CH 57

“But where is Carlisle?”

“Ah… Carlisle and Helen are in a safe place. And you don’t need to worry about that person in the courtroom, Lumont is on our side.”

“Ellie.”

“What?”

“I insist that you immediately run from the Empire. Of course, you now have great power in your hands… But if you start a fight for the throne here, everything will fly in the wind.”

Initially, I thought of leaving immediately after the verdict was announced.

But… after what I saw today, I now consider it impossible.

It would have been a burden for my father to deal with the conspirators alone. Unlike my father, Marquis Sios doesn’t disdain any methods.

“…I’ll stay here a little longer.”

“What if Carlisle is found?”

“Even so, I’ve already taken some measures. So dad, don’t worry about me and get well.”

Taking a deep breath, my father looked out the window and said:

“…But the Emperor has already been informed that you are here.”

“And maybe… he’ll be on our doorstep soon.”

By this minute you have already learned everything from Marquis Paren.

“His Majesty has been looking for you for almost 7 years. He…”

My father suddenly froze, but soon opened his mouth again.

“Ellie, I hope you know your way to happiness.”

“Of course.”

The moment I smiled at my worried father, I saw our gate open.

A man on a black horse was rushing to the mansion.

“…Raymond.”

I went to the hall alone.

And as soon as I came down, Raymond’s black horse stopped in front of the door.

In his frantic haste, he jumped off his horse and darted inside.

He burst into the mansion with tangled hair and a gaping anxious face.

When I met him, as the protocol dictates, all his impulses stopped for a moment.

Back on the ship, I was worried that if I met him again, my heart would be shaken.

After that, I accidentally met him twice, but my heart was pounding endlessly only from the fear of being caught.

However, now, when I looked at him, peace reigned over my heart.

“Hail His Majesty the Emperor, Empire Sun.”

My voice rang out in the lobby.

“Rise your head.”

When I raised my eyes and looked at him, I felt in him a longing mixed with anxiety.

Wow. I used to always look at him that way.

“Ellie…”

He hugged me, saying my name in a trembling voice.

It was a gentle hug, as if he never even wanted to let me go.

He hung on me, but I just couldn’t reciprocate.

I pushed him hard.

Such a harsh gesture stunned him. He stared stupidly in my direction with still trembling eyes.

I just looked at him without feeling.

“Sire. Such a sudden showing of affection looks strange. Please control yourself.”

“Ellie.”

“Sire.”

He couldn’t wait to say a lot. His dark eyes, looking at me, contained a deep longing and joy when he finally met the person he longed for.

You’ve been looking for me for 6 years. It was probably worth it.

I couldn’t understand why he was looking for me for six years, but now, standing in front of me, he looked like a happy child.

The reasons for this weren’t clear to me.

Unlike me, who drew a clear line after we parted, he treated me with sentimentality.

As if we could be friends anyway.

But I didn’t want it. I just wanted to end this meeting as soon as possible.

His handsome face and obsidian eyes seemed much deeper and colder than six years ago.

In the past, my eyes raced when I looked at him. It was as if I was obsessed with his handsome face, and my heart was pounding with a hammer. But now I was only a little uncomfortable in his presence.

Especially when those eyes were staring at me maniacally.

It is a deeply hidden sense of longing and inner turmoil.

Why are you looking at me like that?

I would like to ask him.

However, I don’t want to know why he does it. For the past six years, I knew that he was looking for me, and even if I was curious to know the reason, I dismissed this riddle as useless thoughts.

Whatever the reason, these are exclusively his problems.

I stared into Raymond’s dark eyes and opened my lips. Without any hesitation.

“I just got back from court. The process was nervous and I was tired. So if you have nothing more to say, could you leave?”

His eyes trembled violently when he realized that I had expressed my unwillingness to listen to anything.

His red lips were motionless.

He obviously wanted to say a lot, but he couldn’t make up his mind.

Strangers might not notice this, but I know very well how it feels.

Once I had to put up with the fact that I wanted to express a lot, but couldn’t.

And this time he closed his sweet lips, suppressing what a second ago wanted to break out.

“Yes, you are tired for today. Since you have returned… Come to the palace tomorrow.”

When I received this invitation, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Until now, I thought that I would stay in the Empire for a while, but I didn’t want to mess with Raymond.

And when I tried to convey my refusal to him, he invented an excuse:

“You brought a witness to court today. I need to personally hear the whole story. And I have a story to tell about the Duke, so come to the palace. ”

“…Yes, Your Majesty. And now please leave. Have a nice day.”

I couldn’t bear it any longer, because it was uncomfortable for me to stand next to someone who was staring at me with the eyes of a fanatic.

The merciless and indifferent look was much more familiar.

I climbed the stairs before he left. It was rude to leave first even before the guest left the door, but I no longer had the strength to look into those eyes.

I was afraid that he would grab me by force, but Raymond didn’t.

He just looked at me as I walked up the stairs.

Just like I once looked back at him leaving.

He stared at the stairs until Ellie was completely out of his sight, and finally, he silently turned into the palace.

* * *

What should I say to her when I see her 6 years later? I thought about it hundreds of times, but nothing good came out.

Her eyes were so cold.

No, I would have prayed for forgiveness and clung to her, if this coldness from indignation and censure.

However, Ellie’s purple eyes were simply insensitive.

She had completely thrown him out of her mind in those six years. Whereas he was the one who missed her and suffered.

There was no point in the conversation. Everything he said will inevitably be ignored.

Who knows, if I continue to impose on her, her indifference will be replaced by at least contempt?

He couldn’t even imagine what else this obsession would push him to.

Maybe I’ll even lose my temper, take the Duke hostage, try to get you back?

Crazy idea, but my heart was already suffering from separation.