Chapter 68

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Crumbled Wall
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It was because Cesare was wasting his precious time on a mere child.

Of course, the child was quite adorable. Her eyes, a mix of green and gold, were more than just unique; they were mystical. Her chattering voice was as pleasant as the chirping of a skylark.

But she was still just a child. Even if she was the nanny's daughter, he couldn't understand the attention Cesare lavished on a mere child. This was especially true since she was the daughter of a humble family, with not a speck of usefulness to offer.

He was a man destined to walk a path of glory. He worried that the child might become an obstacle in Cesare's way. Whenever he did, he was tormented by the urge to pluck the little brat out like a weed and toss her aside.

Even Rotan and Diego, who were fond of children, shared a similar opinion. They found Aileen adorable, but they agreed with Senon that Cesare was paying her an unnecessary amount of attention.

*How can I get that irksome kid out of Cesare's sight?* He spent his days pondering this question.

"I told you countless times that the fifth prince is a losing hand!"

His father threw the documents he was holding at Senon. Through the fluttering papers, Senon saw his father clutching his chest in frustration.

"Another prince will take the throne. To insist on becoming that man's knight... You fool."

As the second son, Senon could not inherit the family title. His breakthrough, the path he had forged for himself, was Cesare. Since swearing fealty to him and becoming a knight, Senon had never once regretted his choice. The more he trusted and followed him, the stronger his conviction grew.

But his parents fiercely condemned him. They were constantly angry, accusing him of making a foolish choice that did nothing to help the family.

This time was no different. He had brought a concisely organized report, hoping that showing them Cesare's tremendous victory might change their minds even a little, but it had only backfired.

Senon returned to the capital, his heart heavy with gloom. The moment he entered the Imperial Palace and stepped into the prince's quarters, his eyes suddenly grew hot.

Tilting his head back, Senon ran into the garden, hoping no one would see him. As soon as he reached a secluded spot, he collapsed to the ground. The tears he had been holding back burst forth.

"Hic, sob... ugh..."

He had thought it was fine if his parents didn't understand, that he just needed to believe in his choice and move forward. But it seemed a childish part of him still longed for their approval and praise. A small scolding was all it took for the tears to stream down his face.

He was disgusted with his own weakness, but he didn't know how to stop the tears. Senon huddled in a corner of the prince's garden, cutting a pathetic figure as he wept in silence. He was in the middle of sobbing his heart out when...

*Rustle.* He heard the sound of leaves being pushed aside. Hurriedly wiping his tears with the back of his hand, he whipped his head around to see a small child standing there, her eyes wide. It looked as if she had just been running wild through the garden; her hair and clothes were covered in grass.

*To be caught crying by the one kid I can't stand.* Senon gazed at her golden-green eyes, shimmering in the sunlight, then silently looked away.

It was a relief that it wasn't Cesare or his fellow knights, but he couldn't help the twisting in his gut at having shown his vulnerability. He stared silently at the grass, praying she would just disappear without saying anything foolish.

But then he sensed her quietly approaching. As he ignored her, a white handkerchief landed gently on his knee like a butterfly.

That was all. Without a word, Aileen simply placed the handkerchief down and then scurried away, disappearing between the shrubs. Senon looked at the handkerchief on his knee.

It was a crude handkerchief made of cheap cloth, its corners frayed. With not a single stitch of embroidery, it was more like a scrap of fabric than a handkerchief. Staring blankly at the old but clean handkerchief, Senon sniffled unsightly and wiped his tears. Out of spite, he blew his nose on it too.

That day, Senon washed the child's handkerchief and bought a new one. He also bought a tin of cookies and wrapped it nicely with the handkerchief.

A few days later, when Aileen came to visit the prince's quarters, he gave her the handkerchief and cookies he had prepared. Then, in a deliberately cold voice, he asked.

"Why did you give me the handkerchief?"

Aileen simply looked up at Senon, her lips slightly parted. He snapped more specifically at the child, who clearly didn't understand him.

"I mean, why would you give me a handkerchief when you know I dislike you? Did you want to pity me?"

Aileen let out a surprised sound. Then, her eyes darted around as she mumbled.

"I didn't know... You were always so nice to me..."

*I was nice to her?* Senon, who only remembered being sarcastic to the little girl, was utterly baffled. He had been as cynical and mocking as he could be, but Aileen had been too oblivious to notice.

Aileen beamed, clutching the gifts from Senon in her arms.

"But you like me now, right? You gave me all these presents."

Her harmless smile was filled with a pure affection for him. The most special thing about the child wasn't her rare eye color. It was a pure goodwill he had rarely encountered—not in the Imperial Palace, not in high society, not on the battlefield, not anywhere else.

Senon thought he could finally understand, just a little, why Cesare held this child in such special regard. And not long after, when Aileen was invited to the prince's quarters again, she sought out Senon before meeting with Cesare.

As soon as she saw Senon in the corridor, she broke into a wide smile and came running on her little feet. Waving something in her hand, Aileen called out from a distance.

"Sir Senon! These are flowers I dried... Ah!"

But before she could reach him, she stumbled and fell. Senon rushed over and helped her up, finding her already on the verge of tears.

Dried flower petals were scattered all around Aileen. All that was left in her tiny hand was a stem. Her large eyes darted between the stem and the crumbled petals, and finally, overwhelmed with disappointment, she began to cry.

"I... I wanted to... thank you... for the... present... you gave me..."

The child, clutching nothing but a stick-like stem, hugged him, her cheeks flushed as she cried. As Senon held her small body and patted her back, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. He was supposed to be comforting the crying child, but he couldn't stop laughing.

After laughing so hard that tears welled in his own eyes, Senon had no choice but to admit it. The wall he had built around his heart to keep the child out had completely crumbled.

From then on, he began to use formal language with Aileen, respecting her as a noble lady. He would wait for the days Aileen visited the palace and give her gifts, pretending it was nothing special.

Every time he saw Aileen's smiling face, he felt like he had the whole world. By the time he realized his heart ached from how adorable she was, he was already completely smitten.

Senon became the knight who cherished and treasured Aileen more fervently than anyone else.

"It feels like just yesterday she was clutching that single flower stem and bawling her eyes out."

Lost in his memories, Senon looked back at Rotan. Rotan, who had already finished his cigarette and neatly disposed of it, added with a faint smile.

"And now she's the Grand Duchess."

Senon, having extinguished his half-smoked cigarette, brushed the smoke from his clothes and asked.

"So, did you find anything?"

"Of course not."

The two knights exchanged a brief conversation and shared a bitter smile. Due to Cesare's recent strange behavior, the knights were beginning to feel the gravity of the situation. They had tried to resolve the matter in their own way, but they were floundering, chasing after intangible illusions.

However, they had reached one clear conclusion about the current situation. It was truly absurd, but it seemed Cesare...

possessed a memory different from everyone else's.

If anyone else had acted like Cesare, they would have dismissed it as a mental illness. But because they knew Cesare so well, the knights were certain of their conclusion, as delusional as it sounded.

"It's definitely related to Lady Aileen."

Senon stopped mid-sentence and shuddered. The image of Cesare's bloodshot eyes as he mentioned the execution and the tavern was still vivid in his mind. It was a memory that sent a chill down his spine every time he recalled it.

As they speculated on the reasons for Cesare's change, they naturally began to consider superstitious possibilities like sorcery. But this was Cesare they were talking about.

Because of his own mother, who had been obsessed with sorcery, Cesare utterly despised all things unscientific. A man who didn't even believe in gods would never have resorted to something as paltry as sorcery.

Unless, of course, he had experienced something that turned his entire life upside down.