Chapter 62 ….
Seeing Off
A royal aide spotted Alan walking out of the palace and hurriedly approached him. For the past three days, he had been at a loss, worried about his superior, with whom communication had been completely cut off.
“Are you all right?”
“Step aside.”
But Elder Alan didn’t seem to notice the aide’s concern at all. He regarded him as nothing more than an obstacle in his path and shoved him aside without hesitation. Alan’s temper had been thoroughly soured by the fact that nothing had gone his way recently.
He had spent his cycle in the small palace room that contained nothing but a bed and a bedside table. Even after taking sedatives, he couldn’t calm down, and when he insisted on going home to resolve things, the door was not opened.
Even as he howled from a headache that felt like his skull was being crushed, the door was only opened to provide water and food—and even then, if Alan approached, the door would be closed to prevent him from leaving.
He pounded on the door, insisting he wanted to go back, but his requests were never heeded. The knights ignored him, claiming it was all by Prince Lucid’s orders.
Thus, for the first time, Alan had to endure a cycle entirely on his own. Because it was induced with stimulants, he couldn’t control it at all, and the days of writhing in what felt like lethal pain were hellish.
Why did this happen? Alan traced the beginning of this nightmare he would never forget in his life. Soon, he identified a single cause.
“Because of the Grand Duchess.”
He gritted his teeth, ignoring the fact that Zeck had orchestrated a scheme. If the Grand Duchess hadn’t brought that carriage, he wouldn’t have ended up like this. Clearly, this had all been plotted against him.
Alan climbed into the carriage, lost in his own thoughts. Just before it departed, the aide leaned close and whispered, low enough that the knights posted as guards couldn’t hear.
“Shouldn’t we pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress before we go?”
The very reason he had come to the palace had been to see her. But Alan brushed it off as if it required no thought.
“No need.”
He had believed that while he was trapped in that small room, Empress Kate would come to his rescue. Even if they had to keep their alliance secret, she wouldn’t leave him to fall into such a trap. After all, hadn’t they formed an alliance to help each other?
Yet Empress Kate had not so much as cast a shadow. Alan, just as resentful of her as of the Grand Duchess, now nursed a grudge against Kate as well.
“Let’s see who’s really in need,” he muttered.
After all, she was merely an empress and no one else. Alan snorted and fixed his gaze forward. Without hesitation, the aide tapped the coachman’s seat.
The carriage carrying him began to move.
“So, you dared to cross me,” Alan muttered.
This time, he had planned his trap meticulously. Not clumsy, but precise—he would take the Grand Duchess’s life without fail.
Meanwhile, the knight who had been guarding Elder Alan waited until the carriage disappeared, then turned back. He went straight to Prince Lucid to report.
“He has left.”
Lucid, who had been reading a book, looked up at the knight’s report. Glancing out the window, he saw a carriage moving at that moment.
“Go tell the Grand Duke that Elder Alan has left after resting well.”
Three days ago, Prince Lucid had received a letter from the Grand Duke. It was a simple request: a retainer of the family would be coming to the palace, so report and take appropriate measures. At the time, the letter had been vague, and Lucid hadn’t fully understood it. But seeing Elder Alan in person, he immediately got the sense of it.
Strutting with a scent of pheromones about him, of all things.
A smirk crept onto Lucid’s face. Elder Alan was well aware of who he was. As a senior of the venerable Grand Duke’s house, he wielded his power openly and would go so far as to match even some members of the royal family.
But now, humiliated as he had been, Lucid wondered how he would react next.
“Isn’t it strange?”
Lucid asked himself quietly. The knight understood that it was about Elder Alan but couldn’t grasp the full meaning of the question. He bowed apologetically.
“This was just after the cycle began, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Noting that the prince was asking about Elder Alan’s condition, the knight answered.
“Did the Grand Duke know Elder Alan’s cycle schedule? Perhaps that’s why he made such a request.”
“But it’s strange. If a cycle had occurred, no matter how urgent the matter, a person usually wouldn’t leave home.”
“I wonder what’s going on in the Grand Duke’s house.”
“Shall we find out?”
“No need to dig too deep. Just scratch the surface a bit.”
After all, he had been entrusted with keeping the retainer safe during the cycle and sending him off. That alone gave him some right to know.
“Your Highness.”
Lucid turned when he heard the call. His mother, the Empress, stood there with a gentle smile.
“You called me?”
“What are you looking at?”
“The sky is beautiful.”
“In that case, we should go see it properly. The weather is perfect—let’s take a walk together.”
“Good idea.”
Lucid put down his book, rose, and approached the Empress with a bright smile.
The Grand Duke’s army was neatly assembled. After a brief departure ceremony, they were ready to leave, with family members approaching to bid farewell.
Eileen also approached Lloyd. Already taller than her, he looked even larger atop his horse.
Lloyd removed his helmet, brushing his hair back. Eileen studied his sharp jawline, high nose, and deep eyes. She lingered, as if trying to memorize his face before he left. Lloyd chuckled softly.
“Why are you staring so much?”
“Because we won’t see each other for a while.”
“You should’ve looked more before this.”
Despite Lloyd’s teasing, Eileen couldn’t take her eyes off him. He wasn’t wrong—if she had memorized him better beforehand, perhaps this longing would be lessened. That stubborn jaw, the lips that only spoke harsh words, the cheeks that displayed displeasure, the overly set nose, and even those blunt eyes—the face of the foolish man who had worried over her but couldn’t even touch her last night.
“You’re really handsome.”
“You don’t need to tell me that.”
“I’m saying you’re handsome with eyes, nose, and mouth that suit you.”
At this old joke, Lloyd’s eyebrows twitched.
“You’re probably the only one who’d say that about my face.”
“Thank you.”
Eileen replied calmly, and Lloyd let out a sigh as if there was nothing more to say. The light-hearted mood had faded, and both felt that it was time for their final farewell.
“I believe you’ll do well even without me.”
“I won’t cause you any trouble.”
“Eileen.”
Lloyd looked down at her with a somewhat displeased gaze. Wondering if her assurances were insufficient, Eileen rolled her eyes.
“Have you forgotten everything I told you? Do as you please while I’m gone.”
He often said such things, but she hadn’t expected him to truly allow her such freedom in his absence.
“What if I cause trouble while doing so?”
“Then all the better. It’ll make you think of me.”
It seemed like his usual teasing, but Lloyd’s expression held no smile. He genuinely wanted her to think of him.
“I will think of you a lot.”
“Good.”
As silence fell again, Eileen cautiously brought up the future.
“This might be the last time we see each other as husband and wife, right?”
Their marriage contract lasted a year. They had only been married a month. During the time he was at war, eleven months would pass. Grateful and guilty as she was, she felt lingering sadness.
She expected Lloyd to respond similarly. Instead, he frowned slightly and spoke differently.
“I’ll pray it ends quickly.”
“You mean for the war to end quickly?”
Eileen was surprised by his unexpected thought, then smiled. She already knew how long the war could last, but she nodded without showing it.
“Understood. I’ll pray for you to finish quickly.”
As she folded her hands in a mock prayer, Lloyd grasped them with one hand.
“I regret not meeting you sooner.”
Eileen too regretted not quickly clearing her misunderstandings. So she stayed still, letting him hold her hand.
“If only we had met a little sooner… so that you would experience other moments because of me…”
Lloyd muttered words Eileen couldn’t fully understand, leaving the sentence incomplete. He released her hands and put on his helmet. Without a proper farewell, he rode forward as the signal to depart was given.
