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nTL: Lilac | PR: Faith

n“No.”

n“I beg your pardon?”

nAstelle raised her head in surprise and asked.

nKaizen, who had been kindly comforting her until recently, was as cold as stone.

nAnger gleamed in his red eyes staring at her.

n‘No……why are you angry?’

n“Your Majesty, my grandfather, as well as young Theor, they recently fell ill with a fever……”

n“I know, both of them are not feeling well, so why do they have to go back such a long way?”

nKaizen refuted Astelle’s words in an irritated tone.

n“As I said before, it would be better to go to the capital to see a proper doctor and get treatment. At this point, I think it would be better to find a doctor and a tutor for the child.”

n“Your Majesty, but……”

n“Stop.”

nKaizen interrupted Astelle’s words as harshly as before.

nHe looked at Astelle with bitter eyes.

n“This is an order.”

nKaizen had a determined expression on his face, he would not allow a single rebuttal.

n“……”

nAstelle shut her mouth with a bewildered look on her face.

nEven the people watching were perplexed.

nShe couldn’t understand why he wasn’t giving her permission.

nEven Vellian, who was listening right next to Kaizen, wanted to ask him why he didn’t allow it.

nBut the emperor seemed so unhappy that no one dared to intervene.

nEveryone kept their mouths shut and just watched the situation.

nKaizen glared at Astelle, then turned around and left the banquet hall.

nShe had no choice but to watch his back in disbelief.

nAfter the emperor disappeared, people began to offer condolences to Astelle, who was standing there blankly.

n“Lady, don’t be so heartbroken.”

n“The Marquis will be well.”

n“Thank you for your consideration.”

nAstelle got some comfort from the guests and then left the banquet.

nThe attendant offered to lead her to the annex, but she refused.

n*

nAstelle walked along the garden, stepping on a dew-covered path.

nThere was a chill in the dark garden.

nAs she breathed in the cold air, she could feel her mind becoming a little clearer.

nHowever, her heart was still boiling with confusion.

n‘Why?’

nWhy did he get so angry and reject her request?

nShe couldn’t understand what exactly she told him that made him so angry

nIn order to arrange the will of the Empress Dowager, only Astelle would have to go to the capital. Why is he trying to take Grandpa and Theor with him?

nAstelle had expected that if they talked about it when they were alone, she would definitely get a bad reaction and that’s why she chose the ballroom.

nShe had no idea that Kaizen would reject her in front of so many people. She thought he would act like an emperor if there were so many eyes.

nIt was ridiculous.

nShe was so stunned that she didn’t even have the energy to think about what to do now.

nAfter walking for a while, she arrived at the tea room.

nThe light blue roof was visible under the moonlight.

nAstelle took a deep breath to calm her mind.

nAfter leaving the banquet hall and breathing in the cool air, she felt alive again.

nShe sat by the tea room for a while until the feeling of stuffiness in her heart was relieved.

nThe stuffy clothes she was wearing, the smell of food, and the smell of alcohol gave her a headache. Meanwhile, the smell of grass and trees in the garden made her feel refreshed.

nIt was still too early to fall asleep so Theor might be waiting.

nAstelle took in a slow breath and looked at the sky.

nThe first thing that caught her eyes was the white shining moon.

nThen she saw the white petals covering the black night sky.

nIt was an acacia.

nEach time the gentle wind shook the branches, the flower clusters that hung in layers swayed around.

nThe scent of pure white acacia quietly permeated the wind.

nAstelle looked at the pure white flowers and quenched her anger.

nAt that moment, a familiar voice was heard.

n“Astelle.”

nWhen she turned in surprise, there was a familiar person in the dark shade.

nIt was Kaizen.

nHe stood under the acacia tree.

n“Let’s talk for a moment.”

nUnder the moonlight, his red eyes were a dark mahogany color.

nThere was still burning anger in them.

n“What do you want to say?”

nAstelle was also angry.

nKaizen smirked as he approached Astelle with an absurd tone.

n“Did you tell me that you were going to the ball because you wanted to get that permission?”

nOf course, it was.

n‘Otherwise, why should I attend a ball here?’

nAstelle realized for a moment what was causing Kaizen’s anger.

nIt seemed that Kaizen didn’t like that she attended the ball with hidden intentions.

nThat’s why he refused to send Theor and her grandfather back.

nEven though Astelle knew the answer, she still couldn’t understand.

n“Isn’t that right?”

nKaizen, who lost his smile, asked.

n“Why is it so important to send Theor back with your grandfather?”

n“Your Majesty, why are you taking them to the capital? Why do you want the two of them to come along?”

nAstelle asked him a question.

n“If I don’t take them, you will be left as soon as the work in the capital is done.”

n“Is it strange that I want to go back to my house?”

n“Your house? You live in that marquis’s house?”

nKaizen was just as frustrated and angry as Astelle but unlike Astelle, Kaizen was not aware of why he was angry.

n“How long are you going to live in that house taking care of a child?”

nNow, Kaizen referred to Theor.

n“How about when Theor gets older? What if he later gets married and becomes a new marquis? Will you still live in that house?”

nAstelle was so stunned that she could not even speak for a moment.

n‘Are you mad at me because you are worried about my future now?’

n“Thank you for being so concerned about my future, Your Majesty. Are you angry because you don’t like me living at my grandfather’s house?”

n“Yeah, I think you could……!”

nKaizen, who had been screaming, belatedly realized his mistake then blurred out the end of his words.

nHe wanted Astelle to live in the capital.

nHe wanted to keep her within his reach.

nWhen this journey is over, Astelle will leave again.

nTo the far eastern edge, she will be out of his sight.

nThey may never see each other again in their lifetime.

nEvery time Kaizen thought of that, he felt angry and crazy.

n“You want me to live in the capital? Why?”

nKaizen himself wanted to know why he was doing this.

nWhenever it was related to Astelle, Kaizen couldn’t understand her thoughts.

nHowever, the moment Astelle asked such a question, Kaizen finally realized the reason.

nWhy did he care so much about her?

nWhy was he so happy to see her at the ball and why was he so distressed every time he thought of Astelle leaving him?

nHe frankly confessed his feelings, “I wish you were by my side.”

nAstelle did not understand the situation for a moment.

n‘What did I just hear?’

nThe cold moonlight was shining on the white acacia petals.

nThe flowers’ refreshing scent lingered around the dark tea room.

nThe two stood side by side in the picturesque night scene.

nHowever, there was a heavy silence between the two of them.

n“Do you want me to stay with you again, Your Majesty?”

nKaizen stared at Astelle with trembling eyes.

nAstelle didn’t expect he would say something like this.

nShe didn’t think he’d be able to make a sincere confession, but still……

n“I do.”

nThe moment Kaizen uttered those words, Astelle felt a tension in her chest.

n“I want you to be by my side.”

nIt was a sincere confession to her.

nHowever, there was no time for Kaizen to anxiously wait for the response.

nImmediately, Astelle replied coldly, “I don’t want to.”

nAstelle’s face, exposed under the moonlight, was as pale and cold as a corpse.

n“I do not want to go back to the capital, especially with Your Majesty, I will never go back.”

nHa! That’s amazing.

nPerhaps six years ago, hearing such a confession would have made Astelle happy.

nShe would have been so happy that her heart would have overflowed.

nYes, there were moments when she didn’t want to leave this man even if she died.

nAt that time, she would rather have died than be abandoned by him.

nBecause she really loved him stupidly.

n“Your Majesty told me to leave six years ago.”

nShe was kicked out by the man she loved her whole life.

nAstelle’s world collapsed that day.

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