The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 152

Chapter 152. The Empress’s Greenhouse

“His Majesty has lost his sanity.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It seems the dark magic has been lifted, but his memories returned and then worsened again.”

Emilia was struck with shock. She understood the words, but she couldn’t believe that Louid had lost his sanity. When she turned toward Damian, he nodded as if to confirm Asher’s words.

“Please help him.”

“What can I possibly do?”

She felt deeply sorry for Louid’s situation and worried about him, but she couldn’t fix him, so she was confused about what she was supposed to do.

“Please stay by Louid’s side. Louid once said that only when he is by Your Majesty the Empress’s side do his headaches disappear and he can sleep well.”

“…As you can see, I’m pregnant, so I don’t know if I should appear before His Majesty,” Emilia answered hesitantly.

“Only Your Majesty the Empress can do this. As his friend, I beg you. Louid can’t recognize anyone right now anyway. He doesn’t even recognize me.”

At Asher’s earnest plea, Emilia fell into deep thought.

She felt uneasy because she didn’t know Louid’s true feelings.

She had no way of knowing whether his feelings were the same as when they made the divorce agreement or if they had changed. If his feelings were still like they had been at the beginning of their marriage, he might take the child away from her as soon as it was born. Their original contract was to divorce after she bore an heir.

“Alright. Then I’ll stay by His Majesty’s side only until I give birth.”

But Emilia didn’t take long to answer. Since she was told Louid wouldn’t recognize her, she decided to stay with him only briefly until he recovered. She also wanted to see him.

“Thank you.”

After making hurried preparations, Emilia departed for the capital that very day with Asher and Damian.

***

“Please stay at the ducal residence.”

Asher arranged for her and Damian to stay comfortably in an annex of the ducal estate.

The next day, Emilia visited the greenhouse in the Prince’s palace where Louid was, together with Asher. Her face was covered with a veil, and her swollen belly was hidden beneath a full skirt.

“Where is this?”

Arriving at the backyard of the palace, Emilia looked at the unfamiliar greenhouse. It was an enormous and beautiful glass greenhouse.

“This is a greenhouse His Majesty recently built. He calls this place the Empress’s greenhouse.”

The Empress’s greenhouse?

At those words, Emilia’s eyes wavered for a moment.

“Just talk with him. You don’t need to do anything else.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“I’ll come often, and Damian will come and go frequently as well.”

“Alright. I’ll go in alone.”

“Yes, please do. If you need anything, tell Damian.”

“Okay.”

Since Louid wouldn’t recognize Damian either, they decided to introduce him as a temporary attendant.

After lifting the veil that covered her face, she opened the door of the newly built greenhouse and stepped inside. Her heart pounded at the thought of seeing Louid. As she walked along the path step by step, there was a bench further inside.

There he is.

She had heard from Asher that the Emperor was ill and that he wouldn’t recognize Her Majesty the Empress, but she was still shocked.

Seeing him in person, his once strong body looked so thin it seemed it could collapse at any moment, and his haggard face had no vitality at all. Yet he was still handsome, and his red eyes had not lost their light, still shining brightly.

“Sun of the Empire, no, Your Highness, I greet you. I am the new gardener, Chloe.”

Approaching Louid, she knelt and greeted him. Her movements were awkward because of her full-term belly.

Louid said nothing for a while and simply stared at her. He was said to be trapped in memories from around the age of ten.

“Chloe? How old are you?”

He finally opened his mouth.

“I’m twenty-one.”

“Hmm. Then you’re eleven years older than me.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Emilia didn’t bother pointing out that his memory was wrong. Her eyes grew moist.

“A gardener? This is a greenhouse built for the Empress. Take good care of it.”

She wondered if he was referring to his mother, the former Empress.

“Yes, I understand, Your Highness.”

“You don’t have to call me ‘Your Highness.’”

“Yes.”

“Sit here.”

Louid tapped the white bench he was sitting on. It was long enough for three or four people to sit, with a thick blanket spread over it.

“Your Highness, what were you doing here?”

Sitting beside him, she asked gently. He answered with a sorrowful gaze.

“I’m waiting for the Empress.”

“Where is Her Majesty the Empress?”

“She’s dead.”

He said it while staring straight at her.

“Ah, your mother has passed away.”

Since Louid believed himself to be a prince, the Empress he spoke of must be his mother.

