Chapter 8

***

***

“Your Majesty the King is looking for you.”

“…Tell him I’ll change my clothes and go.”

As soon as he returned to the palace, the King’s attendant came to visit Denis as if he had waited. It had been less than an hour since he had returned from Newb Shabel. He could guess how much his father was worried that his confidence and reputation might have fallen due to the flood.

“You’re in a hurry.”

After the attendant left, Denis muttered to himself.

“Please bring me the prepared report.”

“All right, Prince.”

Knowing that this would be the case, he had put together all the reports before leaving. Just enough to show. Denis pulled a corner of his mouth, and quickly took off his dusty clothes.

Inside the luxuriously decorated tea room, Elliot and Denis were sitting facing each other.

Elliot, as usual, had whiskey, and Denis was holding a teacup.

Eliot drank an entire bottle of whiskey and said to him.

“It took a lot of work there. Thank you for coming back.”

“No. I have arrived safely. Thanks to the grace of His Majesty.”

King Elliot congratulated Denis on his safe return from the flood damage.

“There is something impressive about the report.”

Elliot had an expression of curiosity.

“Yes, Your Majesty. There was someone who provided relief supplies.”

“What can I do for him?”

Denis said without hesitation.

“Give him a title.”

“A title to him? What else does he want?”

Denis said with his head bowed as if he didn’t want to.

“There is none. I am only apologetic for not being able to raise Your Majesty’s prestige to the Valois*.”

[T/N: People of Valloise]

“Oh, no. Too much modesty is poison.”

Even as he said that, Elliot chuckled as if he was pleased with Denis’ remarks.

“You don’t have a schedule in the afternoon, do you? I’ll take you to a meal.”

“I can’t ask for anything more, Your Majesty.”

Elliot tapped Denis on the shoulder, and they walked out of the tea room together.

***

“As expected, Princess. The price of minerals is going down.”

Daniel entered Tehez’s office with a piece of the trend report.

“What about the Marquis of Benchetrit?”

“There are no abnormalities. It seems to be a temporary phenomenon.”

“Okay. Call Delphine and get him to release more supplies.”

“Yes, all right. And this week, there will be a ceremony.”

“Didn’t he say he’d come to the capital tomorrow? Mr Vincent.”

“That’s right. In recognition of his contribution to saving flood damage in the Newb Shabel area, he has been given the title of Baron.”

“Good.”

“We will arrange for an early meeting.”

“Thank you. You may leave now.”

Even when he was told to leave, Daniel hesitated and stood there.

“…The physician will visit in half an hour.”

“…Okay.”

After Daniel left, Tehez got up and opened the window a little. It has been raining since yesterday.

The thick scent of grass rushed into the tip of her nose.

The sky was all grey.

The emptiness and pessimism in someone’s vivid green eyes came to mind.

She did not like rainy days.

Rather, this weather was his preference.

Tehez poured coffee into an empty cup. The coffee was lukewarm, so it was good to control and ease her mind at the moment. When she was allowing herself to relax a little, there was a knock on the door.

She placed the teacup on the table in perfect manners.

“Your Highness, the royal physician has arrived.”

“Come in.”

The moment the maid and the royal physician entered the office, they found the perfect Princess, who had erased all her weak thoughts in an instant, sitting in a composed manner.

“Your menstrual cycle has been delayed by a week this month.”

The voice of the royal physician continued.

“How is your sleep?”

“… It’s the same.”

“I can’t give you more sleep.”

“I know that well.”

The grey-haired physician looked at Tehez for a moment and began to write something down on the file.

“I heard that you are not exercising these days.”

“Be careful.”

It was Tehez who had been busy with work recently and forgot to exercise.

The old lady gave the same advice as last month.

It’s been five years.

“I recommend that you exercise at least three times a week. And you know it well, right? After having s*x with the prince, make sure you don’t move for about 20 minutes and you must rest your back on a pillow.”

“I know that well, too.”

“Excessive tension and insomnia are not good for the baby’s health. So cut back on your work.”

“I see.”

“You’ve lost weight this month compared to last month. Increase your meals.”

“…I will.”

After the regular check-up, the royal physician packed up and went out of the office, and Tehez, who had been sitting upright, collapsed. She soon buried her face in her hands.

If she just goofs around and eats her food, she will be a very desirable princess that the royal family wants.

It’s already been five years. Hearing nagging under the guise of having her regular check-ups every month…

Meanwhile, Denise was never visited by any physician. Of course, he had his regular check-ups as a member of the royal family, but he didn’t get the same advice as she did.

He seemed free from the responsibility of not having children. The infertility was entirely the wife’s fault.

Tehez clenched her teeth. It was a gesture of desperation in order not to shed tears over this.

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If she had shed tears whenever she was sad, she might have died drowning in the tears she shed herself.

She once thought all the sufferings had hardened her heart. It was valid to some extent, but…

‘So stupid.’

She didn’t feel any better when she cursed herself.

It was still raining outside the window.

Instead of someone who couldn’t cry, the sky did not stop raining the whole day…

***

“It’s raining. Today is an official schedule after a long absence, so how about wearing this pink dress?”

