Chapter 33
“The Second Prince’s bedroom door hasn’t opened today either, has it?”
“My gosh, still? Hasn’t it already been a week?”
“They must have amazing chemistry. Even the First Prince didn’t spend this long on his wedding night.”
Maids passing through the corridor of the Second Prince’s palace whispered among themselves. Their chatter drifted like birdsong through the morning sunlight.
“Must be nice. I wish I had been born with fire mana.”
“As if that alone would be enough. Compatibility matters too! Compatibility!”
“That’s true. But those two… they’re just too compatible. Whew, it’s getting hot in here!”
“Oh, you—!”
The giggling maids burst into laughter. A young man with brown hair walking behind them frowned deeply.
He coldly questioned the maid walking at his side.
“Are those the new recruits?”
“Yes, Steward. They were urgently hired to serve the Second Princess Consort.”
“Training them was your responsibility, Izolde. Don’t tell me you’re going to say you didn’t have time to train them?”
Lucius glared at Izolde, who had been answering calmly. Startled by his sharp look, she hurriedly added,
“My apologies. I’ll dismiss them all.”
“And?”
“I’ll make sure their mouths are sealed tight, so nothing leaks outside. You have no need to worry.”
Lucius finally turned his gaze forward upon hearing her firm response. He stared at the maids ahead of him.
To be fair, he couldn’t blame the maids entirely.
Most of what they said was true.
Today marked the seventh day since the Second Prince had spent his wedding night with his new bride. As if proudly showing off their honeymoon, the two hadn’t emerged from the bedchamber.
Thus, Lucius had to leave their meals outside the bedroom every mealtime.
Thankfully, the trays returned empty, indicating they were at least eating. But no one entered or exited the room.
“I hope they come out today.”
Lucius rubbed his temples and murmured.
The royal banquet to welcome the new member of the imperial family was scheduled for today, a week after the wedding.
It was the first family gathering, typically hosted by the Emperor. But as the Emperor was bedridden, the Empress would host instead.
So it would be the first meeting between the Empress, the First Prince and his wife, and the Second Prince and Princess Consort.
The Empress’s palace had been in an uproar for days preparing for it—cooking, decorating, and assigning staff.
The Empress seemed to be putting special effort into welcoming the Second Princess Consort.
It was unthinkable for the Second Prince and his wife to miss such an event. Lucius sighed quietly.
‘Surely, even in the midst of honeymoon bliss, they haven’t lost all sense.’
Even so, he couldn’t just knock on the door of a couple in the throes of newlywed passion.
Lucius moved on, hoping that Franz would remember what day it was.
The clinking of dishes woke Alessia. As her long lashes fluttered, a gentle voice sounded beside her.
“You’re awake?”
Franz greeted her with a bright smile and kissed her forehead.
She winced slightly at the touch of his cool skin. Though they’d touched countless times now, she couldn’t get used to it.
“How are you feeling? Still dizzy?”
“I’m fine.”
Alessia responded stiffly and tried to sit up. Franz moved naturally to help her, propping her against the headboard.
“Lucius prepared your favorite—French toast.”
Franz watched her expression carefully as he cut the toast into small pieces.
Alessia stared blankly at the tray of food before her.
Today marked a full week.
She hadn’t left the room once. She spent her days eating the food brought to her, all because Franz was worried about her condition.
But what bothered her more than her health was being constantly in Franz’s presence.
“I can feed myself.”
Even more burdensome was Franz’s relentless care.
She turned her head, awkwardly asserting herself. Franz gave her a sheepish smile.
“You still seem weak.”
Alessia sighed at his overprotectiveness.
“I told you—I’m fine now.”
When she emphasized her point, Franz slowly nodded. Still, he couldn’t stop studying her complexion.
‘He’s treating me like an invalid.’
Alessia sighed again and began eating the toast. She was becoming numb to the intense gaze fixed on her.
A week ago, Alessia had collapsed in response to Franz’s mana.
The moment she lost consciousness, he had immediately withdrawn his mana and began caring for her.
Once she woke up, he claimed he needed to stabilize their mana connection—and continued to hold her close.
Under the pretext of calming their mana, Franz spent the entire week with her—day and night.
The more she was in his arms, the more her nausea subsided, and the stronger the bond between their manas became.
But the more stable that connection became, the more painful it was for Alessia.
Not because of mana.
It was a different kind of pain—one that had nothing to do with magic.
“Drink some juice too. Here.”
Alessia was growing used to Franz—this kind, affectionate version of him so different from the man she remembered in her past life.
That made it all the more painful.
As she sipped her apple juice, she looked at him. He was focused on slicing more toast for her.
His devoted manner was hard to reconcile with the Franz of her previous life.
He almost seemed like a reformed man, determined to be a good husband in this life.
And, deep down, Alessia found herself hoping that might be true.
Because as much as she hated him… she had once loved him enough to nurture that hatred.
But life was never that kind.
As Alessia recalled the past week, her expression darkened.
Franz had been endlessly gentle to her—but always with a purpose.
He was not the kind of man to do anything unless it benefited him.
Alessia knew him well. This kindness wouldn’t last forever.
“We have to attend the royal banquet today.”
“I know.”
Alessia answered quietly, running her fingers over the water droplets on her glass.
She wanted to ignore reality. To stay here just a bit longer. But…
“It’s mandatory, isn’t it?”
“Are you uncomfortable?”
Franz looked troubled by her muttered words. He gently took the glass from her hands and said,
“It’ll be a short meal.”
He studied her face as he added,
“If you’re not fully recovered, we can postpone it. Nothing is more important than mana stabilization.”
When Franz emphasized “mana” again, Alessia’s eyes dimmed. She shook her head.
“You don’t need to worry about that. You checked just last night.”
Last night, too, Franz had held her close—under the excuse of stabilizing their mana connection.
Mana had become the reason he wouldn’t let her go.
Every time he embraced her, he whispered that their bond was purely for mana—so she shouldn’t turn away from him.
As if she didn’t already know.
“I was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic anyway. It’s fine.”
Alessia forced a smile and looked at Franz. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
“So, the wedding night is finally over.”
Alessia said it while watching his hesitation. His dark gaze lingered on her for a moment before drifting away.
“You know, the whole palace is buzzing about how well you two get along.”
Alessia’s fork stopped midair, just above the smoked salmon salad.
She was now in the Empress’s banquet hall.
After her awkward conversation with Franz in the morning, she had returned to her own bedroom.
Though it was only separated from Franz’s by a thin wall, just being in a different space made her feel as though a great wall had risen between them.
Of course, Sara didn’t see it that way.
While dressing Alessia, Sara fussed over how much the Second Prince adored her.
At first, Alessia didn’t understand. She figured it was just about their extended honeymoon.
But when Sara brought out a dress with lace going all the way up the neck, she realized what the fuss was about.
‘He’s practically stamped his mark on you. Not that it’s necessary—everyone already knows you’re his.’
Sara’s grumbling comment had turned Alessia’s face bright red—so red that she barely needed makeup.
“The Second Princess must feel very secure. The Empress gifted her a Roshanak necklace and she has the Prince’s love. What a blessing!”
Recalling Sara’s fussing, Alessia looked up and met eyes with Glenna.
Glenna smiled at her with crescent eyes.
