Lewd Courtship - Chapter 8

No matter how, even with the court physician who had long served him, this was not a topic Killian found easy to speak about.

Feeling awkward, he turned his gaze toward the window of the carriage. But no matter how much he tried to avoid it, he couldn’t escape the watchful eyes of the ever-dutiful physician.

“If you speak in such vague terms, it becomes difficult to adjust the dosage,” the physician said firmly. “As it is, this isn’t even medicine I created. Of course, once we arrive, you’ll be examined by the doctor who formulated it… but when you do speak with him, please be more specific than you are with me.”

“I understand. So let’s drop the subject.”

“…Very well,” the physician replied, clearly dissatisfied, but held his tongue.

Watching the man fall silent, Killian let out a quiet sigh.

Could overwork really be the cause?

The famed physician from Porhen—reputed to be the continent’s leading expert in this field had diagnosed his impotence as stress-induced, the result of overwork. Given that his exhaustion was real, the explanation seemed plausible.

But what if it wasn’t that? What if the true cause lay elsewhere… what if it was an incurable condition?

No. That’s enough.

Killian shut down the ominous thoughts. It was the opinion of a respected specialist he needed to trust the diagnosis and focus on getting proper rest if he wanted to recover.

Yes, he had mountains of imperial duties awaiting him. But the officials he’d handpicked were far from incompetent. A few weeks of absence wouldn’t bring the empire to ruin.

‘Yeah, let’s get some rest.’

Calming his worries, Killian observed the streets of Porhen through the window. The carriage he rode in wasn’t extravagant, but it was still on the luxurious side.

People would surely recognize that someone of high status was inside, yet the citizens watching the carriage had bright, shining eyes. That meant the upper class wasn’t oppressing the people.

“The King of Porhen was generous-hearted.”

An image of the King of Porhen with a kind expression came to Killian’s mind. The imperial physician seemed to recall the same figure and nodded.

“He was gentler than other kings, that’s true. The kingdom is wealthy, after all—wealth breeds generosity. Even now, the love gel developed by Porhen’s own inventors is a bestseller across the entire continent.”

“Love gel, huh… Making a living off s****l culture. It really is a fascinating country.”

On the continent, Porhen was known as the nation of s*x. That was precisely why Killian had come here to seek treatment for his impotence.

Killian recalled the people of Porhen he needed to be mindful of—the king and queen, the crown prince, and so on. Then, one more person flashed through his mind: the kingdom’s sole princess.

Their meeting five years ago was a hazy memory now, but he did remember that she had been a beautiful lady. Killian tried to recall her face more clearly, but his mind drifted to the reports he had seen in documents instead, and he stopped himself.

Though he needed to treat his condition, Killian had little interest in s****l activity itself. The princess was infamous for her promiscuity, and getting involved with her would only cause trouble. Especially now, when his official reason for traveling was to find a candidate for empress—it was all the more reason to avoid entanglement.

A person to be cautious of.

Killian classified Rachel as someone to be cautious around and closed his eyes. Normally, by this hour, he would have been buried in piles of paperwork, but now he was sitting in a carriage, resting.

It was only now that the fact he had taken a vacation started to feel real. Though he was still concerned about the aftermath, his body at least felt more relaxed, and Killian slowly drifted into a light sleep.