“Toi..let?”

Helios had to double check if he heard that right.

However Ferre suddenly sprang to motion and couldn’t afford to confirm it. He struggled to escape Helios’ arms.

“Hyung! Put me down! Put me?down!”

Ferre flailed like a fish out of water, struggling even harder.

Unbearable pain suddenly came over Ferre. And now everyone figured out why his stomach was hurting.

Gurururu!

His stomach roared louder than thunder.

GURURURU!

Something hotter than lava was wreaking havoc inside that stomach.

And now, it’s not hiding its boiling desire to go down and get out.

Helios glanced down at Ferre with a baffled expression. A pair of eyes as purple as his blinked tearfully.

With renewed energy, Ferre’s body started trembling as he felt the fierce battle moving within him.

“Put me down! Please! Hurry!”

Blankly thinking about the likely reason Ferre was in pain, Helios put Ferre back down on the floor.

Sera, the head maid, the handmaid and even the knights all looked blankly at the boy. Their eyes were devoid of life, as though their souls had escaped them.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, the red-faced Ferre zoomed out of there.

Everyone’s eyes were trained on Ferre, who sprinted to the bathroom.

On the way there, Ferre stopped in the middle as he fought an internal battle once more, but he soon ran again.

He continued in that way while struggling those internal battles of his.

When they saw that Ferre finally entered the bathroom, a long period of silence dawned upon those who were left behind.

The first person who spoke was Sera.

“It’s.. It’s what we’re all thinking, right?”

“Per.. Perhaps?”

Still dazed, Helios replied.

“Ha..”

But as he gradually grasped the situation, a smile tugged up on his lips as he let out a sigh.

With her lips likewise curled up into a smile, Sera covered her mouth as a ‘Pfft!’ came out.

As they realized that Ferre wasn’t in any critical condition, they laughed out loud together. It’s fortunate that it wasn’t anything serious—all this commotion was caused only because they couldn’t pinpoint the cause at first.

The hallway in front of the emperor’s office, which was now lit up with the early morning sun, was filled with their laughter.

After a while, Ferre came back outside, his hands damp after washing them.

Ferre, whose hair was like a magpie’s nest, now had a more comfortable expression on his face, as if he had been imbued with the world’s peaceful energy. Even his gait as he walked was overflowing with ease.

All the people who were waiting down the hallway happily smiled at him.

Ferre paused in front of Sera, clutching her dress.

“I’m sorry, everyone. It doesn’t hurt anymore..”

Ferre whispered shyly. All everyone could do was hold back their chuckles as they recalled how he looked just a while ago.

With his cheeks going pink, Ferre was so very adorable right now. Everyone looked at him with soft gazes full of affection.

“Ferre, you idiot! Stupidhead!”

Rosé was crying as hard as Ferre earlier, but she now smiled and slapped on the shoulder. She just looked happy that her younger brother wasn’t sick.

Ferre also smiled, then he held his sister’s hand as though he could sense what she was feeling.

Sera leaned down towards the cute twins.

The half-asleep twins, with their slightly swollen eyes, were so lovely and cute that you just want to pinch their soft cheeks.

As Sera patted Ferre’s bird nest hair, he raised his head and asked Sera.

“But Sera, why did you come out of Hyung’s room? Didn’t you go home?”

And it was at that moment that everyone’s bright smiles suddenly froze up.

After hearing what Ferre said, all eyes were on Sera this time, scrutinizing her current appearance.

Changed clothes. Unkempt hair out of her previous updo. Smudged makeup.

Then, through the wide-open door, her ballgown and high heels could be seen on the desk.. as if they were lingering traces from last night..

“Ah?”

“What?”

At the same time, Sera and Helios gasped as if they realized something at that moment.

Soon, people’s eyes shifted towards Helios.

Even though they knew that they should act this way in front of His Majesty the Emperor, everyone’s gazes were so evidently laced with curiosity as they thought about what?must?have happened last night.

Helios also glanced down at his own thin, loose shirt.

Ha. A small incredulous laugh slipped through his lips.

Then, he looked at Sera, who was standing next to him. He’s sure that she also noticed what the others were imagining.

And true enough, Sera’s face turned as bright as a ripe tomato.

Only Rosé and Ferre, Helios’ baby sister and baby brother, tilted their heads to the side. They’re just trying to figure out why Sera was still here.

But this didn’t mean that the others had the same innocent thoughts.

“We, um.. We didn’t see anything here, Your Majesty.”

The quick-witted head maid bowed her head first.

“No.. Wait. Head Maid. It’s not what you..”

Sera shook her head urgently, her face turning a brighter shade of red.

But before Helios and Sera could even explain or make excuses, apologies soon followed as the others bowed forward.

“I.. My immense apologies, Your Majesty. The situation just now seemed to be so dire, and I couldn’t stop Her Highness from knocking on the door. My deepest apologies, Lady Popo.”

“We’ve committed a great disrespect. Please forgive us, Your Majesty. We apologize, Lady Popo.”

Even the knights extended their apologies. Sera didn’t know what to do with apologies she didn’t even know if she should accept.

The spectacle then unfolded even further.

“Y..You must have had a hard time l-last night, so w..we shall have your bath prepared at once.”

Hearing the words of the Central Palace’s handmaid, Sera’s eyes became as wide as saucers. She was so conscious of the unusual gazes on her.

How on earth did it come to this? Helios just had an incredulous smile on his lips.

Staring down at the people who were bowing deeply in front of the two people in question, all Helios could do was bring one hand over his face.