CHAPTER 17
Eva, trembling as she spoke with quivering lips, eventually burst into tears. She knew this impulsive behavior would worry Cecile, but emotions sometimes slipped beyond the control of reason.
“Milady.”
“I’m sorry, nanny. I tried not to get involved, but it didn’t work out.”
At Cecile’s call, Eva first confessed everything about the Crown Prince. Perhaps even saying she had tried not to get involved wasn’t entirely accurate. She had spent time with Edward as Pamela wished, but if she truly hadn’t wanted it, she wouldn’t have gone to the Moonlight Garden at all.
The truth was, she had enjoyed being with Edward. His gaze, his gestures, his voice—the way his gentle smile slowly spread like a stain of light—was captivating. Riding together with him, feeling the wind against her face, had been indescribably joyful.
Dancing beneath the moonlight with him, meeting his eyes as they circled the fountain, had made her heart race. Even now, thinking of the moment she had been held in his arms, their breaths mingling, made her heart pound. It was the first time she had ever felt something like this, and she had been swept away without being able to control it.
“Milady.”
“I’m sorry, nanny. But please don’t scold me. Today was really hard.”
Eva took Cecile’s hand and placed it against her cheek. She was emotionally exhausted and only wanted to rest. Even though she hadn’t followed Cecile’s advice, today she just wanted comfort.
“Are you very troubled, milady?”
Fortunately, Cecile didn’t press further and focused instead on Eva’s emotions.
“A little.”
In truth, quite a lot.
That was why it was so confusing. Their time together had been so short—so why were the memories so intense? She couldn’t understand the nature of these feelings occupying her mind.
“That is what it means to like someone,” Cecile said gently. “Perhaps that gentleman is your first love, milady.”
“……”
Eva stopped crying abruptly and looked at Cecile in shock. It felt as though something enormous and burning had struck her chest like a falling meteor.
Liking someone. First love.
Once her feelings were given a name and explanation, they took on a much greater meaning. Yes—that was it. It wasn’t admiration for a savior, a polite guest, or a pleasant companion. As a woman, she had fallen in love with Edward as a man.
That was why she felt such deep regret over the shame she had shown him that day. That was why parting like this hurt so much.
“Milady.”
Looking at Eva with sympathy, Cecile struggled to sit up. She pulled Eva gently into her arms and patted her fragile back.
“It’s alright, milady. Emotions are like morning mist—they eventually fade away.”
“Sniff…”
Eva finally buried her face in Cecile’s embrace and sobbed. Her heart ached unbearably, as though it had been torn apart. And what remained after the storm was painfully clear.
She and Edward were never meant to be. And if she didn’t let go of these feelings quickly, she would only end up hurting herself.
A pale dawn was breaking.
Edward stood by the window, gazing at the indigo sky slowly lightening in the distance. His thoughts drifted, pulling him back to a day long ago.
It was about fifteen years earlier. At the invitation of Count Maysis, the Emperor had visited Veil Castle with his son Edward and his illegitimate younger half-brother, Prince James.
While greeting the lord of the castle, a small child peeked out from behind Count Maysis’s legs.
“This is the child who will become your wife,” the Emperor had said.
That was when Edward first saw Eva, her eyes bright and sparkling. He was eleven years old; she was six.
She had a pale, plump face, rosy cheeks, mysterious blue eyes that shifted like sky and lake, soft red lips, and golden curls falling to her shoulders.
She was cute—but absurd.
This tiny child… my fiancée?
“Hello, Your Highness the Crown Prince,” Eva said with an unsteady pronunciation, smiling brightly.
“I am your fiancée. A fiancée means… someone who becomes your husband later, and you become my wife.”
She explained it seriously, though completely incorrectly. It seemed she had heard something but didn’t fully understand it. As Edward wondered whether to correct her, laughter erupted around them. Even the Emperor smiled fondly at her.
“…I see. Nice to meet you, Eva.”
What else could he do? He smiled along with everyone else. She was, after all, quite adorable.
Eva was a child who stood out. Unlike Edward, who was isolated in the palace, all of Veil Castle’s attention was directed toward her. Everyone worried about her constantly—whether she might fall if she ran, whether she might choke if she ate too much, whether she was comfortable enough. It wasn’t mere formality; they genuinely adored her. Even the Emperor smiled more whenever he saw her.
A child who was loved—and therefore full of love to give.
Edward found that light in Eva unfamiliar. He felt jealousy, even envy. Still, as her fiancé, he treated her kindly, and Eva followed him around with a bright smile.
“We’re going to get married and become husband and wife. Do you know what that means, Your Highness?”
“What does it mean?” he asked with a faint smile.
“It means becoming the closest people in the world. People who always stand on each other’s side no matter what. That’s marriage.”
“So you’re saying you’ll become the closest person to me?”
Eva nodded vigorously.
“And you’ll always be on my side, no matter what?”
Again she nodded, completely serious.
Edward shook his head in disbelief. Whoever had told this child such things—likely a nanny or steward—should have avoided such fairytale nonsense. The world was far harsher than that.
To Edward, marriage was a contract between suitable partners—more like rivalry than devotion. Something built on suspicion rather than trust.
Still, he didn’t dislike Eva’s words. At least she wasn’t lying.
On the second day of their visit, when the Emperor and Count Maysis went out, only the children remained. James, who usually provoked Edward, unexpectedly offered him a drink.
Just as Edward was about to take it, Eva rushed over, snatched it from his hand, and threw it to the ground.
“Your Highness, don’t drink that! The prince spat in it. He’s a bad person!”
Her face red like an apple, she stood protectively in front of Edward and glared at James.
“You’re crazy! How dare you—”
“He spat in it! I saw it!”
“Do you want to die?”
“You’re the one who did something bad!”
The childish argument continued.
Edward could have easily dealt with James, yet he simply watched. Not out of anger—but because it felt unfamiliar.
It was the first time someone had chosen his side without hesitation.
Eva had truly meant it when she said she would stand by him. The “fiancée duty” she barely understood, she fulfilled with complete sincerity.
Later, after Edward scolded James, Eva seemed deeply moved. For the rest of the visit, she stuck close to him constantly, and he ended up escorting her everywhere.
Being with Eva wasn’t unpleasant. It was the purest attention and trust he had ever received. Even now, it brought a faint smile to his face.
“Eva…”
After that visit, he never saw her again, but he often remembered her name.
Even when he grew into adulthood, Eva remained in his memory. He rejected countless noblewomen’s advances, assuming he would eventually marry her. Not because of romantic love—but because he believed he should remain loyal to the person who was meant to be his wife.
Others found it absurd. Even he couldn’t fully explain it. But the impression formed in childhood was strong—Eva was “his ally.”
During their engagement period, Eva never came to the capital, nor attended noble gatherings. Edward felt both relief and disappointment. At least she wasn’t exposed to his enemies.
He never expected the engagement to be broken.
After Count Maysis died and Eva moved away, he heard little of her. And then, amid political turmoil in the palace, he simply lost track of time.
Still, once every season, he thought of her.
And then, as if by fate, he met Eva again.
“Please wait and watch. Flowers bloom for a reason.”
She had become someone both gentle and strong.
“The value of time, the happiness in small things, understanding others, gratitude for everyday life…”
She had bloomed even in mud.
“Your Highness.”
A voice interrupted his thoughts—his cousin, Benjamin Holland.
Edward turned slowly. Benjamin looked at him with concern.
“The royal guards and attendants are waiting. It’s time to depart.”
