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Chapter 692.

“What did you say?” Deorte asked.

"Oh, it’s nothing, Your Majesty.”

Aeria had concealed the truth from Davey until the very end, and in order to distort the memories of the emperor and the crown prince, whom she had followed so dearly, she had resorted to hypnotizing them. This was considered an act of treason, even for a member of the royal family like herself. In fact, what she had done warranted the death penalty. Even then, she did everything she could to conceal her pregnancy.

The fact that Aeria harbored feelings for Davey was an open secret known to many. But Goddess Freyja, the one who granted her the blessing to conceive a child, revealed the truth she had tried so hard to hide.

And although it was Goddess Freyja who had bestowed such a blessing on Aeria, she had cruelly exposed the truth through a miscarriage, retracting her salvation in anger for what Davey had done. Given how enraged she was, it was actually a relief that she had only done this much.

“A pain in the mind is difficult to treat with medical treatment alone.”

“Then what should we...”

“Give me a moment to think.”

The truth was, Davey was deeply taken aback by what had happened to her. Regardless of his resolve after learning about what his mother had gone through, Aeria undeniably had a special place in his heart.

“Let’s wait and see how she does,” Davey said.

While her physical ailments had been taken care of, she was still struggling to wake up.

Then at that moment, Illyna asked, “How is she doing?”

“There’s no immediate signs of danger. You should head back to the Heins Territory. It’s risky for you to be here, especially when we don’t know why the Abyss has been after you so persistently.”

“Who are you treating like a child? And don\'t lie. I bet my presence is just making you uncomfortable.”

“Geez, you really have to be so tactful all the time, don’t you?”

Having heard Davey’s conversation with Perserque, Illyna was aware of the reason for Aeria’s current condition.

But Davey couldn’t figure out why Perserque had decided to let Illyna also know about this information.

“I feel like I’m having a headache. I’m not sure what to do,” Davey said as he put his hand on his forehead..

Walking past him, Illyna then replied, “You sure overthink things sometimes.” She then stopped and further said, “This is something that came up at a tea party with Princess Tanya, Princess Maria, and Yuria Helishana. The thing about you is that...”

Davey looked at her and saw a somewhat bitter expression on her face as she trailed off and paused for a moment.

“You sometimes stick to your principles too much,” she critiqued. “You can also be too nosy at times, and you behave as though you must constantly be free of shame and guilt.”

Davey closed his eyes without saying a word, letting her words sink in.

***

Perserque didn’t say a word to Davey. He knew deep down that he was to blame for the whole ordeal that Aeria was facing. He had given her leeway in thinking that he had feelings for her as well, and Goddess Freyja had taken advantage of Aeria’s vulnerability to bestow on her a dubious gift under the guise of salvation. Aeria had cherished this twisted blessing so dearly, and yet he shattered the fragile hope she was given again.

Davey realized the cruelty of what he did.

In order to wake Aeria up, he needed to delve deep into her mind and coax her buried consciousness to the surface. Her instincts would have normally kicked in by now, but it seemed like the shock she received was too strong this time.

Two days passed with no change. Davey kept on thinking about how he could wake Aeria up and how things didn’t have to end this way. As he struggled to find the answer, he quietly held her hand. He then let out a gentle flow of divine power, feeling his consciousness switch over to the shadowed realm of her mind. He then saw her hugging something in silence.

“Why are you being foolish?”

Rather than feeling sorry for her, Davey couldn’t stop the frustration from spilling in his voice when he spoke, because he knew he wasn’t someone who should be receiving this much affection from Aeria.

Now that she was physically well, she could meet a fine man who would truly love her—a man, no matter what he was capable of, who would be willing to love her in the same way that Yulis loved Winley. As the princess of the empire, finding such a man would certainly not be difficult, especially since Emperor Deorte was also looking for someone suitable for her.

“Why must you choose such a thorny path?” Davey asked gently.

At his words, the girl with the turquoise hair, who had been sobbing quietly, flinched and slowly looked up.

“Can I not...”

