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Chapter 19
Marquis Crain, upon hearing that, flew into a rage in sheer disbelief.
“How dare the Crown Prince—what right does he have?!”
“Earlier, the imperial physician paid a visit and concluded that Lady Eleanor is suspected of malnutrition.”
Albert continued in an extremely businesslike tone.
“When I last saw her, she was not in such a state, which raises suspicion of abuse on your part, Marquis Crain.”
At the outrageous choice of words, Marquis Crain recoiled and protested in shock.
“Abuse?! I merely helped her manage her weight ahead of the wedding!”
“I’m simply relaying the imperial physician’s opinion. In any case, please take your leave.”
“I must see the Crown Prince.”
Julia lifted her chin stiffly, as if refusing to accept that, and made her demand. But Albert shook his head.
“He is not here at the moment. He has gone to the Emperor’s Palace to seek permission for his marriage to Lady Eleanor.”
Still stunned by the Crown Prince’s excessive decisiveness, Marquis Crain stood frozen as Albert gave a brief bow and stepped outside. The Crown Prince had already issued a strict order—so even if Albert felt uneasy, nothing would go wrong.
‘Why did she suddenly write so many letters?’
He glanced at the ten letters tucked inside his coat. They were the ones Eleanor had urgently asked him to send out immediately.
‘Shouldn’t I at least inspect them?’
Albert still couldn’t trust Eleanor. Who knew what those letters contained—and yet he was supposed to obediently send them out himself?
In the end, he changed direction toward his own room and began opening the envelopes one by one with a letter knife.
“…Ha.”
Before long, the contents were revealed—and all ten letters were identical.
Albert’s expression twisted strangely.
“His Majesty asks that you return at another time.”
Despite being turned away the moment he stepped into the Emperor’s Palace, Renatus listened calmly as the attendant continued.
“As you know, Prince Cosimo’s wedding is scheduled for this afternoon, so he is occupied with preparations.”
It was an absurd excuse. His father, who was sharp in such matters, could not possibly be unaware of what had happened in the palace the previous night.
Nor was he naive enough to believe such a lie. It simply meant that the Emperor truly did not wish to see him. Not that it was anything new.
“Tell him the wedding will be canceled today.”
At Renatus’s casual remark, the attendant flinched and hurried away.
Shortly afterward, he returned and spoke quietly.
“You may enter.”
Renatus headed straight for the audience chamber.
As he stepped inside, his father—who was supposedly busy preparing for a wedding—was leisurely reviewing documents.
Snow-white silver hair. Deep crimson eyes. A broad jaw contrasted by a warm, approachable face.
Renatus quietly studied the face of the man he could hardly find any resemblance to.
Perhaps their blood bond was not so strong—both of his sons had inherited more of their mothers’ features.
“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor. Glory to Mestre.”
Renatus offered proper respect to the middle-aged man who shared little in common with him. Emperor Otto III frowned and addressed his son.
“What nonsense is this? The wedding will be canceled?”
“Lady Eleanor stayed in my palace last night.”
Renatus spoke directly, dropping any pretense. One of Otto III’s eyebrows lifted.
“We are in love.”
“You foolish boy.”
The rebuke came instantly.
“You would steal your brother’s woman?”
“That is a misunderstanding.”
Renatus replied calmly.
“We had feelings for each other even before the marriage talks began.”
“And yet the Empress tried to arrange a marriage with Marquis Crain?”
“It was a marriage decided without Lady Eleanor’s consent.”
Following the script he and Eleanor had prepared the night before, Renatus continued.
“She revealed her relationship with me and refused, but Marquis Crain still pushed forward with the marriage to Cosimo. When she continued to resist, she was recently confined in the Crain estate.”
Renatus adopted a deeply sorrowful expression as he pleaded his case.
“She barely managed to escape last night and came to me, Your Majesty. How could I possibly abandon such a woman?”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
Otto III pointed out the flaw in the story with an incredulous look.
“If what you say is true, that would mean Marquis Crain preferred his daughter to become the Second Prince’s wife rather than the Crown Princess.”
“I cannot understand it either. I attempted to persuade him on that point, but…”
At that moment, Renatus’s gaze sharpened.
“For some reason, the Marquis seemed intent on forming ties with the Empress’s family. Given that my maternal background is rather lacking, it’s not entirely incomprehensible…”
Still, it’s not easily understood, he implied meaningfully, watching Otto III’s reaction. Seeing his hesitation, Renatus decided to drive the point home.
“Your Majesty, I truly love Lady Eleanor.”
He had never once drawn his father’s attention over a woman. That spotless record would lend weight and sincerity to his claim.
“Though the situation has become awkward due to the prior marriage arrangement with Cosimo, can I truly abandon the woman I love?”
Renatus knelt on one knee before the Emperor.
“Please grant your permission for our marriage.”
“This is not something that can be decided by my permission alone.”
After a long pause, Otto III rubbed his chin with a troubled expression.
“Do you think your mother will remain silent?”
At the inappropriate phrasing, Renatus nearly lost his composure, but barely managed to steady himself.
“I will try to persuade the Empress. She must be deeply upset by this matter.”
“Are you confident you can persuade her?”
“…Perhaps.”
At the repeated provocation, Renatus lowered his head further to hide his expression. He could not afford to reveal even a sliver of his true thoughts to his cunning father.
“Then I will take it that Your Majesty has granted permission, and I shall take my leave.”
Renatus swiftly concluded the matter and rose to his feet.
As he turned his back on the Emperor and walked away, his expression instantly turned cold.
A memory surfaced—Eleanor’s cautious words from the previous night.
“If my revenge is to place Your Highness safely on the throne and purge my father… would you find me monstrous?”
Even thinking about it now, Renatus let out a silent laugh.
Did she realize? That no one could understand her desire for revenge as well as he did.
‘Monstrous? Not at all, Eleanor.’
I have been dreaming the same dream long before you.
Following the imperial physician’s prescription, Eleanor rested for about an hour with a heated stone placed on her waist.
“Is it always like this after the first night?”
Genuinely curious, Eleanor asked the physician who had come to examine her.
No one had ever explained such matters to her before.
“…Of course not.”
“Then why am I…?”
As Eleanor looked genuinely puzzled, the physician hesitated briefly before answering.
“Well… in cases where the man is particularly well-developed in the lower body, the woman may experience pain similar to yours.”
Or if he has excessive stamina…
Trying his best to phrase it delicately, the physician’s meaning dawned on Eleanor a moment later, and her expression stiffened.
“I see. Thank you. You may go now.”
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, she quickly dismissed him.
Though she hadn’t seen it directly, it certainly hadn’t felt ordinary. Feeling her face heat up, Eleanor regretted asking at all. It would have been better to remain ignorant than to be this embarrassed.
“I will assist you with your bath now.”
An hour later, Madam Pereto approached Eleanor with a cold expression.
Eleanor carefully made her way to the bath, while Madam Pereto made no effort to hide her reluctance as she removed Eleanor’s dress.
“Gasp…!”
Suddenly, Madam Pereto sharply inhaled in shock.
