Chapter 103
Side Story 3. The Imprint
“Get out. Right now.”
His growling voice was like that of a wild beast.
Marie found herself thinking that it had been a very long time since she had heard Russell speak to her in such a harsh voice, as though rebuking her.
A rough voice that sounded angry.
But she knew that wasn’t the case. He was worried. Afraid that the reason swept away by the raging pheromones might cause him to hurt her. Yet Marie wasn’t afraid.
“It hurts a lot, doesn’t it? You’re suffering.”
“Marie!”
She didn’t need to ask to know just how much pain he was in right now.
She had seen this once before.
“Russell, I’ll help you. I can help.”
“You don’t know… what I might do.”
“I know.”
“This is different from before. Have you forgotten? The baby—huff.”
“I know that too.”
They had faced each other like this once before.
Just like now, his pheromones had churned so violently that even coming close enough for their fingertips to touch brought with it a sharp, stinging pain.
And there were his bloodshot eyes.
“I don’t want to hurt you. So please, leave. Leave, Marie.”
That was precisely why she couldn’t leave.
Because she was the only person here who could truly calm him down.
Marie hugged her swollen belly tightly and bit her lip. She had to keep a clear head. Only then could she protect both this child and the precious husband standing before her.
Because this situation was entirely the fault of Marie Alphrose herself, who had failed to notice how far he had been driven into a corner.
* * *
“Your Highness, Crown Princess.”
At the teasing voice, a smile naturally spread across her face.
Ever since she had told him not to be jealous, Russell had become considerably more tolerant of certain people. Thanks to that, Ryan had gleefully declared that he had finally been granted permission to enter the royal palace. It was a privilege he had thought he would never receive before he died.
And so, every so often, he would visit like this, carrying baby supplies.
I wonder what he’s brought this time.
Still, Russell probably wouldn’t be pleased when he heard about it later. But surely an hour would be fine?
“There you go again. You’re only thinking about your husband, even with such an elegant and handsome Alpha standing right in front of you, aren’t you?”
“Ryan, still sharp as ever.”
“Wow, you’re not even denying it. Marie, now that you’ve become Her Highness the Crown Princess, have you stopped caring about such things?”
Crown Princess.
That was now Marie’s title.
Though becoming the wife of Crown Prince Russell, the sole heir to the Kingdom of Crocus, was an immensely important event, they had decided to hold the wedding as simply as possible.
The King’s condition, which had already deteriorated to the point where nearly all authority had effectively been transferred to the Crown Prince, had been worsening little by little, and rumors were circulating that a state funeral might have to be held before the end of the year.
In any case, amid grand celebrations and warm congratulations, Marie held a modest ceremony by royal standards.
A crown had been placed upon her head, and she had become his wife.
Now, rather than waiting for him in the Crown Prince’s Palace, she lived in a palace prepared specifically for the Crown Princess, where she would wait for him and sometimes seek him out herself.
She was no longer merely a guest in the palace.
She had become one of its masters.
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