Chapter 82: Chapter 42.2

The Emperor welcomed Yernia, but his presence made her very nervous that her stomach ached.

“We just got married, Your Highness,” Cassian told the Emperor as she patted Yernia on the back while choking on her food.

“Yes. It’s not bad to have fun, though. But the sooner a child is born, the better. That’s how I feel.”

“Please mind your own business, Your Highness.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late to worry about my nephew’s successor. You’re really out of your mind.”

Despite the harsh words, the Emperor gazed at Cassian with affection.

He liked that cheeky side of  him.

Cassian was the only person who’s allowed to deal with the emperor with such arrogance.

“I’m not just telling you to have them. Cassian, I think you’ll have to go to the North soon. There’s a bunch of witches running wild.”

“North? You mean the lens, Your Highness?”

Cassian became serious when the Emperor brought the subject up.

Yernia rarely see him being this serious.

“Yes, there’s a wave in the lens. There’s a lot of magic leaking out of there.”

She had no idea when the ‘wave’ started.

From some time on, sorcerers and magical beasts had appeared from there.

Fortunately, the Espers in their Empire had the power to deal with them.

“Is it serious?”

“It’s not that serious, but we don’t know when things would change. So hurry up and have a successor just in case or your precious bloodline might end with you.”

After becoming serious on a supposedly trivial matter, his countenance returned to normal.

As he continued sweeping Yernia’s back in gentle strokes, Cassian winked at his father.

“My wife and I just got married. Why don’t you send father instead?”

“What? Vicil?”

“I’ll go.”

Cassian’s father had lived in the army half his life.

Even after Cassian’s birth, he would go on an expedition upon the Emperor’s request.

His father had almost died multiple times on the battlefield before he decided to retire.

The Emperor couldn’t bear to send Vicil to the expedition again.

Meanwhile, his son, Cassian, was an outstanding Esper.

The Emperor planned to send him to the expedition in his father’s place, but he refused and recommended his father instead.

Perhaps, Vicil was willing to go because he agreed that Cassian and Yernia were still newlyweds.

“Let us enjoy our honeymoon in peace,” Cassian told Yernia and smiled in satisfaction.

Shortly after, Vicil followed the Emperor’s orders to the North as they had agreed upon during their talk at the previous dinner.

Cassian and Yernia saw him off at Rennes.

Visil only gave Cassian an even stare and hugged Yernia.

“Hold on.”

“What?”

“What Cassian had told you… don’t mind it too much.”

Yernia blinked.

Somehow, it felt like he’s telling her to survive his son’s company until he arrived safely from the expedition.

Cassian’s father seemed worried about her well-being as if he’s afraid that his son would hurt her.

Yes, don’t worry about me, Your Grace. No, I mean—- Father, please take care of yourself”

“I have nothing to worry about. I’m more worried about you. You hated marrying Cassian, right?”

Recalling her previous fiasco at the Duke Lecardo’s mansion, she realized that Vicil knew Yernia had tried to erase her fate before the marriage.

Yernia shook her head.

“It’s all right now. Cassian still bothers me, but not too much. Please don’t worry about me anymore, father.”

Cassian tugged Vicil from Yernia’s warm embrace.

When he glanced at his father, hostility flashed in them.

“Go.”

“You used to clutch my hand and cry every time I left for the expedition. Now you’re urging me to go?”

“You were the only one I had back then. Not anymore.”

“Don’t pick on Yernia.”

“She’ll be good to me.”

Cassian and Vicil clashed in front of her.

After bidding their farewells, Vicil got on top of his horse and left for the battlefield.

Now, Yernia was on high alert.

The Duke was gone for the expedition while Cassian was lovesick in his bed without any given cure.

Everyone might think Yernia had caused Cassian’s sickness but she believed that another woman made him like this.

“I must do something about this.”

It was the first time Cassian was sick.

At first, she wondered if she should let Cassian’s father know about this unpredictable condition.

Cassian hadn’t been this sick before.

Yernia decided to wait and see.

Neither she nor Cassian were adults.

If things went wrong,  this would blow out of proportion because Vicil might find it hard to return immediately from the battlefield to care for him.

Cassian might get hurt by this.

“You might not care even if you hear it—-”

When she was young, she remembered Cassian following his father when he left him in their mansion cold-heartedly.

“I’m glad you have a wife.”

Her father-in-law’s words toward Cassian encouraged her.

She was going to try again.

Grasping the tray she was holding, Yernia sneaked into the door the maid had just opened.

Cassian was there, standing right in front of her.