Chapter 50
“Yulia! Come quickly.”
Maria greeted Yulia even more warmly than her own son, rushing all the way to the dusty end of the road to grasp Yulia’s hands tightly.
“To think we’d meet again like this. You never know what fate has in store, do you? You’ve come such a long way—thank you for the effort, Yulia.”
“It was no trouble at all. I wanted to see how you were doing. I should be the one thanking you for coming to meet me, Lady Maria.”
“You wanted to see me?”
“Of course! As soon as I saw your son again, I thought of you first.”
Though she seemed a bit less energetic than before, Cayente’s mother didn’t appear to be ill, and that alone was a relief. Her warm smile, a reflection of her gentle nature, was exactly as Yulia remembered.
“Let me guess—Cai insisted you didn’t need to see me, didn’t he? He’s been like that since his father passed. He’s gotten so stiff and overly protective of me.”
“Mother…”
Even a man who looked capable of taking on the world softened into a child before his mother. At Maria’s scolding, Cayente visibly grimaced.
“I thought I’d see you at the wedding.”
“I wanted to, but it’s still hard for me to appear in public.”
Though she spoke of her husband’s death lightly, it seemed she had recovered somewhat since their time on the island. Still, the faint loneliness in her smile made it clear she wasn’t completely over it.
“I thought you’d arrive around lunchtime. You’re later than I expected—I waited a while, son.”
“There were some circumstances.”
“Well, what matters is that you’re here. Let’s go inside.”
Even so, Maria kept smiling, while Cayente wore an unusually tense expression, as though he were burdened with guilt toward his mother.
“Son, aren’t you coming in?”
The two shared a close bond, and Cayente had always treated his mother well. Yulia walked beside them, quietly observing the stiffness in Cayente’s expression.
Because of their late arrival, Yulia was taken straight to the dining room as soon as they entered the estate. The food was served immediately after she sat down, confirming that Maria had indeed been waiting for them.
“Yulia, does the food suit your taste?”
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
Being treated so warmly made Yulia feel deeply grateful. If even Maria had greeted her coldly, Yulia wasn’t sure how she would’ve endured it.
“You know, I was more surprised that you were the bride than that Cai was getting married at all.”
“Really?”
“I always hoped he’d marry soon. And knowing his personality, I figured he’d go through with it once he made up his mind, so hearing about the wedding wasn’t all that shocking. But when I heard you were the bride, I was stunned. Oh! That’s not to say I was disappointed. Quite the opposite—I was overjoyed. Thank you for marrying my Cai, Yulia.”
“There’s no need to thank me…”
Unlike Yulia’s own mother, who had often seemed immature, Maria was the kind of mother she had always dreamed of. Of course, Yulia still loved her own mother. She never wanted to replace her, but she often wished her mother could be more like Maria.
“Did you know? When you and Cai were little, the Baroness and I used to joke about marrying the two of you someday.”
“I think I kind of remember that.”
“It may have sounded like a joke, but I was serious. I believed, even then, that you’d grow up to be a wonderful person.”
“Thank you for believing in me.”
Just being in Maria’s presence had a calming effect. Unlike with her own mother—who made her feel like she had to be responsible—Maria made Yulia feel safe and cared for, like she truly was a mother.
“What do you think, Cai? Don’t you think Yulia’s grown up beautifully?”
Maria looked at Cayente, waiting for his reply. He kept his gaze fixed on his plate as he spoke.
“If anything, the problem is that she hasn’t changed at all.”
“How is that a problem? I think it’s wonderful that she’s even more lovely now, and still has the same good heart as before. Oh! Yulia, did you know? When we talked about marrying you two back then and asked Cai later, he said he liked the idea.”
“Mother…”
Cayente lifted his head, giving his mother the same troubled expression he’d worn earlier. Yulia had to hold back a laugh at how the confident Cayente turned into a shy boy in front of his mother.