“Yes. She died right after giving birth to me.”

Louid spoke about his mother. Emilia listened quietly. Clear tears flowed from her eyes.

“Why are you crying?”

He looked at her as if she were strange.

“Because your story is sad. You can’t meet each other anymore.”

She’d heard that the former Empress, Louid’s mother, died of puerperal fever after giving birth to him.

“That’s not true. It’s not your fault, Your Highness.”

For a brief moment, his expression turned strange.

A moment later, Louid pressed a device beside the bench, and droplets began to fall from the ceiling of the greenhouse. Like a fine drizzle, it fell as if watering the plants. The water only fell on the flowers and trees, not on the bench where they sat.

“Oh my, it’s raining inside the greenhouse.”

Emilia looked up in wonder.

“It’s amazing.”

When she turned to look at Louid, his gaze was fixed on her face.

“I made it for the Empress. She said it would be nice to have a greenhouse where it rains.”

That’s something I said. Did he mix it up?

At some point, she had told him she wished for a greenhouse where it rained.

She looked at him with a puzzled gaze, but she couldn’t read anything from his expression. He only looked at her gently.

“Her Majesty the Empress must have liked it.”

“I hope so.”

Louid smiled brightly. It was a smile she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“It seems Her Majesty liked flowers.”

“She did.”

For a while, the two sat on the bench, quietly watching the falling droplets.

“Your Highness, please eat.”

After Louid turned off the device, Emilia opened the basket she brought and set the food on the table in front of the bench.

“I’ll do it.”

At that moment, Louid reached his hand toward the basket.

“I should….”

Their hands touched.

“Let’s eat together.”

Louid, who had been frozen for a moment, whispered softly.

“Yes.”

She had been worried he might refuse to eat, so she felt relieved. Louid quickly finished a sandwich.

“I want potato soup,” he said as he picked up another sandwich. Emilia tilted her head.

Potato soup is what I like. Did Louid like it too?

He usually only ate meat, and even with soup, he would either not eat it or just take a few spoonfuls of meat soup.

In fact, he had said he didn’t have any favorite foods. He was someone who ate just to fill his hunger.

“Do you like potato soup?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll make it tomorrow.”

“Good. It would be nice if you make bread as well.”

Bread too?

“Yes.”

Emilia tilted her head and answered.

They slowly finished the remaining sandwiches and fruit together.

“Make some tea.”

“Yes.”

At his instruction, Emilia made tea and poured it into a cup. But Louid didn’t drink it and only stared at her.

“I’ll look around the greenhouse.”

He was staring so much that her face grew hot, and she couldn’t just sit there.

“Alright.”

Emilia slowly walked around inside the greenhouse. As he said, it was filled with many kinds of flowers and trees.

“It’s a hyacinth.”

Louid whispered beside her before she noticed him approach. He pointed at each flower with his hand and told her their names one by one.

Did he always know this many flower names?

“This is a Maromi tree. It only grows on the eastern continent, but I thought the Empress would like it, so I planted it.”

Louid pointed at a small sapling. It was a cute tree with a plump trunk and little branches sticking out to the sides.

“It’s really beautiful.”

When she admired it, Louid smiled with the corners of his lips lifting.

At that sight, her heart pounded and began to beat faster.

***

The next day, Emilia made rye bread and potato soup and went to the greenhouse. Rye bread was the only bread she knew how to make.

“Feed me.”

“Yes.”

Louid ate the bread like a baby bird.

“You did well.”

“Where’s my reward?”

Louid leaned his face toward her as he spoke.

A reward?

Emilia, looking confused, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Not there.”

Louid looked at her with a dissatisfied expression.

With no choice, Emilia kissed his forehead. But Louid only pouted and stared at her.

Is this really okay?

Tilting her head, Emilia kissed his lips. Only then did Louid’s lips curve into a smile.

***

That afternoon, Damian hurried toward the greenhouse. In his hand was a basket filled with snacks, juice, and ingredients to make tea.

He was worried because Emilia had been staying too long by the Emperor’s side.

He thought they would only exchange a few words, but just like yesterday, Emilia had spent the entire day in the greenhouse with the Emperor today as well.

If this continued, there was a risk that her pregnancy would be discovered, and above all, he was worried about her health.

“Huh?”

He quietly opened the greenhouse door and walked silently along the path. A moment later, he stopped abruptly in the middle of the walkway.