The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health Chapter 297

Arellin’s surprise visit felt like an unexpected gift to Pession.

‘I was going to finish all this and go see her myself.’

Even if he couldn’t enter the Sky Tower, wouldn’t he be able to see Arellin if he protested in front of the Mage Tower?

That thought had kept him working hard.
To make time to go to the Mage Tower, he had to finish his work first.

“…Hmm.”

Still, having her come to him was much nicer.

Pession lightly fiddled with the documents, smiling to himself with a flushed face.

Seeing him like that, the attendants who had suffered under Pession’s sharp temper for the past few days began to tremble.

“Sir Griam, His Highness the Crown Prince looks like he’s in a good mood. Is this… an illusion?”

“No, it’s real. Of course it is. Miss Arellin stopped by.”

“…? Is her effect really that strong?”

Griam nodded solemnly.
Having watched Pession since childhood, he knew that Arellin’s influence went far beyond just this.

“Now’s our chance, Evan. Bring all the documents that need His Highness’s approval. All of them.”

“What?! Even so… wouldn’t His Highness’s condition drop again if we do that?”

“No. This is our only chance.”

Griam shook his head at Evan’s innocent response.

“What makes His Highness happy isn’t vacations or rewards. It’s Miss Arellin. This is a miracle chance to clear even the backlog. Go get them now.”

Eek. No matter what, that seems a bit much.

Still, unable to withstand Griam’s pressure, Evan brought in a huge pile of documents that needed approval by tomorrow.

It was only two days’ worth, but there was enough paper to completely fill the office.

“…….”

Seeing the sight, Pession narrowed his eyes.

“…….”

“…….”

Gulp.

As Evan trembled, imagining his future being decided by the Crown Prince’s irritation—

Flip.

Breaking the deathly silence was the sound of a page turning.

“……?”

Evan blinked, stunned that nothing happened.

Pession was calmly reading the documents.

An unbelievably peaceful outcome.

‘Is this… the Arellin effect?’

Amazing.

Evan sincerely prayed to the gods that Miss Arellin would visit the Crown Prince’s palace every single day.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Powered up by the Arellin buff, Pession finished two-thirds of the stacked documents before noon.

Thanks to that, he had a short break.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations that he would rest, Pession headed to the Empress’s palace.

“The Crown Prince is….”

“…Going to the Empress’s palace?!”

The news spread through the imperial palace in an instant, and all eyes turned toward the Empress’s palace with anticipation.

Receiving that immense attention, Pession met Empress Ageni after a long time.

“It has been a while, Mother.”

Sirua, who had been diligently showing up at the Empress’s palace for days to comfort her, and Empress Ageni both waited tensely for Pession’s words.

Pession spotted Sirua and shot her a look telling her to leave, but Sirua pretended not to notice and stubbornly stayed put.

‘You’re not leaving?’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

After a brief exchange of looks, Pession gave up when he saw Sirua’s sparkling eyes.

He hadn’t come here to argue with her.

“Hmm.”

What should he say?

Pession gathered his wandering thoughts.

When he’d said he didn’t want to see Empress Ageni for a while, he’d meant it.

He had trusted and relied on her deeply.

When he’d lost Arellin and was in pain, the one who understood him best in the palace—and supported him until the end—had been Empress Ageni.

That was why the betrayal he felt upon learning she had completely controlled information about Arellin was so devastating.

The mother he thought was entirely on his side had actually been trying to remove Arellin from his life.

Hearing that she’d done it “for his sake” only made him not want to understand her at all.

Resentment, anger, and betrayal tangled together into a knot, and until that knot loosened, he didn’t want to see her.

‘…That’s how it was.’

How fickle the human heart could be.

With just one sentence from Arellin, emotions he thought would never fade melted away.

Pession let out a dry laugh at himself.

But… Arellin had said it.

“Be good to your mom.”

She’d said it lightly, half joking, before leaving—but it didn’t feel light to Pession at all.

Why did her voice sound so lonely?

‘It surprised me that Arellin said she wasn’t upset.’

Now, Pession knew Arellin better than anyone.

Her real meaning was probably—

‘Why would I be upset when I’m not even that close to Empress Ageni?’

Something like that.

Arellin wasn’t the type to say things she didn’t mean.
She was shy around strangers and extremely guarded, so people who didn’t know her often said she was cold, inconsiderate, or too blunt…

‘But that’s just because she doesn’t think she needs to show consideration.’

Arellin wasn’t kind to just anyone.
Her walls were hard to break—but once someone was inside them, she was endlessly gentle.

That was already proven by how she treated the Duke of Halbern, who Pession still felt wasn’t qualified to be called a father, yet whom Arellin respectfully treated as one.

Despite that, she had come all this way and said those words.

‘…Is it because of me?’

A smile formed on Pession’s lips.

Seeing that smile after such a long silence, the imperial mother and daughter grew startled.

“!”

Pession snapped back to the present.

“Thanks to the guest you sent, I felt like coming here. I apologize for acting poorly until now.”

“!”

How could his heart not soften, knowing her unnecessary consideration had been for his sake?

As expected—he really liked Arellin.

Pession’s smile deepened.

“The person you sent told me this, Mother. To be a good son.”

“Pession……”

At those unexpected words, Empress Ageni’s expression completely relaxed.

As she smiled in relief, the lingering coldness in Pession’s heart finally disappeared.

As if the cold war had never existed, the space between mother and son melted away instantly.

“Of course, I hope something like this never happens again.”

He didn’t let it go that easily, though.

Watching Pession hold onto the grudge till the end, Empress Ageni smiled.

“It probably won’t.”

With the weight lifted from her heart, Empress Ageni could say that with certainty.

Because… between a fully grown, prickly son with terrible manners and a cute, well-spoken future daughter-in-law, her preference was obvious.

Everyone had forgotten, but Empress Ageni was famously devoted to Shione.
And Arellin looked exactly like her.

That her limitless favoritism flowed toward Arellin was as natural as the laws of the universe.

“Looking back now, it seems I didn’t act that way solely for your sake.”

“…Pardon?”

“Of course, I wanted you to stay unhurt and not feel the loss I once felt, but……”

Ageni thought of Shione.

She’d believed she’d already overcome that loss, but perhaps she hadn’t.

Only now did Ageni admit that the shock and grief of losing Shione had been far greater than she’d realized.

“I think I was unknowingly projecting myself onto you.”

Pession still seemed unsure what she meant, but Empress Ageni simply smiled, thinking of Arellin, who so closely resembled Shione.

“So, Pession.”

“Yes?”

“If you ever make Arellin cry, you will not be forgiven by me.”

“……?”

Faced with Empress Ageni’s warning, Pession was left speechless.

Something about this felt… strange.

…Probably just his imagination.