar. As he did, his eyes met Rosnelli’s. At fourteen, she had a fair face, flushed cheeks, and pink lips. Fidgeting nervously, she spoke to him in a voice full of shyness.
“…Lord Leonhardt.”
Every time she said his name, it rang like clear beads rolling. Leonhardt, Lord Leonhardt. As though even using a nickname was too bold, she always called him only by his name.
“Lord Leonhardt… I… lo—”
So shy. Her voice was drowned out by the applause celebrating the selection, making it hard to hear properly.
“What did you say?”
When Leonhardt asked, she twisted her body bashfully. Her peach-colored cheeks deepened in hue. He could roughly guess what she had been trying to say. I like you. I like you very much. Thank you so much. Something along those lines.
After all, wasn’t she the kind of girl who didn’t know what to do just from making eye contact? Back then, Leonhardt had thought she was boring. And indeed, she was. That’s why she’d say such boring things.
As he looked at her with a dull expression, Rosnelli suddenly beamed brightly and, mustering her courage, spoke loudly.
“Lord Leonhardt, you’re like a birch tree!”
Like a birch tree! A birch tree! A birch tree!
Her clear, jewel-like voice echoed throughout the vast imperial hall. The musicians who had been playing fanfare and the people applauding all fell silent at her words—then, one by one, they all turned into tall, thin birch trees, swaying in the winter wind.
“…Gasp!”
Thankfully, it was a dream. What kind of ridiculous dream was that?
“Are you awake?!”
“…Ah, is this still a dream?”
“What are you talking about?”
Rosnelli waved her hand in front of his eyes, checking if he was conscious. Only then did Leonhardt realize this was reality, not a dream. It was strange—he clearly remembered getting up to confront something, but not going to find Rosnelli. So why was she here?
“What kind of idiot stays in a hot spring for an entire hour? It’d be stranger if you didn’t get dizzy!”
“…Did you just call me an idiot?”
“Then are you a genius?”
“……”
“Good thing you didn’t hit your head… You shouldn’t stay in a hot spring for more than 30 minutes. The attendants said they kept trying to get you out, but you were stubborn. Why? You said you hated the heat before—did you end up liking it that much once you got in?”
As if checking for a fever, Rosnelli placed a hand on Leonhardt’s forehead and teased him.
“Didn’t the staff tell you? I’m sure they did. You must not have been listening because you were lost in thought.”
He had no response to that. Leonhardt simply looked at her awkwardly. Rosnelli seemed to find him a bit pathetic, yet moments ago she had been touching his forehead, and now she began feeling the back of his head.
Why does she seem so used to touching a man’s body? Leonhardt found it oddly bothersome. Meanwhile, Rosnelli continued, still examining his head.
“Good thing there’s no bump. You’re lucky you didn’t fall headfirst—this place is all stone. One bad fall and you’d get amnesia.”
“……”
“The staff said it was time for you to come out, but you just stayed there. What were you even thinking? Honestly… a crown prince collapsing from dizziness in a hot spring. Imagine if you’d fainted in front of the other guests.”
“I wouldn’t do something that disgraceful.”
“It’s not about being disgraceful—it’s that the nobles would gossip even more about your condition. Saying it’s gotten so bad you can’t even manage daily life. Do you think I don’t know how they are?”
“I won’t cause trouble in the bath.”
“That’s not the point. There’s nothing good about becoming the subject of gossip. Next time, follow the staff’s instructions. Unless you want to collapse again with your face all red. Are you feeling nauseous? Any ringing in your head? A staff member will come with an ice pack later. The doctor said there’s nothing serious, so I’ll be going now.”
As she removed her hand from the back of his head and tried to stand, Leonhardt quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.
“Why?”
“I want to ask whether this situation is normal… or not.”
At his words, Rosnelli thought for a moment.
Normal or not? Ah—was he asking about fainting from dizziness in a hot spring? Back when the place first opened, it had been quite common. People would ignore the staff, stay in for hours because it felt nice, and end up being dragged out half-conscious.
“Well… it’s pretty normal.”
It was meant as reassurance—nothing to be too embarrassed about. She assumed the Crown Prince had asked out of wounded pride for collapsing from something as trivial as heat.
“…Normal, you say.”
He meant this—placing a hand on a fainted man’s forehead, touching the back of his head… even earlier, asking him to undress to check his condition. All of it.
“You seem to have quite a lot to do as the owner. You could leave things like that to your staff.”
“Usually I do. But there are exceptions—like today.”
The deep furrow in his brow slowly eased. Leonhardt turned to look at her, as if asking what she meant.
“…An exception?”
“Yes. You’re Your Highness.”
Right. I’m not like ordinary guests. Leonhardt nodded slowly, as if understanding. Their relationship wasn’t just that of owner and customer. That must be why she called it an “exception,” just this once.
Thinking that, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. In truth, he was desperately holding back from smiling fully. Rosnelli looked at him oddly.
Does he have some kind of superiority complex? her expression seemed to say.
Suppressing his smile, Leonhardt probed again,
“I’d like to know exactly what you mean by that.”
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“Because I’m the Crown Prince? Or simply because it’s me?”
“Huh?”
