#74
“Send them in.”
Enrique decided to meet the ambassadors like this instead of going to the reception room. It was the very early stages of pregnancy. He didn’t want to risk losing the child he had just obtained by moving around carelessly. Of course, it was also to prevent the Ruben side from unnecessarily offending him by giving the impression that he was resting.
Shortly after, one of the Ruben ambassadors entered the bedroom as a representative.
The ambassador’s gaze immediately fixed on Enrique’s lower abdomen as he removed his hat and gave a slight bow.
“I heard you are with child. I sincerely congratulate you on obtaining an heir.”
“Thank you.”
Enrique replied briefly with a slight smile.
“Our Prince has returned urgently to Ruben in response to a summons from His Majesty the Emperor. We hope there will be no misunderstanding.”
The ambassador spoke politely, carefully observing Enrique’s expression. He seemed concerned that Anture’s abrupt departure for Ruben might be used as a pretext for complaint. The child Enrique was carrying now was Shamier’s heir according to the agreement. For Ruben’s side, it was important to maintain this marriage firmly until they could safely obtain the next child.
“Misunderstanding? Not at all. It’s common for couples to live apart due to unavoidable circumstances during married life. Tell him I’m fine and to focus on state affairs. I don’t mind if he returns only when it’s time to conceive our second child after I’ve given birth to this one and recovered.”
The ambassador gave an awkward smile at Enrique’s blunt words. Enrique added before the ambassador could say anything unnecessary:
“Two years. He should come in two years. If he doesn’t show up then, I’ll have no choice but to consider it a breach of the agreement and send divorce papers. Neither of us wants that, I’m sure.”
“Of course, Your Highness. The Prince will certainly be here at Shamier’s royal palace in two years. There must be no mishap in producing Ruben’s heir.”
The ambassador promised with an artificial smile. Enrique nodded with a satisfied smile.
*
Days of just eating, sleeping, and resting without working were unbearably tedious. For Enrique, who was used to spending each day productively, it was an excruciatingly boring time. But Enrique didn’t venture out of his quarters rashly. Even for a superior omega, it was best to be careful in the very early stages of pregnancy.
Pol, Kisha, and Julian came in and out frequently to keep Enrique company. Kisha in particular had even sent a letter to her husband saying she would stay at the royal palace until Enrique gave birth. Julian also declared he would stay at the palace for the time being instead of commuting from his mansion.
For a while, there were no signs.
Given that Enrique’s heat had broken out and knotting had occurred, the pregnancy was certain. But as no particular signs appeared, anxiety gradually built up. Of course, this was excessive worry. After about two boring and tedious weeks, symptoms slowly began to appear, and after about a month, the signs became clear.
“…so I think that mare must have… Enrique?”
Enrique blinked at the sound of his name reaching his ears.
“Oh, did I doze off again?”
Kisha nodded in response to Enrique’s question.
“Constantly dozing off is definitely an early pregnancy symptom. I was the same in early pregnancy. I spent every day dozing like a sick chicken, not knowing how the days passed.”
Kisha excitedly shared her experience. Enrique raised his hand to stop the story he had heard so many times he was sick of it.
“That’s enough about that. So what about that mare?”
As Enrique brought up the story he had half-heard while dozing, Kisha continued with an excited face.
“So, I think that mare must have conceived Casto’s foal.”
“Mare? Casto?”
Enrique asked, blinking his eyes, and Kisha nodded.
“Yes. I definitely saw it yesterday. Can you believe it, Casto was doing it with some mare. So I told the stable keeper to keep a special eye on that mare and take good care of her. If she’s pregnant with Casto’s foal… you know? You promised to sell me one of Casto’s foals.”
Kisha wore an excited expression, having turned her one-sided proposal into a promise. Judging by her dreamy eyes, she was undoubtedly imagining a foal that looked just like Casto.
“How would you know if the foal will look like Casto or the mare?”
Enrique said gruffly. He had already been in the process of finding a suitable mare to pair with Casto, but Casto couldn’t wait and went ahead and did it. Casto was indeed a male after all.
