Chapter 636: The Death of Hope
But like a rollercoaster ride, the Empress, who had felt like she’d reached the peak only to drop suddenly, got alerted when Luca spoke.
He looked hesitant, but still continued either way.
"I think there are other, more important things. Because if it’s romance, then it’s important to consider the feelings of several people."
The boy spoke with the air of someone who had spent far too long pondering this, yet the truth was simple.
Luca, who had learned about love not from his first life but from the people around him now—most of all Xavier—was only pointing out what had been shown to him. The things that made him feel loved.
The disguised Empress leaned forward without realizing it. Her shadows stiffened behind their feeds, holding their collective breath. Every single one of them wanted to hang on to the next words.
Then Luca said, earnest and bright, "Well, it’s very important to be honest with each other. Not only is it a sign of respect, but it’s also a sign of trust."
He looked like a little saint as he said it. Golden eyes wide, voice steady, his whole face glowing with conviction.
BANG!
It was like the Empress had been shot.
Her first instinct was to clutch her chest because that one landed like a cannonball—a massive hit.
Respect? Trust? Honesty?
Did the boy have to go straight for the jugular?!
Because just look at what they were doing right now! Sitting here in disguises, spinning half-truths, while the one person who mattered most was laying down the law of love like a sacred scripture.
And what to do now? Because that was basically the exact problem for Xavier, who had a closet so full of skeletons it could start its own army.
The shadows wilted silently in the background. The Imperial couple’s hidden aides could almost see the giant mountain looming in front of their Crown Prince.
Meanwhile, Luca blinked innocently at the Empress’s sudden reaction.
"Ma’am? Did I say something wrong?"
Her throat clicked as she forced a smile. "No, no. You’re absolutely right. I definitely agree."
She leaned closer, her voice soft but eager. "And... what other things do you think are important to consider?"
Her smile was sweet. Her heart, however, was bracing for another bullet.
Luca shifted a little in his seat, his golden eyes thoughtful. "I think... compatibility is also important," he said gently. "It takes time. Both people need to consider and learn each other’s preferences."
He smiled faintly, as if remembering something precious. "It must be really satisfying to be loved in the way you want to be loved. And since every person has something unique to them, what works for others might not work for you. So you have to take the time to find out what’s right for both."
He sounded like a sage. A wise teacher dispensing truths of the heart.
In reality? He was just parroting every single lesson Xavier had drilled into him.
But when the little chipmunk, proud of his progress, looked up to see the lady’s reaction, he froze.
She looked like she had just been struck by lightning.
The Empress had to stifle a gasp, her persona nearly cracking as misery swallowed her whole.
Because how could she ignore this?
Take time? Her son barely had time.
Consider preferences? Her son had been raised on "my way or no way."
Learn how to love someone the way they wanted? Her son’s romance experience consisted of terrifying people into never asking questions.
Every single word out of Luca’s mouth was like being pelted with boulders. She was drowning, choking, being forced into defeat by the most innocent boy alive.
Psychologically bloody and beaten, the extremely worried mother still managed to croak out the dreaded question. "Like... in your case, what would you particularly appreciate?"
The effect was immediate.
Luca’s cheeks went crimson, blooming red like a flower at dawn. His hands twisted in his lap. His lips parted, closed, parted again.
The Empress’s heart lurched in terror.
That reaction. That horrifyingly specific blush. She knew that reaction! That was the reaction of someone who had very, very specific memories and feelings.
"!!!"
"Oh, um, well..." Luca squirmed, his voice quiet. He looked ready to sink into his chair. But then, as if remembering something, he straightened a little. His blush remained, but his eyes shone with a kind of pride.
"Someone who could cook," he began.
The Empress stiffened.
"Someone who would be patient with me. Someone willing to learn about my interests, willing to listen to my stories."
Her shadows nearly toppled over from their hidden posts.
"Someone with a really nice and calming voice. Someone who gives great power hugs."
The Empress gripped her knees so tightly she thought the chair would splinter.
"Someone who cares about rest. Someone whose back is very reliable. Someone who would handwrite letters so I could keep them and collect them."
The litany went on, each word like a nail hammered into the coffin of her fragile hope.
It was a death sentence.
Handwritten letters? Power hugs? Cooking?! Drying hair?! A nice and calming voice?!
What in the frozen stars was she supposed to do with this list?!
Her son. Her son, who communicated in nods and glowers, was nowhere near this list. He was more likely to sharpen weapons than chop vegetables. And worse, he could probably terrify a pen into writing, but had probably never produced a letter other than a demand letter in his life.
