Side Story 9
That evening, Elonia, after hearing about the letter from Lucius, was shocked.
“You left a letter?”
“Yes. I met His Majesty early this morning and asked him to deliver it…”
Lucius’s eyes flickered with anxiety. He had a bad feeling about this.
Elonia, seeing his expression, didn’t need further explanation.
Slam!
“Dad!”
She dragged Lucius to Artius’s office. Artius, who had been grumbling to Aaron about something, jumped up in surprise.
“Elonia? And Lucius…?”
“Dad.”
“Your Majesty.”
Artius, seeing their knowing gazes, averted his own. Aaron, clicking his tongue, discreetly left the room to save his boss from further embarrassment.
“I’ll leave you two to talk.”
He practically skipped out of the office, relieved to be escaping the impending drama.
Artius was trapped.
Elonia marched towards him and held out her hand.
“…”
Artius, like a guilty child, pulled the letter from his desk drawer and handed it to her.
Elonia retrieved the letter, but she couldn’t read it. Lucius, his face as red as if he had been caught with a secret diary, stopped her.
Elonia, baffled, asked,
“What? Why are you stopping me?”
“Please read it when I’m not here…”
Ah. Elonia understood.
It would be cruel to make him listen while she read a letter written in the throes of early morning anxiety.
She decided to deal with Artius first, sparing Lucius for now.
“Why didn’t you give this to me?”
“…”
Artius couldn’t answer. He couldn’t explain his pathetic actions to his daughter.
Elonia, who wasn’t a naive child anymore, clicked her tongue, her voice filled with disapproval.
“Seriously, Dad, is your love life the only thing that matters to you?”
“I’m sorry…”
He felt pathetic, more pathetic than he had ever felt in his life. He wanted to die.
Elonia, looking at her ashamed father, sighed. He was so pathetic that she didn’t even have the energy to scold him.
“Whatever. Do what you want.”
“W-wait!”
Artius desperately grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. Elonia, annoyed, glared at him.
“What now?!”
“W-well…”
Artius hesitated. But appeasing Philemon was more important than his pride. He looked at Elonia with pleading eyes, abandoning all pretense of dignity.
“…Is your mother still angry?”
“Ha.”
Elonia scoffed. She pitied him, but she wasn’t going to help him.
“It’s your fault she’s angry, so you should be the one apologizing, not me.”
“Elonia.”
“Don’t even think about stopping me again. Let’s go, Lucius.”
“Y-Your Highness, wait.”
Elonia turned away coldly, and Lucius, caught between them, hesitated, then quickly followed her out.
Artius, left alone, slumped in his chair, sighing deeply.
The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was tense. The Empress and the Crown Princess were both in a foul mood, and the Emperor, caught between them, was cowering like a scolded puppy. The palace staff, seeing this, all reached the same conclusion.
His Majesty must have done something to offend Her Majesty.
Despite the cold war, they still had their family meals together, and Artius and Philemon still shared the same bed. But Artius was clearly suffering.
He finally decided he couldn’t take it anymore.
“I have to go somewhere.”
“Where are you going?”
“…It’s a secret.”
He left the palace, ignoring Aaron’s questioning gaze.
Aaron sighed deeply.
‘He’s up to something. I hope it’s not something stupid.’
He had aged considerably lately, his face creased with worry lines. It was unfair. He was the same age as Artius, and yet Artius seemed to be getting younger every day.
Just as Aaron, lamenting his fate, was heading towards his office,
“Uncle Aaron!”
“Garnethia?”
He ran into Garnethia in the hallway. She, now a capable official, smiled brightly and rushed towards him. Aaron patted her head.
“What brings you to the Main Palace?”
“Hehe, Her Highness asked me to deliver this to His Majesty.”
She handed him a folder, her smile still bright and cheerful. Aaron, his expression turning slightly awkward, said,
“His Majesty is currently unavailable.”
“What? B-but Her Highness said he would be in his office…”
Garnethia, flustered, fidgeted nervously. Aaron suppressed a chuckle. Who would think this anxious young woman was the Crown Princess’s cold and efficient chief assistant, Garnethia Bereta?
She would always be a child in his eyes. He smiled gently and held out his hand.
“He must have left shortly after Her Highness contacted you. I’ll take care of this.”
“Thank you, Uncle!”
Garnethia nodded, relieved.
He thought she would leave, but she hesitated, then whispered,
“Uncle, where did His Majesty go?”
She seemed worried. Elonia must be struggling with Artius and Philemon’s marital dispute.
Aaron hesitated, wondering if he should tell her about Artius’s suspicious outing.
‘Her Highness’s birthday and engagement ceremony are just around the corner. I shouldn’t worry her.’
Elonia wouldn’t be affected by their argument.
He whispered to Garnethia,
“He’s trying to apologize to Her Majesty.”
“Apologize?”
“Yes. So tell Her Highness not to worry.”
