Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health - Chapter 75

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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 75

Fession was despondent.
The tea party had ended, yet he couldn’t go to Halbern Manor.
‘Arelin.’
He’d made plans to see her.
“There’s nothing to be done about it. Duke Halbern hasn’t returned, has he?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“A great deal, actually. Why do you pretend not to understand when you know perfectly well?”
“I want to see Arelin.”
Fession whined. Griam found the Crown Prince—usually so mature for his years—pouting like any other boy, and while it exhausted him, it also fascinated him.
The Crown Prince, who was often mistaken for someone older than his age, now looked exactly his age.
“Do you like her so much?”
Griam met his gaze with a questioning look.
“It’s just curious. It’s strange to see you so attached to her when she doesn’t do anything particularly special for you.”
“I like her because I do.”
The words were simple, yet sincere.
Griam suddenly felt sorry for Fession.
Others might not know, but Griam did: this boy had few attachments, few lingering desires for anyone—
Except for one person.
The fact that there was an exception reminded him unpleasantly of how Emperor Edward had been utterly captivated by Empress Azeni, and Griam’s mood soured.
‘That was something else.’
What was known as the Edward Redemption Incident.
A legendary rake reformed and redeemed—a historical event of the highest order.
A scandal that turned all of Albrecht upside down.
He was now a respected emperor, but back then Edward had been nothing short of a rogue.

“Who on earth would marry this wretch?”
“There’s no chance that man’s son could settle down with anyone.”
“Poor thing. Maybe we shouldn’t make her empress—just leave him an unmarried emperor?”
“Then his bastards will fill the palace, and still more will line up outside the gates waiting their turn.”
“……At least he performs his duties as emperor, I suppose.”

This was the assessment Edward had endured before he met Empress Azeni.
A man deemed beyond redemption changed after falling for Empress Azeni.
The Former Emperor of the time had even invited the High Priest of the Temple to perform an Exorcism, saying his heir had been possessed by a malevolent spirit.
Yet was Edward’s love a smooth road? Absolutely not. Empress Azeni didn’t return his feelings. Loathed him would be more accurate.
‘Now they’re absolutely smitten with each other.’
Edward threw tantrums about marrying no one but Azeni, while Azeni drew a firm line—absolutely not.
At the time, no one believed the marriage would happen.
So what did Edward do?
Every noble house that arranged a betrothal with Azeni faced imperial obstruction and rejection, and whenever Azeni showed the slightest interest in another man, Edward’s jealousy would consume him and he’d cause scenes.
There was no limit to his outrageousness.
‘Even now, I’m amazed the marriage succeeded. Why did she agree to marry such a fool?’
After all his wild behavior, Edward later undermined himself.

“If you carry on like this, she’ll never love you.”
“You know that, so why do it?”

It felt like only yesterday he’d been reproaching the emperor for drinking himself into despair and madness.
It seemed the madness would never end—until Edward, suddenly possessed, drew a blade.

“I’d rather die than live without Azeni’s love.”

After drowning himself in drink, seized by some sudden impulse, Edward had lurched toward Empress Azeni. By the time Griam rushed after him, chaos had already erupted.

“I don’t know what I might do like this. I’m going to die. I’m sorry, Azeni. I’m sorry for loving you so much. For loving you so deeply. I’m sorry.”

Tears streamed down Edward’s face as he begged them to remember only that he had loved her. Knights scrambled to stop his suicide.
In the chaos, Azeni stood with an expression of pure bewilderment, her eyes wide.

“I’ll die before I do something more insane. Before you hate me any more…….”

Then a miracle occurred.

“I’ll accept your feelings, so stop crying.”

Azeni, moved by Edward’s tears and desperate declarations of love, had a sudden change of heart.
When Griam later subtly asked why she’d changed her mind, her answer was remarkable.

“It was cute how you cried, tears streaming down, saying you loved me.”

