~CHAPTER 23~
Lision stepped out of Dianu’s bedroom and was met with a strange scene he could hardly describe.
“You’re distracting me. Can you leave?”
“It’s my duty to protect Lady Ortensa.”
“That’s a duty you already failed, don’t you think?”
Across the reception table, Lision’s younger sister and the royal guard were locked in a silent standoff.
Just watching them gave him a headache.
Both looked to him for help, but Lision ignored their pleading eyes.
“This is a patient’s room. If either of you makes a scene, I’ll have you both thrown out.”
They fell silent right away.
Elpenlira crossed her arms and dropped onto the sofa, while Marek cleared his throat awkwardly, embarrassed by his childish display in front of the prince.
After the incident with Edrick, Elpenlira had avoided Marek as though he carried the plague.
Compared to that, their current bickering almost felt nostalgic—like when they were children.
Of course, it wasn’t something he could say aloud, so Lision kept his stern expression.
“Lady Ortensa needs rest. If you have something to say, wait until tomorrow.”
Elpenlira bristled, about to rise, but when her eyes met her brother’s, she sank back down.
“…I’ll wait until tomorrow.”
It reminded Lision of another time, long ago.
When they were children, Elpenlira had fallen from a tree in the Imperial Palace, throwing the court into chaos.
Thankfully, Edrick Loisen caught her, but broke his arm in the process.
Even then, she had stayed by the infirmary all night, knowing full well it wouldn’t help him.
That was simply her way—always honest about her feelings, never afraid to act on them.
Lision found such a sister both troublesome and, at times, enviable.
Maybe that was why she could love Edrick so freely.
“Something I could never do.”
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Pushing the thought away, he spoke firmly.
“You’re not planning to spend the night here, are you?”
Elpenlira looked startled, but Lision decided to overlook it this time.
“Don’t overdo it. Lady Ortensa isn’t going anywhere.”
She seemed to give the faintest nod at his gentle tone.
Lision leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her damp hair.
“I’m glad you’re safe, Lira.”
She didn’t reply, but he didn’t mind.
Turning to Marek, who was still standing stiffly nearby, Lision gave his orders.
“When you’re not here, rotate with two other guards.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“No one enters except the doctor, nurse, the Duke’s household, and Countess Ornin.”
“Understood.”
Even after finishing his instructions, Lision lingered a little longer.
When Elpenlira’s sharp gaze turned toward him, he finally left the reception room.
Even as he exited Oak Palace, a sense of reluctance clung to him.
It pained him that when Dianu woke again, he wouldn’t be there beside her.
“Pained? Why?”
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
White crescent marks from his nails stood out against his palm, mocking the longing he couldn’t shake.
* * *
Countess Loisen, nanny to both Lision and Elpenlira—and mother of Marek and Edrick—was loyal to the Empress.
The Empress herself had little political influence, but the Countess served her out of respect for her character.
There was no question what she thought of the Emperor’s debauched nature.
When Lision turned sixteen, he made a request of the Countess.
‘You must know all about Father’s mistresses and illegitimate children, don’t you? I want to know who they are.’
The Countess was visibly shocked by the young prince’s request.
Lision gave her a reassuring smile.
‘Don’t worry. I don’t plan to harm them. They’re still of Imperial blood. I simply need to be aware.’
‘There’s no one Your Highness needs to worry about. Most are younger than you, and more than half are girls…’
It was her way of saying none of them posed a threat to his position.
But Lision shook his head.
‘If I die, the next in line is Lira.’
At the time, Elpenlira had been only eight.
‘In five hundred years of our Empire’s history, a woman has ascended the throne only twice. Both times, rivers of blood followed.’
‘Your Highness…’
‘I don’t want Lira caught in something like that.’
If both the Emperor and Lision were to die suddenly, the court would have to choose between an eight-year-old princess and the Emperor’s grown illegitimate son.
Even if Elpenlira won that struggle, her throne would be built upon ashes and bones.
Lision refused to let that happen—to her or to the Empire.
The Countess bowed deeply.
‘Forgive me, Your Highness. I failed to grasp your wisdom.’
Lision smiled faintly.
‘It’s a duty Father should have fulfilled, really.’
The Countess looked stricken but didn’t deny it.
Lision had no doubt that his father once loved his mother.
When the family dined or went on outings together, he truly seemed like a man in love.
As a child, Lision couldn’t understand how that same man could still chase other women and sire illegitimate children, leaving the Empress in tears.
Now he did.
To his father, love was simply another pleasure—like everything else in his life.
Born the only prince in peaceful times, he had become Emperor without rivals.
