Chapter 108
Chapter 108: It Might Have Been an Illusion
Countless questions about Elena tumbled through Lupeon’s mind.
Why she left without a word, how she had hidden being Rosie while staying in the North.
Yet he felt pathetic for not recognizing her even when she was right before his eyes.
His eyes reddened as he ran both hands over his face and let out a deep sigh.
Regret washed over him for all the past days he had maintained distance from Elena Rohenbach.
Anasha, noticing her brother’s mood, called out carefully.
“Big brother…?”
Unable to show his emotions in front of the child, Lupeon forced himself to lift the corners of his mouth.
“It’s bedtime now, so I’ll read you a story.”
* * *
A deep sigh escaped Lupeon’s lips as he pondered all night.
‘Why didn’t you ever come back?’
He had so many questions for Elena, who was also his fiancée.
Yet even if he went to find her, he felt he wouldn’t be able to say any of the important things.
It was always like this. Like a fool, he could never maintain composure in front of her.
His blue eyes trembled slightly before he dropped his head. Then he berated himself.
For only now realizing that Elena was Rosie.
Yet he couldn’t help worrying that she might have circumstances she couldn’t tell him about.
Unable to shake off his anxiety, he furrowed his brow as he recalled a past conversation.
“Lupeon… do you have any close friends?”
“I don’t really have anyone I’d call a friend.”
Perhaps he himself had taken away her chance to tell him.
‘Damn it…’
As belated regret and self-reproach washed over him, Lupeon squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.
After pushing his bangs back, he took out a storage box from his desk drawer that he hadn’t opened for a long time.
Then he quietly stared at a pendant inside it.
It was a gift Rosie had prepared for Anasha, who hadn’t even been born yet.
A bitter smile spread across Lupeon’s face as he lifted the tarnished, faded pendant.
Elena would probably never know how long he had waited for her.
There were times when he thought Rosie might have been an illusion he created.
During his lonely days as Crown Prince, her existence had been like salvation to Lupeon.
That’s why he couldn’t give the pendant to his sister.
Though it might seem selfish, that pendant was the object connecting him to Rosie.
He finally whispered the words he couldn’t say before, knowing no answer would come.
“I felt like keeping this would help me not forget you existed.”
If she heard this, Rosie would probably give her usual bright smile and say “Well done!”
The girl Lupeon remembered was always on his side, honest and confident.
“Not knowing you were this close.”
He could have found Rosie in the past if he’d tried. Using his title to find one person wouldn’t have been difficult for him.
But Lupeon wanted to find her himself, without anyone else’s help. His friend who had been like salvation.
While fulfilling his duties as Crown Prince, he never stopped looking for Rosie whenever he had time.
Finally, after six seasons passed, he stopped searching for his friend.
Even if he found Rosie, there was no guarantee she would welcome him.
Thinking that searching for her might only burden her, he just hoped his crybaby friend was living well and bravely.
Moreover, after his uncle’s usurpation of the throne, there was no luxury of dwelling on old memories.
Every night he had to deal with assassins coming to his bedroom, and constantly be wary of those showing kindness without reason.
Otherwise, in a moment of carelessness, he would have to face another cruel tragedy.
Yet even then, the occasional thought of that one girl gave great comfort to his exhausted self.
Rosie probably never dreamed of it.
The fact that to Lupeon, she had been a ray of light in his dark life.
Perhaps because memories of those days filled with longing came back, his heart began to pound rapidly again.
He had met Rosie again, the girl he had never once forgotten, though it seemed she would never return.
His eyes reddened as he clutched the pendant tightly and dropped his head.
“I really missed you, Rosie.”
Lost in his many tangled thoughts, the dawn had gradually brightened.
Leaning against the study window, Lupeon naturally squinted at the morning sunlight.
“Morning has come after all.”
He had thought about Rosie, no, Elena all through dawn.
Though he wanted to run to her right away, he intended to organize his thoughts sufficiently before seeking her out rather than acting rashly.
Once his complicated thoughts were somewhat sorted, he couldn’t delay any longer.
He was planning to face the girl who had once been his friend and savior.
Just as Lupeon, his mind now more at ease, was about to rise from his seat with relaxed lips—
Knock knock—
He raised an eyebrow at someone’s urgent knocking.
“Your Grace, it’s Nicollman.”
As his aide visited the study earlier than usual, Lupeon somehow had a bad feeling.
“Enter.”
No sooner had his permission been given than Nicollman burst through the study door and spoke with a very dark expression.
“We have an emergency, Your Grace!”
“What’s happened?”
As Lupeon, sensing this was no ordinary matter, questioned his subordinate, Nicollman answered in a serious voice.
“An epidemic of unknown cause has begun spreading throughout the North.”
“What…?”
* * *
In the frontier region prison, damp and reeking of mold, water dripped from the ceiling onto the floor.
Though given solitary confinement, the Emperor’s heart was uneasy as he looked at his half-brother enduring the worst prison conditions.
Perhaps because prison life had been difficult, Marquess Byzantium’s cheeks were sunken.
No doubt he was suffering internally over matters related to his honor.
Though the Marquess’s haggard response would probably be worthless to hear, the Emperor still asked after him.
“Are you doing alright?”
“Glory to the sacred Valdeon Empire. As guardian of Valdeon—”
“Let’s dispense with formalities between us.”
When the Emperor firmly refused, looking at his brother with concern, the Marquess coughed slightly and gave a small nod.
“Is… Jeremy doing well as acting head of the family?”
Perhaps his heart had softened now, as Marquess Byzantium seemed curious about his son’s welfare.
Well, as a father himself, the Emperor understood those feelings.
Even looking at Mateo, no matter how much he acted like a scoundrel, he was still a cherished son who could do no wrong in his eyes.
The Emperor gladly shared news of the young man to ease the Marquess’s worry about his illegitimate son.
“The young Marquess is doing well. Above all, he seems to be fulfilling his duties properly.”
Contrary to expectations that this would reassure him, the Marquess’s face twisted subtly.
“He’s a child who has enjoyed far more than he should have originally.”
“…”
The Emperor was struck speechless by Marquess Byzantium’s matter-of-fact tone that bordered on certainty.
“So of course he should handle that much well.”
“I see.”
Unable to lecture about someone else’s child, the Emperor could only nod.
His inability to understand his half-brother’s mind hadn’t changed from past to present.
Marquess Byzantium soon let out a deep sigh and asked plaintively.
“Your Majesty, when might I be able to leave this place?”
The Marquess, asking with anxious eyes, seemed to have long run out of patience.
Having kept the Marquess by his side for so long, the Emperor couldn’t fail to notice this.
The Emperor, feeling quite uneasy, frowned as he recalled the troubling rumors circulating.
“It seems the timing might be delayed somewhat.”
