But even though it was just a superficial relationship, Eden thoroughly managed the people around him so that Cecilia would not hear about it. That was just what he wanted to do.
“The Empress?”
“They said she went to bed early because she wasn’t feeling well.”
Despite his efforts, Cecilia gradually withered away, especially after Curtis was found guilty of embezzlement and was stripped of his earldom.
"Yes."
Since she didn't know anything, she might feel wronged. It was true that he didn't feel very good, but Eden thought generously. It was he who blocked Cecilia's ears and didn't tell her anything, so that she wouldn't feel bad for nothing.
But that was only assuming Curtis hadn't committed any additional crimes.
'Curtis Lane is plotting treason.'
Eden discovered another secret of Curtis Lane. It was not yet complete, but there was clear evidence and testimony.
Eden burst out laughing. At this point, he was so desperate that he wanted to die, but it seemed like he had just let him live without realizing it.
“Rather than this...”
Let's make it right and cut off Curtis Lane's head. That's what he thought. So that he can relieve himself of his guilt and longing for Aster. Of course, since he can't feel emotions like before, it's just an abstract idea.
“Cecilia Lane.”
But the moment he thought of his wife's name, Eden instinctively stopped. His chest felt tight.
“...”
When he thinks of the frailty of someone who would suffer to the point of death over even the smallest revenge, it couldn't be helped.
“Your Majesty, have you finished your meal?”
“If you don’t have any thoughts, just leave.”
Eden let out a short sigh and stood up. And without hesitation, he took a step forward. As always, he was going to see his sleeping wife.
“I meet Your Majesty the Emperor...”
"Quiet."
The bedroom door opened smoothly without a sound. Eden, who had seeped through the open door, walked towards Cecilia, who was sleeping on the bed.
“Hmm.”
Meanwhile, Cecilia frowned as if she was having an uncomfortable dream. You’re having a nightmare. Eden placed his index finger on Cecilia’s forehead as was his habit and gently rubbed it.
It was something he often did at night when they slept together. Cecilia’s eyebrows relaxed, and she let out a calm breath as if she had never frowned before. It was a moment when he thought it was fortunate.
"Father..."
Cecilia cried like a child, looking for her father. Eden quietly bent down and kissed Cecilia on the forehead. Cecilia, who flinched and trembled her eyes, faintly smiled.
“...”
Eden also had a gut feeling that he couldn't do what he wanted. His life had always been dependent on this woman. It wasn't a matter of emotion. It was like a command engraved in his heart.
If things were as they were, he should have prepared properly.
Until Curtis had properly assembled his army and invaded the imperial palace, he had to wait in a low position and subdue him. Then he had to show everyone his true nature and the justification for his execution.
“I have heard reports that the Duke of Lane is plotting treason. Arrest him and imprison him.”
But Eden couldn't do that. He nipped Curtis's rebellion in the bud before he was even properly prepared.
“Is it true that Duke Lane plotted treason?”
“Well, I think it was intentional. I heard the investigation was sloppy.”
The insufficient evidence and sloppy investigation of the treason case raised many people's suspicions. There were even opinions that the Emperor had swung the hammer too hard against the Duke's family.
“They say Duke Lane ran away, leaving behind only a note saying that he had been wronged.”
“Even Her Majesty the Empress must be very upset.”
It was a ridiculous story, but Eden was satisfied with that. Such rumors were supposed to be sympathy for Cecilia, not suspicion. Cecilia's honor was the same as before.
“The Duke of Lane deserves to be punished for what Curtis Lane has done.”
What was unexpected was Cecilia's reaction.
“Cecilia.”
“Please just kill me.”
Cecilia was furious and resented Eden. Even though Cecilia didn't know, everything Curtis Lane did was true.
“Everything makes me more miserable than dying.”
Anyway, Duke Lane's family has become a part of the royal family. So, someday, a daughter or a second son born between the two will inherit it. Then, the Duke Lane family will be able to run smoothly again.
But Cecilia was in terrible pain. She had a hard time accepting that her family and honor had been tarnished. So she resented Eden.
“I wanted to kill you too.”
