Ch.15818100428 (5)

A week had already passed since I began staying at the imperial palace.

A story that was both short and long, depending on how you looked at it.

As if to prove the journey thus far.

The scent of approaching spring erases the last traces of winter that had settled over the seasons.

The fresh fragrance of green leaves drifts through the window.

The completely melted snow, the pure white world, the cloud-covered sky—all of these things humble their footprints.

The world becomes soft and fluffy, like paint dissolving from a wet brush.

We spend our days in quiet, peaceful routine.

‘It’s peaceful.’

Leisure.

Perhaps a value that reconsiders a life once bloodshot with strain.

The atmosphere of the imperial family was exceptionally calm.

‘Of course.’

It wasn’t just about taking it easy.

Even after the treatment ended, there was a reason why I stayed at the palace for a while.

It was for the sake of the rose.

-It feels strange not to be in pain.

-I’m a bit confused.

-The reality of being completely healed is still vague, and I’m not sure about His Majesty… I think I still need time.

Literally.

Elise needed time to adjust.

There was a gap of 10 years, after all.

Now that her body had recovered and she was free from the wheelchair, she needed to get used to walking on her own.

This process was essential for a young lady facing a new world and new stories.

Once she returned to the academy, she would be taking many steps.

Perhaps it’s easier to think of it as a grace period for tomorrow.

‘Besides.’

I wanted to give her family time as well.

Valkaros, Sharlotte, and Elise.

After untangling the threads that had been knotted for so long, they were finally beginning to understand each other.

I hoped they would talk while staying at the palace.

It was a small consideration that might have been meddlesome.

‘The atmosphere doesn’t seem bad either.’

Perhaps it was because he was such a doting father.

Valkaros was actively trying to close the distance with his princesses.

Of course, since the 10-year gap was by no means short, it was also true that they had a long way to go.

But what mattered was that hope was gradually sprouting.

Whatever path they took would be incomparably better than their past.

I could only believe that tomorrow would shine a little brighter.

“Judas.”

Anyway.

We lived each day in bustling activity.

Even if it wasn’t a long leisure.

“Hoo… this is still tough.”

“Good work, Your Highness.”

The rose collapsed into the prepared wheelchair.

Her clothes were damp with sweat.

She had just finished her daily physical training.

In truth, the training consisted only of walking around the garden, but even this was a significant challenge for Elise, who had rarely had the opportunity to move.

“Your stamina has improved a lot. Today you moved around for nearly half a day.”

“My whole body is aching like crazy…”

“That’s because you’re using muscles that have been neglected.”

“It was more comfortable when I just used the wheelchair.”

“You complain every time, but once you start, you always give it your all.”

“I can’t remain disabled in my legs forever.”

“That part of you is truly admirable.”

The girl always gave her best effort.

Once she got up from the wheelchair, she would keep walking until she was completely exhausted.

Her eyes, no longer dark, shone with resolute determination.

As if she was determined to overcome her present condition and reach a recovered tomorrow.

“I never expected you to be so passionate.”

“Well, I made a promise.”

Poke-

A finger pokes my cheek.

At the end of my gaze is a meaningful smile blooming like a wave.

Her seductively curved eyes were somehow fatal.

The rose says:

“That I’ll always be by your side.”

“……”

“For that, I need to be at least a little healthy.”

“Your Highness is truly wonderful.”

“No need for flattery.”

Elise shrugs her shoulders as if to say it’s unnecessary.

I stroke the girl’s head.

Her damp red hair resembled flower petals in the morning dew.

Just by placing my hand on it, I could feel the heat from her tired breathing.

But it wasn’t particularly unpleasant.

Perhaps due to her natural scent, she smelled like spring flowers.

Seeing that she didn’t even have the common smell of sweat, I wondered if royalty truly belonged to a different species.

I clear away these idle thoughts.

“You’ll have good news soon.”

“I hope that’s true.”

It wasn’t just empty words.

Although it was still too much for her to engage in intense activities, her recovery was steadily progressing.

I was confident that she would be able to stand on her own in the not-too-distant future.

When that happens, would my role as her physician no longer be necessary?

In a way, it made me feel a bit sad.

We had accumulated quite a lot of memories during this time.

-I am honored to meet the second star of the Empire.

-I am Judas Snakus, who will be serving as Your Highness’s physician from today.

To think that was already five months ago.

It was a moment that made me newly aware of the passing seasons.

We walked in silence.

Step, step-

The rolling wheels and footsteps leave the garden.

As I push the wheelchair in momentary silence, the girl suddenly opens her closed mouth.

What followed was a quiet call.

“Um… Judas.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Was it my imagination?

The rose’s voice was somewhat subdued.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Hmm?”

A favor?

I show interest in the suddenly dropped subject.

It was rare for her to express herself so directly.

Elise hesitates, struggling to continue.

‘What is it?’

The rose with a stiff expression.

She had seemed lost in thought for a while, but what could she want to say that made her hesitate so much?

