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Chapter 43
“Good morning.”
Cecilia could barely move her lips in response to Alexis.
“G…good morning.”
Her cracked voice sounded rough. She quickly sipped some sparkling water, but Marisa, who had approached without hesitation, cupped her cheek and began examining her carefully.
“Are you alright, Cecile?”
“I’m fine, Mother. I just couldn’t sleep because I was nervous… well, it’s my first time going out.”
Since then, she meant.
At her brief addition, Marisa’s eyes narrowed. She must have picked up on the hint that it was the first time since Eugénie Reville’s incident.
Warmth in her eyes quickly gave way to anger.
“If there are any foolish people spreading nonsense, tell me or Alec immediately.”
“They wouldn’t dare do it in front of me.”
“There was a crazy colt once; do you think there aren’t crazy horses too?”
Cecilia let out a light laugh, and Marisa, looking slightly relieved, playfully poked her cheek.
Offering her cheek to her mother, Cecilia wore a small, amused smile.
She was accustomed to acting nonchalant. She was used to ignoring negative emotions too.
“I’m glad you seem to be in good spirits today.”
“Isn’t it rare for the three of us to be together in public?”
“Oh my, you’re right… it really has been a while.”
Marisa clapped her hands cheerfully in agreement.
The corners of her eyes curved gracefully, forming a clear, childlike smile.
She seemed secretly delighted to be able to spend time with her two children after such a long while.
“And my daughter looks lovely again today. Right, Alec?”
“Of course.”
Her brother’s calm agreement didn’t sound the same as it used to.
Not surprisingly.
Cecilia’s smile almost cracked, but she managed to maintain her expression.
The man’s gaze lingered on the edge of her lips for a long time.
To read the emotions behind his locked eyes, she would have to meet his gaze—but she didn’t want to, so Cecilia stubbornly averted her eyes.
A shallow peace settled, like a lake where swans glide.
As always, Cecilia responded to Marisa’s unusually lively energy.
While the two women engaged in a heated debate over which dessert—raspberry tart or peach sorbet—was tastier, Alexis quietly bit into an apple.
…The very apple Cecilia had thrown to him earlier.
The pale green apple was more sour than expected, but the crisp texture made it quite edible.
Taking another big bite, he slowly lifted his gaze.
The first thing he noticed was her pure, slender neckline. Long and elegant like a swan’s, it evoked a certain melancholic beauty.
He quietly raised his gaze further.
“In summer, something refreshing and light feels better, don’t you think?”
The woman spoke softly, wearing a clear smile.
Less than an hour after delivering her sharp rebuke, she now smiled angelically at her mother, as if nothing had happened.
Her smile, breaking like white foam at the crest of a wave, was dazzling enough to inspire awe.
“Such a formidable woman.”
Alexis sighed and took a sip of sparkling water. Her scolding lingered stubbornly in his ears.
Desire, peculiar quirks, dolls, and…
He never imagined Cecilia would use such vulgar expressions herself.
He had vowed to calmly hear whatever criticism came, but when unexpected words reached him, he had no choice but to cover his mouth.
Though he knew he shouldn’t, he simply couldn’t endure it.
“Peach sorbet feels light rather than heavy. The raspberry tart has a rich, full flavor, but…”
Holding the nearly finished apple in his hand, Alexis twirled it gently.
Her voice now had a playful tone, yet it was clear without asking that her inner thoughts were a chaotic mess.
She was the type to unsettle others while tormenting herself, as she had nervously twitched her white hand while delivering her scolding.
He wanted to carefully kiss that trembling hand.
He wished to soothe her, telling her not to blame herself. She was merely speaking her mind…
He remembered clearly the promise he had made to her. A vow, a truth.
No matter what she said to tear at his heart, he was confident he could withstand it.
Even if she slapped him, cursed him, kicked him, or showed him disdain, he could endure everything.
In fact, he would welcome her brutally honest expression.
“Alex?”
“Yes?”
He answered promptly and set down the apple.
His mother and sister’s eyes bore into him with almost overwhelming intensity.
“What do you think?”
“Which one is better?”
Which one?
Ah, the topic was which dessert was better—the raspberry tart or the peach sorbet.
Alexis rolled his eyes and wisely offered a third option.
“I’ll take milk ice cream.”
“Traitor!”
While their mother grumbled, Cecilia remained silent, showing no particular dissatisfaction.
Her long eyelashes, fluttering lightly, revealed many emotions—and concealed many more.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, her hand stirring the tea with a spoon moved faster.
“Why don’t you ask Father’s opinion as well?”
Alexis offered the suggestion with a faint smile, knowing Armand would recoil and flee if he heard it.
