From the moment Mercedes said she wasn’t feeling well and her energy was depleted, a deep concern settled in Carlos’s heart.

He immediately summoned the royal physician, asked in detail about the Empress’s condition, and ordered new medicine to be prepared.

Carlos, focused on Mercedes’s health, didn’t notice, but the royal physician answered with some hesitation. After all, his primary loyalty was to the Emperor.

But in the end, he replied, ‘Yes, she has been quite weakened recently.’ He understood the Empress’s request to keep it a secret.

“…Have I been too rough?”

They had been enjoying their honeymoon excessively.

So it was possible for her energy to be depleted.

It was fortunate that there wasn’t a specific illness. He said she just needed to rest and sleep well to recover.

So for the past ten days, Carlos treated Mercedes, who said she wasn’t feeling well, with utmost care.

Every night, he warmed her with his body heat and soothed her to sleep, and every dawn, he woke to carefully check if she had a fever, if she was breathing well, if her muscles were twitching from soreness.

Fortunately, there were no abnormalities even after several days. So what part of her energy was depleted? Besides the pain from overusing her aura, she had always been healthy, so Carlos found it difficult to guess.

She said it was just a mild headache, but… that statement also bothered Carlos.

Mercedes was someone accustomed to pain. Even if she said it was mild, it might not be mild at all. She might be dismissing the pain dully.

“Pardon?”

At Carlos’s sudden remark, Leopold, who was sitting across from him, deep in discussion while reciting a report, abruptly raised his head.

Gregory, who had been listening intently to Leopold’s report, also opened his eyes wide.

“Leo, Gregory. How much stamina do ordinary women have? I was born so robust, I don’t know what to do now that the Empress says her energy is depleted.”

The Emperor, lost in thoughts of the Empress while summoning the busy Knight Commander and his adjutant who were occupied with maintaining security in various regions.

He truly was an insufferably devoted husband.

Leopold’s brow furrowed involuntarily, and Gregory asked with a serious face.

“Is Her Majesty the Empress unwell?”

“Yes. For ten days now. The royal physician also added that her energy was depleted and to be careful. Medicine was prepared, but… I’m not sure if there’s been any improvement. I’ve been observing carefully, but I don’t know where she’s hurting.”

“Hmm. That’s difficult. A woman’s body is truly the opposite of ours…”

The Knight Commander, rumored to be in love and soon to propose, listened very seriously to the Emperor’s concerns.

But Leopold, rumored to be married to his work, sighed.

“How can you expect an answer about a woman’s body by asking two bachelors? It’s good that you’re devoted, but please focus on the meeting.”

Leopold, seemingly irritated by the interruption of the meeting, scolded him.

Carlos looked at Leopold like that, then ignored him as if completely unaffected and continued on the same topic.

“Leopold. You listen too. It might be useful later. I’d prefer if my subordinates didn’t remain truly married to their work, beyond just jokes. We’re hiring more people, so why don’t you delegate some work?”

“They’re not reliable. Don’t worry about me. I’m not interested in that.”

“Sigh. That’s why you need to educate more and nurture the next generation. And even if it’s not marriage, meeting someone you love is good-”

“If you called me here just to lecture about marriage, I’d like to go back to work.”

“Oh my. I won’t be able to face your mother.”

When even his mother was mentioned from the Emperor’s mouth, Leopold finally put down his report on the desk with a thud. It seemed the time for useless chatter would be a bit longer.

“Leo. Isn’t it also the duty of loyal subjects like us to listen to His Majesty’s concerns about Her Majesty?”

Moreover, even Gregory was seriously admonishing him.

‘This is so annoying…’

When one’s superior was blinded by love, it became this tiresome. He just wanted to handle his work, return to his post, review the overall tasks once more. Well, he could go home, but it wouldn’t hurt to check one more time.

What was love, anyway…

It was clear that both the Emperor he so respected and the Knight Commander, who could be solemn when needed despite his glib nature, had gone mad.

He wished they would maintain some dignity.

Leopold, who had never even been interested in women, let alone experienced first love, soon crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Yes, let’s just think of this as a short break. Thinking so, he emptied his mind.

