Cecilia folded the letter she had been reading and held it up to the candle. Curtis's letter, with the tip of the candle on fire, fell to the table in a black ash.
Curtis and Tiffany broke up.
The corners of Cecilia’s mouth quietly curled up when she heard the good news. It was a risky undertaking to have the Emperor hear about the two of them, but it had a clear effect.
“She can’t talk nonsense again.”
Moreover, the fact that the two would never meet again brought the greatest relief.
Of course, the Emperor was not a man who cared whether the Empress had a mistress or not. He had no interest in his wife's affairs. The reason he intervened in this matter unusually was because the person who was mentioned as the Empress's mistress was none other than Curtis.
'I'm thinking of pairing Eden and your daughter up.'
The Emperor had placed the Duke of Lane at Eden's side for the Crown Prince Aster. And in fact, Cecilia was nothing more than a token of Curtis's loyalty to the Emperor.
'Your daughter will be a testament to your loyalty to the royal family. She will become a member of the royal family, but at the same time, she will be a hostage.'
His care for Cecilia was almost a reward for her loyalty.
But how dare he betray the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and have an affair with the Empress? Whether it was just a one-night stand or a lasting relationship, it wouldn't be much different from a betrayal to the Emperor.
“...Yes, now.”
Cecilia guessed that the Emperor would not leave Curtis and the Empress alone. And her guess was right. The Emperor immediately silenced them both with a three-way confrontation and hinted to them that he would continue to watch them.
Regardless of who the Empress met, it couldn't be Curtis Lane. Curtis realized this fact once again and there was only one way he could choose.
“It's over.”
The end of a relationship. A breakup.
“What is it?”
Abby asked innocently as she came in carrying a teapot and teacups on a tray. Cecilia smiled and shook her head slightly.
“It’s nothing.”
And when she tilted the teapot slightly to pour tea into the teacup, Abby rolled her eyes and hurriedly turned around.
“Ugh?”
And then she covered her mouth with a gagging sound.
“I’m sorry, I suddenly smelled bad.”
Her face was pale. She seemed to have become strangely sensitive to smells for the past few days. Thinking about that, Cecilia instinctively felt that Abby was pregnant.
From being sensitive to smells to having digestive problems as if you were sick, to having a strangely increased sleep pattern, everything meant one possibility.
“Does Madame Monte know too?”
"Yes?"
“No. You don’t know either.”
Although she had never conceived a child in her previous life or in this life, that did not mean she was unaware of obvious knowledge.
“I need to call the doctor.”
“It’s okay! I think I have a cold, so I think I should rest for a bit and then come back...”
Cecilia shook the bell on the table with a smiling face. Madame Monte came running in a hurry.
“Madame Monte, call the doctor.”
“Where does it hurt, Your Highness?”
“No. Not me, but Abby.”
At Cecilia's words, Madame Monte's eyes widened and she turned her gaze to Abby.
“It’s just a faking illness, so don’t worry about it.”
And she said it sharply. To Madam Monte, no matter how she looked at her child, she looked perfectly normal.
“You're not pretending to be sick.”
“Yes? Then where...”
“Maybe he was just being sarcastic, thinking I might change my words and not let him take Abby.”
Madame Monte blinked her big, cow-like eyes. Her face still did not seem to understand what Cecilia meant.
“I think Abby is having a baby.”
"Yes?"
Mada. Monte asked in surprise. How could she not be surprised that an unmarried young lady would suddenly have a child?
“Oh, that’s impossible. Why would Abby suddenly get pregnant? That shouldn’t have happened.”
Madam Monte looked back at Abby as if asking for consent. Abby, with her face flushed, lowered her head and avoided Madam Monte’s gaze.
“...”
A brief silence flowed between the three of them. Madame Monte was speechless, but her lips moved.
“This is crazy!”
“Oh no! Mom!”
After about ten seconds, Madam Monte came to her senses and ran towards Abby, hitting her on the back.
“Me, leaving His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Everything related to Laner Island was possible thanks to you. You deserve it.”
