Chapter 3.10

In a secluded castle in the forest, Aurelian lost his mother and came to the orphanage in a state of near unconsciousness.

The first person he met was me, Claire Ianster.

“Oh my, you’re really handsome.”

The boy was covered in blood, but Claire’s eyes didn’t seem to see that. Looking at Claire’s purple eyes, which were spouting strange words, he suddenly lost consciousness and began to fall toward her.

“Oh, hey! How can you just fall like that? What’s your name?”

“Au…relian…”

“What? Au… what… **Adrian**?”

“…”

“Hey, hey, Adrian. Wake up, wake up!”

 

***

 

I smiled slightly as I recalled that passage.

“I did. But how did you know? You lost your memory then.”

“I remembered it later. After my real name came back to me.”

I was lost in my own memories when it suddenly occurred to me that this memory might be a terrible one for him.

“Uhm… but Adrian, if that name is uncomfortable or you don’t like it, I won’t call you that again.”

Just then, a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the owner placed tea in front of us. She was a woman with a comfortable look, wearing a stiff, white apron that looked like it would squeak if you touched it.

“Oh, my goodness… there are such beautiful people here. You two look so good together.”

“No, we’re not like that.”

“Thank you.”

‘What? Thank you? Why is he acting like that?’

After the woman left, I reached for my teacup, feeling a bit bewildered.

As I lifted the teacup, Adrian reached out and placed his hand against mine, then subtly intertwined his fingers with mine.

I was so surprised that all my actions stopped instantly. When I looked at him, Adrian’s smile felt unreal. The sunlight filtering through the window sparkled and broke against his hair.

“It’s the name you gave me, so only you can call me that.”

My heart began to pound in the place where our hands were clasped, as if it had moved to my palm. I quickly pulled my hand away from him, afraid that he might feel my trembling.

Fortunately, our food soon arrived, and I lowered my head toward the food in front of me.

If I were my usual self, I would have complained that Celine had also called him by that name last time, but now I didn’t want to say anything.

I wanted to enjoy the winter sunlight, which felt like spring, for a little while longer.

I watched him eat. It occurred to me that this was the first time I had ever seen him eat anything other than drink.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, it’s just that I think this is the first time I’ve seen you eat something.”

“Sandwiches.”

“Huh?”

“We ate sandwiches together. When we were in the Grand Duke’s castle.”

“Oh, right.”

He was talking about the day I begged him to ride horses with me because I wanted to become closer to Adrian. I felt so grateful that he remembered a memory with me, and I thought he was so beautiful.

“Stop looking and eat, too.”

“Because you’re pretty…”

At my words, Adrian’s eyes widened, and he soon lowered his head.

“Ah… no, what I meant was that you’re pretty because you’re eating well… of course, I don’t mean that your face isn’t pretty. That’s not what I mean right now…”

At my words, he suddenly raised his head.

“My face is pretty?”

“No, not pretty, but handsome.”

“I’m… handsome?”

His face looked as if he had never heard such a thing before.

“Of course. You’re handsome. If you’re not handsome, then who is?”

This time, I saw it for sure. Adrian’s ears turned red. Did he not know that his face was handsome?

“You’re so handsome that I imprisoned you.”

I closed my mouth and my eyes at the same time. A mistake. A huge mistake.

“Ah… Adrian… I’m full now. I want to leave now.”

No, I wanted to bite my tongue. Fortunately, Adrian only furrowed his brows and didn’t show any other reaction.

When we stepped out of the restaurant, the city was already bustling with preparations for the festival, even though it hadn’t started yet.

After walking for a bit, I saw an old woman selling accessories on a small table on the street. I mustered up the courage and pulled him toward the table.

“Adrian, buy me that.”

“What?”

The same reaction as before.

“Buy it for me, that butterfly-shaped hair pin.”

“Why, it looks like Claire wants a hair pin this time?”

“What?”

I had imagined Adrian joking, but I never thought I’d actually see it.

I stared at the slightly smiling Adrian for a moment before turning my gaze back to the accessories table. In one corner, I saw bracelets that children would wear. They were unique bracelets made by mixing silver and colored threads.

