Chapter 198: 198
Ch . 198 There’s No Need To Be Bitter (1)
Carlisle rarely stayed separated from Elena since her injury . Because she had long been confined to her bed, today he carried her to a private garden to get some fresh air .
“CCaril, set me down . Someone might see . ”
Her cheeks were hot as she kept glancing around, but Carlisle ignored her protests .
“So what if they see?”
“I’m not a child, and it’s embarrassing if you carry me around like this . ”
“My wife is too shy . No one will blame a husband and wife going out together . ”
The servants wouldn’t say anything to them, but Elena was sure they would gossip behind their back . Those who served in the Imperial Palace were human after all, and wouldn’t be able to resist a bit of chit chat about their masters’ private lives .
“Still…”
Carlisle replied to Elena’s continued doubt .
“Don’t worry . If anyone says something offensive to you, I’ll punish them severely . ”
He didn’t sound like his was joking, and she gave a disapproving frown .
“You can’t gain your subordinates’ loyalty if you punish them too harshly . ”
“People’s hearts are evil, and we don’t know if they are truly loyal . Obedience comes before loyalty . ”
Carlisle was not wrong; objectively speaking, it was a standard belief for a reason . As Crown Prince, he did not have the luxury to easily place his trust in people .
However…Elena was worried about his occasional violent nature . She wanted to show him that the bloody conquest of emperors past was not the only path for him, and politics could be beneficial to his people . That was Elena’s small wish .
“You are right, but always remember to be kind . That way, more people will be there to support you if you get into trouble later on . ”
Carlisle grinned at her words .
“Are you worried about me?”
“Of course . You occupy most of my worries . ”
“Whatever they are, I like that you worry about me . ”
At the same time, he stopped at a table in the middle of the garden . He sat down on a chair, and with great strength adjusted Elena so that she was sitting on his lap .
“Oh!”
Elena gave an exclamation of surprise, and he looked at her, savoring her figure .
“In fact…I once thought that if I was not going to be loved by you, then I would rather be hated . ”
“Really?”
“I wanted your mind to be full of me, no matter what emotions you felt . ”
Carlisle’s feelings were different from those of ordinary people . Elena couldn’t define it in a word, but he certainly did not express his affection the way others did . She even discovered something new about it .
‘When Caril doesn’t act cute at all, I think he’s even more cute . ’
In other words, probably only Elena saw him that way . From an objective standpoint, Carlisle’s actions were not particularly attractive, but she did not mind his greed . She was happy that those intense blue eyes were directed only towards her .
‘Maybe I’m strange too…’
Elena smiled happily as she immersed herself in thoughts of Carlisle .
Feeling somewhat exhausted after being outdoors for some time now, she leaned against his broad shoulder and spoke in a lazy voice .
“It worked . Now I spend most of the day thinking about you . ”
Carlisle stared at Elena’s golden hair gleaming in the sunlight . Despite her sickly pallor, her eyes were bright, and he stroked Elena’s hair with a careful hand .
“And I’m madly in love with you . Stay by my side for a long time . ”
Elena sensed a faint note of desperation in Carlisle’s words . He seemed sick with worry ever since she had been hit by the arrow . She knew that if she had been in his position, she also would have been just as frightened if Carlisle were about to die .
“I will . I’ll be here for a long time . ”
Despite the confidence in Elena’s answer, Carlisle only gave a rueful smile . There was no guarantee that Elena would never get hurt, not when the road ahead of them was so dangerous .
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“Unless I die, I will likely become emperor . But it’s up to you to decide what kind of emperor I will be . ”
“You know more than anyone how selfish and aggressive I am . I am hardly a saint . So I need you by my side…”
Elena raised her head again to look at Carlisle’s face . No one had ever told her that they needed her like this before . When she thought about it now, that was the way it had always been with him .
A feeling swelled in her chest . She was so happy .
“It’s sweet . ”
Elena smiled and cupped Carlisle’s face with her slender hands .
“A man who cannot be without me…”
While Elena didn’t realize this about herself, her beauty could captivate any man in the world . Carlisle momentarily gripped her hand as if he couldn’t hold himself back, but soon his hold loosened . His brow furrowed as he looked at her .
“You need to gain some weight . I feel like I’ll break you if I hold you too tightly . ”
Elena burst into laughter at his words . It was true that she had lost some weight, but she wasn’t so fragile that she would snap by his hand .
She didn’t hate his words, however . Her chest warmed at the thought of his tender treatment towards her .
“I won’t break, so you can hold on to me tight . ”
“Don’t provoke me, my wife . ”
Carlisle gazed intently at the bandages on Elena’s back and continued in a low voice .
“…I’m already barely restraining myself . ”
Elena understood his meaning and smiled faintly .
There in the lush garden of the Crown Prince’s palace, they basked in the early afternoon sunshine . Not much had changed, but Carlisle felt a warmth seep in him that seemed to come from another world . He embraced Elena quietly and spoke in a gentle voice .
“Did you forget something?”
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“Forget?”
Elena thought back on recent events to try to understand what he was talking about, but nothing came to mind . Ever since her injury, she had simply been confined to bed rest .
“I don’t know . ”
At Elena’s reply, Carlisle quietly took a small box out of his pocket . He opened it and revealed a simple ring studded with a single red ruby .
“Ah!”
It was the ring Elena prepared to give to Carlisle . She picked up the box with a surprised look .
“Did you forget my present?”
“But how did you—”
“I found it in your dress . I knew it was mine at a glance . ”
Elena flushed . She was ready to give it to him now, but she was too embarrassed to say the words .
“How are you so sure it’s yours?”
“It’s a man’s ring . ”
“Yes . ”
“So it’s mine, of course . ”
Elena smiled at his unchanged attitude .
They had a similar conversation before, when she still didn’t understand his way of thought . She had asked him what he would do if she was unfaithful to him, and he replied without any hesitation .
— …I would kill them all . All the men who came into contact with you .
— What if it’s not one or two?
— I told you, I would kill them all . And if you don’t stop, I’ll kill all the men on the continent .
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Though his passion was sweet, the words themselves were quite gruesome .
— If I were the only man in the world, then perhaps you would look at me then .
Elena looked up at Carlisle endearingly and spoke again .
“If this is another man’s ring, would you kill that person?”
“Yes . I would make it a painful death . ”
For a moment she thought, what should I do with this man? His words were crazy, but she was drawn to his expressions of extreme affection .
Carlisle’s eyebrows lifted when Elena didn’t answer, and he spoke in a quieter, more curious voice .
“It’s not really another man’s ring, is it?”
Elena couldn’t hold back anymore and hugged him, but then her back suddenly twinged in pain .
“Ah!”
Carlisle looked at Elena in concern .
“Are you alright? You should be more careful . ”
“Then stop doing things that are so endearing . ”
Carlisle stared at her with an uncomprehending expression .
“If not you, then who else would I give this ring? Of course I bought it for you . I wanted to give you an incredible confession that night . ”
“You don’t have to worry about that . Anything you say makes me happy . ”
“It’s the same with me . ”
Elena took the ring out of the box, then carefully slid it on his left ring finger .
Carlisle stared at the jewel on his hand, and soon his face broke into a smile . The corners on the edge of Elena’s mouth also couldn’t help but lift at his pleased reaction, and she leaned in to kiss Carlisle’s lips .
They pulled apart and came back together repeatedly, their exhilaration building like fire until they were blissfully dizzy with happiness .
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