After his mother’s death and the loss of all his power, it must have been a breakthrough for him.
He probably thought it was a way of proving himself worthy of being a prince, which was the only way he could have that woman forever.
“Ha….”
Caius sighed.
Through the hazy steam, a silver-haired woman appeared. She had deep-set amethyst eyes, trembling eyelashes and hesitant red lips.
Undoubtedly, she was a woman who caught his eye wherever she went.
With her mysterious appearance and uncommon features, she exuded an alluring aura that caused anyone to turn to look at her.
However, that could not be the reason he chose her.
He didn’t need a beautiful and enchanting woman. He needed a woman who would help him reach his goals.
From that perspective, Princess Ainel had no value.
Caius suddenly felt the urge to dig up a hole and bury his past self. He wanted to know what was so great about that woman. Why did he choose a woman who held even less significance in a matter that had no importance to begin with?
But there were no answers to the questions he asked himself. It was absurd.
Caius raised his eyes. His low breathing seemed to show the anger boiling inside him.
There was another gap in his memory. He bore a faint scar, but couldn’t recall when the scar appeared.
Also, when that woman touched the back of his hand, he felt a strange, indescribable feeling that overwhelmed him.
All his senses became extremely sensitive when he felt her soft touch, and his chest felt like it was burning. It was a feeling he was not used to.
He pursed his lips as he gazed into the empty space intensely. One by one, the carefully constructed aspects of his life unraveled and were denied by the unfolding circumstances.
It was unpleasant.
The past meant nothing. It was time to think about the present.
Leah hoped that his memories would return, but to him, she was just a means to buy time.
As soon as the empress and other nobles were no longer obstacles, he would remove her from his line of sight.
Once he became the prince, he would have diplomatic power. With that, he could end this long-standing engagement with Ainel.
Everything will return to normal when he sends her back to her kingdom. It would be as if he never had those meaningless feelings from his younger days.
Yes, he wouldn’t feel repulsive anymore.
Unconsciously, Caius tightened his grip on the bathtub and closed his eyes.
* * *
When the fragrant rosemary tea had completely cooled down, Leah who was sitting motionless in the reception room, looked up.
About an hour had passed.
It was a long wait for Leah, who came to the Imperial Palace before noon to meet Caius.
“Miss Leah.”
It was around the time when the heat from the newly opened window was getting stronger.
Sophia, who briefly left her seat, returned to the reception room.
“A message from His Imperial Highness arrived a little while ago. Due to a sudden lunch appointment, he has gone to the Central Palace. He wanted me to tell you not to wait for him and go back.”
Sophia, who delivered the message, appeared more apologetic than she was. Leah was well aware that she had waited for a long time.
Without much change in her expression, she lowered her eyes and asked.
“Do you know when he will be back?”
“According to the messenger who brought the message, he will be done with everything around evening time.”
“Then, I will wait until then.”
Leah replied firmly without hesitation, and Sophia looked at her with concern.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
Leah assured her, finally lifting the cold teacup.
It had only been half a day. She had waited for much longer, so this was nothing to her.
Leah held the cold teacup and surrendered to the familiar waiting. In the meantime, the sun quickly descended toward the horizon.
“Lord Rueden is struggling to confirm the date of the coronation ceremony.”
When the meeting ended, Caius quickly walked out of the hall of the Central Palace. Lady Brisha, who was following him, calmly spoke.
“Even if only for a short while, the constraints will only continue to intensify.”
Before they knew it, the sky was covered in a crimson sunset.
“If you wish, Your Highness, I will see you again soon.”
Caius nodded in agreement, and Lady Brisha bid him farewell as he boarded the carriage.
The carriage went in the direction of the Imperial Palace. A pair of dull blue eyes gazed through the window.
The coronation ceremony of the Crown Prince would take place before winter at the latest.
They couldn’t leave the successor’s position vacant until the national founding anniversary in early winter, as it would be nothing more than a sign of instability for the Empire.
After a short while, the carriage stopped at its destination. Caius collected his thoughts and gracefully stood up.
Around that time, the sky had darkened considerably. As he entered the Prince’s Palace, the rows of servants along the corridor bowed to him as he passed them with a nod of acknowledgement. He walked through the wide corridor and went up the stairs.
Quietly following him, the chief courtier said, “Your Highness, the Princess is still in the reception room.”
Caius, who had a neutral expression, turned to the chief courtier with his eyebrows raised slightly.
“Still?”
“Yes, she has been there all day, saying she’ll wait until Your Highness returns.”
Caius let out a faint chuckle. The woman had arrived before noon, right before the lunch appointment was scheduled. He had made it clear through a servant that he had to leave for an appointment.
Yet, she waited for more than half a day.