“Adrian, can you buy me this too? As you know, I also got hit by an arrow for you.”

“Claire. If you ask me to buy something, I’ll buy you anything. Even if you hadn’t done anything for me.”

“Then, I’ll go into every shop from the entrance to the end of the market and buy one of everything.”

Adrian shook his head and paid the price.

When I reached out to take the item from the old woman, he reached out first and took the hair pin.

Then, he immediately ran his hand from the back of my neck up to gather my hair and gently held it with one hand before carefully putting the hair pin he had just bought in my hair.

He was diligently stroking the back of my ear, then he hesitated and pulled his hand away from me.

“You’re pretty.”

“What?”

Just as I was doubting my ears, a knight I had never seen before suddenly appeared and approached Adrian.

Adrian talked to the knight a little ways away from me and then came back to me.

“Aren’t you busy?”

“No.”

He held out his arm to me, and I placed my hand on his arm again. Even if he were busy, I was going to try and insist on staying out today. It felt so good to walk along the lively market street.

After walking a bit, I saw a sorcerer who was just about to take down her tent. In this world, sorcerers were in a similar position to fortune-tellers in our country.

In the early days of the empire, the power of sorcerers was said to be quite strong, but now that magic had disappeared, they made a living by telling people’s futures in the market.

I led him in that direction.

But as we got closer, the sorcerer put up her tent and was packing her bags.

“Are you finished?”

“Yes.”

I was a little disappointed by her answer.

“I’ll give you as much money as you want, so open it again.”

The sorcerer, who had been waving her hand as if annoyed, suddenly raised her head at Adrian’s voice and immediately lowered the tent she had just put up.

She was definitely a sorcerer, as she seemed to have sensed that her life was in danger.

When we entered the tent, a different atmosphere unfolded from what we had seen outside.

Inside the dark tent, there were large and small crystal balls of various colors, and behind the sorcerer, there was a shelf filled with thick spellbooks.

The sorcerer sat down and took out a large crystal ball that had been covered with a cloth. It was as if a short circuit had occurred, as the inside of the crystal ball was chaotic with small bolts of lightning.

The white-haired sorcerer chanted an unknown spell and placed her hand on the crystal ball.

I had come with the lighthearted intention of getting my fortune told, but I suddenly became frightened and was about to tell Adrian that we should leave.

“Seti…pane.”

But the sorcerer was faster. I had the illusion that the eye color of the woman, who had many bracelets on her arms and was dressed like a gypsy, had changed.

“Setipane?”

But soon, the same knight came back into the tent. Adrian left me alone in the tent and went outside with the knight.

I fumbled in my pocket to pay and was about to follow him. But the sorcerer tightly grabbed my hand as I was putting down the coins.

“Wha… What are you doing?”

I was about to half-stand up and run away when she grabbed me and made me place my hand on the crystal ball. A hot sensation was transmitted to my fingertips.

“What are you?”

“Pardon?”

“What are you? Who are you to have so many souls in your body…? There’s a baby.”

“What?”

I quickly turned around. Fortunately, Adrian was completely out of the tent.

“Please let go of my hand.”

“Who is this man?”

‘Man?’

“This man… black eyes, black hair, this man crying while holding a woman’s hand. An outsider… this woman…is you?”

Goosebumps ran all over my body. My butt, which had been lifted off the seat, automatically sat back down.

“What… what is that man doing now?”

But I wasn’t sure if the sorcerer heard me.

“He’s been consumed by sadness. Regret… pain, despair… that’s all there is Han, Hyun… Taek…? Your name, Cha… Seyeon?”

“It’s Cha Seyeong. It’s not important, though. Is there a way for me to go back to that world?”

“A stronger body, a stronger desire… a stronger love.”

“What on earth does that mean?”

“Seti…pane.”

“Pardon?”

With those words, the sorcerer’s eyes closed. A moment later, when she opened her eyes again, their color had returned to their original brown. She sighed briefly and chattered while wiping the crystal with a cloth.

“Fifty Sat.”

“I’ll give you a hundred Sat, please explain more.”

“Fifty Sat.”

