How the Sidekick Prince Lives Again - Chapter 49

“Welcome, Your Imperial Highness.”

“Good morning, chamberlain.”

Renato greeted Caleb warmly as the man welcomed him. Today was his day to go greet Tristan.

“His Majesty is now being examined by Marquis Pavel. I’m sorry, but please wait for a moment.”

“Okay.”

Caleb, as always, politely bowed to Renato and asked for his understanding. Renato nodded his head to say it was okay.

“How is His Majesty’s condition?”

“……I can’t say it’s good.”

Caleb’s voice lowered a little when he heard Renato’s question. Although his expression was not disturbed thanks to his long experience of life in the Imperial Palace, his lowered tone still showed concern for Tristan.

“Is there no improvement at all?”

“He has the will, but so far……”

Caleb trailed off his words, finding it difficult to answer. He seemed hesitant to tell Renato about Tristan’s condition in detail. Renato didn’t blame Caleb for that. Because he could understand why the man behaved like that.

Renato had said he would cooperate with Tristan, but Caleb would not have believed him right away, judging from what Caleb had seen so far. It was Renato’s task to try to get Caleb to believe him.

“Still, he will gradually recover. In the first place, His Majesty has a strong will to recover now. He is definitely less depressed than before.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

When hearing that Tristan’s depressive symptoms had improved, Renato had a relieved expression. While reading and looking up books related to trauma treatment, Renato learned that the most important thing in the treatment of psychological diseases was the patient’s will.

In fact, each time Renato came to visit, he could feel that Tristan’s complexion was getting brighter little by little. It was a good change.

He didn’t know exactly what state Tristan was in in his previous life, but it would have been worse compared to how it was now. Renato decided to continue with this change. And to do so, he had to get permission from Tristan for something today.

“Your Imperial Highness?”

“Long time no see, Marquis Pavel.”

“Greetings to the successor of the noble blood. May the blessings of nature be with you.”

Marquis Pavel, who had just finished the medical treatment, realized Renato had come in and hurriedly bowed his head. Renato entered the bedroom and switched turns with him. Even though it was morning, the room was as dark as dawn.

“Imperial Father.”

“You are here. You don’t have to greet me, just come here and sit down.”

Tristan, who was sitting on the sofa with a tired face, greeted Renato with a light smile. When Renato was about to offer a formal greeting, he dissuaded him and beckoned him to come closer.

“I have read all the letters sent through the chamberlain. I’m relieved that you seem to be doing a good job.”

“I still have a long way to go.”

Hearing Tristan’s praise, Renato was a bit embarrassed. In the past, their meetings would end after exchanging greetings, but recently, it was different. As it was free time from the eyes and ears of Blanche and Marquis Medus, the two talked a lot and discussed the future.

“I heard that you met grand prince Khalid several days before.”

“Hmm? Ah, I did. He seemed like a pretty good person. His skills were indisputable as well.”

Tristan recalled his meeting with Khalid and laughed out loud. Having a stronger identity as a knight rather than an Emperor, he realized at a glance how strong Khalid was.

“Seeing the grand prince reminded me of the old days. If my body was in good shape, I would have asked for a sparring match……”

Tristan stroked his leg with a bitter face. His legs were completely smashed in the accident and left him with great aftereffects. It was also the reason he was unable to move on his own.

“Do you remember when I told you the other day that I was planning to bring the grand prince to our side?”

When Tristan’s expression darkened, Renato quickly brought up another topic. It was better to turn his attention to something else before he was engulfed in depression.

“I remember. Isn’t that why you became the special protocol officer?”

“That’s right. Now that I have seen some progress, I’m going to report to you and get your permission, Imperial Father.”

“Is that so? Seeing that you have made some progress, it seems that you have obtained the grand prince’s cooperation.”

Renato’s words made Tristan’s face brighten. He held military power as the Emperor, but not everyone in the military supported him.

There were many who remained loyal to Tristan, remembering his glory in the past, but there were definitely people who had turned their backs on him, disappointed by his miserable fall.

