Chapter 17 – Geoffrey Caspian’s Confession
After seeing his mother leave this world in vain, Geoffrey made a simple plan. Once all of this revenge was complete, he intended to leave the Caspian Empire.
“I have no attachment to the land where I was born and raised.”
Of course, he had never shared this plan with anyone. Especially with Loren—if she were to find out, she might make a rather disappointed face.
“Poor Loren. She still believes I am destined to rule this empire.”
For some reason, he found himself lost in thought today. As the cold-faced Geoffrey finally prepared to leave, someone grabbed the edge of his cloak. Instinctively, his hand went to the dagger at his waist. At that moment, Mio muttered again.
“Geoffrey, please—.”
“…Hah.”
The cloak he was being held by could easily be shaken off with a little effort. Yet Geoffrey simply stopped in place, letting out a long sigh.
“To waste effort on hopeless matters is foolish.”
He muttered softly toward her, who was still half-asleep. For some reason, her face reminded him of himself in his younger days, full of naive hope—and it irritated him.
“Foolish.”
With that, he shook off Mio’s hand and strode out of the room. A small hand, left without guidance, fell limply under the bed.
Ever since she had possessed a body, she had rarely slept peacefully. But never before had she had a dream as horrifying as this. As a fox, Mio ran through the forest while hunting dogs chased her, and a mounted hunter followed behind them.
“Catch her before she escapes into the den!”
The dog, excited by its master’s command, drooled. Mio’s small paws were scraped raw in several places. Her lungs burned, yet she couldn’t stop running. If she paused even for a moment, the dog would tear her life away.
“…Who is it?”
At the forest’s edge, a man on a black horse approached her. His crimson cloak whipped violently in the wind, obscuring his face. Slowing her pace, she lifted her head and saw a man with an indifferent expression.
“…Geoffrey?”
To her, he appeared like a prince on a white horse, arriving in the nick of time. Relief and joy mingled in her chest. Wet-eyed, she tried to convey her feelings to him silently:
“Save me. Please? That hunting dog behind me is trying to kill me.”
But all that came out was a beastly sound.
—Squeak, squeak.
Her wish never came true. She cautiously took a step toward him, only to see Geoffrey reposition an arrow that he had slung at his side. Fear filled her amber eyes.
“He’s not saving me—he’s trying to kill me?”
For a moment, despair extinguished all will to run. Why had she thought Geoffrey might save her? She and he could never be friends…
“I was completely mistaken.”
Just as the arrow left the bowstring, Mio squeezed her eyes shut. The sensation of sharp metal piercing her body was vivid.
“…Hah.”
When she opened her eyes, she was drenched in sweat.
Lying on the bed in her dress, she sat upright. She pushed aside the rolled-up blanket pressing against her chest and carefully touched the spot where the arrow had pierced—only to find no wound.
“It was just a dream.”
Relieved that she was unharmed, a faint sense of comfort crossed her face. Yet the tension from the nightmare lingered.
“When did I even lie down?”
She recalled having breakfast and taking a walk in the garden. Then, her memory reached the encounter with a guest earlier.
“Fox hunt!”
The overly detailed and cruel depiction of the fox hunt had terrified her.
“That was really scary.”
Placing her hand on her chest, she felt her heart hammer violently. Her plan to seduce Geoffrey and then discard him now seemed ominously shadowed.
“Anyway, earlier…”
She vividly remembered collapsing into Geoffrey’s arms. His solid, warm chest was beginning to feel strangely familiar.
Shame colored her cheeks red.
“How pathetic must he think I am?”
A hopeless crush, fainting at the slightest provocation—that was the sort of person she had become. Mio flung the blanket to the floor and steeled herself with determination.
“I must not weaken until I achieve my goal.”
She couldn’t afford to faint every time she heard the word “hunt.” On top of that, she had to figure out a way to deal with the nuisance of Lavinia Veil.
“There’s so much to do.”
Wiping the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, she renewed her resolve.
At the Caspian Empire’s palace, the Emperor and Empress sat side by side, holding tea. On the long sofa, the Emperor’s hand gently brushed aside the folds of the Empress’s red muslin dress. Her soft skin seemed to bloom beneath his fingertips.
“Katrina, you grow more beautiful with each passing day.”