“Yes, Uncle…”
Garnethia nodded slowly, and Aaron, watching her leave, murmured to himself,
‘Your Majesty, please don’t do anything stupid.’
He didn’t want any more wrinkles. It was unfair that Artius was getting younger while he was getting older.
Philemon, having finished her work before Artius, returned to their bedroom to find it empty.
They had an unspoken rule.
No matter how much they fought, they would always sleep in the same bed and eat together.
Philemon, despite her earlier anger, had softened, seeing Artius’s anxious and apologetic demeanor. She even felt slightly guilty.
‘I was too harsh that day. I didn’t tell him about Lucius staying the night.’
She decided to talk to him when he returned, to apologize and make up.
She waited for him, but he didn’t return, even after she finished her bedtime routine, the tea she had prepared growing cold. She paced anxiously around the room, then looked out the window.
‘Why isn’t he back yet? He didn’t even send a message.’
He usually sent a message if he was going to be late, telling her to go to sleep. But there was no message today.
‘Just wait until he gets back.’
Her earlier guilt vanished, replaced by anger.
Just as the air around her turned cold,
Knock, knock.
“Philia, I’m back.”
“It’s this late, and you’re just—?”
She stopped mid-sentence. A large bouquet of flowers, its vibrant red blossoms strangely fresh despite the late hour, filled her vision. Her anger melted away, replaced by surprise.
“What’s this…?”
Artius, who had been hiding behind the bouquet, peeked out, his face a mixture of fear and anticipation, like a boy confessing his love for the first time.
“I wanted to apologize, so I… tried my best.”
“Apologize…”
Philemon stared at the bouquet, then, her eyes narrowing, asked,
“Did you apologize to Elonia and Lucius properly?”
“Yes, I did!”
Artius replied instantly, then added cautiously,
“…Although I couldn’t completely appease Elonia’s anger. Lucius told me later that she liked the flowers from this shop.”
He held the bouquet out to her, his eyes wide and pleading.
“I’m sorry, Philia. I was selfish and inconsiderate. Please forgive me…”
Philemon stared at the bouquet, but she didn’t take it. Artius’s shoulders slumped.
‘So it wasn’t enough.’
He had been inconsiderate towards his daughter and future son-in-law. And he hadn’t even tried to change his behavior, even though he knew it bothered Philemon. It was natural for her to be angry. Just as he was about to lower his arms in defeat,
“…I’m sorry too.”
“P-Philia?”
Philemon apologized, and Artius, surprised, shook his head.
“No, you had every right to be angry.”
“No, I shouldn’t have yelled at you in front of Elonia. I was being inconsiderate.”
Philemon clutched her negligee, her face filled with remorse.
She had been given a second chance at life, a miracle she hadn’t expected. She had wanted to live happily, surrounded by her family, showering them with love.
But somehow, it hadn’t worked out that way. She had been so afraid of them getting hurt that she had become overprotective, her vision narrowing, her heart constricting.
“I know you and Elonia wouldn’t get seriously injured, even with real swords. But I still didn’t want you to take any risks, so I used Lucius as an excuse to scold you.”
“Philia…”
“I’m sorry, Artius. I caused so much trouble for you and everyone else with my childish tantrum.”
Philemon bowed her head. Artius didn’t know much about the real Philemon’s past. But he wanted her to smile, to be happy.
He couldn’t resist the urge to embrace her. He pulled her close, his embrace firm but gentle, and smiled.
“I like it when you’re stubborn.”
“…!”
Philemon flinched, surprised by his words. Artius, his voice warm and gentle, continued,
“I want you to rely on me. I was able to enjoy this precious life thanks to you. So I want to repay you, tenfold, no, a hundredfold.”
“Artius…”
Philemon’s eyes turned red, tears threatening to spill. She couldn’t stop them. Artius gently wiped away her tears.
“I love you, Philia. I’ll do better. Please don’t apologize.”
“Artius…”
He pulled away slightly and wiped away her tears. He had never seen her cry like this before, like a child, and it made his heart ache. Their gazes fell upon the bouquet.
“Ah.”
The roses were slightly crushed. Artius panicked.
“I-I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow. A better one. Let’s just forget about this one.”
He hastily tried to hide the bouquet behind his back. Philemon, instead of laughing, said, her voice soft,
“No, I like this one.”
“Philia?”
“You bought it for me. So it’s mine.”
She pouted slightly, like a child, and Artius, unable to resist, let her have it. Philemon, buried in the red roses, smiled sweetly.
“Thank you.”
Her smile melted his heart. The bouquet might be crushed, but if she liked it, that was all that mattered.
“I’m glad you like it. But I’ll still buy you a new one tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll look forward to it.”
Philemon smiled playfully, and Artius nodded.
She took his hand and leaned against him, her voice soft.
“Let’s work hard from tomorrow. We have to do our best as parents, so Elonia can have the happiest birthday.”
“You’re right.”
Artius, his cheeks flushing slightly, nodded.
One week left.
Elonia’s birthday was just around the corner.