The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health – Chapter 240

Author: Asternkm

At the news that Empress Ageni was meeting Arellin alone, Pession dropped the documents he had been holding and hurried straight to the guest room.

“Uh…….”

“……?”

Two people stared at him with startled eyes.

Seeing that the teacups were still warm, Pession felt a brief sense of relief that he wasn’t too late. Then, naturally stepping between Arellin and the Empress, he shielded Arellin behind him and protested.

“What do you think you’re doing, Mother?”

The suppressed voice that slipped through clenched teeth rang coldly.

He knew, rationally, that he should speak more politely, but merely holding onto his composure in this situation was already draining Pession’s patience.

“Crown Prince…….”

Ageni called out to him in surprise.

Pession could not understand his mother at all.

“What are you trying to do this time?”

“Pession, that’s—”

Empress Ageni opened her mouth reflexively, but when she met his icy gaze, she closed it again.

Even if Pession had changed, he had never acted like a completely different person like this before. The Pession she faced today truly felt like “someone else.”

“You hid the fact that Arellin hadn’t died. Even after she returned alive and well, you didn’t reveal the truth—no, you went so far as to block my eyes and ears so that I couldn’t find out myself. Was that not enough for you?”

Empress Ageni’s face went pale.

She knew Pession was aware of what she had done, but she hadn’t expected him to resent her this deeply.

Despite the shock clearly written across her face, Pession let out a hollow laugh.

“And without my permission, you came all the way here—what exactly were you planning to say to Arellin?”

“Sion.”

“Were you trying to separate the two of us again?”

Despite his voice being sharp enough to cut, the look in his eyes as he stared at Ageni was filled with resentment.

“Why would I—”

Why would I do that?

Empress Ageni’s eyes filled with sorrow.

What could she say to a son who looked at her with such blame?

Realizing that her attempt to mend their strained relationship and clear up misunderstandings had only earned her deeper hatred, Empress Ageni gave up on explaining and closed her mouth.

No matter what she said right now, it wouldn’t truly reach him.

But her silent compliance only poured oil onto the blazing resentment inside Pession.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Why—can you speak to Arellin, but not to me?”

Empress Ageni’s face turned even paler. The razor-sharp tension made everyone hold their breath.

It felt like Ageni and Pession had reached a point of no return.

“This little brat!”

Someone shattered the tightly drawn tension.

From behind Pession, where she had been quietly watching the exchange between the two, Arellin suddenly swung her hand and smacked Pession hard across the back.

****

When Pession first appeared, I wasn’t thinking much of anything. I just thought, Oh, he showed up.

But then—

‘Isn’t he getting way too harsh?’

Interfering in someone else’s family matters went against the manners of a proper Confucian girl.

But still—

‘I can’t just stand by and watch this!’

“You! What kind of way is that to speak to your mother?!”

For a Confucian girl, this was absolutely not something to let slide.

Such outrageous unfilial behavior.

You’re supposed to cherish the fact that your mother is alive! Crying on your knees at her grave later, wailing “Mother!” after she’s gone, won’t do you any good!

“No matter how angry you are, what is that attitude toward your mother? Who taught you to act like that? Huh?!”

When I finally snapped and scolded Pession, everyone around sucked in a breath.

Even if it’s Lady Arellin, to lay hands on the Crown Prince in this situation……!

That exact thought was written plainly on the worried looks they gave me.

Even Empress Ageni looked at me with wide, startled eyes, clearly concerned.

No—shouldn’t Your Majesty be on my side here?

Pession slowly turned to look at me. His eyes were filled with such vicious intent that, if I didn’t already know him, I might’ve cried out, demanding my gentle Pession back.

But that won’t work on me.

“Oh? Look at that glare. Planning to kill someone with it?”

The tension drained from Pession’s eyes.

Seeing how instantly gentle his gaze became, I clicked my tongue.

If you were going to be like this, why did you act like that earlier?

“Did you do well, or did you do wrong?”

“…….”

“Answer me.”

“I did wrong.”

“Then you should apologize, right?”

“…….”

As Pession’s silence dragged on, my eyebrow slowly rose.

Pession flinched.

“Apologize.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Longer. And more politely.”

“I apologize for my rude behavior, Mother.”

At Pession’s apology, not only Empress Ageni but also the attendants and maids who had been watching the scene widened their eyes in shock.

“You heard that, Your Majesty?”

“Ah? Y-yes, I heard.”

“Will you forgive him?”

“Of course I will.”

It truly was an answer befitting Empress Ageni, a woman with a heart as vast as the sea.

Pession really was blessed with good parents.

Smiling in satisfaction, I spoke to Pession.

“Good. Now get out.”

“…….”

Pession looked at me as if protesting that it was unfair to be sent away like this, but it didn’t work on me at all.

“I’m not done talking with Her Majesty yet. Who barges in and ruins a conversation that isn’t even finished? How rude.”

“…….”

“We’ll talk later.”

And this was exactly when we were about to talk about my biological mother!

At my dismissive wave, Pession retreated with a dissatisfied expression. Even as he left the room, he kept glancing back at me like he wanted me to stop him. It was cute enough that I almost gave in—but since I still hadn’t heard about my real mother, I pretended not to notice this time.

Once Pession left, only the two of us remained again.

“Lady Arellin!”

“Yes…?”

Suddenly, Empress Ageni grabbed my hands tightly.

What is this?

And on top of that, the way she was looking at me—her eyes were sparkling far too brightly.

Why is she like this? This is really overwhelming.

“As I thought, Lady Arellin was the key. Coming here today was the best decision I could have made.”

“The key…?”

Empress Ageni beamed.

“Please take good care of my son from now on.”

“…Excuse me?”

What kind of situation is this now?

****

The Empress’s Palace at night.

The disturbance that had taken place earlier in the Crown Prince’s Palace had been tightly contained and didn’t spread further—but there was one person it couldn’t be kept from: Emperor Edward.

“That ungrateful brat! Does he not know who gave birth to him?!”

The moment Emperor Edward heard the news, he flew into a rage.

“Bring him here at once! How dare he show such filial disrespect to his own mother!”

However, Emperor Edward’s fury didn’t last long.

“It’s already over, so don’t add fuel to the fire. Sit down, Your Majesty.”

“But, Sister! This isn’t something we can just let slide—”

“Ahem.”

“…….”

Before his sister, Edward was nothing more than a weak man, and he obediently sat back down.

“You had a hard day with official duties, didn’t you? There was a lot to wrap up with the Uyo Union.”

“Yes. It was exhausting trying to stop the Beast King from insisting on personally punishing the criminal who kidnapped my granddaughter over that blasted black market issue.”

Just the Beast King coming to Albrecht would have been a major incident.

For Emperor Edward, who wished for a reign entirely free of turmoil, it was far too big a problem.

We’ve somehow managed to settle things by only sending an investigation team under his command…

But in truth, none of that really mattered to Emperor Edward. He cautiously glanced at the Empress’s face.

“Sister, are you really all right?”

Knowing how much effort Ageni had put into raising Pession properly, Edward couldn’t help but tread carefully.

If even a little of the Empress’s feelings had been hurt—

I won’t let that brat get away with it.

But unexpectedly, Empress Ageni looked genuinely fine. In fact, she even seemed amused, as if smiling at some thought of her own.

“Ed.”

“?”

“I suppose blood really can’t be denied.”