In the deep dawn when all the servants were asleep, Cecilia's unsteady steps headed toward the high tower. Cecilia climbed the stairs barefoot as if it were just a sense of duty. Her steps finally stopped at the very top of the spire where the paper was hanging.
Her dirty, bare feet stood on the railing lower than her waist. A soft breeze flapped around under her pajamas as if to ward off dangerous impulses.
He is the one who killed me.
Cecilia closed her eyes and leaned forward, remembering only one fact.
In the beautiful season when roses were in full bloom, bad news arrived.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Cecilia's bewildered gaze scanned the lower ranks that had burst into tears. Everyone in the room, including the maids and servants, was shedding tears of sorrow.
“What are you talking about?”
Her heart was pounding like crazy. It was an unbelievable story.
“Why, His Majesty the Emperor, did you...”
Her throat was sore from the inexplicable tension that it felt like it was going to tear. Her throat was so dry that even swallowing felt painful.
“I must have misunderstood something.”
Cecilia's trembling voice denied reality. It was understandable. It was a story she had never imagined.
The 14th Emperor of the Wyatt Empire, Eden Lobana Wyatt, was her husband. She was engaged to the second Prince when she was ten and married when she was twenty, so it cannot be denied that it was not a political marriage. However, Cecilia loved him.
“That can’t be true. There’s no way His Majesty would do that to me..."
And it would have been the same for Eden too. He too, himself..."
“Look at reality, Your Majesty. Everything is true.”
Have you ever been in love?
Countess Casper, the head maid, spoke in a calm but confident voice. Unlike the others who were crying, Countess Casper's voice was consistently calm.
“His Majesty the Emperor does not trust the Duke of Lane.”
Cecilia held his trembling hand. Her thin body was shaking uncontrollably, like someone who had been thrown into a snow field in the middle of winter.
“You preserved the position of Empress, but you completely ruined the Duchess Lane.”
All titles and estates owned by the Duke of Rain are to be recovered. Also, the escaped Curtis Lane is to be captured and executed.
It was news that Cecilia Lane, the noble-only daughter of the Duke of Lane and the Empress of the Wyatt Empire, had been cut off.
“The Duke of Lane did everything he could for His Majesty the Emperor. To make him Emperor and to secure his place here...”
A family without a title is meaningless. That was a fact known to all who had noble blood.
“But in the end, they consider us a family that plotted a rebellion.”
However, the Duke of Lane became a fallen noble family, and Cecilia Lane became an Empress who was no different from a commoner.
He abandoned me!
The truth struck Cecilia's head like lightning. A piercing scream shook the earth. Even if someone who didn't know the news heard it in passing, it was a clear sound of tragedy that would make their heart sink.
“Ah, ahh...”
Cecilia, who had been swaying like a thin flower stem, fell to the floor helplessly. Her body did not stop shaking. The world just looked gray.
“His Majesty the Emperor enter!”
She realized that it was because of the tears she was shedding without realizing it when she saw the Emperor's face revealed as the door opened.
Eden Lobana Wyatt. The beautiful man that Cecilia Lane loved so much. Her husband, who she had not seen properly in recent times, made excuses that he was busy.
“Everyone, get out.”
At Eden's command, all those who had been weeping sadly left. Now, only Eden and Cecilia were left in Cecilia's bedroom.
Even though her vision was blurred by the tears pouring down, his clear presence fiercely scratched Cecilia's heart. Even in this terrible situation, she hated the feeling of her heart beating towards him.
“Cecilia.”
Eden, who was staring blankly down at Cecilia, who was sitting on the floor and crying as if she had lost the world, slowly walked over to her.
“Why are you crying so sadly?”
It was a rather gentle voice as if he was willing to listen to the story. As if he didn't know that his attitude in this situation was mockery.
“...Why did you do that?”
"What?"
“I told you that our family was wronged! The treason was not true!”
Cecilia shouted angrily, slapping Eden's hand away as he approached her face. Eden stared at her hand floating in the air for a moment before turning his gaze back to Cecilia.
“Cecilia.”
“...”
“Do you really think your father was treated unfairly?”
A leisurely voice brushed past Cecilia's ears. She couldn't believe that he was treating the betrayal, anger, and sadness she felt right now as if it were nothing.
How? Why?
“Father has already presented evidence that we have been unjustly implicated.”