Cecilia opened her eyes wide and asked Eden a question. Eden answered in a soft voice.
Since the agreement with Benia, the island's fishermen have also been following Wyatt's regulations well, and business has been going smoothly.
“But what if His Majesty the Emperor is displeased this time too?”
Even Roy Dillon's last painting, depicting the landscape of the Isle of Laner, was given to Cecilia by Eden. The Emperor pretended not to care, but he secretly showed a look of resentment towards Eden.
But he thought that even the Emperor would object if he yielded to Cecilia in attending the hotel completion ceremony.
“I guess he’ll think of it as raising a child in the wrong way.”
But Eden's answer was so indifferent. It was such an attitude that Cecilia couldn't help but laugh.
It wasn't over yet, but she felt good. She felt a strange sense of confidence and elation that she could change everything if she kept going like this.
Curtis and Tiffany broke up.
The corners of Cecilia’s mouth quietly curled up when she heard the good news. It was a risky undertaking to have the Emperor hear about the two of them, but it had a clear effect.
“She can’t talk nonsense again.”
Moreover, the fact that the two would never meet again brought the greatest relief.
Of course, the Emperor was not a man who cared whether the Empress had a mistress or not. He had no interest in his wife's affairs. The reason he intervened in this matter unusually was because the person who was mentioned as the Empress's mistress was none other than Curtis.
'I'm thinking of pairing Eden and your daughter up.'
The Emperor had placed the Duke of Lane at Eden's side for the Crown Prince Aster. And in fact, Cecilia was nothing more than a token of Curtis's loyalty to the Emperor.
'Your daughter will be a testament to your loyalty to the royal family. She will become a member of the royal family, but at the same time, she will be a hostage.'
His care for Cecilia was almost a reward for her loyalty.
But how dare he betray the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and have an affair with the Empress? Whether it was just a one-night stand or a lasting relationship, it wouldn't be much different from a betrayal to the Emperor.
“...Yes, now.”
Cecilia guessed that the Emperor would not leave Curtis and the Empress alone. And her guess was right. The Emperor immediately silenced them both with a three-way confrontation and hinted to them that he would continue to watch them.
Regardless of who the Empress met, it couldn't be Curtis Lane. Curtis realized this fact once again and there was only one way he could choose.
“It's over.”
The end of a relationship. A breakup.
“What is it?”
Abby asked innocently as she came in carrying a teapot and teacups on a tray. Cecilia smiled and shook her head slightly.
“It’s nothing.”
And when she tilted the teapot slightly to pour tea into the teacup, Abby rolled her eyes and hurriedly turned around.
“Ugh?”
And then she covered her mouth with a gagging sound.
“I’m sorry, I suddenly smelled bad.”
Her face was pale. She seemed to have become strangely sensitive to smells for the past few days. Thinking about that, Cecilia instinctively felt that Abby was pregnant.
From being sensitive to smells to having digestive problems as if you were sick, to having a strangely increased sleep pattern, everything meant one possibility.
“Does Madame Monte know too?”
"Yes?"
“No. You don’t know either.”
Although she had never conceived a child in her previous life or in this life, that did not mean she was unaware of obvious knowledge.
“I need to call the doctor.”
“It’s okay! I think I have a cold, so I think I should rest for a bit and then come back...”
Cecilia shook the bell on the table with a smiling face. Madame Monte came running in a hurry.
“Madame Monte, call the doctor.”
“Where does it hurt, Your Highness?”
“No. Not me, but Abby.”
At Cecilia's words, Madame Monte's eyes widened and she turned her gaze to Abby.
“It’s just a faking illness, so don’t worry about it.”
And she said it sharply. To Madam Monte, no matter how she looked at her child, she looked perfectly normal.
“You're not pretending to be sick.”
“Yes? Then where...”
“Maybe he was just being sarcastic, thinking I might change my words and not let him take Abby.”
Madame Monte blinked her big, cow-like eyes. Her face still did not seem to understand what Cecilia meant.
“I think Abby is having a baby.”
"Yes?"
