TVBO 35

Chapter 35

The next day, Chester did not attend the funeral. Of course, my brother didn’t come either.
Yesterday, I had gone as a member of the royal family to offer condolences — but today, I came as Cecil’s friend, to stay by her side.

Cecil was sitting alone in a quiet corner where there weren’t many people.
I knew too well how lonely and painful it was to be alone after losing someone precious. So, without a word, I sat beside her.

“……”

Just like yesterday, Cecil’s eyes were red-rimmed again.
Instead of saying anything, I quietly pulled her into a hug and waited until she was ready to speak.

“Yulia.”
“Yeah, it’s me. Are you feeling a little calmer now?”
“Thank you… for coming.”
“I’m your friend.”
“Mm… I feel relieved having you here.”

I could understand Cecil’s pain — because I too had lost someone precious: my mother.
But maybe the one who could truly understand Cecil’s pain even better than I could was Chester.
He had lost both of his parents too, just like Cecil.

That must be why, in the original story, Chester said he could understand the heroine’s sorrow.
Maybe the reason Idrian became the male lead was because he still had his parents — and could give the heroine the love he had received from them.
Perhaps the happy ending came because the heroine was filled with the affection she’d always lacked, from both the male lead and his family.

“Of course I’ll stay by your side, Cecil.”

I gently patted her back.
When my mother passed away, I had desperately wished someone — anyone — would be there beside me.
But no one had been.
So when I saw someone else in pain, I couldn’t just walk away.

And maybe because I still remembered the image of my mother suffering until her last breath, I was sensitive to others’ pain.
It wasn’t because of any dream — it was because of my past.

“Yulia…”
“When you feel a bit better, let’s go eat something you like. And we can go to your favorite theater too.”
“Mm!”

Cecil nodded, resting her head on my shoulder.
It was good for her to have someone beside her. Sometimes, that alone could be enough comfort.

I had wanted someone to be there for me too — but I had been alone.
Maybe not everyone was as unlucky as I’d been, but Cecil definitely needed someone by her side right now.

Watching someone grieve was harder than I’d remembered.
My chest ached.

“Yulia… let’s get some fresh air.”
“Sure.”

Thank goodness — at least she wanted to go outside.
We went out together. The wind blew through our hair.

Cecil’s legs were unsteady, probably from the shock, so I held onto her arm.

“You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Cecil, you can be honest with me.”
“I’m sad… but I’ll get through it.”

She smiled. But that smile felt so sorrowful.
It was good that she was trying to overcome it — but it wasn’t easy. And she didn’t have to pretend she was fine.

Ah… who was I to say that, though?
I was pretending to be fine too, even when I wasn’t.

Still, I wanted to tell her:

“Cecil, it’s okay to cry if you’re sad.”

It was something I had wished someone would tell me — but no one ever had.

“Yulia… you’re the only one I can cry in front of.”
“……”
“You’re the only friend I can truly open my heart to. But out here, in public, I can’t cry.”

Ah, right — Cecil was a noble.

“You’re a princess, Yulia, so you don’t have to care about others’ opinions. But I’m a noble — I have to stay strong.”
“Cecil…”
“If I show weakness, the rival factions will tear me apart. Especially now, while our family head is away.”

There were so many things I wanted to say — but I stayed silent.
Even though she looked like she might burst into tears any moment, not a single tear fell from her eyes.

“Yulia, nobles aren’t as clean as you think. They’re a mess.”
“I… kind of know that already.”

Now that I thought about it, maybe the reason Cecil and Idrian’s love shone so brightly in the original story was because they came from opposing factions.
Idrian was the heir to the progressive faction, while Cecil was from the conservative side.
Their love was something that shouldn’t have been possible — which made it all the more precious.

“Politics, society — it’s all just a mud fight. Even the ones who came to pay respects to my father… some were from our faction, but others…”
“Cecil.”

I knew. There wasn’t a single noble who could claim to be truly clean.
But right now, all I could do was listen.

“There are factions completely against us.”
“You must have gone through a lot.”
“That’s why… the time I spent with you was the only time I could breathe.”

Ah, now I understood why Cecil was the heroine.
If I were the male lead — or even the second lead — I’d have fallen for her too.
Cecil was strong, unwavering — the kind of person you couldn’t look away from.

“I’m glad I can be that kind of friend to you.”
“You’re probably the only person who truly sees me as a friend, Yulia.”
“And you’re my only friend too.”

If someone asked me who my friends were, I’d only be able to say your name.
It meant I trusted you — but it also meant I had no one else.

