TMLOH 46

Chapter : 46

“Arellin.”

“Hm?”

Today, Pession’s gaze felt even more burdensome than usual.

With his sparkling eyes, he handed me something very suspicious.

“Try drinking this.”

A mysterious brown liquid shimmered in the glass.

My instincts immediately screamed nope.

“What is this?”

“Just drink it first.”

“What is it?”

“It’s something good for you!”

No way—this doesn’t look good at all!

Despite my suspicious stare, I didn’t have the strength to resist Pession’s pushiness.

“Here, drink up.”

“Mmmp!”

“Chug, chug, chug!”

What is this, alcohol?!

He practically forced it down my throat, and I had no choice but to gulp it down. Pession even clapped like he was proud of me.

“Good job, Arellin.”

“Ugh. It tastes weird.”

It reminded me of the red ginseng extract my mom used to force down my throat before competitions, insisting it would help my body recover.

“So what is this?”

“A tonic?”

“A tonic?!”

“Yeah. It’s super rare. My dad used to drink it.”

“…?”

Did I hear that right?

“Your dad?”

“Yeah.”

Pession was the crown prince.

So his dad is—

“You’re kidding me!”

I swore without realizing it, then froze. Did he really steal the Emperor’s tonic? Is he a spy? Maybe he actually hates me?

“How do you feel?! Do you feel healthier?”

“How would I know?”

“Like, do you feel stronger? Breathing easier? Anything like that?”

“You think just one drink would cause some miraculous transformation? That’d be an elixir, not a tonic.”

“!”

Pession’s eyes widened, like he just had a revelation.

No.

No way, right?

“An elixir would be even better!”

“What’s better about that?!”

Just then, chaos erupted from beyond the estate.

What’s going on?

The moment I wondered that—

BANG!

“Kyaa!”

A scream rang out as my door suddenly burst open.

Isn’t that door broken?

As I stared blankly at the creaky door, a knight dressed in the Royal Guard’s uniform locked eyes with me.

“My apologies, Lady. I sincerely beg your pardon for the intrusion.”

“Huh? Sir Hynt!”

Pession tried to play it cool—only to be immediately seized.

Snatch.

“Eh?”

He was suddenly grabbed and started flailing, while Griam smacked his forehead in realization.

“?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Now, come along, Your Highness.”

“EEHH?!”

“We’ll be seeing you again soon, my lady.”

With a polite bow, the knights vanished like the wind. I could only blink in a daze.

What the hell just happened?

Imperial Palace

“Pession.”

Pession was dragged before Emperor Edward.

The emperor, radiating quiet fury, glared at his young son.

“Was this your doing?!”

Flinch.

Pession quickly averted his eyes. Watching him fidget, Edward’s sigh deepened.

The one who dared steal the Emperor’s tonic…

Turns out, it was the crown prince himself!

Unbelievable.

“You touched my tonic, of all things?! Did I raise you to behave like this?!”

No one suspected that the free-roaming young prince would target the bitter tonic no one else wanted.

“You can’t just treat everything like a joke!”

“I wasn’t joking!”

Pession looked genuinely wronged.

“If you weren’t joking, what then! Are you saying you actually drank it?”

“I didn’t drink it, but someone did!”

At that point, it didn’t matter who had consumed the precious tonic.

Realizing that it hadn’t been wasted as a prank, Edward’s anger eased slightly.

“Then go on—explain yourself.”

“Well, actually…”

Pession opened his mouth with a pout. His explanation was jumbled, but Edward understood the gist.

“So basically…”

To sum it up in one line—

“You gave it to a sick friend.”

“Yes.”

“Hah…”

Edward let out a dry chuckle.

If he’d done it for himself, out of curiosity, or just for a prank, Edward would’ve seriously scolded him.

But for this reason… he couldn’t even be mad.

‘He gave it to a sick friend, hoping they’d get better!’

Oh, my son.

‘How can he be this sweet?’