Meanwhile, Gregory and Carlos had moved on to seriously discussing ‘how weak a woman’s body is compared to a trained man’s body.’

Mercedes, whom Leopold had met just yesterday for inner court business, looked healthy.

She was very energetic. More so than Leopold, no, more than anyone in the adjutant’s office.

“I’m very worried. Her body can’t be compared to mine, so I don’t know what to do-”

“Your Majesty.”

Yes, if his lord was this worried.

Leopold opened his mouth. If these ignorantly strong and healthy humans could never understand this point, he might as well step in to make them understand.

Since the meeting seemed to have gone out of the window anyway, he gathered the minimum goodwill left in him to convey Mercedes’ condition as seen by an ordinary person like himself.

“Her Majesty the Empress came to the inner court office yesterday, and she looked healthy to my eyes. You two are warriors, so your standards might be off, but she was definitely more energetic than me, who had stayed up all night buried in work.”

Leopold put his hand on his forehead and leaned his neck back, sitting deep in the sofa.

“So don’t worry. If she were sick enough to worry about that much, it would show on her face, and both Your Majesty and the Knight Commander would inevitably notice.”

At his tired voice, Gregory and Carlos opened their eyes wide. Gregory even added something like ‘Well, that’s a relief then…’

“Yes. Her Majesty who visited the adjutant’s office was very fresh. She was the only one full of vitality among the half-dead adjutants.”

“…Mel, was like that?”

“Yes. Even if her energy is depleted, it will only be temporary, and she’s probably not sick. Really, I can see it with my own eyes. If love blinds reason this much, I truly want to live alone for the rest of my life.”

A bit of sincerity slipped in at the end of what started as a goodwill gesture.

Leopold leaned his head back on the sofa again with a hollow laugh.

“Then I can rest easy! Leopold, it’s fortunate to have someone with a weak body like you!”

“I’ve said this several times before, but I’m not weak, it’s the Commander and Your Majesty who are monsters!”

Of course, his attempt to rest was quickly thwarted by Gregory’s words. As the two started to bicker, a small ripple occurred in Carlos.

If Mercedes didn’t look serious to that frail Leopold, it was truly a relief.

It was a relief, but then…

‘…No way.’

It couldn’t be.

He fell into the trap that any man in love would fall into, seized by a strange sense of unease.

* * *

Mercedes arrived a little late for dinner with him. Carlos approached to escort her as she entered the room.

She smiled and took his hand.

Dressed in a comfortable dress, with her ever-sparkling green eyes.

It was the appearance he loved endlessly.

“Today, lamb, your favorite, is being served, so I asked for it to be well-done.”

“Even without saying, the chef would already know.”

Mercedes giggled and stroked his cheek.

The anxiety that a man in love naturally developed was swept away by her single gesture.

Yes. It must be nothing. She’s pushing him away just because it’s too much for her… Aren’t they usually this harmonious?

Mercedes neatly arranged her deep blue dress that suited her so well and sat down next to Carlos.

Pulling out the chair for her, cutting the lamb to match her mouth size, her waiting for him to do so – everything was as usual. Yes, everything.

“Shall we pair it with the wine you like? You said it goes well with this meat.”

On days when this meat was served, they always drank wine enough to get pleasantly tipsy and set the mood.

Carlos asked while holding her hand, and at the same time, Mercedes startled and pulled her hand away from his.

“…Ah. I don’t really feel like wine. My stomach isn’t feeling well because of the headache.”

She said with a smile. But Carlos could write a book about the shock of the moment Mercedes pulled her hand away.

Mercedes… avoided him.

“The meat alone is enough. I’m looking forward to how delicious it will be.”

She was truly a perfect actress.

Long ago, when Mercedes first met Carlos, she was a woman who would climb onto his palm and have everything exposed.

Now she had grown close enough to him and gained enough composure to show nothing.

Carlos stared blankly at his empty hand.

“Carlos? Let’s eat. Today must have been tiring for you too.”

Her perfect mask was worn to deliver even happier news.

But Carlos…

He couldn’t sleep that night.

Because he had to contemplate for a long time.

About the possibility that her heart had drifted away from him.

This happened on the tenth day since Mercedes began her act of hiding her condition from him.