When Edgar asked cautiously, Caius smiled faintly. However, it was not a light smile; it was a rather cold one.
“Do you think I should remember that woman too?”
Faced with the direct question, Edgar realised that his expectations were off.
“Well….”
Edgar carefully chose his words and offered a consenting answer.
“Aren’t your lost memories also part of the life you’ve decided, my lord? I wish for you to recover your memories.”
Throughout the war, Edgar remembered the locket that Caius carried like his life depended on it. He would glance at the picture of his fiancée inside the locket whenever he could. It was as if the locket was a talisman that would bring good luck.
He could endure the long war only because of his fiancée.
Edgar felt regretful.
However, his sentiments did not contribute much to the current situation.
“More importantly, your decisions will matter in the future, my lord.”
There were no hard feelings on Edgar’s part toward Caius’ fiancée, Leah. Edgar respected her as much as he respected his lord.
When asked if she would assist in the lord’s ascension to the throne, he would give a firm, negative answer.
His conclusion was to follow his lord’s will.
Caius stared at Edgar, who held such convictions and casually spoke.
“The past isn’t important.”
Even the calm and composed Edgar seemed momentarily taken aback by the cold response.
“It’s useful to keep her around for now. When things settle down, we’ll break off the engagement.”
Edgar looked serious as he nodded decisively, refraining from asking further questions.
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Caius consistently made the best judgments to achieve his ultimate goal.
Edgar, who had followed his lead all this time, had absolute trust in him.
Therefore, his lord’s decision would undoubtedly be aimed towards the best outcome.
“Well then, what are your plans for Lady Leah? “
Edgar asked for confirmation. For some reason, the lord remained silent for a moment.
Caius, lost in thought, tapped his fingers on his crossed legs before softly opening his mouth.
“We should send her back to where she originally was.”
It had always been his plan, and he had no intention of reversing it, no matter what.
His slanted azure eyes darkened for a moment. Soon, they returned to their original indifferent colour without being noticed.
* * *
Although the sun had already set, Caius did not appear.
Leah, sitting at the table, gazed absentmindedly out the window. It had been long since she finished her dinner and sat at the table.
Her eyes sank as she turned to scan the doorway.
It was strange. She was used to waiting, but time went unusually slow today. It felt as if the day was dragging on.
She clenched her fists nervously and stood up from her seat.
She approached the door intending to inquire about Caius’ whereabouts but couldn’t bring herself to open it.
“He said he would come.”
Caius had never broken a promise before, so if he said he would come, he definitely would.
Returning to her seat, Leah sank into the half-drawn chair.
She was relieved that the lighting in the room was bright. Waiting in the dark would have made her feel even more overwhelmed.
“…”
Leah played absentmindedly with the ring on her finger as if it was a habit. The purple diamond sparkled in the light.
In Caius’ absence, the ring had served as her talisman. Touching it always made her feel better. She felt like she could return to the day he had proposed at any moment.
Leah lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, but the overwhelming reality caused her lips to tighten again.
Perhaps it was all because of her greed.
When Caius returned, the first thing she had planned to do was to answer his proposal from three years ago.
She was ready to spend the rest of her life with him. Despite the fear, she decided to take the next step with him.
Could it be that such thoughts led to this situation? It was an unreasonable thought, but Leah couldn’t help finding faults within herself. It was an unavoidable thing.
In the meantime, the faint light that had lingered faded completely, and the dim moonlight filled its place.
Leah closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the familiar self-reproach.
The unexpected dinner invitation was a surprise.
Caius could not decline the sudden invitation from Lady Brisha.
For a brief moment, he thought of the woman who would be waiting in his palace but quickly dismissed the thought.
There was no reason to consider her.
“Your Excellency, may I visit with the Princess next time?”
After concluding discussions on the current situation and preparing to leave, Lady Brisha made a polite request.
At that moment, the image of that woman came to Caius’ mind. He slowly averted his gaze.
The window area beside the Count had a dark aura.
When Caius didn’t respond for quite some time, Lady Brisha seemed to consider it hasty and immediately corrected himself.
“I apologise. There’s no need to rush…”
“Do as you wish.”
Caius nonchalantly agreed and looked at the Count again.
Lady Brisha had been one of his long-time confidants, more precisely, a confidant of his late mother, the former empress. She had been familiar to him since his very young age, and even after the death of his mother, she had been a great support to him.
Moreover, she was a part of the few people who knew about Caius losing his memories of Leah Ainel.
Lady Brisha was naturally included as a potential partner for Caius when Leah is dismissed.
She mentioned Leah for this reason.
