Chapter 16

Ayla rolled her eyes. After sending Damian off, she came to the study. Just as she was stamping her feet, thinking she must have gone crazy for nodding to the date proposal as if bewitched, only realizing after Damian had already left, the butler came looking for her. It was a summons from her father.

Her father sat in his chair like a tall, massive mountain. Ayla thought she might never be able to overcome this mountain in her lifetime. Her father was silently looking at her without telling her to sit. Her rolling eyes met eyes identical to her own. Ayla flinched but tried to show the perfect example of a lady pretending to be okay.

Calion looked at his daughter and thought of his wife. The curling blonde hair seemed to hold dazzling sunlight. The purple eyes were exactly like his own. They were also eyes that showed the Dürman bloodline.

She resembled him and his wife. He hadn’t wished for her personality to resemble his wife’s, but he hadn’t wished for it to resemble his either. But looking at her now, she was a spitting image of him. The unpredictability, that is. This must be why the previous Duke, his father, had said to him, “Try having and raising a child like yourself.”

Calion had originally intended to pass on the head of the Dürman family to Ayla. He hadn’t forced it, but Ayla had naturally assumed it, and so he had given her successor training. But now, even thinking about it made him sick. This is why he hadn’t liked the idea of making Ayla Damian’s friend from the start. But he couldn’t ignore the Empress.

Anyway, he thought it would be fine because she was young. He had planned to naturally separate them as they grew up! He never dreamed that his daughter would come to like Damian. This wasn’t part of his plan.

Yes, he admits that Damian has a handsome face. He was calmer and kinder to Ayla than the other boys her age who were like wild colts. But, but…!

His fists trembled. The heart he had just calmed began to boil again. No, no. He just needed to make a new plan. An engagement can be broken at any time.

“…Ayla.”

A low voice resonated. Ayla swallowed hard. She composed herself and answered.

“Yes, Father.”

Grind. There were no following words, only the sound of teeth grinding. Ayla felt sweat forming on her clasped hands. She had thought he wouldn’t beat her up, but now she wondered if he was thinking of beating up Damian instead. Should she run away now? She thought, belatedly, that maybe she should contact her mother now. Sometimes she wondered how her mother had married such a father.

Calion closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and out. He resented the reality that he had to utter these words with his own mouth. Should he have stabbed him with that sword after all? Calion opened his mouth with difficulty, making a belated regret.

“…About the engagement.”

Calion opened his eyes. He had barely started. Ayla clenched her hands tightly. Calion looked at the sparkling amethyst eyes, closed his eyes tightly again, and took a deep breath.

“…I allow it.”

Oh, God. Ayla, who was usually not at all devout, wanted to offer a prayer of thanks to God at this moment. No one died, and it ended peacefully. Her father had taken a step back. The feeling of overcoming one obstacle felt much more refreshing than taking an exam.

Ayla smiled at Calion, hiding her excited feelings. Ayla’s bright smile was the same as when she was a child.

“Thank you, Father.”

Calion recalled the day Ayla was born. That day, he had hugged his wife and Ayla and cried. He still couldn’t forget how his heart had swelled when he first saw Ayla. It meant that he would inevitably lose to Ayla. It had been foreseeable since he couldn’t stop Ayla from running away to the Academy.

The child who was so young had now grown up like this. He thought she would stay in his arms forever.

Hiding his bitter feelings, Calion said to Ayla:

“It’s getting late, so have dinner before you go. You can stay overnight if you want.”

“I’ll just have dinner and go. I need to go to Caelum tomorrow.”

“…”

Calion felt even more bitter at Ayla’s firm answer.

* * * 

While her heart was pounding wildly, the one who had actually proposed the date seemed no different than usual, making Ayla feel a bit wronged. She wondered if he had really asked for a date. It was always like this. He was calm while she was the only one flustered.

Stealing glances at Damian, Ayla suddenly stood up. She couldn’t study properly like this. It seemed she could only regain her composure if he wasn’t in sight.

As she stood up, Damian, who had been looking at his book, raised his head. Seeing Damian’s questioning face, Ayla, with no intention of giving an answer, gathered the books and notes spread on the desk, hugged them to her chest, and quickly walked out of the reading room. Behind her, she heard a confused “Huh?” followed by rustling sounds. Soon, footsteps were heard, but Ayla ignored them.

