Episode 113
Julietta had returned. Not alone, but with Lucius.
The tracking spell Elonia had placed on her had vanished, dispelled by Lucius’s Holy Power.
“…”
Elonia sat on the bench, staring at the direction they had disappeared in.
She had been afraid of Natalie’s wrath, and today, she had finally faced it.
She felt a sense of relief, but also a pang of regret. If she had been more cautious, Natalie might still be alive.
Valerian sat down beside her.
Elonia, without looking at him, asked,
“Are you okay?”
“I achieved my goal, so I’m fine.”
“Good. Then I’m fine too. So stop looking at me like that.”
“…Do you have eyes on the side of your head?”
Elonia chuckled at his silly remark, and Valerian smiled faintly.
Elonia, her gaze still fixed forward, her chin resting on her hand, thanked him.
“Thank you, Valerian.”
“I didn’t do anything… You could have handled my sister on your own.”
“Julietta’s brainwashing wouldn’t have been broken without you.”
Elonia turned to him, a small smile on her face.
Caroline had laid the groundwork, and Valerian’s presence had brought Julietta back. Elonia couldn’t have done it alone.
Valerian was mesmerized by her smile.
He had thought Llewellyn’s praises of his sister were exaggerated. How could a child who destroyed buildings be kind?
But the Elonia he saw now was kind. Not exactly nice, but kind. A warm feeling spread through his chest, and he quickly changed the subject, flustered.
“Aren’t you going to tell Llewellyn and Alberich about this?”
“…”
Elonia’s face darkened.
She knew she should tell them, but she didn’t want them to become hostile towards Heilan for her sake.
“What do you think I should do?”
She asked. Valerian, after a moment of thought, replied,
“I think you should tell them.”
“Why?”
“If Sister Julietta had known, she wouldn’t have been so easily deceived.”
“That’s true.”
Elonia sighed. She had been so tense since arriving at the festival that she suddenly felt exhausted.
Perhaps that was why she said something she wouldn’t normally say to someone she had just met.
“But I want Llewellyn and Alberich to remain happy and ignorant.”
They had filled her life with happy memories, a stark contrast to her unpleasant experiences with her older siblings in her past life.
They were always so cheerful and eager to please her, despite her cold demeanor.
She wanted them to remain happy and carefree, just like they wanted her to be.
But Valerian’s response surprised her.
“Your Highness, they’re not as sheltered as you think.”
“What?”
Llewellyn, at least, seemed like a spoiled and sheltered child.
Elonia’s eyes widened in surprise. Valerian, a knowing smile on his face, continued,
“Well, it happened when Llewellyn was younger, so he might have forgotten. But Senior Alberich would remember.”
“Remember what?”
Valerian, after a moment of thought, began his story.
“I’m the same age as Llewellyn, so I don’t remember the details, but I’ve heard the stories. It happened shortly after the war ended. There was a minor epidemic, as always.”
Nobles rarely contracted diseases.
But the nobles who had participated in the war were different.
House Asta, being a family of knights, had strong immune systems, so it had been a minor incident, easily dismissed.
“It wasn’t a serious illness, unless you were already weak. So Lady Asta didn’t think much of it when she came into contact with Llewellyn.”
“…Llewellyn got sick?”
“Yes.”
Lady Asta had been consumed by guilt, blaming herself for her son’s illness. And Alberich, knowing that unsanitary conditions could worsen the illness, had meticulously cleaned Llewellyn’s room and taken care of him.
It had been shortly after Philemon’s death.
Everyone in House Asta had been worried that Llewellyn might follow Philemon, unable to bear the grief.
Fortunately, thanks to their care and quick treatment, Llewellyn had recovered.
That experience must have been what made Llewellyn so whiny and clingy. And Alberich’s OCD must have stemmed from that incident.
‘No wonder he was so disgusted by the alley earlier.’
He had been especially protective when Elonia had covered Llewellyn’s mouth. She had thought he was being too harsh, but now, hearing Valerian’s story, she understood.
He truly cared for his younger brother, despite their constant bickering.
‘He’s a good kid.’
He was surprisingly kind and caring, despite his stoic exterior. Llewellyn should know how much his brother cared for him.
Elonia’s face softened, and Valerian, his voice lighter, said,
“Even Llewellyn, who seems so fragile, has already overcome a brush with death. They’re not as weak as you think, Your Highness.”
That was true.
Llewellyn had shielded Elonia from Artius during his tyrannical reign.
And Alberich, with his strong will, had stood up to Dolce, who was much older and larger than him.
Perhaps she was the one who was being overprotective.
“El!”
“Your Highness!”
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The Asta brothers were approaching.
Elonia, her chin resting on her hand, waited for them.
Their expressions revealed the outcome of the quiz contest.
