IMTVD| Chapter 19

Episode 19

“Duke, we’ve arrived at Grand Forest.”

“Yeah… I see.”

Originally, Edwin had zero plans to come here.

He’d intended to head somewhere more comfortable, like Constan City—not this remote place.

But thanks to the emperor’s messenger, he’d been forced to make a detour.

One of the imperial princes had suddenly gone missing, and the emperor had ordered Edwin to find him.

Officially, the excuse was that he was “worried” about his son’s safety. But Edwin knew better.

More like he’s worried the prince is plotting a rebellion.

Every moment here felt like a waste. Edwin was already begrudging every second he wasn’t using to search for her—

skipping sleep, skipping meals, always moving.

And now, instead of looking where Emilia might actually be, he had to comb through some place she’d never even set

foot in, all because of one spoiled prince.

Emilia… are you even alive?

No matter how hard he chased her trail, nothing came up.

She’d rarely shown herself in public, so very few people even knew her by sight. And since she’d left the estate on foot

instead of by carriage, tracking her was even harder.

He had no idea where she’d gone, so he’d been scouring the empire, from the far north downward—checking every

settlement rumored to be good for newcomers.

It had already been a year.

He’d practically turned the whole empire upside down, but still no Emilia.

His retainers had started openly telling him to give up.

Even he knew he was wearing down. The thought was starting to creep in—maybe he needed to accept reality.

Maybe she wasn’t safe anymore.

“Duke, a letter’s arrived.”

“From the princess?”

“Yes, sir.”

Edwin didn’t even need to check to guess the sender.

Diana had been sending him letters almost every day.

At first, he’d bothered replying—telling her to stop writing—but she’d ignored him, and the letters just kept coming.

Eventually, he stopped answering, which only made her write even more often.

With a heavy sigh, he gave the same order as always.

“Toss it.”

The knights had gotten used to it. In the beginning, they’d hesitated to destroy a royal’s letter, but after this many

times, they barely blinked.

Edwin turned his gaze back to Cardinal Village. It looked even rougher than the other rural towns he’d passed

through on his travels.

There’s no way she’d be here.

He was sure of it. Emilia might have had a hard life toward the end, but she’d still been raised as a noblewoman.

There was no way she could survive in a place like this.

Noble daughters were trained from childhood to navigate high society, not to live off the land. He was convinced she’d

have taken work as a manager in another noble household or as a lady’s maid.

“My lord, why don’t you take a break? We’ll handle the search for the prince.”

“No. I’ll join in.”

The knights wished he’d rest—his gaunt face and dark circles made it obvious he needed it—but they knew better

than to push him.

They split up to search for the prince while Edwin moved alone, planning that if he found him first, he’d personally

drag him back so he’d never try running again.

Huh. There are some decent houses here.

He rode through the village, scanning for a place a runaway prince might hole up in. He ignored the wary stares from

villagers, he’d seen that same look in plenty of towns before.

While his men sought out the village chief, Edwin stopped in front of a well-kept house.

He knocked quietly no announcing himself. He didn’t want to give anyone inside time to run.

There’s someone in there.

From the faint sounds, he was sure it was just one person. He waited for the door to open… but nothing happened.

Did they already catch on?

He clicked his tongue. He could still hear breathing from inside. Should he just kick the door down and check?

As he debated, the hinges creaked—and then he heard a voice he knew far too well.

“Did you hate me that much?”

His head snapped toward the sound.

“Tell me. Did you hate me enough to want me dead?”

And there she was Emilia. The woman he’d never once stopped looking for.

“…Emilia.”

Emilia bit her lip.

It was a habit she’d lost since settling in Cardinal Village, but it came back the second she saw Edwin. She bit down so

hard she tasted blood, but she couldn’t stop.

Did he really hate me that much?

She’d fled as far as Grand Forest—kept her head down, lived quietly.

Before leaving, she’d even written up divorce papers herself, so he could be with Diana without hassle.

She’d done everything she could to avoid bothering him. She hadn’t hinted she was leaving. She hadn’t asked for

alimony.

All she’d wanted was to not have to see them happy together.

That should’ve been enough.

And yet… he’d come all the way here to drag her back. It made her furious.

What had she done so wrong that he had to chase her into the middle of nowhere?

Couldn’t their story have ended with both of them living happily, separately, like in the original tale?

Looking at him now, all she felt was resentment. He’d never truly looked at her, and now he’d come here—what? To

finish her off?

Edwin, for his part, was stunned. For a moment, he wondered if she could be real.

“Emilia.”

“Why are you here?”

Her hostile stare snapped him back to himself. She wasn’t an illusion—this was really her.

And with that realization, it was like waking from a long dream.

He opened his mouth but couldn’t speak. After searching so long, all the things he’d wanted to say jammed in his

throat.

He wanted to beat his own chest in frustration but stopped himself—afraid of startling her.

“I don’t want to see you.”

No… no, don’t say that.

Emilia’s pulse was racing. She’d left him over a year ago, and it had taken all that time to start scraping him out of her

heart.

Now here he was, dragging back every memory and feeling she’d worked so hard to erase.

She reached for the door handle. Edwin moved, desperate to stop her wanting to tell her it was all a

misunderstanding, wanting to say what he’d never said before.

But Emilia knew she had to be firm.

“I have nothing more to say to you.”

“Please, just listen to me, Emilia!”

“I’m sorry. And… be happy.”

“No—!”

She shut the door.

While he stood outside calling her name, she stayed pressed to the door, uneasy.

She’d sounded calm, but she was at her limit. She half-feared he might break the door down and drag her back to the

capital.

But he didn’t. He just kept calling her name.

Her thoughts were a mess. She’d never imagined he’d find her here. She only hoped he’d leave without doing

anything else.

Go back… and be happy with Diana.

She stayed by the door, waiting for him to leave, silently wishing he’d forget her name entirely.