Chapter 82

Annie, who was leaning comfortably on the sofa, looked up. The reception room, where she was left alone, was rather empty.

“I don’t know what’s going on…”

It seems like yesterday that that high ceiling felt like the top of a tomb, but she’s pretty familiar with it now.

Even though the person sitting opposite her wasn’t very talkative.

‘…’

Tick

tock.

Annie bit her lip when only the ticking of the clock’s second hand sounded.

‘…Is he okay?’

Ejed, who was leaving the reception room, looked pale; she kept on thinking about it.

Even in this Imperial Palace, there was holy water that even one of the most capable and noblemen in the empire couldn’t get it.

‘…If it’s too late, even if he asks for advice later, I won’t have to answer.’

She got grumpy for no reason. He made her worry, and now she doesn’t have any news.

The two assistants, if not, maybe even a servant, could deliver the news.

Suddenly, she had another hypothesis.

‘Is it that bad…? His complexion is not good. Sigh. I’m worried about this and that…’

Knock, knock.

Annie’s face brightened at the soft knock.

‘You’re here!’

She hastily corrected her posture and turned her head. However, it was Fizz, not Ejed.

“…Sir Fizz?”

Despite Annie’s call, Fizz couldn’t raise his gaze. He lowered his head and squirmed, unable to keep his hand still.

“Lady… Lady Dsev. His Majesty wants you to go back. And… he also said that from now on, you would only have to give your answer through correspondence.”

As Fizz looked at her and spoke intermittently, Annie became frustrated. Judging by the reaction of his aide, it seemed very serious.

‘…Like an idiot, he wasn’t feeling well, but he has been holding it in?’

“Is His Majesty very ill?”

Fizz’s complexion darkened as Annie couldn’t contain her worries. He let out a small sigh and opened the door.

“Ah… not to the point of worrying. I will see you off.”

“I can go alone. You must be busy, so you can go to work.”

Annie, who politely declined, moved towards the main gate of the Imperial Palace. The steps that she threaded with the weight of her worries were very rough.

‘His stamina looked good, so he will get better soon, right?’

‘He’s sick, but he didn’t say anything like that.’

‘All you have to do is ask me to take a day off.’

Ejed was a very attentive but tactless man.

He forced himself to eat the food he did not like, secretly inhaled water, and hid what he disliked.

He would not rather be angry or refuse; he would continue to endure alone.

Stop.

Annie stopped her steps and clasped her hands.

‘…Stupid.’

She looked back at the Imperial Palace with her eyes filled with complex emotions.

‘If I come… will it be uncomfortable? It’s just… it’d be better to leave him alone to rest.’

The weather was too good to go without even saying goodbye.

Smiling bitterly, she got into her carriage.

*

The red eyes flashed open.

‘This is…’

The familiar place was the bedroom. Ejed tried to make a quick judgment amid a piercing headache.

How did he get here? Also, how much time has passed? No, that’s not important. He now had to go to Annie.

Ejed, who was about to get up hastily, covered his mouth with his hand.

“Ugh…”

His stomach churned as if he had to get something out right away. After vomiting nothing several times, Ejed hurriedly moved his body to the bedside.

But something strange happened.

Thud.

“Ugh…”

Ejed lifted his feet involuntarily, lost his balance, and fell to the floor.

Thud

Is it because of his poor condition? Somehow, it felt more painful than being cut by a sword.

Frowning his brow, Ejed put his hand on the floor.

“…”

Small.

His hand on the floor was too small. And the strength.

Surprised, Ejed turned his head away. Then a person was reflected in the mirror in the bedroom.

It was himself a decade ago.

Ejed muttered blankly without realizing it.

“What is this…”

Ejed barely got up and stood in front of the full-length mirror. He pointed to the mirror with his trembling hand, and the child in the mirror did the same thing.

Even his clothes were the same as those from decades ago.

Until recently, there was only one person who kept these clothes.

[ Hey. Give me some clothes from when you were young.]

At Robbie’s sudden command, Ejed stopped. No matter how small Robbie was, a child’s clothes could not fit him.

When questioned, Robbie said nothing.

[I will keep it. ]

[I’d rather donate….]

[Stop it. Who would dare to wear the clothes the emperor wore as a child? Let me use it as a charm or something.]

Ejed was a little puzzled but handed over all his clothes. It was because he believed that Robbie would not do anything to harm him.

But he can’t believe he does this.

“Robbie…”

This was obviously Robbie’s sabotage.

Tak.

“Your Majesty. Lady Dsev is very worried… Your Majesty?”

Doher’s eyes widened as he entered the bedroom. The boy in front of the full-length mirror now looked precisely like Ejed’s childhood portrait.

“Doher, is something wrong with Annie? Maybe Robbie also told Miss Annie….”

Ejed’s question brought Doher to his senses.

Combining the story, it seemed that Robbie had his hand in.

‘Did Robbie finally find out?’

He tried to cover Robbie’s eyes and ears as much as possible, but it was in vain.

After all, an ordinary person like him can’t deceive God’s messenger in the first place.

Doher was conflicted. He didn’t know when an opportunity would arise to let Annie out of the imperial palace like this.

‘What do I do? It’s a perfect situation to be misunderstood.’

In the meantime, Ejed approached his desk and took out some paper and ink.

Scribble, scribble.

Ejed, who hastily wrote the letter, handed it to Doher.

“Give this to Annie.”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

Doher bowed his head politely and hurriedly left the bedroom.

Ejed looked at the closed door and put his hand on his forehead. Now his head hurts in another sense.

‘Why would Robbie…’

He was angry, but his concern for Annie was much more significant.

‘I don’t think he did anything to Miss Annie, did he?’

Robbie was a nervous person, but he wasn’t a bad guy. But he was so selfish about the subject of marriage, Ejed didn’t know what else he would do to Annie.

Then, the only person who can stop it is him.

‘…This won’t do.’

Hesitating, Ejed picked up his cloak.