Removing the stethoscope from the man's chest and freeing her non-human ears from the device's earpieces, the doctor sighed with relief. This was the last of the many health examinations she had conducted for the king today, and all this time, she had feared that, given his strange behavior in recent weeks, she would discover some serious problem.
"As for your physical condition, you are in perfect health. Moreover, in this regard, even young people who have ruined their health with bad habits and exhausting work could envy you. But..."
"What? Don't keep me in suspense."
"No, nothing... I recommend that you don't overdo it with tobacco."
"Oh, you!"
Ignoring the warning from his personal physician, His Majesty took a puff from not an expensive brand of cigarettes or cigars, but a cheap cigarette – he smoked them to remind himself of the scent of his beloved. Nemuri didn't say anything to him about this, knowing that it wouldn't lead to anything good, but it was in this new obsession of his that the problem lay. Apparently, when it came to his wife, the king was in such a state of intense emotional excitement that oxygen was not reaching his brain in sufficient quantities, which led to a temporary decrease in cognitive processes. She glanced at the large portrait that stood above the royal bed: it depicted the owner of this room and a girl in a short white dress – Futaba Starlight, none other than the Queen of Sakuramoria.
According to legend, the King of Sakuramoria rescued Nemuri from a slave market, but in reality, he simply bought her from Lumen Diref, a well-known slave trader in Eolia, and then raised her as he saw fit. Nevertheless, even though she was aware of her savior's selfish motives, she was still grateful to him because life in Sakuramoria was meaningful and peaceful for her, which she could not even dream of in Eolia. Here, no one mocked her, she was able to achieve great success in a noble profession, lived in luxury, and was always confident in the future, and therefore did not claim any official status, and their common children would never be recognized by anyone. However, with the appearance of Futaba in the king's life, he lost interest in Nemuri as a woman and bestowed great gifts on his new love. He even drew up a will, according to which their child with Futaba would inherit the crown of all Sakuramoria. All this could not help but hurt Nemuri's pride, and for the first time in her life, a feeling of envy lurked in her soul.