“...”

“Can I not hold on to any part of you?”

For a fleeting moment, Davey remained silent. Then he proceeded to say something else entirely, leaving her question unanswered.

"Let\'s go back," he said. "There are many people waiting for you."

“Please just let me go...”

“Princess Aeria.”

“I... I don’t want to be a burden to you anymore. I don’t want you to struggle because of me.”

Instead of dismissing Aeria as simply complaining, Davey gently pulled her into his arms.

“You won’t.”

“... What?” she said while looking at Davey with widened eyes.

“I remember the things you said you wanted to do with me. Drink tea while watching the sunset. Grow older together, look back on these moments, and realize that we were right and that we were happy. To say that we had a good life together.”

This was what she had said when she had collapsed in the garden, bursting into tears and holding her mask as if she were going to break it any minute. And perhaps Davey might’ve already imagined a future with her because of the sincerity she had shown him back then.

Davey realized that teasing her was rather amusing, and it was something he knew would trouble him down the road.

“... Prince Davey?”

“Yes. There’s no point in hiding my feelings now. I can’t completely love only you,” Davey confessed, knowing that Perserque was also a part of his life. “But I’ll do my best. Will this do?”

Tears filled her eyes at what he said.

“If anyone thinks our relationship is a problem, I will take care of them.”

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled away from her, just far enough so he could kiss her.

***

Perserque had been leisurely enjoying tea with Rinne and Illyna within the imperial castle while Davey was busy tending to Aeria, whose condition wasn’t immediately life-threatening, much to his relief.

“Rinne asks why Lady Per doesn’t feel jealous over human emotions.”

“Haha. Jealousy... I get extremely jealous.”

“Can’t understand. Request for further explanation.”

Davey was aware that it didn’t make sense for her to allow him to take multiple wives, given that she was driven with jealousy. As he continued to eavesdrop, he began to think that Perserque didn’t love him, which was why she allowed him to keep Aeria close to him.

“Rinne,” Perserque said as she affectionately stroked Rinne’s head. “The feeling of jealousy sometimes has the advantage of being able to have the person you love to yourself.”

Her hand ceased its caressing on Rinne’s head as she looked up, saying, “But is that true for everyone?”

“Rinne has determined this concept to be difficult to understand, even with advanced artificial intelligence.”

“There is only one Davey in this world. If he devotes himself to making me happy, I also have no other choice but to reciprocate with the love he deserves,” Perserque replied. “Being the first or second wife is not important. What’s more important than such a ranking is Davey. And as someone who knows him well, I know that he’s not someone who would act carelessly without taking responsibility.”

“Perserque... Then are you saying that it would be alright for Davey to take more wives?” Illyna asked with a serious face.

“Who said that?” Perserque responded.

Then, in a surprised voice, Illyna answered, “What?”

With confusion written clearly on their faces, Rinne and Illyna looked at Perserque.

Seeing their expressions, Perserque smiled reassuringly and reached out to hold Illyna’s hand. She then said, “I have no intention of letting some random vixen linger around Davey. He did have many women throughout his life, but he’s been resolute, drawing a clear line with all but two. So what I’m saying is...”

Perserque looked at the two as her smile slowly transformed into a smirk.

“Seize the opportunity when it’s given.”

***

Aeria suddenly woke up. With Davey’s hands in hers, she desperately looked around. Then, as soon as her gaze met his, she started crying in his arms.

Emperor Deorte, confused by the sudden turn of events, tried to call in the imperial physician, but Davey stopped him with a shake of his head.

The emperor, sensing the change in atmosphere, turned away and said, “I see. So that’s what happened.”

***

Shortly after, the Rowane Kingdom and the Lyndis Empire initiated discussions on an international marriage. And unlike the time when Davey married Perserque, he was now someone who wielded sovereign authority over a kingdom. Plans for an engagement ceremony were then in the works for the princess, whom the emperor fiercely protected.

