One night, Hemos, who came to see Esika in excitement without thinking, almost lost his liver when he met Resban’s cold gaze.

“……”

‘Damn it! Scary!’

Hemos, who unknowingly shrugged his shoulders, glanced at Resban again.

As if he had never glared at him, the Crown Prince looked neat and sophisticated, wearing a gentle smile on his lips towards Esika.

‘Could it be true that he’s only gentlemanly in front of Her Highness the Crown Princess as the rumors say? And that I’m interrupting their honeymoon……’

Resban’s collar was slightly disheveled. One button seemed to have just been undone.

Hemos, who had barged in unintentionally, felt only resentment.

“Hemos.”

When Esika called Hemos’s name with a pleased expression, he flinched.

“Ah. Yes!”

And he gradually walked forward.

“You’ve worked hard. Thanks to you, my worries have lessened.”

“I… I’m sorry, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

“Then, please explain how to take the Celiksir.”

The medicine Hemos had completed and brought today was the Celiksir that Esika had been needing for a while.

Since the ingredients were so rare, it was quite difficult to obtain, but Hemos’s efforts in running around everywhere were great.

“Some ingredients cause a lot of heat in the body, so preparation is necessary.”

“Preparation?”

Hemos answered Resban’s question.

“Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince. This is my first time handling such medicine, so I can’t be completely sure, but if a normal body were to take this medicine, they would likely die from poisoning.”

Resban’s eyebrows twitched.

“So preparations are needed before taking the medicine… First, it would be good to fast for about a week. Only drinking water occasionally. Usually, that’s what’s done before taking medicine that puts a lot of strain on the body.”

“Is there a saying here too about fasting purifying the blood?”

At Esika’s words, Hemos tilted his head.

“Blood? There’s no such saying, but it’s just one of the ways to reduce risk. And it would be good to see the sun often. That is, to accustom the body to hot light. Because when you take the medicine, your temperature will spike, so it’s to prepare a little in advance.”

Even in the martial arts world, several preparatory steps were taken to consume rare elixirs.

Hemos didn’t have systematized knowledge like in the Central Plains, but he prescribed in a fairly similar way.

Are all places where people live the same?

“A week, huh.”

“You need to rest well and get sunlight. And fast too.”

Esika fell into thought for a moment. Indeed, would it be possible while managing the imperial palace schedule?

“That’s all. Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Your Highness the Crown Princess. Please use it well.”

In Esika’s hand was a small glass bottle containing the Celiksir.

“I’ll give you a reward for this.”

At Resban’s words as he adjusted the collar near his neck, he bowed his head and bent deeply.

“Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. And Your Highness the Crown Princess. Please… make sure to follow the dosage instructions. If you just take it carelessly, it could be disastrous.”

Hemos, seeming anxious, even explained one more time.

Then he paid his respects to the two again and left.

Once again, only the two remained, but now wouldn’t be the moment for something romantic.

Resban gazed at Esika, who was intently looking at the Celiksir.

She seemed to be contemplating what preparations she needed to make to take it.

The agitated Empress is constantly trying to find fault with Esika.

She even deployed temple troops around Esika. The temple soldiers were one of the Empress’s powerful weapons.

“When do you think would be good to take this?”

Preparation is needed before taking it, but it would be impossible while managing the imperial palace schedule.

“What do you think about taking a break for a while?”

As Resban’s lips moved, Esika looked at him.

Resban reached out and wrapped his arm around Esika’s waist, pulling her to him.

Resban’s deep golden eyes were gazing at Esika.

Esika was curious about what was inside those lips that were closed like a riddle.

So she tilted her face sideways and kissed his lips.

The space between Resban’s eyebrows moved subtly.

Although Esika acted like a poisonous plant to her enemies, she was different only to Resban.

Resban said.

“Using what we have.”

“What we have is……”

“The Cortisans from before.”

They’ve been accumulating things to explode, but there’s no reason not to use them when the right time comes.

“Because Ando will surely bring an opportunity.”

