Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 42

Clear skies.
Mehenm felt the weight of countless gazes upon him as he gazed up at the brilliantly blue expanse above.
The same stares he’d grown accustomed to bearing ever since he first arrived at the Halbern Residence, holding the hand of the peer-aged Grand Duke of Halbern.

“That one?”
“Yes, that one.”
“The commoner boy the Grand Duke picked up this time.”

A commoner prodigy in the service of the Grand Duke of Halbern.
A brilliant retainer of House Halbern.
The right hand of the Grand Duke of Halbern.
First counselor and deputy of the Grand Duke of Halbern.
How much had transpired before a gifted boy from nothing became someone indispensable to the great House of Halbern?
“It’s Mehenm.”
“Lord Mehenm, is it.”
“What brings him to the Imperial Palace today?”
“Tch, common birth hardly matters in the end….”
“Goodness, he’s handsome today too!”
Perhaps because the “Deputy of the Grand Duke” so rarely appeared in public.
Every eye—passing nobles, servants, attendants—turned toward him in unison.
Refined features and exceptional ability.
Truly the popularity befitting the second-most sought-after marriage prospect, according to the Albrecht Times’ “Most Desirable Bridegroom” rankings.
But the man himself harbored rather different thoughts.
‘So tired.’
So much to do, so much to accomplish—such was life.
How could one not be exhausted, always compelled to achieve something?
‘Maybe I should leave….’
A thought that came to him often when he hit his limits.
Retiring into seclusion, perhaps farming or trading—living quietly somewhere far away.
His soft wheat-colored hair stirred in the breeze.
His crisply pressed uniform ruffled slightly in the wind, and the faces of those who stole glances at him turned red in tandem.
In that moment, Mehenm smiled.

“Mehenm.”

The warmth of small hands came to mind. Bright, eager eyes that saw only him.
“Hah.”
So much for that.
Retirement meant nothing. Running away meant nothing.
“I’m already caught, aren’t I?”
A belated realization, long overdue.
“Ah….”
At Mehenm’s sudden smile, everyone around him froze in place.
The moment his figure vanished from sight, cries erupted from all directions.

