Chapter 82

I let out a small laugh, gave his cheek a gentle tug, and stepped out of the sickroom.

Nothing had actually changed—except that Friedrich was alive.

And yet, somehow, that single fact made everything feel lighter.

"Your Highness."

Joachim's voice caught me from behind as he followed me out. I exhaled and turned around. He was looking at me with an expression like he was about to cry.

I told you to look after the prince.

"What about me?"

"……"

"Are you not taking me to Rosenthal?"

"If you're confident you can spend the rest of your life as a layabout in Rosenthal, I won't stop you."

I held Joachim's desperate gaze and answered without flinching.

"But I don't think the person you love is Rene the private citizen."

What I'd felt from Joachim was something closer to reverence—to worship. The kind of pure, exalted devotion a cleric might feel…