Chapter 97

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: A Seed of Fear
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There was once a soldier who followed Cesare. He was exceptionally diligent and remarkably talented, and his abilities were recognized throughout the military, earning him repeated special promotions.

Cesare cherished this subordinate for his outstanding skills. It was even rumored that he might one day receive a knighthood from Cesare.

He was also kind and gentle, so even the young Aileen had been fond of him. But one day, the man who had been rising meteorically through the ranks suddenly vanished.

When she asked about the man who had evaporated overnight, everyone claimed they didn't know. Aileen, who was nothing more than a young lady, had no way of finding out where he had gone.

No one ever mentioned the missing man again. Aileen was confused for a while, but she slowly pushed him from her mind.

It was only after a long time had passed that she learned he had died. She heard he had committed a grave crime and received a just punishment.

Aileen never found out what wrong he had committed. She could only assume he had sinned greatly, as Cesare himself had carried out the punishment.

The soldier’s death left a chilling scar on Aileen’s heart. It was the seed of a fear that she, too, could one day end up like him.

He had been far more remarkable than Aileen could ever hope to be. Yet despite his extraordinary abilities, he was cleanly erased from Cesare’s world. As if he had never existed in the first place.

Even after becoming the Grand Duchess, Aileen felt her situation was no different from his.

She was always afraid. What if, while she remained ignorant like this, she were to suddenly disappear overnight, without even a chance to defend herself?

She was not afraid of laying down her life for Cesare. But she did not want to become a nonexistent part of his life. She prayed her end would not be a dishonorable one.

This unresolved anxiety, which had only grown larger and larger, finally burst when she saw that Lucio had been eliminated overnight. The shock was even greater because she hadn't received a single explanation, instead stumbling upon the news in a newspaper article.

It felt as though a bucket of ice-cold water had been thrown on her, jolting her from the sweet dream of becoming the Grand Duchess and forcing her to face reality. One dark thought led to another, spiraling into an even more twisted direction.

‘Did my senior really try to steal my research data?’

Feeling the very roots that supported her being shaken, Aileen clenched her fists. She squeezed them so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, then slowly relaxed her grip and parted her lips.

“Sir Senon…”

Senon had been silent the entire time. His lack of response drew a bitter smile from Aileen.

The knights, the soldiers—they all cherished and liked Aileen. She, in turn, cherished and liked them just as much.

But in the end, they were ‘Cesare’s’ knights and soldiers. If forced to choose, they would have no choice but to pick Cesare. A bitter taste filled her mouth.

“I just… this time… I wish you would have given me some kind of hint… Since he was a guest I invited to the residence…”

Her heart ached as she continued speaking slowly. Suddenly, the tip of her nose tingled and her eyes began to sting. Aileen fought to hold back her tears.

“It’s frustrating to always be in the dark. But I can’t bring myself to say such things to His Excellency the Grand Duke.”

Pausing to catch her breath, Aileen forced a smile. She willed the corners of her mouth upward, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

“I’ve put you in a difficult position, Sir Senon. I was just a little upset and acted childishly without realizing it.”

But a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Aileen hastily wiped it away with the back of her hand. She pressed firmly, trying to stop them, but the tears wouldn't cease. Instead, they welled up and spilled over like a spring. Truly, nothing was going her way.

“*Hic*, S-Sir Senon, I’m sorry.”

As she apologized between sobs, Senon, who had been frozen stiff, flinched. He fumbled frantically, rummaging through his coat. He searched his pockets with such fervor he seemed ready to tear them inside out, finally managing to find a handkerchief and offer it to Aileen.

Aileen pressed the dining napkin to one eye and Senon’s handkerchief to the other. With half her face covered by the pieces of cloth, she apologized again, her voice thick and nasal from crying. Senon spoke in a dejected tone.

“Lady Aileen… It was my fault.”

It wasn't Senon's fault at all. When she told him not to say that, his reply was even more morose.

“I should have considered how shocked you would be, Lady Aileen. I was just so excited about commercializing the medicine you created that I let it completely distract me…”

Watching Aileen struggle to stop her tears, Senon couldn’t hide his troubled heart.

Having served Cesare as soldiers for so long, the knights had a way of thinking that was somewhat detached from that of ordinary people. They were much more stoic than the average person.

Moreover, their master, Cesare, was beyond stoic and bordered on indifferent, so they had undoubtedly been influenced by him.

To the knights' way of thinking, their actions in this matter were perfectly reasonable. A crime was committed, so a punishment was dealt. They had simply taken the opportunity to squeeze every last drop of usefulness out of the situation.

They hadn't informed Aileen because secrecy was essential for a successful operation. It was a bit drastic, but they had assumed she would understand once they explained the reasons later.

But on second thought, Aileen didn’t even know the full extent of Lucio’s crimes. In fact, hadn’t she considered him a kind and good senior?

The realization hit him belatedly. It was a mistake born from this being the first time they had so openly eliminated someone Aileen had been close to.

‘If Diego had been here, he would have stopped us.’

Diego was, at least among the knights, the most sensitive and empathetic. He would have suggested a better way to handle this.

Unfortunately, Diego was currently away on a trip outside the capital. Missing Diego for the first time in a while, Senon fidgeted, his lips parting and closing without a sound.

But the mind once praised for its brilliance was utterly useless in a situation like this. Many words came to him, but anything he said would be nothing more than an excuse. After struggling to come up with the right words to comfort Aileen, Senon finally managed to speak.

“I will speak to His Excellency the Grand Duke right now.”

He wasn't quite sure what he would say, but the sight of Aileen crying was so heart-wrenching and agonizing that he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

But Aileen just shook her head. She slowly lowered the handkerchief and napkin from her eyes. With her eyes now red and swollen, she answered Senon.

“No.”

To have someone else convey what she needed to say—that was truly childish. Aileen glanced at the newspaper for a moment. She stared at the words *La Verità* for a short while before making a decision.

“Is it… possible for me to see His Excellency now?”

***

Senon personally escorted Aileen to where Cesare was. She had insisted several times that she was fine and knew he was busy, but he was so adamant about taking her himself that she had no choice but to go with him.

Throughout the drive, which he handled himself, Senon broke out in a cold sweat, trying his best to soothe Aileen’s feelings. He blamed himself so much that, eventually, Aileen found herself comforting him instead.

“We’ve arrived…”

Senon mumbled, his voice devoid of energy as he stopped the car. As he escorted her out, Aileen flinched. She had only been here once, but the place was seared into her memory, making it all too familiar.

It was the wooden house she had last visited to see Cesare before he departed for the Kalpen Kingdom expedition. The place where, no matter how desperately she knocked, she hadn't even heard the sound of his voice…

The vivid memory resurfaced, and the courage that had filled her moments ago shriveled in an instant. It felt as if he would refuse to open the door this time, too. As if, even if she begged him to talk, she wouldn't even receive a word of refusal.

Just as Aileen’s face turned a shade paler, the wooden door of the small, old house opened with a creak of rusty hinges. Aileen stared blankly at the sight of the door, which had seemed forever sealed, swinging open.

Cesare, who had opened the door with a neutral expression, slightly raised his eyes. He seemed genuinely surprised, as if he hadn't expected Aileen’s visit at all. But soon, a faint smile touched his lips as he called her name.

“Aileen.”

He approached with a smile, but as soon as he saw her face, his brow furrowed. Cesare’s eyes narrowed as he asked.

“Did you cry?”

At that moment, the tears Aileen had just managed to stop began to fall once more.