Chapter 58

“Waited for me? Really?”

That was the expression I tried to keep on my face. But inside, I was completely shaken by those simple words.

“My favorite person said he waited for me. I’ve lived for this moment. Etias… waited for me….”

It was lucky that the default face of Catrin Elemoer was cold and expressionless. If the inner me—currently spinning a sangmo and dancing a frantic jaajinmori rhythm—were visible, Etias might have been repulsed or even horrified.

But—this was no time to get carried away.

“Anyway, are you feeling better? Here, a housewarming gift. Camellias.”

Knowing what he’d been through, it was hard to keep up my usual villainess act today.

Etias silently watched me, hiding his anger toward the emperor behind a composed face. After a moment, he gestured for me to sit on the reception sofa.

Sitting down, I could immediately tell—it was a far cry from the fragile mess of a sofa he had before.

“Not bad at all. I’m glad I brought flowers to decorate the vase.”

I placed the flowers I’d brought from Elemoer into his empty vase. The soft pink petals brightened up the room.

“Now it feels more comfortable.”

That’s when I heard Etias’s voice.

“I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief—”

I was about to say, “—to hear,” but I stopped.

There was something we hadn’t resolved yet.

The moment I’d tried to give him the medicine… and when he refused it.

The way he whispered, knowing everything, but refusing it for my sake.

“You don’t want to be found out, do you?”

My heart was pounding.

“Catrin.”

Suddenly, my name slipped from Etias’s lips.

“I have something to ask you.”

Instinctively, I knew. This wouldn’t be a simple question.

I raised my clear eyes, steadied myself, and met his gaze.

“Are you… my sponsor?”

My heart was about to burst.

Did he figure it out?

I tried so hard to stay hidden while helping him—but in the end, I was caught.

No matter how well I played the villainess, Etias wasn’t dull enough to miss that someone had been helping him so persistently.

How much does he know? The money I left at his door? The groceries delivered through Sistina? The threats to Aglia? The clothes, the shoes, and—

Even sneaking into his house when he passed out from pain, pouring medicine into his mouth.

I clenched my fists, let out a small sigh, and slowly curled my lips.

I felt bad—he wanted honesty—but I couldn’t give it to him.

“What are you talking about? ‘Sponsor’? What a tacky word.”

Etias’s brow didn’t twitch.

He just looked at me with a deeper, darker gaze—as if to say “Say whatever you want. I already know.”

I ignored that look and went on.

“Like I said before, I’m going to be the second Duke of Elemoer. The medicine I tried to give you at the arena, the reason I stood in front of His Majesty—”

I didn’t realize until the end that my voice was trembling.

To stand fearlessly before a blade that could kill, then offer such a shabby excuse—

“Can’t you see? It was all for the emperor’s dignity.”

Tilting my chin slightly, I threw the words out sharply. Etias stared at me, then suddenly dipped his head and brought a clenched fist to his mouth.

As if suppressing laughter.

My face burned. I wanted to run.

He doesn’t believe a word of it!

Etias finally growled in a low voice.

“My apologies for assuming, Catrin Elemoer.”

He sounded anything but sorry.

“Yes, it was all a misunderstanding on my part. You’re nothing more than the most ambitious villainess seeking the emperor’s favor.”

“…”

“—Is what you want me to believe, right?”

He suddenly stood and stepped closer.

He leaned slightly, casting a long shadow over me. His brilliant blue eyes were directly in front of mine.

“…Hah.”

A soft breath escaped his lips.

“Tomorrow. And the day after.”

The sun that had been hidden behind a cloud now shone through the window again, casting a radiant glow behind him. His face was slightly shaded, making his expression hard to read.

I stared at him blankly.

“Come here. See me.”

My fingertips twitched.

His words sank through my ears and straight into my heart.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heartbeat quickened.

“…”

I looked at him with flickering eyes and thought,

What should I say?

Why is he asking me to come every day?

But his cold gaze, with those blue irises, didn’t look like they’d reveal any answers.

“Don’t joke with me. I have a lot on my plate, you know….”

His face was still shadowed, his expression unreadable.

I frowned slightly and looked at him—but then he reached out and grabbed my wrist.

His sharp brows and vivid blue eyes made my heart drop.

Etias’s voice, like a low growl, came again.

“I’ve already found my answer.”

My skin prickled all over.

He added in a quiet voice:

“I know who you are.”

***

When he was around five, Etias stood in the garden of Cambute Palace, gazing at the flowers.

He liked flowers.

The blooming rainbow of colors at the start of spring made him feel happy.

His mother was enjoying a party with noble ladies, and other noble children were eating and playing somewhere inside the palace.

No one was around him—but Etias liked spending time alone, admiring the flowers.

That’s when he heard a little girl’s voice behind him.

“Hey, kid! What’s this called?”

Etias turned slightly. A small girl stood behind him, with hair as pink and lovely as the flowers.

Her sparkling violet eyes and flashy silver dress made her look like one of the palace’s display dolls.

There was no one else around her either.

“…I don’t know.”

She stepped closer, pointed at a pink flower, and said:

“Camellia.”

He’d never heard that name before.

“It’s the flower that survives the cold! Even when it’s freezing, it doesn’t die!”

What once looked like a delicate blossom now seemed strong, thanks to her words.

So that’s why it stood tall alone, even in the middle of winter.

“Even when winter comes…”

Etias looked at the girl beside him.

Her chubby, soft face was cute like a rice cake. Just a moment ago, she looked excited, but now her brows were drooping.

“Even when winter comes, you have to endure… because Etias will become the emperor someday….”

Her lips quivered as she spoke, and Etias’s brows twitched.

What is she even saying?

Then the girl reached out and placed her tiny hands on his shoulders.

“No matter how hard or painful it gets… you have to be strong. Hic…”

Tears suddenly rolled down her soft cheeks.

Etias just stood there, frozen, staring at her.

“I’m holding on too, watching you. If I keep working hard and saving up, one day I’ll be able to deal with that damn Manager Kim who bullies me—!”

“……”

“@#$X It was so hard to get into that company. @#$$%… I can’t go out like this!”

She spewed curses completely unfitting for her fairy-like face.

Etias stiffened even more.

The girl gripped his shoulders tighter.

“Ahaha, even if it’s just in a dream… meeting you like this, Etias, makes me really happy.”