Golden blonde hair, the symbol of the Graham Imperial Family, and blue eyes that seemed to hold the clear sky.

Powerful magical power unbelievable for his age and a benevolent character to boot.

There was no doubt about Oedipus’s legitimacy, nor his qualifications as Crown Prince.

But Oedipus himself seemed somewhat anxious.

It was because the delegation from the Hunt Kingdom had not yet arrived.

Oedipus, who had been staring intently at the entrance of the banquet hall, turned to look at Miller.

Miller, who was standing by assisting the two, shook his head, indicating they hadn’t arrived.

“……”

In fact, Oedipus could have found out with his ability without even asking.

But after coming to the imperial palace, Oedipus had promised Kaisis not to use his ability.

[The holy relic imbued with the Pope’s holy power will prevent your ability from going out of control. Don’t use your ability or remove the relic from your body until you can control it perfectly.]

“Sigh……”

Just as Oedipus was pulling at his collar due to the stifling feeling of his insides twisting and his throat tightening,

“Stop fidgeting like a puppy that needs to poop.”

Kaisis, who was sitting on the imperial throne with one leg crossed and an indifferent expression, quietly scolded.

“It’s not like you’re crossing the threshold of death.”

“……”

The area under Oedipus’s eyes twitched.

Kaisis smirked provocatively in response.

“You need to manage your expressions. How can you be called the Crown Prince who will lead the empire in the future if you reveal your emotions over something this trivial?”

Miller, caught in the middle, was at a loss for what to do, fearing another argument might break out.

But contrary to Miller’s concerns, Oedipus, after glancing at Kaisis once, adjusted his posture.

“These are the people you must rule. Don’t show any weakness.”

“I haven’t shown any.”

“Fix that before you speak.”

Kaisis nodded towards Oedipus’s crooked bowtie.

“Unless you want to look like a snot-nosed kid in front of the saintess.”

“Ah…!”

Oedipus hurriedly fumbled with his collar.

“Is it fixed now?”

Oedipus asked, looking at Kaisis.

The crooked bowtie had returned to its proper position, but now his shirt collar was wrinkled.

“How troublesome.”

Tsk–

Clicking his tongue, Kaisis reached out and straightened Oedipus’s collar.

“…Thank you.”

“That’s what we pay servants for, so use them as much as we pay them. Excessive kindness makes people arrogant.”

Kaisis said in a cold tone and turned his face away from Oedipus.

“……”

Should this be considered a good relationship or a bad one?

Should they be considered very similar or different…

While Miller’s mind was in turmoil,

“Eek!”

Miller swallowed a gasp, making a ridiculous sound as he met Kaisis’s fierce gaze.

“The biggest gap is right there.”

“……”

Two gazes filled with disdain pierced down on Miller’s head.

They have a good relationship and are very similar indeed.

Having reached this conclusion, Miller hastily bowed his head and backed away from the two.

Kaisis, who had been scanning the nobles at his feet past Miller, spoke.

“It’s probably just the King of Hunt making a fuss.”

It was obvious without even looking.

“If something had happened to the saintess, the empire would be in flames by now.”

Would it just be in flames?

Hector was the type of person who would even grab a god by the collar.

However, despite Kaisis’s reassurance, Oedipus’s concern did not easily subside.

‘He’s really being troublesome.’

Finally, Kaisis closed his eyes tightly.

Soon, countless scenes flashed quickly through Kaisis’s mind.

Hundreds, thousands of faces.

And the scene of all sorts of sounds they created intertwined was eerily bizarre.

But Kaisis’s expression was indifferent.

Then, the moment he spotted a black carriage amidst the swirling scenes.

“Now……”

Kaisis opened his eyelids.

His blue eyes were now flashing with a golden hue.

“They’ve entered the capital, so they’ll arrive soon.”

His eyes, which had suddenly turned cold as if they had never emitted a brilliant light, glanced at Oedipus.

“So stay still.”

“…Yes.”

Relief spread across Oedipus’s stiff face. His fidgeting fingertips also calmed down.

Some time had passed after that.

“The delegation from the Hunt Kingdom enters!”

The hall fell silent at the servant’s resounding voice.

Then, the sound of horns echoed, and people parted to the left and right, opening a path to the imperial throne.

“There’s no other protagonist.”

Kaisis slowly rose.

* * *

“My friend.”

Unlike when he was sitting on the imperial throne receiving greetings from the nobles, Kaisis came down from the platform to greet Hector.

At the same eye level, with his right hand extended.

This was Kaisis’s intention to show both the status of the Hunt Kingdom and the solidity of their alliance.

Recognizing his intention, Hector grasped Kaisis’s hand.

At the same time, Kaisis pulled Hector closer.

“How long do you intend to keep wearing it? Your mysophobia is cured now.”

With their bodies pressed close together,

Kaisis whispered quietly, pointing to Hector’s black gloves.

Hector’s brow furrowed at the sudden warmth.

“Mind your own business.”

“How cold.”

“Let go of my hand. We’ve shown enough, haven’t we?”

“I was planning to……”

Kaisis let out a sardonic laugh.

“But I just changed my mind.”

