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CHAPTER 75
The moonlight gently reflected off his blond hair, and the air in the room grew heavy.
He set down his empty glass, exhaled deeply, and turned his gaze toward the window.
If only he had drawn a clear line with me.
If only he had played his role perfectly.
Now, I knew better.
At times, in his actions and glances toward me, I could tell that Vincent’s feelings weren’t just hatred or an act of revenge.
Even now, there was a faint trace of sorrow in his eyes.
‘Right… he must be conflicted too.’
He must be torn, unable to completely hate Amelia.
And honestly, it was something I had brought upon myself.
My own heart was no less confused when it came to him.
Watching Vincent’s profile, I quietly closed my eyes, caught between fear and regret.
“Amelia.”
His voice sounded calmer than usual, perhaps because of the night.
I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“You seem lost in thought tonight.”
“A little, yes.”
“Then this time, let me ask a question.”
It looked like he smiled faintly.
“Have you ever done something unforgivable to someone in the past?”
Depending on how you took it, that question carried a lot of weight.
A thousand thoughts filled my head, but saying them out loud felt impossible.
I didn’t know where to begin.
But if I thought about it, the answer was simple.
This was after my return in time — everything before that no longer existed.
Besides, the Amelia from before wasn’t me.
So technically, I had done nothing that required his forgiveness.
“No.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
I gave a quiet, hollow laugh inside.
Of course, on the surface, it seemed that way.
But deep down, I still carried the memories of that tangled past — and of the original story itself.
No matter how I rationalized it as something that “never happened,” or that it “wasn’t me,” the weight still lingered in my chest.
“Yes, as Your Highness says, I suppose there’s nothing to worry about.”
I answered as lightly as I could.
But maybe my tone wavered just a little, because Vincent slowly turned his gaze toward me.
His eyes flickered faintly, as if seeing right through me.
Lately, he had been looking at me like that often — for long moments, deeply.
The emerald light in his eyes felt heavier than usual.
“Amelia.”
He called my name again.
“Yes?”
“You seem to be hiding a lot.”
My mind went blank, caught off guard.
What did he mean by that?
“So do you, Your Highness.”
He replied only with a quiet laugh.
In the end, I said what I truly wanted to ask.
“Do you trust me?”
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly.
“I said something similar before, but trust isn’t just a feeling, Amelia.”
He didn’t say he trusted me.
He didn’t say he believed in me either.
That, too, was an answer — and I chose to accept it.
***
The next morning, I woke up and replayed our conversation in my head.
‘How emotional I must’ve sounded… what nonsense.’
It was true.
Like always, I just needed to control my own heart.
Whether Vincent trusted me or not — what did it matter?
As long as he didn’t kill me, that was enough.
After all, once he met the heroine, Sylvia, he’d fall head over heels and devote himself entirely to her anyway.
“Hmph.”
Anyway, it was today.
The day Duke Wentworth tried to seize the Marchioness of Moulton’s assets, only to discover that all his documents had been forged — and in the middle of his fury, he’d find that the slave auction papers were genuine and feel relieved.
‘Is Stephan in a safe place?’
When the Duke learned what had happened, the first person he’d go after would be Stephan.
‘He’ll handle it somehow.’
I paced around the room.
‘But how do I follow them? To that place?’
That slave auction would be destroyed completely by Vincent and the Imperial Knights.
In other words — it was dangerous.
The place was crawling with illegal traders, making it hard to approach or guarantee safety.
Would he even allow me to accompany him if I asked?
I quickly finished getting ready for work and hurried to the Crown Prince’s office.
***
When I entered, Vincent was already seated, reviewing documents.
I hesitated for a moment before walking toward him cautiously.
“Your Highness.”
He lifted his eyes to meet mine.
“Speak.”
I took a quiet breath and began.
“There’s something I’d like to ask, Your Highness.”
Vincent nodded, watching me carefully.
“You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Even as he teased me lightly, I could feel that he was listening intently.
“When you raid the slave auction tomorrow… could I come with you?”
At my question, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, though it quickly turned serious.
He closed the file and looked at me.
“Accompany me… may I ask why? Why do you want to go there?”
I steadied my voice.
It was hard to give a solid reason, but I decided to speak honestly — and beg if I had to.
“Since I was the one who advised Your Highness on this case, I’d like to see the results myself.
And if something unexpected happens, I believe I could be of help.”
I was referring to my occasional foresight, but since he didn’t know about it, it probably sounded meaningless.
And honestly, I wasn’t even sure how reliable it was.
Vincent listened, then gave a small smile.
It wasn’t mocking or suspicious — more like he was quietly pleased by my unexpected resolve.
“Since it was your advice I followed, it’s fair that you’d want to see the outcome.
But you’ll have to promise me one thing.”
I nodded quickly, waiting for his next words.
“You are never to disobey my orders.
Stay close to me at all times.
You’ll be accompanied by my knight, Derek.
And if you find yourself isolated or in danger — don’t fight. Run.”
His voice was firm.
His intent to protect me was unmistakable.
That, in itself, was surprising.
‘He’s definitely softer than before the regression.’
I’d probably spend the whole day overanalyzing everything he said.
But for now, I just had to answer properly.
“I understand, Your Highness.”
Vincent nodded slightly, turning back to his papers.
“Then prepare yourself for tomorrow.
Wear something dark and comfortable.”
I bowed again.
The unease that had been weighing on me finally began to lift.
At least I wouldn’t be left out of this mission.
‘That’s a relief.’
If he hadn’t allowed it, I had planned to sneak in anyway.
Quietly, I left his office.
As I walked down the corridor, my mind kept replaying his firm words — and his unexpected concern.
Even as he doubted me, he wanted to keep me safe.
How much of that was real?
‘I told myself to stop thinking about it.’
Yet once again, I found myself smiling faintly, lost in thoughts of him.
