Chapter 34 - The Consequence

“Um…” As she held her breath, Irene’s eyelids blinked rapidly and her heart pounded. When she saw the corners of Kael’s lips lift into an impish grin, she thought, ‘What am I supposed to do in this kind of situation? Oh!’ However, her panic didn’t last long. Irene had always been naturally gifted with the ability to quickly grasp and resolve the difficulties before her eyes. It didn’t take her long to accurately judge the situation and reach an answer.

Thus, the meal that was truly satisfying and enjoyable, in more ways than one, came to an end with a spoon in Kael’s hand…

* * *

After hearing that the lunch between Kael and Irene had ended smoothly, Wellen made his way to Isolé after an enjoyable lunch break of his own. However, he blinked in surprise when he ran into the royal physician, who was rarely summoned, on his way to the crown prince’s office. “What’s this? What’re you doing here?” he asked.

“Oh, Sir Wellen! I’m here because… His Highness… is sick.”

“W-Who? W-What?”

“His Highness, the crown prince, has… indigestion.”

Wellen immediately chortled uncontrollably like a madman, as this was the first time he’d ever heard of the crown prince having indigestion. “Is the royal physician talking about our crown prince, who’s never been sick and has never been incapable of digesting anything?” Wellen gasped between breaths. Seeing Wellen’s outburst, the royal physician wordlessly snuck away, leaving the crown prince’s aide to clutch at his sides as he doubled over with laughter.

The idea of Kael having an upset stomach was so hilarious to Wellen that it took him a while to catch his breath. Something was clearly afoot in the imperial palace and the only thing he could do was pray. Wanting to see Kael’s face as soon as possible, he quickened his pace and stormed towards Kael’s office. “Your Highness! Your Highness!” he excitedly shouted, as he burst through the door.

“Ugh, my head is ringing,” Kael groaned, as he leaned against the couch. His complexion didn’t look too good.

“What did Your Highness have for lunch today?”

Kael clamped his mouth shut and closed his eyes when he saw Wellen’s face. His aide had clearly already heard the news, and keeping mum was the only option he had to avoid further embarrassment. After vomiting up everything he’d eaten, he didn’t have any energy left to deal with Wellen.

“I’ll inform everyone to cancel today’s… plans… hah… Your Highness,” Wellen said with great difficulty, as he struggled to hold back the laughter threatening to burst out. Then, turning on his heel, he walked out of the office. As soon he walked out the door, booming laughter could be heard from outside.

“For crying out loud,” Kael spat, as he gritted his teeth and threw the cushion near his feet at the door. Slumping back onto the couch, he muttered, “I was shocked she actually let me feed her.”

On the surface, the crown prince appeared to be enjoying a leisurely meal with no problems whatsoever, but in reality, he was a bundle of nerves. In the end, his condition was so poor he ended up with indigestion. In a way, it was only natural—after all, wasn’t this the first time in his 25 years of existence that he’d eaten a meal with a person he fancied? He would be lying if he claimed not to be nervous, and it was this nervousness that had led him to act mischievously.

‘To think she would startle me so when she…’ Not only was Irene excellent at pushing through her difficulties, she was also excellent at startling her opponent. Kael couldn’t forget the expression on Irene’s face when she gamely accepted the spoon he’d offered and casually took a bite. As he recalled the memory of that moment, the corners of his lips twitched and curved upwards.