Feeling somewhat strange, Caius turned towards the direction of the reception room.
Whether driven by folly or determination, Caius entered the hallway leading to the reception room with pursed lips.
The servant standing at the entrance quickly bowed before opening the door.
Through the gaps of the slowly opening door, he could see the woman sitting at the table.
As Caius entered, the servant swiftly closed the door. Inside the room, the woman had her head resting on the table.
Caius stood quietly and observed her with narrowed eyes. The woman on the table appeared to be motionless as if she were asleep.
As if sensing someone’s presence, her long eyelashes fluttered open. Her amethyst-colored eyes were initially unfocused, staring into the distance, but they soon focused on the man in front of her.
“Ah…”
The woman suddenly raised her head and looked at him, her empty eyes gradually coming to life.
“Weren’t you told not to wait for me?”
Caius spoke indifferently, observing the woman who had not said a word. The woman, who remained silent, turned away and began to look through the darkening sky through the window. She blinked in confusion as if she only just realized how much time had passed.
“Just… even for a moment, I wanted to see your face.”
The woman’s clear eyes left the window and focused entirely on him. Her voice was calm but trembling as it always had been.
Unconsciously, Caius thoroughly examined her face.
She had a unique face, and his appreciation of her looks had been the same from the beginning until now.
He realised this fact, even though he was using her to reach his goals.
His eyes fell on her parted lips.
Leah’s expressionless face gradually broke into a smile as she spoke, her longing eyes meeting his.
Caius unintentionally stared at her plain face.
“I heard that you have no more official appointments for today, so could you spare me a little time?”
She was like a loyal dog waiting for its owner to return.
She had changed her mind about calling off the engagement, and instead of questioning him, she simply told him to do as he pleased. But her words didn’t show a willingness to answer him.
Rather, her presence indicated an intense feeling of longing and desperation.
“Perhaps a walk… No, a short conversation would be fine.”
Caius gazed downwards. Clinging to him like this would be troublesome.
Her role was to serve a purpose and maintain a suitable distance, akin to the customary engagement relationships among aristocrats.
But she probably had no intention of doing so.
In the future, she would try to spend more time together, pushing him to regain his lost memory.
While he recognized the need to meet her halfway to a certain extent, he still found it discomforting.
Even so, he oddly felt satisfied. Concealing these conflicting emotions, Caius nodded his head slightly.
“Well then, let’s go outside.”
After his mother’s death and the loss of all his power, it must have been a breakthrough for him.
He probably thought it was a way of proving himself worthy of being a prince, which was the only way he could have that woman forever.
“Ha….”
Caius sighed.
Through the hazy steam, a silver-haired woman appeared. She had deep-set amethyst eyes, trembling eyelashes and hesitant red lips.
Undoubtedly, she was a woman who caught his eye wherever she went.
With her mysterious appearance and uncommon features, she exuded an alluring aura that caused anyone to turn to look at her.
However, that could not be the reason he chose her.
He didn’t need a beautiful and enchanting woman. He needed a woman who would help him reach his goals.
From that perspective, Princess Ainel had no value.
Caius suddenly felt the urge to dig up a hole and bury his past self. He wanted to know what was so great about that woman. Why did he choose a woman who held even less significance in a matter that had no importance to begin with?
But there were no answers to the questions he asked himself. It was absurd.
Caius raised his eyes. His low breathing seemed to show the anger boiling inside him.
There was another gap in his memory. He bore a faint scar, but couldn’t recall when the scar appeared.
Also, when that woman touched the back of his hand, he felt a strange, indescribable feeling that overwhelmed him.
All his senses became extremely sensitive when he felt her soft touch, and his chest felt like it was burning. It was a feeling he was not used to.
He pursed his lips as he gazed into the empty space intensely. One by one, the carefully constructed aspects of his life unraveled and were denied by the unfolding circumstances.
It was unpleasant.
The past meant nothing. It was time to think about the present.
Leah hoped that his memories would return, but to him, she was just a means to buy time.
As soon as the empress and other nobles were no longer obstacles, he would remove her from his line of sight.
Once he became the prince, he would have diplomatic power. With that, he could end this long-standing engagement with Ainel.
Everything will return to normal when he sends her back to her kingdom. It would be as if he never had those meaningless feelings from his younger days.
Yes, he wouldn’t feel repulsive anymore.
Unconsciously, Caius tightened his grip on the bathtub and closed his eyes.
* * *
When the fragrant rosemary tea had completely cooled down, Leah who was sitting motionless in the reception room, looked up.
About an hour had passed.
It was a long wait for Leah, who came to the Imperial Palace before noon to meet Caius.
“Miss Leah.”
It was around the time when the heat from the newly opened window was getting stronger.
Sophia, who briefly left her seat, returned to the reception room.
