Chapter 18

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

Had she truly forgotten him, or was she simply unable to remember him?

The moment Kaver saw Rayleigh, he could hardly contain the trembling of his heart.

It had been a long time since he had last seen her, yet she was still as dazzlingly beautiful as ever, looking just as she had in their childhood.

There was only one difference. The bright, lively light that had once filled her eyes had grown dull…

I only want to stay by her side and watch over her, even if it’s just for a little while.

If she discovered that he was the crown prince, she would not welcome him as warmly as she did now.

Whether it was his own fault or the result of a fate that had already been decided, it made no difference.

Kaver wanted to cast aside his status as crown prince and remain by her side as nothing more than an ordinary man.

Seeing his drooping shoulders and sorrowful eyes, Haban squeezed his own eyes shut.

Now that nothing else had worked, was His Highness trying to appeal to his emotions instead?

Just where does he learn to do things like this?!

The sight was so heartbreaking, so pitiful, that Haban simply couldn’t bring himself to look away.

It was undoubtedly a tactic His Highness had never used before.

Ugh…

Haban clutched his chest as though he were in pain.

Wasn’t it cheating to put on such an expression?!

Then, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed through his mind. He slapped his hands together, his eyes gleaming.

“…Just one day!”

“One day?”

“Yes. How about working for just one day first, then deciding whether you want to continue?”

At Haban’s suggestion, a strange glint appeared in Kaver’s eyes. Clearly, Haban expected him to fail.

“And if I do well?”

“Then you may work for the entire month specified here.”

“Really?”

“I don’t lie.”

Kaver nodded.

However, Haban had gravely underestimated just how capable His Highness could be.

Thankfully, it seems he doesn’t remember.

Haban recalled the time he had tried learning all sorts of different jobs in the imperial palace because he had wanted to become someone capable of doing just about anything.

This deal would probably end exactly as Haban wanted.

“Even so, we’ll continue searching until we’re certain we’ve found the person we’re looking for.”

Haban raised one hand and then sharply lowered it.

At his signal, the knights who had been hiding nearby appeared briefly before disappearing again.

He had thought they had finally found Rayleigh, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

As if things weren’t troublesome enough already, another headache had landed in his lap.

The only way to put an end to this madness was to work harder and move faster.

I have to find her soon… At this rate, I’m going to make myself sick.

Haban shuddered at the thought before looking at Kaver.

His face was filled with worry, and he looked utterly haggard from his inability to sleep properly.

In the end, Haban could no longer bring himself to object. He nodded in reluctant agreement.

At this rate, His Majesty might have my head for disloyalty.

The very thought exhausted him.

He had already been summoned night after night recently, leaving him barely any time to sleep. And lately, the situation had grown even worse, with His Majesty consumed by worry.

“I want to know what happened. Go ahead, aide. Explain it to me.”

“…When I asked the duke, he said he knew nothing about it either.”

“To think the Traila family has grown so powerful that they dare to pull something like this without the imperial family’s knowledge.”

The emperor was furious.

It had not been long since the imperial family received Rayleigh’s divorce petition when they sensed the presence of sword energy.

But this was hardly the first time the duke had acted on his own whims.

Even in the past, there had been an incident that had greatly enraged the imperial family when they heard about it.

It was Rayleigh’s marriage.

The imperial family had told the duke that it would be perfectly fine even if her ability never manifested, yet he had still refused to let her go.

All the emperor had wanted was to bring into the palace the girl his son loved.

It would have been preferable if she had been an ability awakener, but that was hardly a requirement.

Of course, things would have been different if Kaver hadn’t loved Rayleigh.

The duke had refused to send Rayleigh to the imperial family, insisting that he would offer her up once the crest manifested in her younger sister, Reta.

Perhaps the duke, too, had believed that Rayleigh would prove useful in some way.

He had been convinced that she would one day become his weapon.

Unlike what the emperor had expected, however, the duke had never once approached the imperial family to negotiate over Rayleigh.

He had never even bothered to find out what the imperial family wanted from him.

And that was how things had turned out.

“And then he went and stabbed us in the back, too.”

Haban ground his teeth as he recalled what had happened that day.

Rayleigh’s marriage had proceeded so quickly that rumors hadn’t even had time to spread.

By the time the imperial family learned about it through gossip, there was nothing they could do.

It was already too late.

Even Kaver, the crown prince, had tried to dissuade the emperor.

