ALL NOVEL Chapter 68
“Prince, wh-what do you mean by sleeping together?”
As soon as Acella heard my declaration, her face was clearly flustered.
I understood her feelings. It’s much more comfortable to sleep alone. Having someone snoring and grinding their teeth next to you is just annoying.
But right now, a strong prescription is necessary. If Acella refuses to show her pain any longer, then I have no choice but to take a firm stance.
“If you’re not going to talk about those stomach cramps, what can I do? The attending physician needs to check on you directly every night.”
“Is that even logical?”
“If Your Highness keeps ignoring it and something goes wrong, that would be even less logical.”
“No.”
Even I thought it was a perfect logic. The great Acella was left speechless, her mouth flapping open and closed.
Now, who’s the one getting punished here?
In truth, I wouldn’t mind sleeping in Acella’s room every night.
Her room is spacious enough, like a field, so there’s plenty of room to lie down. I could just bring a sleeping bag and be done with it.
Thanks to my experience in the hero party, I can sleep well even on stone floors. I’m sensitive to movements, so if Acella even groans slightly, I’d wake up immediately.
“Prince, are you serious?”
“Have you ever seen me joke about my work?”
Acella puffed up her cheeks in response and started smacking my shoulder with a pillow.
“Get out.”
“Wait a moment. You need to give me a clear answer. None of the problems are being resolved…”
“Get out!”
In the end, I was forcefully expelled from Acella’s room.
Seriously, she always does as she pleases.
As Acella unfolded her crumpled gown, which had been mashed by her face all night, I noticed a lot of people lingering in the corridor.
Of course, there was Bruno, who had been on night duty, as well as Tanya, the Head Maid, and Acella’s knight guards.
It seemed everyone had been worried all night since Acella was in serious trouble.
But why are they grinning so irritatingly?
“Congratulations on your return, Young Master.”
Tanya was the first to greet me.
Why did she call me Young Master again?
*
The Imperial Palace.
It’s the grand and magnificent red building located at the center of the palace.
Only a select few nobles and foreign envoys who wait for months are eligible to enter there.
Not to mention, that’s to meet the Emperor, the ruler of the Empire.
“Cough cough, hmm!”
As the Emperor’s cough deepened, the three attending physicians began moving urgently.
They checked on the Emperor seated on his throne and then gestured to the noble who had come to pay their respects.
“That’s all for today.”
“Uh, your majesty.”
Even though the allotted time hadn’t been completed, and there were still matters regarding the territory to communicate, it couldn’t be helped.
The noble retreated, and the Emperor walked toward his office.
One of the physicians continuously cast healing spells, but his cough wouldn’t subside.
“Please take a break for today.”
“There’s quite a bit of work to do. Bring me the documents.”
At the Emperor’s command, the secretary brought forward a stack of documents awaiting approval.
Various budget reports within the Imperial Household, permits for local nobles to deploy troops, and diplomatic documents.
Thanks to the conquests he initiated in his youth, the Empire had grown tremendously.
One person couldn’t possibly manage everything, yet he didn’t entrust the important state affairs to anyone else.
That’s because he believed that true trustworthy aides were only his children.
If he were to hand over important parts to others, they would inevitably go astray or lead to betrayal.
Thus, even after the wars and the expansion of the Empire, he continued to handle core duties personally, and he had done so even into his old age.
‘At least things are getting a bit better now.’
He had entrusted some regional management to the aging Gunter and Heike.
George, Lau, and Acella are still young. They lack experience. However, each of them will soon hold one pillar.
Gradually, the Emperor’s burdens would lessen.
If one day all other heirs fell by the wayside, the burden would fall entirely on one person.
Just like it had for him in the past.
Having never experienced failure, the Emperor thought the path he walked was the right one, repeating it for the next generation.
“Cough cough!”
“Your Majesty.”
The physicians were deeply worried. The Emperor sensed that he didn’t have much time left.
At the very least, he wanted to see his children demonstrate their maximum abilities in a fair showdown.
What if, perhaps, this departure prompts George to awaken and become a ruler more formidable than Gunter or Heike?
He feared that he might die without witnessing his children’s growth and be remembered as a pitiful Emperor who failed to designate a proper heir.
The Emperor wanted to leave no blemish on his life.
The very reason he began controlling the magics he used during the war was also tied to this.
Magic has too high a probability of accidents.
Above all, there’s Camilla.
That witch is far too greedy. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten entangled with her over that powerful magical weapon.
‘But Acella is more remarkable than I thought.’
The Emperor had only regarded Acella as a weapon of the Imperial Family, but after seeing the Moonlight Palace after Camilla left, his preconceptions were slowly changing.
Even at her young age, Acella possessed extraordinary intelligence and a remarkable understanding of state affairs.
Giving each heir a palace was precisely to evaluate their abilities, just like now.
‘The knights showcased excellent abilities during the martial arts tournament, and her economic sense is outstanding too. She has a knack for gathering talent.’
As he skimmed through the documents, the Emperor’s eyes fell on a report from the Moonlight Palace.
“Gothberg.”
What an interesting young man he was.
The report was written by him.
Flip, Turning the page revealed recent volunteer activities conducted at the Moonlight Palace.
The statistics of the patients he treated were neatly listed.
Most importantly, the efficacy of the cough medicine he had developed was clearly noticeable.
Over 90% of patients showed improvement from using the cough medicine, and there were no side effects for the elderly.
“Hmm.”
The Emperor didn’t remember every detail of the conversation he had with Gothberg during the trial by combat.
However, he was certain that he was a man who keeps his promises and provides proof.
“Ambrosia.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor summoned the chief physician with a command.
