As much effort as the delegation had put into it, the party was flawless.
Every dish was delicious without exception, and the quaint party decorations were incredibly cute.
“Did Enoch really decorate all of this?”
Leticia exclaimed, looking at the colorful ribbons hanging on a small tree. The spirally curled ribbons in various colors were as beautiful as if flowers had bloomed.
“Of course! Hehe, I do have quite the sense, you know.”
Enoch grinned and pointed towards the opposite wall.
“See those ribbons hanging on the wall? I drew those designs myself.”
“Wow, that’s really impressive.”
“I had to do at least this much. After all, I’m the chief organizer.”
As Enoch boasted, Martin chuckled and offered something.
“As the deputy organizer, I couldn’t be left out. Please try this. I decided to show off my cooking skills for a change.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s veal steak. It’s hard to find in the desert, but I found some good ingredients in the storeroom. They were well-preserved.”
Leticia took a piece of the steak. She chewed thoughtfully and then her eyes widened in surprise.
“Wow! It’s delicious! It melts in your mouth.”
“How is the sauce? Imperial cuisine tends to be bland, so I went light on the seasoning.”
“It’s perfect. I’ll be thinking about this even after going to the Principality.”
“Hehe, is that so?”
Martin’s laughter deepened.
“Excellent. If Your Highness permits, I might just give up knighthood and become a chef.”
“Why do you need my permission?”
“Because I intend to take responsibility for all three meals a day for Your Highness in the Principality.”
“What? That’s what?”
Leticia burst into clear laughter. Her laughter made the atmosphere around them even brighter.
Everything was perfect, at least on the surface.
Even amid the laughter and chatter, everyone kept a tense vigilance.
Leticia’s tears they had seen earlier still shook their hearts. They were attentive to every word she said and every subtle change in her expression, though they didn’t show it outwardly.
Yulken felt the same as his companions.
“Your Highness, it might be best to send someone ahead to the capital to ensure that no one acts rudely based on false rumors.”
Perhaps it was because he was a father himself.
His heart especially ached for Leticia’s tears. He hoped she would never have to cry like that again.
“We must inform everyone about what you have done, so that nobody hates Your Highness anymore, so that you don’t get hurt again.”
Once they passed Lozantine and the desert ended, they would reach the border of the Principality.
The knights of the ducal city of Heden were scheduled to meet them at the border.
By now, they should be preparing to depart, just as the delegation had been, possibly harboring misunderstandings and harboring hatred towards Leticia.
“Perhaps sending Martin and Banessa would be best. Martin speaks with authority, and since Banessa is known to have hated Your Highness, it might be effective.”
“…”
“Banessa’s stubbornness could be an issue. He wouldn’t want to leave Your Highness’s side even for a moment. But if we explain it’s for Your Highness, he’ll comply.”
Yulken sighed deeply as he spoke.
“Actually, more than those measures, it’s the recovery of Your Highness’s heart that’s the real issue.”
He looked at Leticia with a heavy heart. Even though she was smiling brightly, those looking at her felt a pang in their hearts.
“How deep the wound must be…”
Yulken sighed repeatedly and then looked at Dietrian.
“How long will it take for all those deep wounds to heal?”
He asked with sheer desperation.
“Will time eventually make things better?”
“Who knows. If the past is the problem, time might solve it.”
Dietrian murmured, fiddling with a wine glass.
“But is the past really the issue?”
“What?”
Dietrian didn’t say anything.
His mind had been elsewhere since earlier, consumed by Leticia’s words as she cried.
[I keep getting greedy when you say that.]
[I can’t give up…]
[Hope hurts too much, but I can’t let it go…]
At that moment, he was too pained by her tears to think deeply. Comforting her was overwhelming enough.
But the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
‘It sounded like she had to force herself to give up on hope.’
He couldn’t understand. Why did she have to give up hope?
‘An impossible hope, perhaps?’
Dietrian slightly furrowed his brows.
‘What does that have to do with the welcome party?’
She burst into tears the moment everyone said they loved her.
[You told me before. Since I’m your wife, I’m precious.]
[But now I can believe those words. I was so happy… That’s why I said that.]
Just a few hours ago, she had said that with a shy smile, but this time, she cried as if the world was ending.
‘Why did she do that?’
He felt like he was groping through fog, unable to grasp anything solid.
‘This is maddening.’
