Episode 98 Between sincerity and trust (3)
…is it finally today?
Emperor Asterion opened his eyes. I have been lying down for a month and looking up at the ceiling of the VVIP hospital room. Today will be the last day for this ceiling too. I will never have to lie down here again.
It must be like that.
“If you do so, Your Majesty, we will begin now.”
“….”
An old, grayish voice was heard. The emperor turned his head, which was not moving well, with difficulty. Half-open eyelids. Between them, I saw an old man wearing a pure white robes.
It was the archbishop.
There were three or four more people next to him. Chamberlain. Guard captain. Even the eldest son, Rakiel.
“….”
As I was looking at Rachiel, a rumor I had recently heard suddenly came to mind. Is that really true? If it is true, how should Jim react? The emperor thought for a moment. But the worries did not last long. Because there are more important things to do now.
‘Yes, please.’
The emperor nodded faintly towards the archbishop. It’s today. The day when the Archbishop’s divine blessing, which has been awaited for a month, becomes possible. Now the boring life in a hospital bed is over. It’s also goodbye to the rehabilitation treatment I worked hard on for a whole month.
My heart was pounding.
I also felt worried.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop came to the side of the hospital bed. I reached out my hand.
I closed my eyes.
Paaaa…!
A subtle radiance shimmers over the archbishop’s entire body. A warm feeling was conveyed through that touch. Tickling the shoulders, passing through the chest, all over the body, all the way to the toes, along the spine, to the nape of the neck, through the face, and all the way to the head.
It became clear.
The remnants of all diseases. To the last dust of agony. Washed thoroughly. Cerebellar tissue damaged during a stroke was restored. The distorted nervous system was reorganized. The muscles returned to their original positions. The joints were aligned again.
The emperor suddenly raised his upper body without realizing it.
“your majesty!”
A cry filled with emotion from the Chamberlain and the Captain of the Guard. The archbishop resigns from exhaustion. The emperor looked down at his hands as they looked into their eyes.
“….”
The twisted wrist had returned to normal. I felt like all my senses had returned to their proper places. My heart was pounding.
The emperor raised his head.
“Prince.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“When were you planning on setting a date?”
“…yes?”
“I mean the date.”
“I’m sorry, but what do you mean?”
Rachiel wrinkled the bridge of her nose slightly. What a date. What kind of stupid thing is that? Suddenly, a feeling of worry and ominousness rose up that made my spine tremble.
‘What does that mean, date? Why is the emperor suddenly talking nonsense? Has your stroke not completely healed? Or are there any aftereffects?’
But that can’t be true.
They had been observing the emperor’s condition through acupuncture point scanning earlier. Thanks to this, the archbishop’s divine blessing confirmed the complete restoration of the emperor’s cerebellum and nervous tissue.
‘So there’s no way there will be any aftereffects? ‘You’ve been through intense rehabilitation for a whole month?’
Then what is it?
At a time when a mysterious ominous feeling was about to bloom. The emperor’s gaze was pointed straight in this direction.
“It refers to the princess of Amboise.”
“Yes?”
“Yes what. “From what I heard, you did something quite scandalous while Jim was in the hospital.”
“Are you saying it’s a shameful thing…?”
“I will not ask you how you bewitched the Ambassador of Amboise. I will not even bother to ask how the King of Amboise roasted and boiled an old man as cunning as the fox. No matter what means you use, it will ultimately be a result of your skills. But-”
The emperor’s gaze turned solemn as he looked at us.
“Was it really nothing more than flirting with a woman, using tricks and tactics like that?”
“….”
“Of course, that’s not bad either. However, you are the one who will carry the imperial family on your shoulders in the future. He is a person who must take responsibility for the hundreds of millions of people of the empire. But are you saying that you can arbitrarily proceed with your marriage without any consultation or consultation with those around you?”
“….”
“Why is there no answer from the crown prince?”
“Uhm, that is.”
Rachiel smiled awkwardly. As I listened to the emperor’s criticism, I realized that I had been truly misunderstood.
‘what. ‘Do you think I’m having an affair with the princess?’
When I thought about it, it seemed like that might be the case. At first, I had a similar misunderstanding about Amboise’s line. Moreover, the princess is actually going to the clinic without missing a day these days for treatment of gallstones. It is not unreasonable for people around you to give you misunderstandings.
But I didn’t think about correcting the misunderstanding. It was because I didn’t feel like making flimsy excuses.
‘I wonder if the emperor would believe me if I told him that if I leave the princess alone, she will die of gallstones and that her death will become a political domino and cause a great war.’
That is a history that only you who have read the novel Demon Sword Emperor know. It is abnormal for people to believe you just because you say something. So it was. He chose a sly response instead of a flimsy excuse.
“Actually, I was the one who got dumped.”
“…what?”
I lied out loud.
The emperor paused.
good. It works.
Gaining courage(?), Rakiel stepped on the full accelerator.
“Your Majesty is right. I thought wrong. I took advantage of the opportunity while His Majesty was lying in sick bed to try a trick with misguided thoughts. At first, the attempt seemed to work well. As you have heard, we succeeded in bringing the princess to the ecliptic capital. But-”
“But?”
“After that, things didn’t go as planned. “It was a car.”
“no way.”
“The theory you came up with is probably correct.”
“Is this what you attacked?”
“yes.”
“So in the end?”
“yes.”
“Tsk tsk you ugly bastard!”
“….”
“If you have already done something, you should have achieved meaningful results. “How could you have done something so ugly?”
“….”
“Even if it only looked half as good as Jim, it wouldn’t have ended up in such an unsightly state. Tsk!”
“….”
It is unfair.
Actually, I’ve never been attacked.