“Oh, shall we? But his opinions rarely help… he just goes along with whatever I want.”
At that moment, a leafy shadow fell over her like a veil.
For a brief instant, Alexis felt a sacred calm, and he was momentarily lost in thought.
Cecilia, sensing the pause, furrowed her brow slightly and lifted her head, meeting his eyes.
Her frown deepened.
The next instant, a swift kick against his leg made him clear his throat.
Another kick, as if telling him to stay alert.
“You’re being a bit harsh to Father, aren’t you, Mother?”
Alexis responded appropriately and trapped her leg between his own.
In his eyes, which had been pretending to be gentle, a sharp edge appeared, and Cecilia struggled furiously under the table.
“Actually, it’s true. Isn’t it, Cecile?”
“Father loves Mother dearly.”
“Of course.”
Throughout this exchange, his golden eyes once again held only a calm light.
Unlike her struggling legs, his upper body and expression were so serene that he almost wanted to applaud.
“…What incredible acting.”
Alexis pressed his leg with a touch of mischief.
Their calves pressed together beneath her skirt, and Cecilia could no longer struggle.
Finally, her expression changed.
Her previously carefree smile faltered, and her earlobes tinged with a faint red.
Unable to thrash anymore, she seemed to give up. Her legs, which had wriggled in all directions, went limp.
Just as Alexis pretended to release her, when she tried to slip away, he trapped one ankle between his legs again.
Her slender ankle was delicate, like her thin frame.
If he continued along the curve of her calf…
“I’ll ask for your understanding first. I’m not fully prepared yet.”
“Mm, very well.”
Alexis relented just before succumbing to dizzying thoughts.
Only Marisa, unaware of what had occurred beneath the table, waved her hands cheerfully.
Cecilia returned a polite nod with her eyes, but could not hide the tremor in her hand gripping the fork.
Alexis gripped the hem of his shirt as he walked through the garden at a somewhat brisk pace.
The heat was overwhelmingly stifling.
Immersing himself in cold water, he emerged to sunlight that shimmered like butterflies.
Staring at the rippling light around him, he let out a short sigh.
Sleep was unlikely again tonight.
Having gone three days without rest, he would collapse into sleep either tomorrow or at the latest in three days.
After falling asleep, he dared only hope the woman would not appear in his dreams.
Alexis Lüseng slowly smoothed the wrinkles of his shirt and neatly tied his cravat.
Through the rustle of fabric, her laughter lingered.
Her deep dimple and lively laughter—everything.
“Damn it.”
Just as the satisfaction of cold water was about to fade, he bit his lip to distract his thoughts.
Amid dizzying thoughts appeared:
“Why did you want to adopt me?”
A question laced with faint resentment.
“…Do you regret it?”
His father’s light yet heavy question.
At once, a headache and ringing in his ears shook his skull.
The cufflinks in his hand slipped and rolled away.
Having lost track of their trajectory, he couldn’t see where they landed.
Rather than kneeling to search, Alexis flicked his fingers.
A thin strand of magic appeared, lifting the cufflinks.
Fingering the turquoise, silver, and diamond buttons, he massaged the nape of his neck.
A sudden sense of foreboding overwhelmed him.
Had the cufflinks ever felt so painfully sharp?
He opened and closed his eyelids slowly, yet the piercing color clung stubbornly to his vision.
“…Do you regret it?”
It might sound absurd, but even now, the answer remained consistent.
He did not regret it.
Not at all.
Below the stairs, Cecilia stood with her maid.
As he approached, Calia Oper kneeled in greeting and then departed.
The siblings were left alone. They exchanged glances, prepared for tedious silence and an even more tedious stare-down, yet surprisingly, Cecilia spoke first.
“Mother will be a little late. Her call with Father ran long.”
“Not surprising.”
“So I get to look after my dizzy little brother.”
Alexis smiled faintly and extended his arm. Cecilia placed her hand lightly on it and tilted her head slightly.
Her ornate turquoise earrings swayed with the movement.
“So I get to escort my extraordinarily skilled sister?”
“Better a trickster than a fool.”
“…I never called you a trickster.”
“It’s not entirely wrong, is it?”
“Sis.”
“No. Considering you deceived the entire empire, perhaps a fool would have been better than a trickster?”
There was no time to protest.
Cecilia tugged the rope beside her, and the massive door began to open smoothly.
“Should we smile?”
…Really, her personality.
Beyond the door, people knelt in the garden, waiting. It was the proper ceremony to welcome the Crown Prince and Princess of the Empire.
Admiration and respect.
Awe and reverence.
All that devotion was spread out like a luxurious carpet.
They stepped forward side by side.
