Chapter 61 Crown Prince Aare
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The moment the curtains of his room were drawn back, Aare awoke. The maids of the Inner Sanctum had opened them.
He was Aare—the legitimate son of Rai El Yugan, the second and third emperor, the prince who had been destined to become the twenty-fourth emperor but had instead become the unlucky royal child.
Unfortunately, Aare knew he would probably not live longer than the citizens, whose lives were far less hygienic than his own. The maids worked silently and efficiently, their faces void of any warmth or forced smiles. Surrounded by young women, one might expect envy—but not him.
He was ignored because he was frail. Neither His Majesty nor the imperial princesses, his sisters, cared about him in the slightest.
He spent his days confined to bed or chair. Sunlight was supposedly harmful to his skin and body, so he was not even allowed to look out the window. He questioned himself: Am I really alive? No—he was merely postponing death, being kept alive by the will of others. Alive, yet already dead.
Every day, he trembled in fear of death, seethed with anger, and cursed the world. There was no dream, no hope. Another dull day of merely existing was about to begin.
As usual, his mother, Empress Sarendra, entered the room. The maids, already prepared, greeted her.
”How are you feeling today, Aare?” she asked.
”Mother…” he replied quietly.
Sarendra had always stayed by his side, yet Aare sensed a quiet resentment in her heart. Perhaps if he had never existed, her marriage to Emperor Rai would have remained warm. There would have been no need to monitor his moods.
”I am well, Mother. You need not worry on my account. Your concern is unnecessary. Rather, you’ve been busy lately, haven’t you? You need not force yourself to come…” he said, his voice polite yet measured.
”Yes. I came because of that. Finally, I have found a physician who can examine your condition. If your health permits, you should see this doctor, Aare,” she replied.
Again… from town doctors to royal physicians, from priests to dubious medicines—he had endured them all. Still, when his mother, the empress, recommended it, he could not refuse.
”Of course, Mother.”
”That is good to hear! Everyone else, step aside!”
”But, Your Majesty…” the maids protested.
”Did you not hear me say it is fine?” she demanded.
Finally, the maids relented with a quiet, “…Yes, Your Majesty,” leaving the room along with the other attendants, leaving only the guards behind.
”Bring him here,” Sarendra instructed the guards.
After a moment, a young man with rare black hair entered. Bowing respectfully, he said,
”Good morning, Crown Prince. It is an honor to meet you. I am Sanai. I have been assigned to treat Your Highness’s hemophilia. I am at your service.”
* * *
Sanai had met the crown prince for the first time to assess his condition. The boy, barely more than a child, looked fragile—lying in bed, his face devoid of vitality, as though death might claim him at any moment.
Yet, when Sanai assured him, “You will recover. I will make sure of it,” the prince simply smiled shyly and said, “I trust you.” Though it was their first meeting, Aare’s gentle nature and lack of pretense were immediately evident.
No matter what, for the sake of himself, for the empress, and above all, for the prince, the treatment had to succeed. The possibility of sudden complications could not be ruled out. Everything had to proceed as swiftly as possible.
Notes:
• Empress Sarendra – Aare’s mother who expresses quiet resentment towards Aare’s existence.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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