“Well, what does it matter? In the end, that feeling has bloomed into this marriage. But really, aren’t you going to tell me what happened? After you went back to the Empire, suddenly we hear you’re getting married. Something must have happened in that short time—you can tell your mother, son.”
Cayente, who never avoided eye contact with anyone, was cautious only in front of Maria. Though he had dodged questions about this marriage from others, this time he couldn’t avoid it. After a deep breath, he declared the reason for the marriage in a single sentence.
“I fell for her all over again the moment I saw her.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He claimed he had fallen for her again the moment he saw her, and that’s why he was marrying her.
Yulia knew his words weren’t true. The certainty in his eyes wasn’t about his own conviction—it was because he wanted Maria to believe it.
But even so, her heart skipped a beat. And in that moment, she realized the truth—she wanted Cayente’s love. She didn’t want a marriage based on friendship or convenience. She wanted love—deep, longing love.
“Cai’s never been good at expressing himself, right? See? What did I always say? If you don’t express yourself, how’s the other person supposed to know? Look at her—just that little bit made her eyes well up. That shows how little you’ve said.”
At Maria’s words, Cayente turned to Yulia with his usual unreadable eyes.
“She doesn’t need me to say it. Yulia already knows. That’s why she can marry me.”
First loves in childhood—how big of a deal can they really be? But the memory of a heart that raced, of cheeks that flushed just from seeing someone—those weren’t things that meant nothing. That’s why Yulia had once thought it might be better to marry Cayente than a stranger, and had allowed herself to dream, even briefly, about a life with him.
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“If you don’t say it, how am I supposed to know? Even if I heard it a hundred times, it wouldn’t be enough—not when it comes to hearing ‘I love you.’”
At this point, she would’ve been content just to not see rejection in his eyes. But Yulia used this moment to voice a yearning that still lingered deep inside her.
“I want you to say it. That you love me.”
That he would become someone who wanted her happiness—not her misery.
As summer approached, the days grew longer. Even after dinner, the world was still bright. Yulia had gone out to the garden to see the flowers that only grew on this island. Cayente and Maria sat nearby, watching her.
“What’s making you smile, Mother?”
Cayente looked confused, glancing at the contented expression on Maria’s face.
“You’re not really smiling because you like Yulia, are you?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? She’s such a sweet and lovely girl—how could I not?”
“Mother…”
“You said you fell for her again, didn’t you?”
“That can’t be true.”
“Why not? With eyes like hers, full of sunlight, who wouldn’t fall in love?”
“Mother!”
Cayente raised his voice in frustration, then lowered it again, mindful of the nearby staff.
“You know the truth.”
“Know what?”
That was why he couldn’t accept her words—that she truly liked Yulia. Maria knew everything Cayente knew.
“Mother…”
Maria’s tone turned gentle, though serious, as she kept her gaze on the smiling Yulia.
“What did Yulia do wrong?”
“I had no choice. Do you want me to explain the situation again?”
“I’m asking what Yulia herself did wrong.”
Her calm but firm question left Cayente sighing deeply as he looked toward Yulia. She was wearing a lavender dress—her favorite color—standing in front of a patch of equally lavender flowers. She looked perfectly at home among them, her dress fluttering in the breeze like a part of the garden itself.
And she was smiling—smiling as if she could outshine the setting sun. The breeze that lifted her dress made her look like she was the warm wind.
Who could possibly not love someone that lovely?
Even Cayente agreed. When she had appeared in society, men had swarmed around her not just for her beauty, but because Yulia was someone you couldn’t help but want.
“You said Yulia hasn’t changed?”
“Yes. She’s grown up beautifully and kept her kind heart.”
“That’s what makes me angry.”
If that incident hadn’t happened—if it hadn’t been the Baron who was responsible—Cayente might have fallen for her too. And with all his lingering memories of her, he likely would have fallen harder than anyone else.
If only…
If only it hadn’t been the Baron…
With his lips tightly pressed, Cayente kept his gaze fixed on Yulia’s smile.
