Chapter 27
“Shall we head back now?”
“…If you’d like to look around more, feel free.”
Having come up with a good idea, Cecilia turned with a light heart and approached Eden. Eden, suppressing the urge to pull his wife into his arms, answered with gentlemanly composure.
“I’ve seen enough. It’s fine. Shall we head back?”
With those words, Cecilia began walking. A warm breeze followed in her wake, carrying the lingering scent of the sea. Eden’s gaze once again followed Cecilia as she passed by him, brushing him with a cool indifference.
A woman who spoke of love, but never once begged or pleaded for it—save for a single moment.
Lady Monte quietly opened the door to Illina’s chamber and slipped inside.
“Now… where could it be…”
Though Lady Monte wasn’t fully literate, she could read simple words and phrases. She had clearly seen the words slaves and taxes in a letter addressed to Illina.
“When everyone goes to Laner Island, be sure to copy it and give it to Her Grace.”
That’s what had been said. Evie insisted they had to find it and show it to Cecilia.
“Keep watch so she doesn’t secretly dispose of it. Since His Grace personally apologized, she probably won’t rush to get rid of it.”
Because Eden had gone so far as to personally apologize for Lady Monte’s earlier actions, they assumed Illina would believe he was trying to protect her. That meant she would let her guard down, becoming more arrogant and careless.
“Who said that?”
“Diego did.”
“I told you to stay away from that lowlife.”
“He may act like a wastrel, but he doesn’t speak nonsense.”
Until now, both Sally and Illina had guarded the room tightly, making it impossible to approach unnoticed. But this time, only Lady Monte remained in the mansion, presenting a rare chance.
“Hmph…”
Lady Monte thoroughly searched every corner of the room. She knew rummaging through someone else’s room was improper, but she would do anything for Cecilia’s sake.
Still, nothing turned up. Clicking her tongue, Lady Monte straightened her back. Just as she was about to give up, something caught her eye.
…
Near the bathroom, in a corner of the room, an old bag drew her attention. It was the kind of item only a servant like Sally would use. But that was exactly why it was suspicious—Illina, who looked down on her maid, wouldn’t tolerate a servant’s belongings in her room.
Carefully, Lady Monte opened the bag. Inside were two letters, both bearing the seal of the House of Count Nova. With practiced speed, she unfolded them.
“Since you’ve said so, the engagement with Duke Rain is hereby void. It would be wise to bribe the Grand Duke’s attendant. Still, do not forget to curry favor with the Grand Duchess.”
“The number of those enslaved last year does not match the taxes collected. The accounts likely need revising.”
The letters were filled with matters Lady Monte couldn’t fully grasp. She couldn’t steal them outright—so she had no choice but to copy them.
Placing blank paper in front of her, she carefully traced each letter, as if drawing.
“All done.”
With a satisfied smile, she slipped the original letters back into the bag and closed it.
…
Peeking out of Illina’s room, Lady Monte cautiously checked the corridor. Seeing no one, she stepped out and walked down the hallway as if nothing had happened.
She did pass one servant at the far end of the corridor, but the brief, unsuspecting exchange of glances was the only interaction. It was, in her view, the perfect crime.
Back at the villa, Cecilia bathed and began recording the ideas that had formed in her mind.
“Finished organizing your thoughts?”
Just as she was setting her pen down, Eden spoke. She had thought he was reading, but it seemed his attention had wandered.
“I’ve got a rough outline now.”
Visiting the island had been far more helpful than combing through every book. That much was certain.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to work this hard.”
Cecilia turned her gaze to Eden, who was reclining casually on the sofa.
“You could’ve just asked me for help.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m your husband.”
Even if she didn’t have a clear reason or goal, she could lean on him—depend on him.
His blue eyes met hers, filled with sincerity. There was no trace of deceit in them. But for someone who only harbored distrust toward him, it was a truth too difficult to accept.
“A husband isn’t a father. I can’t rely on you for everything.”
Cecilia replied with a look that said she’d just heard something amusing. A faint smile flickered across Eden’s face—not from amusement, but something far more complex.
“Let’s eat.”
Eden smoothly changed the subject.
“You must be tired. Let’s have dinner brought to the room.”
Cecilia nodded in reluctant agreement. After a full day of riding carriages and sailing, denying her fatigue would’ve been a lie.
Eden rang the bell to have a simple meal sent to the room, then stepped away to bathe.
…
When he returned, the room held only a cold bowl of soup and untouched bread—no sign of anyone having eaten.
The person who should have was slumped over her desk.
“Cecilia.”
Eden called her name softly. At the sound of it, Cecilia’s eyelids twitched slightly—a habitual response—but that was all.
