“What happened to my father?”
Cecilia bit back a bit aggressively. Diego shook his head quickly.
“No. It’s nothing serious, but I’m choosing my words carefully so as not to seem startled.”
Only then was she relieved by Diego's denial. Cecilia waited quietly for him to continue.
“Dukejne also saw the puppet show. He was about to leave when he ran into the Empress Dowager who was heckling him.”
So, what happened? Cecilia's eyes were silently asking that question.
“After saying hello and chatting for a while, he left. They never met again.”
Cecilia let out a small sigh of relief. It was because she had hoped for something. Since even the former Emperor was dead, they had no reason to feel guilty.
Moreover, when the Empress Dowager was trying to use Curtis openly, there was no guarantee that Curtis would not fall for it. His daughter was a foolish, blind woman. How could he not do the same?
“Father...”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her as she watched Eden fall asleep. The doubt that the problem between them was really because of Eden's change of heart, and that Curtis was really innocent.
"Your Majesty?"
Cecilia naturally trusted her father, Curtis. She had to trust him. Trust in him was what sustained her life.
“..."
But once the doubt arose, it didn't just go away.
Did you really meet the Empress Dowager briefly? In that short time, you became so serious that you couldn't even hide it from me? How exactly did you meet? Did you really sort it out? Are you still seeing each other?
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
When the suspicions that were nagging at her reached the point of panic, Diego knocked on the table a couple of times to bring Cecilia back to her senses.
“Investigate My father. Don’t just look at his recent activities, but also see if there’s anything strange about his past.”
"Yes?"
Diego asked curiously. It was a natural reaction, knowing that Cecilia was always a terrible person to her father.
“I know nothing will happen to Dad. I just want to make sure.”
Diego nodded as she explained herself as if she was brainwashing herself. Of course, he thought it was not right for her to suspect her father.
“And I also found out about the Marquis Calibre’s case.”
The day Cecilia heard reports that the soldiers were suspicious of the Marquis of Calibre, she gave Diego additional orders.
'Find out about the government of the Marquis of Calibre, too.'
She thought that maybe that woman knew some secret of the Marquis Calibre that no one else knew.
“She was probably a commoner, but I don’t know her exact origins. The woman said...”
Marquis Calibre said he was being treated unfairly, but she wasn't sure if that was true. And in fact, she hoped he was a bad person. Eden said he would rather feel betrayed than be treated that way.
“Find out who is distributing the drugs. This is something we cannot tolerate. Put them in jail...”
"Your Majesty."
While Enon and I were discussing the recent problems that had arisen in the market, the chief of the household opened the door and came in, bowing his head.
“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”
A look of delight appeared on Eden's face as he received the report from Enon.
“Tell her to come in.”
Cecilia, who was coming in through the open door, noticed Enon and greeted him with her eyes. Enon bowed politely to the mistress of the empire. Even though he didn't like Cecilia that much, he couldn't help it since he loved his master so much.
“Can I leave for a moment?”
“I would appreciate it if you could do that.”
Besides, he had no desire to be stuck between such an odd couple. Enon quickly backed out.
“I heard there was a strange puppet show on the street, Your Majesty.”
Cecilia explained in detail the strange content of the puppet show and what it was trying to incite.
“If we block the play, strange rumors will follow. We need other things to attract attention.”
“I’ll see if there’s a way.”
Eden answered obediently. Then he reached out to Cecilia, who seemed out of breath from walking quickly. Cecilia naturally took his hand.
“If you still can’t find a solution after talking to Mr. Carlton, I recommend contacting the owner of Maxtra.”
Then, Eden's arm pulled Cecilia towards him. At some point, Cecilia was naturally sitting on his thigh.
"Your Majesty."
If she asks Diego how to solve it, he would advise her to solve it by linking up with Diana's theater troupe, who are in the same artistic field.
Of course, Cecilia could have stepped forward herself. But if she had, there was a chance that she would be exposed as the real owner of the theater. So, she said something, but Eden didn't seem to be listening.
