Chapter 5: To You Who Have Forgotten Me (2)

“Was I planning to form an alliance with Ainel or something?”

Caius’s brow furrowed, as though the thought pained him. The air grew tense with his unease.

Tap. Tap. The sound of his long fingers drumming against the desk filled the room.

After a long silence, Victor finally replied in a heavy voice.

“No… I don’t believe that was the reason.”

“Right. There’s nothing to gain from taking their hand anyway.”

Caius’s lips curled slightly to one side.

The Kingdom of Ainel had stood at odds with the Empire for decades. Its status as an enemy nation had long bred deep-seated resentment among the Empire’s people. 

Now, Ainel was a defeated kingdom, stripped of its former glory. No one would welcome an alliance with them, and there was no political advantage in it for Caius either.

So then, why?

Caius tried to recall the woman who had spoken his name so naturally.

A porcelain face. Rare silver hair. Violet eyes that shimmered like a mirage.

Tap. His drumming fingers stilled. His brow furrowed slightly again.

“My Lord, what if you were to speak with Lady Lea yourself?”

Seeing Caius fall silent, Victor made one last attempt. Telling Lea that she had been turned away again and again was starting to feel cruel.

Caius pinched the bridge of his nose before replying in a voice gone flat.

“You’re suggesting I try to regain my memory by talking to her face to face?”

“Yes, well… one way or another, you do need to recover your memory…”

“I don’t see the need.”

Caius gripped the edge of the document with a calloused hand, his voice cold and emotionless.

“It wasn’t anyone’s command. It wasn’t a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

If they had already been married, things might be complicated. But they were only engaged.

So really, what was the point?

“Yes, of course… that’s true, but…”

Victor’s voice trailed off under Caius’s blade-like words. Caius looked at his aide steadily and asked,

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“…I…”

Victor opened his mouth to speak on Lea’s behalf, but thought better of it. Saying more now might just get him thrown out.

“…No, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave.”

Suppressing a sigh, Victor turned away. Lea’s forlorn face lingered in his mind, and though he had done nothing wrong, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

* * *

Lea wandered aimlessly around the palace grounds until her steps led her to Lake Sheron, near the banquet hall. It was evening, and the moonlight cast a faint glow.

“Lady Lea.”

One of her maids approached, draping a shawl over her shoulders. The soft fabric warmed her body, though she hadn’t even realized she was cold. Lea clutched the front of the shawl with both hands, then turned back slightly.

“Thank you.”

The maid bowed politely and stepped away, knowing well that Lea always preferred solitude when she came here. Only after the maid’s presence vanished did Lea turn her gaze back to the lake.

Lake Sheron. This was the place where she had first met Caius, five years ago. Her life had changed entirely from that moment on.

The naive girl who had once borne all the hatred and scorn of the Empire became the fiancée of the First Imperial Prince, no longer a mere political hostage. But what had been salvation to Lea had become poison to Caius.

[“Why would His Highness get engaged to a hostage? She’s a princess of Ainel, the very kingdom that tormented our Empire for years!”]

To the citizens of the Empire, who harbored deep hatred toward Ainel, Caius’s decision was met with fierce opposition.

Lea knew exactly what Caius had given up to choose her.

His reputation as a prince. The powerful allies who could have helped him ascend to Crown Prince.

If he had chosen a noblewoman from a prestigious family instead, he could have curbed the Empress’s influence with ease. He might never have needed to go to war at all.

But Caius had forsaken all of that… to take Lea’s hand. She, who had nothing, not even a shred of influence to offer as a shield.

[“When I return… let’s get married.”]

That was why Lea hadn’t been able to give him an answer.

She’d always been afraid that her presence might be the very thing holding him back.

If only she’d known it would come to this, she would have accepted, if only in words, with joy. If only she’d known he would forget her completely…

Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she recalled walking along the lakeside with her hand in his.

In every one of those moments, they had been truly happy.

As Lea bowed her head, swallowing back her breath, she heard a sudden rustle through the underbrush. Her head snapped toward the sound, and her eyes widened.

A man was walking down the lakeside path. Backlit by the pale moonlight, just as he had been long ago, Caius was approaching like a lie made real.

“Caius…”

Lea murmured blankly and stepped forward. Her slow steps quickened on their own.

