Paralyzed (Tboah!AlbeCale)

30) Choi Han cameo? Whaaaat? (Also told u it wasn't mpreg)

It was extremely strange. Why was Cale caught up in this at all? Sure, he might have made an enemy out of the baron, but why did Jennifer get involved as well?

What was Alberu missing?

'No way...'

He sweatdropped a bit as a certain idea popped up in his head.

'Does she think that Cale has feelings for me? Is it because of the balcony incident? The rumors? No, wait... she works in this palace, so she would have known about the first time Cale was hospitalized here, in my bed chambers.'

Puzzle pieces clicked together one after another. It made sense now that he looked at his and Cale's actions from her perspective. It was all one massive misunderstanding...

"Haha-"

He subconsciously laughed out of disbelief. His and Cale's relationship was definitely not what Jennifer thought it was, and yet this misunderstanding had escalated to the point of jealous kidnapping.

Alberu's train of thought switched tracks as he remembered that Cale was upstairs waiting for him still.

'That's right, Cale needs to know this too...'

He opened his eyes and let out a breath. It was time for him to return to his office. It had probably been around 30 minutes since he had left Cale with his aunt, but knowing him, Cale had probably done something chaotic.

There was so much he wanted to ask Cale, but it all had to wait. Alberu started up the stairs with his dark elf knights following behind him, hoping that his aunt had kept Cale Henituse under control.

...

Click.

"..."

Alberu had no words to speak as the door quietly clicked shut behind him. The scene in front of him was something he did not expect.

"Hey, you're back. How'd it go?"

"...Good, I solved the mystery. Anyway, what happened between you two when I was gone? The atmosphere is strange."

Tasha stared at Cale and then at her nephew in fascination. Cale was speaking rudely, probably without noticing, but Alberu also didn't seem to notice? Something about their atmosphere was strange.

Nonetheless, she decided to help ease the tension. "I was just making small talk with him, your highness. I will take my leave now that you are back."

Alberu glanced at her with a fleeting look of annoyance after hearing the respectful title, which Cale took as a sign that Alberu disliked the woman.

Cale decided to ignore their interaction completely and turned his attention to the crown prince after the door closed. While he was gone, the assistant had stared holes through his face the entire time, asking suspisciouly specific questions which made him feel a bit too uncomfortable for his liking.

"So, what mystery did you solve?"

Alberu sat on the couch facing opposite of Cale, and crossed one leg over the other. His head was too crowded earlier, but strangely enough, it was completely clear now. It was probably the familiar office setting.

"The magic disruption devices were indeed malfunctioning. The fake Hans' face mask was removed, and his true identity was revealed."

Cale looked at Alberu with curiosity. "Then? Who was he?"

Alberu corrected him. "Her. The gender turned out to be female. The woman in question is someone who actually has worked in this very palace for over a decade, and has romantic feelings for me."