Her head hurts.
That was the first thing that came to Cecilia's mind when she first regained consciousness. Cecilia frowned and fluttered her eyelids.
“...”
It was already well past morning, and the bright sunlight made everything before her eyes white. Cecilia blinked slowly. A man caught sight of her once hazy vision.
“Eden?”
It was Eden.
“Did you sleep well?”
Eden greeted Cecilia with a smiling face. Cecilia nodded reflexively but flinched. Now that she thinks about it, what did she look like now? It was because she was crazy about that thought.
“Why are you looking at the face of a sleeping person?”
Cecilia buried her head in the pillow and mumbled. It was obvious that Eden, who had opened his eyes a long time ago, was watching her.
“You were just peeping.”
Eden burst into laughter.
“I watched you with concern because you didn’t open your eyes.”
And he whispered while holding Cecilia tightly in his arms. Cecilia rested her chin on Eden's shoulder and blinked with an embarrassed face.
“And anyway.”
Eden cut him off. Cecilia listened, waiting for him to continue. But Eden didn't continue right away.
“Are you listening?”
He seemed to be wondering if Cecilia had fallen asleep again.
“I'm listening.”
Cecilia replied in an embarrassed voice. Eden smiled and gently rubbed Cecilia's back.
“You’re pretty no matter what you look like.”
And then he whispered softly.
“...If you say something like that somewhere, you might get cursed at.”
Cecilia barely opened her mouth to respond. Eden said that Cecilia wasn't as cute as she was last night. But her lips were curled like someone who didn't know what to do because she was cute.
“It doesn't matter.”
And he answered. Cecilia blushed at the unexpected answer and thought in his arms.
Eden was seriously ill.
“...”
And funny enough, it was good.
“Clean up the extremes. And the money you left in Benia’s trust bank.”
Cecilia sat down opposite Diego and gave him orders. In fact, it was the first time she had ever seen him as the real Diego Lawson.
“You can have it if you want.”
Diego's eyes widened at Cecilia's words. It was an unexpected reaction.
“Because you’ve worked hard for me so far. This is my thanks.”
But Cecilia's reaction was indifferent. As if she had never been greedy for money anyway. Diego rolled his eyes, wondering if Cecilia had really been like that.
“...”
And he soon remembered that Cecilia always reacted like that. Even while raking in money, Cecilia always stood back and watched as if she were someone else.
“Now that you have a family, you’ll need money for various reasons.”
It seemed like she didn't even know she had money, let alone use it, even though she had saved it. This was difficult for Diego to understand.
“No matter what, just giving up that money...”
“Anyway, that money was saved for my father.”
Cecilia answered softly.
“So, it’s money I don’t need right now. I don’t care how I dispose of it.”
It was a tone of speech that showed no remorse for the money he had worked so hard to save. The father who was going to give her the money had disappeared.
“...Aren’t you curious?”
Diego asked. Cecilia blinked, her face contemplating what he meant.
“Sometimes. I wonder.”
Within, Cecilia smiled faintly.
“But somehow, since he’s alive, I wonder if there’s no news.”
And she answered blandly. Now, the name that was dear to Cecilia was not Eden Lobana Wyatt, but Curtis Lane.
“This is the body that His Majesty has set free out of consideration for me.”
“...”
“I will take care of it and live with it. That is the way it should be.”
Cecilia made a bitter face. Diego watched Cecilia's profile for a while, even though he knew it was rude.
“I’ll take the money.”
After some time had passed, Diego said so.
“Yes, do whatever you want.”
It was money that she had no regrets about anyway. Cecilia told Diego to do so. It was not a big deal, considering that it was money that she was leaving to Abby, Madame Monte, and Abby's child.
"Instead."
But Diego set a condition. Cecilia looked at Diego with a puzzled face.
“Every month, I will bring news to Your Majesty.”
It was obvious without asking what news he was going to convey. Cecilia hesitated to answer. Was it necessary? Was it okay? That was the reason for her thoughts.
“Even though I am now a noble, I am a businessman at heart. I believe that taking something for free will eventually turn out to be wrong.”
Diego seemed to sense Cecilia's hesitation, and he put forward his superstitious beliefs.
“If you don’t listen to me, I will leave the property as is.”
Diego waved his hand as if he had no interest in free money. Cecilia burst out laughing as if she found it ridiculous.
“Do as you wish.”
Diego smiled faintly at Cecilia's words. Only then did he feel a little more at ease.
“I’ll organize it and tell you later.”
"Yes."
Cecilia replied vaguely. It didn't matter anymore.
“Oh, and the person I came to see you about today is..."
It was then that Diego spoke cautiously.
“It’s because of the Marchioness of Calibre.”
Sienna. Cecilia shut her mouth at the name she had not heard in a long time. It was a face she had not seen since the execution of Marquis Calibre. Sienna hated Eden and Cecilia so much that she cursed them.