“I appreciate your permission. Please inform us of a convenient date, and we will visit with my lady.”
The Count bowed calmly without showing much joy or excitement. Her demeanour conveyed an effort not to burden him.
“I will convey it through my subordinate.”
Caius dismissively stood up from his seat. The Count rose as well, escorting him.
“Please take a look around, Your Excellency.”
Caius tilted his head slightly and left the central palace. Despite the delayed hour, his steps showed no haste as he headed toward the waiting carriage.
Would she still be waiting? Even with such thoughts, his face showed no hint of guilt.
Perhaps she would still be waiting.
With certainty, he made his way to the Imperial Palace. Even after descending from the carriage, his steps remained steady.
As he entered the main hall, a court official came forward, bowing.
“The Princess is staying in the west wing room on the second floor.”
Caius’s lips curved slightly. After a brief acknowledgement, he ascended to the second floor.
The steady sound of footsteps resonated through the corridor. He stopped in front of the door of the westernmost room and turned the doorknob without hesitation.
“Ah.”
As the door opened, the woman standing in front of him let out a sound.
It seemed she was about to leave as she quickly released the doorknob.
With the door ajar, her violet eyes glistened as she looked at him.
“Are you crying?” Caius narrowed his eyes and looked down at her.
“Caius.”
The woman calling his name prompted Caius to tilt his head.
Upon closer inspection, she wasn’t crying. The impression given was that her eyes were exceptionally clear.
A sense of regret set in as she whispered faintly, “I was about to go ask the court official about you because I was worried.”
She let out a faint sigh, expressing relief that he had come.
Considering she had been waiting for over half a day without doing anything, she showed no signs of disappointment.
Watching her quietly, Caius strangely felt amused.
He couldn’t tell if the woman, who lacked any pride, found it amusing or if he found satisfaction in this peculiar situation.
Perhaps it was both. Caius closed the door firmly behind him, cutting off the faint noises from the hallway.
Seated side by side, the woman turned towards the table as if to engage in conversation.
Caius turned around and abruptly pulled her wrist towards him.
“C-Caius?”
As she was pulled closer to him, the woman looked bewildered. He gazed intently at her face.
Seeing her parted lips, he involuntarily tightened his grip.
Occasionally, when their skin touched, there would be an unpleasant sensation, but it surprisingly didn’t feel that bad now.
When Edgar asked cautiously, Caius smiled faintly. However, it was not a light smile; it was a rather cold one.
“Do you think I should remember that woman too?”
Faced with the direct question, Edgar realised that his expectations were off.
“Well….”
Edgar carefully chose his words and offered a consenting answer.
“Aren’t your lost memories also part of the life you’ve decided, my lord? I wish for you to recover your memories.”
Throughout the war, Edgar remembered the locket that Caius carried like his life depended on it. He would glance at the picture of his fiancée inside the locket whenever he could. It was as if the locket was a talisman that would bring good luck.
He could endure the long war only because of his fiancée.
Edgar felt regretful.
However, his sentiments did not contribute much to the current situation.
“More importantly, your decisions will matter in the future, my lord.”
There were no hard feelings on Edgar’s part toward Caius’ fiancée, Leah. Edgar respected her as much as he respected his lord.
When asked if she would assist in the lord’s ascension to the throne, he would give a firm, negative answer.
His conclusion was to follow his lord’s will.
Caius stared at Edgar, who held such convictions and casually spoke.
“The past isn’t important.”
Even the calm and composed Edgar seemed momentarily taken aback by the cold response.
“It’s useful to keep her around for now. When things settle down, we’ll break off the engagement.”
Edgar looked serious as he nodded decisively, refraining from asking further questions.
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Caius consistently made the best judgments to achieve his ultimate goal.
Edgar, who had followed his lead all this time, had absolute trust in him.
Therefore, his lord’s decision would undoubtedly be aimed towards the best outcome.
“Well then, what are your plans for Lady Leah? “
Edgar asked for confirmation. For some reason, the lord remained silent for a moment.
Caius, lost in thought, tapped his fingers on his crossed legs before softly opening his mouth.
“We should send her back to where she originally was.”
It had always been his plan, and he had no intention of reversing it, no matter what.
His slanted azure eyes darkened for a moment. Soon, they returned to their original indifferent colour without being noticed.
* * *
Although the sun had already set, Caius did not appear.
Leah, sitting at the table, gazed absentmindedly out the window. It had been long since she finished her dinner and sat at the table.
Her eyes sank as she turned to scan the doorway.
It was strange. She was used to waiting, but time went unusually slow today. It felt as if the day was dragging on.
She clenched her fists nervously and stood up from her seat.