When he realized that, it became difficult to remain calm. Suddenly, he felt irritated. Eden poured out his raw feelings. If it were possible, he would have killed Cecilia too. That would have been the most comfortable.
“What did you just say...”
But in order to protect this woman, he did things he didn't have to do. He did things he shouldn't have done.
Even though her father was the one who killed his older brother, the Crown Prince, he was not held responsible in any way. He was only punished for the crime he committed.
“But now you have to live, Cecilia.”
Even when Curtis tried to commit treason, Eden turned the arrows of suspicion against himself. All he did was preserve Cecilia Lane Wyatt's position. To respect the desire of the woman who wanted to become Empress.
“So live.”
Since you gave me everything I wanted, wouldn't it be better to give me something easy like staying by my side?
One day, Cecilia will accept it and live with it. That was what Eden had guessed. Until Cecilia took her own life.
As if mocking the choices Eden had made solely to protect Cecilia, Cecilia chose to commit suicide.
He wasn't sad. He was just tired and empty.
Even after Cecilia died, there was no significant change in Eden's life. He was unshaken, except that he had lost one person who would accompany him to official functions.
Even after Cecilia died, Eden did what he had to do as the Emperor and just let time pass by. In the meantime, Sienna, who killed Marquis Calibre, committed suicide, and Ilya Lawson got a divorce.
Three years passed like that.
“I’m going to the Empress’s tomb, so don’t let anyone follow you.”
Of course, when the time came, he went to Cecilia's grave. On such days, Eden would stay for a long time in front of the grave of the woman who had lived a short life. It was the same even on days when heavy rain was pouring down.
But that was all. He didn't ask a single question to the dead Cecilia. His resentment was the same. He just stood there watching Cecilia's grave like a statue and then turned around.
“Your Majesty, since when have you been feeling dizzy?”
But at some point, her body started to break down.
“What if something goes wrong for Your Majesty? You don’t even have an heir...”
He began to feel unwell for no particular reason, and his consciousness kept fading in and out. Many nobles were worried about him and the future of the country, but Eden was calm. He just felt that the time had come.
The night that woman left, he should have just closed his eyes. There were countless days when he thought that.
“Your Majesty. Are you alright?”
Cecilia didn't always do what he wanted. She just resented him, hated him, and suffered to her heart's content.
And on days when she felt like it, she would harm herself. At those times, Eden would go to the bedroom of the woman who had already lost consciousness, stare blankly at her face, and then return, repeating the same process.
Funny enough, sometimes he envied Cecilia's honest desires and anger, which were already castrated in his life.
Until one night, when he woke up with a sudden sense of anxiety.
'Empress, Her Majesty the Empress...'
'Did she try to harm herself again?'
At Eden's question, the attendant lowered his head and shed tears.
'The Empress fell from the spire of the church...'
The spire of the church was the tallest building in the palace. It was so tall that even birds would die if they fell from it.
'What are you talking about?'
Eden burst into laughter as he asked the question. But his servant, insolently, only shed tears and did not answer.
Eden roughly pushed him away and started walking. He didn't even think about the fact that he was wearing only a bathrobe and indoor slippers. At some point, he was running.
That night, he really lost Cecilia.
"Your Majesty!"
“Call the palace doctor immediately!”
The sound of him being called grew increasingly distant. Eden slowly blinked his dazed eyes.
'Eden.'
Suddenly, he remembered the voice that had called him that way. And the flushed face that had been looking up at him cautiously.
Even in moments when nothing seemed meaningful, he clearly found the smile on Cecilia's face beautiful. He wanted to protect it. He wanted to keep it by his side even when he knew it was ineffective.
“Your Majesty. The palace doctor will be here soon. Just a moment, just a moment...!”
He didn't know because he couldn't feel it. But, even after experiencing all that, the love and hate he felt while resenting it all turned out to be fragments of love.
Eden slowly reflected on his past life. It was funny how the realization that had hit him before she died had passed him by.
“...”
At the same time, he desperately wanted to see his beautiful woman.
The woman he loved more than anyone else, who ran away to death because he was so terrible. If only he could see her again, just once.
