Rebirth: The unfavored Princess is the Tyrant King's favorite-Chapter 140: Just this once

"Nick... In the eyes of everyone, he’s my brother. Won’t it be strange if I don’t go and check up on him?" Luciana reasoned, looking up at him expectantly.

"Okay just this once, my wife cares about everyone else except me," he said.

Luciana shook her head at his words as if to say he was mistaken.

"Who made you believe such lies? Can’t you see I’m worried I’m about you? Especially since the maids told me you stayed all this while taking care of me. I was hoping you’d sleep for a while longer but I didn’t know you’d wake up so soon," she said, stroking his face with her fingers and trying to smoothen the frown and fatigue on his face.

Nicholas held her gaze allowing himself to be stroked by her like a little kitten.

"Next time something like this happens, don’t put your body in such strain. I feel heartache seeing you tired like this," Luciana said.

"I can’t do that, do you think I can sleep when you are slipping in and out of consciousness every minute?" he asked and Luciana sighed,

"Then promise me you’re going to rest more from now onwards, okay? You must take care of your health," Luciana said sternly.

"I’ll listen to my wife; you promise to always be by my side, right?" He asked like a big baby, making Luciana surprised by his tone and clinginess. But she guessed he must have been very frightened by her unconsciousness and decided to be more accommodating towards him.

"Of course, I’ll always be by your side, but I think rumors will begin to fly throughout the palace if I keep staying here in your estate, especially since the empress dowager has found out. I should return to Moonlight Palace now that I’m awake," Luciana said.

"We shouldn’t think about those things right now, let’s talk about that tomorrow. But tonight, you’re sleeping here with me," Nicholas said, and Luciana stared at him in surprise.

She thought he was going to insist, but he agreed so easily.

"You agreed?" Luciana asked, her surprise apparent.

"The moonlight palace is just a few meters from my estate, I can come over to the moonlight palace anytime I want," he said.

Luciana realized something must have happened while she was still unconscious and took a mental note of it, planning to investigate later.

"Okay, husband, I’ll be looking forward to your visits," Luciana said coquettishly, and Nicholas’ gaze narrowed; he felt like pouncing on her right there and then.

"Repeat what you just said," he whispered huskily.

"I’ll be looking forward to your visits... husband," she repeated like an obedient wife.

"You are taking advantage of your being sick to seduce me, knowing I can’t do anything to you, right?" He whispered, his voice sounding hoarse.

"I’m not seducing you," she said.

His fingers found her hair, feeling its silkiness as it effortlessly slid between his fingers, even when it had been unwashed for days.

’Patience, she was awake and looked almost healthy now, soon she would be all his again,’ he inwardly consoled himself.

"Yeah, how can my gentle and pure wife be capable of that? I think I’m the only one with naughty thoughts in this room," he scoffed.

"You know what?" Luciana asked and paused for dramatic effect and added in a teasing voice,

"I think you are right...My husband sure is a beast in bed."

She giggled when she saw his surprised face.

Seeing her happy like this in front of him, Nicholas knew it was meant to be. Every time they were together, she just had a way of making strange things happen in his heart.

Just like how his heart was thumping wildly in his chest just watching her.

~~~

Empress Dowager’s palace,

"Greetings to Her Majesty, her benevolent grace," Lady Evelyn greeted and deeply bowed to show respect to the empress dowager.

The empress dowager stared at the woman who looked gentle and demure and had assumed a bowing posture in front of her and nonchalantly stroked the fur of her cats, causing them to purr contentedly at her actions.

Evelyn waited for the empress dowager to excuse her but nothing happened. It took about a full minute which seemed like an hour to Evelyn before she spoke.

"Rise... To what do I owe this visit? Lady Evelyn seems to be paying attention to me so much recently, I hope it’s not because of your guilty conscience," the woman said straightforwardly.

Evelyn, who had just stood up straight after the empress dowager excused her, immediately kneeled on the floor at the empress Dowager’s words.

"Your majesty, please forgive this wayward daughter for her past deeds..."

"You are too high and mighty for me to consider you my daughter," the empress dowager snapped, cutting her off.

"This...this servant is really remorseful and hopes you will pardon her just this once and continue to keep her close and treat her as a daughter like you used to," Lady Evelyn pleaded, her voice full of remorse.

The empress dowager swept her piercing gaze over the woman kneeling on the cold floor, her eyes sharp and predatory as if she were trying to see straight through her. The chill in the air seemed to amplify the weight of that scrutinizing look, making the moment feel both tense and charged with unspoken power.

"You have been sending gifts to my palace ever since my birthday banquet, do you see me as someone you can buy over by giving her gifts?"

"Your Majesty, I would never! I see you as my mother, my elder, and the only close relative I have here in Gloryland; you are my only support; I would never bite the hand that feeds me; please forgive me this one time," Evelyn cried.

"I know I acted impulsively; I shouldn’t have targeted the princess consort, but the prince wouldn’t even pay attention to me. I’m carrying his son but as soon as the princess consort arrived in Gloryland, she didn’t even allow him to give us any attention. I only wanted to outsmart the princess consort out of my love for the eldest prince, I only wanted him to notice me," she added her heart thumping wildly in fear if this would do the trick.

Evelyn had specifically said these words today because she knew the effects it would have on the older woman. The empress dowager was also an unfavoured consort.