YWPWYLFDM 38

Chapter 38

Whenever he thought of Aila, Winfred’s chest felt tight, as if something were blocking it. Yet, beneath that suffocating weight, he realized another layer of emotion existed—the fluttering, heart-racing feeling his nurse had once described. Both feelings coexisted within him.

Even if Aila carried some mysterious burden, even if there were circumstances he could not yet understand, it was strange that he felt so deeply and tenderly for her.

For Hiram and Selene, the most important principle in raising their son was to nurture empathy and compassion. Not simply as the crown prince of an empire, but as a human being. They wanted him to grow into someone who could grieve with others and feel pain at their sorrow.

Thanks to that upbringing, Winfred had indeed grown into such a man—a crown prince who loved his people and could share in their suffering.

So, even if it hadn’t been Aila, if any citizen of the empire wore such a sorrowful expression, he would have worried and felt pain for them.

But this was different. This was far too much. She lingered in his thoughts all day, distracting him to the point that he could think of nothing else.

…Really, if I think about it, it would be stranger if I hadn’t fallen for her.

Remembering the moments he had shared with Aila, Winfred’s cheeks flushed red.

She was beautiful, charming, even adorable. And beyond that, she was the mysterious girl who had saved him so gallantly from mortal danger. How could he not fall in love?

Watching this transformation in her son, the Empress Selene smiled quietly.

He had drifted away from his parents’ company into his own little world, forgetting they were even there, his face flushed scarlet. It was so endearing that she couldn’t help but smile.

How could emotions show so transparently on his face? In that moment, she thought—not only in appearance but in temperament as well—he was the spitting image of his father, Hiram.

When she turned her head, she found Hiram smiling just the same. The only difference was that his grin brimmed with mischief, as though he were plotting how best to tease their son.

Selene widened her eyes in warning, silently telling him not to dare. Hiram’s expression instantly fell into a sulk. Teasing their already sensitive adolescent son would do no good. Selene shook her head.

“Ahem, ahem. Winfred,” Hiram cleared his throat and changed the subject, “I think we should pay a visit to Duke Weisshafen’s estate soon.”

Pulled from his daydream, Winfred blinked in confusion.

“…Pardon? The duke’s estate? Are they receiving guests again?”

“Yes. The duchess has entered a stable stage.”

The Weisshafen household had not accepted visitors for some time, ever since the duchess conceived. It had been a late pregnancy in her mid-thirties, and every moment had required great care.

“You should deliver a congratulatory gift on behalf of the imperial family,” Selene said with a graceful smile.

The Emperor was too busy to make time, and the Empress herself was unwell, unable to move freely. Winfred was busy as crown prince with studies and duties, but comparatively, he was still the most available to represent them. He nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

After all, Roderick—the duke—had been his fencing master since childhood. It was only proper to go and offer congratulations.

Unbeknownst to Winfred, Selene had arranged more than just a courtesy visit. She believed that when it came to matters of the heart, her son would be better off confiding in the reliable Roderick than in his playful father.

Clueless about his mother’s sly intent, Winfred grinned.

“So, the duke’s family will finally have an heir.”

Considering how affectionate the duke and duchess were, it was strange it had taken this long. But it was still a happy occasion, and Winfred’s bright smile reflected his joy.

Yet the Emperor and Empress fell silent.

Winfred had been too young to remember, but both parents were reminded of the duke’s lost daughter. Thinking of her, it was hard to smile wholeheartedly.

“Why do you both look like that?” Winfred asked, blinking in confusion at their gloomy expressions over what should have been happy news.

“…It’s nothing. It truly is a cause for celebration,” Hiram finally forced a laugh, though awkwardly.

Watching his father’s uneasy smile, Winfred bit his lip in thought. After digging through his memories, he suddenly recalled: Roderick and Ophelia had been searching for their missing daughter for years.

“Oh, right. They had a daughter who went missing, didn’t they?”