If he could obtain Khalid’s cooperation, it would be of great help in protecting Trudy from Marquis Medus. He didn’t want to borrow foreign powers, but he decided to think about it positively because originally, he usually cooperated with the Khan Kingdom in military matters as well. After all, if he died, neither the country nor the throne would be of any use.

His priority was to drive out the Empress and Marquis Medus and survive safely. To do so, he could join hands with the devil.

“But what do you mean by getting permission?”

Tristan asked, lifting a cup of medicinal tea. With just a few words, his mouth became dry and his throat felt thirsty. Seeing Tristan take a sip of the medicinal tea, Renato opened his mouth.

“If you permit me, I will marry the grand prince, Your Majesty.”

For a moment, Tristan almost dropped the teacup in his hand. Even Caleb, who was standing quietly at the door, also raised his head in surprise. The two’s eyes were filled with surprise and astonishment as they turned to Renato.

“What? Marry?”

“Yes, the grand prince has already accepted my proposal.”

Unlike the surprised Tristan, Renato was calm. He didn’t look like a person who was speaking about an important matter like marriage.

“He has already accepted your proposal? Wait, are you saying that you asked the grand prince to marry you first?”

Tristan hurriedly put down the teacup. He was so startled that his hand trembled. His head felt dizzy.

“I don’t understand just what this is all about.”

“I will be explaining it in detail. I offered the grand prince a contract in the form of marriage. The period is 3 years, and the purpose is to protect Trudy. It also includes military support……”

Renato explained the whole process that led to his marriage to Khalid in a quiet tone. From when he proposed to Khalid, what he offered in return, what he was thinking while doing this, to how he planned to proceed in the future.

“Huh…… This kind of thing.”

Tristan groaned after hearing Renato’s detailed explanation. He frowned, not knowing how to react.

“This is not a matter to hide at all. Why didn’t you tell me something so important?”

“Because the grand prince might reject my proposal. In fact, he rejected it at first. And then I persuaded him.”

“But still, marriage? You could have asked him to sign a military cooperation contract, no?”

“It is because a contract like that can be broken. However, a marriage cannot be easily nullified, even if it is in a contract form. Also, this can induce Marquis Medus to let his guard down. He will think the grand prince is on his side.”

“That’s true, but……”

“Above all, the grand prince is a very responsible person. He tends to do his best to protect and take responsibility for anyone that enters his enclosure in any form. So I thought this was the best way.”

Tristan looked at Renato who answered without hesitation with slightly strange eyes. Noticing the emotions in his eyes, Renato slightly tilted his head.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, I’m just thinking that you seem to know the grand prince well. You two must have met recently, but you spoke like you have known him for quite some time.”

Tristan lightly coughed and fixed his facial expression. It was the first time he had seen Renato talk like that about someone. It wasn’t hard for him to notice that Renato had some kind of liking towards Khalid. But he didn’t say it out loud.

“I haven’t known him in a long time, but…… I have been paying attention to him since before. Isn’t he a hero praised as the best knight on the continent? There are many well-known tales about him, and there are plays and songs with him as the main character.”

“That’s right, but I didn’t know you would be interested in knights.”

“I am also a man. I didn’t follow the path of the sword because I didn’t have talent, but I also have admiration for strong people. When I heard that he was coming as the diplomatic ambassador, I made plans and did some research on my own.”

Hearing Tristan’s words, Renato gave strength to his lips. Then, he said the answer he had prepared in advance.

“Still, aren’t stories and reality different from each other? A lot of things like tales are usually exaggerated.”

“I know that as well. However, when I met him in person this time, I came to the conclusion that he is reliable. In your eyes, I may be untrustworthy in various ways, Imperial Father, but……”

“Huh, untrustworthy? It’s not like that. I was just a little surprised.”

Tristan hastily denied Renato’s words and said his feelings. He moved his lips, not knowing what to say, then let out a deep sigh.