Chapter 31
“You’re late, Layla.”
Sonet stared intently at her as he spoke. Layla suddenly remembered that she was dressed as instructed by Crown Prince Anasis for the masquerade ball.
Maybe that was why, even though Sonet had already seen her in this outfit earlier, it now felt like she was facing him in the wrong attire.
More than anything, she was supposed to be engaged to him—but here she was, wearing clothes given by another man. It made her feel strangely unsettled.
“Why are you here, Sonet?”
She found it suspicious that he hadn’t escorted Lady Bardell Rockfell back, and instead waited by the carriage she was meant to ride in.
How did he know when she’d be here? It had been over three hours since they parted ways earlier.
No, perhaps…
Was Sonet here now to hand her over to Crown Prince Anasis, his ally?
Could she trust Rainier? If the crown prince truly meant to kidnap her—what was his reason?
And why had Rainier helped her? Why had he said he couldn’t explain everything?
“I was worried about you.”
At his words, Layla hesitated to respond. Then she smiled faintly.
“What exactly were you worried about?”
“That you might be hurt.”
At the unexpected reply, she tried to brush it off—but ended up flustered and lost for words.
“I believe you. And even if what Lady Rockfell said is true, I still want to be with you.”
“Sonet…”
“I mean it, Layla.”
His sincere tone and gentle words made her tremble—because she realized he was acting.
Everything he said were the very words she had so desperately wanted to hear in her previous life.
No one had ever taken her side. And the rare few who did, she had given her whole heart to.
Back then, it was the only way to survive.
But after dying, she had learned how to see through people.
Her past self would’ve wanted to believe someone who said those kinds of things. But that was foolish.
She had known Sonet for less than a month.
If someone like that was saying these things to her, there was no way it could be sincere. Even if he had fallen for her at the debutante ball.
If Bardell Rockfell’s claims were true, Layla was a woman who had seduced countless men in society, gotten pregnant, and lost the child.
Layla no longer fell for sweet lies. People who said what she wanted to hear were never good people—they were people who wanted something from her.
“Sonet.”
“Layla?”
Ashamed of her past self yet furious at her present circumstances, her eyes began to well with tears.
She couldn’t fully trust Hugo’s words—but she knew whatever he wanted from her wasn’t going to be small.
She had decided it didn’t matter if no one in the world loved her. Even if she loved no one, she would love herself. And she wouldn’t be fooled by such words anymore.
Resentful of the past where she’d been used over and over, she decided—almost instinctively—to use her tears now.
“I really… I’m not. Sonet, really.”
“Yeah. I know. I believe you.”
As she began crying with feigned emotion, he fumbled awkwardly before pulling out a handkerchief from his breast pocket and handing it to her.
“Hhhuu…”
“I believe you, Layla.”
Before she knew it, he had moved beside her and was patting her back. Since her teary eyes were barely open, she didn’t resist as he embraced her.
She wept in his arms, and he gently held her, as if pitying her.
After pretending to cry for quite a while, Layla eventually ran out of energy and fell asleep in his arms.
On the way back to the mansion with Sonet, Layla fell asleep inside the carriage. It was a light sleep, but she even started to dream.
Her dream had a scent—familiar, yet strange and nostalgic.
‘Why do you always avoid eye contact?’
She was saying this to someone whose face she couldn’t quite see. That person seemed to be her husband, and when she spoke, she saw his lips curl into a soft, beautiful smile.
He was definitely smiling. As she pouted and scolded him, he smiled like sunshine and replied,
‘Because it’s hard to keep looking at your eyes.’
‘What do you mean?’
She then felt a large hand tucking her hair behind her ear, fingers brushing her skin. It was a dream, but the sensation was strangely vivid.
‘It’s like you can read my emotions.’
‘I’m not a mind reader. How could I possibly know what you’re feeling?’
As she quipped playfully, he exhaled, his expression even more radiant. She couldn’t miss the way his relieved sigh betrayed his joy.
‘I don’t know. But whenever I look into your eyes, I feel like I stop being myself.’
She could see his bright red ears and his smiling face. The sunshine around them felt like they were standing in a garden at high noon.
The fresh scent of grass and the warm aroma of sunlight—
‘Haah…’
And the soft, happy sigh whispered into her ear—
“Ah.”
Layla woke up.
Maybe it was the stress of recent events piling up that had led to such a silly dream.
“You’re awake?”
Layla realized the carriage was still moving—the sound of hooves and the steady rhythm of the ride echoed in her ears.
Her neck felt a little sore.
“How long was I out?”
“Five minutes?”
She tried to lift her head from his shoulder and sit upright.
“You can sleep more. We still have a long way to go.”
“I fell asleep crying, didn’t I?”
“…Yeah.”
She tried to pull herself together as she heard his answer.
“Sleep some more. You must be exhausted.”
She still wasn’t sure whether to trust him. But since they were in the same carriage, escaping wasn’t exactly an option right now.
Besides, he didn’t seem like someone who would cooperate with Crown Prince Anasis.
The reason she’d been suspicious of Sonet earlier was simply because he had appeared out of nowhere. Thinking about it now—if he had really wanted to kidnap her, he didn’t need to show up in person.
If he went through the trouble of revealing himself only to help the crown prince abduct her, that would be stupid. If she escaped after seeing her abductor’s face, the whole plan would fall apart.
Layla figured her mind must be so overwhelmed that she kept having both ridiculous dreams and ridiculous thoughts.
Maybe, like Hugo had said, it was more likely that someone wanted to install a mistress in her place after killing her.
“Sonet.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think about me continuing to attend social gatherings?”
She was testing him. If he really planned to install a mistress after her death, then her making public appearances wouldn’t be ideal.
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Why?”
“After everything that happened today… it hurt me to see you cry.”
She let out a short laugh, thinking that maybe his intentions weren’t so different from Hugo’s.
“I see. Thanks, Sonet.”
With that, she decided there was no use digging further. She leaned her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes once more.
Rainier had gone near the carriage Layla rode in before returning to the separate palace he stayed in.
When he arrived at the spot where Layla had stood earlier, butterflies appeared again and fluttered around him.
When he used to come here alone, he only felt sorrow. But maybe because she’d been here, her scent seemed to linger faintly.
He watched the butterflies circling nearby. White butterflies shimmered like auroras as they floated gently in the air.
Time passed, and soon the guests of the palace began to return home. The once-noisy banquet hall fell silent, with only the sounds of servants cleaning remaining.
Rainier slowly looked around outside. The moon had risen high, and the air was filled only with the sounds of movement.
Human voices were rare—only brief commands here and there.
He sighed and waited for everything to quiet down.
After a long while, he finally stepped away from the butterflies. The scent of Layla’s freesia had faded from the room.
Rainier walked slowly through the loathsome palace, heading downward.
Outside the separate palace, he retraced the path he had walked earlier with Layla. But unlike before, it now felt oddly cold.
The moonlight cast shadows that reminded him he was alone. Irritated, he stopped looking at the shadows and walked on.
Servants bustled about, cleaning up the remains of the banquet. They passed by as if they couldn’t see him, and he ignored them as he strode ahead.
With long strides, he made his way to the Emperor’s quarters.
When he arrived at the door, the knights standing idly there flinched in surprise, then promptly opened the doors.
Cough, cough!
At the sound of the cough, Rainier sighed and headed toward the emperor’s bed.
The emperor lay pale-faced, staring up at the canopy. When his son entered, he slowly turned his gaze and cleared his throat.
Then, in a hoarse voice, he asked—
“So? Did you find the young lady you were looking for?”
