Chapter 53

“Madam, of course the President will never allow this!”

“I’ll persuade him later. Hurry.”

Having made up her mind, Asla explained the destination to Robert, then left the troubled man behind and summoned May to fetch her luggage. Leaving the bewildered May alone, Asla stepped onto the terrace for the first time in a while.  

She narrowed her eyes in the direction of the Grand Temple and glared with firm resolve.

She would never back down again.  

She admitted to herself how emotionally fragile she currently was.  

She vowed to erase every lingering feeling that bound her—from Lisette, and especially her love for Enoch—and return stronger to face everything head-on.

‘But…’

The Pope’s sly face surfaced in her mind, calmly watching everything unfold even as Lisette raged.  

Even if she went into hiding, she needed a way to track and block the Pope’s movements.  

Moreover, she needed to address the moment when Ian seemed to imply betrayal of the Pope and Lisette.

‘What should I do?’

Asla fell into deep thought, retracing all that had happened.  

Enoch, being an outsider to the Temple, could only do so much.

‘I’ll need the help of my mother… and the last of the High Priests.’

Born in the Holy Kingdom, and forced to witness its collapse, Asla had always believed she was alone.  

Her parents and the High Priests had poured all their attention into Princess Sherita, the only heir, leaving Asla neglected in their efforts to save the kingdom.  

She let out a bitter laugh.

‘Now I finally understand their hearts.’

It had been inevitable—they had to focus on the kingdom crumbling before them.  

But Lisette had raised her to believe they simply didn’t care because they hated her.  

The more she remembered, the more painful it became.  

She hated herself for the misunderstanding, and she felt sorry for those she had resented.

Though Gloria mourned the fall of the Holy Kingdom, Asla was certain none of the scattered High Priests would ever support the Pope’s attempt to found a new one.  

The path the Pope walked was utterly different from the beliefs of the Holy Kingdom.

‘I’m no longer Princess Sherita… but I have enough strength to finish what’s left.’

Her eyes, deep and sharp, reflected the weight of a plan forming.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Asla explained to May that she would be temporarily leaving the Tulia Empire.  

Tears welled in May’s eyes, turning her nose and cheeks red, but Asla gently soothed her.

“I’ll come back.”

“You could take me with you, Madam!”

May pleaded, but Asla shook her head.  

She had made up her mind—she would take no one with her.

When night fell and darkness blanketed the city, Asla wore a slightly thick traveling dress and a hat to hide her distinctive hair.

“Asla.”

She turned at the familiar voice she had been waiting for.

“You… don’t trust me, do you?”

Enoch’s face, which she hadn’t seen in days, looked utterly exhausted.  

Even his weary expression was devastatingly attractive.  

Asla bit her lip, frustrated at herself for still finding him appealing.

He didn’t even have the strength to be angry.  

But she said nothing—just looked at him.

Enoch, seemingly having run out of patience, strode up and gripped her wrist tightly.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Enoch Ventus.”

“I told you to wait! I said I’d fix it! Can’t you trust me? I asked for a chance—was that so hard?”

“It is hard. Waiting for you is exhausting, Enoch.”

“What?”

Asla looked down at his hand on her wrist, then slowly raised her eyes.  

His pupils trembled like the leaves of a trembling aspen.

Her heart ached.  

She didn’t want to love him, and yet she still did.

But she could pretend she didn’t.  

She had done so this whole time.

“Waiting for you at the Ventus estate… I wore myself down, my patience dried up. I thought I could trust you—but I can’t wait anymore. I can’t believe anymore.”

Drawing on every last ounce of strength, she looked him straight in the eye and forced the words out.

“I hate you, Enoch. I hate you… so much.”

‘I hate you. I really do. But…’

Her own words felt like knives shredding her heart.

‘No… it’s a lie.’

Asla was terrified he might hear the desperate scream inside her heart.  

So she stared even more coldly at him.

A pitiful emotion flared in Enoch’s dark eyes but faded quickly.  

He bit his lip harshly and spoke through clenched teeth.

“I’ve known for a while that you hate me. You didn’t need to say it again.”

