Episode 12
After parting with Reina, Carlheil returned to the imperial palace with a cheerful expression on his face.
Only Bayen seemed annoyed.
“Your Highness, what were you thinking? What are you going to do now?”
Carlheil, who was taking off his coat, tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
“Do you mean what happened at the café?” he asked casually.
Bayen stuttered, his face red with embarrassment.
“In front of everyone! With a noble lady… doing that kind of thing…!”
He couldn’t even bring himself to say the word kiss, but Carlheil smiled slightly.
“You mean how I kissed Lady Reina at the café?”
“Yes! That exactly!”
Bayen nodded repeatedly.
“I’m sure the rumors have already spread all over the capital. Things will get crazy. Are you really okay with that?”
Bayen looked genuinely worried. But Carlheil didn’t seem bothered at all.
He leaned back on the couch and said calmly, “That’s why I did it. So people would talk.”
“What? You wanted people to talk?”
Bayen jumped up in shock.
“Wait… You did that on purpose?”
Bayen knew his master could do anything to reach his goal, but this felt too direct.
“Why would you… do something like that?”
Carlheil rubbed his eyes as if tired.
“She ignored my letters and started meeting another man. At this rate, she’s going to marry him.”
‘Well, that’s natural for a woman looking for a marriage partner,’ Bayen thought but didn’t say.
Then he remembered what Carlheil had said at the café and suddenly clapped his hands.
“Wait, didn’t you say you were going to marry her? But you told me you had no plans to marry anyone. Do you really plan to marry Lady Reina?”
“We’ll see…” Carlheil answered vaguely.
Bayen slumped, confused by Carlheil’s strange obsession with Reina.
‘He seems to like her, but also not? It’s hard to tell…’
“And what about the medicine? Weren’t we here for that?”
Bayen muttered while tidying up, clearly speaking loud enough for Carlheil to hear.
Carlheil sighed and said, “Bayen. I already found the medicine.”
Bayen stopped what he was doing and ran to him, eyes wide.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Just like I thought, Lady Reina had it. I’ll be getting it every three days from now on.”
“The medicine that no one else could find… Lady Reina had it all along?”
Bayen still looked shocked.
Carlheil chuckled. “So stop nagging me about the medicine.”
Bayen let out a relieved laugh.
“I can’t believe the medicine we searched so hard for was with a noble lady in the capital! That’s really lucky.”
Tears welled up in Bayen’s eyes.
“It’s not something to cry about…”
“I’m just so happy! If I had known this, we should’ve come to the capital much sooner. We wasted so much time up north.”
Carlheil clicked his tongue at the sight of tearful Bayen.
He might be a slow man, but he had a soft heart.
“…What matters is that we found it now.”
“You’re right. Lady Reina is truly a lifesaver.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I should’ve been more careful.”
“It was just bad luck. Who would’ve thought a demon beast was hiding there? It looked like a regular house.”
“It really was bad luck. I thought it was just a white rock from far away. I never imagined it was a beast hiding there.”
Bayen remembered the terrifying moment clearly: the beast spreading its wings, children screaming, Carlheil throwing himself in front of them, and the beast’s tail piercing his chest, blood gushing out.
It was the worst moment of Bayen’s life.
Whenever he thought about it, he felt cold. He often thought he should’ve been the one who got hurt.
Carlheil noticed Bayen looking down and said gently, “It’s all in the past.”
The poison that had been eating away at his body for two years… Carlheil had accepted his condition.
If he hadn’t, if he had focused on how close death was each day, he might have broken down long ago.
“But now I have the medicine. It’s over.”
“I’m so relieved,” Bayen said with a calm smile at last.
He still found it surprising that the cure turned out to be a person. But they found it—and he would make sure Carlheil was healed no matter what.
“I’m tired,” Carlheil said, unbuttoning his shirt.
Now that things were finally going his way, he felt exhausted.
“Shall I burn some incense for you?” Bayen asked, wiping his tears.
Carlheil nodded.
Bayen prepared the herbs, lit them in a small dish, and stepped back respectfully.
“Please rest well, Your Highness.”
Only Carlheil remained in the room, surrounded by light smoke.
Three days passed, and the day Reina promised to visit had come.
Carlheil woke up earlier than usual and looked outside.
“Hmm. Good weather.”
His servant, who had come in to help him get ready, glanced out the window and tilted his head.
The sky was full of clouds, and the sun wasn’t even visible.
‘Is this what he calls good weather? Maybe compared to the North…’
The servant placed the washbasin and asked, “Shall I prepare breakfast as usual, Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
But then Carlheil added quickly, “A guest will be joining me later. Prepare one extra portion.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and the guest is allergic to pepper, so make sure none is used.”
‘Pepper allergy…?’ The servant hadn’t heard of that before, but nodded anyway.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Carlheil chuckled after the servant left.
He had made up the pepper allergy, but he couldn’t help but take it seriously.
Then Bayen came in. He looked tired.
“Did you sleep badly?”
“I couldn’t sleep, knowing Lady Reina is coming.”
Bayen glanced at Carlheil, who looked completely calm—despite all the rumors swirling about his kiss with Reina.
‘He must’ve expected this reaction from the start…’
Bayen was impressed again. Carlheil always thought ahead like a true strategist.
Bayen still didn’t fully understand why that public kiss was necessary, but he trusted Carlheil’s judgment.
Besides, if it would cure the poison, who cared about a kiss?
He would’ve danced next to them if it helped.
“When is she coming?”
“Around lunch.”
“Then I’ll tell the guards to escort her directly to you when she arrives.”
Bayen bowed and left, humming.
Carlheil washed his face, looked in the mirror, and got dressed. He had a light breakfast—just milk and toast—and then drank tea while waiting for Reina.
But even after finishing the full pot of tea, Reina didn’t arrive.
“Why is time going so slow today?”
Bored, Carlheil picked up a book but couldn’t concentrate. He ended up standing by the window, watching the entrance road where carriages would come.
But hours passed, and no guest arrived.
When a servant came to call him for lunch, he was startled by Carlheil’s cold, stormy expression.
“D-Do you want to eat in the dining room, Your Highness? Everything’s ready, with no pepper, and an extra plate. Or should I bring it here?”
Carlheil said nothing.
“Your Highness…?”
Just then, Bayen ran in, panting.
“Your Highness! Someone from the Philon family is here!”
Carlheil’s face lit up and he jumped to his feet.
“Where are they?”
“They just passed through the outer palace gate. They’ll be here soon.”
Carlheil waved off the servant.
“I’ll eat in the dining room.”
He sat back down and pretended to drink tea calmly.
Then there was a knock at the door.
But the person who entered was not Reina.
It was the same servant from earlier.
“Didn’t I say I’d eat in the dining room?”
“Yes, but… this came for you.”
The servant handed over a letter.
“A letter…?”
Carlheil couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“I waited all morning and all I get is a piece of paper?”
The servant, trembling, bowed and left.
Carlheil ripped the envelope open and read the letter. Then he shot to his feet.
“What does it say? She’s not coming?” Bayen asked.
Carlheil didn’t answer. He held out his hand.
“My coat.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to the Philon estate.”
There was a dangerous fire burning in Carlheil’s eyes.
Because*you* got her grounded!