Eden slowly closed his eyes. That was the end.
“The Empress?”
“They said she went to bed early because she wasn’t feeling well.”
Despite his efforts, Cecilia gradually withered away, especially after Curtis was found guilty of embezzlement and was stripped of his earldom.
"Yes."
Since she didn't know anything, she might feel wronged. It was true that he didn't feel very good, but Eden thought generously. It was he who blocked Cecilia's ears and didn't tell her anything, so that she wouldn't feel bad for nothing.
But that was only assuming Curtis hadn't committed any additional crimes.
'Curtis Lane is plotting treason.'
Eden discovered another secret of Curtis Lane. It was not yet complete, but there was clear evidence and testimony.
Eden burst out laughing. At this point, he was so desperate that he wanted to die, but it seemed like he had just let him live without realizing it.
“Rather than this...”
Let's make it right and cut off Curtis Lane's head. That's what he thought. So that he can relieve himself of his guilt and longing for Aster. Of course, since he can't feel emotions like before, it's just an abstract idea.
“Cecilia Lane.”
But the moment he thought of his wife's name, Eden instinctively stopped. His chest felt tight.
“...”
When he thinks of the frailty of someone who would suffer to the point of death over even the smallest revenge, it couldn't be helped.
“Your Majesty, have you finished your meal?”
“If you don’t have any thoughts, just leave.”
Eden let out a short sigh and stood up. And without hesitation, he took a step forward. As always, he was going to see his sleeping wife.
“I meet Your Majesty the Emperor...”
"Quiet."
The bedroom door opened smoothly without a sound. Eden, who had seeped through the open door, walked towards Cecilia, who was sleeping on the bed.
“Hmm.”
Meanwhile, Cecilia frowned as if she was having an uncomfortable dream. You’re having a nightmare. Eden placed his index finger on Cecilia’s forehead as was his habit and gently rubbed it.
It was something he often did at night when they slept together. Cecilia’s eyebrows relaxed, and she let out a calm breath as if she had never frowned before. It was a moment when he thought it was fortunate.
"Father..."
Cecilia cried like a child, looking for her father. Eden quietly bent down and kissed Cecilia on the forehead. Cecilia, who flinched and trembled her eyes, faintly smiled.
“...”
Eden also had a gut feeling that he couldn't do what he wanted. His life had always been dependent on this woman. It wasn't a matter of emotion. It was like a command engraved in his heart.
***
If things were as they were, he should have prepared properly.
Until Curtis had properly assembled his army and invaded the imperial palace, he had to wait in a low position and subdue him. Then he had to show everyone his true nature and the justification for his execution.
“I have heard reports that the Duke of Lane is plotting treason. Arrest him and imprison him.”
But Eden couldn't do that. He nipped Curtis's rebellion in the bud before he was even properly prepared.
“Is it true that Duke Lane plotted treason?”
“Well, I think it was intentional. I heard the investigation was sloppy.”
The insufficient evidence and sloppy investigation of the treason case raised many people's suspicions. There were even opinions that the Emperor had swung the hammer too hard against the Duke's family.
“They say Duke Lane ran away, leaving behind only a note saying that he had been wronged.”
“Even Her Majesty the Empress must be very upset.”
It was a ridiculous story, but Eden was satisfied with that. Such rumors were supposed to be sympathy for Cecilia, not suspicion. Cecilia's honor was the same as before.
“The Duke of Lane deserves to be punished for what Curtis Lane has done.”
What was unexpected was Cecilia's reaction.
“Cecilia.”
“Please just kill me.”
Cecilia was furious and resented Eden. Even though Cecilia didn't know, everything Curtis Lane did was true.
“Everything makes me more miserable than dying.”
Anyway, Duke Lane's family has become a part of the royal family. So, someday, a daughter or a second son born between the two will inherit it. Then, the Duke Lane family will be able to run smoothly again.
But Cecilia was in terrible pain. She had a hard time accepting that her family and honor had been tarnished. So she resented Eden.
“I wanted to kill you too.”
