Jeremiah stared at the necklace in front of him with calm, settled eyes. It was an emerald necklace that resembled the color of Karina's eyes that he had purchased from Paulo's jewelry shop. Jeremiah thought of Karina, who had shown a special relationship with Marquis Millainer when he had an audience with the Emperor. Jeremiah's eyebrows narrowed.
"Hoooo."
A deep sigh escaped him.
'I guess so.'
His mind was complicated. Jeremiah thought of Marquis Millainer, who had been talking nonsense about having a torn mouth.
'What a great fortune it is for the Grand Duke of Colesberg to have such a wonderful daughter as my wife.'
Jeremiah's mouth turned sour as he recalled what he had said. He was used to not showing his true feelings, so he thought It would be okay this time too, but he almost exploded there. He felt cold anger at the brazen behavior of the Marquis of Milliner. The former Colesberg couple. In other words, the unfortunate carriage accident that caused his parents to die. There were many suspicious parts to consider it an accident.
However, Jeremiah was too young at the time, so there was nothing he could do. Even so, he did not give up and continued to investigate the incident. And he eventually found out. The person who had planned his parents' carriage accident was the Marquis of Milliner. However, time had passed and there was no solid evidence. Even if he had suspected it, the Marquis would have just denied it and that would have been it.
The Emperor was hostile to Jeremiah, and on the contrary, the Marquis of Milliner was a strong supporter of the Emperor who was trusted by the Emperor. It was obvious whose side the Emperor would take.
'Perhaps it was the Emperor who encouraged the Marquis of Milliner to cause the carriage accident.'
If he were an Emperor who risked his life for his power, he would have done more than enough behind the scenes. Jeremiah's expression turned cold.
'On that topic. You sent your precious daughter away to me and you have no fear in saying such things.!'
Jeremiah was furious when he first heard about it. However, his marriage to Karina was already imminent. And he thought Karina would not know about it. Karina was innocent. Even if her father had killed his parents, she would not have known anything. His belief was shattered the night before the wedding by a telegram that arrived in a hurry. Karina was a silent bystander who knew about it. She had come forward to marry him at the order of the Emperor and the Marquis, so she was a deceiver who had conspired with them to deceive him. That was why he was even more confused.
Jeremiah had been right next to Karina earlier, so he had clearly seen her expression filled with self-deprecation and laughter. And it was hard to understand her actions of coldly cutting off the Marquis who had chased them away.
'A person from the Grand Duke of Colesberg..."
He couldn't figure out what Karina was thinking when she said that. However, when he remembered her showing off her special relationship with the Marquis in the audience room, he became angry again. For a moment, he almost showed his emotions, forgetting that the Emperor was in front of him. Jeremiah had brought this necklace all the way from the north to the capital to give it to Karina. He had planned to give it to her before the New Year's festival, but he had been shocked when he heard Karina's divorce plan in the carriage, so he had not had the chance to give it to her.
And now, his head was spinning, wondering if he should give it to her in this situation. Jeremiah closed the jewelry box so that the necklace would not be seen. Still, his heart did not calm down. He suspected and distrusted Karina, but he still had her in his heart.
'Since when?'
There was no need to ask when it had started. Jeremiah had been unable to take his eyes off Karina since the moment he first saw her. Jeremiah had first seen Karina when he was ten years old.
***
Jeremiah had attended a three-day palace banquet to celebrate the emperor's birthday. The palace banquet was extremely boring for him, who was ten years old. So he watched the situation and escaped into the garden to avoid people's eyes. However, the garden was even more spectacular. The nobles who had escaped into the dark, deserted garden were having a secret affair with each other and making strange noises. Jeremiah frowned and turned around to return to the banquet hall. Unfortunately, he bumped into a girl walking behind him.
"Ugh!"
There was a short scream and a crashing sound. He looked down, startled by the loud sound, and saw a girl with rare red hair lying on the ground. It seemed like she had fallen properly. He was embarrassed by the thought that she would burst into tears soon. If someone saw the situation, it would seem like he had pushed the girl over with all his might.
"Ouch..."
But contrary to his expectations, the girl only groaned softly and did not cry or scream loudly. It was strange. It was completely different from Caroline, who was older than him, who would cry as if the world was falling apart even if her finger was slightly injured. The girl put her hands on the ground and tried to get up. However, she could not get up properly. Jeremiah hesitated and approached the girl and spoke to her.
"Are you okay?"
The girl nodded without even looking at Jeremiah. But she looked at her knee with a frown as if it hurt. Jeremiah followed the girl's gaze and looked down at the girl's knee, and was startled. Contrary to the girl's words that she was fine, the dress was torn and the knee was broken and bleeding.
"You...! You're hurt like this, and you're okay?"
Jeremiah frowned and looked at the girl again. The girl's eyes were watery as if she was in pain. She was biting her lower lip as if enduring the pain.
"Please wait while I call the doctor."
As Jeremiah was about to call someone, the girl stopped him.
"It's okay... Just support me there."
The girl pointed with her finger to a low stone ledge beside the steps. It was low and flat, so it looked like a place where children could sit like chairs.
"Okay. Then let's go over there for now."
It seemed like a good idea to move to the middle of the path leading from the banquet hall to the garden. Jeremiah lifted the girl up and carefully supported her. He sat her down on the stone ledge and examined her wound.
"Do you really not need to show it to the doctor? It looks like you're badly injured."
