In the Doghouse - Chapter 202

The servant hastily clattered as they placed the plate down and scurried away. Following the head steward’s lead, the attendants who had been serving them promptly exited the dining room en masse.

Over the years, the palace staff had grown accustomed to disputes between the Emperor and Empress—though they often seemed one-sided, with the Emperor on the losing end. Their swift response was a testament to their familiarity.

Now free from any onlookers, Courtney pressed him again with an even sharper tone.

“What is it? What’s your problem that you’re sulking like this?”

“It’s not that…”

Richard began to speak hurriedly but faltered, unable to find words to defend himself.

He felt hurt that Courtney had been paying him so little attention lately.

But had he really been making a point of sulking? If anything, he’d tried his best to hide his feelings and not show his frustration.

And yet, instead of being praised for his patience, he was being cornered by her accusations.

It felt unfair.

What could he possibly say? That he felt neglected? That would make all his effort to keep quiet seem meaningless.

Should he explain how much he had been struggling inside? That would only seem pathetic.

And to ask her to pay attention to him instead of focusing solely on the children? That would surely earn him a scolding for being childish.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Richard chose silence.

But the emotions he had been suppressing began to escape through other means.

Courtney, noticing his trembling shoulders and the tears welling in his eyes, spoke again, her voice a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

“What… Richard, are you crying?”

It was a rhetorical question.

Unless Courtney had suddenly gone blind, the answer was obvious.

Large, clear tears were streaming from Richard’s deep blue eyes.

The tears trickled down his cheeks, forming dark spots on the white tablecloth beneath him.

He hastily raised a hand to wipe his face, but the floodgates had opened, and the tears wouldn’t stop.

Courtney let out a small, incredulous laugh.

She hadn’t hit him or threatened him.

All she had done was ask him to be honest if something was bothering him.

Sure, her tone might have been a little sharp, but still.

Softening her voice, she tried again.

“Really… what’s upset you so much that you’re crying? I won’t get mad, so just tell me.”

“It’s nothing…”

“Speak.”

Her voice, though quieter, carried a firm demand.

Richard opened his mouth, but before he could form words, a sob escaped, forcing him to bite down hard on his trembling lower lip.

The mood for dinner had long since dissipated.

Courtney, having lost her appetite, propped her chin on her hand and watched her husband silently.

Perhaps he had given up on holding back because he began to sob openly, his shoulders shaking with each heaving breath.

So that’s where Lyle gets it, she thought.

The resemblance between their tearful faces was uncanny.

Interpreting her silence as disapproval, Richard spoke through his sniffles.

“I’m sorry. I just… hicc… I know you’ve been busy, so I’ve been trying to stay quiet. It’s not that I’m mad or… sniff… upset with you, it’s just… hic…”

What is he even saying?

Courtney looked at him with an expression of mild disbelief.

The gist seemed to be that he was, indeed, hurt by her lack of attention, but that he hadn’t been sulking on purpose.

With that understanding, Courtney stood up from her chair.

The scrape of the chair’s legs against the carpet made Richard flinch.

What is he so afraid of?

It’s not like I’m going to kill him, she thought as she rounded the table and approached him.

Richard, unable to meet her gaze, hung his head low.

“Courtney, I…”

“Look at me.”

Despite her insistence, Richard couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

This wasn’t what he had intended.

They weren’t in the middle of one of their ‘games’, just having a regular conversation as husband and wife, yet here he was, crying like a child.

Even he couldn’t understand why he was acting this way.

Courtney gently cupped his face in her hands and lifted it so their eyes met.

His tear-streaked cheeks and reddened lips, bitten in frustration, made him look utterly pitiable.

To Courtney, however, he was nothing short of endearing.

She was certain that she was the only person in the entire empire he would ever cry and cling to in this way.

Lowering her head slightly, she closed the distance between them.

As her face drew closer, Richard’s eyes fluttered shut instinctively, and fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.

Courtney pressed a soft kiss to his damp eyelids before pulling back.

Richard looked up at her, his gaze tinged with confusion.

She looked down at him with the fondest expression, as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

“What are you doing crying already?”

Richard blinked, his long lashes catching the glistening remnants of his tears like morning dew on blades of grass.

Courtney couldn’t help but pinch his cheeks playfully as she continued.

“Save it. You’ll be crying all night anyway.”

“Courtney…”

Overcome, Richard threw his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

He’s like a big, overgrown child, she thought with a sigh.

When will he ever grow up?

Sometimes it felt like he was aging backward.

Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed with him.

There wasn’t a single part of this man she didn’t love, and she doubted there would ever come a day when she stopped loving him.

Patting his back as if soothing a child, Courtney felt her heart swell with warmth.

Just like the blooming spring outside, her heart was filled with nothing but love and warmth for him.