The instant he finished speaking, Kaisis abruptly embraced Hector.

“?!”

Charlie and Oedipus who were standing nearby, as well as everyone in the hall, were shocked by Kaisis’s sudden action.

Among them, the most surprised was Hector, the person involved.

“What are you doing?”

“Your shoulders are broad, do you work out?”

Fumbling–

Kaisis’s hands caressed Hector.

“……Do you want war?”

A fierce voice leaked through clenched teeth.

But for some reason, Kaisis kept grinning.

“If you keep throwing tantrums, I might kiss you on the cheek.”

Whoo–

Kaisis’s mischievous breath tickled Hector’s earlobe.

Damn it.

Hector gritted his teeth.

But he couldn’t push away the emperor in this place where all eyes were watching.

Like any father, Hector wanted his unborn child to live in a peaceful world.

For that, an alliance between the two countries was inevitable.

“That’s enough joking around.”

“No way, I’m just trying to show the highest respect to my ally.”

As Kaisis said, kissing on the cheek was the highest form of etiquette in the Graham Imperial Family to show intimacy.

And Kaisis was more than capable of doing it.

“You must pay the price for stealing the protagonist’s spot.”

As Kaisis puckered his lips, Hector shuddered.

The hideous lips coming closer and closer.

Why does he always bother me…

At that moment, a memory flashed through Hector’s mind.

“Chess.”

“!”

Kaisis’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Quickly pulling away, Kaisis faced Hector.

“Really?!”

Unable to believe what he heard, Kaisis asked again.

Hector quickly stepped back, pretending to adjust his clothes.

“Just one game.”

Smirk–

Kaisis’s lips stretched into a long smile.

How could one not tease in this situation?

“It was a very good negotiation, my friend.”

Kaisis smiled with a face full of satisfaction.

On the other hand, Hector’s face looked as if he had bitten into a rotten carrot.

And Charlie felt the same way.

‘They should just date each other.’

There’s no closer friendship than this.

Charlie turned away in disgust.

Kaisis’s head tilted slightly as he watched Charlie.

Contrary to Oedipus’s worries, Charlie looked perfectly fine.

No, she looked the brightest since Kaisis had seen her.

Her fuller face was full of life, and the magical power of the fetus felt stable.

Then why…

“Why were you late? We even cleared all the gravel in case the precious saintess got motion sickness.”

* * *

“Hahaha–”

A hearty laugh echoed through the emperor’s private reception room.

Hector, Kaisis, Charlie, and Oedipus were seated in the reception room.

“Stop laughing.”

Hector frowned as he watched Kaisis burst into laughter.

“Oh, come on. How can I not laugh at this?”

With an expression that was neither laughing nor crying due to the tightening stomach muscles, Kaisis wiped away his tears.

“Morning sickness, to think that the great Hector Hunt has morning sickness.”

Hahahahaha–

“……”

That’s right.

The reason for Hector and Charlie’s delayed arrival was due to Hector’s sympathetic morning sickness.

Before departing, Hector, Tanner, and the Hunt Knights had made thorough preparations for Charlie, who gets motion sickness in carriages.

However, it wasn’t Charlie who felt nauseous, but Hector.

“It’s because of you.”

“Me?”

Kaisis, who had been laughing so hard his face turned red, suddenly stopped at the unexpected blame.

“What did I do?”

“What kind of flowers… Huh.”

Hector let out a heavy sigh.

“Flowers?!”

“Yes, flowers.”

Just as Kaisis was wondering what he meant,

[I hope the path the saintess takes will be beautiful.]

Remembering that day, Kaisis avoided Hector’s gaze.

“Ah, that… It was a masterpiece that required so much manpower to celebrate the saintess’s pregnancy.”

Omitting the part about it being Oedipus’s request, Kaisis defended himself.

“We spent days selecting flowers that aren’t harmful to pregnant women and don’t have strong scents. The servants of the Graham Empire stayed up for nights decorating.”

“Instead, the quantity was…”

Feeling nauseous again at the memory of the scent, Hector couldn’t finish his sentence.

Seeing this, Kaisis smiled with great satisfaction.

“What should I do, I already like this child so much.”

“The child isn’t being born to please you.”

“Anyway, shouldn’t your morning sickness period be over?”

Like Kaisis said, Charlie’s time for morning sickness had passed.

Of course, some mothers experience morning sickness until right before delivery.

But it was unusual for a symptom that didn’t exist to suddenly appear, especially in the husband.

‘But how does Kaisis know about such things?’

What’s with this unexpected sweetness?

Surprised, Charlie stared at Kaisis. Oedipus, who had taken the seat next to Charlie, had the same reaction.

“When it starts and ends is up to the baby.”

Hector answered as if it wasn’t a big deal.

But for something like that, Hector’s morning sickness was quite severe.

He had to breathe through his mouth because the scent of the crowd filling the banquet hall was so nauseating.

That was also why they moved to the reception room.

“Even a hedgehog finds its own child’s quills soft, they say.”

Where did the Hector who used to hate children go, that he’s now taking his child’s side?

“I’ve lived to see the day.”

Kaisis rested his chin on the back of his hand and smiled deeply.