“Well, how many people do you think would believe that?”
Eden asked softly. Cecilia knew that few people would believe it. Everything had already become a fait accompli, and everyone was pointing fingers at Curtis Lane, Cecilia's father.
An evil spirit who squeezes the people of the territory and fills his own stomach because he cannot give up his dirty greed. When his son-in-law and the Emperor, Eden, noticed this and tried to stop it, he tried to take his life.
“If he didn’t do anything wrong, why on earth would he be running away now?”
Eden, sitting on one knee in front of Cecilia, asked quietly.
“If he gets caught, he’ll die. You gave the execution order.”
“He was running away even before that.”
There was no emotion in the calm voice. It was as if he was just talking about something simple like what he ate last night.
Eden's large hand reached out and cupped the right side of Cecilia's face, caressing it. Cecilia trembled, unable to move, like a trapped animal. It was sadness, and at the same time, anger.
“The Duke of Lane deserves to be punished for what Curtis Lane has done.”
Eden slowly got up from his seat, straightening one of his knees. Cecilia watched his face slowly move away through her blurred vision.
“Cecilia, whatever you say.”
He had only said that much, but Cecilia could guess what he would say next.
The decision he made is unchangeable.
“The decisions I make will not change.”
His tone of speech, which had been indifferent throughout, suddenly popped out like a stone. He had lost both his initial kindness and his pretended indifference, and he was as cold as the frost in midwinter.
“Yes. I understand how Your Majesty views the Lane family. You see them as a family of traitors, disloyal and traitors who exploit the poor people and commit treason.”
Her whole body trembled with unbearable shame and anger. Cecilia clenched her teeth and hugged her body tightly with her thin arms. The betrayal and anger in her eyes, as she glared at Eden, were vivid.
“Then take mine too.”
“...”
“The Empress who was born to a traitor’s family, why do you want to keep me alive and even keep me in that position?”
“You are my wife, Cecilia.”
It seemed that he had calmed down. The coolness he had shown disappeared like a lie, and only his usual neatness and calmness remained. Eden took out a handkerchief from his bosom and wiped Cecilia's wet face, whispering.
“And this position was created for you.”
Of course, Cecilia lived happily as the caretaker of Eden. However, Cecilia's foundation was not the position of Empress, but the family called Lane. The basis of her pride was the family name.
“A position that carries the disgrace of being a fallen noble, no better than a commoner, without any honor?”
But, is it really the position given to her to live as his concubine while being pointed at as an Empress from a fallen family that the Emperor himself had taken away her title and lands?
Suddenly, emotions surged. Tears fell in unbelievable reality, soaking the red carpet. At the same time, Cecilia’s delicate fingers clenched the carpet as if they were going to burst. The soft and fragile carpet bulged out between her fingers.
Eden's indifferent gaze followed the carpet soaking wet like blood. It was a color that seemed to resemble Cecilia's pain.
“We’ve lost our family tree, and we’re no different from commoners. People will now ask what the Duke Lane is.”
She wanted to ask if this was what he wanted. Eden blinked slowly at the resentful voice. It seemed as if he was not absorbing her emotions at all.
When was it? She saw this man smiling so affectionately. It felt like just yesterday, but ironically, she couldn't remember it.
“I don’t want to look ridiculous to other people! I’d rather kill myself!”
She liked that look the most. She loved it more than anything.
Cecilia shoved Eden, screaming. However, it was Cecilia who was pushed back. No matter what, it was Cecilia who was pushed back and hurt.
“Cecilia.”
“Please just kill me.”
Born and raised in the royal family, Eden was not unaware of the weight of the name honor. Cecilia, who grew up as the only daughter of the Duke of Lane, also felt great pride in it.
“Everything makes me more miserable than dying.”
Even in the midst of all this, it was painful to realize that her heart was beating with love for this man. Cecilia grabbed Eden’s arm and burst into tears again.
This is painful enough, so she would rather have it all stop here. She would like him to show some respect to the person who used to be his wife.
“I wanted to kill you too.”
But Eden's subsequent answer stopped time.
“What did you just say...”
A dull pain came over her head as if she had been hit. Cecilia stared straight into Eden’s blue eyes, unable to even breathe. He had a faint smile on his face, which was out of place in the situation.
Now, is what this beautiful man said to me sincerely? Did I not mishear?
“But now you have to live, Cecilia.”
