“Stop. I’ll do it.”
The manager was flustered and pulled the reins hard. Eden, who had been watching the scene anxiously, was about to get down from his horse.
“Whoa!”
Oops, the manager dropped the reins he was about to hand over to Eden. At that moment, Thelma lifted her front paws, straightened up, and started running.
From then on, Cecilia couldn't even scream. She just grabbed the reins in a panic like a lifeline and clung to Thelma's back as she started to run wildly.
“Cecilia!”
Cecilia barely managed to turn her head to look in the direction of the sound. Eden was following her. It was true that the story about the famous horse was true because Eden’s horse had almost caught up with Thelma.
But no matter how much he tried, it was impossible to grab the reins of a running horse. Especially since Cecilia held on tightly and wouldn't let go.
"Your Majesty..."
Besides, there was no way to stop Thelma from running. If she raised her front paw again, Cecilia would lose the fight and fall. She might even get stepped on.
“...”
But if they continued like this, they would enter the path leading to the forest behind the castle. From there, it would be easy to get lost.
Eden bit his lower lip. His worries were short. Eden kept his horse close to Thelma as she ran.
“I’ll catch you. Jump!”
“Ha, but...”
Cecilia looked back at Eden with confused eyes, but her confusion was erased as they approached the dark forest and large tree trunks.
"Now!"
Eden shouted at the top of his lungs. Cecilia let go of the reins she was holding and leaped to the side.
Eden stretched out his arms with all his might and hugged Cecilia tightly. Yes. I'm out. That was the moment when he felt relieved.
“...!”
The foot caught in the stirrup hindered her movement. Cecilia's body swayed violently. Eden, who was holding Cecilia, was also in the same situation.
As Thelma and Eden's horses continued to run without slowing down, Cecilia and Eden's bodies fell to the ground.
“Ugh!”
There was a thud, and Eden let out a groan of pain. The pain in his shoulders and back from falling to the floor while holding Cecilia was quite severe. In addition, his head hit a thick, protruding tree root. His vision became blurry.
“Cecilia, are you okay?”
But more important than the pain was checking if the woman in his arms was hurt or not. Eden checked Cecilia’s face and body, which he was holding with his whole body, to make sure that no part of her was hurt.
“You have a cut on your face.”
“It’s nothing. Are you okay, Your Majesty? The sound of the collision earlier...”
“Still, I’m glad it’s like this.”
And he was relieved to see that there were no major injuries other than the scratches on her face. Then, when Cecilia was about to check on Eden’s condition, a sound was heard from afar.
“Your Majesty the Emperor! Your Majesty the Empress!”
It was the sound of servants who had come on horseback and were urgently looking for Eden and Cecilia.
“Over here!”
Cecilia screamed, clutching her neck. This wasn't the time to be as graceful as she usually was.
"Your Majesty!"
Perhaps because it was at the entrance of the forest, the servants were able to find them without difficulty in the thick grass.
“Are you okay?”
“I am fine. But His Majesty seems to have hurt his shoulder and back, and two horses have gone into the forest.”
Cecilia supported Eden, who was still lying on the floor and made him lean against her chest. She explained the situation in detail to the servants.
“I will send someone to find you. Your Majesty, would you please rise?”
The servant hurriedly sent a few men into the forest to find the horse. Then he approached Eden and reached out to help him up.
"Your majesty?"
“...”
“...Eden?”
At that moment, Eden's head fell on the nape of Cecilia's neck.
Eden lost consciousness. He returned to the palace and briefly regained consciousness, but closed his eyes again.
The doctor ruled that Eden had lost consciousness due to the sudden impact to his head and neck. It was a serious accident that could have broken his cervical vertebrae. However, this time, if he regained consciousness, he would be fine.
Come to think of it, there have been a few instances in the past where Eden has been hurt. The first time was when Damon sent a poisoned car to kill Eden.
'Congratulations, brother. No, you are now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.'
