Chapter : 72
“Precious… person…”
Anna repeated his words blankly, like a child learning to speak. All the heads in the audience below, and in the box seats on the second floor, were turned toward the couple. Amelia Marsden’s unusual behavior seemed to have sparked curiosity and interest in the three of them. People, keeping their eyes on them, began whispering excitedly behind fans and pamphlets.
Anna squeezed her eyes shut. At that moment, Raiden pressed close beside her and whispered with a playful tone:
“Wave your hand.”
“…What?”
She looked at him in disbelief, and Raiden lifted Anna’s arm and waved it back and forth. He did it with such nonchalance that it looked as if Anna were greeting Amelia warmly.
“!”
Before Anna could react, Amelia on the stage let out a laugh like a chirping bird. She blew Anna a hand kiss, then turned and disappeared behind the stage.
She didn’t even know how she got back to the castle. The opera had ended successfully, and Amelia, without even removing her makeup, had come rushing to stand between Raiden and Anna, linking arms with both of them, smiling brightly and posing in front of the reporters. Raiden calmly answered the questions. Their actions were so natural that Anna felt awkward, like a misplaced button on a suit.
“It’s ready, ma’am.”
Anna forced a smile at Lucy, who had finished preparing the room while keeping an eye on her.
“You worked hard, Lucy. Go rest now.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Lucy had maintained a stern expression the whole time but left the room without asking any questions. Raiden, having finished his preparations in turn, entered.
Without a word, he threw the newspaper he had been reading onto the table and climbed into bed. Anna struggled to speak.
“Let’s… talk.”
She couldn’t go on like this forever. After all, they were a married couple who would spend the rest of their lives together. If there were grievances, they needed to wash them away; if there were rifts, they had to fill them. She truly wanted that. No, she had to.
Because now, all that remained for her… was this.
“…?”
Raiden raised his eyebrow, as if to say she should speak if she had something to say. His composed demeanor made it even harder for her to start talking. While she struggled for breath, overwhelmed, it seemed that this situation meant nothing to him.
After a long hesitation, Anna swallowed hard and finally spoke.
“At that time… as I said before, my engagement to Edward was fake…”
Raiden raised his hand to stop her.
“You don’t need to say more.”
“…What?”
Anna was startled; she had worked up the courage to say this, only for him to cut her off. Raiden ran a hand over his face, then wore a complicated expression.
“I thought I was more mature. But in a situation like this, my pride is hurt far more than I expected.”
“…”
Anna looked away, frozen like a pitiful woman turned into a pillar of salt. Raiden calmly stared into her trembling eyes. She felt as though she saw sparks within them.
Raiden spoke.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“…”
His tone was soft, as if comforting a child. Anna’s breath caught in her throat.
“Let’s just move on. That will be best.”
Anna grasped her trembling hands together. Move on… what did he mean by that?
As if reading her mind, Raiden explained gently.
“I’ll manage my own feelings. That’s what I mean for you to do as well.”
Anna stared at him blankly.
‘Manage… my feelings? What does that…!’
At that moment, Amelia Marsden came to mind. The shock made Anna’s face go pale. She clutched her chest and gasped for breath.
“…But, but before… you said. She’s… just a professional connection.”
“Oh, right.”
Raiden nodded. The small spark of hope in Anna’s heart flared again, but he looked at her with a slightly apologetic expression.
“People’s hearts… change easily. You smiled so brightly at the engagement ceremony with Prince Hyamel; you should understand, ma’am.”
“…”
Her vision went dark; she could not respond. Raiden continued calmly.
“But at least the promise of marriage was kept. Even if you didn’t keep yours.”
“I-I… it’s not like that…”
Anna barely got the words out, but Raiden cut her off as if no explanation were needed.
“As I said, we’ll each handle our own feelings. You are at least better than me; at least I am not in an official relationship.”
“…”
Her fingertips went cold. She clenched her hands tightly and drew in breath, then muttered helplessly.