“She asked me to deliver this letter.”
Diego took a letter out of his jacket. Cecilia looked down at the letter on the table, which had the seal of the Marquis of Calibre.
“I think she feels guilty.”
Diego explained the reason for the sudden letter. Recently, the woman who was the Marquis of Calibre's mistress published a book. The book contained many things that the Marquis of Calibre said and did to her because he was in love with her.
It was a story about swearing love, promising to abandon Sienna, promising to remarry, and hinting at joining hands with Tiffany. It was said that she would not listen even when they tried to stop her, but in any case, the book made a joke of the Marquis Calibre.
“I guess. The Marchioness of Calibre misunderstood you two.”
Cecilia quietly tore open the envelope with her knife. The small letter was written on two pages and was not very short.
“...”
The circumstances surrounding her misunderstanding of Cecilia and Eden, the guilt she felt after learning the truth, and the pain she couldn't explain.
Even though it wasn't Sienna's fault, it still remained Siemna's guilt. Cecilia couldn't help but feel bad about that.
“When did she give you this letter?”
“It is this morning.”
Diego said that he came to deliver the letter as soon as he received it. There must have been a reason why it was given to him.
“As soon as you leave the palace, go to Marquis Calibre’s residence.”
Cecilia asked in a hushed voice.
“Probably because she won’t answer my call.”
Diego nodded at Cecilia's words. Even though he didn't know the exact circumstances, he thought it would be the case. Sienna was originally a member of the royal family, so she had strong pride.
“I want you to tell Sienna that I don’t blame her because it’s not her fault.”
“...”
“So there is no need to take the surname Calibre away from her son Edmond, and she doesn’t have to feel guilty about it.”
Cecilia, who had spoken up to that point, paused for a moment to choose her words. She seemed cautious.
“No. I’ll write a letter for you and give it to Sienna.”
"All right."
Cecilia rang the bell, and as soon as the maid came in, she asked for paper and a pen.
“Pass this on.”
Not long after, Cecilia finished writing a letter and handed it to Diego.
“If I ever get the chance, I’d like to see my nephew someday, so please raise him well until then.”
Diego nodded as he accepted the letter at Cecilia's words.
“Don’t cry, my baby.”
Sienna held the sobbing child in her arms. The child, who was born posthumously, was unusually similar to Sienna and had a soft and fussy side.
“Now this mother can’t always watch over you.”
Sienna whispered with a sad face and kissed the child's forehead.
“Take Eddie and comfort him.”
Sienna hesitantly opened her lips and handed the baby over to the nanny. The nanny seemed to have noticed Sienna's subtle expression and took the baby with a somewhat uneasy expression.
“I want to be alone, so I told you not to let anyone come in.”
Sienna said that and closed the study door. She didn't look back even once, even though she knew that the nanny's gaze was following her until the very end.
“..."
Sienna's gaze turned to the rope hanging from the ceiling. It was the spot where her husband had been hung in the past.
She resented Cecilia and Eden for his death, saying they killed her husband who had asked her to save him.
In fact, the traitor was her husband. She blamed and cursed innocent people without knowing anything. She felt ashamed and guilty. Sienna bit her lips.
“I must atone for my sins.”
The child had grown up without a mother. So now, it was time to repay the sin. Sienna put her feet up on the chair with a determined look on her face. Then, she closed her eyes tightly while holding the string in her hand.
Guilt, shame, and her pride as a noble royal family member in shambles. She didn't want to open her eyes again.
“Madam Calibre!”
Suddenly, she was startled by a loud noise and her body tilted forward. Sienna fell to the floor with a loud thud. Sienna put her hands on the floor and looked bewildered. At the same time, the door opened wide and servants poured in.
"Lady!"
The butler, who had found Sienna fallen and hanging from the ceiling, called out to Sienna in an almost tearful voice. A look of despair appeared on Sienna's face.
“I guess Her Majesty knew this would happen and sent me.”
While Siena was in a daze, unable to do anything, between the maids and servants who were hugging her and crying, an unfamiliar voice woke her up. It was Diego.
“...Count Lawson.”
“I have come to you with a letter that Her Majesty the Empress asked me to deliver.”
Diego handed her the letter. Sienna sat down to greet him, even though she knew it was rude, and took the letter. Her resolution had finally been dashed, and her legs were shaking so much that she couldn't get up.
Sienna opened the envelope with trembling hands and began to shed tears as she read the letter from Cecilia. Sienna held the letter in her hand and fell to the floor, crying bitterly.
The crumpled letter in Sienna's hands did not allow Diego to understand the contents of the letter. Nor what had made Sienna cry so much. However, Diego could only see one sentence.
