Chapter 66

Cecil was taking Rowena to the Imperial Palace. He deliberately didn’t tell Rowena when they were to visit the emperor.

He did it even though they had already signed the marriage vows.

He was afraid that it would be too much for Rowena. He didn’t know when the emperor would wake up, but he also desired to introduce her to him when he came to his senses.

However, the emperor could not open his eyes until the date of the engagement was close.

It was a pity for Cecil.

“This is…”

“His Majesty’s palace. Now we are going to meet His Majesty and say hello. As you may have known, His Majesty has yet to open his eyes.”

Most people already knew that the emperor was bedridden. It would have been alright if that was all, but there were rumors that he couldn’t even come back to his senses.

The royal family did not necessarily deny it. The emperor was old, and since the crown prince had already been replacing much of the emperor’s work, administrative work went smoothly.

The crown prince dispelled the anxiety among the capital nobles and the people by holding several events.

It was a message that the emperor had fallen, but there was no problem with the royal family’s successor. Most people were relieved by the usual flow of the imperial family. The nobles were also just bowing to the prince’s generous display of power.

The crown prince, who was born late and loved by the emperor, was not a plant in a greenhouse that was unknown to the world but was like an evil serpent lurking in a tiger’s den.

Soon, the serpent, which showed its ability to swallow the tiger, revealed that it was a suitable dragon to dominate the aristocrats.

The high-ranking nobles were willing to lie down at the crown prince’s feet. It was true that his mother was a humble lady, but no one had a more legitimate lineage.

“Your Highness, My Lady.”

The knights and servants guarding the emperor’s place greeted him. His voice naturally lowered in front of the emperor’s room.

“How is he today?”

“He’s not that different.”

It could be said that he did his best just by not getting worse. Cecil opened the door and went inside with Rowena.

In the middle of the emperor’s large bedroom, was a large heavy bed to match its size. An old man lay in the middle of the bed with long curtains.

Since he was an emperor who had been ill for a long time, he was expected to be old and shrunken, but he still looked young and fresh. However, the shape of his bones could be seen, as he had lost a lot of weight because he could not use his body for a long time.

Will Cecil become like this when he gets older?

Although he was asleep, he was an old man with a sharp appearance. His pale skin was deeply wrinkled as if to indicate the futility of time.

He was a handsome man when he was young.

Cecil approached the bed and knelt beside it.

“Father, I’m here. Can you hear me?”

He was the one who killed his mother who he could not remember, but he was a father who spared no support and protection for Cecil. Cecil always remembered that the emperor tried to protect him, although he was not fully affectionate.

“Rowena, the lady of Count Adeliad, has become a part of us.”

Cecil was now the sole power of the empire in name and reality.

“I’m not alone anymore. You don’t have to worry.”

It was not until he met Rowena, and had her in mind that Cecil knew why the emperor urged him to marry.

It was more of a miracle that such an urgent marriage produced such an outcome.

The emperor feared that his son would be left alone after he died. He hoped that the crown prince, who was considered cruel and cold like him, had a place to put his mind.

Incredibly, his son had truly created a place for his heart. It was not known whether the emperor thought this much and urged him to marry, but the result was so.

“I will live well with Rowena.”

Cecil whispered to the emperor in a calm voice. He wasn’t sure if the emperor was listening to him. He just wanted him to hear it, and he just wanted to say it.

As usual, he carefully held the emperor’s hand hidden under the covers and kissed it on the back. When he beckoned Rowena, Rowena approached.

Rowena knelt beside Cecil and looked at the bedridden emperor.

“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. Rowena Adelia… No…”

Rowena paused to look at Cecil. It was a secret, but because the two were married. Cecil showed a gentle smile. Rowena blushed and said,

“It’s Rowena Isfacia, F-Father.”