TPWTM 27

The capital was turned upside down. The case took a turn when an accusation against the empress erupted during the trial of the Chevinelle family. Marquis Getanil and several other nobles from the empress’s faction came forward and confessed that the empress was the one who had orchestrated the riot along with the eastern lords, providing numerous ledgers and slush funds as evidence.

However, that alone was not enough evidence to clear the various charges against the Chevinelle family. The charges of assassinating a royal family member, treason, and insurrection still remained. Although it was difficult to properly prove the charges with the evidence brought by the First Prince Lazhwell, the real incident broke out afterward.

Through the First Prince Lazhwell, the crown prince of the Uzzhal Kingdom came to visit the empire in person. Due to their sudden arrival as a secret delegation, it was revealed that Empress Vistete and the colluding nobles of her faction had neutralized the eastern lords and requested troops from Uzzhal. For attempting to seize the imperial throne by bringing in an external enemy, Empress Vistete was immediately confined to the palace for treason.

This incident was so immense that the fact that the Second Prince Raoben might not be of legitimate blood was somewhat buried, but the empress had fallen.

In addition, it was revealed that the culprit who had attempted to assassinate a royal family member during the riot that started with the rain-making ritual was also a mercenary unit commissioned by the empress. Although it was not attempted, the empress had planned to kill the First Prince Lazhwell with mercenaries, incite a riot, seize the opportunity to enter the imperial palace, and even eliminate the emperor. This plan became known to the world when the empress’s lady-in-waiting collected and revealed letters sent to some nobles.

The First Prince Lazhwell announced a massive purge of the nobles involved in this incident.

As everyone held their breath and watched the situation unfold, the Chevinelle family was finally able to return to their original position.

And that was synonymous with the fact that both Karon and Yurik were incredibly busy.

Yurik was busy organizing documents. The work at the Administrative Palace was pouring in without a day’s rest. After the fall of Empress Vistete, the First Prince Lazhwell finally ascended to the position of Crown Prince. As a result, tasks that needed to be cleaned up and matters that needed to be re-approved piled up on his desk. The most urgent matter was undoubtedly the hunting competition that Lazhwell, now the Crown Prince, was holding in commemoration.

As the purges of nobles continued one after another, this hunting competition was held on a rather grand scale, as if to completely shake off the gloomy atmosphere.

The Crown Prince of Uzzhal, who had arrived as a delegation, would be participating, and on top of that, the summer festival season had arrived, so it was being held in conjunction, which meant there were countless things to prepare for, including the banquet that would follow. The capital was already in a festive mood.

“Haa, Sir Delord. Has the approval for the matter to be submitted to the prime minister today been processed?”

Yurik called for Sir Delord as he stamped his approval on the documents for the mobilization of laborers to be used in the hunting competition. However, there was no answer. Yurik, who had hurriedly passed the documents to look at another, raised his head after a long silence, only to frown and lower his gaze back to the documents.

The office door was wide open, and Sir Delord was nowhere to be seen, having gone out at some point. Instead, another person was standing there with his arms crossed, staring intently at Yurik.

Disheveled, casually swept-back red hair. Deeply furrowed brows, as if something was very displeasing and not to his liking. And vivid golden eyes. The man, dressed in the commander’s uniform of a knight in a splendid palace, was Karon Chevinelle, who had only returned to the knight order today.

Karon let out a sigh, haa, as he watched Yurik ignore him even after seeing him. Since that day in the courtroom, Yurik, who had returned to the Windsor family’s mansion and hidden himself, had not shown even a glimpse of himself to Karon.

Even after that, he refused all meetings, saying he had to clean up the aftermath, and even when the incident was all resolved, the Chevinelle family was settled, and the servants were called back to the newlywed mansion to tidy it up cleanly, Yurik did not respond to Karon’s calls.

Nevertheless, upon hearing the news that he was diligently going to work at the Administrative Palace, as soon as his position was restored and he was able to enter the imperial palace, he had cast everything aside and rushed over. Karon leaned against the doorway, glaring at Yurik with a tilted face, then strode to the front of Yurik’s desk and tapped on it.

