Chapter : 45
Even after countless years had passed, Regis sometimes found himself reflecting on his first encounter with Cassielope.
It was the year he turned eight and she turned six.
A betrothed promised even before birth. He could never forget the first memory engraved by the noble and innocent young girl.
Early in the morning. Dew gathered during the night seeped into the ground, and every step he took produced a soft crunch.
A gentle breeze scattered newly bloomed petals with a single gust.
It was a day when the wind blew unusually strong.
As usual, he was performing morning training to hone his skills. As the heir of the Duke family, it was something he was expected to do.
“Wow! You’re up training at this hour?”
Her pronunciation was clear for her age, but her voice was still very youthful.
A young girl’s voice, one that would hardly be heard within the Duke household.
Regis, holding a wooden sword, turned toward the source of the sound.
“Who….”
It was a face he had never seen before.
If it were an outsider intruding into the Duke mansion, he would have been right to be cautious, but his instincts hesitated.
An untouchable nobility.
Even in manners yet unrefined, her innate dignity was unmistakable.
Hair the color of a burning sun. Eyes of violet so stunning that no rare gem could compare.
A face uncannily resembling the Emperor he had seen once.
“I am Regis Euriel, the young duke of House Euriel of the House of Euriel, here to pay my respects to the noble princess.”
“Huh…!”
The formal greeting was followed by a breath of surprise.
“…?”
Regis raised his eyes slightly at the unexpectedly different reaction.
Round, wide eyes. Tiny hands raised to cover her adorably open mouth.
As he slowly studied the girl before him, their eyes met, and Regis hastily lowered his head.
“How did you know I was a princess?!”
“…….”
How did she know? Living as a noble in the Clemens Empire, it was practically impossible not to know.
Suppressing his rising thoughts, Regis simply smiled.
“…Pretty.”
The unexpected compliment reached his ears.
Though it sounded like a soft, half-whispered self-talk, Regis heard it clearly.
‘Pr…etty…?’
Being praised for his appearance was nothing new. From an early age, he was used to such comments.
He inherited his father, the Duke’s, skill in swordsmanship, and had the unrivaled beauty of his mother. Praise was simply part of his daily life.
Rumors whispered behind his back said he would make many women jealous in the future because of his refined appearance.
Yet, no one had ever openly called him handsome to his face.
Regis was eight. Mature beyond his years, yet at heart, still a boy.
‘Who’s calling who pretty…?’
Looking back as an adult, he would understand the dual meaning of that moment.
But at eight, it was the best rebuttal he could muster.
Of course, he knew enough about hierarchy not to voice it aloud.
“Will you be my empress?”
“…….”
“I’d like that. I want to live with you for a very long time.”
“…We just met today, didn’t we?”
“Yes, but…”
“…And yet you want to live with me for a long time…?”
“Why? Is that not allowed?”
He had intended to scold her for speaking nonsense, but her confident retort left him speechless.
“Be mine.”
Cassielope grinned.
“I’ll be yours too, Regis.”
Unaware of the full meaning of her words, she held out her small, fair hand with a pure smile that shone like her eyes.
Enchanted by the soft curve of her smile, Regis instinctively reached for her hand.
Their hands met.
Could he really hold a princess’s hand like this?
The ingrained sense of hierarchy questioned him, but Regis pressed his hand against hers.
‘I don’t want to let go…’
Why?
Even if she was a princess of the Empire, they had only met today.
And yet, why did he not want to release this hand?
Regis would only realize the answer to this question much later.
“Regis!”
“…Lope?”
“What are you doing? Sword practice again?”
“Again? Of course I must do it every day. And you?”
“Of course I came to do it with you!”
Her bold lie did not fool Regis for a moment.
“Don’t lie.”
“Hehe. How did you know? Just today, just today, let’s go have some fun.”
“…I think you said the same thing last month.”
Her memory was annoyingly sharp.
Cassielope murmured softly as she faced Regis’s stern gaze.
“Once a month isn’t that often, is it?”
“….”
Not wrong. Once a month, she would leave everything behind and indulge like a carefree noble, but that was all.
The Princess Cassielope Clemens trained diligently in the arena and diligently studied to become a royal heir.
“Really. This time only.”
And she always backed down when she knew it.
“Yeah!”
Eight years passed since that first encounter with Cassielope.
The once innocent girl had grown into a fine woman, and the boy who had been immature was now a fully grown man.
Their betrothal, arranged even before birth, had lasted for eight years.
“Put this robe on first.”
“I expected that. You prepared it, thinking I’d ask to go out, didn’t you?”
Two people who knew each other better than anyone else.
Regis draped a robe over Cassielope’s shoulders and placed the hood over her head.
“Why do you always pretend to dislike it?”
“…Dislike it? I’m more than happy to spend time with you.”
“Your words are smooth as ever.”
“Even as a princess and a young duke, we can’t openly act like we’re just going out for fun.”
Cassielope nodded in agreement.
Neither could appear too casual. There had to be some pretext to their outing.
“Then it’s settled, right? Let’s go!”
She extended her hand as if naturally. Regis merely stared, and without hesitation, she grasped his hand firmly.
Pulling the hood low over her face, Cassielope led Regis into the capital’s plaza.
Though it was not a festival, the square was crowded with people.
Her hand tightened on his as he almost got swept away by the crowd.
“Be careful, Regis. Don’t let go of me.”
He had no intention of letting go.
Her fresh, invigorating scent enveloped him, usually faintly scented with her bath additives, but somehow today it felt more intoxicating.
“Regis.”
Cassielope turned and softly called his name.
Her violet eyes, unwavering.
Instinctively, Regis covered his mouth with the back of his hand and nodded.
Thump—thump—thump, thump-thump-thump—
‘What…?’
Why was his heart suddenly racing so fast?
It was an ordinary day.
Yet her gaze lingered in his mind.
It was then that he began to recognize Cassielope as… an object of attraction.
At first, Regis didn’t even notice his feelings. Having spent so much time with her, he couldn’t detect the subtle shift.
Being betrothed only made it harder.
He knew that if they were to become a couple in the future, it would inevitably be her, so he remained numb.
By the time Regis realized his feelings for Cassielope were those of love, there was no turning back.
Too awkward to be lovers, yet too close to be merely friends.
Moreover, the betrothal was merely a political arrangement between their houses.
Even knowing that Cassielope would inevitably see him that way, Regis could not let go of her hand.