“Yes, Win. You were quite fond of her when you were little. Don’t you remember?” Selene asked.

“…Me?” Winfred tilted his head. He looked genuinely blank. At three or four years old, it was natural not to remember.

“You always used to say that when she grew up, you would make her your bride.”

“…Really?”

If his mother said so, it was likely true—she wasn’t like his father, who only thought about teasing him. Still, he couldn’t remember and found it hard to believe.

“That’s right,” Hiram added. “I even joked with Roderick a few times, saying, ‘Let’s be in-laws one day.’ He would flare up with anger every time.”

Even though Winfred’s childish talk about marriage was brushed off as innocent play, Hiram recalled vividly how Roderick, normally so composed, had bristled fiercely at his jokes.

As his parents chuckled over the memory, Winfred sank deeper into thought.

I said that?

Even if he had been only three or four, to say he liked someone enough to claim her as his bride…

For some reason, it felt like he was betraying Aila.

My first love has to be Aila.

When he met her again someday, he wanted to give her his whole, untainted heart—something he had never given to anyone else.

Perhaps it was foolish, since there was nothing special between him and Aila yet. But that was how Winfred felt. Whether she accepted his heart or not would be her choice.

Still, he wanted to give her something pure, unstained.

No—no matter what anyone said, his first love was Aila. Stories from a childhood he couldn’t even remember didn’t count.

Though he had only just realized his feelings, Winfred grew unreasonably serious, clenching his fist with a grim, determined expression.

Ophelia sat in a comfortable rocking chair, gazing out the window with an unreadable expression.

Outside, snow lay thick upon the ground. The world was white, serene, yet tinged with loneliness.

“…Ophelia,” her husband Roderick whispered in her ear, wrapping careful arms around her neck.

“Ah, Roderick.”

“What were you thinking about?” he asked gently.

Ophelia instinctively rested her hand upon her lower belly. Even now, it felt unbelievable that a life was growing within her.

“…Nothing,” she murmured.

But in truth, her heart had been clouded with thoughts she could not say aloud. She had failed to protect her lost daughter, Aila. Did she deserve to become a mother again?

Whenever she thought of Aila, her chest ached as though it would split apart. She hated herself for not being able to protect that child.

Everyone had tried to comfort her, insisting it wasn’t her fault. Who could have imagined that in the short time she stepped away, the nursemaid would vanish with the baby?

And yet, Ophelia could not forgive herself. If she could turn back time, she would never again leave her daughter’s side. Ten long years had passed in that regret.

And now, she was to become a mother again.

“…Ophelia, are you really all right?” Roderick’s voice trembled.

“Yes. I’m all right,” she answered softly, stroking his cheek with a faint smile.

The child growing within her was hers too.

She could not abandon this new life out of guilt for the one she had lost. She could not let grief over one child condemn another to sadness.

“…Any word from Candice?” Ophelia asked, quickly changing the subject before tears could spill. She had written to her friend the moment she learned she was pregnant; it was about time for a reply.

“Ah, yes. I actually just received her letter.”

Roderick drew an envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to her. The wax seal bore the likeness of a bespectacled woman grinning broadly—a self-portrait drawn by Ophelia’s eccentric friend, Candice Ephosher.

Thinking of his wife’s peculiar friend, Roderick smiled faintly, though he tried not to show it. Anyone else would say that face hardly looked like it was smiling, but Ophelia immediately recognized the fondness behind her husband’s expression.

“What does she say?” Roderick asked.

“She says she’ll finish up what she’s working on and come right away. She should arrive in about two weeks.”

Candice lived on Tamora, a small island nation across the sea. Though not far from the southern coast of the Pelles Empire, it was still quite a journey to make in haste just upon hearing news of a pregnancy.

Still, knowing Candice would come filled Roderick with relief. With his wife’s age, he had many worries—but having Candice by her side put his heart at ease.

“…Do you think Candice might know the reason?” Roderick asked cautiously.