When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 19

Turning Away is Easy (18)

“Are you really going to do this? I need to confirm something.”

Whether she had truly forgotten me, or simply couldn’t remember.

Kaver’s heart raced the moment he saw Reilly, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

After so long, she was still dazzlingly beautiful, just as he remembered from their childhood.

With only one exception: the once vibrant light in her eyes had become clouded…

‘I just want to watch over her, even for a little while.’

If she were to find out that I am the Crown Prince, she wouldn’t welcome me as she does now.

Whether it’s my fault or due to a predetermined fate.

Kaver wanted to cast aside his identity as the Crown Prince and be by her side as just another person, someone she could know without the weight of his title.

Haban squeezed his eyes shut at Kaver’s slumped shoulders and sorrowful gaze. Was he now resorting to emotional appeals since nothing else worked? He thought, ‘Where on earth did he learn such tactics!’

It was so earnest and mournful that he couldn’t bear to ignore it. It was clear that this was a technique he had never used before, making it all the more disarming.

Ughhh.

Haban clutched his chest as if in agony. ‘Isn’t it cheating to act with such a face!’ At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind, and he snapped his fingers, his eyes gleaming.

“…Just one day!”

“One day?”

“Yes, how about you try working for just one day and then decide?”

Kaver’s eyes flickered at Haban’s words. Clearly, Haban was expecting him to fail miserably.

“And if I do well?”

“You can work here for the month written in the contract.”

“Really?”

“I don’t lie.”

Kaver nodded, a spark of determination in his eyes. He underestimated himself, though.

‘Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to remember me.’

Haban recalled the days when he wanted to be someone who could do everything in the Imperial Palace, learning various tasks. Perhaps this deal would end as Haban wished, with Kaver quickly realizing the folly of his desire.

“Still, we will continue to search for her until we find her for sure.”

Haban’s hand moved upwards and then downwards. At his gesture, the hidden knights appeared and disappeared, melting back into the shadows.

He thought they had finally found Reilly, but it seemed not. Haban’s head throbbed with the feeling that more troublesome things had arisen. The only way to end this madness was to move diligently.

‘I need to find her quickly… At this rate, I’m going to get sick.’

Haban shuddered and looked at Kaver. His face was not only full of worry but also haggard from lack of sleep.

In the end, Haban couldn’t object any longer and nodded in agreement.

‘At this rate, His Majesty might execute me for disloyalty?’

Just thinking about it made him tired. He hadn’t been getting enough sleep himself lately, being summoned every night, and it had become even worse recently, causing His Majesty great concern.

“I want to ask what’s going on. Yes, you, the aide, explain it.”

“…I asked the Duke, and he said he doesn’t know either.”

“To carry out such acts without the Imperial Family’s knowledge, has the Trailla family grown that much?”

The Emperor was furious. It was because he had sensed the aura of the sword [a powerful, often disruptive, magical presence] not long after receiving Reilly’s divorce petition.

The Duke’s reckless behavior was not limited to this instance. In the past, there was an incident where the Imperial Family heard the news and was greatly angered. It was Reilly’s marriage.

Even though the Imperial Family said it was okay if her ability didn’t manifest, the Duke refused. The Emperor simply wanted to bring the child his son loved.

It would have been better if she were an Awakened [someone with magical abilities], but it didn’t matter even if she wasn’t.

It would have been a different matter if Kaver didn’t love Reilly.

The Duke said he would offer Leta, Reilly’s younger sister, when her mark manifested, and ultimately didn’t send Reilly. Perhaps he too believed that Reilly would be of use somewhere. He had no doubt that she would become his weapon.

Contrary to believing that he would eventually trade Reilly, the Duke ultimately didn’t demand anything from the Imperial Family. It was the result of not trying to understand what the Imperial Family wanted.

“And then he stabbed us in the back.”

Haban ground his teeth as he recalled that day.

* * *

The Imperial Family, who belatedly learned of Reilly’s marriage through rumors that spread faster than the wings of a bird, couldn’t do anything about it. It was already too late.