『Father, if her ability hasn’t manifested… please let her marry the person she wants.』

『…Are you saying you wouldn’t mind if that girl married someone else? After waiting for that day for so long, are you telling me this is truly how you feel?』

『I don’t want her to enter a marriage she doesn’t want. Besides, she isn’t even an ability awakener. I don’t want to hold on to someone who doesn’t wish to stay.』

According to Haban, Rayleigh had never stopped smiling while talking to Theo Giza.

It wasn’t a forced smile, either. It was a genuine one, rising naturally from her heart.

『…She looked happy. Are you truly all right with letting things remain this way?』

『Yes. That’s enough for me.』

Was it really enough?

Kaver felt emotions that couldn’t be defined by a single word.

『Are you really going to stand by and watch her marry someone else?』

『I can’t control her life and dictate what she should do. I’ve already done enough of that.』

『But that’s…』

Haban couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence.

Kaver looked as though he might crumble at any moment. Pressing his fingers firmly against the space between his brows, he took a slow breath, trying to regain control of his emotions.

『I know what you’re trying to say, Sir Haban. But would she even welcome my presence?』

He had already confessed his feelings to Rayleigh.

And she had rejected him.

If he ignored her wishes and went ahead with his plans, he could probably get the outcome he wanted. But Kaver would never do such a thing.

He cherished Rayleigh far more than anyone could imagine.

At Kaver’s question, Haban lowered his head.

The reason he had been unable to do anything was simple. Even if they stopped the marriage, Rayleigh would never willingly come to the imperial palace.

More than that, he harbored a vague fear that by interfering, he might end up standing in the way of her happiness.

He couldn’t help wondering whether he had any right to intervene in the first place.

『She was smiling brightly. The same smile she had when we saw her as a child.』

『I see.』

Upon hearing Haban say that he had finally seen the smile Rayleigh used to wear in her childhood, Kaver decided to let her go.

He had long looked forward to the day he would marry Rayleigh, but he had no desire to force her into the palace when she didn’t want to marry him.

The emperor secretly summoned Haban without Kaver’s knowledge.

The matter weighed heavily on his mind.

『So you’re truly going to let things be?』

『…Yes. It seems His Highness has made up his mind.』

The emperor stroked his chin, looking troubled by how firmly Kaver had taken his position.

If Rayleigh wasn’t an ability awakener, the imperial family had no particular reason to insist on the marriage.

What concerned the emperor was his son’s feelings.

He had even considered invalidating Rayleigh’s marriage if that was what Kaver wanted.

Considering how much Kaver had done for the imperial family—and for the emperor himself—it would hardly have been too great a price to pay.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

It isn’t right to use one’s power to dictate another person’s life.

The emperor felt a pang of discomfort.

Had that child ever truly been allowed to have a life of her own in the first place?

There was no point in letting his emotions guide him now, pretending that everything he had done until this moment could simply be undone.

Once you sit in this seat, you begin to see the bigger picture. One day, you’ll understand me, too. But I hope you’ll become a ruler different from me.

Lost in thought, the emperor furrowed his brow slightly.

At some point, he had begun to regard sacrificing the few for the sake of the many as something perfectly natural.

The realization disgusted him.

Was it the passage of time that had changed him? Or was it this position itself?

The emperor shook his head lightly, brushing away his thoughts.

When he spoke again, his expression had returned to its usual composure, though his voice carried a note of regret.

『You trained so hard for that girl. I suppose it’s inevitable that, as her father, my heart aches for you.』

From the perspective of a ruler, however, the situation was nothing short of a blessing.

The imperial family had finally acquired the strength to protect itself without relying on ability awakeners.

There was no longer any need to give the Traila family anything more, nor was the imperial family in a position where it had to ask them for favors.

In other words, the imperial family could finally stand on its own.

And that meant the emperor’s authority had grown stronger.

He seemed to love that girl so much…

The emperor wanted to know what had made his son give up on his feelings.

According to what he had heard afterward, Kaver had let Rayleigh go because she looked happy.

The emperor had known for a long time that Kaver had cherished Rayleigh since childhood. He couldn’t simply agree to the marriage without giving the matter careful consideration.

But after Kaver’s repeated pleas, the emperor had reluctantly turned a blind eye to the marriage between Rayleigh of the Traila family and the Duke of Printz.

And so, Rayleigh had finally taken one step farther away from the fate she had desperately wanted to escape.