Convinced that I couldn’t hear anything more, I clicked my tongue, paid the price, and went outside.

‘Setipane, Setipane…? What’s she telling me to ‘pane’ all the time?’

When I came out in front of the tent, I saw Adrian walking away from the knight. And the knight standing behind him was looking at us with an uneasy expression.

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

“Oh… it’s okay. There was nothing much to talk about. But, do you know what ‘Setipane’ means?”

Adrian shook his head as if he didn’t know, but from his attitude, I felt that he knew what it meant. But I didn’t press further. After walking a bit more, the sun began to set.

“Shouldn’t you go now? I think I’ve taken up too much of your time.”

Adrian hesitated but soon guided me toward the road where the carriages ran.

“By the way, why did you come to the market today?”

Adrian said that he had been on his way to his castle through the city when he saw a carriage with the Ianster family’s seal and followed it without a second thought.

We walked side by side on the road. For some reason, I felt that our footsteps were a little slower.

The sun had almost set, but the market wasn’t very dark as the shops were open later than usual.

I was relieved that Adrian’s face, which I might be seeing for the last time, looked at peace.

We soon arrived at the place where the carriage would come. Gaining courage from his expression, I gently placed my hand on the back of his hand.

He flinched, but he didn’t pull his hand away.

Just then, a carriage approached with a loud noise. I didn’t hesitate any longer and grabbed his hand. I thought he would shake my hand away in surprise, but he held my hand even more tightly.

“Adrian, I know it’s useless to say this now, but I really… wanted to get engaged to you. This is my true feeling. And congratulations on your engagement to Celine. This is also my true feeling. Celine will truly make you happy.”

I finished speaking, let go of his hand, and moved my body into the carriage. No, I was about to. Adrian, who was holding my hand, didn’t let go and asked me back.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Sure about what?”

“That I’ll be happy with Celine.”

I smiled genuinely. Now, I felt like I could leave, truly wishing for his happiness.

“I read it all, no, I just know everything. You know how good my dreams are, right?”

I let go of his hand and got into the carriage. This time, Adrian also let me go without a fuss. After saying what I had wanted to say all this time, my heart felt at ease.

I took a deep breath and waited for the carriage door to close, but a large shadow fell, and Adrian entered the carriage.

And as he closed the door, he suddenly leaned his face toward me.

“Adrian?”

Before I could even finish calling his name, his lips covered mine. It was a polite, soft, and simple kiss.

“No, this time you’re wrong.”

After kissing me for a moment, he got out of the carriage as quickly as he had gotten in. And the carriage started moving before I could even open my eyes.

I couldn’t think of anything on the way back. And when I got home, my heart was pounding so much that I couldn’t sleep.

Adrian’s smiling face as he looked at me, the soft movement of him intertwining his fingers with mine, the gaze he gave me as he gathered my hair and pinned it up… and even the pure kiss… all of it resembled the actions he had done for Celine in the book.

‘Can I have hope?’

Although it was a scene I had read in a book, the way he looked at me was clearly Adrian in love, exactly as he was.

So I decided to tell him about the plan I had first made tomorrow. To bet everything on his warm gaze… and to foolishly have hope once again.

 

***

 

Today, Claire was dazzlingly beautiful.

Every time her purple eyes looked at him and smiled, Adrian couldn’t shake the feeling that his heart was dropping to his feet.

If Celine hadn’t recklessly moved her private army and brought them to Adrian’s camp, he wouldn’t have sent her back so hastily.

<Ah… Adrian… I’m full now. I want to leave now.>

The moment she said this, the way her lips formed his name was so cute that he couldn’t help but scowl.

If he hadn’t, he would have undoubtedly kissed every part of Claire’s face right there.

And that confession she made while holding his hand at the last moment.

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t the truth.

If he could just hear her say again that she wanted to be engaged to him, it wouldn’t be enough even if he gave her everything he had.

And he had no choice but to admit it. If this wasn’t love, what on earth was it?

‘Setipane…’

Adrian, of course, knew the archaic word. His mother was a descendant of the last powerful sorcerer in the empire, and she used to read him books written in the sorcerer’s language from a young age.

