“I want to be happy.”
“I’ve never been happy by your side.”
“...”
Seeing Claudel upset, he recalled the old days when he thought she liked him this much.
Were his happiness and Claudel’s unhappiness two-sided, like night and day, the sun and the moon?
Kaian felt ashamed of himself for being so happy that he had completely stolen her heart, even though they were back-to-back, spending the same time in the same space, to the point of causing her agony.
“Making each other unhappy? That can’t be.”
However, Kaiwn couldn’t admit that.
“I was happy because you were there.”
He really wanted to tell her that he was happy to have Claudel by my side.
“It couldn’t be better.”
Claudel’s eyes, which had been open indifferently, narrowed at his words.
“You might not believe me, but I wanted to tell you.”
Claudel seemed to quickly calm down her surging emotions.
As if she didn’t want to waste anything more because of him.
Was it resentment? Or was she just trying to get angry?
The woman’s face, which had regained her composure, had already disappeared from the next thing he had been curious about.
Claudel looked at him with watery eyes.
“Asking me to give you another chance.”
She paused for a moment.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
The words that sounded like judgment flew at Kaian.
“It’s true that you saved Mom. But you couldn’t save my... baby.”
She had not called her lost child “our baby” but “my baby.”
So to Claudel, Kaian had been pushed beyond the line where he could no longer be us.
Why would his heartbreak be like this over a single insignificant word?
“You were like that too.”
When he had put her sincere confession on the scale, he should have known that the one who would end up on the other side would be a bleeding heart.
“I want to go with Mom. You must have taken care of Mom’s status, right?”
Kaian finally realized why Claudel was talking to him like this.
'Madame Cronach would have wanted to give me a chance to talk.'
The incident in Plogne was the incident that took her husband and child away from her.
When Claudel went missing in the lake, Madame Cronach blamed him, but one day she suddenly said that she couldn't point her finger at him.
Her husband lost his life because of her, but she didn't know that he would be like that.
However, Claudel just wanted to go freely towards the happiness she dreamed of.
"The people of Plogne didn't have any status in the Kingdom of Oberon, but if Mom had a salon..."
"That's right. You don't have to worry about that."
Kaian found something she would like amidst the sadness.
"Madame Cronach's status is not fake. I've taken care of it so that she can go wherever she wants without any problems."
"I see."
Seeing Claudel relieved, he wanted to do something for her, even if it was just a little.
"If there's a place you want to go, I'll make sure you get there safely."
"You don't have to go that far."
"Let me do that much."
He never knows. Later, she would remember him and say thank you.
Kaian wanted to make Claudel happy.
If she could be happy only if she left him, then that was inevitable.
He had lost both opportunity and qualification.
He would live his whole life with the woman who briefly stayed by his side and then disappeared, like someone who was condemned to roll a boulder up a rocky mountain forever.
It wasn’t a lie that he felt so sorry for Claudel that he wanted to grant her wishes. It was just difficult to accept and acknowledge that she couldn’t be happy with him.
“It’s okay. Really.”
“What do you mean, think of it as compensation?”
“Ah...”
“There’s nothing else I can do for you.”
Since the royal order had been revoked, they had never married or divorced, so there was no need to pay compensation. It was a desperate measure he had taken because he wanted to force something on her, who refused everything he did, but Claudel didn’t say that even that was possible.
During the silence after everything he had to say had passed, Kaian shut his mouth tightly and stood up from his seat.
‘I should let her leave.’
It might have been a good thing, he thought.
'If she had married Valquiterre, she might have really gone crazy.'
When he thought of Valquiterre, who had casually blamed himself for the mess he had made with her and had told him to obey orders while calling him a “Duke,” he could barely contain his urge to cry.
“Then...”
When he got up from his seat, Claudel hesitated and, without seeing him off, opened the door to the bedroom and disappeared.
Knock.
With the sound of the door closing, an invisible rope flew in and wrapped around him.
The emotions that had been violently screaming and crying just a moment ago and had brought him to his knees were now tightly tied up as if they had been put in a noose.
He walked down the familiar hallway mechanically, passed the large door that opened and closed several times and went down the stairs.
When the royal attendant spoke to him and when he got on and galloped down the hill, he tried to act as if nothing had happened, but in the end, tears flowed.
“Ugh. Ugh.”
A well-trained horse ran well on a familiar path regardless of whether its owner held the reins properly or not. On the horse that ran like a black wind, Kaian shed tears as it shook.
Even after the horse arrived at the mansion in the capital, Kaian couldn’t get off for a long time, and tears dripped down his pitch-black mane.
When Claudel disappeared, Kaian didn’t believe in her death.
He couldn’t accept it even when reality gnawed at him, so he ordered the lake to drain.
If he didn’t rescue the woman who had lost her warmth and bring her before his eyes, he would never admit that Claudel had left him forever.
When Claudel stepped on the flagpole hanging over the water, he could now understand that that was the moment she let him go.
And the time Kaian had to let her go was when he had lost his destination and arrived so late.
It was so late, so late, when nothing could change or be changed.
‘Is it too much to break up like this when we were at odds from the beginning?’
It was when the horse, dissatisfied with its master not getting off even though the sweat that had dripped down after coming into his house was cooling down, was sulking.
“Your Highness!”
The young butler of the capital mansion hurriedly ran to the front of the stable.