“Congratulations, Alberich.”
“I almost won! I was just one point behind!”
Llewellyn grumbled, stamping his foot in frustration. Alberich, his face relaxed, boasted,
“You still have a long way to go.”
“Ugh, are you happy? Happy about defeating your four-years-younger brother?”
“How dare you talk back to your older brother.”
“Ow!”
Alberich pinched Llewellyn’s cheek, and both Elonia and Valerian chuckled.
“Hey! Who told you to laugh?!”
“Why can’t I laugh? Even the princess is laughing.”
“Are you comparing yourself to El?!”
“That’s mean! We’re friends.”
Valerian was surprisingly good at understanding Llewellyn’s muffled protests.
Alberich finally released Llewellyn’s cheek, which was now redder than his hair. Llewellyn, clutching his cheek, glared at Alberich, then turned to Elonia, seeking comfort.
But Elonia flicked him on the forehead.
Llewellyn’s eyes widened in betrayal.
“Why?!”
“Just because.”
She wanted to say she had done it to tease him, but she held back, afraid he might actually cry. She said, feeling magnanimous,
“Let’s take a class together next semester.”
“Really? Me too?”
“Yes. But no whining or attention-seeking behavior.”
“Yay!”
“Your Highness…?”
Elonia’s words had opposite effects on the two brothers.
Alberich glared at Llewellyn, but then he smiled faintly, seemingly satisfied.
Elonia, seizing the opportunity, said,
“So, Alberich, Llewellyn, I have something to tell you.”
Elonia, back in the Imperial Princess’s Palace, soaked in a warm bath, washing away the tension and fatigue of the day, then started getting ready for bed.
She fidgeted, her feet tapping restlessly, as Sarah dried her hair.
‘Did I make a mistake telling them?’
She had told the Asta brothers to be careful of the prayer altars, believing it was better to be prepared.
She had warned them not to follow anyone who invited them to a secluded place, to refuse any religious solicitations, and to run away if anyone tried to give them a prayer altar.
But their reaction had been more dramatic than she had expected.
Especially Llewellyn.
Alberich must have told him about her supposed interest in Lucius.
‘Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told me to give up on such a dangerous love.’
And what else had he said? That he would never approve, even if he had to eat dirt?
They were so overprotective.
‘Well, they’ll realize it’s not true eventually.’
Alberich, who was about to become an adult, was more likely to experience romantic love than Elonia. As the eldest son, marriage was practically mandatory for him.
But Elonia had forgotten about her own situation.
‘…Wait, it’s mandatory for me too.’
She was the sole heir to the throne.
If this situation was resolved and she became Empress, the next issue would be finding an Empress.
‘Marriage… I’ve never thought about it.’
Marriage had always seemed like a distant and irrelevant concept.
Artius had married for love, but could she?
If she had to marry, she wanted to marry someone she loved. But she had never loved anyone romantically. She didn’t even know what it felt like to love someone.
Elonia turned to Sarah, her first mentor and the former social butterfly.
“Sarah, what does it feel like to fall in love?”
“What?”
Sarah stopped brushing her hair, her blue eyes wide with shock.
“W-why are you suddenly asking? Did something happen at the festival? Could it be…?”
“No! It’s a misunderstanding! I was just curious!”
“I knew this day would come… but it’s too soon… Oh, Philemon…”
Sarah, lost in her thoughts, didn’t seem to hear Elonia’s frantic denials.
“No, really, nothing happened at the festival! I was just curious!”
“This is… too early…”
“I’m telling you, it’s not true!”
Sarah, ignoring her pleas, gently laid Elonia on the bed and tucked her in.
“Good night, Your Highness.”
“Sarah! It’s not true! I swear on Dad!”
But Elonia had forgotten. She had sworn on Artius at the academy and ruined his reputation.
Swearing on Artius was as good as breaking a promise.
Sarah, her face pale with shock, left the room, and Artius, alerted by her reaction, rushed in.
“Elonia, what is this I hear?! You want to get married?!”
The rumor had been exaggerated. Elonia, jumping up from the bed, shouted,
“No, I don’t! Why does everyone keep misunderstanding?!”
“You said it yourself!”
“I didn’t! I’ll never get married! Never! Are you happy now?!”
Artius, relieved by her vehement denial, her declaration of lifelong celibacy, finally calmed down and was about to leave, when he turned back, still slightly anxious.
“Are you really sure?”
“What if I was?”
“…How old are they?”
“I don’t know! There’s no one!”
“…!”
Artius’s face brightened. But he still sat by her bedside until she fell asleep, nagging her about informing him immediately if anything changed, about not marrying someone more than four years older than her.
It was a peaceful night, a welcome respite from the tension of the past few months.