Calix remained silent for a long moment. His gaze, once directed at Odelia, seemed to linger in space.
"Why do you ask such a thing?"
"I was just curious. Your Highness, you said before that love is like self-harm. Isn't it true that such feelings are ultimately caused by the pain of unrequited feelings?"
Calix exhaled for a moment. It was a long sigh, thick with embarrassment.
"...That’s not it.”
"I heard that you went to war to change Her Majesty the Empress's mind. Even when I didn't know that Your Highness was the Crown Prince, and even when I found out, I always wondered why you came here. Was it a love so great that you would jump into the fray, ready to die, for someone else?"
Calix stared for a long time, then finally opened his mouth.
"No."
It was a short, decisive answer. The tone was dry and devoid of any regret or emotion.
"I never loved Fabiana."
The words were clear and distinct, as if they had been ingrained in his mind for a long time.
"I have never jumped into battle ready to die for that woman."
Odelia looked at him in surprise.
"No matter what people say, no matter what that woman says, the truth will never change. I've never been swayed by that woman even once."
The tone was calm and plain. It was sincere, unadorned.
It was the weight of long-buried emotions, not a simple denial or explanation. It was simply the truth he held dear.
That was it.
Odelia opened her mouth cautiously.
“Then why do people..."
Calix lowered his gaze for a moment, then looked back at Odelia and slowly opened his mouth.
"Fabiana is greedy. She needs to have whatever she wants, and she wants the best."
His tone was firm, as if he was suppressing his emotions as much as possible.
"Indeed, I was once engaged to Fabiana, but it was simply a marriage for the benefit of the family. After Liam was appointed Emperor, she broke off the engagement with me and married Liam right away."
For a brief moment, he raised the corners of his mouth as if he was laughing.
"There's no personal feelings about that, it's just business between families."
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"I don't know where you heard that from, Odelia."
"..."
"...Do my feelings for Fabiana have anything to do with all of this?"
Odelia blushed, as if those words sounded exactly like, 'Is it because I love Fabiana that you're crying?'
"No, it's not really related... I'm just curious..."
As Odelia tried to cover her face with her hand, Calix slowly reached out his hand.
His fingertips touched Odelia's flushed cheek, and his thumb carefully traced the smeared ointment. Then, holding her cheek in place, he began applying more ointment.
Odelia's face flushed even redder, and she rolled her eyes around.
Wait a minute, my face must be a mess from all that crying earlier...? Odelia moved her head, trying to pry her face from his grasp. But Calix wouldn't let go easily.
"Your Highness, let me go, let me go, I am ashamed of my ugly face."
Calix, who was watching the scene, laughed softly.
"You were angry, then you asked, and now you're embarrassed? You're so colorful, Odelia."
"..."
"It's not ugly, so apply some ointment."
Odelia lowered her eyes in shame.
"A scar on a woman's face? That woman is truly vicious."
"Why bring that up now? My body has far more scars than that."
"I know"
"Yes?"
"How many rolls of bandages did I wrap for you?"
"That, that's right."
As soon as Calix withdrew his hand, Odelia abruptly stood up.
“But Her Majesty the Empress must have been angry that I ran out like this.”
It was a deliberate attempt to change the subject, but it was a cause for concern. But Calix remained calm.
"That's none of your concern. I'll take care of it, so you can go back now."
Saying so, Calix walked towards the door, quietly opened it, and saw Odelia off.
"You must have been very surprised today, but don't worry too much."
Odelia hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth, clutching the hem of her dress.
"Rather than being surprised by a slap or something like that... I was surprised that Your Highness came and stopped me."
Calix was silent for a moment at the sight of Odelia bursting into laughter, saying, “I never imagined Your Highness would appear so suddenly.”
"Do you know that sometimes you are like a child left on the shore?"
Odelia chuckled at the low muttering.
"Am I too big to be a child?"
Calix also smiled calmly as he faced that face.
"Yeah, that's why it's a problem. It's too much for a child, but it keeps catching my eye."
Odelia lowered the corners of her smiling lips and looked up at Calix.
Calix hesitated for a moment and then asked quietly.
"Do you regret becoming my person?"
Odelia shook her head without hesitation.
“That can’t be right.”
"What if something like that happens in the future?"
"That will never happen. Your Highness's decisions have never been wrong."
At least, the Calix Odelia she had seen so far was not someone who would be easily swayed by her choices, nor someone who would make her regret those choices. At least, that was what she believed. Until now, and in the future.
"Your Highness, do you remember the day Fort Huxton was attacked? You defied the generals' advice to retreat and defended the fort. You accomplished what everyone else said was impossible."
"...I remember, you were the only one who agreed with my opinion at that time."
"Your Highness said to me then, 'Do you trust me? Can you trust me?' At that time, I swore an oath. I would unconditionally support Your Highness."
"..."
“My heart remains the same, then and now.”
"..."
"Just know that. That's enough for me."
There were things that both of them noticed but never said out loud.
Under the dusky night sky, the two people carefully drew a line, as if they had decided not to approach each other's hearts.
***
Wajangchang!
With a clear, firm sound, the Empress's head was thrown back.
Immediately, her body lurched and collapsed to the floor. Fabiana slumped to the ground, her cheeks drawn, and for a moment, unable to even raise her head.
Something running down her face was hot, almost icy. She couldn't even decide whether to touch her cheek with her fingertips.
A man looking down at the sight clicked his tongue.
"Raise your head, Fabiana."
At the cold, somber voice, Fabiana forced herself to raise her head. Her shoulders trembled, and her eyes were a mixture of fear, anger, and confusion.
“Ah, father.”
The Duke of Devon, the Empress's biological father and the most powerful family in the Empire, simply looked down at his daughter with a pitiful look.
"I knew long ago that you are stupid compared to being greedy, but how can you be so stupid?"
"What did I do so wrong? Do you still see me as your fourteen-year-old daughter? I am the Empress now. The Empress!"
She woke up and continued speaking in a voice mixed with anger.
"You forced me to do something I didn't want to do, so why are you blaming me now? I said no. I said I didn't want to marry that person!"
"That's a funny thing. If we're talking about stupidity, you and the Emperor are a very well-matched pair."
"Father!"
"It's noisy! So why did you make this mess!"
"That lowly bitch dared to embarrass me, and how could I just sit still! How dare she know who knows Calix as well as I do, who waited for Calix as long as I did! She got so cocky that she dared to be with everyone, and this is all because my father encouraged her! I should have deliberately embarrassed her during her debutante, but my father told me to smile, and I... As if I liked that woman, sobbed!"
In the end, it was Fabiana who burst into tears.
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