Time Travelling: My Love from the Royal Family

That very night, something terrible happened in the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Academy of Medicine and the emperor himself were startled to find Francis' condition worsening, even to the point that he was spitting up blood.

It was a macabre scene in the Jade Palace, all the more so with Sherry crying bitterly at Francis' bedside.

The emperor's heart ached as he watched, and he felt quite useless. "How's Francis?" he asked quietly.

"Your Majesty, Prince Francis..." Kenny began, then trailed off. Privately, he decided that he would return to his hometown after this disaster. He'd had enough of the tumult and trouble that went on in the imperial capital.

"Tell me!" snapped the emperor.

The other man steeled himself, then raised his voice. "Your Majesty, Prince Francis is dying. He has been very weak. All his internal organs are beginning to fail. If things keep going on like this, he won't last more than three months."

Not far away, poor Sherry flinched as though she'd been struck. "No! Francis, please don't leave me. Your Majesty, save my son. He is still so young. He hasn't gone out of the Imperial Palace, but he..."

The woman trailed off, and presently Francis awoke. Upon seeing the emperor at his bedside, he struggled and tried to get up, but the old man waved his hand and said, "You are too weak to move, little one. Stay put and rest."

A strange smile took hold of the young man's face. "Father, why is my mother crying like this? Am I dying?"

"Nonsense!" the emperor answered, far too quickly. "You have just gotten worse. The imperial physician will cure you. Don't trouble yourself with worrying. The mo

tears. "Your Highness, what happened to Prince Francis?"

"Don't worry. He's not going to die," she said without raising her head. She continued to apply acupuncture treatment. After she'd pushed the last needle into his skin, Francis finally moaned and opened his eyes. The light troubled him, though, and he closed his eyes again soon. Realizing that he was no long in the Jade Palace, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Am I already out of the Imperial Palace?" he murmured.

"Yes, but you almost lost your life," Harper replied as she gingerly extracted the needles. "Do you even know what you have done? You knew that you were weak, but you still took that medicine which had made you even weaker. If not for me, you would be dead now."

The sick prince fixed his eyes on her and smiled weakly. "I don't think I'll die with you here, so I'm not worried at all."

With a snort, Harper gently rapped her knuckles against his forehead. "As a patient, you should take care of yourself. This is a punishment!"

Francis laughed heartily, even though it hurt. Harper shook her head and thought, 'He is so optimistic. How can he still laugh while in such a state?'

"Your Highness, you finally woke up! I was so worried about you! I was afraid that you would die!" Owen said.

"Don't say anything about death!" Harper was on her feet in an instant. Now it was Owen's turn to take a blow to the head, and he got it harder than Francis had. Wincing, Owen nursed his temple. Though he wanted to cry, he struggled and restrained himself. He looked so pitiful and silly that Francis laughed again.

"Sorry to trouble you, Aunt Harper," Francis said.