Episode 22
Leo was being hauled off when a rough, plain-looking carriage rolled into view, and he gave a wry smile.
It looked just like the one the palace had sent to fetch him the day the truth came out—that he was a prince.
Back then, he’d hardly ever ridden in a carriage, so he’d been as giddy as a kid getting a birthday present.
But the moment they reached the palace, he’d learned the truth just from the way people looked at him.
An unwanted child.
Born as nothing more than a whimsy of the emperor’s pleasure, no one in the palace had wanted him there.
From that day on, Leo had given up on being loved here.
Even so, he still needed somewhere to live. And in those days, that meant proving his worth every single day just to
survive.
Life in the palace had been one constant test, but he’d managed to survive—and that was it. Even now, staring at this
shabby carriage, he could see nothing had changed.
No one in the palace welcomed him then, and no one welcomed him now.
If this was a “home,” it was in name only.
“Get in.”
What kind of home has no one happy to see you?
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Taking a little vacation.”
“I don’t recall giving you one.”
The emperor’s voice was tight with anger, and Leo felt like the air itself was pressing down on him.
To everyone else, the emperor was the picture of a good father and a benevolent ruler. But with Leo, he became
someone entirely different—like a mask slipping away.
And looking at him now, Leo couldn’t help but think of Emilia.
Better to expect nothing than to waste years chasing a love you’d never get.
“Maybe you just don’t remember. You’ve never paid me much attention.”
“Enough nonsense. Stay in the capital from now on.”
That made Leo raise a brow. This was the same man who’d told him countless times he didn’t care where Leo went,
so long as it wasn’t in front of him.
Now he wanted him to stay? Leo couldn’t guess why.
When Marquis Herman was executed, you were glowing like your biggest headache was gone. What’s changed in
a year?
The emperor’s expression was completely different from back then. Before, with the noble faction collapsing, he’d
been all smiles like the empire was his playground.
Now, his face looked ready to erupt like a volcano.
Leo considered poking the volcano to see if it would blow, then thought better of it.
“So why keep me here? You’ve got Winton. You don’t need me.”
Winton, the crown prince firstborn son of the empress, second only to Diana in the emperor’s affections.
He was useless, but as the empress’s first son, the emperor backed him completely. The empire’s “pride and joy.”
The emperor’s face soured at the mention of Winton’s name, like he’d heard something foul.
“Keep your mouth shut if you value your title. That’s my advice, Leocus.”
He waved Leo away like he was dismissing a servant.
Fine by Leo, he didn’t want to be in this room anyway.
God, I can breathe again.
Once he was clear of the emperor, Leo kept his usual smile, though the place was crawling with watchers—eyes and
ears for the emperor.
The palace was more a prison than a home.
“Lot of people looking for me today,” he murmured as someone stepped into his path.
It was Diana.
“Why’d you stay out there for a whole year, Leo?”
So she had come looking for him, not the emperor. She stared at him like she was trying to read his mind.
Meeting like this in public was rare, so eyes turned toward them instantly.
Annoyed, Leo headed for a quieter spot, and Diana followed without a word.
Once they were alone, his voice lost all its public charm.
“So, why are you looking for me?”
She didn’t waste time.
“You didn’t come back with Edwin?”
“Edwin?”
She kept going before he could say more.
“Father sent him to the Grand Forest to bring you back. You weren’t caught and dragged here with him?”
It took him a second, but he got what she meant.
Still… why Edwin?
The man practically ran the empire thanks to the emperor’s laziness. And he’d sent him on a fetch quest for a
“missing” illegitimate son? Didn’t add up.
“I thought you were married to him.”
“We will be. Soon.”
Leo almost laughed out loud.
It had been a year since Emilia left Edwin, and Diana still hadn’t landed him?
Did Edwin fall for someone else?
Marrying a princess was never a bad move for the Caspers—especially one the emperor actually liked.
Unlike Leo’s mother, Diana’s lowborn background hadn’t stopped her from winning the emperor’s favor.
So why the delay?
“Instead of standing here, why don’t we have a drink?”
If nothing else, he could catch up on what he’d missed while he was gone.
“What’s he doing over there?”
“No idea. What’s a man that busy doing watching us work?”
“Forget it. Let’s just get on with it—there’s too much to do.”
Since morning, Emilia hadn’t wanted to leave the house.
If she went out, she knew she’d run into Edwin. And she just wanted to wait him out until he left.
But she’d already promised to help with the village work, and she hated breaking her word.
She considered faking an illness, but in the end, she went out. She didn’t want to give anyone here a reason to distrust
her.
And really surely he wouldn’t show up at a work site just to say whatever he’d come to say.
But of course, when she arrived at the fields, there he was, like he’d known she’d come.
“Let’s get started.”
“Hey, Amy, come work over here with us!”
She ignored Edwin and started working right away.
Today’s job was cutting down overgrown grass and piling it up in one spot. She grabbed a sickle and got to work,
figuring he’d leave once he got bored of watching her.
But things didn’t go as she’d hoped.
Just as sweat started to bead on her forehead, someone came up beside her.
She assumed it was break time—but no.
“Emilia.”
“Edwin…?”
“I’ll help you.”
“W-wait!”
It wasn’t a villager it was him. She’d even slipped and called him by name instead of “Your Grace.”
And before she could stop him, he knelt beside her and started pulling grass out with his bare hands—no gloves,
nothing.
Every eye in the field turned toward them.
She tried to steady herself, but honestly, she couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing.