Emperor Lucas Caspian was a tall, well-built man with black hair and black eyes. Kind and gentle by nature, he had strived to make his politically arranged marriage to Agatha work. When Agatha became pregnant, he was overjoyed.
“The child in her womb will be the heir to lead the Caspian Empire.”
But ordinary days soon crumbled. As Agatha’s frail health worsened during her pregnancy, the Emperor found himself alone more often. It was then that he happened upon Katrina, a widow. They fell in love at first sight, ignoring everything else.
“Your Majesty, it’s embarrassing to hear such words from you since morning.”
Blushing shyly, Katrina shifted slightly, revealing her full figure beneath the dress. She always left the Emperor yearning for her.
“You have nothing to worry about now.”
Katrina had feared judgment and intended to leave him, but the Emperor swore by the goddess Diana:
“Trust me, the sun of the empire.”
Their secret meetings produced Ben, a son only a year younger than Geoffrey. For years, they deceived everyone. One day, Lucas demanded that Agatha step down as Empress.
“What are you saying, Your Majesty?”
Divorce was forbidden in the Caspian Empire, so Agatha could hardly believe it.
“I have fallen in love. And I have a son younger than Geoffrey. So step aside—unless you wish to ruin the boy’s future.”
Lucas brazenly made no attempt to hide his affair. Agatha shook her head in disbelief.
“You’re not the type to do such a thing.”
She had sensed some distance after giving birth to Geoffrey, but she had believed him incapable of infidelity.
“My Emperor, why do you furrow your brow so deeply?”
As Lucas briefly recalled the past and darkened, Katrina leaned into him. The two pressed together as one, gazing intently into each other’s eyes.
“It’s nothing. We’re together; what worry could I have?”
“Your Majesty, if you allow, I’d like to prepare for the fox hunt myself.”
The Emperor, tracing her cheek with his lips, looked puzzled.
“Why take on such a difficult task, hmm?”
“I am the mother, after all. For my son, this is the least I can do.”
Lucas laughed heartily, embracing her tightly.
“You truly are a manifestation of the goddess Diana, with such a kind heart.”
He lay her down, and she lightly tapped his chest with her fist.
“You have a meeting soon, after all.”
“Just a moment, hmm? Only a moment.”
The Emperor’s eyes, burning with passion, seemed ready to consume her lips.
Mio, her head spinning, resolved to stay in her room all day. To succeed without failure, a perfect plan was essential. She spread out a sheet of paper and pondered various strategies when an unexpected visitor arrived.
“Now is not the time to be sitting here like this.”
“…Huh?”
Without asking her consent, Loren grabbed Mio’s hand and pulled her along. They arrived in a room decorated with mirrors on every wall, reflecting Mio from all angles and making her uneasy.
“Why are we here?”
“Please wait a moment.”
Loren disappeared into a space with a large wardrobe, while Mio approached a mirror. Her reflection appeared unnaturally clear, flawless and pristine.
“Have I put on a bit of weight in my cheeks?”
She seemed to glow from having eaten well and slept properly. Meanwhile, Loren muttered repeatedly to herself:
“Not this… not this either…”
‘What on earth is she trying to do?’
Loren wasn’t a bad person, just… uncomfortable to be around. Mio had never met someone who insisted on helping her without reason.
‘I’m really not used to this…’
Left in a baby box at birth, Mio had no memories of her parents. She rarely laughed or cried as an infant. Raised by a religious organization, she moved between many places growing up.
“If you pray, you’ll be adopted into a good family, Mio.”
“If you abandon all greed, you will get what you truly desire.”
Yet no religion, nor any follower, had ever performed such a miracle for her. Recalling her time in the orphanage made her feel a pang of melancholy, just as Loren approached with bustling energy.
“I found it. This is it.”
“…?”
Loren revealed a box containing a black jacket with green feathers, beige pants, long black boots, and a black velvet hat, all neatly arranged. Mio could not understand why Loren was showing this to her. Blinking in confusion, she watched Loren place the box on the table and pull her arm again.
“Are you okay with letting Miss Veil steal the Duke away from you? Hm?”
‘Handing Geoffrey over to someone else…’
Hearing such words from another person made her feel much worse than thinking it alone.