Rakiel bitterly held onto the mentality of being reduced to a worthless piece of insignificant matter in this vast universe. On the other hand, I felt relieved. This was because the incident of calling the princess by arbitrarily moving Amboise’s ambassador was able to be covered up with this level of abuse.
‘I benefit from hearing a few harsh words like this.’
Practically everything there was to be gained was gained. These days, the princess’s gallstones are being successfully removed. If we continue like this, we will be able to prevent a great war. Moreover, the emperor’s stroke was completely cured.
That’s enough.
‘Unfortunately… we were unable to find the culprit who attempted to assassinate the emperor.’
There must have been a pleural effusion that created abnormal blood clots in the emperor’s body. I’ve been trying hard to find it so far. He also had Damian and others conduct a background investigation. But in the end, no evidence was found. It felt so comforting.
‘For the time being, we have no choice but to be cautious.’
The existence of the unknown beast had been reported to the emperor long ago. So the emperor will take care of that and be more careful.
So what about this way now?
All you have to do is escape(?) safely, avoiding the emperor’s constant nagging. Rakiel slowly pulled her butt back like an employee who longed to leave work on time. The escape angle was measured. But the emperor was not an easy boss.
“Where are you trying to get up from? “Jim’s discipline isn’t over yet.”
“…yep.”
“Even though Jim had been lying down for a while, his eyes and ears were not blocked. “Why do you seem so inferior to your brother?”
“yes?”
“Your brother, the second prince.”
“….”
“While Jim was lying here, he came in and out of here almost every day to visit Jim. But what did you do during that time?”
“Well, treat patients during the day…”
“Take care of the princess in the afternoon.”
“…but at night!”
“You took care of Jim?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“So you feel this kind of abuse is unfair?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Even if it’s unfair, is there any other way to do it?”
“…No, Your Majesty.”
Rakiel sighed in response to the sighing sighs. On the other hand, the Chamberlain and the Guard Captain secretly smiled as they watched the scene. They were the ones who served the emperor by his side throughout his life. Thanks to this, I was able to feel the emperor’s true feelings better than anyone else.
The Chamberlain and the Guard Captain secretly exchanged glances.
‘Do you see this, Sir Roberto? Your Majesty’s left nostril is fluttering slightly.’
‘Yes, I saw it too. I’m sure he’s very satisfied.’
‘It seems like you are very proud of His Highness the Crown Prince.’
‘I’m sure you will.’
Of course, it wasn’t as if Rachiel couldn’t notice the Emperor’s expression. So actually, I was a little embarrassed.
“….”
Talking warmly like this. It’s such a heartwarming blow. Is this really a treatment that is worth receiving? I felt skeptical. The reason was simple.
‘Anyway, I’m not your biological son.’
I am not the real Rachiel. He is simply a foreign being who entered the body of Crown Prince Rakiel without knowing why. He is just a being who is so far removed from this world. So, willingly accepting this kind of friendly treatment is crossing a line.
“….”
He looked at the emperor blankly.
The emperor is constantly scolding us. Little by little, the affection hidden in that stern expression was visible. So I was embarrassed and sorry. I realized once again that I was deceiving him, who probably thought of me as his son.
But it was impossible to reveal the truth. Rachiel took a step back as if drawing a line.
“I understand your concerns. But I’m sorry, but I’ll just get up now.”
“…Where are you planning to go?”
“Other patients are waiting.”
He is deceiving the emperor by being treated like a son even though he is not his son. I felt like I would feel disgusted with myself if I had such a shamelessly friendly time. So it was. I woke up before I could catch him. I quickly bowed and left the hospital room.
“Whoa.”
I exhaled the breath I had been holding. As if running away, I walked towards the familiar medical office. A happy voice welcomed us here.
“You’re coming now. A doctor who makes patients wait. “You are fully aware that this is rude, right?”
As soon as she sees this, Princess Adeline smiles brightly and scoffs. Somehow, it seems like today’s fortune is to only receive a lot of beatings here and there.
“I’m sorry. “I was coming after giving finishing treatment to another VVIP.”
“Another VVIP?”
“There is someone extremely important.”
“Surely it’s better than me?”
“Of course, right?”
“Oh my god, are you so heartless?”
“It goes from being cold to selling it out. Could it be that the princess thought of herself as something really great?”
“….”
Adeline glared with flounder eyes. Only a wry smile came out at that sight.
“Anyway, let’s get started now. You know? “Now, only one last gallstone remains.”
“yes. “He also said that the last gallstone was the biggest.”
“You will have to be prepared.”
“Isn’t it up to the crown prince to make the decision?”
“Well, I’m always prepared, but…”
“Really?”
“Because I’m going to whine a little when it’s hard and painful to break the last gallstone.”
“You’re not expecting me to accept that, are you?”
“A little?”
“So much.”
“Wow, be merciless.”
“It’s so cruel that you even have to sell it. “Do you think the crown prince thought of himself as something really great?”
“….”
I took a hit.
Rakiel’s bitter smile became even deeper.
“Then let’s get started. Get ready. “Shoot.”
“yap.”
“…Geek↗!”
A shock wave hits the entire body as soon as the Asurahan Mind Technique is activated. But strangely enough, my heart didn’t hurt. Because I was reminded of the fact that I am alone.
So, you just need to focus on your goal. Treating the princess. Preventing a great war. All you have to do is eat well and live well. So let’s focus on the now.
“…sigh!”
Rakiel’s concentration increased even more as he withstood the successive shock waves.
♣
Meanwhile, at the same time. A few tens of kilometers away from Magenta, the ecliptic.
Doo doo doo doo…!
A rider was riding a horse roughly. He was rushing towards the imperial capital Magenta. It was a messenger from Amboise who was in a hurry to inform the princess of the urgent news from his home country that had departed from Amboise.