He downed a gulp of cold wine.
‘Maybe I should just ask outright.’
His gaze darkened. It seemed pointless. As always, she would just say she was fine. His heart ached sharply.
‘Am I just someone outside the line she’s drawn? When will she let me inside?’
Leticia’s tears had stopped at some point while in his arms. When he asked, worried about the reason, she smiled and shook her head.
[I’m sorry for startling you. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.]
[I cried because I was happy. Because everyone was welcoming me.]
The moment he saw that gentle smile, it felt like a blow to the back of his head.
It was the very smile he had always found heart-fluttering.
It was so perfect that it seemed like she really cried out of happiness, as she said.
It was nonsense.
He could still hear her sorrowful crying in his ears.
And then, he realized. She had been deceiving him all along.
Hiding something very important.
The shock was greater because he believed they had connected hearts.
From the first kiss to now, he couldn’t shake the thought that she was gently pushing him away with her polite smiles.
‘Am I just a temporary husband for six months?’
Whether he would ever become a real husband. Whether he truly was a support for her.
He was swallowing a restless sigh when a sharp sound rang out.
Clink!
Dietrian stood up abruptly. Leticia, who had been wobbling, slumped back into her chair.
“Leticia!”
He rushed towards her.
Glass shards were scattered right beside where she sat. Red wine slowly spread over the marble floor.
“Leticia, don’t move at all.”
Leticia, with a flushed face, tilted her head curiously and tapped the marble floor with the tip of her shoe.
Then, smiling brightly, she reached out her hand.
“Ah! It’s Dietrian.”
Dietrian paused for a moment.
“Hehe, Dietrian―. It’s Dietrian.”
Then she got up from her seat and tried to approach him. Her staggering appearance seemed very precarious.
“Don’t move!”
Dietrian stepped forward briskly, stepped on the glass shards, and embraced her. The sound of the pieces shattering could be heard under the soles of the shoes.
“It’s dangerous, so lean on me quickly.”
Holding her body firmly as if it were about to collapse, he said. Leticia giggled and awkwardly embraced his neck.
“Dietrian―. I missed you―.”
Their bodies touching felt hotter than usual. Her hot breath tickled the nape of his neck sharply.
“How much have you drunk?”
“I don’t know―. As given, hiccup. I drank. Suddenly, like this.”
Leticia said in a slurred tone.
“Everyone says congratulations, one drink each. Strange―. Why, does my body keep going down?”
Dietrian turned his head quickly. His black eyes flickered fiercely.
“What was that sound just now?”
“That, that’s because, surely, the alcohol was strong.”
“That’s what I’m saying. We didn’t expect her to get drunk so suddenly.”
“How much did you drink?”
Someone said, looking at him cautiously.
“About two bottles…….”
“Ha, two bottles?”
He was astonished. She is weak to alcohol. On her wedding night, she was so drunk on a bottle of wine. She should know that fact well.
‘Knowing her own tolerance, she drank this much.’
Dietrian felt bitter. He seemed to know why she drank so much.
‘To forget the sorrow.’
It hurt him too much that she tried to forget her sorrow with the help of alcohol. He even wished his speculation was wrong.
Leticia leaned on his shoulder and burst into laughter.
“Wow, Dietrian hugged me. It feels good―. It seems like I’m flying―.”
“You must not move. You might fall.”
“Hehe, Dietrian―.”
Leticia didn’t seem to understand his words. She just hugged his neck and laughed.
“It’s warm―.”
“…You must hold on tightly.”
While moving with a bitter smile, something suddenly came to mind.
[It’s warm…….]
It was the memory of their wedding night. That day, like now, Leticia had leaned into him. Then she said something he could never have imagined.
[Just endure for half a year. Then, I’ll grant you a divorce as you wish…….]
That made him aware of Leticia’s mistaken belief.
‘Thanks to the power of alcohol, I could hear her true feelings.’
Dietrian quietly looked down at Leticia, who was leaning on him. Like that day, she was drunk. No, maybe even more so. Naturally, that thought occurred to him.
‘Maybe now is the perfect opportunity to find out her secret.’
The chance to hear the feelings she had been hiding all along.
His hand, holding her dress, tightened. His black eyes darkened.
Leticia tilted her head with an innocent expression.
“Dietrian―?”
The decision was quick. Leaning down as if to kiss, he whispered.
Leave a Reply