Mada. Monte asked in surprise. How could she not be surprised that an unmarried young lady would suddenly have a child?
“Oh, that’s impossible. Why would Abby suddenly get pregnant? That shouldn’t have happened.”
Madam Monte looked back at Abby as if asking for consent. Abby, with her face flushed, lowered her head and avoided Madam Monte’s gaze.
“...”
A brief silence flowed between the three of them. Madame Monte was speechless, but her lips moved.
“This is crazy!”
“Oh no! Mom!”
After about ten seconds, Madam Monte came to her senses and ran towards Abby, hitting her on the back.
***
Late at night, Eden entered Cecilia's bedroom in comfortable attire and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“It was a bit noisy at the mansion today. Did something happen?”
Eden naturally kissed Cecilia on the lips briefly and then left. Cecilia, who was sitting on the bed, also greeted Eden with a calm face. She was used to his visits by now.
“I think we should hurry up and get Abby married.”
“Your maid?”
Cecilia nodded.
“Weren’t you sad to send her?”
“That’s true, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
Eden tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“Abby is having a baby.”
Ah. Eden sighed. If Cecilia was right, then they definitely had to hurry up and get married. As her stomach started to grow, her movements would become a little more difficult.
“I’m going to send her now.”
“Yes, if that’s what you want.”
Cecilia smiled faintly as she said that. It really meant that it was okay, but Eden's eyes were searching Cecilia's face here and there. It was a worried look on her face as if she was upset.
“I’m fine, so don’t look at me like that.”
When Cecilia hit the player, Eden made an embarrassed face.
“Abby’s husband is also a solid man... Oh, James Morak who runs a pawn shop.”
Eden let out a short exclamation. It was a name he knew well.
“James Morak was your maid’s lover?”
Cecilia nodded at Eden's question. Eden seemed lost in thought for a moment, then let out a short laugh as he searched the air with his gaze.
“Why are you like that?”
“No, I just find it a little funny.”
However, it didn't look like he was just smiling because he was happy. He was clearly happy, but at the same time, his face was complex and subtle.
“I just thought I was a little stupid. It’s nothing.”
Eden sighed softly and added an explanation. Then he climbed completely into the bed. He acted as if it was his own bed.
“And? Keep talking.”
The man who had naturally taken the place behind Cecilia urged her to continue speaking in a soft voice. Cecilia leaned her back against his strong chest and opened her mouth.
“I heard that the harsh rumors surrounding my father have also been resolved.”
Eden quietly cried out, for he knew what the harsh rumors Cecilia was talking about were. The story of Curtis and the Empress’s relationship was so loud that it reached the imperial court.
“That’s a given. The Empress and the Duke of Lane, that’s outrageous.”
Cecilia nodded at Eden's words. There was no need to explain that such an absurd thing had actually happened.
“All my worries have been resolved, so now I feel relieved.”
It was a positive answer that he had not heard in a long time. Eden did not hide his satisfaction and pressed his lips to Cecilia's temple.
“Then I can go on a trip with a light heart.”
At Eden's words, Cecilia looked back at him with a puzzled expression. Eden wrapped both arms around Cecilia's waist and buried his face in the nape of her neck.
“It tickles.”
As Cecilia giggled, Eden pressed his lips more aggressively against Cecilia's skin.
“What kind of trip is it?”
“Laner Island. I heard the hotel is also completed. The island will be open within a few days.”
Finally, Eden spoke affectionately, leaving a kiss on Cecilia's cheek.
“They would like to invite us as the first guest on our new island as an investor.”
He was the investor, but he was actually the leader of the business. Eden paid almost all the expenses and personally intervened in every detail. Curtis was just a supporting figure thanks to Cecilia.
However, even then, he was able to take half of the profits until he recovered his investment, and 30% thereafter to the Lane family. This was thanks to Eden’s generous disposition, considering that it would one day become his wife’s and his child’s family.
“It was a bit noisy at the mansion today. Did something happen?”