<Resentment only has meaning when you are alive, so I wish you were alive.>
That was the first thing that came to Cecilia's mind when she first regained consciousness. Cecilia frowned and fluttered her eyelids.
“...”
It was already well past morning, and the bright sunlight made everything before her eyes white. Cecilia blinked slowly. A man caught sight of her once hazy vision.
“Eden?”
It was Eden.
“Did you sleep well?”
Eden greeted Cecilia with a smiling face. Cecilia nodded reflexively but flinched. Now that she thinks about it, what did she look like now? It was because she was crazy about that thought.
“Why are you looking at the face of a sleeping person?”
Cecilia buried her head in the pillow and mumbled. It was obvious that Eden, who had opened his eyes a long time ago, was watching her.
“You were just peeping.”
Eden burst into laughter.
“I watched you with concern because you didn’t open your eyes.”
And he whispered while holding Cecilia tightly in his arms. Cecilia rested her chin on Eden's shoulder and blinked with an embarrassed face.
“And anyway.”
Eden cut him off. Cecilia listened, waiting for him to continue. But Eden didn't continue right away.
“Are you listening?”
He seemed to be wondering if Cecilia had fallen asleep again.
“I'm listening.”
Cecilia replied in an embarrassed voice. Eden smiled and gently rubbed Cecilia's back.
“You’re pretty no matter what you look like.”
And then he whispered softly.
“...If you say something like that somewhere, you might get cursed at.”
Cecilia barely opened her mouth to respond. Eden said that Cecilia wasn't as cute as she was last night. But her lips were curled like someone who didn't know what to do because she was cute.
“It doesn't matter.”
And he answered. Cecilia blushed at the unexpected answer and thought in his arms.
Eden was seriously ill.
“...”
And funny enough, it was good.
***
“Clean up the extremes. And the money you left in Benia’s trust bank.”
Cecilia sat down opposite Diego and gave him orders. In fact, it was the first time she had ever seen him as the real Diego Lawson.
“You can have it if you want.”
Diego's eyes widened at Cecilia's words. It was an unexpected reaction.
“Because you’ve worked hard for me so far. This is my thanks.”
But Cecilia's reaction was indifferent. As if she had never been greedy for money anyway. Diego rolled his eyes, wondering if Cecilia had really been like that.
“...”
And he soon remembered that Cecilia always reacted like that. Even while raking in money, Cecilia always stood back and watched as if she were someone else.
“Now that you have a family, you’ll need money for various reasons.”
It seemed like she didn't even know she had money, let alone use it, even though she had saved it. This was difficult for Diego to understand.
“No matter what, just giving up that money...”
“Anyway, that money was saved for my father.”
Cecilia answered softly.
“So, it’s money I don’t need right now. I don’t care how I dispose of it.”
It was a tone of speech that showed no remorse for the money he had worked so hard to save. The father who was going to give her the money had disappeared.
“...Aren’t you curious?”
Diego asked. Cecilia blinked, her face contemplating what he meant.
“Sometimes. I wonder.”
Within, Cecilia smiled faintly.
“But somehow, since he’s alive, I wonder if there’s no news.”
And she answered blandly. Now, the name that was dear to Cecilia was not Eden Lobana Wyatt, but Curtis Lane.
“This is the body that His Majesty has set free out of consideration for me.”
“...”
“I will take care of it and live with it. That is the way it should be.”
Cecilia made a bitter face. Diego watched Cecilia's profile for a while, even though he knew it was rude.
“I’ll take the money.”
After some time had passed, Diego said so.
“Yes, do whatever you want.”
It was money that she had no regrets about anyway. Cecilia told Diego to do so. It was not a big deal, considering that it was money that she was leaving to Abby, Madame Monte, and Abby's child.
"Instead."
But Diego set a condition. Cecilia looked at Diego with a puzzled face.
“Every month, I will bring news to Your Majesty.”
It was obvious without asking what news he was going to convey. Cecilia hesitated to answer. Was it necessary? Was it okay? That was the reason for her thoughts.
“Even though I am now a noble, I am a businessman at heart. I believe that taking something for free will eventually turn out to be wrong.”
Diego seemed to sense Cecilia's hesitation, and he put forward his superstitious beliefs.
“If you don’t listen to me, I will leave the property as is.”
Diego waved his hand as if he had no interest in free money. Cecilia burst out laughing as if she found it ridiculous.
“Do as you wish.”
Diego smiled faintly at Cecilia's words. Only then did he feel a little more at ease.
“I’ll organize it and tell you later.”
"Yes."
Cecilia replied vaguely. It didn't matter anymore.
“Oh, and the person I came to see you about today is..."
It was then that Diego spoke cautiously.
“It’s because of the Marchioness of Calibre.”
Sienna. Cecilia shut her mouth at the name she had not heard in a long time. It was a face she had not seen since the execution of Marquis Calibre. Sienna hated Eden and Cecilia so much that she cursed them.
