Chapter 20
Chapter 20
“…Hmm.”
My weary body resisted waking. I shifted, trying to change positions, but the bed seemed to pull me back into a hazy, half-conscious state.
Just as my mind began to drift, that strange sensation returned. This time, it was at my ankle. Something damp and warm, almost as if it were being gently scratched.
I forced my heavy eyelids open and glanced towards the foot of the bed.
‘Did some fabric or a ribbon get tangled around my leg?’
“Oh?”
I spotted Cesar, his hand lightly tugging at my ankle.
“Hehee.”
He grinned when our eyes met. ‘Where did he even come from?’ I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
“…You should go back to your room.”
“….”
Cesar, however, seemed determined to ignore me, persistently tugging at my ankle. ‘What am I supposed to do with him? I can’t just throw him out….’
“Oh, fine.”
I sighed, a strong premonition telling me that even if I sent him away, he’d just come back. Resigned, I lifted the covers.
“It’s cold out there. Come in.”
“Okay.”
The moment I gave permission, Cesar hopped in like an excited child.
‘I’ll really never get used to this lack of boundaries.’
“Well, we’re married. Sharing a bed is… normal.”
I mumbled an excuse, unsure who I was trying to convince, and struggled to keep him from wriggling closer.
“Haha.”
Suddenly, I thought of Annalisa and laughed. It had been so long since I’d fallen asleep feeling someone’s warmth beside me. It reminded me of the time before I joined the Flores family, when Annalisa and I shared a small room.
We used to huddle together every night, especially during the harsh winters. We couldn’t afford much heat, so we relied on each other’s warmth, curled up tight.
“It’s so warm like this. I can sleep well.”
“Yeah….”
Cesar’s voice was thick with sleep. He must have been tired after all that running around. I finally closed my eyes, ready to drift off.
“Ren.”
Cesar’s voice called out to me in the darkness. I managed to peel open my heavy eyelids halfway.
A soft peck, and the feeling of lips against mine. My eyes snapped open. ‘Did he just kiss me?’
A surprised laugh escaped my lips.
Cesar’s eyes, wide open, stared intently at me. After a long moment, he snuggled back into my embrace.
“Oh, dear.”
‘How endearing.’
I couldn’t help but giggle, a light, happy feeling settling over me as I drifted off to sleep.
* * *
“She lived?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Matthias de la Rosa, the second prince of the Empire and son of the current Empress Cornelia, nearly dropped his quill upon hearing the astonishing news.
The woman expected to become the Mad Prince’s fifth deceased bride had survived.
“I expected another corpse.”
Matthias toyed with the tip of his quill, a smirk playing on his lips. The situation was turning out to be more interesting than he’d anticipated.
“The old conservatives must be thrilled.”
Matthias had lived his entire life with the stigma of being a b*stard. Yet, the fundamentalists among the conservatives, despite the first prince, Cesar’s, severe mental instability, supported his legitimacy.
A rightful king. An emperor of pure blood. Therefore, the rightful heir must be the first prince, Cesar.
“In reality, they just want a puppet emperor.”
Three factions formed the continental alliance forged during the long war against the demonic races: the Asetria Empire, the Hebilium Forest, and the Stoican Steel Alliance.
The Emperor of the Asetria Empire had to be unanimously approved by these allied lords to be recognized. The other two kings, the allied lords with the power to elect, always wanted an emperor who suited their tastes.
“So, which noble family did this fortunate lady hail from?”
He hadn’t attended the wedding, of course. He couldn’t have known.
“The House of Flores.”
Flores, Flores. Matthias repeated the name, a slow smile spreading across his face.
Cosimo Flores. A name so revered that even a three-year-old child, no, even a beggar on the street, would bow their head upon hearing it.
Centuries ago, a dragon, driven mad, threatened to destroy all life on earth. Chaos reigned, and heroes rose to hunt the maddened dragon. One of them was the Grand Mage, Cosimo Flores. For his service in slaying the dragon, he was granted the title of Duke and remembered as a savior and a great sage.
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