Chapter 7: To You Who Have Forgotten Me (4)
Leah stood trembling, staring at Marguerite.
Her expression was so vivid, so convincing, that it made Leah doubt her own reality. She slowly shook her head and spoke in a shaking voice.
“Your Majesty knows better than anyone that I never said such a thing. I swear, I’m innocent…”
But then she caught sight of the eyes watching her.
They had already decided she was guilty.
Even if she claimed her innocence, no one would believe her. Though they didn’t speak openly, perhaps for fear of Caius, they still looked at her with disdain.
And that was the most painful part.
* * *
“Your Highness!”
Victor clutched his chest in shock as an unexpected intruder burst into the office.
Caius, who had just received a document from Victor, lifted his gaze to regard the woman. It was Sophia, a maid from the detached palace. She rushed breathlessly to the desk, completely forgetting to greet them.
“You must go to the detached palace at once. There’s been a serious incident—”
“What could possibly justify such rudeness?” Victor interrupted with a frown.
Sophia flinched but didn’t stop speaking.
“I-I’m sorry. But the situation is urgent… Her Majesty the Empress is interrogating Lady Lea right now. She’s accusing her of insulting the Imperial Family.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
Victor responded first, as expected. At last, Sophia raised her voice in protest.
“It’s a misunderstanding. Lady Lea insists she said no such thing. But the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting are being completely unreasonable—”
Sophia, who had been fervently defending Lea, abruptly trailed off. She’d just noticed Caius’s expression.
In the past, he would have leapt to his feet and rushed over. But now, Caius’s face was unnervingly calm, so much so that Sophia had to blink in disbelief.
“Is… is it really that serious?”
Victor asked in her place, noticing her stunned silence.
Jolted back to her senses, Sophia nodded furiously.
“Y-Yes! Her Majesty specifically requested Your Highness’s presence. She said she wants to ask you directly what should be done with Lady Lea…”
“My Lord.”
Even before Sophia could finish, Victor called Caius urgently.
Caius, who until then had shown no reaction, set down the quill in his hand. With a blank expression, he pressed his fingers against his weary eyes.
The gesture was far too nonchalant, and Sophia once again looked stunned. She had found it strange that Caius hadn’t sought out Lea since his return, but she hadn’t thought much of it.
After all, it was Caius who had assigned Sophia, his former mother’s lady-in-waiting, to attend Lea.
No one knew better than Sophia just how devoted and affectionate Caius had once been toward Lea.
Yet now, there was not even a trace of the man she remembered. It was as if she were looking at a completely different person.
“My Lord… I really think you need to go in person.”
Victor tried again, his voice filled with unease as he watched Caius remain silent.
At last, Caius lowered his hand from his eyes and fixed his gaze straight ahead, sharp and cold. After a long, tense silence, he slowly rose to his feet.
“Which detached palace?”
He tossed the question at Sophia without so much as a hint of urgency. She swallowed nervously before replying.
“The West Palace, Your Highness.”
Having confirmed the location, Caius calmly exited the office. Sophia followed anxiously behind, her eyes flickering with worry.
“The First Imperial Prince is entering!”
Before the attendant could finish announcing him, Caius flung open the doors and stepped into the hall.
At the sudden arrival of the long-awaited First Imperial Prince, everyone gathered like spectators turned their heads at once.
Brushing past the onlookers, Caius took in the scene at a glance, his eyes landing on the woman at the center of it all.
Lea stood surrounded by people, her head bowed helplessly. Her hair, soaked and disheveled, trailed down her back. Her cheeks were pale as paper. For the briefest moment, Caius’s gaze sharpened. Strangely, the sight didn’t feel unfamiliar to him.
“Caius.”
Marguerite, standing tall before Lea, called his name. Only then did Lea raise her head with unfocused eyes.
When their eyes met, her once-violet irises now dulled and lifeless, Caius was overcome by an unplaceable, unpleasant feeling. He pushed it down reflexively and strode toward them.
“What’s going on here, Your Majesty?”
Caius spoke directly to Marguerite without even sparing Lea a glance. His lack of visible reaction to his fiancée’s miserable state made Marguerite’s expression shift ever so slightly.
Masking her face once more, she sighed before answering.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the gist of it. The princess disturbed many of the noble ladies present today with comments that insulted the Empire. Several called for her punishment… But she is your person, is she not? So I summoned you to ask how she should be dealt with.”
Marguerite pressed her forehead with a look of reluctant concern, as if to say she hadn’t wanted things to escalate this far.
Then Lea, who had stood still like a statue, clenched her trembling hand and shook her head.