“My dear husband, won’t you look at the face of your husband who has been waiting so desperately that he has spent his nights in tears?”

Yurik, his eyes fixed on the documents, gripped his pen, then bit his lip firmly and shot to his feet.

“How did you get here? I don’t think it’s time for you to return yet.”

“I whined because of someone. I asked them to let me return a day sooner.”

“……”

“Why do you keep avoiding me? Yuri, did you save me for this?”

“Wait, just a moment.”

“I can’t even wait for a moment. I’ve waited too long.”

As Yurik tried to turn his back, Karon reached out and placed a hand on Yurik’s cheek. Yurik, who flinched at the touch, looked at Karon. Karon turned Yurik’s gaze, which was trying to look away, toward himself and said.

“To see this face, I’ve waited too long.”

Yurik could not bring himself to look at Karon and lowered his eyes. Looking into such eyes, so close and filled with such rich emotion, made his heart flutter. Karon, seeing that Yurik was not properly making eye contact, furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

“Why won’t you look me in the eye? Weren’t you supposed to give me a proper answer?”

“An answer to what.”

“That answer from back then.”

“Back then?”

“What I asked in the courtroom.”

Yurik recalled that day. The words spoken in the courtroom. “Do you love me?” Karon’s question. The words he could not bring himself to utter. Yurik swallowed dryly, looked at Karon, then deliberately turned his gaze away and awkwardly cleared the documents on his desk. Karon stared intently at Yurik. The gaze felt like it would burn him, so Yurik cleared his throat, ahem, and said.

“Let’s not do this here, let’s go out and talk.”

Karon looked at Yurik with suspicious eyes.

“You’re going to run away.”

“The one who ran away back then was you.”

Yurik, overcome with a surge of anger, glared sharply at Karon. Karon was dumbfounded but could not bring himself to retort and just stuck out his lips in a pout.

“When did I ever run away…!”

“Oh, Sir Yurik, Sir Karon?”

Just then, Sir Delord entered the office. Karon greeted him with a brightened face. He had already heard that he had gone to a foreign country and suffered for his sake. Karon winked and greeted him leisurely.

“Ah, Sir Delord, it’s been a while. How have you been lately?”

“Thanks to your concern, I am doing very well.”

“That’s a relief, indeed.”

“It is good to see you again in good health, Sir Karon. And you two, is the cold war period finally over?”

Delord said with a broad smile. At those words, Yurik’s eyes widened as he asked.

“Cold war period? Who said that?”

“S-Sir Lawson……”

As Delord laughed awkwardly and scratched his head, Yurik gritted his teeth. That Lawson, that loose-lipped bastard. He was spreading rumors about something that was nothing. Karon, who glanced at Yurik, stroked his chin and smiled.

“A cold war period? We don’t have such a thing.”

Karon smiled smoothly and wrapped his arm tightly around Yurik’s waist, pulling him closer. The scent of Yurik’s body, which suddenly came closer, was something Karon had not felt in a long time, and he was about to bury his head in the nape of his neck, but a sudden thought made him shudder and raise his head. It was because he had belatedly remembered that Yurik had been injured in the abdomen.

“Damn it, my hand moved naturally. Yuri, are you okay?”

“I’m fine now.”

“Really?”

Yurik answered calmly. Karon examined Yurik with a serious face. Sir Delord had long been pushed to the back of his mind. Karon, not knowing what to do, grabbed and released the hem of Yurik’s clothes and muttered seriously.

“Are you really okay? No, oh my god, I’m sorry. Has the wound healed completely? Let me see.”

“How can I show you here now?”

“Unbutton your shirt. I’ll just take a quick look and put it back down.”

“Ha, Karon……!”

Yurik was startled as Karon grabbed the hem of his clothes at his waist and tried to lift it, and he grabbed Karon’s invading arm.

“I told you I’m really okay!”

“I need to see it with my own eyes.”

“Ah, hey……!”

In the end, he could not stop Karon, who was pressed close against him and lifting his shirt. He’s so stupidly strong, that’s all he is……! Yurik ground his teeth. Sir Delord, who was watching the scene blankly, smiled brightly and said a word.