Eden naturally kissed Cecilia on the lips briefly and then left. Cecilia, who was sitting on the bed, also greeted Eden with a calm face. She was used to his visits by now.
“I think we should hurry up and get Abby married.”
“Your maid?”
Cecilia nodded.
“Weren’t you sad to send her?”
“That’s true, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
Eden tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“Abby is having a baby.”
Ah. Eden sighed. If Cecilia was right, then they definitely had to hurry up and get married. As her stomach started to grow, her movements would become a little more difficult.
“I’m going to send her now.”
“Yes, if that’s what you want.”
Cecilia smiled faintly as she said that. It really meant that it was okay, but Eden's eyes were searching Cecilia's face here and there. It was a worried look on her face as if she was upset.
“I’m fine, so don’t look at me like that.”
When Cecilia hit the player, Eden made an embarrassed face.
“Abby’s husband is also a solid man... Oh, James Morak who runs a pawn shop.”
Eden let out a short exclamation. It was a name he knew well.
“James Morak was your maid’s lover?”
Cecilia nodded at Eden's question. Eden seemed lost in thought for a moment, then let out a short laugh as he searched the air with his gaze.
“Why are you like that?”
“No, I just find it a little funny.”
However, it didn't look like he was just smiling because he was happy. He was clearly happy, but at the same time, his face was complex and subtle.
“I just thought I was a little stupid. It’s nothing.”
Eden sighed softly and added an explanation. Then he climbed completely into the bed. He acted as if it was his own bed.
“And? Keep talking.”
The man who had naturally taken the place behind Cecilia urged her to continue speaking in a soft voice. Cecilia leaned her back against his strong chest and opened her mouth.
“I heard that the harsh rumors surrounding my father have also been resolved.”
Eden quietly cried out, for he knew what the harsh rumors Cecilia was talking about were. The story of Curtis and the Empress’s relationship was so loud that it reached the imperial court.
“That’s a given. The Empress and the Duke of Lane, that’s outrageous.”
Cecilia nodded at Eden's words. There was no need to explain that such an absurd thing had actually happened.
“All my worries have been resolved, so now I feel relieved.”
It was a positive answer that he had not heard in a long time. Eden did not hide his satisfaction and pressed his lips to Cecilia's temple.
“Then I can go on a trip with a light heart.”
At Eden's words, Cecilia looked back at him with a puzzled expression. Eden wrapped both arms around Cecilia's waist and buried his face in the nape of her neck.
“It tickles.”
As Cecilia giggled, Eden pressed his lips more aggressively against Cecilia's skin.
“What kind of trip is it?”
“Laner Island. I heard the hotel is also completed. The island will be open within a few days.”
Finally, Eden spoke affectionately, leaving a kiss on Cecilia's cheek.
“They would like to invite us as the first guest on our new island as an investor.”
He was the investor, but he was actually the leader of the business. Eden paid almost all the expenses and personally intervened in every detail. Curtis was just a supporting figure thanks to Cecilia.
However, even then, he was able to take half of the profits until he recovered his investment, and 30% thereafter to the Lane family. This was thanks to Eden’s generous disposition, considering that it would one day become his wife’s and his child’s family.
“Me, leaving His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Everything related to Laner Island was possible thanks to you. You deserve it.”
Cecilia opened her eyes wide and asked Eden a question. Eden answered in a soft voice.
Since the agreement with Benia, the island's fishermen have also been following Wyatt's regulations well, and business has been going smoothly.
“But what if His Majesty the Emperor is displeased this time too?”
Even Roy Dillon's last painting, depicting the landscape of the Isle of Laner, was given to Cecilia by Eden. The Emperor pretended not to care, but he secretly showed a look of resentment towards Eden.
But he thought that even the Emperor would object if he yielded to Cecilia in attending the hotel completion ceremony.
“I guess he’ll think of it as raising a child in the wrong way.”
But Eden's answer was so indifferent. It was such an attitude that Cecilia couldn't help but laugh.
It wasn't over yet, but she felt good. She felt a strange sense of confidence and elation that she could change everything if she kept going like this.
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