“…”

Asla couldn’t tell him the truth.  

She just spoke flatly, as if she felt nothing.

“Vice President Robert already reported it to you, didn’t he? I’ll leave the Empire until the scandal dies down.”

“…Asla.”

“Think rationally, Enoch Ventus. If your company collapses too, the world will point fingers at me. They’ll say I not only destroyed the Holy Kingdom, but now I’ve brought down my husband’s company. They’ll call me a cursed woman.”

“If anyone says that, I’ll rip out their tongues and bury them.”

“…Do you think I’ll be grateful? That’s not even funny, Enoch Ventus.”

Asla glared at him.  

Enoch opened his mouth to argue, then faltered and rubbed his face with his other hand.

“Why the hell do you have to go all the way to the distant Kingdom of Astra?  Just hide in the capital. I’ll beef up security—just for a while.”

“It’s too close to the Grand Temple.”

“…Then I’ll find a place in a nearby city.”

“Enoch. I want to be far away from you.”

Enoch met her eyes directly.

“Why?”

His tone was tinged with irritation.

“Do I disgust you that much? Is it so terrible that I’m trying to protect you like family?”

‘No,’ Asla thought, calmly meeting his gaze.  

Your feelings don’t matter anymore.  

It’s my own heart, loving you, that I find unbearable.

She wanted to wear that love down until it faded, to grind it away until it was gone.  

Only then could she face Lisette and the Pope with a clear head.

“It’s agonizing. It’s hard. I can’t live dealing with you like this.”

“Divorce isn’t an option.”

Asla laughed hollowly.

It wasn’t even frustrating anymore—it was pathetic.

“Don’t go, Asla. I’ll talk about everything—my damn trauma and all of it. I’ll trust you. Just… don’t go.”

As he pleaded, she gently tapped his arm with her fingers.

“Enoch Ventus. When I first filed for divorce, you know… I planned to leave for the ruins of the Holy Kingdom right after.”

“…What? Why there?”

His voice shook, cracking at the end.

“Because I hated my life so much, I wanted to give up.”

“What?”

“You’re right… I must be a weak person. If you want to blame me, go ahead. I won’t argue.”

Asla felt sorrow overwhelm her.  

She couldn’t say it was because she loved him—because her love had no place to go.

The worst part of all… was that she still loved him.

So she drove the nail in harder.

“Now… I have things to do. I won’t die, and I won’t divorce. But if you don’t let me go, I feel like I’ll wither and die. So let me go, Enoch.”

“…Why are you trying to move away from me?”

“…”

“I thought we had finally taken one step forward, that we were closer… And now you’re trying to run away altogether?”

His wounded words pierced her.  

A dull, heavy sadness filled her chest.

“Maybe… we both just need time.”

Asla twisted her wrist and pulled free from his grasp.  

He had held her so tightly, red marks were left on her pale skin.

As she brushed past his shoulder, Enoch shouted at her back.

“This is the last time. I won’t stop you again.”

She paused mid-step.

Without turning, she asked, “Why do you want to stop me, Enoch? Your emotions… they’re not normal.”

“…”

When she glanced back, confusion clouded his face.  

Her heart throbbed painfully.

His strange possessiveness… obsession…  

She didn’t want to fight the Pope while destroying everything Enoch had built.

She needed distance to think clearly.

“I’m sorry… for putting you in this position.”

With that apology, Asla left the room without hesitation.  

In the hallway, she found Vice President Robert, Talet the secretary, the head of security, and others all standing with grim expressions.

Seeing Enoch frozen in place beyond the open door, Robert spoke cautiously.

“…Forgive me, Madam. I agree with your decision to bury the scandal quietly. But if you leave without a word, I feared the President will fall apart…”

Asla looked at him silently, then shook her head.  

She was actually relieved to have seen Enoch before leaving.

“It’s alright. You’re excellent, Vice President. The company needs someone like you. Please… stay by his side, no matter how hard it gets.”

“Madam…”

“I won’t change my mind.”

Her firm tone made Robert bite the inside of his cheek.