Fragile Bonds, Tangible Connections

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***

Irene's HEART broke for Lisa when she saw the pained look on his face.

"Did the emperor only take me in because he needs me and not because he cares for me?" Lisa asked in a broken voice. "Then, everything he has done for me until now has only been for the show?"

Oh, Lisa ...

She suddenly felt guilty. Maybe she could have said it to him more gently. Or perhaps, she shouldn't have said anything at all until she was sure about his real identity.

"I'm sorry, Lisa," she said while cupping his face between her hands. "Everything is just my speculation. I have no proof that the emperor has only been using you all this time. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything yet. I was so thoughtless..."

"No, you're not. You did the right thing, Irene," he said, putting his hands on top of hers. "We should always share this kind of thing with each other. After all, this is our fight for our family."

She knew he was right but she was still worried. "How are you feeling, Lisa?"

"To be honest, the thought that the emperor only took me in because he needs me for something hurts me," he confessed in a soft and sad voice. "I know that I chose to betray His Majesty. But it doesn't mean that it didn't hurt. He wasn't just a brother to me. This is embarrassing but he was a father figure to me while I was growing up. While I owe a lot of things to my master, it was the emperor who taught me what a family is." He smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry, Irene. The emperor and the princess have hurt you. I shouldn't have said this to you so I apologize if I made you guilty."

She was touched to hear that.

Ah, he knows that I feel guilty for making him choose between me and His Majesty.

"You have nothing to feel guilty for, Irene," he said to her. "It was my choice to choose you over His Majesty. While that decision hurt me, I still don't regret it. You and our baby will always be my top priority."

She smiled at that. "Thank you for your unconditional love, hon," she said. Then, she gave him a light kiss on the lips. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better," he said. "But I will be much, much better with another kiss. The deep one. With tongue."

"Gosh, you've become a pervert," she complained playfully with a pout. "Who taught you to become like that, huh?"

"You," he said teasingly. "So you should take responsibility, Irene."

"Fine," Irene said between giggles. Then, she lay on her back and opened her arms. "Come here."

Lisa smiled naughtily, then he carefully collapsed on top of her. "I hope Father comes a little bit late."

***

FATHER looks confused.

Irene held back her laughter when he saw her father's confused face when he saw the spread of giant seafood on the table.

Right now, they were in the dining hall.

Lord Prescott was the one sitting in the center as a sign of their respect for him.

Irene sat on her father's left side while Lisa sat on his right side. So right now, she and her husband her sitting across from each other.

But when there was only her and Lisa in the dining hall, they would eat side by side. He wasn't comfortable taking the center seat yet and she didn't want to pressure him. She knew that Lisa was studying hard to be a proper noble. But still, she wanted to follow his pace. Pressuring him to follow the nobility's strict protocol right away would only give him stress.

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