Chapter 29
“A-At first, I didn’t trust her. But… not anymore. My aunt is a really good person.”
“……”
“So if there was a misunderstanding… I-I hope you can forgive her….”
After saying that, Echo bit her lip.
She should’ve said more—why her aunt was such a good person.
‘But this is all I could manage to say.’
Even if she was nervous, her words were too weak.
Eden simply looked at her quietly, without saying a word.
‘Was that the wrong thing to say? I should’ve said something better…’
Just as Echo gathered courage to speak again—
“What if the one at fault isn’t Godell, but me?”
“……”
“Do you think she’d still forgive me?”
Echo’s eyes widened at his deep and low voice.
Even though there was a big difference in status, Eden had always spoken politely to her. But now, for the first time, he spoke informally.
‘And… he’s saying he made a mistake?’
It didn’t seem real. Why would he admit that to her?
But Eden didn’t smile or get angry. He just looked at her calmly.
Still, there was clear regret in his blue eyes.
Echo slowly opened her mouth.
“…Yes.”
“……”
“If it’s my aunt, she’ll forgive you.”
Her answer was steady.
Echo was just a kid, maybe even more fragile than him.
And yet, she still trusted others.
Despite being small and young, she carried unwavering honesty in her heart.
Looking at her, Eden thought he might understand, even just a little, why she and Godell protected each other.
“So if you sincerely apologize, my aunt will…”
Echo started to smile as she thought of Godell, but then quickly stopped talking.
She didn’t know exactly what had happened between Eden and Godell. Maybe she had said too much.
“T-That’s all I wanted to say.”
She quickly ended the conversation. Though she hadn’t met many people before, her instincts told her it was time to leave.
As she reached the door, she remembered what Godell had said about always saying goodbye politely.
“W-Well then…”
She gave an awkward little bow and quickly closed the door behind her. She moved so fast, Eden couldn’t have stopped her even if he wanted to.
Not that he had planned to.
Left alone, Eden sighed and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes and placed the back of his hand on his forehead.
Apology. Forgiveness. Words that didn’t suit him at all… yet they wouldn’t leave his mind.
But his head felt clearer than ever. Because now he knew exactly what he had to do.
He lowered his head and rang the bell on his desk. When Norton the butler came in, Eden asked,
“Where’s Godell right now?”
***
I lay on the bed, blankly staring at the ceiling.
It had been a whole week since I started sleeping alone in this huge bed.
The old me would’ve been thrilled. No one to bother me, no one to watch me. I could scream in joy if I wanted.
“Haa…”
But all I could do was sigh deeply.
It had been several days since I left that room. In other words, it had been that long since I last spoke to Eden.
Back then, I felt angry and hurt. How could he treat me like a rat just because he was suspicious? He talked about contracts but didn’t even trust me.
…But as time passed, something kept bothering me. I started to think maybe I could’ve handled it differently.
‘…Forget it. He probably doesn’t even care, so what’s the point of overthinking?’
I tried to push the thoughts away and closed my eyes.
Knock knock.
I suddenly heard a clear knock at the door.
Who could it be? No one ever came to see me this late. I sat up from bed.
“Who is it?”
Then I heard the voice, and my eyes widened.
“It’s me, Godell.”
It was Eden’s voice.
Did he say he’d visit today? No, I would’ve heard something from Helen or Norton if that were the case.
Then this visit wasn’t planned.
There could be only one reason he came—he wanted to talk about our contract again.
…So he finally made up his mind.
I clenched my fists and then let go.
The moment had come. All I could do was face it.
I got out of bed and opened the door.
His face appeared in the half-opened door. He looked slightly surprised, as if he didn’t expect me to answer so quickly, then went back to his usual expression.
“May I come in?”
“…Is it something you can’t say from there? If it’s going to be a long talk, maybe we can do it tomorrow.”
It felt awkward to talk while we still had unresolved feelings.
