Chapter 69

It took several days to prepare for the move.

Meanwhile, Julia headed for Richel.

In the midst of early summer, Richel estate was full of green energy.

When the carriage stopped, the children rushed out to the front yard to wait for Julia to come down.

"Julia!"

Soon after she got off, five or six children clung together and hugged her.

Smiling brightly, Julia took her children's hands and entered her gate.

"Welcome, Julia."

Gabrielle greeted her with a warm smile as always.

Seeing that, Julia quickly felt comfortable as usual.

“Gabrielle, I think I'll be leaving a little farther away soon."

When only the two of them were left in the parlor, Julia opened her mouth.

"How far away is it?"

"It's a long way from here, so I don't think I'll stop by here anymore."

The territory of Seyref, where Julia decided to stay, was located on the opposite side of the Grand Duchy.

Gabrielle opened her eyes wide in surprise, soon asked calmly.

“Did you decide to stay with him?”

“… no."

As Julia lifted her mouth with a sullen expression, Gabrielle looked at her anxiously.

“After you go there, you plan to go to another place again.”

“Anywhere else… .”

“It’s a foreign country.  I'm going to a place that's very, very far from the Empire, where he can't find me no matter how much he searches.”

This time, she will have to live alone without anyone's help.

It was a time when she had to stand alone without people who accepted and cared for her unconditionally like when she was living in the Holy Land.

Gabrielle asked with a worried face.

“Julia, when the Holy Land is stable, can’t we just go back to the old days?  Can you hang in there, then leave with me and the kids, huh?”

“… no.  If I go to the Holy Land, I will be captured by that person again.”

Fernan already knew she was in Holy Land, so now she couldn’t go there again.

“Julia, then…  Why don't you go with Cedric? He will definitely go with you.”

At Gabrielle’s suggestion, Julia lowered her gaze as if contemplating, and answered.

"No. Cedric will have to continue his priesthood…  I can’t cause him any more trouble.”

Then Gabrielle immediately shook her head.  Cedric was still waiting eagerly for a call from Julia.

How much he cared and wished for Julia, Gabrielle was actually aware of.

“If you don’t like it, I can’t help it, but he’ll be happy to follow you.”

“…  ”

“So think about it.  It's because I'm so worried that you're leaving alone."

Julia nodded slightly.

"Yes I will."

She had to meet Cedric once before leaving.  At the very least, she should exchange letters.  If he offered to help, Julia had no reason to refuse.

To escape from Fernan, her strength alone was not enough.

If Cedric could use his powers to hide her presence or help her change her appearance for a moment, she couldn’t be more grateful.

“Gabrielle….I really wanted to tell you this.”

Then, with a faint smile on her face, Julia spoke.

“Thank you for caring for me like a daughter and treating me with kindness.  Gabrielle… you’re like a mother to me.”

Her one year at the small monastery in the Holy Land was the happiest time of Julia's 20 years of life.

At the center of it all was Gabrielle.  Even though they were not blood related, she was always a person who gave her infinite affection without a price.

Julia hoped that her relationship with Gabrielle would not end like this.  She would be able to see her again when she left safely and settled somewhere.

Gabrielle held Julia's hand with a warm smile as always.

“Julia, you will always be my daughter.”

“…  ”

“I want to see you again after you leave.  Then we can spend more time together.”

Julia held Gabrielle’s wrinkled hand.

She tried to keep a smile on her face, but somehow she felt like she was about to cry.

***

It was her last day at Richel when she got in touch with Cedric.

When Gabrielle sent a letter to the temple, she received a reply within just one day.

[I’m leaving for Seyref.  There is a port there, so it will be easy to escape, as Julia said. Come with me.]

As Gabrielle said, Cedric did not refuse to follow her..

Even when she fled the Grand Duke’s castle a long time ago, even in the Holy Land, Cedric was always happy to be with her.

She decided to contact Cedric again as soon as a departure date was set.

So Julia returned to the villa again.

“Your Grace, are you here?”

Melissa approached and spoke to her. Julia lightly nodded her head.

The current villa was busy with workers carrying luggage.

“His Highness has been away for a while. He said when he returned, he was going to leave for Seyref in three days.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Three days later, the schedule was faster than expected.  Julia went straight to the bedroom and prepared her stationery and her quill.

She was ready to deliver the news to Cedric.

“Your Grace, do you have anything to bring with you?”