“Ayla. Is something wrong? Why are you leaving without saying anything?”

The words “It’s all because of you” and “Don’t you know your own fault?” were on the tip of her tongue, but Ayla held back as a refined lady.

“Ah, right. Ayla, about tomorrow…”

Tomorrow meant that day. The day they had agreed to go on a date. Ayla’s heart dropped with a thud. She unconsciously stopped in her tracks.

“Ayla?”

This is crazy. This isn’t right. A date? That’s absurd. Although Damian’s words weren’t wrong, it wasn’t a date. Surely it wasn’t…

Ayla turned around. Through the window, there was a sparkling lake. And eyes that mirrored that lake were right in front of her.

What’s the problem? Those eyes? Or that smile? Or her malfunctioning heart? If it keeps doing this all the time, isn’t it a disease now? Ayla thought she should probably go to the hospital. It must be an arrhythmia. She needed to get checked and get a prescription.

“Ayla. Are you listening to me?”

“Uh, yeah. What is it?”

Ayla answered as composedly as she could, trying not to show anything as a lady. To others, it might have seemed awkward and stilted, but Damian didn’t seem to notice.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

How could she have a place she wanted to go when she was thinking about canceling the date right now? But the words to cancel the date didn’t come out. Her head was telling her to cancel, but her mouth gave a different answer.

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Oh, will you? Then where should we meet? Shall we meet at the school gate? What time? How about 11 o’clock?”

“Uh…”

“Okay. Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Ayla.”

Damian smiled brightly and even waved his hand. She had been the one trying to leave first, but Damian was the one who left.

Ayla stood rooted to the spot, watching Damian’s retreating figure. Then she clutched her head with both hands. The books she had been holding fell to the floor with a thud, but Ayla couldn’t even think about picking them up. She didn’t care about the stares from the surrounding students. A vulgar curse she had once heard from Serina came to mind. It was far from ladylike, but there really was no other way to express it.

She was screwed.

* * * 

Finally, the long-awaited private audience with the Emperor was realized. The Emperor, cunning as a snake, was smiling casually. He even welcomed him warmly.

“It’s been a while, Duke. Have you been well?”

Calion felt his stomach twist. He had been well. If it weren’t for that letter that flew in like a storm, he would have been peacefully waiting for the academy’s vacation when his eldest daughter would return.

Although he had drawn his sword in front of Damian, the person before him now was the Emperor. Unable to draw his sword against the Emperor, Calion forcibly calmed the pain in his stomach and said:

“No, I have not been well. I couldn’t sleep all night because Your Majesty rejected my request for an audience for three whole days.”

“Oh my, was that so? I’m sorry. I’ve been very busy lately, so I rejected all audience requests.”

“That’s a consolation in the midst of misfortune. I feel comforted.”

It was disrespectful if anything, but the Emperor didn’t point it out. The Duke had no intention of correcting himself either.

“Well then. What was the reason for requesting an audience? Ah, come to think of it, we did have an important matter to discuss. Isn’t it a wonderful thing, Duke? You and I are to become in-laws.”

The Emperor laughed loudly. Calion felt his stomach, which he had just managed to calm, twisting again.

Calion picked up his teacup with the utmost aristocratic grace. He took a sip of tea and put the cup down. There wasn’t even a clinking sound. The full cup was quickly emptied.

Calion slowly opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty.”

A solemn voice resonated. The Emperor met eyes that looked exactly like Ayla’s.

“I trust Your Majesty.”

“…”

“I hope to be Your Majesty’s loyal subject.”

Calion stood up. He bowed to the Emperor with impeccable etiquette.

“Then, may glory be with the Sun.”

The Duke left without even the sound of his shoes. Sunlight was pouring in through the large window. The Emperor leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes tightly.

[“Brianne. You should resent me instead.”]

It was already a matter from decades ago. What did she say then?

[“You’re right. If only I could resent you freely…”] 

She cried, and so did he. It was a day when a sorrowful crescent moon rose, and a day when his personal sun began to lose its light.

“…Brianne…”

The name he hadn’t uttered for so long flowed out like a dispersing breath. The Emperor raised his arm to cover his eyes. He had always followed political choices. So now, that should be enough for him alone.