Damon, who failed to become the Crown Prince, mixed a colorless and odorless drug and served it to Eden. Even then, he was very calm.
'Thanks to you, I enjoyed a good competition.'
In the end, the logic of the palace was that the one who survived would win. So he guessed that if he was the only one left, the Emperor would not be able to ignore him.
But in the end, nothing went as Damon had thought. Cecilia came unexpectedly and found Eden lying down, hitting his head on the table.
'For daring to kill my brother, and further for attempting to murder Wyatt's Crown Prince.'
Cecilia immediately called the court doctor and had him treat the wounds, and took great care of Eden until he woke up. Thus, Eden survived.
“...The second one.”
When was it? Cecilia's memories began to gradually go back to old memories.
"Ah."
And then she found a piece and sighed. That time too, it was something to do with horses.
Eden often had horse races in the large training grounds inside the palace. And that day, as always, he took his horse and went out to the race. He was the type of person who preferred to participate rather than just watch.
'That sounds a bit strange, doesn't it?'
It was just as he was picking up speed. In the thick dust, the horse's ankle seemed to twist, and the moment he stepped on a wooden plank, he lifted his front leg as if he was going to jump. Then, as if it were a lie, he fell backward.
'Eden!'
Eden, who had not anticipated the situation, fell to the ground defenselessly. And he felt the full weight of the horse and the impact of the fall. He was even kicked in the head by the horse that was following him and was unable to slow down.
“Your Majesty, you must not skip meals.”
“I’m sorry, Madam Monte, you're too busy to even see your grandchildren.”
Madame Monte shook her head at Cecilia's apology as if to tell her not to say such things.
“You don’t even have a maid. I should be by your side. First, eat. I’ve prepared only soup and soft food to make it easier for you to digest.”
Madam Monte said, placing the tray on the table. Cecilia nodded silently and picked up her spoon.
“Your Majesty, don’t worry too much. He is a strong man, and he will soon come to his senses.”
“Yes,” Cecilia answered shortly.
“He will. Trust me.”
“Then please hurry and eat. I won’t leave until you finish your bowl of soup.”
Finally, Cecilia emptied a bowl of soup at Madame Monte's insistence. Only then was she able to look after Eden.
Cecilia let out a sigh of relief as she traced the small scratches on Eden's face with her hand.
“Just get up.”
“...”
“I told you I can’t stand to see you die yet.”
Her tone sounded cold, but her whispers to him were full of longing and affection.
On this topic, she dared to go out and kill this man. Even though she knew that he would eventually wake up unharmed, her body was shaking and her hands were getting cold just because of the possibility.
“Eden.”
Cecilia lay down on the bed where Eden was lying. She thought next to the man who had his eyes closed as if he was sleeping.
“You will be okay.”
Everything was going on just as she remembered, with only a few minor changes. Just like before, Eden almost died at Damon's hands, and just like before, he fell and lost consciousness because of the words.
So, just as Eden back then regained consciousness, Eden now would also open his eyes safely. Cecilia believed so.
“Right?”
But there was also a sense of unease in one corner of her heart. If there were things that were the same as the past, like the deaths of Aster and Isabella, there were also many things that were different. Things that Cecilia had changed.
The island of Laner was saved from war. Count Nova was dead. Ilya Jackinson was dead, and Count Casper was ruined. And Cecilia was not the only one living a second life.
The Empress Dowager clearly wanted to kill Eden, as if that was her ultimate goal. On the other hand, Cecilia gave up her revenge on him and chose to go to hell with him.
If so, then this life is nothing more than a fight between those who want to repeat the tragedy of the past and those who do not want to repeat it.
“...”
Can you be safe like before? Can we live a different life than before?
"Hmm..."
At that moment, Eden slowly opened his eyes. It had only been a day since he closed his eyes again. The inorganic, sky-blue eyes that contained nothing seemed familiar. That was how Eden had been in the past.
“Eden.”
Could it be the same this time? Cecilia called out to Eden in an anxious voice.
