CH 166

“Cecile,” he called, gazing into her face. As he’d expected, she was tearing up again. He gently raised a hand to wipe at her tears. Why was it that his chest ached when she was the one crying? As he’d always done, he reached out to gently wipe away her tears.

“This is how I knew,” Cecile said, catching his hand.

“Knew what?”

“That the black thing was you, Your Majesty,” Cecile said with a smile. Even though the black mass had murdered her captor, it’d approached her to wipe away her tears. That was how she was able to recognize Estian—it was how he always comforted her when she cried.

“Why did you save me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… Why didn’t you run away back then?”

There was reproach mixed into Estian’s tone. If the voices had grown stronger and overpowered him, Cecile would’ve ended up dying by his own hand. That was why he felt such relief when Girgantia appeared. He hoped the dragon and the others would spirit Cecile far, far away. Forget running away, instead his wife had charged straight at him.

Cecile gazed back at Estian with her glistening green eyes. It was a puzzled expression, as if questioning why he’d ask such a thing. Her hands, which were once white and beautiful and now sported large and small scars, reached up to cup his face. Even though her skin was marred, in Estian’s eyes, she was more dazzling than ever. Just looking at her made his heart overflow with emotions and left him all flustered.

“Your Majesty,” Cecile began, “even if I were to return to that time, I’d still choose to save you, Your Majesty.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve taken a fancy to you,” Cecile answered with a smile.

He remembered those words. They were the same words he once said to her a long time ago. “I’ve taken a liking to you…” She was returning those words back to him. Overwhelmed, he gathered her into his arms, and she buried her face in his shoulder, as he pressed his face against hers in return, as if they loathed to be apart.

“Cecile.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t address me like that anymore,” Estian murmured.

“Then, how…?”

“Call me by name, like you did in Etia.”

Cecile let out a tiny gasp. Calling the emperor by his name was a privilege granted only to the emperor’s family, and he’d killed all those who had that right, so there was no one left in the imperial palace that addressed him directly. It was one of the first rules Cecile had been taught after arriving at the palace, so she’d always addressed him by his title, even if she felt a tinge of sadness in the corner of her heart each time she did so. It felt like a line was drawn in the sand—Cecile thought of Estian as family, but he didn’t reciprocate. But now, Estian was asking for her to call his name.

“…Estian,” Cecile cautiously squeezed out. Even though it was her own voice, it sounded unfamiliar to her ears. However, when she saw his eyes light up and a gentle smile she’d never seen before bloom on his face, she gathered up her courage and called out in a clearer voice, “Estian.” It was only the second time she’d said his name, but the feeling of unfamiliarity had vanished, so she called out his name for the third time.

Estian’s smile grew wider as he replied, “Yes, Cecile. I’m here.”

Cecile tightened her arms around Estian and hugged him again. All he’d done was call her name, yet tears poured from her eyes. Today, at last, she’d become his family.