The dress that her handmaiden took out was dug up to the collarbone and had delicate flower patterns on a pink background. And it was a dress with three layers of lace and embellishments on the sleeves.

“The dress looks so gorgeous. I’m going to the old house, so bring me something decent.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“How about this?”

“Yes, looks good.”

The dress that the other maid had picked out was a dress made of turquoise fabric, and it didn’t look too exaggerated. On top of that, there were few decorations, so it seemed appropriate for work.

“How about these shoes?”

The shoes the maid brought were white shoes that she liked to wear. But Tehez was not willing to wear them. Sensing her mood, the maid quickly recommended another pair of shoes.

“Or how about these new shoes that you bought last time?”

It was a pair of shoes made of goatskin that she had never worn since they were newly made. The overall colour of the shoes was black, but it was characterized by a flower pattern with red coloured thread on the front. And it was fitted with a slightly higher heel than the shoes she usually wears.

She fiddled with the front of the shoes.

She remembered whom she was thinking of as she ordered a higher heel than usual.

‘It’s black, so it shouldn’t matter if it gets dirty from work.’

“Yes, please put them on.”

***

In a breathtakingly quiet train…

Tehez sat quietly with her eyes closed. And Denis was reviewing the papers as he was shaken by the rattling train. After boarding the train an hour ago, they hadn’t said a word to each other.

“We will arrive in 30 minutes.”

A train attendant who knocked politely came and said.

Tehez and Denis were on their way to attend the ceremony of a poor mansion located on the outskirts of the capital city, Lubern. Denise was scheduled to deliver a congratulatory speech at the ceremony, while Tehez was to do volunteer work.

“Did you not sleep last night?”

Denis passed his words without taking his eyes off the papers.

“A little bit.”

Tehez barely opened her mouth. Her voice seemed a little hoarse. It was because she went to bed later than usual as she was upset after the royal physician’s visit yesterday. When she woke up, her complexion was not much different from usual. So she thought he wouldn’t notice her condition, but…

“How much?”

Denis took off his glasses and tucked them into his coat pocket.

Tehez turned the conversation around as if to avoid speaking a difficult answer.

“What about the Prince?”

“It’s always the same for me.”

Dennis put aside the documents he was looking at.

“Come here.”

The special room of the train, which only VIPs could ride, was comfortable and spacious due to remodelling.

Denis grabbed Tehez’s shoulders and made her sit to his left.

He grabbed Tehez by the neck and began to press her with a ruthless touch. Her back neck, shoulders, and waist were pressed tightly, so she complained in a shaky voice.

“It hurts.”

“Be patient.”

Fortunately, her hazy head seemed to wake up.

“Come to your senses when we arrive. Because I can’t keep watching you.”

After he had finished speaking, Denis opened Tehez’s collar so that his hands could cover the rest of her neck.

“I will.”

***

“Dear distinguished guests, The long-awaited poverty centre has been completed successfully.”

Tehez sat with her back straight and watched him as he stood in front of the podium. She was fortunate enough to have come to her senses with Denis’ help. It could have made it to the front page of the newspaper if the ‘Princess’ was found yawning at an official event.

On the other side of her seat were members of Prince Fabrice’s side, and behind her were a large number of nobles who had not yet expressed their support.

Denis’ resonant voice spread throughout the hall. Even today, his dazzling appearance and mellow voice were added to create even more destructive power.

He shines the brightest when he stands in front of a crowd.

He deserved the position of ruler.

The King.

“…We will do our best to ensure that there are no more starving or sick children in Valloise. With this, I would like to end today’s congratulatory speech.”

When he finished speaking, all the ladies clapped their hands.

“It seems that the Prince’s appearance is shining today.”

“It’s nothing new.”

Tehez could hear the ladies gossiping.

At the same time, Tehez could also feel the gaze toward her.

Tehez looked ahead with her shoulders set straight, pretending not to know what the ladies were looking at. She couldn’t even pretend to know everything.

She could see him coming down from the platform.

A natural smile on the lips, a dignified gait.

There was even an absurd joke that if they decided who would inherit the throne based solely on the appearance, it would be Denis.

That was never to say that Fabrice, the Second Prince, was not a handsome man. Rather, he inherited the King’s appearance.

However, since Denis’ appearance was so good that it was said that he was sculpted by the Goddess of beauty, it was impossible to even compare his and Fabrice’s appearance.

But, ironically, his appearance also seemed to devalue his abilities. There was also a negative evaluation that he succeeded in anything as he was beautiful.

If they had seen him work with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have been able to say that.

Tehez swallowed the words she couldn’t get out of her mouth.

Thus, Denise was, in name and reality, the object of socialite women’s first love or unrequited love in Valloise.

It was the same with Tehez.

When she was a child, she secretly liked him.

She even dreamed of marrying him. But-

“Princess, we will be serving meals for the children soon. We will now go.”

“Okay.”

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Tehez’s thoughts ended with someone’s calling.

(To be continued in the next episode)