“I will try the medicine Gothberg brought.”
“The medicine… understood.”
The chief physician was slightly hesitant, but the Emperor’s command came first. He immediately prepared the medicine.
Based on Gothberg’s actions in the Inner Palace, it was also judged that there was no reason for him to harm the Emperor.
The Emperor swallowed the black bean-like cough medicine along with water.
“Umm.”
A moment later, the Emperor felt his long-standing cough cease, and he enjoyed the sensation of relief in his chest.
“Oh.”
A smile spread across the Emperor’s face. He spoke to the chief physician.
“Ambrosia, go and relay my message to Gothberg.”
*
“Your Majesty wishes to additionally present more medicine.”
“Indeed. It seems that your cough medicine greatly pleased him.”
Ambrosia, the Emperor’s chief physician, came to relay the imperial decree directly to me.
When receiving the imperial decree, one must show respect as if the Emperor is right in front of them, so I suddenly found myself kneeling in my office.
However, since the subject was a girl around Neria’s age, I found it hard to take it seriously.
Well, Ambrosia isn’t really young; she has just been stunted from the talent she possesses as a healer.
She claims to be a distant relative of the previous saint. If we consider it, she might actually be related to me too.
Is the price of being a saint always stunting one’s growth?
“I will uphold the imperial decree.”
I showed my respect and stood up.
“Really, this is great…! Production, production….”
“If there’s anything you need for cooperation, please let me know.”
Chloe and Hugo were also enthusiastic.
“Hmmm, isn’t it a good opportunity? Expand your influence in the Inner Palace.”
I wanted to grow the faction a bit more. But with my office being so small right now, it won’t be easy.
I want to get Ambrosia’s cooperation.
Even a few words from her to another faction would make tasks considerably smoother.
Should I try to charm her a bit?
“Thank you for the advice. However, the Inner Palace is currently quite solidly structured.”
“I know very well, too. With the fall of the second prince’s faction, Falkenhayn’s influence has weakened, so the once-strong Bishop Alberich seems quite pleased.”
“Haha, isn’t the one with the strongest hold in the Inner Palace ultimately you, Lady Ambrosia?”
“Hmmm, you seem to understand the hierarchy well. Exactly.”
Ambrosia puffed out her chest proudly.
“She seems to forget that Bishop Alberich and Lord Falkenhayn are being supported by her, and that her position as the Emperor’s personal physician means she can silence anyone if she truly wants.”
Ambrosia doesn’t need to expand her faction since she is the Emperor’s chief physician, and if she puts her mind to it, she would be the easiest person to increase her influence in the Inner Palace.
“Of course. Is there anyone greater than you, Lady, in terms of faith and divine power in the Inner Palace?”
“Oh dear, flattery will get you nowhere. I won’t help the third princess’s faction just because you flatter me.”
Even though she said that, it was evident that Ambrosia didn’t hate the blatant flattery.
“It’s not flattery. To me, you seem much greater than any physician.”
“…You do have a point.”
A chuckle escaped from Ambrosia’s lips.
She clearly enjoyed it.
Ten years later, Neria had also been cursed with stunted growth and felt complex about her height, so when I used similar praise referring to her height, she became really pleased.
“Hmmm. Physician Gothberg, do you have any supplies you need to prepare for fulfilling the Emperor’s decree?”
I got her bait.
“Actually, the medicine I intend to present to His Majesty is something I want to take extra care in producing. With this environment, I’m a bit worried about the quality.”
“Hmm… You have a point.”
Ambrosia glanced around my messy office, filled with clutter, and agreed.
“Is there an unused office on the first floor? Preferably around 200 pyeong.”
“Is that much needed?”
“I need space for storage, manufacturing, surgical rooms, and various purposes.”
“There is space available. Isn’t the faction of George effectively on hiatus? Talk with Falkenhayn. If you reach an agreement, I will help push it forward.”
“Haha, I appreciate your acceptance. You truly have a generous heart.”
“A generous heart… heh, maybe so. Just a bit.”
Pleased by my compliment, Ambrosia puffed out her small chest with confidence.
As soon as she left my office, Chloe turned to me.
“It’s not that big, right?”
“Shh.”
Tanya just shrugged, seeming a bit displeased after overhearing our conversation.
“Are you really planning to move your office, Teacher?”
“Pfft. Did you think I’d keep going up and down those four floors forever?”
“You need to build up your stamina a bit more.”
“I do exercise. I just hate situations where I have to do it when I don’t want to. You understand what I mean, right?”
“No.”
Tanya shook her head, looking at me as if I were pathetic.
Honestly, that was harsh.
I started sucking on a candy as I prepared to meet Falkenhayn.
‘It’s a chance for the Empire’s head to take my medicine.’
This can be the opportunity for medicine, which is slowly spreading, to take off in the Empire all at once.
Since it’s a rare chance, I’ve got to utilize it actively.
*
After finishing my work, I got ready to take a shower, tired from the day’s activities.
I changed into my sleepwear and unfolded the blanket when clack, the door opened without a knock.
Thinking it was Bruno again, I was surprised to find an unexpected figure standing there.
“Your Highness?”
Acella, in her pink pajamas, was staring at me with a pout.
She held a large pillow in her arms.
The shadow of the pillow partially obscured Acella’s face, illuminated by the dim light of the night lamp.
“…What are you doing?”
“What about you? What are you doing?”
Acella seemed to fidget with her lips for a moment.
Her fingers caught on the doorknob, unsure of what to do, and then finally, tap, she closed the door, leaning her back against it shyly.
In a voice that was barely audible, Acella murmured.
“…Let’s sleep together.”