“Raiden… you weren’t like this.”
To her surprise, he nodded.
“That’s right. In the past, I was kind and gentle… I would have even pretended to die for you, according to your word.”
“…”
Anna swallowed hard. She couldn’t bring herself to ask why it had come to this.
Raiden’s eyes glinted.
“And that’s why it’s come to this.”
“…What?”
He spoke coldly and decisively.
“Understand this: I have no intention of repeating foolish mistakes.”
Anna’s mind went blank.
‘Come to this… What does he mean by that…?’
Whether he noticed her confusion or not, Raiden yawned deeply. Then, as if nothing had happened, he spoke calmly.
“I’ll sleep first. Today has been exhausting.”
He turned his back and lay down, falling asleep almost instantly. Anna exhaled and stared at his rising and falling back for a long while.
“…”
Her gaze slowly dropped to the floor before closing tightly.
There had been moments when words didn’t quite match, or the nuances seemed strange, but she had ignored them, assuming misunderstandings. She had been afraid to lose this love, this peace she had just regained, so she had closed her eyes and ears, ignoring instinctive warnings.
‘I shouldn’t have… I should have asked immediately what that meant.’
Each small crack had been left unattended until it became this state.
Now, between them, a deep, dark chasm stretched like a great valley.
‘…What went wrong?’
Her head ached as if it would explode. Endless questions piled up, but there was nowhere to pour them. She couldn’t understand why this was happening to her.
Anna glared resentfully at Raiden’s back. Why was he being so harsh toward her?
‘Is it really because of the engagement with Edward?’
She couldn’t believe it. She had thought he understood the circumstances. Her eyes burned, but no tears came. Holding her chest like a wounded person, she lay back on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
A cold air enveloped her once more. Anna curled up, closing her eyes with a somber expression.
They had been married for months, yet they still hadn’t shared a bed.
Evening had deepened at the Everclaine mansion. When everyone had finished their exhausting tasks and fallen asleep, a small side gate in the high wall quietly opened.
“Master Butler… are you really leaving like this?”
The elderly gardener saw Henry off as he prepared to depart. Henry, dressed in a black hat and cloak, turned to face him.
“The young lady must become accustomed to Marcus Castle… There’s no need to interfere and make her uneasy. We’ve already said our goodbyes.”
“I see. But surely the staff would like to properly bid farewell…”
“There are people waiting in my homeland. I am pressed for time; there’s nothing I can do.”
“Then there is nothing that can be done.”
The gardener shook Henry’s hand. After years of service, their bond, crossing social boundaries into friendship, ended here.
Step by step, Henry walked onto the damp stone path. It was his first step free from Everclaine’s protection in over a decade. The white, shattered moonlight stretched his shadow like a crow across the ground.
The gardener watched until Henry disappeared, then turned back, muttering as he locked the side gate.
“The second hostage that served a purpose, finally returning home.”
This time, not in the empire, but in the Kingdom of Hoben. Henry had booked a passage there, known to both the gardener and his master. A one-way journey.
‘Probably I’ll never see him again.’
The gardener turned and strolled leisurely back toward the mansion.
“…”
His steps slowed on the cobblestones and finally stopped. Henry tilted his head to look up at the high wall surrounding Everclaine mansion.
A place that had once been his new home, now a place he would likely long for until his death.
“I must focus on my tasks.”
He adjusted his hat and murmured softly. As a capable butler, that was necessary. Henry cautiously scanned his surroundings. Fortunately, no one was following him.
At the fork in the road, he turned right without hesitation, opposite the direction of the port where the ship to Hoben awaited.
Tap, tap, tap. Raiden tapped the armrest of his chair, lost in thought. A grim aura suddenly filled the otherwise grand, pearl- and gold-adorned waiting room of the imperial palace. The princess’s maids, lined near the door, watched him tensely. The other door opened, and a woman in a purple dress walked out gracefully.