When he realized that, it became difficult to remain calm. Suddenly, he felt irritated. Eden poured out his raw feelings. If it were possible, he would have killed Cecilia too. That would have been the most comfortable.
“What did you just say...”
But in order to protect this woman, he did things he didn't have to do. He did things he shouldn't have done.
Even though her father was the one who killed his older brother, the Crown Prince, he was not held responsible in any way. He was only punished for the crime he committed.
“But now you have to live, Cecilia.”
Even when Curtis tried to commit treason, Eden turned the arrows of suspicion against himself. All he did was preserve Cecilia Lane Wyatt's position. To respect the desire of the woman who wanted to become Empress.
“So live.”
Since you gave me everything I wanted, wouldn't it be better to give me something easy like staying by my side?
One day, Cecilia will accept it and live with it. That was what Eden had guessed. Until Cecilia took her own life.
As if mocking the choices Eden had made solely to protect Cecilia, Cecilia chose to commit suicide.
He wasn't sad. He was just tired and empty.
***
Even after Cecilia died, there was no significant change in Eden's life. He was unshaken, except that he had lost one person who would accompany him to official functions.
Even after Cecilia died, Eden did what he had to do as the Emperor and just let time pass by. In the meantime, Sienna, who killed Marquis Calibre, committed suicide, and Ilya Lawson got a divorce.
Three years passed like that.
“I’m going to the Empress’s tomb, so don’t let anyone follow you.”
Of course, when the time came, he went to Cecilia's grave. On such days, Eden would stay for a long time in front of the grave of the woman who had lived a short life. It was the same even on days when heavy rain was pouring down.
But that was all. He didn't ask a single question to the dead Cecilia. His resentment was the same. He just stood there watching Cecilia's grave like a statue and then turned around.
“Your Majesty, since when have you been feeling dizzy?”
But at some point, her body started to break down.
“What if something goes wrong for Your Majesty? You don’t even have an heir...”
He began to feel unwell for no particular reason, and his consciousness kept fading in and out. Many nobles were worried about him and the future of the country, but Eden was calm. He just felt that the time had come.
The night that woman left, he should have just closed his eyes. There were countless days when he thought that.
“Your Majesty. Are you alright?”
Cecilia didn't always do what he wanted. She just resented him, hated him, and suffered to her heart's content.
And on days when she felt like it, she would harm herself. At those times, Eden would go to the bedroom of the woman who had already lost consciousness, stare blankly at her face, and then return, repeating the same process.
Funny enough, sometimes he envied Cecilia's honest desires and anger, which were already castrated in his life.
Until one night, when he woke up with a sudden sense of anxiety.
'Empress, Her Majesty the Empress...'
'Did she try to harm herself again?'
At Eden's question, the attendant lowered his head and shed tears.
'The Empress fell from the spire of the church...'
The spire of the church was the tallest building in the palace. It was so tall that even birds would die if they fell from it.
'What are you talking about?'
Eden burst into laughter as he asked the question. But his servant, insolently, only shed tears and did not answer.
Eden roughly pushed him away and started walking. He didn't even think about the fact that he was wearing only a bathrobe and indoor slippers. At some point, he was running.
That night, he really lost Cecilia.
"Your Majesty!"
“Call the palace doctor immediately!”
The sound of him being called grew increasingly distant. Eden slowly blinked his dazed eyes.
'Eden.'
Suddenly, he remembered the voice that had called him that way. And the flushed face that had been looking up at him cautiously.
Even in moments when nothing seemed meaningful, he clearly found the smile on Cecilia's face beautiful. He wanted to protect it. He wanted to keep it by his side even when he knew it was ineffective.
“Your Majesty. The palace doctor will be here soon. Just a moment, just a moment...!”
He didn't know because he couldn't feel it. But, even after experiencing all that, the love and hate he felt while resenting it all turned out to be fragments of love.
Eden slowly reflected on his past life. It was funny how the realization that had hit him before she died had passed him by.
“...”
At the same time, he desperately wanted to see his beautiful woman.
The woman he loved more than anyone else, who ran away to death because he was so terrible. If only he could see her again, just once.
Eden slowly closed his eyes. That was the end.
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