What filled both eyes was an undeniable, vivid sincerity.
You make me want to kill you...
“So live.”
I hated you.
Her dirty, bare feet stood on the railing lower than her waist. A soft breeze flapped around under her pajamas as if to ward off dangerous impulses.
He is the one who killed me.
Cecilia closed her eyes and leaned forward, remembering only one fact.
In the beautiful season when roses were in full bloom, bad news arrived.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Cecilia's bewildered gaze scanned the lower ranks that had burst into tears. Everyone in the room, including the maids and servants, was shedding tears of sorrow.
“What are you talking about?”
Her heart was pounding like crazy. It was an unbelievable story.
“Why, His Majesty the Emperor, did you...”
Her throat was sore from the inexplicable tension that it felt like it was going to tear. Her throat was so dry that even swallowing felt painful.
“I must have misunderstood something.”
Cecilia's trembling voice denied reality. It was understandable. It was a story she had never imagined.
The 14th Emperor of the Wyatt Empire, Eden Lobana Wyatt, was her husband. She was engaged to the second Prince when she was ten and married when she was twenty, so it cannot be denied that it was not a political marriage. However, Cecilia loved him.
“That can’t be true. There’s no way His Majesty would do that to me..."
And it would have been the same for Eden too. He too, himself..."
“Look at reality, Your Majesty. Everything is true.”
Have you ever been in love?
Countess Casper, the head maid, spoke in a calm but confident voice. Unlike the others who were crying, Countess Casper's voice was consistently calm.
“His Majesty the Emperor does not trust the Duke of Lane.”
Cecilia held his trembling hand. Her thin body was shaking uncontrollably, like someone who had been thrown into a snow field in the middle of winter.
“You preserved the position of Empress, but you completely ruined the Duchess Lane.”
All titles and estates owned by the Duke of Rain are to be recovered. Also, the escaped Curtis Lane is to be captured and executed.
It was news that Cecilia Lane, the noble-only daughter of the Duke of Lane and the Empress of the Wyatt Empire, had been cut off.
“The Duke of Lane did everything he could for His Majesty the Emperor. To make him Emperor and to secure his place here...”
A family without a title is meaningless. That was a fact known to all who had noble blood.
“But in the end, they consider us a family that plotted a rebellion.”
However, the Duke of Lane became a fallen noble family, and Cecilia Lane became an Empress who was no different from a commoner.
He abandoned me!
The truth struck Cecilia's head like lightning. A piercing scream shook the earth. Even if someone who didn't know the news heard it in passing, it was a clear sound of tragedy that would make their heart sink.
“Ah, ahh...”
Cecilia, who had been swaying like a thin flower stem, fell to the floor helplessly. Her body did not stop shaking. The world just looked gray.
“His Majesty the Emperor enter!”
She realized that it was because of the tears she was shedding without realizing it when she saw the Emperor's face revealed as the door opened.
Eden Lobana Wyatt. The beautiful man that Cecilia Lane loved so much. Her husband, who she had not seen properly in recent times, made excuses that he was busy.
“Everyone, get out.”
At Eden's command, all those who had been weeping sadly left. Now, only Eden and Cecilia were left in Cecilia's bedroom.
Even though her vision was blurred by the tears pouring down, his clear presence fiercely scratched Cecilia's heart. Even in this terrible situation, she hated the feeling of her heart beating towards him.
“Cecilia.”
Eden, who was staring blankly down at Cecilia, who was sitting on the floor and crying as if she had lost the world, slowly walked over to her.
“Why are you crying so sadly?”
It was a rather gentle voice as if he was willing to listen to the story. As if he didn't know that his attitude in this situation was mockery.
“...Why did you do that?”
"What?"
“I told you that our family was wronged! The treason was not true!”
Cecilia shouted angrily, slapping Eden's hand away as he approached her face. Eden stared at her hand floating in the air for a moment before turning his gaze back to Cecilia.
“Cecilia.”
“...”
“Do you really think your father was treated unfairly?”
A leisurely voice brushed past Cecilia's ears. She couldn't believe that he was treating the betrayal, anger, and sadness she felt right now as if it were nothing.
How? Why?
“Father has already presented evidence that we have been unjustly implicated.”
“Well, how many people do you think would believe that?”
Eden asked softly. Cecilia knew that few people would believe it. Everything had already become a fait accompli, and everyone was pointing fingers at Curtis Lane, Cecilia's father.
