Chapter 68

On the way back in the carriage, they had left a bit late due to tidying up, and the sky was already tinged with the colors of sunset.

“Hmm hmm hmm.”

Rosie, seemingly in high spirits, sat next to Vivian, humming continuously.

“Vivi, do you know when Aitor’s birthday is?”

“Huh? Umm…”

“Vivi?”

Rosie noticed her friend was somewhat absent-minded.

“Vivi, did something happen?”

“Huh? No? Hmm. Did something happen? No. Nothing.”

Regardless of Vivian’s state, the carriage continued diligently, and by the time the sunset painted the sky beautifully, they arrived at the Dinever estate.

“We should have gone to the Langdne estate first, but sorry because of Ian.”

“It’s fine. Of course, we should lay Ian down somewhere comfortable first.”

Rosie watched Ian being carried inside by the butler as she got off the carriage.

“Huh? Rosie, why are you getting off? I told the coachman to take you home.”

“I have something more important than going home.”

“Something important?”

Rosie grabbed Vivian’s arm and briskly walked into the Dinever mansion. She went straight to Vivian’s room on the second floor, asked Tia for a cup of warm tea, and closed the door.

“Now, tell me.”

Rosie sat comfortably in a chair, ready to listen to Vivian’s story. Vivian gazed at Rosie for a moment before sitting weakly next to her.

“What! He said that? Ha!”

After Vivian recounted what happened with Louis, Rosie, bristling with anger, let out a sigh.

“Call off this marriage right now! How could he say such things? Does being royalty make everything okay? Huh? Does being the Crown Prince make everything okay?”

Rosie was loudly criticizing Louis. Startled, Vivian jumped up and looked around, trying to cover Rosie’s mouth by standing on tiptoe.

“Insulting royalty can lead to the death penalty, Rosie.”

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

Though Rosie’s mouth was covered, it was clear that whatever she was trying to say wasn’t pleasant.

After a while, Rosie calmed down, and Vivian cautiously removed her hand.

“Be careful with your words, even in the Dinever estate.”

“Once words escape your mouth, you can’t take them back. That’s why you need to be careful.”

At Vivian’s words, Rosie folded her arms and snorted.

“Right. Just like you said, once words escape, you can’t take them back, so you should always be careful. But why doesn’t His Highness the Crown Prince watch his words?”

Vivian was also upset, but seeing Rosie more upset than herself was strangely comforting. Watching her straightforward yet kind and deep friend, Vivian smiled, causing Rosie to be taken aback.

“Are you smiling right now?”

“No?”

“Then why are you smiling!”

“Because I like you, Rosie.”

Seeing Vivian smiling, Rosie burst into tears and hugged her.

“Why does he hurt such a lovely girl! That bad Crown Prince!”

Vivian patted Rosie’s back, waiting for her tears to subside. Rosie, who didn’t cry for long, soon stopped and released herself from Vivian’s embrace, holding Vivian’s face with both hands.

“Rosie?”

Vivian, her lips resembling a fish’s, called out to Rosie.

“Vivi, do you remember what I said earlier?”

Vivian, trapped in Rosie’s hands, shook her head.

“I said let’s break the ice and bloom flowers. There’s still time until spring, so we need to quickly come up with a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Yes! A plan!”

Rosie’s eyes were filled with a determination akin to a general preparing for war.

That night, Rosie stayed at Vivian’s estate, encouraging the hesitant Vivian and rallying against the ‘Ice Crown Prince.’

* * *

After returning from the hot spring, Louis sat in his study with a list of the villages in the area, the managers, and the nobles trying to play tricks with the land.

Having taken a rare day off, Allen would report to work tomorrow, so Louis quickly sorted out what Allen needed to do and what he could do now.

Finishing his work faster than expected, Louis began sifting through the pile of documents on Allen’s desk to tackle another task.

“Where did I put it?”

Unable to find the document he was searching for, Louis wondered if he should call it a day. However, the thought of Vivian briefly crossed his mind, prompting him to resume his search.

He found the document he was looking for in a desk drawer. It was information regarding public healthcare, a project Emperor Henry was currently focused on.

Lifting the thick stack of papers, Louis discovered an envelope underneath it. It seemed to be a letter from the temple.

Taking the envelope, Louis returned to his desk and opened it with a knife.

Inside were two sheets of paper. As Louis read through them slowly, he began tapping his finger on the desk.

“April, huh…”

The letter contained the dates for Louis and Vivian’s wedding. Among the five auspicious dates listed, the earliest was in April.

The year had just turned, making April a very tight timeline.

It was a royal wedding. Preparations could take up to a year, so three months was an absurdly short time.

Louis picked up a pen and circled the date in April listed at the top of the temple’s letter.

Then he neatly folded the letter and placed it in the drawer, turning his attention to the public healthcare documents.

Before he could turn the fifth page, Louis sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“She must be hurt.”

Louis chuckled bitterly at his own muttering. Having spoken harshly, he found it laughable and pathetic to be worried now.