She approached the door intending to inquire about Caius’ whereabouts but couldn’t bring herself to open it.
“He said he would come.”
Caius had never broken a promise before, so if he said he would come, he definitely would.
Returning to her seat, Leah sank into the half-drawn chair.
She was relieved that the lighting in the room was bright. Waiting in the dark would have made her feel even more overwhelmed.
“…”
Leah played absentmindedly with the ring on her finger as if it was a habit. The purple diamond sparkled in the light.
In Caius’ absence, the ring had served as her talisman. Touching it always made her feel better. She felt like she could return to the day he had proposed at any moment.
Leah lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, but the overwhelming reality caused her lips to tighten again.
Perhaps it was all because of her greed.
When Caius returned, the first thing she had planned to do was to answer his proposal from three years ago.
She was ready to spend the rest of her life with him. Despite the fear, she decided to take the next step with him.
Could it be that such thoughts led to this situation? It was an unreasonable thought, but Leah couldn’t help finding faults within herself. It was an unavoidable thing.
In the meantime, the faint light that had lingered faded completely, and the dim moonlight filled its place.
Leah closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the familiar self-reproach.
The unexpected dinner invitation was a surprise.
Caius could not decline the sudden invitation from Lady Brisha.
For a brief moment, he thought of the woman who would be waiting in his palace but quickly dismissed the thought.
There was no reason to consider her.
“Your Excellency, may I visit with the Princess next time?”
After concluding discussions on the current situation and preparing to leave, Lady Brisha made a polite request.
At that moment, the image of that woman came to Caius’ mind. He slowly averted his gaze.
The window area beside the Count had a dark aura.
When Caius didn’t respond for quite some time, Lady Brisha seemed to consider it hasty and immediately corrected himself.
“I apologise. There’s no need to rush…”
“Do as you wish.”
Caius nonchalantly agreed and looked at the Count again.
Lady Brisha had been one of his long-time confidants, more precisely, a confidant of his late mother, the former empress. She had been familiar to him since his very young age, and even after the death of his mother, she had been a great support to him.
Moreover, she was a part of the few people who knew about Caius losing his memories of Leah Ainel.
Lady Brisha was naturally included as a potential partner for Caius when Leah is dismissed.
She mentioned Leah for this reason.
“I appreciate your permission. Please inform us of a convenient date, and we will visit with my lady.”
The Count bowed calmly without showing much joy or excitement. Her demeanour conveyed an effort not to burden him.
“I will convey it through my subordinate.”
Caius dismissively stood up from his seat. The Count rose as well, escorting him.
“Please take a look around, Your Excellency.”
Caius tilted his head slightly and left the central palace. Despite the delayed hour, his steps showed no haste as he headed toward the waiting carriage.
Would she still be waiting? Even with such thoughts, his face showed no hint of guilt.
Perhaps she would still be waiting.
With certainty, he made his way to the Imperial Palace. Even after descending from the carriage, his steps remained steady.
As he entered the main hall, a court official came forward, bowing.
“The Princess is staying in the west wing room on the second floor.”
Caius’s lips curved slightly. After a brief acknowledgement, he ascended to the second floor.
The steady sound of footsteps resonated through the corridor. He stopped in front of the door of the westernmost room and turned the doorknob without hesitation.
“Ah.”
As the door opened, the woman standing in front of him let out a sound.
It seemed she was about to leave as she quickly released the doorknob.
With the door ajar, her violet eyes glistened as she looked at him.
“Are you crying?” Caius narrowed his eyes and looked down at her.
“Caius.”
The woman calling his name prompted Caius to tilt his head.
Upon closer inspection, she wasn’t crying. The impression given was that her eyes were exceptionally clear.
A sense of regret set in as she whispered faintly, “I was about to go ask the court official about you because I was worried.”
She let out a faint sigh, expressing relief that he had come.
Considering she had been waiting for over half a day without doing anything, she showed no signs of disappointment.
Watching her quietly, Caius strangely felt amused.
He couldn’t tell if the woman, who lacked any pride, found it amusing or if he found satisfaction in this peculiar situation.
Perhaps it was both. Caius closed the door firmly behind him, cutting off the faint noises from the hallway.
Seated side by side, the woman turned towards the table as if to engage in conversation.
Caius turned around and abruptly pulled her wrist towards him.
“C-Caius?”
As she was pulled closer to him, the woman looked bewildered. He gazed intently at her face.
Seeing her parted lips, he involuntarily tightened his grip.
Occasionally, when their skin touched, there would be an unpleasant sensation, but it surprisingly didn’t feel that bad now.