“Haha…… You two still seem to be on good terms.”

At those words, Yurik was startled and pulled away from Karon. Yurik tried to clear his throat and made an excuse.

“It’s not like that.”

Although he made an excuse, his earlobes had already turned bright red long ago. Yurik, with an embarrassed face, bit his lip firmly and strode out of the office. Karon, who had been wrangling with Yurik, swept back his disheveled hair and gave Delord a wink.

“Thanks, Sir Delord.”

“Yes? For what?”

“It’s something.”

Karon hummed a tune leisurely and followed after Yurik who had left the office.

Yurik quickly crossed the central courtyard. From behind, Karon followed at a leisurely pace, calling out to him.

“Yu~ri.”

“Yuri!”

“Yurii!”

At his refusal to stop and continued walking despite being called, Karon smirked. He could still see that the back of his neck and his earlobes were red. Karon strode forward and grabbed the arm of Yurik, who was still showing only his back, and spun him around. Yurik looked at Karon in surprise.

“Yuri, if you don’t answer when your lovely husband calls so desperately, I’ll be hurt.”

“Ha, really……”

“Why. Are you trying to divorce me?”

It was a sudden remark. Karon, with a hardened face, intertwined his fingers one by one with Yurik’s. Yurik flinched and looked at Karon. Karon’s once bright face became utterly distorted, sinking into gloom. Karon clenched his teeth tightly and let out a deep sigh.

“Is that really why you’re doing this? Because you found out how I approached you, have you come to hate me? Does it feel like a betrayal?”

“Karon.”

“If it’s because of that…… because of me, then, Yuri.”

“……Karon.”

“I, I will follow your wishes.”

Yurik’s eyes widened as he stared at Karon. Karon, with a face on the verge of tears and deeply trembling eyes, repeatedly opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something but could not. Seeing him just swallow dryly, as if he did not know what else to say, Yurik smiled weakly.

“Karon, did you think I would say something like that?”

“……Isn’t that why you were avoiding me? We are……”

“In a contract marriage. Right, that’s true, well…… let’s say there was that.”

Yurik nodded without a hint of a smile and took something out from his breast pocket. Karon flinched, his eyes darting around. I said it with my own mouth, but could it really be true. Did he really prepare for a divorce. Are those divorce papers? Karon squeezed his eyes shut as they momentarily felt stiff and pressed hard on the corners of his eyes. This is absurd. Truly, truly, he……

“Yuri, I….”

“It’s a marriage certificate.”

“……What?”

Karon, who had tightly closed his eyes, opened them and looked at Yurik. Yurik let out a small laugh and firmly pushed the paper into Karon’s chest.

“A marriage, certificate, I said. I can’t stand you running away, so this time, I must tie you down more securely. A contract marriage? There’s no such thing anymore. Let’s make it official. Let’s, get married properly.”

“……”

“I was a bit late because I was thinking about various situations. You said you needed an answer.”

“Yuri.”

“Yes. I love you.”

For a moment, Karon felt a lump in his throat. Yurik smiled bitterly and looked at him. There was never a single moment when it was not love. Looking back, it had always been that way. The one who can’t let go will not be you, but me. So,

“Promise me. Just one duty.”

“……What is it.”

“That you will forever……”

Stay by my side.

As soon as he whispered those words, Karon pulled Yurik’s shoulders toward him. Their lips urgently met, their breaths mingling. It was a very hasty and urgent kiss. When the deep kiss ended, Karon whispered.

“You’re asking for something so obvious?”

“Ha, really…… Mmph…!”

Karon smiled and kissed Yurik once again.

Eternity was a given. Until death comes, and even after that, I had no intention of letting you go.

“Tell me you love me.”

Pulling his lips away, Yurik looked at Karon’s moist eyes, smiled faintly, held Karon’s cheeks in both hands, and met his gaze.

“I love you.”

Yurik slowly kissed Karon. It was a kiss as sweet as honey, a midsummer’s kiss that melted endlessly.