Chapter 10 — I Never Did That
If she went back and chose Theo, she’d have to smother and bury her true feelings for the rest of her life. She thought she could live like that — kill her feelings again and again.
But when she looked at this man now, she couldn’t be sure she could do it.
“…I’m going to go back.”
Hearing that, Gisele felt the tension drain out of her. Theo tried to rush toward Yulita, but Gisele stopped him.
“No, don’t, oppa.”
“But— but Yulita—”
“Oppa, if Mom had chosen you, she’d have spent her life being used. It’s better to end it here at the wedding. It’ll hurt now, but this is the way both of you can be happy.”
Even while saying it, Gisele felt sorry for Theo.
“Sorry, Theo.”
Theo kept shaking his head.
“Y- Yulita…”
Gisele pointed at Mertz with her finger.
“That man is my biological father. He’s the emperor, and he’s the one Mom truly loves.”
Sadly, Yulita didn’t seem like someone who could marry someone she didn’t love. Mertz took Yulita’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. With the two of them together like that, it felt like the perfect picture had been completed. Yes, he’d done awful things to Theo to make this happen, but marrying someone who didn’t love him would’ve been worse.
Tears fell from Theo’s eyes.
“…Damn. So that’s it. Yulita really loves that guy… She belongs with him…”
“And there’s no one else who can make Mom happy but him…”
Theo had to accept it. He could sense it — the person he loved loved someone else. Anyone sane would see it in this situation. He had no choice but to give up.
“Live well, damn it!”
Theo wiped his tears and turned away. Gisele patted his back.
“I’m really sorry, Theo.”
“You don’t have to apologize… It was my choice. Damn it. If Yulita’s happy… that’s fine…”
Theo left, and Gisele went over to Mrs. Laura.
“You got the jewels ready, right?”
Mrs. Laura looked completely stunned. An emperor showing up at her son’s wedding — there was no way she’d imagined that.
“Well, um, I packed them…?”
“That amount will let you live comfortably forever, right?”
“Oh? Uh, uh…”
“Then please, tell Theo I’m sorry. Keep the jewels and live off them forever.”
If the jewels were that valuable, the family could live without work for generations. They’d be hurt emotionally, but getting hurt now would be better than getting hurt later.
Mrs. Laura’s eyes were cold.
“You’re really just giving those jewels away, right? You don’t have to marry him to keep them?”
“We have at least that much conscience.”
If Yulita could be won, Mertz would do much worse; a few jewels were nothing. Gisele walked back to Yulita.
“Mom!”
Yulita was staring blankly, holding Mertz’s hand while getting into the carriage. Only when she saw her daughter did she seem to remember she had one.
“…Gisele?”
She must have been so shocked that she’d forgotten she even had a child. When she saw Gisele, she put a hand over her mouth like she’d just realized she wasn’t a girl from her memories anymore.
“Tell Theo! You need to explain to him!”
Mertz hugged Yulita.
“Don’t go.”
“But you should explain… and apologize, and just take the jewels…”
Before Yulita could finish flustered words, Gisele climbed into the carriage.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I explained everything. Did you pack your things?”
“My guards have taken care of everything.”
At Mertz’s command, the carriage moved. Gisele watched the town slip by in her silver eyes.
“It was fun being with you.”
“There will only be more fun at the palace.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Gisele shrugged. Philip hopped down from the driver’s seat and opened the carriage door, grinning as he grabbed the ribbon in Gisele’s hair and gave it a playful yank.
“Now you’ll really be a little princess, won’t you?”
“That depends on Mom’s choice. Don’t pull on it! What are you doing to a lady?”
“Oh, sorry. But since the wedding’s over, doesn’t that mean I should marry my sister? The famous bride who chose a different man at her wedding!”
“Prince Philip! That’s—”
Yulita looked genuinely nervous. Gisele squeezed her hand. Mertz spoke up.
“Yulita is simply returning to where she belongs, Philip.”
“Yeah, I see your love for Yulita, little brat talking rough to your brother.”
Philip reopened the carriage door, and Gisele was shocked — he climbed up and moved to the driver’s seat again.
Mertz placed his hand on Yulita’s shoulder.
“If you’re tired, lean on me.”
“Leaning on you is more tiring,” she muttered.