This was doomed.
Completely doomed.
The fragile flame of hope she had been guarding with her life sputtered and died.
W-what to do?!
Meanwhile, Luca finished with a little flourish, nodding to himself as if ticking off the last of a grocery list. His smile was shy but content. "Wow... there’s actually a lot," he murmured.
Refreshed. Reassured. Glowing.
And then he looked up.
Only to see the woman beside him looking like she desperately needed emergency medical attention.
"Oh no! Ma’am! Are you alright?!"
"Ah... I-I think? I should be? I guess I just didn’t think that the interests of today are truly something else! Ha ha! But I am extremely thankful because, like this, I would be able to tell my son something useful."
Her laugh was brittle, her hands twitching against her knees. Then, as if plunging the knife directly into her own chest, she hesitated, but asked anyway.
"But, by any chance... these things, are they all required? And is it actually possible to do all of it?"
Really, she wanted to ask if it would be possible for her son to do such a thing, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she settled for the safer question, praying to the stars that Luca would say no.
Luca blinked at her. Then his entire face exploded into crimson as if he’d just realized how much he’d said.
"Waah! I’m sorry, Ma’am! I don’t think it’s all needed, and I don’t speak for everyone else, because that was just m-my personal preference!"
His voice cracked, flustered, but he forced the words out anyway.
The Empress and her hidden shadows nearly fainted in unison.
"Preference?" she repeated, trembling. "But... if so... h-how did you learn about your preference? Because this seems to be a very important thing..."
Luca groaned, covering his reddened face with both hands. His voice was muffled but still audible. "Well... through personal experience, Ma’am!"
"P-Personal experience?!"
She gawked. Her throat went dry. Personal experience. He really said personal experience.
If she thought it was bad earlier, wasn’t this infinitely worse now?! How could she face her family with this news?!
Luca nodded, his face puffed up like a steamed bun from how embarrassed he was.
Finally, the Empress could not take it anymore. She nearly sprang to her feet, her voice cracking as she demanded, "I-if it’s personal experience then... then who, who taught you all of those?!"
Her hands shook. Her carefully constructed disguise wavered. She was seconds from crumbling into dust.
Luca straightened at the question. For once, he realized this was a rare chance to acknowledge something he had never really put into words before. His heart felt full just thinking about it.
So, softly, with quiet conviction, he murmured, "I-it’s my husband."
"C-come again?"
Surely she had heard wrong. Surely her bloodline ability, sharp enough to hear Renard Dreel’s muffled screams from another room, was simply malfunctioning. She couldn’t possibly have heard that word.
But then the boy looked her right in the eye and said clearly, "Husband. It’s my husband, Ma’am!"
"!!!"
The word echoed.
Husband.
Husband.
HUSBAND.
The syllables bounced in the Empress’s skull like war drums.
It reverberated through the earpieces of her shadows, several of whom nearly dropped their equipment in shock.
It even traveled into the ear of the Emperor, who had only just started listening in—and immediately collided headfirst with the bench in front of him in his utter disbelief.
Husband. Husband. Husband.
The word echoed like a cannon blast in the Empress’s skull. Her world stilled. Her breath froze.
The great chipmunk was married.
She finally understood the kind of impossible competition her son had stepped into. No wonder Xavier had kept silent.
Her mask cracked. Her lips trembled. Tears prickled her eyes.
"Then... what about him?!" she blurted, voice raw, breaking like glass.
"Huh? Him???"
"What about Xavier!" she trembled, looking like she might actually burst into tears.
"Huh? What about Xavier?" Luca tilted his head, confusion and worry now written all over his face.
"I-if you’re already married, then what about him?!"
"I-I don’t follow the question, Ma’am?" Luca blinked, lost.
The Empress’s voice wavered as she pushed harder. "Who would he marry?"
"Wha-what? But why would he marry???" Luca’s golden eyes widened as a collective gasp was taken.
"You’re saying he can’t get married?!" she demanded, thinking she had just uncovered some tragic revelation. Were they in that kind of a relationship?!
But then Luca screeched instead, horrified. "Ma’am, he said we’d be together forever, so how could he possibly remarry!"
"..."
"..."
The Empress’s heart lurched. Her ears rang.
"Who?" she croaked.
And Luca, the mortified sunshine, utterly oblivious to the storm his words caused, answered with absolute sincerity.
"Xavier, my husband!"
"???"
"!!!"
The words dropped like a star detonating in the middle of the room, and for one suspended heartbeat, she was sure hearts, earpieces, and possibly a few spines had been snapped in half.