Kindness wasn’t necessarily a virtue for a crown prince, but it was more than enough to move a loving father’s heart.

Edward was hopelessly soft when it came to his son.

“Well, if your intentions were that noble, I suppose I can forgive it just this once.”

“Wow!”

Pession was touched. He had fully expected to be handed over to Sir Pasel for a round-two punishment session.

“Father!”

“Yes, yes. By ‘sick friend,’ you mean Duke Halbern’s daughter?”

“Huh? How do you know that?”

“Heh. There’s nothing in this empire I don’t know.”

“Wow!”

“You’ve been chasing her so loudly, did you think no one in Pegritsa would notice?”

“Oh…”

Pession had been so focused on following Arellin around, he hadn’t realized. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment as the truth hit him.

“The entire palace already knows that you like the Halbern girl.”

“L-Like her…”

“You don’t?”

“I do!”

With his face bright red, he bowed his head deeply. Seeing this, Edward felt something stir within him.

‘When did my son grow up so much?’

He was old enough to fall in love now. Edward’s chest tightened with emotion.

“Do you really like her that much?”

Instead of answering, Pession lowered his head again. Just seeing how shy he looked gave Edward the answer he needed.

‘He really does… sigh.’

Edward smacked his lips in frustration.

Of all people, the Halbern girl?

‘No wonder the nobles are staying quiet.’

The emperor wasn’t oblivious to what the aristocrats were thinking as they watched the crown prince head to the Halbern estate every day.

‘A terminally ill girl.’

Even if she were officially declared crown princess, she wouldn’t live long.

The Halbern family couldn’t be threatened, and opposing them would only make enemies, so better to hold their breath and wait.

And even if by some miracle she survived to adulthood, she likely couldn’t bear children.

“Pession.”

“Yes?”

“My son…”

Edward looked into his son’s eyes—eyes that mirrored his own. Silver hair, red eyes. He had passed down everything.

With such resemblance, even their personalities were likely similar. That same tendency to love only one person, deeply.

‘That must be what Azeni is worried about.’

But Edward didn’t share Empress Azeni’s view.

‘The Halbern girl isn’t dead yet, and her condition hasn’t worsened. Who knows what could happen?’

Miracles did exist.

As a father, he wanted to support his son.

“You want to cure her illness?”

Caught off guard, Pession hesitated, flustered.

“It’d be nice if she got better…”

“Yeah, good health is always nice.”

“Right?”

“And you want to make her your crown princess?”

Pession stayed silent but lowered his head again, red as a beet. Edward burst out laughing.

“My son, don’t be so impatient.”

Edward offered advice.

“Did any of your achievements happen overnight? Health is no different.”

He gently stroked Pession’s head.

“Take things step by step. Rushing it will only make things worse.”

“…Yes.”

“And I’ll help you with the tonic.”

“Father!”

Pession was moved to tears.

“Take the royal physician and visit the Halbern estate.”

“Father, you’re the best!”

“So.”

My personal doctor, the royal physician, and crown prince Pession all stared at me proudly as they placed a strange, grotesque-looking liquid in front of me.

“You want me to drink that?”

It was green. Thick. Bubbly. It looked like it could kill someone if taken the wrong way.

“Arellin, I had this made just for you!”

Made what? A curse?

The royal physician smiled proudly as he began explaining.

“This tonic was brewed with a 30-year-old Serendani root, the rare Foren sprout leaf harvested only in the forest of Gasa trees, and the tears of the elusive beast, Greenloom—”

What are you even saying, nerd.

“It’s designed to support the young lady’s vitality, kidney function, and digestion—”

I stopped listening.

Whatever. It probably just means it’s ridiculously expensive.

“You’ll drink it, right?”

“Haa…”

Why is this my life?

“I went through so much trouble to convince Father, and brought the royal physician all the way here! You’re definitely going to drink it, right?!”

“…I will.”

The pressure was too much to resist.

And the moment I took a sip—I thought I’d throw up.

“BLEEAAUGH.”