‘The Emperor’s Star…’

That’s what the sorcerer had said to Adrian.

“My Seti…”

Adrian quietly uttered the archaic word for Empress. Since the sorcerer had seen the Emperor’s Star in him, Claire would soon become his own Empress.

 

***

 

I couldn’t get a wink of sleep, waiting for the morning sun to rise. I didn’t have much time, as I was scheduled to leave Quinze-Nouais in three days.

As dawn broke, I pulled the bell rope to call Sally. And I quickly asked her to help me get ready for the morning.

But just as I was about to leave, my decision to go and meet Adrian was put on hold by a letter from the Imperial Palace.

I naturally thought that the Crown Prince had sent me a letter. But the letter was not from him; it was from the Emperor of the Empire.

 

***

 

“Your Majesty, Claire Ianster, the second daughter of the Ianster family, has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

The Emperor, whom I had only seen from a distance, looked much younger than I had imagined. Apart from having a slightly softer impression, his face was a perfect match for Sebastian’s.

“Claire Ianster.”

“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor, the sacred sun of the Quinze-Nouais Empire.”

The Emperor smiled benevolently. But I could not respond to his smile.

“A woman who could shake the Quinze-Nouais Empire, with its five-hundred-year history, in the palm of her hand…”

I somewhat understood the meaning of the Emperor’s words. And I was trying my best to figure out why he had suddenly summoned me.

“That’s an excessive title, Your Majesty.”

“Is it?”

I was curious as to why the Emperor had summoned me to the audience chamber instead of the reception room. After all, no father-in-law would sit on a dais and have a chat with his son’s future wife.

A moment later, the Emperor had the head butler of the Imperial Palace hand me a report. I immediately opened the report. Although it was a document I had never seen before, I could understand its contents at a glance.

It stated that during the time I was with Adrian yesterday, Celine had moved the Ianster family’s private army to a territory outside the capital, and that territory belonged to Grand Duke Aurelian.

The number of private soldiers amounted to several thousands.

“You’re a clever child, so you must know what this means…”

“Just because the Ianster family’s private army was moved doesn’t mean it’s proof of anything.”

“There’s plenty of other evidence besides this. And evidence has a way of appearing whenever it’s needed.”

“As you know, Celine Ianster will soon become the Grand Duke’s fiancée. It’s perfectly possible for her to lend the family’s private army to the Grand Duke.”

“Yes, the problem is that their swords will soon be pointed at the Imperial Family.”

“Isn’t that just Your Majesty’s speculation?”

“Speculation, huh? Well, even if it is, it doesn’t matter.”

Just then, the door to the audience chamber opened without any warning. The only person who could enter the audience chamber where the Emperor was without permission was the Empress.

“Claire.”

The Empress walked over and sat down next to the Emperor, calling my name affectionately. Although the name was called warmly, it felt alien, as if it didn’t belong to me.

“Your Majesty, even if she is the daughter of a rebellious family, isn’t she soon to be our son’s partner? Why are you making her stand for so long?”

“Empress, I told you I would handle this matter myself.”

“Since Your Majesty always handles things too leniently, I have no choice but to step in myself.”

The Empress snapped her fingers, and the door to the audience chamber opened again, revealing a man.

“Count…?”

Hubert Ianster could not walk into the audience chamber on his own. He was being dragged inside, his arms bound by knights. The knights threw the Count next to me.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry, Claire. Your Majesties, the Emperor and the Empress, my second daughter has nothing to do with this matter. Please let her go.”

At Count Ianster’s words, the Empress snorted.

“Your second daughter has nothing to do with this? Are you saying this because you don’t know why Aurelian Quinze-Nouais is trying to start a rebellion?”

“What… do you mean?”

“Aurelian Quinze-Nouais wants to take revenge on us. He wants to get back at us for killing his mother and trying to kill him.”

“But how is that related to my daughter?”

“Listen, Count Ianster. You are so blind and deaf. The Grand Duke wanted that child. He wanted her so much that if he couldn’t have her, he’d be satisfied only by killing her. So he thought that we took something from him again.”

