“Even winning the competition was beyond your ability. Were you planning to rely on the Prophet for the affairs of the Empire as well?”
“...”
“Don’t you think it would be lenient to only take the Crown Prince’s position away from you?”
The Emperor asked with a voice mixed with laughter. Damon remained speechless, his gaze fixed on the floor.
“I feel like I want to sentence you to death right now. Go back and await my decision.”
As the Emperor turned, a cold wind blew. Damon shivered as if he had been thrown naked onto the street. It was humiliating.
"Look."
Damon opened his mouth with a smirk.
“Even if I became the Crown Prince, Your Majesty would still be on my brother’s side. You would continue to be so.”
He has to shut that mouth. That was when the Empress rushed to shut Damon's mouth.
“If he lives, he will always bother me.”
“...”
“Should I have just watched that stupidly?”
Damon asked with a twisted face. The Emperor looked down at Damon over his half-turned shoulder.
“You are not human.”
Now, there was not even a shred of warmth left in the eyes looking at Damon. Neither was there any sympathy.
“If I have any more breath left, I will definitely kill Eden.”
“..”
“Then I will take you..”
A would-be murderer who is trying to kill his child. It seems like he has nothing left but awareness, caution, and hostility.
"No!"
It wasn't a child-watching eye. The Empress flew in and blocked the gap between Damon and the Emperor. As if she wanted to stop Damon from being stabbed with his blade-like gaze.
“Damon, Damon was young. He was still young and immature, so he made a slip of the tongue out of jealousy, Your Majesty!”
The Empress clung to the Emperor's feet. Since they had no feelings for each other as a couple, all she could do was plead.
“I will make sure that this never happens again. Please!”
"...”
“Your Majesty, I beg you this. I will never let something like this happen again. Please, please...”
She held onto the hem of his trousers and pleaded. The Emperor looked down at his wife’s pleas with an expressionless face. He seemed to be contemplating how to shake it off.
“Please, just let Damon live.”
The Empress wept bitterly and made a wish.
“Your Majesty! His Highness the Grand Duke has regained consciousness!”
It was then that the servant who had come running hurriedly delivered the good news. The Emperor immediately pushed the Empress away and stepped down the stairs.
“Unfortunately for you, but fortunately for your mother, Eden survived.”
Of course, Damon wasn't happy at all about Eden's news. Rather, it was closer to tragedy.
If only he had died, if only he had...
“I have never had a son who would kill his brother, so you are not my son.”
The Emperor, with his back turned to Damon and the Empress, opened his mouth in a cold voice.
“From this moment on, Third Prince Damon Oberon Wyatt is hereby stripped of his title and his family name and is to leave the palace and never return.”
Damon burst out laughing.
“You even want to take away my honor? Why don’t you just kill me instead?”
“Damon!”
The Empress cried out Damon's name in a fit of rage, as if she was resentful of her son not recognizing her efforts to save his life.
“I tried to save your life after seeing your mother’s plea, but you kicked the opportunity away.”
“...”
“Yes. I will give you until tonight. If you volunteer, you will die as the Third Prince. However, if you live, you will be nothing.”
The Emperor spoke with a mocking tone. A look of utter despair fell over his gloomy face.
At the same time, the eyes of Cecilia and the Empress, who had witnessed their uncomfortable situation, met.
“Cecil, Cecilia.”
Sorrow, sadness, anger, hatred, pain, and despair. For the first time, the word hope appeared in those blue eyes filled with a variety of emotions.
“Grand Duchess...”
Didn't you want Eden to die, too? Didn't you hate Eden enough to root for Damon? Are you going to let Damon, who could stop Eden, die like this?
"Please..."
The Empress's small voice carried by the wind penetrated her ears. Cecilia quietly turned her eyes away from the Empress. She ignored the hopeful plea.
"How..."
The Empress opened her mouth with a shocked expression on her face.
“Let’s go, Cecilia.”