“Mom.”
“…Gisele, are you surprised? I’m sorry, I… I forgot everything earlier, didn’t I? For a mom who loves her child so much to forget her own daughter… that shows how much she loved this man.”
“Just accept your mother’s feelings, okay?”
Yulita saw two pairs of silver eyes looking at her. She closed her own eyes and put her hand over them.
Gisele exhaled and leaned back on the carriage seat. It was soft — nowhere near like the old straw mattress she remembered. She drifted off to sleep.
When she woke, her head was in Yulita’s lap. She barely opened her heavy eyelids and immediately met Mertz’s silver gaze.
‘Does that man ever sleep?’
Gisele returned his stare without looking away, like a challenge. Silence settled briefly between them. Gisele broke it first.
“What about Henrik? You said he loved my mom.”
Mertz’s brow tightened.
“Why are you interested in that child?”
“He’s a kid all alone in a gloomy room who can’t even call his father his father. How could I not worry?”
Mertz’s look grew cold.
“That child is not my son.”
Gisele snorted at his attitude.
“Fine, you can think that. I don’t call you my dad either. But he was born — if you made him exist, shouldn’t you at least take responsibility?”
She shrugged.
“Or send him to Mom.”
“I already take responsibility for that child, and he has no mother.”
Gisele was a little shocked but then accepted it. In the 21st-century Korea she remembered, some women died in childbirth; maybe similar things happened here. Or there could be complicated circumstances.
“Then why did you have a child with another woman if you truly love my mom?”
This was the question she most wanted to ask. At that, the chill in his gaze returned.
“I…”
He answered tightly.
“I have never lain with another woman besides Yulita. The thought alone is repulsive.”
“Then what is Henrik?”
So where did Henrik come from? Did a stork bring him?
Mertz crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand.
“I can’t tell you everything, but that child was not born by normal means, so you can’t call him my son.”
What on earth does that mean?’
Gisele held herself back from asking more and watched Mertz. His face darkened.
“But since he was created because of me, I’m taking responsibility as much as I can. So stop worrying about Henrik.”
Gisele yawned. Sleep was creeping back.
“Saying that just makes me more curious.”
“Even if you get involved with Henrik, nothing will change.”
Gisele, sleepy, pouted at him.
“Don’t talk like that!”
“Fine. Now go back to sleep.”
Mertz reached out and covered Gisele’s eyes with his hand.
“Hey… move your hand…”
Gisele fell asleep again.
Not long after, they arrived on the island — the Bartemios capital.
“Wow! Mom, what’s that!?”
“That’s a magic circle.”
The Bartemios island glittered. Magic circles and rune patterns decorated the walls, and the distant imperial palace was blindingly majestic.
“Red’s attack, green’s healing, grey’s stealth, purple’s control, blue’s defense — they hung jewels that symbolize each magical attribute.”
As Mertz said, gems representing each magic type decorated the white walls. Gisele’s eyes sparkled. Yulita looked at her with a proud, happy gaze.
“Gisele, do you like it?”
“Yes! I love it! So that’s our home now?”
Life in the countryside wasn’t bad, but if they could live in that magnificent place, why not?
Mertz answered for Yulita.
“Yes, Gisele. It’s your home.”
Yulita looked down with worry.
“…I wonder what the nobles will think of Gisele’s existence…”
“I’ll say it myself: she’s my daughter, the emperor’s only child, so don’t worry, Yulita.”
Mertz touched Yulita’s cheek.
“Don’t worry about anything. Just be happy.”
Yulita withdrew her hand. Gisele still didn’t like Mertz much, but since Mom loved him, she decided to accept it.
‘Because of that I had to go through all that craziness.’
Gisele grabbed Mertz’s arm and guided his hand to touch Yulita’s cheek again. Yulita looked at her, startled.
“Mom, just accept it. You can’t live without him.”
“Gisele! What are you saying! Mom—”
“Mom just fits with him. Even if she resisted, fate won’t let her. Just accept it.”
Mertz smiled like he was pleased. Gisele let go of his arm and pouted.
“I wasn’t saying that to flatter you, so don’t smile like that.”
“You’re rude, but you do have good insight.”
“Hey, who do you think I take after to be so rude?”