The more the Empress revealed her emotions, the colder I became.

“Your second daughter is a very good excuse for Aurelian to start a rebellion. And she’s also his biggest weakness.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Count Graham visited the Empress’s palace recently. He asked me to get that child out of the palace. Why would he do such a thing at this time?”

Graham was a family name I had heard of. I soon finished my thoughts.

The Emperor and Empress now had evidence of Adrian and Celine’s rebellion. Yet, they had arrested me and my father, not the Grand Duke and his fiancée.

That meant that the evidence the Emperor and Empress had was not very powerful.

The Emperor could not guarantee victory in a fight against Adrian.

I let go of my father’s hand and took a step toward them.

“So, what do you want from me?”

A strange light flickered in the Empress’s eyes.

“As I thought, my eyes were not wrong. Claire Ianster, I liked you from the beginning.”

“It seems you think this rebellion will not just end as a rebellion, given that you are not hesitating to do things that even commoners would not do.”

“Claire!”

Count Ianster’s face turned pale as he called out my name. But the Empress’s smile deepened.

“Yes, a civil war will break out.”

‘Civil war…!’

I took one more step toward the Emperor and Empress.

“If Her Majesty’s words are true, then you just have to hand me over to the Grand Duke.”

“If it were that simple, the Imperial Family wouldn’t be doing something that even commoners would do, as you said. Do you think my son would just stand by and watch if I handed you over? A fight will happen anyway.”

I closed my eyes tightly, having instantly realized their intentions.

The Emperor had decided to resort to a cowardly tactic once again. Rather than getting caught in a battle whose victory could not be guaranteed and shedding blood, he was trying to eliminate me, the spark of the civil war.

“Many people will die. Perhaps your father, your sister, and Grand Duke Aurelian will die.”

“The reason you can’t kill me, the spark of the civil war, right now, must be because of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“…That’s right.”

“Then what do you want me to do? You’re not asking me to take my own life for the peace and security of the Quinze-Nouais Empire, are you?”

“We plan to have you take refuge for a while. But you can’t disappear right away. If you’re not visible, we can’t guarantee what the Grand Duke or the Crown Prince will do.”

“So you’re telling me to wait for the right time and then hide myself. In a situation where I don’t know if Your Majesty will kill me or let me live.”

I looked at Count Ianster. He shook his head at me.

“The Grand Duke won’t win this fight anyway. But if he does win, I will kill your father.”

At the Emperor’s words, I remained silent for a moment, trying to organize my thoughts. But the Empress would not leave me be.

“Besides, what do you think Aurelian will do to you? The younger sister of the fiancée who made him emperor.”

I didn’t believe everything she said, but right now, I couldn’t afford to take any risks. Besides, as long as Count Ianster was being held captive in the Imperial Palace, I had no choice.

“Then, please set a date.”

“The day the Founding Festival ends. The night after your engagement ceremony with the Crown Prince.”

Right after the engagement ceremony would be the most suitable time. After the engagement ceremony, the imperial family members of Quinze-Nouais leave for the Imperial Shrine to have their marriage recognized. And the fiancée spends one last night at her home.

The Emperor was talking about that exact time. The time when Adrian and the Crown Prince would be away from the capital.

“A few days after you leave, when Grand Duke Aurelian returns to the capital, he will hear that you have disappeared.”

A sneer unconsciously escaped me at the Emperor’s words.

“But we will tell the Crown Prince that you have gone into hiding for a while. You just have to get into the carriage I’ve prepared.”

“But what if something happens before then?”

The Emperor said that he had received the date of Adrian’s rebellion from a spy he had planted in his territory. According to the spy, it was the very day the Crown Prince returned to the palace from the Imperial Shrine.

Their calculation was that Adrian would return before the Crown Prince and would find out that I had disappeared, but as long as he didn’t know my location, he wouldn’t act rashly.

“Your father will be fine in the Imperial Palace for now, so you don’t have to worry.”

The Count was looking at the Emperor with eyes filled with resentment and anger. Although the Ianster family had been neutral for generations, they were a loyal family that had never gone against the Imperial Family. To hold the head of such a family hostage was a truly despicable act.

