Chapter 93

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: A Changed Heart
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At his question, Aileen hesitated for a moment. Was there really any need to tell Cesare about the confession? Especially when it was about feelings from a long time ago.

The soldier who had driven the car had heard their entire conversation, so he might have already reported it. If she brought it up herself, it might sound like she was trying to brag.

*To think something like this would happen in my life.*

Being confessed to was likely the first and last time it would ever happen to Aileen. She had a very objective view of herself.

Her appearance had changed a bit since she’d taken off her glasses, but her gloomy and uninteresting personality was the same. There was no way men would find her attractive.

After a moment of useless thoughts, she realized she was taking too long to answer Cesare. When she finally spoke, she avoided any mention of the confession and offered a more benign story.

“Lucio said he might become a professor in the pharmacy department. It seems he’s a very strong candidate. He’s been consistently publishing papers. He’s changed so much, both inside and out, since I last saw him. It’s really amazing…”

Her chattering lips were silenced. Aileen’s eyes widened, then she shrank her shoulders and slightly parted her lips. A soft tongue delved inside.

The kiss, which had come without asking permission, was gentle yet somehow oppressive. It felt even more so because his large hands were freely touching her body all over. The hand that swept down her spine and then gripped her waist was quite strong.

The kiss lasted for a long time. Only after a good while did their lips part. Aileen, letting out a sweet, heated breath, cooled her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand. As she bit down on her slightly swollen lips, he spoke in a low voice.

“I want to kiss you.”

Aileen mumbled her reply, her lips still tingling.

“…You already did.”

“Mm, so I did.”

A faint smile touched his lips as he kissed her once more. This time, it was just a peck that made a soft sound. Aileen swallowed a small, pained sound, an ‘ugh’.

It was somehow embarrassing, yet the fluttering in her chest was unbearable. Aileen, held tightly in his arms, fidgeted with her hands and muttered.

“Anyway, we didn’t talk about anything special…”

Instead of answering, Cesare kissed her neck. His lips pressed lightly and then pulled away, and soon he was removing the rest of her dress.

Was it because she had just met people from her past? This moment, being this close to Cesare, felt all the more unbelievable.

It felt so unreal that Aileen found herself staring up at him. His vivid red eyes took in her gaze and swallowed it whole.

At some point, the corners of his eyes curved into a smile. A large hand came to rest on her head. The way he gently ruffled her hair, as if finding her cute, made her eyes squeeze shut on their own.

As she received his touch, she was suddenly reminded of the time she had given up university and returned to the capital.

The moment she received her mother’s letter, she had dropped everything and come back. Back to the brick house where the orange tree rustled its green leaves.

But Aileen couldn’t bring herself to enter right away and stood there blankly for a long time. She listened numbly to the sound of leaves rustling in the wind before finally taking a step forward. The moment she opened the closed door, a pitch-black depression crushed her.

“Lily…”

A gloomy voice drifted from inside the dark house. In the home where not even a lamp was properly lit, her mother stared at Aileen with bloodshot eyes.

Aileen set down the bag she was holding and approached her mother. As she carefully embraced her, her mother, as if she had been waiting, poured out all sorts of negative emotions onto Aileen.

She spewed resentment and curses at her father and lamented her own miserable situation. She sobbed that if it weren't for Aileen, she would have hanged herself and died long ago.

Aileen stood there, taking the full force of the emotions her mother spewed like filth, and was reminded once again of her reality. The time she had spent studying to her heart’s content at the university felt like a complete fantasy. The reality she woke to after that sweet dream was chillingly cold.

A shiver ran through her, and Aileen hugged her mother in her arms a little tighter. She’d done it hoping to share at least a little body heat, but she didn’t feel any warmer. If anything, she only grew colder, as if her own warmth was being stolen away.

Afterward, with her mother bedridden, Aileen began to do what she could, one thing at a time.

She went to each of the people they owed money to and begged them to postpone the repayment date, even by a little. It was something her mother, with her pride as Baroness Elorde and the prince’s wet nurse, could not do.

Next, she sold all their valuables. There was nothing left in the house that would sell for much, so she sold the books that would fetch at least some money. They were the collection she had treasured and the textbooks she had used at university.

She sold everything except the gifts she had received from Cesare, but it was still far from enough. She needed a large sum of money to pay off the debt. It was hard to even pay the interest, and dark thoughts kept creeping into her mind, but she forced them away.

A grim reality that could not be easily solved was piled up like a tower, but returning to the capital wasn't all bad.

It was because she was able to see Cesare after a very long time.

It was an emptiness that neither the pursuit of knowledge nor new relationships could fill. The moment she entered the Imperial Palace and saw him, Aileen felt a sense of fulfillment, as if a void in her heart had been completely filled.

“Your Highness.”

During their time apart, Cesare seemed to have grown even bigger. The man he had become perfectly matched the praise of the empire's people, who called him the God of War. As Aileen stared blankly up at him in his uniform, she had a sudden realization.

During their time apart, her feelings for Cesare had grown even stronger, and they had also changed into something different.

From the moment they first met until now, Aileen had liked Cesare. But whereas in the past it had been a feeling close to admiration, now it was different.

Aileen dared to want to hold his hand. She wanted to kiss his cheek. She wanted to be the one and only person who could be held in his arms and receive his affectionate gaze.

The moment she realized her transformed feelings was wretched. It was because she knew it was a wish that could never come true.

She was only his child; she could never be a woman to him.

She knew all too well that if she acted out of turn, she wouldn’t even be able to remain his child. As she tried to suppress her racing heart, she belatedly came to her senses at the words Cesare offered with a slight smile.

“You’ve finally graced the palace with your presence.”

It had been a full fifteen days after her return to the capital that she finally came to see Cesare. Time had flown by as she had to sort out various family matters. Aileen apologized to him, her face flushed.

“I’m sorry…”

In truth, family matters weren't the only reason for her delay. She couldn’t bring herself to face Cesare and had hesitated to request an audience.

He had gone to the trouble of sponsoring her and helping her get into university, only for her to return to the capital with nothing to show for it. Aileen was ashamed of herself for not living up to his expectations.

Worse, now even making a living had become a daunting task, leaving her in a worse state than before she went to university. It was so hard to be confident in front of the person she liked.

“Have you grown a little taller?”

Cesare murmured as if to himself, placing a hand on Aileen’s head. The moment his hand touched her, Aileen’s body went rigid.

He had often touched her hair before. It was an insignificant gesture, but her changed feelings made it awkward.

There was no way Cesare wouldn’t notice the subtle atmosphere. He looked at Aileen for a moment, then smiled. Instead of pulling his hand back, he began to gently stroke her hair. Aileen could do nothing but let him pet her.

“It seems you’ve lost interest in your prince.”

Aileen, who was being petted, jumped in surprise and denied it.

“No, that’s not it at all!”

“Then?”

“It’s just… it’s been a while, so I’m a little…”

How could she say it was because her heart was fluttering and pounding? As she trailed off, Cesare tilted his head slightly to the side. He whispered, his voice somewhere between a command and a request.

“Don’t avoid me, Aileen.”