Julia, who was trying to answer Melissa's question while writing her letter, paused for a moment.

All of a sudden, a feeling of something hot inside rose up.

“Ha….”

Julia, who covered her mouth, then lowered her head. At the same time, red blood flowed out of her hand.

“Your Grace!”

Melissa was startled and ran to her, missing the vase she was holding.

The sound of the vase breaking on the floor echoed through the bedroom.

“Your Grace…..Oh no, I need to call the doctor right away…  ”

Melissa, who was worried and flustered, took out her handkerchief first.

Meanwhile, the blood dripped down to the hem of Julia's dress.

Julia hurriedly grabbed Melissa's hand as she was about to leave the bedroom.

“No, don’t call…. .”

Julia, who was barely able to open her mouth, shook her head.  Melissa's eyes trembled as she looked at her red lips.

“What are you talking about! You need treatment right now…  ”

“It’s okay, don’t call anyone. Please."

A painful pressure felt as if someone was strangling her throat, but Julia continued to stutter her words.

“Melissa, listen to me. I’m really fine….”

Melissa couldn't even blink her eyes, as if she didn't understand, but soon approached Julia.

“Your Grace, why are you like this?  You vomited blood like that, why…”

Julia looked at Melissa, who was about to cry, slowly lowered her trembling hand.

She lightly pressed her lips to the back of her hand, struggling to smile.

“It’s incurable. This…it’s not just a sickness.”

“Isn't it just a heart disease?  What the hell is this…  ”

As she felt her heart beating like crazy, Julia took a deep breath in.

At this point, she felt a vibration that resonated throughout her body to the extent that her heart was about to burst.

“I can’t explain it exactly, but it’s a symptom that neither a doctor nor a priest can cure.”

“What… .”

“Melissa, don’t tell anyone what you saw today.  Especially…His Highness.”

She barely lifted her eyelids. She had to leave soon, and she didn't want to get caught up in her condition.

Melissa barely blinked her eyes with her dazed face and then bit her lips.

“If you tell him, I'm sure he’ll find a way to cure Your Grace.”

Julia grabbed Melissa again and muttered in a more determined voice.

"I won't stay with His Highness for long, Melissa, you know that. So listen to me. Please."

Melissa noticed that Julia was strangely calm. It seemed like it wasn't the first time this kind of bleeding was happening.

Eventually Melissa turned her body completely towards her, sniffling her nose and bowing her head. After confirming that Melissa had understood what she was saying, Julia took her handkerchief and slowly wiped her lips, soaked in blood.

Melissa, who belatedly pulled out her spare handkerchief and wiped both her hands and the hem of Julia’s dress, a crying voice came out at the same time.

“Are you really, really going to leave?  When?  You said you were going to Seyref, so you could run away from there…  ”

"…Yes."

Julia, who answered meekly, touched Melissa's hand.

Stopping, Melissa looked at her with a sniffle. Julia smiled faintly as if to reassure her.

It was as if she was saying thank you.

Seeing that, Melissa bowed her head deeply with her eyes full of tears.

Thanks to Melissa's silence, the disturbance that occurred once was organized like that.

That evening, Fernan, who had been away, returned and three smooth days passed after that.

The morning scheduled to leave for Seyref, Julia chose the dress that Fernan had bought for her the other day.

It was a white frill dress with sapphire in the middle of the neckline.

When she came out after dressing up, the bright sunlight of summer melted her body.

Fernan, who was instructing a lieutenant in the front yard, felt a presence and looked back.

"Your Highness."

In a quiet call, Fernan came straight to her.

His eyes touched Julia's face and looked delicately at her tied hair and dress.

Finally, looking into her eyes again, he opened his mouth quietly.

"We're going to leave soon.”

Julia, who nodded, made eye contact with him.

She was still feeling throbbing all over, but she smiled quietly as if nothing had happened.

Thinking that there was not much time left to spend with him, she felt comfortable and uncomfortable.

She wanted to treat him well for the rest of the time she had left.

She didn't want to run away because she didn't like him like she used to.

After she left, she hoped that he would live a better life than before. 

May he meet a new person and no longer suffer from someone hostile to him.

‘Like that, both of us. May you live a life that is no longer difficult.’

For the first time, Julia looked at him with a sweet smile on her face, Fernan’s eyes also contained a soft light.

Reaching out, Fernan wrapped her soft hand in his. The hand was strong and gentle just the same.