Chapter 13

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Platinum Watch
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From a very young age, Cesare had perfectly adapted to the wilderness that was the Imperial Palace. Assassination attempts by poison were so commonplace they were yawn-inducing.

It wasn't just Cesare; the other members of the imperial family were the same. It was only natural, as one had to kill to survive. Even Cesare's older brother, who was dismissed as weak-willed, wouldn't bat an eye at such things.

And so, Cesare had punished the servant, thinking back to when he was Aileen's age. He had even tried to be considerate by not letting her see the servant die, but Aileen was as shocked as if her world had been turned upside down.

Until then, Aileen had firmly believed Cesare was an angel who had lost his wings.

Beyond his inhumanly beautiful appearance, he was always kind. He often gifted her delicious snacks and books she wanted to read, and most importantly, he would happily listen to her talk about plants, a topic no one else cared for.

In Aileen's small world, Cesare was a just and benevolent god.

She had lived with this firm belief, only to discover he was a terrifyingly evil god. The shock was so great that Aileen fell ill that very day. It took a long time for her startled body and mind to recover.

After a long time spent suffering in bed, she finally recovered, and Cesare invited her to the Imperial Palace. The letter, delivered through her mother, contained words to soothe her. It also said she didn't have to come if she didn't want to.

Aileen clutched the prince's letter to her chest and pondered for a long time.

If she refused the invitation, Cesare would not press the matter and would cleanly end their relationship. She would never see him again.

But Aileen couldn't let the prince go. Because if he was gone… there would be no one left to listen to her stories.

Aileen had come to realize that telling the prince fascinating stories about plants was more fun than fiddling with tree leaves by herself.

Fear and loneliness engaged in a tense tug-of-war. But the winner was decided quickly. Aileen was already methodically constructing excuses for Cesare in her mind.

‘That servant was trying to kill the prince. The prince had no choice.’

The method was cruel, but the servant had tried to kill Cesare first. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had to protect the lonely and struggling prince.

So, Aileen went back to Cesare. After the commotion that day, Cesare also refrained from cruel acts in front of her.

‘Then and now, I'm still a fool.’

Aileen thought to herself as she mechanically moved her hand, pushing scrambled eggs into her mouth.

When they encountered the assassin in the imperial greenhouse, she had told Cesare to run while she bought him time. In response, Cesare had smiled and told her to close her eyes and sing a song.

“One song should be enough.”

She didn't know what he meant, but she did as he said. As Aileen squeezed her eyes shut and began to sing the national anthem, Cesare smiled again.

Then, from the moment his smile vanished, horrific sounds began to fill the air. Before Aileen could finish the first verse of the anthem through her tears, everything fell silent.

“Open your eyes, Aileen.”

*Hic, sob…* Aileen opened her eyes, sobbing. Through her blurred vision, she saw Cesare. Covered head to toe in someone else's blood, he clicked his tongue briefly.

“Why would you say something like that when you're such a coward?”

He tossed aside his leather gloves, soaked in blood, and wiped away Aileen's tears. He spoke to her in a low, firm voice.

“There will never be a time for you to take my place. Understand?”

Aileen, her face a mess of tears, nodded. After that, she was dragged to the banquet hall.

At the banquet, Cesare held her hand and said something, but she was so out of her mind that she didn't hear a word. The only thing she remembered was Michele escorting her home.

And so, the victory banquet ended in disaster. If there was one positive thing to take from the messy situation, it was that the ruined banquet meant she didn't have to dance.

“Hah.”

Having finished her meal, Aileen gulped down a glass of water and let out a deep sigh. Her chest felt tight.

Aileen was scared and terrified of Cesare.

Even after that incident at eleven, she had encountered the cruelty inherent in Cesare's nature several more times. There were occasions when it was revealed despite his efforts to hide it.

Each time, Aileen trembled in fear, just as she had when she was eleven. And yet, she could never bring herself to leave him. Eventually, it reached the point where she was in love with him, one-sidedly.

‘But what can I do if I like him…’

The heart that had grown, fed on Cesare's affection, had fattened itself up as it pleased, swelling the size of her love. It was now so large that even Aileen couldn't control it.

“I'm a fool.”

She assessed herself objectively and cleared the table. As she did, she glanced at the first-floor bedroom. The bedroom her father used was still empty.

She was waiting patiently, trusting Cesare to find her father soon, but she couldn't help the anxiety that grew with each passing day.

Aileen washed the dishes, went upstairs, and changed into outdoor clothes. She planned to go to the shopping district today. It was to pick up a gift for Cesare.

Originally, on the day the news of the Triumphal Arch's approval was published in the newspaper, she had planned to go pick up the victory celebration gift she had pre-ordered for Cesare. But Cesare's sudden appearance had caused her plans to fall apart.

The whirlwind of chaotic events had forced her to postpone it, and only today was she finally able to go get the gift.

‘I hope His Excellency likes it.’

Aileen hurried to the shopping district. On the way, she saw a newsboy but deliberately looked away and passed him by. The events of the victory parade and the banquet were surely plastered across the front page of the newspaper.

The capital of the Traon Empire was laid out with seven streets stretching out from a central plaza. The Venue Street that Aileen chose was lined with high-end shops.

On a street where everyone else traveled by car, Aileen alone walked briskly on her own two feet. And at last, she reached her destination. *Ting-a-ling.* She opened the shop door, hearing the bell chime.

“Hello!”

Aileen's destination was a watch shop.

“You're here! I was just wondering when you'd come.”

The shop owner greeted Aileen with a pleased expression. Luca, the proprietor of the high-end watch shop on Venue Street, sported a magnificent mustache and a monocle. He was clearly a gentleman who paid great attention to his appearance.

He had been suffering from chronic tension headaches when he bought a headache remedy made from willow bark from Aileen, and he had been a regular customer ever since.

Buying the medicine periodically, he had naturally become friendly with Aileen and had been a great help in purchasing this gift.

“Have you been well? I brought your headache medicine.”

“I just ran out, thank you. Wait just a moment. I'll go get the watch.”

Luca gave her a wink and went into the back. Not long after, he returned with a red velvet box. Aileen gazed at the box with a fluttering heart.

“Wow…!”

A dazzlingly pristine platinum pocket watch lay inside the box. Seeing Aileen's delight, Luca puffed up with pride.

“Since it was your order, Aileen, I took special care with it.”

Aileen reached out cautiously. Afraid of leaving fingerprints, she didn't even touch the watch, only gently brushing the box.

The platinum pocket watch was enormously expensive. But she felt she had to get something of this caliber for the Grand Duke, so she had stretched her finances thin. A cheap item had no place in his pocket. Fortunately, thanks to Luca's consideration, she had managed to afford it.

“No engraving?”

“No. I'll give it to him just like this. Thank you. I absolutely love it.”

She wanted to have his name engraved on the watch, but Cesare's name was far too famous for that. Luca didn't even know that Aileen was a noble.

“I've made a new ointment. I'll give you some next time.”

“I keep telling you not to just give it to me. Let me pay a fair price for it. By the way, what about the pharmacy?”

“Ah… I'm planning to close it for a while.”

Customers usually found their way to Aileen's laboratory by word of mouth to buy her remedies. But now that the Grand Duke had closed her lab, she was thinking of asking the innkeeper to sell them on her behalf.