Crown Prince Kaver also dissuaded the Emperor.

『Father, if she is not an Awakened… Please let her have the marriage she desires.』

『…Are you saying that you don’t mind if that child marries someone else? I want to ask if you are saying that sincerely, you who have been waiting for that day.』

『I don’t want her to have a marriage she doesn’t want. Furthermore, I don’t want to hold onto someone who doesn’t want to be here, especially since she is not an Awakened.』

According to Haban, Reilly’s face was constantly filled with smiles when she was talking to Theo Geza. It was a smile that came from the heart, not a fake one.

『…She looked happy. Are you really okay with this?』

『Yes, that’s all that matters.』

Was that really all that mattered?

Kaver felt emotions that couldn’t be defined in one word.

『Are you going to watch her marry someone else?』

『I can’t control her life. I’ve already done that enough.』

『But that’s…』

Haban couldn’t finish his sentence. Kaver had an expression as if he was about to collapse at any moment. He pressed his forehead with his fingers and took a deep breath to calm his emotions.

『I know what you’re trying to say. But would she welcome my existence?』

He had already confessed his feelings to her and been rejected.

If he proceeded without considering Reilly’s feelings, it would turn out as he wanted, but he couldn’t do that. Because he cherished Reilly more than anyone thought.

At Kaver’s question, Haban lowered his head.

The reason he couldn’t do anything was that even if he stopped the marriage, he knew she wouldn’t come to the Imperial Palace on her own.

Above all, there was also a vague fear that he might be blocking her happiness. He doubted whether he should even intervene.

『She was smiling brightly. That smile I saw when she was young.』

『Yes, I see.』

Kaver decided to let her go at Haban’s words that he had seen that smile he had seen in her childhood for the first time in a while.

He had been looking forward to the day he would marry Reilly, but he didn’t want to force her into this place if she didn’t want to marry him.

The Emperor secretly called Haban. It was because he was worried.

『So, are you really going to let it go?』

『…Yes, it seems he has made up his mind.』

The Emperor stroked his chin as if troubled by Kaver’s firm stance. The Imperial Family didn’t care if she wasn’t an Awakened, so there was no need to marry her.

What bothered the Emperor was the Crown Prince’s heart. He had even thought of invalidating Reilly’s marriage if Kaver wanted.

It wasn’t a difficult price to pay for his efforts for the Imperial Family and himself. However, he couldn’t say it out loud.

‘Controlling someone’s life with power wouldn’t be a good thing.’

The Emperor felt uneasy. Wasn’t it possible that the child’s life had never existed from the beginning? There was no point in being swayed by emotions now, as it wouldn’t undo what had been done.

‘When you sit in this position, you tend to see bigger things, and someday you will understand me, but I hope you become a different kind of ruler than I am.’

The Emperor, lost in thought, narrowed his brow slightly. He felt disgusted with himself for taking it for granted that sacrificing the few for the sake of the many was natural.

Was it the years, or was it this position that made me this way?

The Emperor lightly shook his head to clear his thoughts. Soon after, with a calm expression, he said to Haban as if he felt sorry for him.

『You worked so hard to train for that child, and I can’t help but feel sorry as a father.』

As the ruler of a country, it was an unspeakable joy to have the power to protect the Imperial Family even without an Awakened.

There was no need to give anything more to the Trailla family, and they were not in a position to be missed.

It meant that the Imperial Family was able to stand on its own. That meant that the power of the imperial authority had become stronger.

‘He seemed to like that child so much….’

He wanted to know what made his son give up. He heard later that it was because Reilly looked happy that he let her go.

The Emperor knew that Kaver had cherished Reilly since he was young, so he couldn’t rashly agree.

Due to Kaver’s continued persuasion, the Emperor had no choice but to condone the marriage between Reilly of the Trailla family and Duke Printz.

In the end, Reilly had moved one step away from the fate she had been trying to escape.