Chapter 84

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: An Unsettling Love
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Cesare stood vacantly in the middle of the tavern, holding a sword that dripped with blood.

He had killed dozens of people. It was the first time he had killed civilians. As the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army, it was something he should never have done.

According to Imperial law, the men in the tavern were innocent. It was not illegal to do as they pleased with the body parts of a condemned prisoner.

Yet Cesare had killed them. He had slit all their throats, drenching himself in their blood, but the suffocating feeling in his chest did not ease. In fact, it only tightened its grip.

The child he had cherished so dearly had been beheaded at the guillotine.

Her body had been torn to shreds, her severed head hung in a tavern and defiled.

Only in that moment, after killing dozens of men in heat, did Cesare realize what he truly wanted. It was not the Traon Empire he had wanted to protect. His laurel wreath had been meant for Aileen alone.

But Aileen was no longer in this world.

As that reality fully sank in, Cesare felt something inside him shatter. The rupturing sensation was more than mere rage. It was the peak of an emotion he had never once felt in his entire life.

For Cesare, who had always maintained an emotional state as colorless as monochrome, it was an unbearable agony. He looked down at his blood-soaked hands and wondered.

Who else did he have to kill to end this pain?

But his brilliant mind offered no answer. There was only a bottomless abyss.

***

Snapping out of the hazy recollection, Cesare dragged a hand over his face. He calmly sorted through his memories, trying to ground himself in reality. He forced a clear line between what was real and what was illusion, crudely piecing together the broken fragments of his mind.

The sound of the rain clung tenaciously to his eardrums. He was overcome with the urge to tear himself apart with anything he could find—a sword, a gun, it didn't matter.

But this was reality. The world where Aileen existed. He had already done something insane; if he did anything more, Aileen wouldn't be able to bear it.

Cesare suppressed the pointless urge and moved to Aileen's side. Lying on the bed, she was a wreck. He gazed down at her sleeping form, her face as pale as a corpse, then bent down and brought his head close.

After listening to her breathing for a moment, he slowly traced the bandage around her neck with his fingertips. He swallowed a self-mocking laugh, imagining the handprints imprinted on the skin beneath.

“…It’s ironic, isn’t it, Aileen?”

His hand trembled faintly as it grazed the white bandage. He murmured hollow words to one who could not hear.

“To think I almost killed you with my own hands.”

He had endured so much agonizing pain to bring her back, only to almost ruin everything. He had thought he was still fine, but his inability to distinguish dream from reality proved just how broken he had become.

He had to see this through to the end before he shattered completely.

“Aileen.”

Cesare carefully lay down beside Aileen. He knew he was the most dangerous person to her right now, but he couldn't bring himself to let go. He pulled her small body tightly against his.

“Aileen…”

Throughout the sleepless night, Cesare never took his eyes off Aileen.

***

Aileen returned a complete mess, now with a bandage wrapped around her neck. She had no idea how to explain her condition to anyone, especially the staff of the grand ducal estate and Sonio. She worried about what excuse she could possibly give them.

But no one asked her what had happened or why she was injured. It seemed Cesare had already spoken to them.

*Cesare…*

Aileen paused her writing and sighed. When she had woken up that morning, Cesare was already gone.

She had a mountain of questions for him, but she knew that if she were to face him, she wouldn't be able to ask a single one. The words he had spoken while choking her kept replaying in her mind.

“I love you.”

She had never truly understood Cesare, but now, she felt she knew him even less. She had always trusted that he had his reasons, patiently waiting no matter what he said or did.

*But he hurt himself.*

The image of his crimson eyes staring right at her as he sliced open his palm replayed in her mind. She was terrified he would hurt himself again.

*What if it happens again?*

Finding the cause and eliminating it was the best course of action. She wondered how she could get Cesare to speak more openly, or if there was some other way to learn about his strange behavior.

“My Lady.”

Sonio called to her gently. Aileen snapped back to attention. She had been holding the fountain pen still against the paper, and ink was bleeding everywhere. Startled, she lifted the pen and looked up at Sonio, her expression crestfallen.

“It’s quite all right. It wasn’t an important document.”

He replaced the ruined page with a fresh sheet of paper. Aileen took a shallow breath and let it out.

Thanks to Sonio’s intensive tutoring, she now had a firm grasp of most of her duties. Lately, Sonio’s role had been reduced to assisting and double-checking her work. If she could just polish a few of her weaker areas, she would soon be able to handle everything on her own.

Aileen scribbled on the paper. Since her throat was injured, she had decided not to speak for the day, forcing her to converse with Sonio in writing.

[Please take a look at this.]

Aileen handed Sonio a sheet of paper. She had momentarily forgotten about it while lost in thought about Cesare, but she had been meaning to show it to him and get his opinion today.

Written on the paper was a proposed daily schedule for the Grand Duchess of Erzet.

She had carefully crafted a plan that would allow her to continue her Morpheus research and pharmacy work while still fulfilling her duties as Grand Duchess. The schedule was based on everything she had observed during her time at the estate.

Since she had drafted it on her own, she wanted to show it to Sonio and hear his thoughts. She had even prepared three alternate schedules, just in case he objected.

*What if he rejects all of them?*

Aileen watched Sonio’s expression as he read the schedule, nervously writing on another sheet.

[I could handle the Grand Duchess’s duties in the morning, then focus on my research after lunch. After dinner, I can finish up any remaining ducal work… What do you think?]

She waited anxiously for his response. Sonio looked at her, his face filled with emotion.

“I told you that you needn’t worry about your duties as Grand Duchess…”

He looked at her with such pride, as if she were his own grown daughter. She felt a bit awkward being praised for what she considered her basic responsibility. She scratched her cheek with the end of her pen before writing again.

[Also, I’d like to hire a new aide to assist me.]

Sonio was the chief steward of the Erzet household. Thanks to him personally teaching her the duties of the Grand Duchess, she had been able to adapt quickly.

But she couldn’t rely on him forever. Sonio was a busy man, what with assisting Cesare and managing the other affairs of the ducal family. It was time to let him return to his duties.

Aileen couldn’t bear the thought of one of Cesare’s most vital staff members being wasted on her.

For some reason, however, Sonio didn't readily agree. He was silent for a moment before speaking in a thoroughly dejected voice.

“If that is what My Lady wishes, I will make the arrangements.”

His reply was dripping with disappointment and sorrow. Startled, Aileen hastily scribbled a response.

[I truly appreciate your help, Sonio! But you can’t be expected to look after my affairs forever.]

But his expression didn’t brighten in the slightest. He muttered, his face still gloomy.

“You’re taking away an old man’s joy in his twilight years…”

In the end, Aileen found herself promising that she would continue to rely on his help. After finishing their discussion about the schedule, she moved her pen once more.

[And Sonio…]

She hesitated before finishing the sentence.

[Something is wrong with Lord Cesare.]

She didn’t need to explain further; Sonio would know exactly what she meant.

Aileen bit her lip. Then, for the first time, she decided to make use of her authority as Grand Duchess.

[Could you summon His Excellency’s knights for me?]