Given how it hadn’t been that long since he had gotten married, some of those who knew Davey were in shock when they found out he was engaged again. But no one dared to comment about it. Instead, the prevailing mood was the reason he was getting engaged now rather than later. Of course, there were those who condemned him, commenting on his change in attitude after declaring himself to be a ‘hen-pecked husband,’ but Davey had no time to deal with such criticisms.

“When should the engagement ceremony be?” Emperor Deorte said.

“It’s completely unreasonable to make a mother who has recently miscarried adhere to such a schedule,” Davey replied.

"Huh. Stop acting like you care now after everything that happened.”

“Since she will be my wife, I will not allow any mistreatment of the princess, even from you.”

“You really thought this through, didn’t you!” Deotre exclaimed, but his expression remained relaxed. He then added, “Don’t make Aeria cry.”

“Your words seem too affectionate for an emperor to say,” Davey said.

“When it comes to being fathers to their children, a commoner and an emperor are no different.” Then, as he stroked his chin, Emperor Deorte said with a sense of bitterness, “Stubborn girl. You’re leaving me in the end.”

Davey then turned away, shifting his attention to where Aeria was chatting in the garden.

As a beastfolk, she had a keen sense of smell. That was why, when he got near her, she immediately turned and spotted him, her surprise written on her face.

“Prince Davey!”

She ran toward Davey, her face lit up with a brilliant smile. But then she paused briefly, glancing at Perserque, then back at Davey.

“What are you waiting for? Give him a hug,” Perserque said to Aeria.

“Uh...” Aeria stammered.

With a flustered expression on her face, she closed her eyes, seemingly mustering her courage. She then rushed to Davey and gave him a tight hug. And as though she were trying to commit his scent to her memory forever, she rubbed her face against him.

At this, Davey smiled and quietly said, “It’s beautiful.”

Hearing the compliment, Aeria looked up at Davey with a beam. “T-That is...”

“These are the clothes Aeria made a while ago. I\'ve heard that you stayed up late for several nights sewing them yourself, truly believing the engagement was going to happen,” Perserque said.

Her natural elegance and simplicity were accentuated by the ceremonial robe, which matched her turquoise hair perfectly.

Seeing her ceremonial robe reminded Davey of the time when Perserque and the others had tried to plot their engagement by fooling the two of them. Thinking of this, Davey looked at her with astonishment.

“Do you not like it?” Aeria asked.

“No, I do.”

Davey realized that keeping her at arm’s length was no longer necessary since she was going to be his wife soon. So he caressed her cheek and gave her a kiss, but his eyes immediately widened right after. He then turned to look at Perserque, who had been watching the two of them, and reached out to grab her hand.

It then dawned on him that keeping the fragile peace they had was like walking on thin ice, but he also knew that he should cherish the moment while he could still do so.

“I almost forgot. Prince Davey. I made lunch for us. Let’s...”

But just then...

“Waaa! She ate it all by herself!!” Blue Ribbon wailed out of the blue. “I smelled something... Something delicious... But Red Ribbon... Red Ribbon ate it all by herself!!”

Davey turned to see the source of the outcry. He then saw Blue Ribbon crying while holding a picnic basket. Meanwhile, Red Ribbon was in front of her, unsure how to react. Then, with an expression that seemed to say she was innocent, she shook her head in denial, her red hair fluttering.

“Red... Red Ribbon didn’t do anything!”

She tried to defend herself, but Blue Ribbon wasn’t convinced.

“Waaa! Red Ribbon is mean! Mean!”

Seeing Blue Ribbon in tears, Red Ribbon also started crying. It was clear that neither of them was lying.

‘But then, who ate the food?” Davey thought.

“Oh goodness... There was so much more food than they could finish by themselves,” ”Perserque murmured in disbelief, pointing out that the food shouldn’t have vanished so quickly.

Davey glanced around and spotted a small, white wing peeking out from behind a far-off tree. He then approached as furtively as he could and discovered Rinne, who was looking at the food with gleaming eyes.

“Detected high sugar content. Rinne values this highly and determines that high-quality taste data can be collected.”

Bingo.