Chapter 59
His heart began to race as he looked at the child, who had stopped crying and now wore a faint, lonely smile.
“A dream, you say?”
“There are things like that. Anyway, remember what I said! Ettie, you’ll definitely be able to do what you want. Because you’re someone who can do anything. So never, ever lose hope.”
“So never, ever lose hope.”
“….”
Etias’s eyes wavered as he stared at the child.
Her lips moved again.
“I’ll always cheer for you.”
Etias’s eyes trembled as he looked into the child’s now narrowing eyes, smiling softly.
“……!”
The child suddenly collapsed into him, as if falling into an embrace.
Etias, momentarily stunned while holding her, quickly supported her and shouted,
“You—are you okay?!”
But the girl was unconscious, simply leaning into his arms without responding.
And then—
“Young Miss! Lady Catrin!”
Several women in maid uniforms came rushing into the flower garden, frantically calling someone’s name.
They soon spotted the girl in Etias’s arms and shouted:
“There she is!”
Etias flinched and looked down at the unconscious girl lying against him.
Her sleeping face showed no signs of the smile or tears from moments before, as if nothing had ever happened.
‘Catrin… Could that be Catrin Elemoer?’
The only daughter of Duke Elemoer. He’d heard the name before.
She was said to have inherited her father’s violent temper since childhood.
‘She didn’t seem like that at all…’
“Looks like her sleepwalking symptoms showed up again.”
“Your Highness, we’re sorry, but may we take the young lady…?”
Etias, still supporting Catrin, gently handed her over to the maids.
The women, who clearly belonged to the Duke’s household, quickly received Catrin from him and disappeared with urgency.
Etias kept his eyes on them until Catrin was out of sight in the arms of the maids.
Then, slowly turning his gaze back, he looked at the flower that had remained in full bloom all winter long.
On a small placard beside it was written the name of the flower: [Placoma Mazeria].
***
“You said… you know who I am?”
With my heart thudding loudly—thump, thump—I crossed my arms and looked at Etias, doing my best to keep a calm expression.
“No, Your Highness doesn’t know anything about me. And there’s no need for you to know. I mean, we’re not that close, are we?”
The villainous glare—passive skill, always equipped.
“If you’ve misunderstood, I apologize. But I’m not the kind of person you think I am. A sponsor? That’s laughable.”
Because the posture of Catrin Elemoer was ingrained in every part of me, it wasn’t hard to say these things.
Even so, Etias’s dark, piercing eyes looked as though they were trying to dig into the depths of my soul.
But I wasn’t ready to show him what lay inside.
Because if the truth came out, it would harm both him and me.
I had many assets—but that also meant I had many enemies. And without even realizing it, I was always under the Emperor’s watch.
If anyone found out that I had been supporting Etias… he could be put in danger.
Besides, even when I first possessed this body, the warning was clear: It’s better if he never knows.
“Well, I’m still thankful for your help—like the thing with the Padelmon. But as for me…”
I yanked my wrist free from his grip and forced a crooked smile to my lips.
“That’s as far as Your Highness is useful to me.”
“……”
My voice was intentionally harsh—borderline disrespectful.
It felt like my chest was tearing apart, but it was better than watching Etias get hurt.
“I’ve never helped you, and I have no intention of doing so in the future. If I keep flattering His Majesty, I can live a lavish life, full of power and wealth. So why would I…”
Following Catrin’s natural instinct, my expression turned to mockery.
“Why would I bother getting close to someone like you—someone with neither power nor wealth?”
Inside, I was breaking down.
The moment I returned to the mansion, I planned to slap my own mouth.
How could I say such awful things… to our Etias?
“……”
Had he been hurt by what I said? Was he angry?
Etias kept his brows furrowed, staring at me coldly.
“That’s very… Elemoer of you.”
It felt like a dagger stabbed into my chest.
I didn’t care if others called me the venomous rose of Elemoer or a cruel-tongued socialite.
But when Etias said it—my heart sank.
Still, I forced myself to think:
It’s fine. He’s supposed to hate me for saying these things. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
“…Had you not called that flower a camellia, I might’ve believed you.”
His gaze shifted briefly to the vase where I had arranged the flowers.
‘Camellia?’
I didn’t fully understand what he meant, but something inside me ached at the word.
Did I… forget something important?
“Then…”
Etias’s lips moved.
His fierce, burning gaze locked onto mine like a predator.
A tense silence fell—until he tilted his head and whispered directly into my ear:
“The day I seize power, wealth, and everything else—and stand before you once more…”
His voice was a growl, and I felt goosebumps crawl down my arms.
He slowly pulled away and stared into my face.
Looking into my wavering eyes, he spoke again.
“On that day, let your eyes hold nothing but me. Catrin.”
***
“How irreverent…!”
Etias’s lips curled faintly as he recalled Catrin leaving as if running away, her brows tightly furrowed.
He never thought there would come a day when he’d find himself staring so intently at someone again, like he had in childhood.
A moment later, Karon burst into the office with an urgent report.
“Your Highness, the, um, the—”
“Speak slowly.”
“A-Ah, yes. Duke Camel Beatrice has arrived, asking to see you.”
Camel Beatrice. The duke who ruled over the western territories, wielding immense power.
Once a close aide of the late emperor, but after his death, Camel had turned his back on Etias and secluded himself in his own lands.
“Let him in.”
As soon as Etias gave the order, Karon bowed deeply and stepped out.
Etias pressed his fingers against his brow as he gazed out the window.
A grand yet modestly elegant carriage bearing the Beatrice crest stood parked outside.
Among the aristocratic factions, there had long been debate—even within the revolutionary army—about where to draw the line between loyalists and traitorous collaborators with the current emperor.
Camel Beatrice stood precisely at that line.
Unlike the openly loyalist nobles who clung to the emperor and tormented Etias, Camel had always ignored his letters—neither ally nor enemy, just a silent bystander who seemed to forget the kindness of the late emperor.
‘He didn’t even meet my eyes once at the hunting grounds.’
Soon, the office door opened and in walked Camel Beatrice, wearing a long coat and a formal fedora.
Once Karon closed the door behind him, silence filled the office.
“……”
Camel slowly raised a hand and removed his hat.
He had just confirmed the authenticity of the confidential documents obtained from the hunting grounds.
For years, Camel had harbored deep betrayal toward the late emperor—believing that the one he had trusted had secretly despised him and intended to remove him from power.
His disillusionment began after receiving a letter from the current emperor—a letter supposedly written by the late emperor—declaring Camel untrustworthy and recommending his punishment.
And so, he had given up his loyalty—not just to the former ruler, but also to his son, Etias.
But that letter… hadn’t told the whole truth.
It wasn’t just one letter—it was several.
While the first page harshly criticized Camel and called for penalties, the later pages told a different story.
In the final letter, the late emperor praised Camel Beatrice as a capable and loyal subject, saying that any faults he bore were more than outweighed by the rewards he deserved.
In truth, the letter the current emperor had passed on was an edited fabrication meant to sever ties between Camel and the crown.
Realizing this, Camel was now drowning in bitter regret over the years he had wasted.
Thud—
“Duke?”
Etias’s brow twitched as Camel suddenly knelt before him.
Camel’s nose and eyes were red, and without hesitation, he lowered his forehead to the cold floor.
“Y-Your Highness… sob… please behead this unworthy subject!”
Hot tears flowed from his wrinkled eyes.
