Chapter 24.
“…Your Highness.”
His eyes still half-closed as he quietly called to me, the sight was as captivating as a scene from a bedroom photoshoot.
For a moment, my heart almost fluttered.
But that feeling quickly vanished once I took in his current state.
“You two must have gotten quite close last night.”
I tossed the remark playfully, and Friedrich looked at me with a puzzled expression.
But soon, realizing the situation, his eyes widened like golf balls.
“Urk!”
Friedrich shoved Joachim right off the bed.
Joachim tumbled straight to the floor, and I stared back and forth between them in stunned silence.
“Your Highness, Duke Rommel… he…”
Friedrich trembled with a humiliated expression, then bit his lip so hard it turned white.
“How could he toy with me like this…”
“Ah… But does that mean you can just throw someone like that?”
From under the bed, Joachim finally emerged with a groan. Friedrich glared at him with an icy face.
“That’s despicable. Don’t you even think about the wrong of embracing someone’s body without permission?”
“Well, that was…”
“Um, Duke Rommel.”
I was just as shocked, so I quietly beckoned to Joachim. This needed to be clarified.
“Come here for a second.”
At that, Friedrich looked even more bewildered. In contrast, Joachim pushed past Friedrich’s body with gleeful eyes and approached me.
“A bit closer.”
Friedrich’s expression grew more dazed, while Joachim became even more triumphant. What are they both thinking?
“I’d like you to be honest with me.”
“Ask anything, Your Highness.”
“The reason you wanted to become my lover… Could it be Friedrich?”
Joachim’s face went blank for a moment. Did he think he’d been caught?
“When I woke up, you were holding Friedrich’s waist in a way that was far from ordinary affection…”
“N-no, Your Highness!”
Joachim hurriedly waved his hands.
“It’s a misunderstanding. I absolutely… don’t have those inclinations. My heart and eyes are loyal only to Your Royal Highness.”
“But your hands seemed to have loyalty elsewhere?”
“That was…!”
Joachim looked flustered for a second, then calmly explained.
“That was… I was just holding him because I was worried the prince’s child form might fall off the bed last night.”
“Isn’t that why we had Friedrich sleep in the middle—to prevent that?”
“…We.”
He suddenly wore a touched expression at the unexpected word, then returned to the topic.
“But the prince is so small, Your Highness. I couldn’t relax.”
At the words Joachim said loud enough for him to hear, Friedrich glared at him with an incredulous expression.
What? So it wasn’t that?
‘I was totally caught off guard.’
I sighed and said.
“Anyway, it’s problematic to do that without the person’s consent, Duke. Be careful next time.”
“I’ll keep it in mind, Your Highness.”
“Friedrich, are you okay now?”
I turned my gaze to Friedrich, who was still sitting there with a dazed look.
“You seemed really shocked.”
“…Yes.”
Friedrich let out a faint sigh and murmured.
“Who would have dreamed that the great and only duke of Stade could be so shameless?”
“Ha, who’s the real shameless one here? Your Highness, this guy…!”
Joachim raised his voice, seeming aggrieved. But in the end, he shook his head without saying more.
“No, it’s unbecoming to stoop to a child’s level.”
“Your eyes must be failing you already. I’m not a child anymore, Duke.”
“I’ll hear that again at midnight, Prince.”
“All right, stop fighting.”
Indeed, being around these two together drained my energy—it wasn’t just my imagination yesterday.
I’d just woken up, yet I already felt tired, so I quickly got out of bed.
“I’m heading back to Rene Palace now. Friedrich, come with me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Friedrich immediately stood up. Joachim hurriedly followed suit.
“Your Highness, I too…!”
“You should return to the duke’s residence for now.”
Before Joachim could reply, I continued.
“I remember last night’s promise. But you can’t just come straight to Rene Palace without any procedure, right? You have matters to handle and things to pack.”
“Of course, but I have time to escort Your Highness to Rene Palace.”
“Well, I won’t stop you.”
I replied indifferently and left the room. Soon, I encountered servants cleaning up around the palace.
“G-greetings, Your Highness!”
“Glory to the morning star of Stade!”
The servants, seeing Friedrich and Joachim emerge behind me, were startled and hastily bowed.
I was about to pass by nonchalantly when a sudden foreboding thought made me pause.
…Ah, I have a feeling this will spark weird rumors again.
***
Why is it that sad premonitions are never wrong?
“So that’s why you didn’t return to Rene Palace that night.”
Elsa casually remarked while brushing my hair. I looked at her with a baffled expression.
“I forgot again after what happened last time. The fact that Your Highness can be surprisingly shy at times.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Coming back to Rene Palace holding hands with both the man whose lover proposal you rejected and your fiancé—it’s quite groundbreaking.”
“…Ah, damn.”
So the rumors had spread like that. I shook my head as if nothing surprised me anymore.
“Are you admitting it?”
“There’s nothing to admit or deny. Everyone’s going to think that anyway. You too, right?”
“Well, yes.”
“…Could you not agree so quickly?”
“I’m curious why you suddenly changed your mind.”
Elsa nonchalantly shifted the topic.
“Though you are known for being quite fickle.”
Yes, it’s a relief that I’m known for that personality.
Otherwise, rejecting Joachim’s lover proposal so firmly and then accepting it would look too strange.
Of course, regardless of my personality, the current situation is strange.
“The duke was right. The more treasures, the better. No reason to refuse.”
At that, Elsa let out a faint sigh, and I furrowed my brow.
“Is that a sigh of relief?”
“It’s just that this feels more like the Your Highness I know. You’ve been a bit off lately.”
At Elsa’s quiet addition, I tried not to show how it stung.
“And your words about losing interest in the throne…”
“No, that’s still true.”
Though the problem is that people probably won’t believe it.
Well, I can show them gradually. More importantly…
“I’m worried about Friedrich.”
“Suddenly?”
“I heard the Kill Kingdom is strict about monogamy. What if he’s shocked that I took Joachim as a lover?”
Of course, it was purely to hide Friedrich’s secret…
But he’s the type who’s always worried I might not be satisfied with this marriage, so it bothers me.
“If it concerns you that much, why not go see him?”
Elsa asked quietly.
“His room light has been on late into the night lately. He seems to be having trouble sleeping.”
“…Really?”
Is he really that shocked? To the point he can’t sleep when he should as a child?
The thought made me stand up abruptly without realizing.
Elsa, unfazed, draped a thin silk shawl over my shoulders.
I went straight to Friedrich’s room and turned the knob without knocking; again, the door opened easily.
I saw Friedrich at his desk, hastily hiding something.
“What were you doing?”
“Ah, just…”
Friedrich stammered, seeming a bit flustered.
“Just… sewing.”
“Sewing? You suddenly picked up that hobby?”
“When it’s finished… I’ll show you.”
“Sure.”
I smiled lightly without much thought. At that point, I had no idea what he was making.
