Side Story 5 – The One and Only Person I Could Never Win Against (Part 2)

“These are the relief items and budget proposals for distribution to the lower classes before winter, as well as the detailed budget report and plans for the year-end banquet. And this is the budget proposal for next year’s New Year’s Festival.”

“So, you’ve finally pushed next year’s work onto me too.”

His neatly arranged eyebrows furrowed deeply. Cherta opened his mouth to say something, but all that escaped was a sigh of exasperation. Tossing his quill onto the documents, he leaned back into his chair.

He was still holding the position of Crown Prince, entirely by his own choice.

With the birth of their two children and their wedding, he hadn’t even had the chance to properly enjoy their newlywed life. If he were to take on the title of Emperor, he knew he’d have even less time. Spending time with Ria remained more important to him than occupying the most exalted position.

However, Emperor Ritan Den Liberté, eager to pass on the throne and enjoy a leisurely retirement with the Empress, hadn’t been idle. Recently, the Emperor had started delegating his responsibilities to Cherta one by one.

Cherta should have realized this when the Emperor had readily nodded in agreement to his statement about taking the throne gradually.

As a result, Cherta had become busier and had less time to spend with Ria and the children. Just last week, the children, who usually greeted him with bright, cheerful smiles, had merely stared at him blankly. The shock of that moment had been profound. He had finally understood the saying that young children could forget someone if they didn’t see them for a while.

Feeling a sense of crisis, he had spent the following days in a frantic state, shuttling between the Astina Estate and the palace. The thought of his children forgetting him had filled him with such anxiety that he had even dashed out of council meetings during their mealtimes, saying, 

‘Let’s eat and continue afterward.’

The shocked faces of the nobles, frozen in disbelief as he left without explanation, had been almost comical.

Though Ria had eventually calmed him down and helped him recover from the shock, the sense of crisis lingered. Even now, he felt uneasy about not having visited the estate for several days.

And, truthfully, more than anything, he missed Ria. It had only been three days since he last saw her, but to him, it felt like three months. No, three years!

Closing his dry eyes, Cherta covered them with his hand. His aide, hesitating as he observed Cherta’s mood, cautiously added one more thing.

“There’s also a report from the delegation that visited a foreign country. His Majesty has instructed that Your Highness review it…”

“Leave.”

“Yes, Sir.”

At the chillingly low tone, the aide immediately retreated, leaving the office in haste. With the aide gone, silence settled over the office.

Cherta let out a long sigh in the now-quiet space, intending to take a moment to rest. However, the respite was short-lived, as a knock on the door interrupted him.

His nerves, already frayed over the past few days, tightened again. It was undoubtedly more work sent by his father or additional documents from the aide.

Not even a moment of rest, he thought, gritting his teeth as he glared at the door.

“I said—”

“Cherta, are you busy?”

But his words trailed off before he could finish. The person peeking through the slightly opened door was none other than the one he had been longing to see. Her warm, soft brown eyes sparkled as they met his.

With a loud clatter, Cherta shot to his feet and rushed toward Ria. Though the office wasn’t particularly large, the distance to the door felt unbearably far to him, and he moved as if he were running.

Throwing the door wide open, he spoke her name, his voice filled with overwhelming emotion.

“Ria, did you come to see me? Here?”

“Yes. You’ve been so busy these past few days that I thought if I came, you might be able to take a little break.”

“I can take a long break. It’s fine.”

“That’s good. I brought coffee too.”

His golden eyes, which had been focused solely on her face, finally shifted. He noticed the small tray she had brought, holding simple desserts, teacups, and a teapot. A fragrant but unfamiliar aroma wafted from it. His golden eyes returned to her.

“Coffee?”

“Yes. I told you about it before, didn’t I? The country Eden visited has a well-established coffee culture. Actually, Eden came by yesterday and brought some with him.”

As Ria wheeled the tray inside, Cherta, quietly closing the door, raised an eyebrow at the mention of Eden’s visit. Oblivious, Ria continued chatting.

“I sent Eden off again earlier today, and I even had coffee during tea time with Father and Mother. I wanted you to try it too, so I made some—ah!”

Suddenly, she was lifted off her feet. Her view shifted upward as strong arms supported her. Clinging to his shoulders like a lifeline, Ria widened her eyes.

“Eden came by? Tell me everything.”

His expression had grown sharp, his gaze piercing. Startled, Ria’s fingers trembled slightly as they brushed against his shoulder.

Ignoring the tray, Cherta carried her to the chair he had been sitting in. Sitting down, he placed her on his lap.

“Ria.”

He called her name, urging her to answer. Ria, her wide eyes darting about, finally spoke.

“I was in the greenhouse at the Carlisle Estate, and, well, things just sort of happened…”

But she didn’t go into detail. Partly because it was embarrassing to recount what had happened in the greenhouse, and partly because…

“Sort of happened?”

“Uh-huh. By the way, you have so many documents. Father said he wants to have dinner with you, and Lionel and Rizer are being brought by Rune and Kahin. At this rate, you won’t finish before then.”

“….”

Her obvious attempt to change the subject made Cherta frown briefly before relaxing his expression. He opened his mouth to say more but closed it again when he noticed the faint red marks on her pale, slender neck, partially hidden by her hair. Clicking his tongue softly, he pieced together the situation involving Eden.

Feeling his irritation rise again, Cherta turned his gaze away, only to notice dirt on the hem of her dress.

“Ria, did you fall?”

“Huh?”

At his sudden question, Ria looked at him in confusion. Cherta gestured to the dirt-stained part of her dress.

“Oh. On my way here, I bumped into the second son of the Marquisate of Edinvel. I must’ve gotten it on my dress while crouching to check if he was hurt.”

“Edinvel?”

“Yes. Just in case, I sent him to the palace physician. Oh, and the eldest son of the Marquisate is as brilliant as they say. He spoke so maturely and seemed incredibly sharp.”

Ria, with a small smile, recounted to him the events with the two brothers. She mentioned how the younger brother had proudly boasted about his older brother and how the elder, despite his mature demeanor, had blushed like a boy his age in response to the praise. She found it endearing.

Then, after glancing at him cautiously, she asked, somewhat directly but with a hint of probing:

“Don’t you think Lionel and Rizer would like to have a younger sibling?”

Cherta blinked as he quietly listened to her words. Just as he intertwined his fingers with hers and opened his mouth to respond, Ria quickly continued speaking.

“I even asked Elpis. Since I took the medicine the gods gave me back then, I won’t become weaker from pregnancy or childbirth anymore. Look at me now—after giving birth to Lionel and Rizer, I’m not seriously ill, am I?”

“…”

“If I conceive now, the children will be three years old by the time the baby is born, so the age gap will be perfect. Don’t you think so?”

Her words carried a clear intent to persuade. Cherta, gazing at her intently, slowly gave his response.

“Ria, while your body may not weaken, you suffered terribly from morning sickness early on when carrying both children, and it was difficult for you all the way to childbirth.”

His gentle voice, laced with concern, seemed to mirror her tone. He lifted their clasped hands and pressed his lips to the back of hers.

“I don’t want to see you in pain or struggling. Two children are already more than enough.”

“But that was just part of the process to meet our child. Even if my body hurt, my heart was happy. It was pain I willingly endured.”

“Enough. I can’t yield on this. Even if you endured it willingly, it was still pain. The fact that it hurt you and made you struggle doesn’t change.”

“But! If we’re going to continue the imperial line, we’ll need a successor who inherits the imperial traits like you—ah.”

Ria’s voice, which had risen slightly in response to his firm reaction, suddenly stopped. Realizing her slip, she immediately covered her mouth with her hand, but it was too late.