After finishing his words, Resban kissed Esika again.

“It might be good to build them up once more.”

Their momentum. And expecting the carelessness it would bring about.

Resban twisted his lips into a smirk and placed his hand on Esika’s shoulder.

Since there will be many days to rest, it should be fine not to let her sleep this evening.

**

The Empress was seated next to the Emperor, and to their right were Resban and Esika, and to their left were Princess Astia and Prince Breiton.

Today was a banquet where the imperial family gathered together.

The Emperor asked Resban.

“How is the situation in Eunivs?”

That land, reclaimed from enemies 5 years ago, was still in the midst of reconstruction.

“The public sentiment has stabilized to some extent, but we are monitoring as unsavory forces are moving beneath the surface.”

“By unsavory forces, do you mean Ganeshoff’s group?”

“No. Probably……”

Resban’s knife cut through the half-cooked steak.

“It seems to be the forces of heresy.”

At Resban’s words, the corner of the Empress’s eye twitched.

“Forces of heresy……”

“Those who worship false gods in misguided ways and believe in their false prophets……”

His golden eyes gleamed coldly.

“Forces that should rightfully be punished and cut off.”

The Empress picked up her fork and stabbed at her food.

She put the finely cut piece in her mouth and chewed slowly.

“Even though the war has ended, problems keep arising endlessly.”

At Resban’s words, the Emperor laughed and replied.

“That’s how an Emperor’s work is. When you finish one thing, another comes to disturb your mind. You’ll have to get used to that too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The Empress’s hand gradually tightened as she listened to the conversation between the Emperor and Resban.

Breiton was idly poking at his plate with an indifferent expression, and the Empress felt frustrated at her son’s demeanor.

After a moment, she opened her mouth.

“It would be good to build a temple in the Eunivs region as well, to prevent heresy from running rampant. To keep the confused imperial citizens from falling into temptation. How about assigning this task to the Second Prince?”

Breiton’s shoulders jerked at the sudden mention of his name from his mother’s lips.

Although he was reluctant to go to Eunivs, a frontier region, he immediately replied.

“I will go, Your Majesty.”

The Empress smiled and looked at the Emperor.

The Emperor thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes. The Empress’s opinion seems right. Breiton, you go.”

“Thank you for entrusting me with this.”

Satisfied with the smooth progression, the Empress picked up her fork again.

And then, Esika, who had been quietly listening, opened her mouth.

“I apologize, but Your Majesty the Emperor. I don’t think it would be good for His Highness the Second Prince to go.”

At those words, the Empress’s expression instantly hardened.

Breiton frowned and looked at his sister-in-law, Esika.

The Empress twisted her lips and said.

“What knowledge does the Crown Princess, who has just entered the imperial family, have about state affairs to say such a thing to His Majesty?”

The Emperor also seemed somewhat displeased that his daughter-in-law suddenly expressed opposition to his will.

The Crown Princess was only supposed to handle internal affairs of the imperial family, not meddle in external state matters.

“I’m not sure if it’s right to say this in such a setting, but……”

Esika looked at the Emperor and continued speaking.

“I have something to say about the noble seed of the imperial family.”

At those words, the Emperor’s brow twitched.

The Empress and Breiton also stiffened their faces.

The Emperor’s gaze lowered to Esika’s stomach.

The flat shape of her stomach did not confirm whether she was pregnant or not.

“The imperial seed!”

After looking at Esika with a serious expression for a moment, a smile slowly began to appear on the Emperor’s lips.

The Emperor looked at Resban once, and then turned his gaze back to Esika.

His eyes were filled with expectation.

“What do you mean by that, can you say it again?”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

The Empress’s hand holding the fork tightened.

Esika opened her mouth and spoke with a calm expression.

“I heard that there is a woman carrying the child of His Highness Prince Breiton, the Second Prince……”

Breiton’s eyelids trembled as his name suddenly came up again.

“But she was murdered by someone.”

The Empress, who had once asked Esika where she had hidden the Cortisan who had fled to her, clenched her fist tightly.