“She’s fast asleep.”
Silently, Eden left the room and instructed Alice, who happened to be passing through the corridor, to clear the untouched meal. Then, he returned and gently lifted Cecilia, who had fallen asleep at her desk, into his arms.
“Have a restful night, Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
Alice, having entered the room, quickly gathered the dishes and darted out.
As the door closed and silence fell over the room, Eden approached the bed, relying on the warm glow of the lamp. He had always thought Cecilia was slender, but now that he carried her, her body felt even lighter than expected, making him move with extra care.
Eden gently laid Cecilia down on the bed and sat on the edge. She shifted slightly in her sleep, then quickly settled into deeper rest. In the flickering light, the soft curves of her body were clearly outlined beneath the thin nightgown.
“….”
Eden let out a quiet sigh and rose from the bed. As he had instructed, a glass of liquor sat waiting on the table. He sat down on the sofa, picked up the glass, and as he brought it to his lips, his eyes remained fixed on Cecilia.
Her forehead, gracefully rounded; her eyes—now closed—shining like polished emeralds; her delicate nose. And those soft, supple, rose-colored lips he had touched more than once.
She looked exactly as she always had, and yet completely different. The woman who had been his fiancée for ten years, now his wife—her face appeared strangely new.
A place where love comes true.
Yes, from that moment onward.
Her face, murmuring about love like a dream, feet dipped in the lapping sea. The pink sunset casting a blush across her cheeks. From that moment, he realized how much he had longed for that natural warmth and quiet thrill.
“Have you ever wanted to leave?”
“And if I said I did, what would you do?”
Her bold response to that question came back to him. He had replied that he would have let her go, but so much had been left unsaid.
“I wouldn’t have just let you go.”
Yes, he might have allowed her to leave—but only under the protection of his people, only after receiving a clear promise of her return.
He might even have followed her himself. He bore no heavy national responsibility, so leaving for a few years would have been no great difficulty.
“How generous of you.”
Unaware of his thoughts, Cecilia had laughed and called him generous. It was laughable.
“Love… is hard to explain right now.”
He remembered his youth—growing up in the imperial palace, showered with his father’s affection. There was a time he had dared to sit on the Emperor’s knee—a seat even young Damon had never taken.
“You’ll understand one day, when you grow up.”
“How grown?”
“When you become a man.”
After saying that, the Emperor had looked up at the sky with a long breath.
“Curiosity about the other person, a heart that feels like it’s about to burst, the thrill of wanting to share every good thing, the desire to never let them go—you’ll come to know these things naturally.”
That was Eden’s understanding of love—tenderness, entangled with obsession and longing.
“He will change your whole world.”
If that was love, then what were these feelings now…?
Eden tilted his wrist, and the strong liquor burned down his throat, leaving a fiery trail. After placing the empty glass back on the table, he slipped off his slippers and approached the bed. It was wide enough for two people to lie side by side and still have room to spare.
Eden lay down beside her, facing Cecilia’s back. He watched quietly, but no matter how long he waited, she didn’t turn toward him.
“Cecilia.”
He called her name, wondering if she might stir. But Cecilia didn’t move, only breathing deeply in her sleep.
Eden slowly reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, intending to turn her toward him.
But Cecilia stirred uneasily and shifted farther away from his touch.
“….”
Her unconscious rejection didn’t make him feel sad or despondent. Eden simply knew another way. If she wouldn’t come to him, he could go to her.
He closed the distance and gently wrapped his arms around her slender frame. Cecilia shifted again, uncomfortable with the embrace, but didn’t wake.
“Cecilia… my wife.”
Eden whispered, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.
He had become engaged to Cecilia because his father, the Emperor, had wished it. When the Emperor and Duke Rain had suggested breaking the engagement—thinking Cecilia might soon die—Eden had refused out of loyalty, not out of a desire to honor her feelings.
He married Cecilia because, after their long engagement, she had come of age and regained her health. It had simply been a duty to fulfill.
In all that time, he had never spent every day with her. He had never felt his heart race, never ached to touch her, never cried out in fear of losing her.
She had always been his. That fact had been so certain, so absolute, that everything else seemed inevitable.
“My lovely girl…”
It was the same now. Nothing had changed. Even if he had come to realize that this wasn’t just fondness for family—but affection, love—nothing had truly changed.
Cecilia Burnett was now Eden Lobana Burnett’s wife, and he would never lose her.
He was simply grateful. Grateful that he hadn’t accepted the Emperor and Curtis’s proposal to break the engagement. Grateful that he hadn’t lost Cecilia back then.
Thanks to that, he didn’t have to lose his mind. Thanks to that, everything could remain as peaceful as this.
