Chapter 113

“…The necklace.”

As Esadien opened the main building’s door, he spoke slowly.

“I was happy and grateful, but at the same time, I was sorry.”

“You don’t dislike the hair?”

Esadien looked down at me with an expression that asked, “How could you say such a thing?”

“It’s a part of you. How could I dislike it? It’s just…”

There’s nothing that annoys a Korean person more than someone trailing off. I immediately pressed Esadien for more.

“Just?”

“Minuelle, I was simply sorry because I’ve received so much from you.”

“Huh?”

Sorry? Received so much?

I didn’t understand Esadien’s words and tilted my head.

“What did I give you?”

“You’ve given me a great deal.”

Even though the only gifts I had given him were the tapestry and this necklace, Esadien said it with conviction.

With each step up the stairs, ‘the things I’ve given him’ flowed from his lips, one by one.

“You approached me first.”

One step.

“You showed me that it’s not bad to express emotions.”

Another step.

“You led me out of my narrow confines…”

A typical female lead in a romance fantasy would probably blush and act shy upon hearing these words.

‘Ugh! I’m cringing so hard!’

The fact that this was my first thought means I’m not really female lead material.

It’s not that I disliked Esadien’s words. I was happy that I had helped him escape the shadows of his past, and I was grateful that he said so.

But I was so embarrassed that it overwhelmed everything else!

Just as my fingers and toes were starting to curl inward, Esadien’s steady stream of words finally reached a conclusion.

“Most of all, you ‘gave’ me your love.”

I stopped first, and naturally, Esadien stopped one step above me.

After looking up at him for a moment, I climbed three more steps to make our eye levels parallel.

“You don’t ‘give’ love; you just love.”

Love, or any emotion, can’t be doled out like charity.

Even after our hearts reconnected, Esadien was, what’s the word, treating my feelings with an attitude of reverence and gratitude.

I was upset by that.

Even more so because I thought it was due to the wound I had inflicted when I pushed him away.

“You love me, right?”

“Of course I love you, Minuelle.”

“See? You don’t say you ‘give’ me your love.”

“That’s… because you are a person worthy of being loved.”

“And you’re not, Esadien?”

Esadien’s eyes trembled before he quietly lowered his gaze.

But I didn’t let him back down. I immediately lifted his chin and spoke as if engraving it in his mind.

“You are that kind of person, too.”

“…”

“We’ll love each other like this, on the same level. I’m not some saint or apostle of God bestowing my love upon you.”

“Minuel…”

“You said you want to marry me right away, didn’t you? How can you marry a saint and have children?”

The moment I blurted out those words, Esadien’s body jolted.

I swear on my life, it was a jolt so big it couldn’t be described as a mere ‘flinch.’ I involuntarily thought to myself:

‘Did something just break in this man?’

But the momentary confusion passed, and he quickly wore a deep smile and pulled me tight against his waist.

“You’re certainly right.”

This time, I didn’t feel shy or want to back away. As I was held in Esadien’s arms, I ran my fingers along the line of his neck.

“Do you know something, Esadien?”

He kept smiling, but instead of answering, his Adam’s apple bobbed.

‘Is he trying to hide his nervousness? He’s so incredibly cute.’

I liked the more proactive Esadien, but seeing him flustered and tense like this, just like before, was also adorable. And the way he was trying to hide it was just!

‘Is he determined to demolish our mansion?!’

But cute is one thing.

With a calm expression, I hooked my finger on the silver necklace hidden under his clothes and pulled it out.

“They say a necklace is no different from a leash.”

“A leash?”

In ancient times, rings were less a symbol of love and more about possessing and restraining the other person. So what about a necklace, which wraps directly around the neck?

“I’ve given you a more definite mark than a ring, so go and come back with peace of mind.”

“…”

“Don’t get hurt, and come back as soon as possible.”

Esadien, who had been listening blankly to my series of demanding requests, started to chuckle.

“Haha.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Have you finally accepted being my owner?”

“Oh, come on, with that word!”

I said we’re equals.

“Since my owner dislikes it, I’ll stop now, my owner.”

“Esadien, are you making fun of me?”

“How could I dare to make fun of my owner?”

He was so pretty, so pretty, but now he’s like this.

“Ugh. Whatever. Let go of me.”

“It was a joke.”

Chu.

With a laugh, Esadien playfully pressed his lips to my forehead.

But when he met my eyes again, the laughter was gone as if it had never been there.

With a somewhat tense expression, he opened his mouth.

“Actually, Minuelle.”

And it was just as Esadien was slowly reaching into his pocket.

“What are you two doing in a place where people are walking by?”

It was perhaps the voice I had heard most often since becoming Minuelle.

I turned around eagerly and shouted, “Ramande!”

This was the first time Ramande had approached me since he had closed the door on me, refusing to talk.

But what’s this? Ramande wasn’t the only one watching us.

Behind him, on the middle landing, a cluster of servants who had been huddled together suddenly scattered.