The Emperor did not just pass by Cecilia, who looked uncomfortable. Cecilia turned her back on the Empress and began to follow the Emperor.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
Slap.
“...”
“Don’t you think it would be lenient to only take the Crown Prince’s position away from you?”
The Emperor asked with a voice mixed with laughter. Damon remained speechless, his gaze fixed on the floor.
“I feel like I want to sentence you to death right now. Go back and await my decision.”
As the Emperor turned, a cold wind blew. Damon shivered as if he had been thrown naked onto the street. It was humiliating.
"Look."
Damon opened his mouth with a smirk.
“Even if I became the Crown Prince, Your Majesty would still be on my brother’s side. You would continue to be so.”
He has to shut that mouth. That was when the Empress rushed to shut Damon's mouth.
“If he lives, he will always bother me.”
“...”
“Should I have just watched that stupidly?”
Damon asked with a twisted face. The Emperor looked down at Damon over his half-turned shoulder.
“You are not human.”
Now, there was not even a shred of warmth left in the eyes looking at Damon. Neither was there any sympathy.
“If I have any more breath left, I will definitely kill Eden.”
“..”
“Then I will take you..”
A would-be murderer who is trying to kill his child. It seems like he has nothing left but awareness, caution, and hostility.
"No!"
It wasn't a child-watching eye. The Empress flew in and blocked the gap between Damon and the Emperor. As if she wanted to stop Damon from being stabbed with his blade-like gaze.
“Damon, Damon was young. He was still young and immature, so he made a slip of the tongue out of jealousy, Your Majesty!”
The Empress clung to the Emperor's feet. Since they had no feelings for each other as a couple, all she could do was plead.
“I will make sure that this never happens again. Please!”
"...”
“Your Majesty, I beg you this. I will never let something like this happen again. Please, please...”
She held onto the hem of his trousers and pleaded. The Emperor looked down at his wife’s pleas with an expressionless face. He seemed to be contemplating how to shake it off.
“Please, just let Damon live.”
The Empress wept bitterly and made a wish.
“Your Majesty! His Highness the Grand Duke has regained consciousness!”
It was then that the servant who had come running hurriedly delivered the good news. The Emperor immediately pushed the Empress away and stepped down the stairs.
“Unfortunately for you, but fortunately for your mother, Eden survived.”
Of course, Damon wasn't happy at all about Eden's news. Rather, it was closer to tragedy.
If only he had died, if only he had...
“I have never had a son who would kill his brother, so you are not my son.”
The Emperor, with his back turned to Damon and the Empress, opened his mouth in a cold voice.
“From this moment on, Third Prince Damon Oberon Wyatt is hereby stripped of his title and his family name and is to leave the palace and never return.”
Damon burst out laughing.
“You even want to take away my honor? Why don’t you just kill me instead?”
“Damon!”
The Empress cried out Damon's name in a fit of rage, as if she was resentful of her son not recognizing her efforts to save his life.
“I tried to save your life after seeing your mother’s plea, but you kicked the opportunity away.”
“...”
“Yes. I will give you until tonight. If you volunteer, you will die as the Third Prince. However, if you live, you will be nothing.”
The Emperor spoke with a mocking tone. A look of utter despair fell over his gloomy face.
At the same time, the eyes of Cecilia and the Empress, who had witnessed their uncomfortable situation, met.
“Cecil, Cecilia.”
Sorrow, sadness, anger, hatred, pain, and despair. For the first time, the word hope appeared in those blue eyes filled with a variety of emotions.
“Grand Duchess...”
Didn't you want Eden to die, too? Didn't you hate Eden enough to root for Damon? Are you going to let Damon, who could stop Eden, die like this?
"Please..."
The Empress's small voice carried by the wind penetrated her ears. Cecilia quietly turned her eyes away from the Empress. She ignored the hopeful plea.
"How..."
The Empress opened her mouth with a shocked expression on her face.
“Let’s go, Cecilia.”