The girl shook her head.
"I don't want to make a big deal out of it."
He thought she was a peculiar child. Jeremiah took a handkerchief out of his bosom and handed it to the girl.
"Here, wipe the blood with this."
He felt bad for her because she had bumped into him and gotten hurt. But the girl shook her head as if she was embarrassed.
"Bloodstains don't come off easily. I won't be able to use a handkerchief."
The girl refused to accept the handkerchief and said, 'Jeremiah, as if it didn't matter, just wiped the bleeding child's knee with the handkerchief without saying a word.'
"Ah..!"
The girl looked puzzled.
"If it's because of the handkerchief, don't worry. I'm doing this because I want to. If it's because it hurts, just bear with it for a little longer."
Jeremiah's hands were careful as he wiped her, unlike his tone of voice. The girl quietly watched what Jeremiah was doing.
"It's going to be a bit of a hassle until it heals completely because the injured area is your knee. Once the scab forms, you'll have to be careful every time you move."
This was from experience, as he has often been injured during training.
"When you get back, be sure to see the doctor and get treatment."
When Jeremiah raised his head, his eyes met the girl's. The girl opened her eyes wide and asked.
"Are you worried about me now?"
"What?"
"You're a good kid, aren't you? Thank you."
A bright smile spread across the little child's face. For a moment, the child looked like a transparent jewel. The corners of her eyes curved and she smiled brightly, looking as pretty as a flower. Jeremiah stared at the child in front of him as if he was possessed. The girl leaned her face closer and examined Jeremiah.
"Are you okay? Your face is really red."
The child asked with an innocent face.
"...!"
Jeremiah suddenly came to his senses at the girl's words and jumped to his feet.
"I... I'll get some water on my handkerchief!"
Jeremiah left the place in a hurry. Her heart was pounding.
'What... What is it? I didn't even run that much, but why am I feeling so nervous?'
He was embarrassed by the situation he was experiencing for the first time. His face felt hot as if it was hot. Jeremiah tried to calm down his excitement for no reason. He took a deep breath and exhaled repeatedly, and he felt a little better.
'Is it because the weather in the capital is too hot?'
Jeremiah went to the fountain, soaked his handkerchief in water, and returned to where the girl had been. When he got close, he saw the girl still sitting on the stone ledge.
When he took in the child's appearance, he felt strange again. Even though her knee was hurt and it must have hurt, she looked so pretty as she happily faced the wind blowing in her face as if nothing had happened. He couldn't take his eyes off the sight of the child, who was dyed red like her own hair and melting into the sunset glow, like a painting. Jeremiah felt like he vaguely understood what it meant to fall in love at first sight. Jeremiah stood there hesitating for a moment, and then his eyes met with the child's, who turned her head. The child raised the corners of her mouth and smiled beautifully again.
"...!"
Jeremiah approached with an awkward expression, wanting to know more about the child.
"You..."
The moment she was about to ask for her name.
"Karina! Where are you?"
The girl's shoulders jumped at the sound of voices coming from the banquet hall. Then, looking at Jeremiah, she quickly raised her finger and made a mouth shape that said "Shhh!" as if to make sure she wouldn't be caught.
"Karina!"
Soon, someone walked out from the banquet hall. It was a middle-aged man with wheat-colored hair. The girl who saw his face whispered with a slightly anxious expression.
"I have to go now."
The girl tried to leave.
"I'll take you there."
Jeremiah grabbed the girl's hand. The girl tried to stop Jeremiah from standing up with her.
"My father will be very angry if he sees me hurt. If you stay here, you might get in trouble too, so you should hide here and not come out."
"..."
"Yes?"
Jeremiah reluctantly nodded at the child's question again. Then the child smiled meekly.
"Thank you for helping me today."
The child whispered in Jeremiah's ear. Jeremiah thought her soft, babbling voice was so pleasant to hear. When he saw the child smiling, his face felt hot again and his heart pounded. Jeremiah grabbed the girl's arm in a hurry.
"Tomorrow! Let's meet again here tomorrow!"
"Yes?"
"I'll be waiting here at this time tomorrow.""
Jeremiah didn't know why he suddenly said something like that, but he felt it was a shame to just let the child go.
"Karina!!"
The girl became anxious at the louder calling than before.
"Ah... Yeah."
The child who answered hesitantly slipped out of Jeremiah's hands. The girl limped towards the middle-aged man.
"I'm here."
"Karina! I've been looking for you for a long time!"
The man who discovered the child's wounds got angry and asked how this could happen, and then took the child into the banquet hall. On the way in, the girl secretly waved her hand in the direction of Jeremiah.
"Karina..."
Jeremiah repeated the name the man had shouted.
"Your name is Karina."
At that moment, the name Karina was clearly engraved in Jeremiah's mind. He was holding a handkerchief with a light stain of blood in his hand. And the next day. Jeremiah waited there until the banquet was over, but Karina never showed up. Jeremiah's eyes became silent as he recalled a piece of memory that had been buried deep in his heart.
"Ha."
Jeremiah sighed and rubbed his forehead. He wanted to trust Karina again.
'Am I crazy?'
Although Karina was extremely resentful, he couldn't stop his feelings for her. The feelings he thought he had cut off were persistent like weeds, making their presence known once again. Jeremiah was about to tell himself to throw away the necklace, but he soon put it back deep in the drawer so that it wouldn't be seen.
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