Chapter 165

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"Empress."

"Greetings to His Majesty."

He bent down to me and held out his hand.

And then his pale face appeared before my eyes.

"You are sick?"

"Oh, a common cold."

"Is it a cold?

"I am very tired of all this fuss with Lisa. It seems that I have become quite old."

Raymond smiled and joked. He was comfortable with me, which was very different from his manners a few days ago.

So he set out to divert the conversation aside.

"They said in your palace that the prince's health is now like that of a bull. I made time to come here and take a walk. Is that possible?"

"Yeah ..." I snapped absently, focusing on his blue lips.

After Helen brought Carlisle, we went out to the imperial gardens together.

There was hardly a trace of Carlisle's poisoning, and now my son could walk.

Carlisle took Raymond and me by the arms and walked in the middle.

"Carlisle, if it hurts where, say it right now."

"But I'm fine. It seems to me that it has already passed."

Carlisle looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes.

All these days my son was trying to find out from me one thing: to cancel the ban on going out.

He spent a whole week locked in a room, so now he was incredibly bored.

"I'm glad that everything is working out. Nevertheless, let's refrain from protracted festivities for now."

I pretended not to know his wishes.

Carlisle's face was grim, but there was nothing to be done until the doctors told him he was completely healthy.

Until recently, after all, he almost died from poison.

The consequences had to be nipped in the bud.

Raymond spoke with a smile on his lips, looking at the drooping Carlisle.

"How about this: I'll give you a present when you get well."

"Present?"

"If the prince listens to his mother, I am ready to say goodbye to the pony that the prince has noticed."

"Wow!"

Carlisle jumped as if he had already got his. And turned his head to me.

"Mom, it's a pony! I will listen to my mother and take medicine!"

His depressed mood disappeared in an instant, and immediately the promise sounded.

"Yes Yes."

"Ahem, ahem."

Raymond released Carlisle's hand and coughed.

Does it seem true that he caught a cold?

"Are you okay?"

"Father, are you sick?"

Raymond shook his head in answer to our questions and waved his hand as if it were nothing.

"It's okay, just a common cold."

He looked down and spoke to Carlisle, who now looked worried.

"Prince, it's all right, don't worry."

But the color of his face was different from what was said.

When did he even have such a terrible cold?

I looked at him.

Raymond looked away at my gaze.

"It's okay, don't worry."

"Oh, mom, there are violets! " Carlisle shouted suddenly.

Releasing my hand, Carlisle bent down, preparing to run towards the violets.

"Wow.

However, after being imprisoned for a whole week, Carlisle went limp, and his legs could barely hold.

Carlisle stumbled and flew forward. I tried to grab it, but Raymond moved faster.

"Ah..."

But now, amazed by what had happened, I stopped all movements.

After all, Raymond didn't catch Carlisle.

Carlisle stood up, rubbing his knees.

And although my son fell to the ground a moment ago, I could not take my eyes off Raymond.

Raymond was now looking at his hand that Carlisle had missed.

He was also very surprised.

"Father."

Raymond's shoulders quivered at the thin voice.

So he looked up and said with a grim face:

"I think I need to rest."

"I see that you have a bad cold."

"It seems so."

Raymond stroked Carlisle's head.

"I feel bad. I'm sorry, but I have to leave you."

"Everything is fine. When you get well, play with me, father."

"Good."

"I will come to you in the evening at the palace."

"No, it's okay. Take better care of Carlisle. I'll take a couple of days off and be like new."

Raymond left. I followed him with my eyes until he disappeared from sight.

"Mom?"

Carlisle was taken aback by my stiffness.

"Let's go back to the palace.

It was a shame to upset Carlisle, but my brain was so busy that I could no longer walk.

"I greet Her Majesty the Empress."

Returning to the palace, I immediately ran into a doctor.

"Get up."

"Yes, Your Majesty.

I asked the doctor who was holding another cup.

"His Majesty is not well."

"Uh ... yes. He has a bad cold."

"A cold, then ... In my memory, this was the first time His Majesty fell ill with a cold. He did not get sick, even when he fenced on a cold day, fumbling in the snow..."

The doctor's shoulders twitched slightly.

I didn't notice much detail, but I felt that he was tense.

"Are there any other problems with the emperor?"

"He just caught a cold, because lately so much work has accumulated..."

The doctor again gave me a prearranged excuse. But for a moment, I caught a tremor in his fingers.

What's wrong with Raymond?

"All clear. Now you can step."

"Yes, your majesty."

The Imperial physician hurried away, elated with relief.

After the doctor left, I went to Helen.

"What do you think about it?"

"It looked like this rogue was hiding something."

In the end, Helen felt the same way that I did.

I ran through the memories and gathered my thoughts together.

The first time I felt something strange around Raymond was when I went to his office after Lisa's trial.

On that day, he forced me to return to his palace.

And on the same day, Raymond's face was already extremely pale.

As if it hurts somewhere.

At that time, I chalked it up to a fleeting illusion, but even after that, he drew an invisible line between us.

Besides, he said he was just tired. But the next day it did not feel better either.

"It looks like something has happened to the emperor."

An ominous foreboding went to my head.

I don't like you hiding things from your empress, dammit.

Is it an incurable disease?

Inspired by my worst fantasies, I clenched my hands into fists.

"Helen.

"Yes."

"Find out what medications the doctor prescribed to His Majesty. And if you see vanity in the Solar Palace, report immediately."

"Yes, your majesty."

After Helen left, I raised my cup of tea to my dry lips.

It was only then that I realized how much my hands were shaking now.

"Raymond..."

I have never seen or imagined him sick ...

****

The next day.

Because of Raymond's problem, I didn't get a good night's sleep.

"You still haven't figured out the medicines the emperor is getting?"

Once the maids were done with my wardrobe, I asked Helen.

"The palace doctors burn all the waste, it won't be easy to find out."

"Such things are done by the servants, but if the doctors themselves ... Everything has become even more suspicious."

"Your Majesty, are you all right?"

"Simple headache. Did you send someone for my father?"

"His Excellency will be here soon."

If Raymond is in trouble, his right hand should know about it.

So early in the morning I said to send someone for Duke.

"Your Majesty, Duke Croft has arrived."

"Take him to the living room."

I got up and went to the meeting.

"Father. No need to bow."

The father sat down opposite.

I looked him up and down and realized that he was more emaciated than before.

"Father, are you sick?"

"Oh no. I just lost sleep for a few days. I'm healthy, don't worry."

"If you are sick, then say so."

Raymond made me nervous, so at the moment my words sounded cold.

My father froze for a moment after my words.

"... ... I'm sorry. His Majesty went to bed with a cold, and I was afraid that my father was also sick."

Duke remained in awkward silence.

And why are you so embarrassed?

"I understand. I'm fine, so you have nothing to worry about."

My father lowered his head, avoiding my gaze, and took up a cup of tea.

My suspicions grew further and further.

There was absolutely nothing in my words that could embarrass my father.

"Father, do you know what the emperor is hiding?"

The father was silent.

He was not embarrassed as before, but only lifted his chin with a stubborn face.

"I know His Majesty has a bad cold."

"It doesn't look like a common cold. What the hell are you hiding from me? Lay it out as it is."

For the first time in my life, I spoke to him as an empress and not as a daughter.

"Seriously ill?"

Suddenly the door to the living room opened and Helen appeared.

Our conversation was not easy, so I told Helen not to come in unless it was urgent.

"Reportedly, the emperor and the doctor suddenly rushed into the sunny palace moments ago."

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