* * *

The grounds of the Albrecht Imperial Palace, built by the continent’s finest artisans and architects, were always beautiful.
Of all the palace’s wonders, the Empress Palace was renowned as the most exquisite.
Beyond the colonnade—a panorama like a canvas of nature itself—Mehenm arrived at its end.
He entered the Empress’s reception chamber.
“I offer my respects to the Empress. May divine grace accompany Your Majesty.”
“And divine grace to you. It’s been so long, Mehenm.”
Mehenm studied Ajeni the Empress, smiling brightly, and gathered his thoughts.
Ever since the summons came from the Empress Palace, he had accepted the situation with relative composure.
‘So it comes at last.’
He’d anticipated as much since the Crown Prince began frequenting the Halbern Residence so often.
“It’s truly been a while, Mehenm. How have you been?”
“Only through Your Majesty’s grace have I fared well.”
“My, what grace have I shown? I recall extending no particular favor to Lord Mehenm.”
“Mere courtesy, Majesty.”
Mehenm’s smile stiffened at the Empress’s playful expression.
“Lord Mehenm, you remain so stiff as always.”
“Your Majesty grants too much familiarity.”
“Is that so? Perhaps long residence in this station has made me so. Power and glory are terribly addictive, you know.”
The Empress smiled enigmatically. Right on cue, palace attendants arrived with light refreshments and tea.
“Do have some—I’ve prepared your favorite.”
“I am grateful, Your Majesty.”
Only the clink of cups and the soft whisper of wind through the windows filled the reception chamber.
Silence stretched between them.
‘Should I speak first?’
Just as Mehenm was considering this, Ajeni broke the quiet.
“I know Pesion troubles you greatly. It must have been quite vexing?”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. We are the ones who benefit from His Highness’s visits.”
“Pesion’s benefit?”
“Since the Crown Prince began calling, Miss Arelin has been far more active.”
“My.”
“Her exercise has increased considerably.”
Indeed. Compared to when she once shut herself away, she now moved about like a fairy.
“How fortunate that he causes no trouble.”
“On the contrary, we are grateful for his visits.”
The Empress’s eyes gleamed with playfulness.
“If anyone else said such things, I’d call it flattery or artifice—but from you, Lord Mehenm, it sounds like truth.”
“Because it is truth.”
Mehenm spoke with quiet firmness.
“I know you have always watched over Miss Arelin with care. I am grateful to you for that.”
“Nonsense—it is only what an empress ought to do.”
“And I know you hold her dear.”
“How could I not?”
The Empress smiled softly.
“That child resembles someone very closely, you see.”
A gaze that seemed to wander through empty space.
The Empress looked off into the distance, as though combing through memory, searching for something invisible.
“I examined her closely once before, and she bears no resemblance to the Grand Duke whatsoever.”
….
‘Then who does she resemble?’
Though doubt stirred within him, Mehenm suspected something and held his tongue.
The Empress, studying his reaction carefully, pressed on.
“Do you know who Miss Arelin’s mother is, Lord Mehenm?”
“No, Your Majesty. He has never told me.”
“Do you have any suspicions?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
Mehenm smiled slightly.
“As Your Majesty knows, my lord was far too occupied with House Halbern’s internal affairs at that time to have found opportunity to meet with anyone.”
“Yet he might have harbored a lady in secret, during hours when you were not present, might he not?”
“That is possible, though….”
That man—so distrustful of others—would never do such a thing.
“I see.”
The Empress smiled quietly, as though she had heard the unspoken words.
An inscrutable smile.
Mehenm thought, for a moment, that the Empress looked sad.
Was she not one who had grown particularly close to House Halbern?
“Is the Grand Duke still at the Northern Fortress?”
“Yes.”
“When do you think he might return?”
“I cannot say.”
Mehenm turned the question back to her.
“Does Your Majesty perhaps know?”
The reason why the Grand Duke of Halbern had remained cloistered in the Northern Fortress for six years now.
“Even the Empress is at a loss. That Ed refuses to explain, insisting it is a secret.”
“I understand.”
If that stubborn man would not reveal it even to the Empress, then truly no one save the Emperor himself could know.
“Though there is one thing I suspect….”
The Empress smiled.
“It likely has something to do with Miss Arelin.”
A heavy silence fell.
“Still, I’m amazed a genius like you has such aptitude for childcare. It was adorable to see.”
“Ah.”
“Adorable, and sweet, and a joy simply to behold.”
“Thank you.”
At praise for his young charge, Mehenm’s own spirits lifted.
“Even with help from others, raising her alone must have been difficult—you truly live up to your reputation, Lord Mehenm.”
“Not at all. Miss Arelin has grown beautifully on her own.”
A smile bloomed naturally on Mehenm’s lips.
“Before, I had the reparations delivered in full, but when you offered a bonus, you gave every last coin to the servants.”
“My.”
Seeing this unusually unguarded side of Mehenm, the Empress felt a stir of surprise.
“How obedient she is, always listening so well….”
As Mehenm earnestly described how kind, how charming, how beautiful Arelin was, the Empress laughed.
‘So this is what Lord Mehenm is truly like.’
His praises for Arelin showed no sign of ending.

* * *

“Arelin, something wrong?”
I’d tried to drive away Pesion when he arrived with the Exercise Schedule, but failed.
These past few days, Pesion has been relentlessly pressing his case.
“You said you’d get along with me now.”
“I never said that.”
“You said you’d do what I ask now.”
“I made no such promise.”
“Tch.”
The boy is already attempting propaganda and falsification.
At my skeptical look, Pesion shifted tactics. His face crumpled in an instant, his lower lashes quivering pitifully.
“I prepared this for you.”
….
“I worked hard on it.”
….
“I stayed up all night, got help from others, pushed aside my own training—I really poured my heart and soul into this.”
Trembling eyes attempt a guilt offensive.
“Fine. I understand.”
With this tactic, simple refusal became difficult.
“Hehe.”
The instant I surrender, Pesion breaks into a radiant smile.
How am I supposed to handle that smile?
I’m going to be possessed by a demon, I swear.
Or have I been already?
“Exercise won’t cure my condition, you know. It’s not that kind of illness anyway. You do understand that, right?”
“Yeah! I know!”
But you don’t really believe it, do you?
His words claim understanding, yet his eyes burn with zealous conviction about the power of exercise.
I accepted the Exercise Schedule he handed over.

「You Can Do It Too, Sword Master!」

Insane. Why is the title like this?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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