The Emperor did not just pass by Cecilia, who looked uncomfortable. Cecilia turned her back on the Empress and began to follow the Emperor.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
Slap.
It was as if someone's world was collapsing, just like Cecilia's one day.
Cecilia could not go down the same path as Damon and the Empress because, whether it was true or not, the being he had touched was the Duke of Lane.
The news of Damon's remarks about the Duke of Lane quickly spread throughout the palace. It only took a few hours for it to reach Cecilia's ears. And Cecilia did not want to let the Duke of Lane's safety be threatened.
'I am in a state of confusion, so I need my servants. Send letters to each of them and tell them to come in as soon as possible.'
So, with the Emperor's permission, Cecilia sent a letter to admit Abby and Madame Monte to the palace. Madame Monte hurried into the palace. That was after a few hours.
'Your Highness! My goodness, what on earth is going on? How are His Highness?'
'He hasn't regained consciousness yet.'
In the hand of Madam Monte, who was holding back tears, was a letter from Diego. It was a letter sent with the excuse that Abby was sick and could not come to the palace to attend to her.
'You must have been unable to sleep, so please get some rest. I will keep an eye on His Highness.'
'Thank you.'
Cecilia took the letter and headed to the side room. Then she opened the envelope containing the letter from Diego.
There was nothing about Abby in the actual letter. It was just a letter from Damon to a prophet whose face he had never seen before, asking for help and how he could get through this crisis.
‘...I didn’t want to be like this either.’
The corner of the letter was bent at the tip of her slender fingers. Cecilia's face also darkened.
She didn't necessarily want to hurt Damon. At least now that she knew she wasn't the only one living a second life, Cecilia didn't want to make the Empress her enemy. Even if Damon died, the Empress was still the Empress.
However, she could not help but aid the danger posed by the Duke of Lane. So Cecilia delivered the letter she had received to the Emperor.
'It is said that a crazy woman within the troupe controlled the troupe by saying things like she was a prophet or something.'
At first, the Emperor was greatly shocked. He had his doubts, but deep down, he hoped it was not true.
'And after His Highness the Third Prince received her help, he relied on her a lot mentally...'
And then he got so angry. Damon dared to kill Eden. Knowing full well that he only had two sons left and knowing how much he loved Eden.
'I know you might be feeling complicated, so I didn't want to tell you this, but...'
'No. Thanks for letting me know, Cecilia.'
The Emperor forced a smile at Cecilia. And the next day, the Emperor declared that he would strip Damon of his Crown Prince position.
“...”
She wasn't particularly sorry. She had never been that attached to Damon. It was Damon who first tripped up the Duke of Lane, who had been quiet.
“Cecilia.”
As Cecilia stood at the doorstep, searching through her unreflective memories, the Emperor came out and called out to her affectionately.
“Just go in and take a look.”
“He is no longer here...”
“Well, I guess that guy needs you more than me.”
The Emperor, who had answered like that, turned around with a bitter expression. No matter what, he must have had a lot on his mind.
“Your Highness, please go in quickly.”
Madame Monte nodded at the bedroom door with a look of pity on her face. Cecilia, who had been staring at the Emperor's back, finally turned around.
“...Eden.”
Eden turned his head at the sound of the door closing behind him. Eden, who was sitting leaning against the cushion with a bandage wrapped around his chest, still had a pale look on his face.
Silence flowed. Eden did not call Cecilia's name first, nor did Cecilia approach first. Only the sound of the curtains fluttering in the wind filled the bedroom.
“Cecilia.”
That was until Eden finally called Cecilia's name.
“Don't cry.”
Only then did Cecilia realize that she was crying. She also realized later that it was because of her blurred vision.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would be this sad.”
Cecilia, who had been walking unsteadily, buried her face on the edge of Eden’s bed. Tears poured out, along with relief. A gentle hand stroked the back of Cecilia’s head several times. However, despite the affectionate comfort, the tears did not stop.