“She asked me to deliver this letter.”
Diego took a letter out of his jacket. Cecilia looked down at the letter on the table, which had the seal of the Marquis of Calibre.
“I think she feels guilty.”
Diego explained the reason for the sudden letter. Recently, the woman who was the Marquis of Calibre's mistress published a book. The book contained many things that the Marquis of Calibre said and did to her because he was in love with her.
It was a story about swearing love, promising to abandon Sienna, promising to remarry, and hinting at joining hands with Tiffany. It was said that she would not listen even when they tried to stop her, but in any case, the book made a joke of the Marquis Calibre.
“I guess. The Marchioness of Calibre misunderstood you two.”
Cecilia quietly tore open the envelope with her knife. The small letter was written on two pages and was not very short.
“...”
The circumstances surrounding her misunderstanding of Cecilia and Eden, the guilt she felt after learning the truth, and the pain she couldn't explain.
Even though it wasn't Sienna's fault, it still remained Siemna's guilt. Cecilia couldn't help but feel bad about that.
“When did she give you this letter?”
“It is this morning.”
Diego said that he came to deliver the letter as soon as he received it. There must have been a reason why it was given to him.
“As soon as you leave the palace, go to Marquis Calibre’s residence.”
Cecilia asked in a hushed voice.
“Probably because she won’t answer my call.”
Diego nodded at Cecilia's words. Even though he didn't know the exact circumstances, he thought it would be the case. Sienna was originally a member of the royal family, so she had strong pride.
“I want you to tell Sienna that I don’t blame her because it’s not her fault.”
“...”
“So there is no need to take the surname Calibre away from her son Edmond, and she doesn’t have to feel guilty about it.”
Cecilia, who had spoken up to that point, paused for a moment to choose her words. She seemed cautious.
“No. I’ll write a letter for you and give it to Sienna.”
"All right."
Cecilia rang the bell, and as soon as the maid came in, she asked for paper and a pen.
“Pass this on.”
Not long after, Cecilia finished writing a letter and handed it to Diego.
“If I ever get the chance, I’d like to see my nephew someday, so please raise him well until then.”
Diego nodded as he accepted the letter at Cecilia's words.
***
“Don’t cry, my baby.”
Sienna held the sobbing child in her arms. The child, who was born posthumously, was unusually similar to Sienna and had a soft and fussy side.
“Now this mother can’t always watch over you.”
Sienna whispered with a sad face and kissed the child's forehead.
“Take Eddie and comfort him.”
Sienna hesitantly opened her lips and handed the baby over to the nanny. The nanny seemed to have noticed Sienna's subtle expression and took the baby with a somewhat uneasy expression.
“I want to be alone, so I told you not to let anyone come in.”
Sienna said that and closed the study door. She didn't look back even once, even though she knew that the nanny's gaze was following her until the very end.
“..."
Sienna's gaze turned to the rope hanging from the ceiling. It was the spot where her husband had been hung in the past.
She resented Cecilia and Eden for his death, saying they killed her husband who had asked her to save him.
In fact, the traitor was her husband. She blamed and cursed innocent people without knowing anything. She felt ashamed and guilty. Sienna bit her lips.
“I must atone for my sins.”
The child had grown up without a mother. So now, it was time to repay the sin. Sienna put her feet up on the chair with a determined look on her face. Then, she closed her eyes tightly while holding the string in her hand.
Guilt, shame, and her pride as a noble royal family member in shambles. She didn't want to open her eyes again.
“Madam Calibre!”
Suddenly, she was startled by a loud noise and her body tilted forward. Sienna fell to the floor with a loud thud. Sienna put her hands on the floor and looked bewildered. At the same time, the door opened wide and servants poured in.
"Lady!"
The butler, who had found Sienna fallen and hanging from the ceiling, called out to Sienna in an almost tearful voice. A look of despair appeared on Sienna's face.
“I guess Her Majesty knew this would happen and sent me.”
While Siena was in a daze, unable to do anything, between the maids and servants who were hugging her and crying, an unfamiliar voice woke her up. It was Diego.
“...Count Lawson.”
“I have come to you with a letter that Her Majesty the Empress asked me to deliver.”
Diego handed her the letter. Sienna sat down to greet him, even though she knew it was rude, and took the letter. Her resolution had finally been dashed, and her legs were shaking so much that she couldn't get up.
Sienna opened the envelope with trembling hands and began to shed tears as she read the letter from Cecilia. Sienna held the letter in her hand and fell to the floor, crying bitterly.
The crumpled letter in Sienna's hands did not allow Diego to understand the contents of the letter. Nor what had made Sienna cry so much. However, Diego could only see one sentence.
<Resentment only has meaning when you are alive, so I wish you were alive.>
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