I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 130

A few days later, the Emperor, who had been struggling to stay alive, was finally preparing for the end.

Following his wish to be with only his family, everyone gathered in his chamber.
The children stood close by, sniffling as they clung to their grandfather. Empress Asili had turned away, her face swollen from crying.

Still, the Emperor gave a faint smile and gestured for Lucas to come closer.
Lucas carefully approached and took his hand.

With a low and weak voice, the Emperor spoke with great difficulty.

“Lucas, I spent my whole life causing pain to my companion, Empress Asili, but you…”

“You were different. Brave, and thoughtful,” Lucas said gently, finishing the Emperor’s sentence.

The Emperor began to cough and struggled to breathe, then finally continued speaking.

“This may be too bold of me to ask, but it is hard to close my eyes in peace, knowing I must leave Asili behind.”

The coughing grew worse. Lucas gripped the Emperor’s hand more firmly and replied with sincerity.

“Your Majesty, I will serve Her Majesty the Empress with all my heart and devotion. So please, do not worry.”

“Thank you,” the Emperor whispered.

Sensing instinctively that those were his final words, Empress Asili quickly moved to his side.
She lowered her head, pressed her lips to his still-warm mouth, and softly whispered into his ear.

“Go ahead and wait for me. I will come soon and hold your hand again. Rest peacefully. I love you.”

As Empress Asili felt a single tear fall from her eye, the Emperor peacefully closed his eyes for the last time.

After Frederick’s passing, Leon ascended to the throne, and naturally, Lucas became the Empress.

In the midst of stabilizing the empire during a time of chaos, time flew by with barely a moment to breathe. Another two years passed. The children were now ten years old, and Lucas and Leon were nearing their tenth wedding anniversary.

“…It seems it’s not the case this time either. I’m sorry.”

At the physician’s grim words, Lucas answered without emotion.

“There’s no need to be sorry. The first pregnancy was just a surprise, that’s all.”

Still, he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. During his recent heat cycle, everything had felt perfect that night. Since then, he had felt more tired, noticed some weight gain, and even lost his appetite. He was convinced he must be pregnant. But it turned out he wasn’t.

Lucas let out a quiet sigh and sat up from the bed, his face showing clear disappointment.

Leon approached and wrapped his arms around Lucas’s shoulders.

“You’re still young. There’s nothing to worry about. We can always have more children. Besides, we already have three ten-year-olds running around.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes and looked at Leon. Even though Leon claimed he never took suppressants, it was hard to believe him entirely.

“Are you really sure you haven’t touched a single suppressant?”

Leon replied with an offended look.

“Come on, what do you take me for? You think I’d lie about something like that?”

“…True. You’re not the kind of person who would.”

Leon knew all too well what lies and doubt could lead to.
He had spent so many years separated from Lucas, unable to find each other again in the storm of fate.

Lucas felt a wave of guilt for even briefly doubting him and lowered his head.
Leon gently comforted him with a warm voice.

“The empire is finally stable, and the children are calmer now. It will happen soon. We’ve just been so busy. Once things settle down, your heart will be at ease too. That will help.”

Every time Lucas reacted this way, Leon found himself torn.
It was good that Lucas was so committed and hopeful when it came to having another child, but Leon also worried. What if he really did become pregnant?

It was still early in the evening, but the sky outside was already growing dark.
There were no urgent matters left to handle, and Lucas’s most recent heat cycle had already passed. There was no real risk of pregnancy. It seemed like the perfect time to be close again.

Leon looked at Lucas with quiet affection.
But Lucas stood up from the bed, clearly with something else in mind.

“It’s been a while since we had dinner with the children. We’ve barely had a proper conversation with them, only greeting them in the morning.”

“They can eat just fine without us…”

Leon wanted to say that he had only exchanged simple greetings with the children lately too.
But saying that to Lucas, who was always thinking of the kids, felt immature, so he held back the words.

Being a proper father was harder than he thought.
He wondered when they would finally be able to live peacefully and just focus on love.

If Lucas knew what he was thinking, he would probably say, “And when will you finally grow up?”

So, Leon stayed quiet and followed Lucas out of the room, trying to act mature.

The children were already in the dining room.
They were cutting meat and sipping their drinks, looking more grown-up than before.

The first to notice them was Elisha.

“Papa… I mean, Father, you’re here?”