Because the man she wanted to kill was alive. Because she liked that warmth.
Cecilia feels sad because she can't deny that fact.
***
Cecilia could not go down the same path as Damon and the Empress because, whether it was true or not, the being he had touched was the Duke of Lane.
The news of Damon's remarks about the Duke of Lane quickly spread throughout the palace. It only took a few hours for it to reach Cecilia's ears. And Cecilia did not want to let the Duke of Lane's safety be threatened.
'I am in a state of confusion, so I need my servants. Send letters to each of them and tell them to come in as soon as possible.'
So, with the Emperor's permission, Cecilia sent a letter to admit Abby and Madame Monte to the palace. Madame Monte hurried into the palace. That was after a few hours.
'Your Highness! My goodness, what on earth is going on? How are His Highness?'
'He hasn't regained consciousness yet.'
In the hand of Madam Monte, who was holding back tears, was a letter from Diego. It was a letter sent with the excuse that Abby was sick and could not come to the palace to attend to her.
'You must have been unable to sleep, so please get some rest. I will keep an eye on His Highness.'
'Thank you.'
Cecilia took the letter and headed to the side room. Then she opened the envelope containing the letter from Diego.
There was nothing about Abby in the actual letter. It was just a letter from Damon to a prophet whose face he had never seen before, asking for help and how he could get through this crisis.
‘...I didn’t want to be like this either.’
The corner of the letter was bent at the tip of her slender fingers. Cecilia's face also darkened.
She didn't necessarily want to hurt Damon. At least now that she knew she wasn't the only one living a second life, Cecilia didn't want to make the Empress her enemy. Even if Damon died, the Empress was still the Empress.
However, she could not help but aid the danger posed by the Duke of Lane. So Cecilia delivered the letter she had received to the Emperor.
'It is said that a crazy woman within the troupe controlled the troupe by saying things like she was a prophet or something.'
At first, the Emperor was greatly shocked. He had his doubts, but deep down, he hoped it was not true.
'And after His Highness the Third Prince received her help, he relied on her a lot mentally...'
And then he got so angry. Damon dared to kill Eden. Knowing full well that he only had two sons left and knowing how much he loved Eden.
'I know you might be feeling complicated, so I didn't want to tell you this, but...'
'No. Thanks for letting me know, Cecilia.'
The Emperor forced a smile at Cecilia. And the next day, the Emperor declared that he would strip Damon of his Crown Prince position.
“...”
She wasn't particularly sorry. She had never been that attached to Damon. It was Damon who first tripped up the Duke of Lane, who had been quiet.
“Cecilia.”
As Cecilia stood at the doorstep, searching through her unreflective memories, the Emperor came out and called out to her affectionately.
“Just go in and take a look.”
“He is no longer here...”
“Well, I guess that guy needs you more than me.”
The Emperor, who had answered like that, turned around with a bitter expression. No matter what, he must have had a lot on his mind.
“Your Highness, please go in quickly.”
Madame Monte nodded at the bedroom door with a look of pity on her face. Cecilia, who had been staring at the Emperor's back, finally turned around.
“...Eden.”
Eden turned his head at the sound of the door closing behind him. Eden, who was sitting leaning against the cushion with a bandage wrapped around his chest, still had a pale look on his face.
Silence flowed. Eden did not call Cecilia's name first, nor did Cecilia approach first. Only the sound of the curtains fluttering in the wind filled the bedroom.
“Cecilia.”
That was until Eden finally called Cecilia's name.
“Don't cry.”
Only then did Cecilia realize that she was crying. She also realized later that it was because of her blurred vision.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would be this sad.”
Cecilia, who had been walking unsteadily, buried her face on the edge of Eden’s bed. Tears poured out, along with relief. A gentle hand stroked the back of Cecilia’s head several times. However, despite the affectionate comfort, the tears did not stop.
Because the man she wanted to kill was alive. Because she liked that warmth.
Cecilia feels sad because she can't deny that fact.
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