Love, to him, was an infinite resource—something he could take or give at will, with no sense of duty attached.
That same irresponsible love had ruined both Catalos and the Empress.
Lision quietly sent the more capable of the Emperor’s bastards abroad or into the clergy.
None dared challenge the crown prince.
Four years later, he ascended the throne without opposition—at just twenty years old.
At his coronation, he knelt before the High Priest and prayed silently for his reign.
Only the Emperor and the High Priest knew those words, carrying them to their graves.
As the old priest, who had also crowned the previous Emperor, placed the crown on his head, Lision whispered in a voice barely audible.
‘My love will always come with duty and responsibility.’
It was a vow.
A promise.
A declaration.
And Lision had no intention of ever breaking it.
* * *
The next morning, the first to visit Dianu’s room was Erin.
Unable to sleep through the pain, Dianu greeted him with a pale, weary smile.
At least she could sit up now—that was progress.
Erin carried a bouquet nearly as big as himself.
His wobbling steps were so endearing that Dianu smiled despite her aching abdomen.
No doubt the Grand Duchess Erbinjel had warned him to behave, but as soon as Erin saw her, he dropped the flowers and leaped onto her bed.
She groaned but accepted his hug.
“Teacher, are you okay now? Everyone was really worried!”
He puffed out his chest proudly, and Dianu struggled not to laugh.
Keeping her tone serious, she nodded while he chattered on.
“Oh, and guess what! I came yesterday too.”
“I remember. You came with your puppy, right?”
“Yeah! But the big sister who was waiting outside yesterday—she’s still there!”
The words didn’t make sense at first.
Dianu frowned slightly.
“What big sister?”
“The princess sister!”
Dianu didn’t have time to correct his improper title.
The door opened just then, and the so-called “princess sister” peeked inside.
The princess and Dianu stared at each other for a long moment.
Finally, Dianu spoke first.
“…Would you like to come in, Your Highness?”
The princess bit her lip, then nodded.
Dianu gently patted Erin’s back.
“Young Lord, could you give us a moment?”
He looked disappointed, ready to protest, but Dianu used her teacher voice.
“What do we say when a lady asks something of a gentleman?”
Erin squinted, recalling a past lesson, and then answered proudly.
“You listen without asking why!”
“And you’re a gentleman, right?”
“Yes!”
He climbed down at once and even held the door open for the princess before leaving.
Now only the two women remained.
The princess leaned against the door, silently watching Dianu, who met her gaze in return.
Eventually, the princess looked away first.
“Your wounds…”
“Oh, they’re much better. Thank you for your concern.”
Dianu had expected her to snap back—something like, “Who said I was worried about you?”—but she didn’t.
That alone made taking the blade in her stead feel worthwhile.
Still, she felt a faint sting of melancholy at how much that small kindness meant to her.
After a long silence, the princess finally spoke again, her tone almost casual.
“His Majesty visited yesterday, didn’t he?”
“Ah… yes.”
Dianu forced her expression to stay calm, though her cheeks burned.
There had been nothing improper about that visit, yet she still felt oddly embarrassed.
“Your surname is Ortensa, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ve never heard of such a family.”
“The main branch is a barony in the Grand Duchy of Erbinjel, but I’m from a cadet line. Honestly, our family isn’t noteworthy. It’s only natural Your Highness hasn’t heard of us.”
She answered politely, though her confusion showed.
It was already surprising that the princess remembered her name, but now she was asking about her lineage?
The princess narrowed her eyes, studying Dianu carefully.
“No trace of Imperial blood in your line? Not even a distant one?”
“Excuse me? No, not as far as I know…”
Even minor nobles knew their genealogy.
Dianu could recite the Ortensa family tree from its founding baron down to her own branch.
Nowhere in it had Imperial blood ever appeared.
The princess sighed, lowering her gaze to her shoes.
When she spoke again, her mutter carried a strange emotion Dianu couldn’t quite read.
“Thorns wherever I step.”
“Your Highness?”
The princess looked up, her green eyes blazing.
Dianu straightened instinctively.
“Let me make this clear.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not getting married.”
“Well… of course.”
Dianu replied lightly, reclining back against the cushions.
It wasn’t something she had expected or even hoped for.
No reason to be disappointed.
But the princess wasn’t finished.
“…That aside, I’ll repay my debt. My brother didn’t tell you to take that knife for me.”
She pressed a hand over her heart and lifted her skirt slightly, as though in a formal bow.
Then, meeting Dianu’s wide eyes, she inclined her head.
“Thank you.”
And softly, she added:
“…Teacher.”
That was how Dianu Ortensa, at twenty-one years old, became the princess’s tutor.
This time, for real.
