“Since when?”

Admund was perplexed.

Because he had gotten properly entangled in the bomb Odin had dropped and left behind.

He wanted to fan his heated face while turning his head away.

But it was difficult to move, as if his body was frozen by the scent of the person right next to him.

Right now, neither Odin nor Oberon were present.

Odin, who had dropped the bomb, had fled saying he’d come back later.

Oberon, perhaps unable to handle this atmosphere, had followed him out.

In the room where only the two of them remained, Clea steadily gazed at Admund.

At Admund, who turned his head and wouldn’t even give her a single glance.

“Have you come to dislike me?”

“Clea.”

“You’re not meeting my eyes.”

Contrary to her words, there wasn’t a trace of sadness on Clea’s face.

She was filled only with the desire to tease this man right next to her.

She felt both incredulous and delighted to have been unknowingly acknowledged as a daughter-in-law by the Emperor.

At the same time, thinking about how Admund had prepared something on his own, Clea found it hard to hold back her laughter.

Her chest area felt ticklish. This was the happiest she had ever felt in her life here.

‘What a truly lovable man.’

To the extent that she somewhat understood why Aria had caused a scene and left.

She still kept her gaze focused on Admund.

Admund, seeming to feel Clea’s gaze, didn’t know what to do.

His mind was creaking as if dyed completely white.

He felt somewhat embarrassed about conveying his feelings through someone else, while simultaneously fearing how she would react.

He worried about what to do if she didn’t accept his feelings.

“Admund.”

Once no one else remained, Clea approached more actively.

Calling the name he only used when they were alone, she leaned against his body.

His body, which had been burning hot, slowly cooled down by her coldness.

Only then did Admund turn his head to look at Clea.

Clea, meeting Admund’s gaze, smiled happily and burrowed further into his embrace.

Admund accepted her as she drew closer and closer, without pushing her away.

“I won’t know anything until you say it.”

“Clea?”

“So I’ll wait until that moment when you tell me.”

At those words saying she would wait, Admund’s stiff body began to move.

The her reflected in his gaze wasn’t the usual cold expression.

Rather, he could see her smiling brightly as if happy, trying not to separate from him.

For a moment, Admund doubted his own eyes.

He had never once thought his eyesight was bad, but he still doubted it.

Wondering if everything he was seeing with his eyes was really real.

“You are now an upright person, Clea.”

He opened his mouth with difficulty.

Resolving to no longer fear meeting her gaze, he raised the corners of his mouth.

“Neither the Odois nor Lloyd can torment you anymore.”

“Admund.”

“So now it’s my turn to be upright.”

Clea knew what Admund was talking about.

“It seems many people have already thought about who I would marry while attending the academy.”

“But the imperial family hasn’t expressed any position, have they?”

And not wanting her precious person to suffer because of that person, she just wished he would ignore it.

Admund stroked Clea’s hair and spoke in a gentle voice.

It was in contrast to when he had dealt fiercely with Grit.

“Still, I want to be upright by your side. Not for a single moment have I ever considered marriage with Aria Hersher.”

Admund was concerned about Clea.

He didn’t care if he himself was cursed at.

They weren’t the kind of people he needed to worry about anyway, and unless their livers had grown outside their bodies, there were very few who would openly curse at the person who would become Emperor.

On the other hand, Clea’s situation was different.

She had always received people’s mockery and criticism.

Although she, like Admund, did not care about others’ actions, Admund still worried.

The thought that she might be hurt in her heart because of them, that is.

Even if he tried to silence people, it would eventually leak out from somewhere.

He thought it was right to remove the likely sources.

So Admund thought it was time to deal with the matter he had been neglecting until now.

‘Otherwise, she will once again be criticized as someone who stole another woman’s man despite having a fiancé.’

Just imagining it made his irritation surge.

Her fiancé was busy fooling around with other women while neglecting her.

Yet the prevailing public opinion about Lloyd was always that it was pitiful he was engaged to someone like Clea.

He wanted to go to the Grand Duke’s house again and tell them to keep their son in check, but in fact, he too was a kind of bystander.