“Your Highness! It’s urgent.”
“What is it?”
Kaian pretended to wipe the sweat from his face and reached out his hand, and the butler quickly handed him a folded piece of paper.
“The Baron sent you this.”
The way the paper was folded was a method used by the Knights of the House. It was a code that prevented anyone who intercepted it from being recognized unless they were the elite knights of Temnes.
Just by looking at the folded shape of the paper containing the message, Kaian could intuitively tell what it was about, but since it was a request to send soldiers, he was puzzled as soon as he received it.
‘Count Makie, what is he up to?’
When he unfolded the paper, there were simple shapes drawn inside.
The shape of an inverted triangle with an X in it meant that someone’s life was at stake.
That is, judging by the folded shape of the paper and the shape of the figure, Count Makie had gone to harm someone under the order of Valquiterre, and the Baron who had followed him had sent an urgent message asking for soldiers to be brought.
“Get the elites on standby.”
He gathered his wits and headed to the mansion to gather his weapons.
“It would be better if I fought with a sword.”
Hoping that his bitter feelings would be forgotten a little.
***
Valquiterre looked at Claudel and Madame Cronach ronach who were sitting next to each other.
“What a coincidence.”
He offered them tea with a gentle smile.
“Then don’t you remember when the village was attacked?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Madame Cronach answered, bowing her head.
“You don’t need to be so polite. Rather, I would like to hear more about what happened back then.”
Valquiterre blue eyes looked at Madame Cronach as if he was trying to peek at her if she was hiding something.
“There are no unexpected guests in Plogne. But that day was different."
Madame Cronach said, her face intent on reminiscing.
“They were all wearing masks. I was attacked and knocked out, and when I woke up, the village was on fire.”
“They say the fire in the village lasted for nearly four days.”
“It was a stroke of luck. I was able to take refuge in the village spring.”
“I see. The fire was started by the Duke of Temnes on Her Majesty’s orders.”
“But the Duke of Temnes saved me.”
“He disobeyed Her Majesty’s orders.”
Madame Cronach’s eyes widened. Valquiterre stared into the brown eyes of the woman, who seemed innocent enough not to know what had happened to her, and then said calmly.
“Since Her Majesty has already passed away, it is my job to clean up the mess. I should apologize on her behalf for the village’s misfortune.”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“I have unintentionally caused pain to many people.”
Valquiterre, who was apologizing on his mother's behalf for something she did not do, seemed very noble.
“Still, I am glad that the two of you were able to meet again in comfort.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Madame Cronach touched her reddening eyes with her hand.
“I am sure that saying so will be a great comfort to the villagers who passed away without knowing what happened.”
“Your Majesty. Could my mother allow my moth to leave now?”
Claudel looked at him.
“I think I am asking too much. I suddenly asked her to come all the way to the palace and she was surprised to see me.”
“I see. You may leave and rest. Enjoy the palace without lacking anything.”
“I am ashamed, Your Majesty.”
“Go to your bedroom. The maids will help you to stay comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
Madame Cronach smiled and disappeared, and Claudel looked at Valquiterre.
‘What is he planning?’
If she believed her mother, she had to believe Kaian, which was really awkward.
'I just want to hate that man.'
If this was right, then Valquiterre would be wrong.
"Thank you for helping me so far, Bark."
She planned to call the name of the 'friend' he had allowed until she was about to leave the palace.
"I'm going to go far away with my mother."
However, Valquiterre was silent for a long time after hearing her words. Claudel felt sweat from the tension breaking out on her back.
Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he looked at Claudel.
"Marry me, Claudel."
“I see. The fire was started by the Duke of Temnes on Her Majesty’s orders.”
“But the Duke of Temnes saved me.”
“He disobeyed Her Majesty’s orders.”
Madame Cronach’s eyes widened. Valquiterre stared into the brown eyes of the woman, who seemed innocent enough not to know what had happened to her, and then said calmly.
“Since Her Majesty has already passed away, it is my job to clean up the mess. I should apologize on her behalf for the village’s misfortune.”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“I have unintentionally caused pain to many people.”
Valquiterre, who was apologizing on his mother's behalf for something she did not do, seemed very noble.
“Still, I am glad that the two of you were able to meet again in comfort.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Madame Cronach touched her reddening eyes with her hand.
“I am sure that saying so will be a great comfort to the villagers who passed away without knowing what happened.”
“Your Majesty. Could my mother allow my moth to leave now?”
Claudel looked at him.
“I think I am asking too much. I suddenly asked her to come all the way to the palace and she was surprised to see me.”
“I see. You may leave and rest. Enjoy the palace without lacking anything.”
“I am ashamed, Your Majesty.”
“Go to your bedroom. The maids will help you to stay comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
Madame Cronach smiled and disappeared, and Claudel looked at Valquiterre.
‘What is he planning?’
If she believed her mother, she had to believe Kaian, which was really awkward.
'I just want to hate that man.'
If this was right, then Valquiterre would be wrong.
"Thank you for helping me so far, Bark."
She planned to call the name of the 'friend' he had allowed until she was about to leave the palace.
"I'm going to go far away with my mother."
However, Valquiterre was silent for a long time after hearing her words. Claudel felt sweat from the tension breaking out on her back.
Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he looked at Claudel.
"Marry me, Claudel."
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