“There’s no one here.”
It meant to ask her to call Eden by his name.
“Eden.”
“I’ll do that, so don’t worry. I’ll assign people to the puppeteers as well.”
Eden put his hand on Cecilia's waist and gently comforted her.
“That’s why you came in such a hurry?”
“You haven’t recovered yet. Can you go back to work right away?”
“I was told that it was just muscle pain and that I wouldn’t be okay since I didn’t have any broken bones or anything.”
The voice that spoke as if there was no need to worry was unusually gentle. Eden was originally that kind of man. He must have been that way in the past, too. Cecilia thought, raising her hand and caressing Eden’s face.
“And I also heard about the Marquis of Calibre.”
“I'm listening.”
Eden nodded as if telling her to speak.
“As you know, Marquis Calibre had a lover.”
Eden nodded silently at Cecilia's words. He too had witnessed Sienna's despair.
“Just in case, I asked Diego to find out about that woman...”
Cecilia trailed off. Eden simply met Cecilia’s gaze and waited for her to continue. He pretended not to notice that Cecilia secretly hoped that Marquis Calibre was a bad person.
“The woman told her friend that the Marquis wanted to divorce Sienna and remarry her.”
“..."
“He said he swore he would do anything for that.”
Eden's throat rose and fell loudly. It would not have been pleasant to hear the tragic story of his close cousin.
"...Is it so."
But it was commonplace between couples who had arranged a political marriage. And even so, Sienna would not have divorced. As long as the Emperor and Eden were there.
“That happened.”
Eden ended his speech with that kind of reaction. Even if it were true, it was just a story that was passed down through word of mouth. Would Sienna believe it? If anything, she would blame them for trying to rationalize his death. He knew that.
“Eden.”
It was the moment when Eden was about to grab Cecilia's hand that was touching his face and pull it away. Cecilia pressed her smooth forehead against Eden's.
“That woman is from the Countess Oberon’s family.”
“...”
“I don’t know her original identity, but I recently heard that she became the adopted daughter of Baron Boyd.”
Eden paused and raised his gaze. His eyes met Cecilia's, who was looking down at her.
“Isn’t there any room for doubt?”
Eden blinked quietly. It was an irrefutable question. Cecilia had successfully planted a seed of suspicion toward the Empress Dowager in Eden’s heart.
“...You are right. I will tell them to investigate that woman.”
Not long after, Eden agreed. Considering that the Empress Dowager was hostile towards Eden, claiming that she had lost both her children and her husband because of him, it was not impossible.
“To Sienna..."
“Later, when all the facts come to light. Then.”
Eden answered in a low voice. He has said that he would rather have Marquis Calibre betray him, but he never thought that would actually happen.
“So that you don’t feel guilty about not being able to protect yourself.”
Besides, it was a shame that his cousin's life was ruined because of such a man.
“...”
As if she knew his feelings, Cecilia quietly hugged Eden's neck. Eden quietly closed his eyes, leaning against her body temperature and skin.
When he looked around, love seemed like nothing but pain. However, the joy and elation he felt when he was with the woman in front of him was sad.
“Cecilia.”
"Yes."
Cecilia answered in a small voice. It was small but loud enough for him to hear.
"You are..."
“...”
“You won’t leave me, will you?”
In fact, Eden already knew the answer he would get from Cecilia.
“Because I promised.”
Because she promised she would.
“I promise God, I will never leave you, not even if it means death.”
Cecilia swore. Eden smiled faintly and buried his face in Cecilia's neck. The pulse in the back of her neck, which had felt normal, quickened. Just like the day he confessed his love.
Even though he couldn't ask if she loved him, he could tell whether Cecilia was sincere or not. Eden was satisfied with that. Even if he lived his whole life chasing Cecilia's eccentric heart and longing for sincerity.
As if he had been longing for that very thing since a very long time ago, a moment he can't even remember.