I became rather curious. I look down at her green eyes as if asking for the reason.

The girl slightly averts her gaze.

Then she parts her lips.

“I’ve thought about this a lot.”

“You’re uncharacteristically beating around the bush.”

“Because it’s that important to me.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“I was wondering… if you could continue to be my physician from now on.”

“You mean the imperial physician…?”

“More specifically, my physician.”

I was only temporary.

Having accepted Sharlotte’s request to serve as a temporary physician, it would be right for me to step down now that the problem had been resolved.

My position was already ambiguous since I hadn’t gone through the proper procedures in the first place.

I had been preparing the relevant documents for the past few days.

And now this proposal, or rather, request.

“An official appointment, then.”

“A physician isn’t only needed when you’re sick.”

She was right.

A physician’s duties included examinations, consultations, management, and other basic aspects.

A physician was a role dedicated to patients in a broader sense.

Elise adds, as if conscious of me:

“His Majesty has already given permission. No one will object to that decision.”

Of course.

For the girl, I came first.

“I won’t force you if you don’t want to. I’ve already received so much from you. Just having you by my side is enough.”

I was silent for a moment.

What should I say?

Would it be right to call this straightforward, or thoughtful?

Being in the position of a princess, she could have been forceful.

The girl mutters, barely audibly:

“I don’t want to do anything that would make you hate me.”

“Even if you had, I wouldn’t have hated you.”

I smile softly.

There was no trace of her usual thorny demeanor, only a docile flower in bloom.

The authoritative princess was just a vulnerable girl in front of the boy.

A side she showed only to me, no one else.

Neither Valkaros, nor Tanya, not even Sharlotte would know.

That the rose, famous for her prickliness, could be this gentle.

Our gazes cross and intertwine.

“You’re quite adorable at times like this.”

“…Will you just answer me?”

Flushed cheeks.

In her leaf-like pupils, only golden hair was reflected.

Her eyes showed no interest in anything else.

Swish-

A strange sense of transgression tickles my heart.

I swallow the smile that escapes and gently caress her pale cheek.

Her attachment is fully conveyed through my palm.

The lukewarm body temperature was coolly hot.

Only then do I answer.

“I have no reason to refuse.”

“……”

“I never intended to be anyone else’s physician anyway.”

“Then…?”

“I will gladly accept.”

Her expression instantly softens.

A small relief.

Then, regaining her usual composure, she adds.

It was an extension of the request that started with the physician.

“And one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“The treatment I’ve been receiving… I’d like it to continue.”

“The mana stone disease should already be completely cured, though?”

“I just want to keep receiving it. Is that not possible…?”

“There’s no reason why not. It’s true that it has excellent effects on mana circulation. If you wish to continue receiving it, it will probably be more like a massage from now on.”

“Good. Please do that.”

Elise nods.

For some reason, she seemed strangely pleased.

“This treatment… Have you ever done it for other people?”

“Hm? Not particularly, but why…?”

“Don’t do it elsewhere. Especially not for other women.”

“That’s not a difficult request.”

“…It’s an important matter to me.”

“I’m a person who keeps promises.”

“Yes, I’ll believe you.”

A soft laugh.

Suddenly, the rose grabs my sleeve and pulls me closer, as if wanting me to come near.

Without any resistance, I bend my waist to meet her eye level.

Our lips were separated by just a breath’s distance.

Slender arms wrap around my neck.

The girl embraced me as if clinging to me.

With a seductive whisper in my ear:

“You are my physician forever.”

“Delightful words.”

“I won’t let you leave.”

“I had no intention of leaving in the first place.”

“Always remember.”

Her voice stretches like several strands of thread.

Words threaded through a needle connect and unfold into meaningful sentences.

The corners of her eyes curve.

“You are the most precious person to me.”

Chu…

Elise kisses my neck.

Just like the mark she left last night, she leaves a reddish trace on the boy.

The sensation of skin being covered, the touch of a hot tongue, and the rough breathing.

As she pulls away, glistening saliva stretches between her lips.

The girl smiles mischievously.

“Understood?”

There was a clear marking on my neck.

Had she developed a taste for it recently?

Since the night she first left a mark, the rose had been renewing it daily.

Thanks to that, the embarrassing mark showed no signs of fading.

I mutter with a troubled smile:

“This mark… His Majesty was angry about it two days ago.”

“It won’t be erased in the future. I plan to keep leaving it.”

“I hope you’ll show some restraint.”

“I want to get back to the academy soon. I want to show this to that vixen.”

“I’d appreciate it if you would also refrain from clashing with Miss Irene…”

“The beast is the one who acts arrogant first.”

Voices go back and forth in a flurry.

We continued our conversation for a while as we crossed the long corridor.

At the end of our steps lay the next schedule.

‘Dinner.’

Valkaros.

Dinner with the emperor, who had recently been constantly proposing state papers.

I walked with a bitter smile, worried about being pestered again today.