Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Come to think of it, it is March now. With snow falling every day in the northern regions, she had lost all sense of the seasons and hadn’t realized it until now. Every March, something always happened that left Theodor in agony. That must be why he was acting like this.
‘But that incident is also a huge opportunity for him.’
Rosalyn knocked on the door again.
“Your Highness.”
“I said go away!”
His voice was sharp and irritable. But Rosalyn didn’t budge and asked softly,
“Did you, by any chance, receive an invitation from the Imperial Palace?”
“…”
Only silence answered her from beyond the door.
A moment later, the lock clicked and the door opened, revealing Theodor’s face. His eyes were swollen red, as though he’d been crying.
He looked at her, startled, “How do you know about that…?”
Rosalyn met his eyes calmly.
“Prince Kyle’s birthday banquet is a well-known event throughout the Empire.”
At the mention of the name Kyle, Theodor’s face darkened.
Kyle von Barbarossa. Theodor’s half-brother and the current first-in-line to the Imperial throne. Kyle was the eldest son born to the new Empress, taken by the Emperor after he gave up on Theodor ever awakening.
Unlike Theodor, Kyle had shown signs of mana activation as a baby and was immediately adored by the Emperor. Just before Theodor was exiled to Siphoc Palace, Kyle awakened his powers.
Overjoyed, the Emperor immediately named him successor. When Theodor’s mother died not long after, the Emperor’s joy over having a new heir outweighed any grief he may have felt. Even as Theodor left the palace, the Emperor was nowhere to be seen as he had gone to visit Kyle instead.
The Emperor showered Kyle with every ounce of love and affection. In particular, Kyle’s birthday celebration was always grand. It lasted an entire week, just like the Emperor’s own birthday festivities, and was a major imperial affair.
Naturally, Kyle grew arrogant with the Emperor’s favoritism. He carried himself as if he already wore the crown and held nothing but disdain for Theodor, the discarded prince locked away in a secluded palace. He knew Theodor felt inferior to him and used it against him.
Every year, Kyle personally sent an invitation to his birthday banquet. On the surface, it seemed courteous, but the intention was obvious.
Look at the difference between you, who was abandoned, and me, the beloved son of the Emperor.
And that cruelty worked perfectly.
Every March, Theodor sank into deep despair as Kyle’s birthday approached. Of course, all this was just background information mentioned in the original novel.
Rosalyn glanced past Theodor to the table behind him, spotting a torn envelope atop it. He must have read Kyle’s invitation before she arrived.
According to the original, Theodor had attended the birthday banquet every year until his coming-of-age ceremony. Though Kyle was merely a half-brother, Theodor couldn’t refuse the command of the powerful prince.
After returning from a week of ridicule and scorn by the imperial court and nobility, he would be mentally exhausted and lash out more violently than ever. It was an annual torment.
‘That bastard’s a big reason Theodor became so aggressive. What a piece of work.’
Rosalyn thought bitterly of Kyle from the original story. Even after coming of age, Kyle never stopped tormenting Theodor. It was as though he couldn’t stand to see his brother happy.
Eventually, he even tried to steal the heroine, Annie. Not because he loved her, but to inflict pain on Theodor. This only intensified Theodor’s obsession with Annie.
But this particular invitation was a rare and golden opportunity for Rosalyn.
‘The Imperial Pharmacy holds countless elixirs that could restore Theodor’s health.’
Of course, taking any random elixir could lead to serious side effects. They were as dangerous as they were potent. Rosalyn only wanted one that would strengthen stamina and muscle.
Theodor had gained some weight and no longer looked so frail, but his physical abilities were still poor. Even short walks wore him out, and he couldn’t lift anything heavy.
Strength and stamina were the foundation of physical ability. With that base in place, training would be easier. An elixir could dramatically shorten the time it would take for him to recover.
‘And that would speed up his awakening. Which means I might survive this after all.’
With that thought, Rosalyn smiled brightly at Theodor and said,
“Don’t be so down, Your Highness. I’ll go to the banquet with you.”
“…What?”
His heterochromatic eyes widened in shock at her unexpected offer.
“Yes. I’m Your Highness’s awakening instructor, after all. And I can’t afford to skip any lessons.”
Theodor stared at her. Perhaps, with her by his side in the palace, things wouldn’t be so bad. At least, he wouldn’t have to endure the insults alone.