“A message from His Imperial Highness arrived a little while ago. Due to a sudden lunch appointment, he has gone to the Central Palace. He wanted me to tell you not to wait for him and go back.”
Sophia, who delivered the message, appeared more apologetic than she was. Leah was well aware that she had waited for a long time.
Without much change in her expression, she lowered her eyes and asked.
“Do you know when he will be back?”
“According to the messenger who brought the message, he will be done with everything around evening time.”
“Then, I will wait until then.”
Leah replied firmly without hesitation, and Sophia looked at her with concern.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
Leah assured her, finally lifting the cold teacup.
It had only been half a day. She had waited for much longer, so this was nothing to her.
Leah held the cold teacup and surrendered to the familiar waiting. In the meantime, the sun quickly descended toward the horizon.
“Lord Rueden is struggling to confirm the date of the coronation ceremony.”
When the meeting ended, Caius quickly walked out of the hall of the Central Palace. Lady Brisha, who was following him, calmly spoke.
“Even if only for a short while, the constraints will only continue to intensify.”
Before they knew it, the sky was covered in a crimson sunset.
“If you wish, Your Highness, I will see you again soon.”
Caius nodded in agreement, and Lady Brisha bid him farewell as he boarded the carriage.
The carriage went in the direction of the Imperial Palace. A pair of dull blue eyes gazed through the window.
The coronation ceremony of the Crown Prince would take place before winter at the latest.
They couldn’t leave the successor’s position vacant until the national founding anniversary in early winter, as it would be nothing more than a sign of instability for the Empire.
After a short while, the carriage stopped at its destination. Caius collected his thoughts and gracefully stood up.
Around that time, the sky had darkened considerably. As he entered the Prince’s Palace, the rows of servants along the corridor bowed to him as he passed them with a nod of acknowledgement. He walked through the wide corridor and went up the stairs.
Quietly following him, the chief courtier said, “Your Highness, the Princess is still in the reception room.”
Caius, who had a neutral expression, turned to the chief courtier with his eyebrows raised slightly.
“Still?”
“Yes, she has been there all day, saying she’ll wait until Your Highness returns.”
Caius let out a faint chuckle. The woman had arrived before noon, right before the lunch appointment was scheduled. He had made it clear through a servant that he had to leave for an appointment.
Yet, she waited for more than half a day.
Feeling somewhat strange, Caius turned towards the direction of the reception room.
Whether driven by folly or determination, Caius entered the hallway leading to the reception room with pursed lips.
The servant standing at the entrance quickly bowed before opening the door.
Through the gaps of the slowly opening door, he could see the woman sitting at the table.
As Caius entered, the servant swiftly closed the door. Inside the room, the woman had her head resting on the table.
Caius stood quietly and observed her with narrowed eyes. The woman on the table appeared to be motionless as if she were asleep.
As if sensing someone’s presence, her long eyelashes fluttered open. Her amethyst-colored eyes were initially unfocused, staring into the distance, but they soon focused on the man in front of her.
“Ah…”
The woman suddenly raised her head and looked at him, her empty eyes gradually coming to life.
“Weren’t you told not to wait for me?”
Caius spoke indifferently, observing the woman who had not said a word. The woman, who remained silent, turned away and began to look through the darkening sky through the window. She blinked in confusion as if she only just realized how much time had passed.
“Just… even for a moment, I wanted to see your face.”
The woman’s clear eyes left the window and focused entirely on him. Her voice was calm but trembling as it always had been.
Unconsciously, Caius thoroughly examined her face.
She had a unique face, and his appreciation of her looks had been the same from the beginning until now.
He realised this fact, even though he was using her to reach his goals.
His eyes fell on her parted lips.
Leah’s expressionless face gradually broke into a smile as she spoke, her longing eyes meeting his.
Caius unintentionally stared at her plain face.
“I heard that you have no more official appointments for today, so could you spare me a little time?”
She was like a loyal dog waiting for its owner to return.
She had changed her mind about calling off the engagement, and instead of questioning him, she simply told him to do as he pleased. But her words didn’t show a willingness to answer him.
Rather, her presence indicated an intense feeling of longing and desperation.
“Perhaps a walk… No, a short conversation would be fine.”
Caius gazed downwards. Clinging to him like this would be troublesome.
Her role was to serve a purpose and maintain a suitable distance, akin to the customary engagement relationships among aristocrats.
But she probably had no intention of doing so.
In the future, she would try to spend more time together, pushing him to regain his lost memory.
While he recognized the need to meet her halfway to a certain extent, he still found it discomforting.
Even so, he oddly felt satisfied. Concealing these conflicting emotions, Caius nodded his head slightly.
“Well then, let’s go outside.”