A bystander who knew Lloyd had been like that for a long time but refrained from getting involved and said nothing.

“Clea, can you wait a little longer?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? I can wait for you.”

Though how long that would be possible was unknown.

Clea swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Her thoughts seemed to have thorns, creating a small wound in her chest, but she didn’t mind.

‘I already have enough wounds anyway.’

She recalled the future she had momentarily forgotten, but forgot it again.

There was no point in remembering something she couldn’t avoid, and it would only interfere with this happy moment.

Clea met Admund’s gaze and approached him.

“But I don’t think I can wait for this.”

“Clea, wait.”

“Oh my, were you planning to make me wait for this too?”

She undid the buttons of his neat white shirt one by one and bit near his neck.

Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Admund’s body stiffened again.

But Clea completely pushed Admund away and laid him down on the sofa.

Clea, looking sharply down at his neck, pointed to the bitten area with her hand and said,

“I don’t think I can wait.”

* * *

“Your Majesty, do you intend to acknowledge her?”

“What would you do if I don’t acknowledge her?”

Oberon, who had hurriedly followed the departing Odin, asked him.

If he really intended to acknowledge her as the Crown Princess.

He had asked with a rather serious expression, but Odin frowned as if wondering why such a question was even necessary.

Though Odin showed his displeasure, Oberon did not back down at all.

Normally, he would have highly appreciated such unwavering confidence even before the Emperor, but now Odin was displeased.

“You still seem to dislike my daughter-in-law?”

“…That’s not it.”

“I wonder why someone who says it’s not so would ask such a question.”

Following Admund, now even Odin seemed to like Clea, which slightly puzzled Oberon.

But more important than that was whether she would really become the Crown Princess.

He looked around for a moment and said,

“If she breaks away from the Odoi ducal family, she’ll be nothing more than a commoner.”

“If you’re still stuck in the old-fashioned thinking that nobles and commoners shouldn’t marry, I’m afraid I’ll have to be disappointed in you.”

“Isn’t the imperial family different from ordinary nobility?”

Different.

Hearing those words, Odin stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Oberon.

The Oberon reflected in his eyes clearly seemed quite confused.

Normally he would have scolded him, but Odin spoke different words to Oberon, who was showing an unusual demeanor.

“What’s different?”

“The imperial family should represent the people of the empire.”

“Boasting only of noble bloodlines is not the way to become a representative. And as you say, the people of the empire include both nobles and what you call commoners.”

Odin showed a relaxed demeanor.

Even if Clea wasn’t a noble, that wasn’t a reason for her to be unsuitable as a Crown Princess.

The man she once loved and was engaged to had abandoned Clea first.

No matter how much Clea devoted herself to him, Lloyd had lived a dissolute life chasing after other women.

There were various reasons why Lloyd’s actions had been overlooked in high society until now, including his connection to the imperial family.

But the biggest reason was that the imperial couple had not made an issue of it, considering their relationship with the Grand Duke’s family.

“There will be an uproar when the Empress returns.”

“I’m not sure if Her Majesty the Empress will accept this marriage.”

“The Empress would be even more satisfied. If she sees the son she thought had built a wall against marriage suddenly hiding a woman he loves in the Crown Prince’s palace, saying she’s the one.”

Odin said with a laugh, but Oberon held his forehead, thinking it might really unfold as he said.

He no longer disliked Clea.

However, there were several points that bothered him.

Among them, the most concerning was her health.

If she was coughing up blood, there was a high possibility of some chronic illness. She had also said she was facing death.

‘Should I tell him?’

He had been told by Clea to keep it absolutely secret from others.

But he had no particular reason to keep her words.

He pondered for a moment whether it was right to keep a private promise in a matter of great importance to the empire’s future.

It was just a matter of informing Odin, who was right beside him, of the truth.

But Oberon couldn’t come to a conclusion in the end.

In his mind, he kept thinking he should tell others about this fact, but he couldn’t forget the blood that had spread before his eyes.

He could only hope that others would discover her physical condition before more time passed.