Cecilia bit back a bit aggressively. Diego shook his head quickly.
“No. It’s nothing serious, but I’m choosing my words carefully so as not to seem startled.”
Only then was she relieved by Diego's denial. Cecilia waited quietly for him to continue.
“Dukejne also saw the puppet show. He was about to leave when he ran into the Empress Dowager who was heckling him.”
So, what happened? Cecilia's eyes were silently asking that question.
“After saying hello and chatting for a while, he left. They never met again.”
Cecilia let out a small sigh of relief. It was because she had hoped for something. Since even the former Emperor was dead, they had no reason to feel guilty.
Moreover, when the Empress Dowager was trying to use Curtis openly, there was no guarantee that Curtis would not fall for it. His daughter was a foolish, blind woman. How could he not do the same?
“Father...”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her as she watched Eden fall asleep. The doubt that the problem between them was really because of Eden's change of heart, and that Curtis was really innocent.
"Your Majesty?"
Cecilia naturally trusted her father, Curtis. She had to trust him. Trust in him was what sustained her life.
“..."
But once the doubt arose, it didn't just go away.
Did you really meet the Empress Dowager briefly? In that short time, you became so serious that you couldn't even hide it from me? How exactly did you meet? Did you really sort it out? Are you still seeing each other?
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
When the suspicions that were nagging at her reached the point of panic, Diego knocked on the table a couple of times to bring Cecilia back to her senses.
“Investigate My father. Don’t just look at his recent activities, but also see if there’s anything strange about his past.”
"Yes?"
Diego asked curiously. It was a natural reaction, knowing that Cecilia was always a terrible person to her father.
“I know nothing will happen to Dad. I just want to make sure.”
Diego nodded as she explained herself as if she was brainwashing herself. Of course, he thought it was not right for her to suspect her father.
“And I also found out about the Marquis Calibre’s case.”
The day Cecilia heard reports that the soldiers were suspicious of the Marquis of Calibre, she gave Diego additional orders.
'Find out about the government of the Marquis of Calibre, too.'
She thought that maybe that woman knew some secret of the Marquis Calibre that no one else knew.
“She was probably a commoner, but I don’t know her exact origins. The woman said...”
Marquis Calibre said he was being treated unfairly, but she wasn't sure if that was true. And in fact, she hoped he was a bad person. Eden said he would rather feel betrayed than be treated that way.
***
“Find out who is distributing the drugs. This is something we cannot tolerate. Put them in jail...”
"Your Majesty."
While Enon and I were discussing the recent problems that had arisen in the market, the chief of the household opened the door and came in, bowing his head.
“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”
A look of delight appeared on Eden's face as he received the report from Enon.
“Tell her to come in.”
Cecilia, who was coming in through the open door, noticed Enon and greeted him with her eyes. Enon bowed politely to the mistress of the empire. Even though he didn't like Cecilia that much, he couldn't help it since he loved his master so much.
“Can I leave for a moment?”
“I would appreciate it if you could do that.”
Besides, he had no desire to be stuck between such an odd couple. Enon quickly backed out.
“I heard there was a strange puppet show on the street, Your Majesty.”
Cecilia explained in detail the strange content of the puppet show and what it was trying to incite.
“If we block the play, strange rumors will follow. We need other things to attract attention.”
“I’ll see if there’s a way.”
Eden answered obediently. Then he reached out to Cecilia, who seemed out of breath from walking quickly. Cecilia naturally took his hand.
“If you still can’t find a solution after talking to Mr. Carlton, I recommend contacting the owner of Maxtra.”
Then, Eden's arm pulled Cecilia towards him. At some point, Cecilia was naturally sitting on his thigh.
"Your Majesty."
If she asks Diego how to solve it, he would advise her to solve it by linking up with Diana's theater troupe, who are in the same artistic field.
Of course, Cecilia could have stepped forward herself. But if she had, there was a chance that she would be exposed as the real owner of the theater. So, she said something, but Eden didn't seem to be listening.