“Yulia. You’re the only person I can be completely honest with.”
“Same here… you’re the only one I can show my true self to!”

Cecil smiled softly.

“Yulia, do you love Duke Zikbert?”
“…What?”
“The Duke seems to love you very much.”

I froze. What was she getting at?
But at the same time… it meant his feelings were so obvious that even others could see them.

“Cecil… does it really look that way to you?”
“Yeah. Haven’t you noticed? Or has the Duke never told you he loves you?”
“…I’m not sure about my own feelings.”
“Why? The Duke is handsome, tall, and… well, he doesn’t seem to lack anything.”

True. He was practically perfect.
There was nothing wrong with him — it was just me, being anxious.
And maybe Cecil changed the subject to move away from the sadness.

“…It’s just… I doubt it sometimes. There was no real reason for him to love me. Even the proposal came out of nowhere.”
“But he loves you now, right? Then what’s the problem?”
“…Huh?”
“If he’s not the one confusing you, just marry him. Honestly, who else could be a better husband than the Duke?”
“I guess… you’re right.”
“He’s got no bad habits, no womanizing, no scandals — seems like a perfect match.”

I realized — relationship advice really was best from friends.

Then Cecil leaned in and whispered softly in my ear, so no one else could hear:

“Of course, if he’s bad in bed, that’d be a valid reason not to marry him.”

My face turned red instantly. Surely I wasn’t that flushed, right?

“Um… Yulia… if things have already gone that far, is there really anything left to think about?”

Her face was bright red too. That mischievous grin said everything.
Still, I was glad — it seemed like she had finally shaken off some of her sadness.

“If it’s already happened, well… if it’s bad, break the engagement. If it’s good, marry him. What’s the issue?”
“Maybe… the issue is me?”
“You’ve already gone that far. Don’t tell me he can’t—”
“He can! That’s not the problem!”

If anything… too well. It was that good.

“Oh, Cecil. My dad and brother can’t find out about this!”
“I know. They’re super conservative. If they found out, I’m not sure your hair — or your freedom — would survive.”
“My brother definitely would’ve reacted that way. My dad, maybe not — he seems to approve of this marriage.”
“But if they knew, even with the engagement, you’d be grounded. You probably wouldn’t even get to see the Duke again.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. They’re overprotective.”

It was true — Cecil was the only one I could confide in like this.
We were bound together by trust — inseparable and irreplaceable.

“Cecil… do you think I’ll ever find someone I can trust as much as you?”
“You will, Yulia. Don’t shrink away from the world.”
“…Cecil. Is it okay for me to marry him?”
“As long as you don’t hate him, and there’s nothing wrong with him… and that important part isn’t a problem, I’d say yes.”

Maybe it was time to move the wedding up.

“But… would you really be okay marrying my brother?”
“Yeah. Actually, I’d love that.”
“You… like my brother?”
“Yes. I’ve liked him for a long time.”

I was shocked. Since when?

“They say first loves never come true… but even if it’s like this, I’m glad it did.”
“That’s so… romantic!”
“Uh… yeah, I guess. Honestly, I don’t mind an arranged marriage — but since it’s with the person I love, I’m happy.”

As we were walking, Idrian suddenly appeared before us.

“Good day, Your Highness, and Lady Chloe.”
“Good day, Viscount Blair.”
“Good day, Lord Blair.”

I hadn’t expected to meet him here. Cecil seemed just as surprised.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could I have a brief moment of Your Highness’s time?”
“…Me?”

I thought he meant Cecil and was about to step away — but he was talking to me.

Cecil glanced back once before walking away.

“It’s about your fiancé.”
“…Chester?”

He nodded.

“Your Highness may already know this… but Chester has been searching for a girl he met long ago.”
“I know.”

And I knew that girl was Cecil.
Chester had insisted she wasn’t — but I was certain he simply hadn’t recognized her.

“I see. So you’re aware.”
“Of course. I couldn’t marry him without knowing something that important.”
“That girl… had a huge impact on Chester’s life. Are you aware of that, too?”

Yes, I knew.
Even in the original story, that girl had been an important influence on him.
I could understand that — but that was the past.

What mattered was now — that Chester loved me in the present.

I was about to say as much and excuse myself when Idrian’s next words stopped me cold.

“Your Highness — the girl Chester’s been searching for had bright blue eyes and shining golden hair.”

Wait—what? Blue eyes?
Then it wasn’t Cecil?
What on earth was going on?