“No way. I want a foal that looks exactly like Casto. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to raise it well and ride it around? I’ll groom it myself and feed it too.”
“Do as you like.”
Enrique replied dismissively. It wasn’t even a foal from a carefully selected, well-bred mare. There wasn’t much to regret.
Kisha, who had been smiling at the prospect of getting Casto’s foal, observed Enrique’s expression and spoke.
“By the way, I heard the Prince arrived safely in Ruben.”
“Ah.”
Enrique responded briefly with an expression of little interest.
“But there’s a widespread rumor that he had a big fight with the Emperor in a private audience as soon as he arrived at the imperial palace.”
“Hmm.”
“It’s not clear what they fought about, but there’s talk that the Prince was seen leaving the Emperor’s office with a split lip and visible blood.”
“Oh.”
Enrique just made short, indifferent exclamations. Kisha carefully observed Enrique’s expression with narrowed eyes.
Suddenly, a yawn came on. Enrique swallowed the emerging yawn. Though he avoided the unsightly act of yawning with his mouth wide open, his eyes became moist with physiological tears.
“You seem very sleepy. It might be good to take a nap now.”
Kisha suggested. Indeed, with his head feeling fuzzy and his body lacking strength, it was time for a nap. As Enrique nodded, Pol quickly approached to help him lie down on the bed.
After Kisha said goodbye and left, Pol carefully covered the windows with thick curtains. The bright daylight disappeared, and a cozy darkness fell over the bedroom. Enrique lay on his side, hugging a soft pillow, and closed his eyes.
Although he had been drowsy enough to nod off earlier, sleep didn’t come easily.
‘But there’s a widespread rumor that he had a big fight with the Emperor in a private audience as soon as he arrived at the imperial palace.’
‘It’s not clear what they fought about, but there’s talk that the Prince was seen leaving the Emperor’s office with a split lip and visible blood.’
Kisha’s words echoed in his ears.
He had returned after successfully completing the mission of conceiving a child. So what could be the reason for such a big fight with the Emperor that it became rumored? If his lip was split, it meant he had definitely been hit at least once. What could have made the Emperor so angry?
“…To think an Emperor would lay hands on his grown son.”
Enrique muttered disapprovingly, despite having hit Anture himself several times. He didn’t like the Emperor’s behavior. Anture also had his dignity and prestige as a prince. Rumors of a grown prince being hit by his father would inevitably damage that prestige.
His dissatisfaction with the Emperor quickly shifted to dissatisfaction with Anture.
It was unwise for a grown adult to cause public discord with his father. Moreover, to be hit and to show signs of being hit, what a disgrace.
“How stupid.”
Enrique muttered, hugging the pillow in his arms even tighter. And he clicked his tongue softly. What was the point of thinking about Anture who was far away? It was a waste of mental energy.
Enrique tried to clear his mind again and attempted to sleep. But unlike earlier when he had been nodding off, sleep didn’t come easily. Instead, his mind filled with various complex and subtle emotions and thoughts.
Enrique let out a low sigh and opened his eyes. As he brought his hand in front of his face, the ring that had been on his finger for years glittered as if announcing its presence. Enrique looked at the ring and his finger where it was placed, imagining Anture’s fingers. The sensation of their fingers intertwined, fitting perfectly between each other… that feeling…
Enrique had to admit it. He missed the large, firm hand that used to hold his. He missed the strong arms that used to embrace him and the solid, sturdy chest. He missed Anture’s scent and his gaze too.
“Anture…”
Enrique murmured Anture’s name softly, almost whispering.
Although it had been only about a month since he left, all the time and moments spent with him felt like a distant dream.
You clearly said you loved me, so how could you leave me so easily without any lingering attachment? Even if I pushed forward with my plans, we still had four long years left. At least during those few years, we could have stayed by each other’s side and enjoyed our love, even if it had an expiration date… Why did you throw even that away?
“I resent you, Anture.”
Enrique murmured softly and forced himself to close his eyes and try to sleep. His tightly closed eyelids felt hot as if burned, but fortunately, no tears fell.