The manager was flustered and pulled the reins hard. Eden, who had been watching the scene anxiously, was about to get down from his horse.
“Whoa!”
Oops, the manager dropped the reins he was about to hand over to Eden. At that moment, Thelma lifted her front paws, straightened up, and started running.
From then on, Cecilia couldn't even scream. She just grabbed the reins in a panic like a lifeline and clung to Thelma's back as she started to run wildly.
“Cecilia!”
Cecilia barely managed to turn her head to look in the direction of the sound. Eden was following her. It was true that the story about the famous horse was true because Eden’s horse had almost caught up with Thelma.
But no matter how much he tried, it was impossible to grab the reins of a running horse. Especially since Cecilia held on tightly and wouldn't let go.
"Your Majesty..."
Besides, there was no way to stop Thelma from running. If she raised her front paw again, Cecilia would lose the fight and fall. She might even get stepped on.
“...”
But if they continued like this, they would enter the path leading to the forest behind the castle. From there, it would be easy to get lost.
Eden bit his lower lip. His worries were short. Eden kept his horse close to Thelma as she ran.
“I’ll catch you. Jump!”
“Ha, but...”
Cecilia looked back at Eden with confused eyes, but her confusion was erased as they approached the dark forest and large tree trunks.
"Now!"
Eden shouted at the top of his lungs. Cecilia let go of the reins she was holding and leaped to the side.
Eden stretched out his arms with all his might and hugged Cecilia tightly. Yes. I'm out. That was the moment when he felt relieved.
“...!”
The foot caught in the stirrup hindered her movement. Cecilia's body swayed violently. Eden, who was holding Cecilia, was also in the same situation.
As Thelma and Eden's horses continued to run without slowing down, Cecilia and Eden's bodies fell to the ground.
“Ugh!”
There was a thud, and Eden let out a groan of pain. The pain in his shoulders and back from falling to the floor while holding Cecilia was quite severe. In addition, his head hit a thick, protruding tree root. His vision became blurry.
“Cecilia, are you okay?”
But more important than the pain was checking if the woman in his arms was hurt or not. Eden checked Cecilia’s face and body, which he was holding with his whole body, to make sure that no part of her was hurt.
“You have a cut on your face.”
“It’s nothing. Are you okay, Your Majesty? The sound of the collision earlier...”
“Still, I’m glad it’s like this.”
And he was relieved to see that there were no major injuries other than the scratches on her face. Then, when Cecilia was about to check on Eden’s condition, a sound was heard from afar.
“Your Majesty the Emperor! Your Majesty the Empress!”
It was the sound of servants who had come on horseback and were urgently looking for Eden and Cecilia.
“Over here!”
Cecilia screamed, clutching her neck. This wasn't the time to be as graceful as she usually was.
"Your Majesty!"
Perhaps because it was at the entrance of the forest, the servants were able to find them without difficulty in the thick grass.
“Are you okay?”
“I am fine. But His Majesty seems to have hurt his shoulder and back, and two horses have gone into the forest.”
Cecilia supported Eden, who was still lying on the floor and made him lean against her chest. She explained the situation in detail to the servants.
“I will send someone to find you. Your Majesty, would you please rise?”
The servant hurriedly sent a few men into the forest to find the horse. Then he approached Eden and reached out to help him up.
"Your majesty?"
“...”
“...Eden?”
At that moment, Eden's head fell on the nape of Cecilia's neck.
***
Eden lost consciousness. He returned to the palace and briefly regained consciousness, but closed his eyes again.
The doctor ruled that Eden had lost consciousness due to the sudden impact to his head and neck. It was a serious accident that could have broken his cervical vertebrae. However, this time, if he regained consciousness, he would be fine.
Come to think of it, there have been a few instances in the past where Eden has been hurt. The first time was when Damon sent a poisoned car to kill Eden.
'Congratulations, brother. No, you are now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.'