The suffocating tightness in her chest melted away the instant she saw him. Caius, sensing her presence, turned his head.

He wore not his uniform, but training clothes, making him look even more like a seasoned man than the young prince in her memories. The form-fitting black attire emphasized his commanding build.

Lea stood before him, feeling a strange sense of unfamiliarity despite herself.

“Caius.”

Caius came to a halt and looked down at her. His gaze swept over her slowly, unreadable. His eyes, lost in the shadows, revealed no hint of emotion, but Lea knew they did not hold warmth.

“What are you doing here?”

Just as she expected, his voice was cold. Still, Lea stepped forward without flinching.

“I was out for a walk. You…?”

That was when his brow creased sharply.

It felt like a silent command: Don’t come any closer. Lea hesitated, stopping in her tracks.

Caius tilted his chin slightly, his voice deliberately polite.

“Then I suggest you continue your walk.”

He strode past her as though they had never crossed paths. Lea turned toward his retreating back and reached out in desperation.

“Wait… please.”

She grabbed his hand, and Caius turned, brows knitting as he looked down at her. His eyes were clearly annoyed, but Lea pressed on carefully.

“Could we… just stay like this, a little longer?”

She only wanted to speak with him even a little. She feared this might be the only chance. But even faced with her pleading expression, Caius said nothing. His gaze remained cold.

“Princess.”

He extricated his hand and addressed her with a chilling formality. Closing his eyes briefly, he spoke again, voice heavy with warning.

“I don’t know how close we might have been… but if you still think that relationship holds any meaning, you’re mistaken.”

Neither warm nor cruel, his emotionless tone pierced her like an arrow.

“To me, you’re just a hostage from Ainel.”

Lea’s hand dropped limply. She wanted to speak, but no words came.

“So don’t overstep your bounds.”

“I…”

She barely managed a sound, but her voice faltered before she could finish. Caius, indifferent, turned and walked away.

Lea’s teary eyes followed him until he faded into the distance. Only then did she finally let out the breath she’d been holding.

She couldn’t chase after him… not anymore.

His words had reminded her of the truth she’d been forcing herself to forget.

A hostage. He was right. Without his memories, that was all she was.

Even so, accepting his retreating figure was unbearable. It felt as though he was leaving her world entirely.

“Lady Lea, it’s getting late. You should return now.”

Only after Caius disappeared into the darkness did her maid approach and speak. Lea’s head moved, at last, the slightest of nods.

“…Yes. Let’s go.”

She whispered faintly and took a slow step forward.

* * *

The Empress’s reception room was adorned with lavish furniture and ornate displays.

Marguerite, her golden hair elegantly swept up, lowered her languid gaze.

Marguerite Elizabeth Herkessia.

With a figure so youthful and beautiful that it was hard to believe she had a grown son, she wore the same serene expression as always.

“So you’re saying the First Imperial Prince hasn’t made any effort to see his fiancée?”

Her gentle tone, as if in deference to those beneath her, only added to her noble aura. The lady-in-waiting standing at her feet lifted her head to respond.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve heard that since His Highness returned, he hasn’t once visited the princess at the Western Palace.”

“Hm… Is that so?”

Marguerite’s reply was brief, and for a fleeting moment, her eyes turned sharp with malice. But it was only for a moment. Soon, her face returned to its benevolent guise as she lifted her red lips in a smile.

“Thank you. You may go now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave.”

As the dutiful lady-in-waiting turned and walked away, Marguerite’s expression grew so cold it was chilling. She murmured in a voice as cold as ice, her lips barely curving.

“Well now… what shall I do?”

The First Imperial Prince, Caius, had returned. Despite the war being one with little hope of victory, he had come back without so much as a scratch.

From the moment news of his successive victories on the front lines began to spread, she had felt uneasy. Even the Emperor, who had always remained silent on the matter of succession, began to show signs of favor toward the First Imperial Prince.

‘This cannot be. Diego still hasn’t been named Crown Prince. If that bastard returns…’

For three years, she had failed to make her son Diego the heir.

If Caius were to return now, the imperial succession would undoubtedly tilt in his favor. As a last resort, she had sent assassins to the old fortress where Caius was expected to pass on his return.

Even using a poison potent enough to be instantly fatal, the attempt failed. Caius returned alive, completely unscathed.