Maybe focusing on their lessons would help. Though her classes were… unusual, to say the least.
“…Very well.”
Perfect. Rosalyn celebrated inwardly and spoke cheerfully.
“Then we’ll need to prepare you for a long journey. Let’s start with breakfast.”
She set down a tray containing roasted quail and fresh bread.
“And once you’re done eating, come to the banquet hall, not the palace entrance.”
“The banquet hall?”
It was time to start engaging his muscles.
First up: stretching. It would be useful both day-to-day and during long carriage rides.
Of course, Theodor’s body, stiff from years of disuse, wouldn’t make it easy.
‘But it’s okay.’
She was a trained instructor. It would be tough at first, but with patience and guidance, he would catch on quickly. Stretching worked even better in pairs.
After finishing breakfast, Theodor and Rosalyn moved to the palace’s banquet hall. The dusty hall hadn’t hosted a party in ages. It was practically abandoned.
Rosalyn had used the butler’s office for exercise before, but this space was larger and more open, ideal for workouts.
“Let’s start with your neck, Your Highness. Take your head with your hand and gently tilt it down as you exhale.”
She demonstrated the movement, and Theodor followed. The moment he lowered his head.
Crack!
A loud noise came from his neck, making Theodor jump in surprise.
Next, his waist.
“Now, rotate your torso slowly.”
Crack! Crack!
More cracking noises, and he barely managed to turn his waist.
‘He’s practically a log.’
Now came the side stretches. Rosalyn stood with her legs shoulder-width apart, interlaced her fingers, and stretched her arms high overhead before slowly leaning to one side.
Theodor followed suit.
But unlike Rosalyn’s perfect, upright form, Theodor’s torso sagged forward awkwardly.
“Let me help with your posture.”
Rosalyn quickly stepped in, supporting his waist with one hand and gently pressing on his stretched side with the other.
“…!”
Theodor’s eyes widened.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The moment her hand touched him, his heart began to race, and his lower abdomen grew hot. Panicking, Theodor squirmed away and shouted,
“Stop!”
Rosalyn blinked, confused.
‘He can definitely go a little further.’
From her trained eye, it wasn’t time to stop yet. Overstretching was dangerous, but he hadn’t even hit the minimum range needed to loosen his muscles.
She figured he was just being dramatic.
“Just a bit more, Your Highness. You can do this.”
She gently pressed on his side again and again. Like when she gave him a massage, images of Rosalyn flooded Theodor’s mind.
I’ll go to the banquet with you.
I’m Your Highness’s awakening instructor.
She’d said those words when he was silently crying after reading Kyle’s invitation. He thought, with her by his side, maybe he wouldn’t be lonely even in the Imperial Palace.
Suddenly, he didn’t just want her here in the villa.
He always wanted her. Wherever he was.
He wanted to see her bright smile, touch that smiling face, feel the warmth and softness of her skin. His lower abdomen burned hotter.
‘What am I thinking…?’
Then, his eyes landed on Rosalyn’s white, slender nape. The bruise had nearly faded.
Seeing that fragile neck makes him want to touch it. A powerful, unfamiliar desire surged through him.
He had never felt anything like it. He wanted to touch her. Was he insane?
But the urge whispered temptingly.
Don’t you want to feel that softness and warmth with your own hands?
His abdomen throbbed painfully with heat. Theodor clenched his eyes shut and bit down on his lip.
He almost wished he could pass out from poppy extract like before.
Then, her hand left his body.
“We’re done, Your Highness!”
Rosalyn beamed at him, proud. Theodor looked at her as though he’d just escaped death.
His heart was still pounding wildly. Thank the stars it ended here.
If she’d touched him any longer… He didn’t even want to imagine it. As he sighed in relief, Rosalyn chirped brightly,
“Now, let’s do the other side!”
Theodor’s heterochromatic eyes trembled violently.
***
“Haaah…”
Collapsing after stretching the other side, Theodor lay flat on the floor. He was utterly spent, as if he’d just undergone an intense training session.
Rosalyn had no idea what was happening inside his body.
She simply thought he found the stretching difficult.
‘Tsk. His body must be in a terrible state. I’ll need him to work harder from now on.’
Rosalyn made a firm resolution. She would find that elixir in the Imperial Pharmacy no matter what and make sure he took it.
(TN: Well, the fast-pace is really giving uss~ hope you enjoyed this chapter guys!)