Damon, who failed to become the Crown Prince, mixed a colorless and odorless drug and served it to Eden. Even then, he was very calm.
'Thanks to you, I enjoyed a good competition.'
In the end, the logic of the palace was that the one who survived would win. So he guessed that if he was the only one left, the Emperor would not be able to ignore him.
But in the end, nothing went as Damon had thought. Cecilia came unexpectedly and found Eden lying down, hitting his head on the table.
'For daring to kill my brother, and further for attempting to murder Wyatt's Crown Prince.'
Cecilia immediately called the court doctor and had him treat the wounds, and took great care of Eden until he woke up. Thus, Eden survived.
“...The second one.”
When was it? Cecilia's memories began to gradually go back to old memories.
"Ah."
And then she found a piece and sighed. That time too, it was something to do with horses.
Eden often had horse races in the large training grounds inside the palace. And that day, as always, he took his horse and went out to the race. He was the type of person who preferred to participate rather than just watch.
'That sounds a bit strange, doesn't it?'
It was just as he was picking up speed. In the thick dust, the horse's ankle seemed to twist, and the moment he stepped on a wooden plank, he lifted his front leg as if he was going to jump. Then, as if it were a lie, he fell backward.
'Eden!'
Eden, who had not anticipated the situation, fell to the ground defenselessly. And he felt the full weight of the horse and the impact of the fall. He was even kicked in the head by the horse that was following him and was unable to slow down.
“Your Majesty, you must not skip meals.”
“I’m sorry, Madam Monte, you're too busy to even see your grandchildren.”
Madame Monte shook her head at Cecilia's apology as if to tell her not to say such things.
“You don’t even have a maid. I should be by your side. First, eat. I’ve prepared only soup and soft food to make it easier for you to digest.”
Madam Monte said, placing the tray on the table. Cecilia nodded silently and picked up her spoon.
“Your Majesty, don’t worry too much. He is a strong man, and he will soon come to his senses.”
“Yes,” Cecilia answered shortly.
“He will. Trust me.”
“Then please hurry and eat. I won’t leave until you finish your bowl of soup.”
Finally, Cecilia emptied a bowl of soup at Madame Monte's insistence. Only then was she able to look after Eden.
Cecilia let out a sigh of relief as she traced the small scratches on Eden's face with her hand.
“Just get up.”
“...”
“I told you I can’t stand to see you die yet.”
Her tone sounded cold, but her whispers to him were full of longing and affection.
On this topic, she dared to go out and kill this man. Even though she knew that he would eventually wake up unharmed, her body was shaking and her hands were getting cold just because of the possibility.
“Eden.”
Cecilia lay down on the bed where Eden was lying. She thought next to the man who had his eyes closed as if he was sleeping.
“You will be okay.”
Everything was going on just as she remembered, with only a few minor changes. Just like before, Eden almost died at Damon's hands, and just like before, he fell and lost consciousness because of the words.
So, just as Eden back then regained consciousness, Eden now would also open his eyes safely. Cecilia believed so.
“Right?”
But there was also a sense of unease in one corner of her heart. If there were things that were the same as the past, like the deaths of Aster and Isabella, there were also many things that were different. Things that Cecilia had changed.
The island of Laner was saved from war. Count Nova was dead. Ilya Jackinson was dead, and Count Casper was ruined. And Cecilia was not the only one living a second life.
The Empress Dowager clearly wanted to kill Eden, as if that was her ultimate goal. On the other hand, Cecilia gave up her revenge on him and chose to go to hell with him.
If so, then this life is nothing more than a fight between those who want to repeat the tragedy of the past and those who do not want to repeat it.
“...”
Can you be safe like before? Can we live a different life than before?
"Hmm..."
At that moment, Eden slowly opened his eyes. It had only been a day since he closed his eyes again. The inorganic, sky-blue eyes that contained nothing seemed familiar. That was how Eden had been in the past.
“Eden.”
Could it be the same this time? Cecilia called out to Eden in an anxious voice.
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