Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 117
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 117
That night, even while strolling through the Imperial Garden with Kermanomon, Mellis couldn’t completely shake the thoughts of Lilia from her mind.
Someone from the Imperial Palace had approached Lilia. They had threatened her by holding her family hostage and forced her to take drugs that made pregnancy impossible for a long period. However, for some reason, Lilia became pregnant and ultimately died during childbirth that came much earlier than expected.
Her premature birth was probably closely related to those drugs. If that was the case… hadn’t the Imperial Consort been indirectly murdered by someone? Even if there was no such intention, the result was the same. Regicide was a clear capital crime that could result in the extermination of an entire family.
Moreover, that person’s faction was connected to Revolity. As she had heard from Kermanomon before, the Revolity incident was no longer a simple murder case. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how large a force was moving behind it all.
‘But if His Imperial Majesty learns of this fact…’
At that thought, Mellis unconsciously clenched her fists. Persiana, who had lost his imprinted partner, had become so weak that it was fair to say he was simply waiting for death.
Just looking at the Imperial Consort’s chamber, still filled with the scent of perfumed oil without a speck of dust, one could guess how much the Emperor loved his companion. But what if she told him that Lilia had been murdered? Could the Emperor really endure that news while maintaining his sanity?
The Imperial Palace was dangerous. As a precaution, it seemed best not to speak easily even to Kermanomon until they returned to the Ducal Residence.
“Mellis.”
Startled by Kermanomon’s sudden call, Mellis jumped in surprise. Seeing her reaction, Kermanomon furrowed his brow with concern.
“Did something happen? Your complexion has been dark since a while ago. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“Oh, no. I was just lost in other thoughts for a moment.”
“Other thoughts?”
“Yes. Maybe it’s because I came to the Imperial Court after such a long time… I just feel a bit confused.”
Mellis laughed awkwardly and deliberately changed the subject. However, seeing her awkward attitude, Kermanomon became quite serious as he guessed something was amiss.
The two people, whose minds had become complicated for their respective reasons, walked silently for a while. They only tightened their grip on each other’s hands. Soon they arrived at a large glass greenhouse located in the Imperial Palace Rear Garden.
Entering inside, Mellis looked around with wide eyes. Whether warming magic had been cast or not, unlike the chilly outside, the greenhouse interior was filled with warm air as if it were spring. A smile naturally rose on her face at the rich floral scent filling her nostrils and the feast of colorful flowers filling her vision.
Most beautiful of all was the transparent glass ceiling that reflected the moonlight intact. The crystal-made ceiling top shattered the bright moonlight and filled the greenhouse with brilliant radiance.
“Wow, there was a place like this in the Imperial Palace!”
“This was Mother’s favorite place. I really wanted to show it to you.”
It had been quite a long time since Kermanomon had visited this place as well. It was the first time he had set foot here since Mother passed away. As he looked around carefully, scenes from his childhood rose like clouds before his eyes.
On a languid afternoon with bright sunlight pouring down, Mother and Father sitting across from each other at the table, warmly sharing tea. And the three brothers running around them playfully… The laughter of the five family members that had filled the greenhouse still seemed to echo faintly in his ears. The memories that had been carved as vividly as paintings had already faded somewhere in the passage of time.
“…And it’s also the place where Mother and Father promised their lives to each other.”
Young Kermanomon had heard their love story repeated countless times in this place. It was only thanks to Mellis that he thought to bring out again the scenes he had buried in one corner of his memory.
‘Promising their lives to each other in this place means…’
Mellis fell into light thought, guessing that it surely meant imprinting.
“Grand Duke, how is imprinting done?”
“What do you mean how is it…”
At her question, Kermanomon trailed off blankly.
‘But how is imprinting done?’
He had definitely heard a similar question somewhere before… As he felt a strange sense of déjà vu and fell into contemplation, Mellis tilted her head and asked.
“Grand Duke?”
Finally coming to his senses, he rolled his tongue inside his cheek as he pondered. Originally, imprinting wasn’t some act or ritual, but a predator’s instinct that occurred naturally.
‘Could she be thinking of imprinting as something like a marriage proposal?’
Well, since nothing was publicly known about it, it seemed reasonable that she, not being a purebred, would guess like that. Kermanomon pondered. Of course, he didn’t want to lie to Mellis, but wouldn’t talking about such things only increase her burden?
He had already been thinking that their relationship was disadvantageous to Mellis in many ways, so he ultimately decided to hide those details.
“Are you curious about how imprinting is done?”
He gently lifted the corners of his mouth and spoke as he closed the distance with Mellis.
“First, hold your partner’s hands, look into each other’s eyes, and say this.”
Kermanomon carefully took Mellis’s hands and met her gaze.
“Mellis Portier, I will serve you as the master of my heart. My mind belongs to you, and my body is a possession solely for you. If the day comes in the distant future when your life fades away, I swear that I too will crumble and follow by your side.”
Mellis’s mind grew hazy at his voice, sweet as if soaked in honey. Even as she forgot to breathe and blushed, Kermanomon murmured gently.
“And then, you kiss with affectionate feelings.”
He tilted his head slightly and gradually closed the distance. Mellis, who had been waiting for the kiss as if enchanted by his refreshing scent that tickled her nose, suddenly came to her senses and covered his mouth.
“N-no! What if this actually leads to imprinting!”
“Why, you said you love me. Won’t you accept my imprinting?”
“It’s not that, but it’s a bit early now. I’m not mentally prepared either…!”
Kermanomon had to bite his lips and hold back his laughter at her appearance, rambling incoherently with her face red like a ripe tomato.
“Do purebreds have to imprint?”
“There are those who live without imprinting, but that’s only when they haven’t met their partner. There hasn’t been a single person who met their partner but couldn’t imprint.”
“Hmm…”
“You don’t need to think of it so negatively. There are advantages to imprinting too.”
“What kind of advantages?”
Advantages of imprinting? Mellis narrowed her eyes and looked at him with suspicious eyes.
“Well, you can sense your imprinting partner’s energy? You can know their approximate location, and you can notice if they get sick.”
“What’s that? The advantages are too trivial compared to the disadvantages!”
Disappointed Mellis lightly pushed his shoulder with her fist. Kermanomon finally burst into laughter and carefully cupped her face with his large hands.
“Don’t worry, I won’t pressure you until you’re ready.”
While this moment with Mellis was happy and he loved her deeply, he also felt worried on one hand. Just yesterday, he had accepted the imperial succession that he had been avoiding all this time.
‘I have no idea how to bring up such a topic to someone who finds even the idea of imprinting burdensome.’
The smile gradually faded from his lips as he recalled the conversation he had with Persiana. For two days, his mind had been filled with worry all day long. He exhaled deeply and swallowed nervously before carefully opening his mouth.
“Mellis, actually yesterday His Imperial Majesty…”
His voice trembled slightly as he began to speak. He honestly opened up about his deep feelings along with the news that he would likely inherit the throne.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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