“Oh no, there’s dust here.”

One was pretending to dust with a feather duster at this hour.

“Oh, right! Didn’t I forget to bring in the laundry?”

It’s snowing outside right now.

‘When did you all… no.’

Feeling a little embarrassed, I slightly glared at Esadien.

“You knew?”

But he just shook his head. The hand he had put inside his clothes was now calmly back outside.

What was he trying to take out? Before I could wonder, Ramande approached us. Unlike Esadien’s empty hand, his held a thick envelope.

“The headmaster sent this over regarding the Palos matter that you requested last time. But…”

Ramande’s eyes twitched as he looked at me and Esadien, still standing close together.

“Big sister warned you to restrain yourselves before you get married, I’m sure.”

“It’s fine for people who are getting married, isn’t it? Are we not even allowed to hold hands and hug?”

I can’t stand that, I really can’t!

When I glared at him with fire in my eyes, Ramande clicked his tongue.

“Enough.”

Then he gestured with the envelope toward the upstairs, as if to say, “Let’s go up and look at this.”

He was acting completely like his old self. His face wasn’t dark, and his eyes weren’t hostile like last time.

As I felt relieved that the Ramande I knew had returned, a wave of curiosity washed over me.

‘What on earth did Esadien say to make him so normal again?’

If he were in El’s form, I would have patted his butt, but since we both had social standing now, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

As I looked at him with a mix of pride and regret, Esadien smiled slightly and whispered, “Then you should go up.”

“Are you leaving right now?”

“Yes. I will just speak to the Grand Duchess and then leave. Theo will have already finished preparing.”

“…Ah.”

“Hurry back, and take care of Austin.”

I said it so casually, but the moment Esadien was about to enter the Imperial Palace, my throat felt clogged.

But if I showed any weakness now, he wouldn’t be able to perform to the best of his ability.

The person left behind had to be a source of strength, not a burden.

So, I swallowed the worry that was choking me and gave Esadien a tight hug.

“You remember what I said?”

“I won’t get hurt, and I’ll finish it in one go.”

Instead of patting his butt for his trustworthy answer, I gently stroked Esadien’s hair. His hair, which always felt so nice, fell softly.

“I’m sorry I can’t go with you.”

“What are you talking about? You said you would always be with me.”

Esadien took my hand and placed it over his chest. I could clearly feel the round locket beneath his clothes.

I could tell from his firm gaze that he truly believed that.

Looking into his eyes, I felt as though a solid core had been placed in my heart.

‘That’s right. We won’t be separated this time.’

Chu.

“Come back safely.”

And so, after leaving a short kiss on Esadien’s cheek, I was able to turn away without regret.

“Let’s go, Ramande.”

While Esadien was gone, I planned to finish up the matters concerning Palos and Cynthia.

If I had never known, it would have been one thing, but now that I did, there was no way I could just let it be.

‘And Gabbie, too…’

After my outburst, no matter how much Yoshicho I gave him, Gabbie’s condition remained withered.

Thinking of him, I grabbed Ramande’s hand and strode up the stairs. Then, feeling a gaze on me, I suddenly looked down.

Esadien, who had been standing there and looking up at us, drew a warm smile on his expressionless face and waved his hand.

It was so much like El, who would stand and stare at me before wagging his tail wildly when our eyes met, that I couldn’t endure it any longer and mouthed a confession.

‘I love you.’

***

‘I love you.’

Esadien slowly replayed the moment her small lips moved so gently in his mind.

As that image moved in slow motion, the blade tips that were rushing towards him also seemed to be approaching slowly.

Kwang!

The sound that rang out was so massive it was hard to believe it was from swords clashing.

Swish!

Austin, with a sneer, jeered between the twisted blades.

“It all comes down to this. That Minuelle woman is just using you, too. If she wasn’t, wouldn’t she have jumped into the fire herself to get the power?”

“…”

Esadien focused only on pushing Austin back without a word.

He tried to shake off the swords that were locked together, even sacrificing some ground, but Austin clung to him with a persistence as stubborn as his personality.

“Pathetic fool. All the women around you are like that. Your mother hated you, didn’t she? The Crown Princess you trusted threw you into a death trap, and the woman you cling to is just using you.”

That wasn’t true.

His mother, his sister, and most of all, Minuelle, were not those kinds of people.

‘You’ve been through so much, truly.’

That day was the first time he had ever spoken about his mother’s affairs.

The Emperor had investigated the mother and son’s situation through the mouths of the servants, not from a young Esadien.

Did Minuelle know how nerve-wracking it was to speak of the suffering he had endured to another person for the first time?

‘How great a salvation the comfort he received at the end of it was.’

Austin, of all people, would never know.

‘Did you think I raised you with so much care just to use you as a pawn to weaken a traitor’s power?!’

If Austin had seen his sister’s genuine anger, he wouldn’t have even thought of such unconvincing discord.