“Yes,” Leon said with a smile. “We’re here.”

Lucas gently patted Elisha’s head before taking his seat at the table.
From that moment on, even during the meal, Elisha began calling him “Father” more often instead of “Papa.”

Lucas remembered how, a year ago, Elisha had stubbornly declared that she would stop using polite speech and refuse to eat unless she was allowed to visit the House of Rion.
Her determination had been impossible to break, so he had sent a letter, and not long after, Elisha had been allowed to go.

After reuniting with Oliver, whom she had missed so deeply, Elisha returned home as the kind and gentle daughter she used to be.

It had been a long time since the whole family shared a meal together, and the atmosphere felt especially warm and joyful.
Everything was peaceful and pleasant, until Dea suddenly broke the mood with a question.

“Why don’t we have a younger sibling?”

Lucas dabbed his mouth with a napkin and looked at Dea.
Just from the look in his eyes, Lucas could tell exactly what the boy was thinking.
He was probably blaming himself again, thinking it was because of his recessive omega traits. Lucas knew he needed to stop that thought before it settled too deeply.

“Who says you don’t have siblings? You have Elisha and Andrea. You are each other’s little brother, big sister, and older brother.”

“But we were all born at the same time. In today’s politics class, Anton said he’s going to have a baby brother soon. He was really excited about it.”

Anton was the third son of Duke Rehob.
Somehow, that man seemed blessed when it came to children. Even though he already had four, his wife was now expecting their fifth.

At Dea’s words, Elisha and Andrea, who had been quietly listening, joined in.

“A baby would be so cute.”

“I think I could take care of one really well. If you and Father are busy, I’ll look after the baby myself.”

As if that would actually happen.
They would probably end up rolling around with the baby and accidentally hurting them.
Leon resisted the urge to scold them playfully and instead replied in a calm and serious tone.

“If we had another baby, we would all become even busier. We might not even get time like this to sit down and eat together. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Leon had thought that saying this would end the conversation about wanting a younger sibling.
But Dea, who was more logical than emotional and full of curiosity, was not so easily convinced.

“We already don’t get much time together as it is. Having a sibling wouldn’t change the fact that you’re both busy. If that’s going to be the case anyway, then I’d rather have a sibling.”

“He’s right.”

“I agree with Dea,” Andrea added.

Leon was left speechless and glanced toward Lucas.
Lucas was pretending to be fine, but his face had clearly stiffened.

“Well now, when a younger sibling will come is something only the gods know. So let’s just focus on eating, alright?”

Leon tried to change the subject with a light tone, but Lucas’s expression remained tense.

Could Dea’s words have somehow brought something into motion?
Starting the very next day, Leon and Lucas found themselves busier than ever, barely able to catch their breath.

People living in the tribal protectorate had begun insisting that they had lived in the empire long enough and now deserved to be recognized as imperial citizens.

Since Leon had already dealt with the invaders before becoming emperor, the chance of a spy hiding among them was low.

“Do you think it might be time to accept their request?”

Lucas let out a low hum in response, his expression still wary.
He seemed cautious and unconvinced.

“What do you think?” Leon asked.

“It’s something we need to keep watching for a little longer.”

“And what if they end up starting a rebellion?”

“Then we definitely cannot accept them,” Lucas said firmly.
When it came to matters of safety, he was unwavering.
But Leon didn’t see it the same way.

“Weren’t we taught that the foundation of ruling an empire is to love its people and govern without conflict?”

Lucas shook his head.

“Leon, this is a different issue. Have you forgotten what happened not long ago? The remaining followers of Vilter teamed up with fallen nobles and caused serious trouble. Sometimes, time alone isn’t enough to fix things.”

“So are you saying we should just stand by and do nothing?”

“No. I’m saying we need to be careful. If they truly want to become citizens of the empire, then they won’t be quick to start a rebellion.”

Leon furrowed his brow.
Lucas could tell he was not satisfied with that answer, but he didn’t try to comfort him right away.

To Lucas, Leon was an excellent emperor, a devoted partner, and a loving father.
But if he had one flaw, it was that he tended to act too quickly and placed too much faith in the best possible outcome.

Even so, Lucas believed that, as always, if they thought it through together, they would find the right solution.

That was what he believed.

But the disagreement he thought would pass quietly fell apart completely a few days later when a letter arrived from Michelle.

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