“I… I never said anything like that. I swear.”
Her voice was steady, but her eyes, now filled with red, looked directly at Caius. There was desperation in her expression. As if begging: You, at least, must believe me.
Caius stared at her for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the Empress.
“It seems the princess misspoke.” His voice was cold. Devoid of any emotion. “I’ll make sure to reprimand her.”
So this is what it feels like to have your heart torn to shreds.
Lea stared blankly up at him, forgetting even to breathe.
He hadn’t asked what had happened. Hadn’t even inquired what words she was supposed to have said. As if none of it mattered, he simply accepted Marguerite’s claims just like everyone else.
“Caius, a mere reprimand won’t be enough to satisfy those gathered. An insult to the Empire is an insult to His Majesty and to you, as well.”
Marguerite’s voice was gentle as she chided him. Without hesitation, Caius replied,
“Then pass judgment as the law dictates.”
“…What?”
Caught off guard, Marguerite responded with a shrill note. Caius merely tilted his head, unfazed.
“I said you should impose whatever punishment befits the crime of insulting the Empire.”
Marguerite let out a dry laugh without realizing it. Caius met her gaze without a flicker of emotion.
Is that really Caius? Even if his feelings for Lea had cooled, how could he be so indifferent, so utterly cold?
A hundred questions raced through her mind, but Marguerite quickly composed her expression.
From the start, she’d had no intention of carrying out any official punishment. The accusation she’d leveled against Lea wouldn’t hold up as a serious crime and might even backfire if pressed too far.
Besides, the Emperor detested unnecessary commotion at social gatherings. If word reached him, it wouldn’t reflect well on her either. The whole point of this scheme had been to draw Caius out and gauge the current state of his relationship with Lea.
And that, she had accomplished.
“…So what do you intend to do?” Caius asked again, breaking the silence.
Marguerite, eyeing him for a moment, finally raised both hands in feigned surrender.
“Enough. There’s already been quite a scene… Let’s say the princess has reflected sufficiently.”
She glanced at the crowd before giving Lea one final warning.
“However, if this happens again, I won’t be so lenient.”
With those words, Marguerite touched her forehead as though exhausted. Her ladies-in-waiting rushed to support her with exaggerated concern.
Only then did Caius lower his gaze to the trembling Lea.
Her face, drained of emotion, carried a storm of feelings – confusion, sorrow… and something else she couldn’t name.
Caius calmly took in Lea’s disheveled state, then signaled to Sophia with a glance.
Sophia, who had been silently watching the situation unfold, immediately understood and hurried to support Lea.
With Sophia leading her through the hall, Lea passed by with unsteady steps. Caius followed behind, his expression unchanged from the very beginning – completely indifferent. It was almost hard to believe anything had happened just moments ago.
Once they exited the detached palace, Sophia helped Lea into the waiting carriage, then stepped back. Caius passed by Sophia and took the seat opposite Lea. The carriage started moving without delay.
“…I didn’t do that.”
Just as the carriage began to pull away from the palace, Lea broke the silence with a quiet, heavy voice.
“I swear I didn’t.”
Was she seriously trying to plead her innocence now? Caius let out a faint, bitter twist of his lips.
“It’s true. I…”
“I know.”
His indifferent reply made Lea’s eyes tremble with instability. After a moment’s silence, a strained question escaped her lips.
“If you knew… then why did you do that?”
Caius turned his head slightly, averting his gaze from Lea’s face, which was still stained with shock.
The Empress had clearly orchestrated the incident, so there was no need to investigate further. Lea had undoubtedly been framed.
Regardless of the specific accusation, Caius knew the Empress would never truly punish Lea. That woman would never do anything to damage her own reputation.
Punishing her stepson’s fiancée for any reason, especially of her own volition, would ultimately go against the image she had so carefully cultivated, even if not immediately.
But there was no need to explain all that. Coming all the way here to ‘rescue’ this woman had already been a meaningless indulgence for him. He had no intention of comforting her or offering sympathy – not even for something this trivial.
“To you, am I…”
Lea, unable to bear the silence, finally spoke. Her voice trembled with desperation, as if clinging to her last shred of hope.
“Am I really nothing to you now?”
Only then did Caius raise his eyes to meet hers.
Even knowing he had lost his memory, she still hadn’t let go of her foolish hopes.
Seeing the pitiful flicker in her eyes stirred a strange sense of revulsion. Caius unconsciously furrowed his brows.
Since his return, he had been bombarded with the same remarks over and over. Flattering words about his service to the Empire. Formal congratulations on his virtually guaranteed ascension to the crown prince.
And talk of this woman.