“There’s no one here.”
It meant to ask her to call Eden by his name.
“Eden.”
“I’ll do that, so don’t worry. I’ll assign people to the puppeteers as well.”
Eden put his hand on Cecilia's waist and gently comforted her.
“That’s why you came in such a hurry?”
“You haven’t recovered yet. Can you go back to work right away?”
“I was told that it was just muscle pain and that I wouldn’t be okay since I didn’t have any broken bones or anything.”
The voice that spoke as if there was no need to worry was unusually gentle. Eden was originally that kind of man. He must have been that way in the past, too. Cecilia thought, raising her hand and caressing Eden’s face.
“And I also heard about the Marquis of Calibre.”
“I'm listening.”
Eden nodded as if telling her to speak.
“As you know, Marquis Calibre had a lover.”
Eden nodded silently at Cecilia's words. He too had witnessed Sienna's despair.
“Just in case, I asked Diego to find out about that woman...”
Cecilia trailed off. Eden simply met Cecilia’s gaze and waited for her to continue. He pretended not to notice that Cecilia secretly hoped that Marquis Calibre was a bad person.
“The woman told her friend that the Marquis wanted to divorce Sienna and remarry her.”
“..."
“He said he swore he would do anything for that.”
Eden's throat rose and fell loudly. It would not have been pleasant to hear the tragic story of his close cousin.
"...Is it so."
But it was commonplace between couples who had arranged a political marriage. And even so, Sienna would not have divorced. As long as the Emperor and Eden were there.
“That happened.”
Eden ended his speech with that kind of reaction. Even if it were true, it was just a story that was passed down through word of mouth. Would Sienna believe it? If anything, she would blame them for trying to rationalize his death. He knew that.
“Eden.”
It was the moment when Eden was about to grab Cecilia's hand that was touching his face and pull it away. Cecilia pressed her smooth forehead against Eden's.
“That woman is from the Countess Oberon’s family.”
“...”
“I don’t know her original identity, but I recently heard that she became the adopted daughter of Baron Boyd.”
Eden paused and raised his gaze. His eyes met Cecilia's, who was looking down at her.
“Isn’t there any room for doubt?”
Eden blinked quietly. It was an irrefutable question. Cecilia had successfully planted a seed of suspicion toward the Empress Dowager in Eden’s heart.
“...You are right. I will tell them to investigate that woman.”
Not long after, Eden agreed. Considering that the Empress Dowager was hostile towards Eden, claiming that she had lost both her children and her husband because of him, it was not impossible.
“To Sienna..."
“Later, when all the facts come to light. Then.”
Eden answered in a low voice. He has said that he would rather have Marquis Calibre betray him, but he never thought that would actually happen.
“So that you don’t feel guilty about not being able to protect yourself.”
Besides, it was a shame that his cousin's life was ruined because of such a man.
“...”
As if she knew his feelings, Cecilia quietly hugged Eden's neck. Eden quietly closed his eyes, leaning against her body temperature and skin.
When he looked around, love seemed like nothing but pain. However, the joy and elation he felt when he was with the woman in front of him was sad.
“Cecilia.”
"Yes."
Cecilia answered in a small voice. It was small but loud enough for him to hear.
"You are..."
“...”
“You won’t leave me, will you?”
In fact, Eden already knew the answer he would get from Cecilia.
“Because I promised.”
Because she promised she would.
“I promise God, I will never leave you, not even if it means death.”
Cecilia swore. Eden smiled faintly and buried his face in Cecilia's neck. The pulse in the back of her neck, which had felt normal, quickened. Just like the day he confessed his love.
Even though he couldn't ask if she loved him, he could tell whether Cecilia was sincere or not. Eden was satisfied with that. Even if he lived his whole life chasing Cecilia's eccentric heart and longing for sincerity.
As if he had been longing for that very thing since a very long time ago, a moment he can't even remember.
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