“If I don’t do it now, I might not be able to.”
He spoke calmly, but there was a hint of pleading in his voice.
Even though he could come in by himself, he seemed to want me to let him in.
…If he’s asking like this, I can’t say no.
Besides, this was his house.
“Alright then… come in.”
I scratched my neck awkwardly and stepped aside. Eden walked in.
We sat across from each other on the sofa in the room. The distance between us was close enough for our knees to touch, yet we felt far apart.
Eden looked at the dim light and the wrinkled bedsheets, then asked,
“Did I interrupt your sleep?”
“I just changed clothes. I hadn’t fallen asleep yet. I had a lot on my mind.”
“What kind of thoughts?”
“Well… just the usual boring adult stuff. Like how hard it is to get through each day.”
I spoke lightly, as if it was nothing. Everyone jokes like that about their problems, right?
“I see.”
But Eden didn’t smile at all. In fact, the mood got even heavier. I thought about changing the subject, but gave up.
We fell into silence. The reddish light lit up half of his face.
Now that I think about it, this was the first time I’d seen him in my room this late. Maybe it was the lighting, but he looked even gloomier than usual.
Was he going to bring up that incident again? But if that were the case, he would’ve already demanded I pack up or accused me of breaking the contract.
“I heard the story.”
Then, in a low voice, Eden began to speak.
“What you said was true. That you got lost. That you found that room by accident.”
“…How did you…”
“Miss Echo came to see me. Seems she saw you walking alone that night.”
She had been worrying about me all week. So that’s why.
I was surprised. I didn’t think Echo would go find him, especially since she was still new here.
I felt sorry—maybe I had caused her even more stress.
But that thought didn’t last long.
From Eden’s words, it was clear why he came.
No way…
“…People often judge based on their past experiences.”
Eden’s voice was low.
“I’ve met many people who tried to get close to me in different ways. That room… was one of the worst.”
“……”
“So when I saw you there, memories of those people flashed through my mind.”
His voice was calm, despite the painful story.
“I misunderstood.”
He said it shortly.
Then, as if he noticed something odd in his own words, he moved his lips again.
“I…”
But he couldn’t finish. His brows furrowed, like he didn’t know how to say what he wanted.
This proud man, who probably never bowed his head to anyone, was carefully choosing his words.
I quietly watched him, then slowly said,
“It’s okay.”
I nodded, as if telling him he didn’t need to say more.
Eden froze for a moment. His eyes asked—aren’t you going to ask more? Aren’t you going to demand an explanation?
But I didn’t want to hear painful stories he didn’t want to tell.
Everyone has memories they don’t want to revisit. For Eden, it was probably that room.
If that’s the case, then I don’t need to hear them. After all, I was the one who stepped into his bad memory.
“You don’t have to say it.”
I looked at him and spoke softly.
His eyes, which had seemed shaky, slowly calmed down.
Then, he spoke again.
“My mother was once a highly respected crown princess.”
It was an unexpected start. My eyes widened, but Eden continued.
“You’ve heard that my mother had a special power from Kritzman, right?”
“…Yes. I heard from Mr. Leder.”
Eden nodded.
“If she had become empress, her future would’ve been bright. Both for her and for the empire.”
His voice was rough as he spoke of lost hopes.
“But one night’s mistake changed everything. She ended up carrying a child she didn’t want.”
A bitter smile formed on Eden’s face.
A one-night mistake. An unwanted seed.
I quickly realized what he meant.
Unlike me, shocked by the story, Eden spoke calmly.
“The special power everyone admired disappeared when she got pregnant. She lost the people’s trust and her royal status. She became a duchess instead.”
“……”
“When she lost her royal title, my father turned his back on her. I heard he was already in love with someone else. Losing his lover and being stuck with a powerless wife made him stay away even more.”
Eden turned his head slightly and stared into the distance, his eyes deep and quiet, as if lost in memories.
