chapter 20

***

Emperor Isidore Aurum von Espedor, who was, as usual, in the arms of Empress Freya Javanna von Espedor, answered his urgent servant.

“Five more minutes…”

“Your Majesty the Emperor! His Highness the Crown Prince is- Your Highness!”

“What’s with that kid…”

“Your Highness, it would be difficult for you to be like this in the morning… Oh, uh…”

“Your Majesty, His Highness is urgently asking for an audience!”

“Tell him that we are busy making his brother. Freya, come here.”

“Pardon me?”

The face of the servant who was waiting for the two of you to come out of the door burned.

It happened every morning, but it was different today.

The Crown Prince, who came rushing to the main palace from dawn, had arrived at the front of the Emperor’s bedroom to ask for his audience.

It was kind of awkward for the servant to prevent any inappropriate sounds beyond that door from the child’s ears.

“Well, Your Highness, what he meant is umm…the thing is…”

“Uh, Your Majesty!”

“Yes Freya, my love. What is it?”

“Open the door.”

“Pardon?”

“Open the door, dad. There’s no chance of another baby being born between you two anyway, so open the door!”

Leonhardt became enraged and began to urge.

He himself had unintentionally witnessed the golden sights of his father and mother in person many times, at least his ears did not succeed in blocking out the sounds.  Therefore, he did not really feel awkward or ashamed.

No, the ten-year-old kid who heard would say ‘My father is bullying my mother!’, so it would be more appropriate for him to be a little confused as a child.

Leonhardt stamped his feet, feeling pity for the servant who turned around to explain the situation to the thought-be-clueless ten-year-old.

“Don’t you want to have a younger brother?”

The door eventually swung open and the emperor, barely dressed in a silk robe, appeared.

His father looked just like him as an adult, he was like a copied version of the grown-up him… No, was it supposed to be the other way around? Anyway, his handsome face was full of irritation.

“Please make him tomorrow, not today. Thank you for allowing me to enter, father.”

“I haven’t given you permission yet. In the name of the Emperor, I command the Crown Prince to go away immediately and do what he has to do.”

“I oppose that order, in the name of the Empress. Leonhardt! Come here.”

“Mommy!”

“Freya!”

Leonhardt slipped through his father’s legs and rushed into the empress’s arms.

In the arms of his mother, who had a shawl over her silk robe, there was a sweet and warm scent that he wanted to bury deep in his heart for the rest of his life.

“What business does our beloved Crown Prince have with us at this early in the morning? Did you have a nightmare?”

Leonhardt shook his head and smiled broadly.

Seeing the Crown Prince acting all cute and lovable, she bursted into laughter when she recalled having received a report that her son had recently become more mature.

The emperor, who had become helpless completely, scratched his head and approached the empress and their only son in her embrace with a desire to hear the story.

“It’s my seat, so get out of there.”

“But I don’t want to, father.”

“Why you…?”

Leonhardt stuck his tongue out and buried his face a little more in his mother’s arms.

He felt a warm hand stroking his back and his hair, it was such a nostalgic feeling, which he thought that he had almost forgotten completely.

“So, why did his High Highness ask His Majesty for an audience today?”

Oh right.

Leonhardt, who nearly dozed off in his mother’s arms, got up and knelt in front of the emperor and the empress as he proposed.

“Please save my wife!”

The Emperor and Empress turned to look at each other and only blinked.

Did their son, who was usually not cute at all, eat something wrong the day before?

However, after hearing the explanation of the Crown Prince with his clumsy hand gestures, the two rulers jumped out of bed right the way and ordered the servants to get them ready for an outing.

“No, where are you going this early in the morning? Your Majesty?”

“I’m going to the Elysium Dukedom. Get a carriage ready now!”

“Oh dear! Your Majesty the Empress, please stop His Majesty.”

“Bring me the most gorgeous dress and jewels right now! To my daughter-in-laws…so that is how they have been educating her, how dare they?!”

Leonhardt, with a satisfied expression on his face, walked out of the bedroom while the two of them were busy getting ready. As expected, his mother was the best.

***

“So what brought the two of you to this humble mansion so early this morning?”

The Duke and Duchess were having a serious conversation with the Imperial couple.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth began to regain her consciousness. When Elizabeth woke up, she was surprised to find out that the person next to her was Leonhardt. But the weirder thing was that this time she was lying on the pillow and was dressed in a light night gown, not her tight corsets, and stuffy, heavy dress, her high-heeled shoes were nowhere to be found either.

However, Leonhardt was still worried, so he held Elizabeth’s hand tightly to reassure her.

“Did the Duchess beat you again?”

“Well, umm…”

Elizabeth’s blue eyes could not look straight into Leonhardt’s violet ones.

Leonhardt sighed and pulled his chair a little closer to Elizabeth.

Elisabeth was startled by Leonhardt’s characteristic refreshing mint scent, which struck at her as he suddenly got closer, and pulled her blanket up to the tip of her nose out of bashfulness.

Leonhardt reached for her silver hair and held it in his hand as if he were playing with it. After a moment of hesitance, he managed to utter the words he wanted to say, trying his best to appear casual.

“We need to get married.”

“Pardon me?”

“Let’s go to the palace. Let’s have an engagement today, and officially be my fiance then live with me. Don’t you like it?”

“Uh…”

“My love, I am nothing but a sinner who does not deserve your love, but would you please show mercy and allow me to love you…”

“Your Highness, Crown Prince. I’m sorry, but…It’s too hard to say.”

Haizz. Leonhardt sighed again. Till when would she be able to grow up peacefully and happily?

“Can you give me a chance to love and cherish you?”

The duke’s maid, who was bringing light refreshments, thought that it was not the right thing for children at the age of ten and eight to say or understand, let alone feeling love.