Regardless of the deeper reasons, the legendary imperial suicide crisis had ended well…….
Griam let out a silent sigh.
‘He’s inherited that bloodline.’
Fession would likely be worse, not better.
‘At least on his side, Arelin seems to accept him.’
Up to a point, anyway.
Whether she actually liked him was ambiguous.
Still, her manner had softened considerably from those early days, so who knew what might develop.
The greatest problem was Arelin’s illness.
‘He’s this despondent over just a few days without seeing her.’
If she died……
What would become of this Crown Prince then?
Griam was already anxious—unable to predict what Fession might do.
“Your Highness, Duke Halbern has entered the palace.”
Yet Griam faithfully fulfilled his young master’s wishes.
Light returned to Fession’s eyes.
“Let’s go!”

* * *

The Emperor’s Palace was a comprehensive work of art permitted by Magical Engineering—endlessly interesting and beautiful no matter how many times one visited.
Among its splendors, the grandest and most vast inner sanctum of the Emperor’s Palace was never dull.
In the private chambers of that imperial space—
Duke Halbern surveyed the location he hadn’t visited in ages.
A room only Emperor Edward’s most trusted inner circle could enter, furnished entirely to his personal taste.
“Your collecting habit is still as strong, I see.”
“Since I can’t go out myself, I’ve had to summon everything into the palace.”
Paintings, chess sets, sculptures—he was examining various pieces when a voice reached him from beside him.
According to court protocol, one knelt at a designated spot, lowered one’s head, and waited until the emperor appeared and decided whether you could raise it; then conversation would proceed.
But Duke Halbern, the Empire’s ancient ally and protector, was exempt from such customs, and the Emperor himself openly favored the Five Great Duchies.
“It’s been a while, Valere.”
Duke Halbern merely shifted his eyes to regard the being who stood above all yet below none.
“Surely we’ve met before, Your Majesty.”
“Ah yes, that time you came to pay respects and then left without a word?”
Attendants swiftly prepared light refreshments and withdrew. Now only the two remained in the inner chamber.
“However busy one might be, it’s improper to pay one’s respects and leave so abruptly, don’t you think? You even had time for tea with Azeni.”
“Then you should have attended the tea party.”
“I wanted to! Do you have any idea how much I wanted to go?!”
Ah. My son. How adorable he must have been. Even Sirua, who rarely moves, was there. Terion would have been his usual charming self. And Azeni must have looked beautiful.
“To see all that by yourself—how selfish.”
“I was driven out the moment I arrived.”
Despite the open rebuke, Duke Halbern’s expression remained serene, a slight smile playing at his lips.
Emperor Edward considered pressing further, but then decided to magnanimously forgive him. It certainly wasn’t because the Duke appeared unaffected.
“Well, at least you look intact. I’m grateful for that.”
Edward’s expression softened. After all, this was a private setting; formality melted away, leaving only intimacy.
“Honestly, I thought you’d come back dead or missing at least a limb.”
“That was my assumption too.”
“You should at least look displeased at such talk.”
“There’s nothing particularly displeasing about it.”
“Fine then, I’m the strange one for worrying about you. So—did your business with ‘that person’ go well?”
One of the most closely guarded secrets shared between the Imperial House and House of Halbern. Duke Halbern’s expression shifted subtly.
Emperor Edward, having been a ‘witness’ to this transaction, had no qualms mentioning it. Of course, the detailed contents of the arrangement remained beyond his knowledge.
“It had to go well. I even brought a Dragon as a gift.”
“What?! That was for this?”
So that’s why. He’d done something so unusual all of a sudden.
“That’s been giving me headaches ever since.”
Edward’s expression contorted with exasperation. He was about to launch into his complaints—
“Edward.”
“Because of that I… what?”
“Your son is fond of my daughter?”
Emperor Edward blinked blankly twice.
…….
The Emperor suddenly found himself worrying about his son’s future.

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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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