Chapter 15

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Encounter
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“Sonio!”

Aileen greeted him warmly, and Sonio offered a faint smile. With his graying hair and mustache, Sonio had a sharp and fastidious air about him. But in Aileen’s presence, he was always as gentle as a spring breeze.

He had once served as the head chamberlain of the prince’s palace but left with Cesare when he became the Grand Duke. Naturally, he and Aileen knew each other well.

“This way, please.”

Sonio said, politely guiding Aileen inside.

“May I offer you some tea in the drawing-room while you wait?”

“Yes, and, um, is... His Excellency...?”

As she cautiously asked after Cesare, Sonio’s expression clouded over slightly. He replied in a polite and gentle tone.

“I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to see him today.”

“...Ah.”

His apologetic expression told her everything. Cesare had already informed Sonio that he would not be meeting her.

She had imagined many things before coming to the grand ducal residence. All sorts of scenarios had played out in her mind, but not seeing Cesare had never been one of them.

*I took it too much for granted.*

Cesare’s affection and interest were not immutable. Like a candle, they could burn brightly one moment and be extinguished with a single breath the next.

Cesare was not a fickle man, but a heart needed only the smallest reason to grow cold.

*Has he lost interest in me now?*

The moment she considered the possibility, her world went dark. Her relationship with him had always been one-sided; she was the weaker one. If Cesare lost interest, she would never be able to see him again.

*Come to think of it, it was the same during the war...*

When Cesare refused to contact her, she could do nothing but wait.

Seeing Aileen’s face fall, Sonio quickly tried to console her.

“I've brought a cake from a new shop. Please, have some with your tea.”

He took her outer coat and, with a fluid grace, guided her to a sofa in the drawing-room. Aileen sank dejectedly onto the sofa, placing the watch box she had been holding so dearly beside her.

In the shop, it had seemed quite luxurious and fine, but resting on the sofa in the Grand Duke's residence, it looked utterly shabby. She felt that both she and the watch box were out of place here.

As Aileen swallowed a sigh, Sonio quickly returned with tea and snacks. It was a tea set that perfectly matched her tastes.

Milk tea, made soft and sweet with milk and sugar, a cake piled high with fresh cream, and an assortment of cookies.

They were all her favorite desserts. Normally, she would have joyfully picked up her fork, but today, even with the sweet desserts right in front of her, she had no appetite.

Out of respect for Sonio’s kindness, she took a small bite from the corner of the cake, but it was as if she had lost her sense of taste. In the end, Aileen put down her fork.

“...”

She couldn't manage to control her expression. She tried to smile, but her lips felt frozen in place.

In truth, it was a miracle she hadn't burst into tears already. Aileen bit her lip hard, swallowing the sob that rose in her throat.

Sonio, who had been watching, placed a handkerchief on the table. Then he quietly slipped out of the drawing-room. His consideration only made the tears well up more fiercely. The tip of her nose tingled, and she clenched the handkerchief, tilting her head back.

She remembered the old man who had called her his bride. The thought of having to share the kind of kiss she’d had with Cesare with that man made her world go dark.

And to bear a child, she would have to do even more. The revulsion she had felt when he had casually brushed her bangs aside was still vivid.

But more agonizing than anything was the fact that she might never see Cesare again.

He had mentioned leaving the country, so he was likely a foreign nobleman, just as she'd suspected. If she left for a foreign country with him, it would be difficult to even hear news of Cesare.

If she stayed within the empire, she could at least hear of him through the newspapers, and perhaps even see him on occasion.

*If I had become the Grand Duchess.*

It would have been better than this, now that she could no longer be his child. Suddenly, she wondered if Cesare had lost interest because he'd grown tired of her whining about not wanting to get married.

Belated regret was agonizing, but she didn't know how to turn back time. Aileen held back her tears and slowly composed herself. A familiar sense of resignation cast its shadow over her.

She smoothed out the crumpled handkerchief with her hands and, after folding it neatly, placed it back on the table.

*Still, I should give him the gift before I leave.*

Since she had come all this way, she wanted to give him the watch. She had bought it for him to use as a spare, so it was all right if it looked plain.

If she was lucky, perhaps seeing the gift would change his mind, even just a little. But he was a decisive man, so that was highly unlikely.

Still, Aileen clung to a sliver of hope. *Sonio will make sure he gets it,* she thought, rising from the sofa and glancing out the window.

The drawing-room had a wide window that overlooked the courtyard. An orange tree was visible outside. Drawn by the sight of the tree with its orange fruit, Aileen moved toward the window as if in a trance.

She never knew he had an orange tree at his residence, too. Her thoughts naturally drifted to the orange tree in the garden of the brick house.

He had gifted her that orange tree because of the kidnapping.

“No reason to be curious anymore, is there?”

When she'd said she was kidnapped because she was curious about orange-flavored candy, he had simply planted an orange tree in her garden. The first orange from that tree was shared happily among the three of them—Cesare, her mother, and Aileen.

She was lost in thoughts of Cesare while looking at the orange tree. Just then, she saw a man with a leisurely gait in the corridor across the way.

He appeared and disappeared between the courtyard trees, but she recognized him at first glance. Aileen rushed to open the window and call out to him.

“...”

But she stopped, her hand only gripping the latch. She could neither open the window nor call his name.

Cesare had already made it clear he didn't want to see her. To bother him now would be truly childish. She was afraid of making him dislike her even more.

Just as she was about to quietly step away from the window, Cesare turned to look in her direction. A crimson gaze flew toward her from between the lush greenery. His vividly colored eyes stared straight at Aileen.

He was dressed in a suit and overcoat, as if on his way out. Now that their eyes had met, she couldn't pretend she hadn't seen him. Aileen gave a cautious nod.

Cesare watched her in silence before a faint smile touched his lips. With a wry twist of his lips, he crossed the courtyard. Watching him draw closer, Aileen stood frozen by the window, unsure of what to do, her fingers fidgeting.

*Tap, tap.*

Having come right up to the window, Cesare tapped lightly on the glass. The sound was muffled by his leather gloves.

Aileen hesitated before unlatching the window and pushing it open slightly. The moment a small gap appeared, he gripped the window with his large hand and swung it wide open.

A rush of outside air swept in, and the rustling of leaves tickled her ears like the sound of waves. A cool yet heavy scent drifted from Cesare, enveloping Aileen. Her eyes wide, Aileen looked up at him and carefully parted her lips.

“Your Excellency the Grand Duke...”

Cesare looked down at Aileen and asked.

“What is it, Aileen?”

The sound of his voice made her feel as if she would burst into tears. She had been holding it in so well, but standing before Cesare, it was hard to stay strong. She forced the feeling down and began to speak.

“I came to give you a gift... It's nothing special, I just, I wanted to congratulate you on your victory...”

Aileen trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, and limply held up the watch box. She had been clutching it so tightly that small fingerprints were imprinted on the velvet. She quickly rubbed the marks away before handing him the box.

Cesare opened the box immediately. His hand faltered as he saw what was inside. Then, for a long time, he said nothing.

What could be the reason for his silence?

Just as Aileen was about to bite her lip in anxiety, she heard him murmur in a low voice.

“...So this is what it originally looked like.”

His tone was strange. As if he already knew about the platinum pocket watch.