When Louis was seven, the only woman the Emperor loved died.

She was the second daughter of a not-so-prominent baron and a physician. Her primary patients were not nobles.

Commoners, especially orphans and those who struggled to make a living and couldn’t dream of medical benefits, were her patients.

When Emperor Henry was the Crown Prince, the Tapeullon Empire suffered a great plague, and thanks to her ingenuity, the small baronial territory recovered quickly from the plague’s shadow.

Hearing the rumors, Crown Prince Henry went there, and the two quickly fell in love, but the Crown Prince already had a fiancée.

A baron’s second daughter couldn’t become the Crown Princess. Their love left scars on Crown Prince Henry, his fiancée, and the righteous young lady.

Emperor Henry’s push for public healthcare was largely influenced by her.

Implementing public healthcare in the vast Tapeullon Empire posed many challenges, but at this point, with Emperor Henry’s power at its peak, he was pushing it forcefully.

Louis supported the public healthcare policy, but he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of bitterness in his heart as he pursued the matter.

Despite trying to focus on the documents again, Louis’s concentration kept scattering, leading him to eventually set the papers down and get up.

As night fell and darkness enveloped the surroundings, the Crown Prince’s palace was brightly lit, and Louis walked through the corridors heading somewhere.

“Where shall I take you?”

“To the Empress’s palace.”

As Louis climbed into the carriage, it smoothly set off. Soon, they arrived at the Empress’s palace, and Louis began walking confidently.

Reaching a small room at the end of the first-floor corridor of the Empress’s palace, Louis knocked without hesitation.

“Your Majesty the Empress, it’s me.”

A moment later, the door opened slightly, and Empress Annette, dressed comfortably, greeted Louis with a surprised expression.

“Sorry for coming without notice.”

“It’s alright, Crown Prince. Come in.”

When the Empress asked Alina, who was with her, for some light tea, Alina nodded and quickly left the room.

“Have a seat.”

Empress Annette offered a worn-out cloth sofa that didn’t match the opulent palace. As Louis sat, the springs failed to support him properly, poking uncomfortably at his seat.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

Empress Annette watched her son squirm uncomfortably and tried to suppress a smile.

“It’s fine.”

The small room at the end of the first-floor corridor was where Empress Annette stayed after finishing her duties as Empress.

It resembled a room in a small, old country house rather than a palace. The worn furniture, simple curtains, and old wallpaper were unchanged since Louis’s last visit.

“This place is the same. You said it was where you stayed as a child, Your Majesty?”

Louis looked around the small room, speaking as he did.

“When I’m here, I’m not the Empress, just Annette.”

“In that case, I should call you Mother now.”

The Empress, wearing a warm smile, took a sip of tea. Watching her, the Crown Prince clasped his hands together and spoke.

The Empress set down her tea, which she hadn’t fully savored, and looked at her son.

“You’re worried about something.”

“Worried… Rather than a worry, I just felt like seeing you today, Mother.”

Pleased by her son’s words, Empress Annette let out a small chuckle, her eyes filled with concern for Louis.

“Life brings such days.”

As Empress Annette spoke, Louis slowly lifted his teacup. It was a tea the Empress had enjoyed for a long time. The floral scent, neither too strong nor too weak, passed from Louis’s mouth to his throat.

“Mother, this might be a painful memory for you, but may I ask you something?”

Empress Annette quietly observed her son and nodded slightly.

“Have you ever regretted marrying His Majesty the Emperor?”

Empress Annette was surprised by her son’s question. No one had ever asked her that before.

Even if someone wanted to ask, they couldn’t.

Even if someone had asked her, she wouldn’t have been able to answer honestly. But now, Empress Annette wanted to answer her son truthfully.

“It would be a lie to say I never regretted it. I regretted it over and over. But what can I do? It was my choice, and I had to bear it.”

“Why did you love His Majesty the Emperor?”

Contemplating her son’s question in silence, the Empress slowly began to speak.

“Come to think of it, I still don’t know why I fell in love with Henry. I met him by chance, kept looking at him for no reason, and when I learned he was engaged, I thought it was fate.”

The Empress smiled shyly, finding it subtly embarrassing.

“Of course, only I felt that way.”

Empress Annette’s response caused Louis’s expression to harden slightly. Reading her son’s expression, Empress Annette lowered her eyes and gazed at the small teacup.

“Louis, do you still regret that day?”

Louis quickly lifted his head at the Empress’s words. He opened his mouth to answer, but for some reason, his voice wouldn’t come out easily.

“Violet never blamed you, Louis.”

“…I know.”

“I hope that incident doesn’t make you suppress and restrain your emotions, Louis…”

Before Empress Annette could finish, Louis stood up abruptly.

“I’ll take my leave now. Sorry for disturbing your rest, Your Majesty.”

Bowing his head, Louis quickly left the room. Silence descended, and the tea poured for Louis remained more than half untouched.

Watching the tea grow cold, the Empress, though no one was listening, whispered an apology and gently closed her eyes.