An evil spirit who squeezes the people of the territory and fills his own stomach because he cannot give up his dirty greed. When his son-in-law and the Emperor, Eden, noticed this and tried to stop it, he tried to take his life.
“If he didn’t do anything wrong, why on earth would he be running away now?”
Eden, sitting on one knee in front of Cecilia, asked quietly.
“If he gets caught, he’ll die. You gave the execution order.”
“He was running away even before that.”
There was no emotion in the calm voice. It was as if he was just talking about something simple like what he ate last night.
Eden's large hand reached out and cupped the right side of Cecilia's face, caressing it. Cecilia trembled, unable to move, like a trapped animal. It was sadness, and at the same time, anger.
“The Duke of Lane deserves to be punished for what Curtis Lane has done.”
Eden slowly got up from his seat, straightening one of his knees. Cecilia watched his face slowly move away through her blurred vision.
“Cecilia, whatever you say.”
He had only said that much, but Cecilia could guess what he would say next.
The decision he made is unchangeable.
“The decisions I make will not change.”
His tone of speech, which had been indifferent throughout, suddenly popped out like a stone. He had lost both his initial kindness and his pretended indifference, and he was as cold as the frost in midwinter.
“Yes. I understand how Your Majesty views the Lane family. You see them as a family of traitors, disloyal and traitors who exploit the poor people and commit treason.”
Her whole body trembled with unbearable shame and anger. Cecilia clenched her teeth and hugged her body tightly with her thin arms. The betrayal and anger in her eyes, as she glared at Eden, were vivid.
“Then take mine too.”
“...”
“The Empress who was born to a traitor’s family, why do you want to keep me alive and even keep me in that position?”
“You are my wife, Cecilia.”
It seemed that he had calmed down. The coolness he had shown disappeared like a lie, and only his usual neatness and calmness remained. Eden took out a handkerchief from his bosom and wiped Cecilia's wet face, whispering.
“And this position was created for you.”
Of course, Cecilia lived happily as the caretaker of Eden. However, Cecilia's foundation was not the position of Empress, but the family called Lane. The basis of her pride was the family name.
“A position that carries the disgrace of being a fallen noble, no better than a commoner, without any honor?”
But, is it really the position given to her to live as his concubine while being pointed at as an Empress from a fallen family that the Emperor himself had taken away her title and lands?
Suddenly, emotions surged. Tears fell in unbelievable reality, soaking the red carpet. At the same time, Cecilia’s delicate fingers clenched the carpet as if they were going to burst. The soft and fragile carpet bulged out between her fingers.
Eden's indifferent gaze followed the carpet soaking wet like blood. It was a color that seemed to resemble Cecilia's pain.
“We’ve lost our family tree, and we’re no different from commoners. People will now ask what the Duke Lane is.”
She wanted to ask if this was what he wanted. Eden blinked slowly at the resentful voice. It seemed as if he was not absorbing her emotions at all.
When was it? She saw this man smiling so affectionately. It felt like just yesterday, but ironically, she couldn't remember it.
“I don’t want to look ridiculous to other people! I’d rather kill myself!”
She liked that look the most. She loved it more than anything.
Cecilia shoved Eden, screaming. However, it was Cecilia who was pushed back. No matter what, it was Cecilia who was pushed back and hurt.
“Cecilia.”
“Please just kill me.”
Born and raised in the royal family, Eden was not unaware of the weight of the name honor. Cecilia, who grew up as the only daughter of the Duke of Lane, also felt great pride in it.
“Everything makes me more miserable than dying.”
Even in the midst of all this, it was painful to realize that her heart was beating with love for this man. Cecilia grabbed Eden’s arm and burst into tears again.
This is painful enough, so she would rather have it all stop here. She would like him to show some respect to the person who used to be his wife.
“I wanted to kill you too.”
But Eden's subsequent answer stopped time.
“What did you just say...”
A dull pain came over her head as if she had been hit. Cecilia stared straight into Eden’s blue eyes, unable to even breathe. He had a faint smile on his face, which was out of place in the situation.
Now, is what this beautiful man said to me sincerely? Did I not mishear?
“But now you have to live, Cecilia.”
What filled both eyes was an undeniable, vivid sincerity.
You make me want to kill you...
“So live.”
I hated you.
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