“Don’t hurt my father.”

“Everything depends on you.”

As I straightened myself and bowed, the knights behind me approached to grab me. But the Emperor stopped them.

“Just let her go.”

I couldn’t move rashly anyway. Besides, if I were to disappear now, the Crown Prince would be the first to find out.

Soon, I was guided out of the Imperial Palace by the same head butler who had brought me there.

“My Lady, are you all right?”

Sally, who had been waiting for me in the Imperial Palace garden, ran to me as soon as she saw me.

“Ah… Sally, I’m fine.”

“You look terrible. Let’s go back to the Count’s residence right away, My Lady.”

When the carriage left the Imperial Palace and arrived in the city, I sent the imperial carriage back.

I had to let Adam, the informant, know that my original plan to leave had been postponed.

There was no specific place for us to meet. Once a deal was made, the many eyes of the market would let him know that I had appeared in the market.

“Sally, I have some things to do. You go home first in a hired carriage.”

“No, My Lady. I’ll just follow you like I’m not here. So please don’t tell me to go back first.”

Sally grabbed my hand and pleaded with me. I had no choice but to move with her.

At first, I had no idea how to change the plan. But there was something I absolutely had to protect. Once the goal was set, my mind became clearer. By the time I finished my business with Adam’s subordinate, the sun was setting.

As I watched the sun go down, all the strength drained from my body. I needed some time to be alone. The quick-witted Sally gave me space, saying she would wait at the entrance to the market.

After walking for a long time, I saw the restaurant I had visited with Adrian and went inside without a second thought.

I ordered the same tea and food we had ordered together and took a moment to compose myself. And I had to admit that I had failed.

I had tried so hard to prevent this novel from becoming a tragedy, but Adrian’s dark influence was more than I had imagined.

A civil war… The scale was too big.

In the world I used to live in, strategic alliances were one of the most common ways for companies to expand their power. What Adrian was doing with Celine was probably a strategic alliance.

So, what Celine would get would probably be… the Empress’s crown.

“My, my, young lady, how strange… Why are you crying while smiling?”

I touched my face at the restaurant owner’s words and felt tears flowing down my cheeks.

“Why did you come alone today? What about that handsome lover of yours?”

“Ma’am… that ridiculously handsome man is engaged to another woman.”

“What?!”

The woman put down the tea and sat down in front of me.

“There, there, don’t cry. It looks like you’re not alone…”

“How do you know that, ma’am?”

“My goodness, young lady. I’ve given birth to six children. I can tell just by the way you’re sitting.”

Tears welled up in my eyes at the woman’s words. So it’s true, I’m pregnant… Strangely, I trusted the restaurant owner’s words more than the sorcerer’s.

“But it’s no use now. From now on, I’m only going to think about myself.”

“Don’t do that, talk to your parents. You seem like a lady from a good family…”

“I’m… an orphan.”

For the first time in my life, I said the word “orphan” out loud. The word was so profoundly sad that I sobbed loudly. The woman sat in front of me for a long time and watched me cry. It was an unexpectedly great comfort.

After crying for a while, my thoughts became clearer. This was no time to be sitting here absentmindedly. When the tea in front of me had gone completely cold, I asked the woman to lend me paper and a pen and began to write a letter.

“Young lady, just go. The tea is on me.”

The woman insisted that I not pay, and she just held my hand tightly.

“But…”

“You remind me so much of my daughter who got married and moved to a foreign country recently. My Briana got married and went to the Eastern Continent. Because of her foolish mother… It feels like I’ve comforted my daughter, and my heart feels much more at ease.”

‘Yes, and I’ve felt a mother’s touch that I’ve never felt before.’

“Thank you, ma’am. And if… no, it’s probably never going to happen, but just in case that person comes here looking for me, please give him this letter.”

“Of course. Young lady, live a strong life, okay?”

“Yes.”

When I got home in a hired carriage, the Count’s residence was filled with people from the Imperial Palace. They were there to prepare for my engagement.

In the Count’s residence, which was devoid of my father and Celine, I began to calmly prepare for the future.