Chapter 109

The resolute voice saddened Liliana. She placed her hand over Helio’s, which rested on her arm.

Even though the weather was superb, the inside of the building was warm. Yet Helio’s hand felt cold and rigid, like a corpse.

Liliana clasped his hand firmly with both of hers.

“Helio, out of all these doors, you opened this one. Isn’t it because you cherish and still miss Prince Adonia?”

“…Do I deserve to?“

“Why wouldn’t you?”

Helio looked down at his hand, encased in Liliana’s warm grasp, and laughed bitterly. Though he had committed patricide, he felt drawn to Liliana’s warmth, wishing he could linger in its comfort.

With a deliberately sharp tone, he spoke.

“People say I killed my brother.“

“I don’t know about the past. But I know that Helio, the person I know, wouldn’t kill someone he loves.“

Helio met Liliana’s gaze. Her clear eyes were filled with determination, as always.

Many people had flattered him with sweet words, but their eyes had been dead and dark.

Those who didn’t flatter him, like Lucia, would fall silent whenever Adonia’s name came up, saying nothing. Just once, Lucia had muttered with dry eyes.

“There must have been a reason, one I could never understand, nor do I want to understand or argue about.”

This way, Liliana was the first to sincerely believe in Helio’s innocence.

Helio hoped Liliana wouldn’t learn too much about this. He didn’t want her to see his dark side laid bare.

He wished she would only know him as someone gifted treasures and provided a splendid palace.

But Liliana had a strange ability.

“Last time, you said something like this. That you think I quite like you.“

“Yes, have your feelings changed?“

“Who knows? I think you understand my heart better than I do.”

In Helio’s eyes, a stack of emotions had been left unattended for a long time.

These old feelings had faded so that no one else noticed them. No one but Liliana.

“You might even understand, then, what my brother was feeling. But you might also fear me after hearing this story.”

As Liliana listened, something dawned on her. Helio’s past was never mentioned in the original story because…

‘Helio never told this story to Lilith.’

Helio loved Lilith. More than anyone, he wanted to be a warm, gentle, flawless father to her.

To Helio, he needed to protect Lilith, not someone to seek comfort from.

Watching her grow had been enough to help him move beyond his past. All the more reason he would have kept it to himself.

But Liliana was not Lilith.

She wasn’t a daughter to be protected but a companion to walk alongside.

Liliana gently patted the back of Helio’s hand.

“I’m firm, you know that, don’t you?”

Liliana’s confident demeanor was enough to ease Helio’s wariness.

Helio began to tell a story he had buried for a long time that no one else had dared to hear.

He explained why he took Duke Gabriel’s hand, rejected Adonia’s earnest plea, and spoke so harshly to Adonia…

As Liliana listened, no disgust could be seen in her eyes. They shimmered with compassion, deeply moved, and glistened as they trembled gently.

Helio couldn’t tell if he deserved to be seen with such beautiful eyes.

“…And when I returned to the audience chamber, my brother was already dead. He had pierced his heart and sat before the throne as if guarding it from me.”

Helio had wondered about Adonia’s thoughts as if Liliana might somehow understand his brother’s heart. He shared his painful memories with her.

But Liliana wasn’t a god, nor did she know about Adonia, who wasn’t mentioned in the original story. All she could feel was pity for Helio, who had carried that burden until it nearly destroyed him.

Liliana gently stroked Helio’s cold cheek.

“Helio, you didn’t kill Prince Adonia. It was Duke Gabriel.”

“…”

“The Adonia you described was kind, but he wasn’t weak. You said he protected the throne until his final breath? Was someone like that really so fragile? Do you think he was trying to stop you, Helio, and not Duke Gabriel?“

“…I didn’t ask to hear that.“

“Right. You were asking about Prince Adonia’s feelings. To remain kind, one needs a strong spirit. So, I don’t think Prince Adonia would have chosen death simply because he disagreed with a beloved younger brother. Perhaps…”

Liliana began babbling, her emotions swelling, then fell silent, overcome.

After taking a deep breath, she spoke again while Helio watched her intently, listening solely to her voice.

“It’s possible he wanted you to ascend to the throne.”

“That’s nonsense.”

The moment Liliana finished speaking, Helio turned his head, leaving her hand, which had been resting on his cheek, suspended in the air.

Liliana clenched her fingers, speaking earnestly.

“What was the situation like at that time? Was there anyone capable of defeating Duke Gabriel? Was there any other way for you to live a decent life after killing the former emperor?“

“If my brother were to become emperor, it didn’t matter what happened to me.”

Liliana held Helio tightly, rejecting his words.

“Prince Adonia wouldn’t have wanted that. He wouldn’t have wanted his beloved younger brother to be exiled to barren lands for killing the former emperor, or to be imprisoned in a separate palace for life, or to be beaten to death by the people.”

Liliana lifted her head from where she leaned against Helio’s chest to meet his gaze.

“Prince Adonia probably would have been willing to sacrifice himself if it meant you could live in peace. So, you didn’t kill him. It was the unavoidable circumstances, and Duke Gabriel, who created those circumstances, that took his life.”

Helio lowered his head, resting his forehead against Liliana’s. He wondered why she was speaking so passionately.

He pulled her small frame tightly into his arms and, from that closeness, whispered his most hidden feelings.

“It’s strange. I want to believe everything that comes out of your mouth.“

“You can believe it.“

“Even the absurd idea that my brother cared for me until the moment he died?“

“Yes, it’s true. Believe me.”

Liliana spoke with a firm voice.

Helio gazed at her affectionately and then carefully kissed her. Liliana startled, pushing against his shoulder.

“H-here, in Prince Adonia’s presence….“

“And you were fine with it in the garden last time.“

“This is my first time meeting Prince Adonia! What if he thinks I’m an unchaste woman?”

Liliana, flustered, tried to pull away, but Helio laughed, holding her even tighter, securing her in his embrace.

Liliana, perhaps not entirely displeased, soon settled down in his arms. She found it endearing how his laughter resonated through his chest, transmitting warmth to her.

“Lily.“

“Yes?“

“According to what you say, I must like you quite a bit.”

His words were almost childlike, making it hard to take them as a confession. Still, Liliana felt her heart flutter as if she’d heard a profound declaration of love and tried to maintain her composure.

“That’s true.“

“Then, what about you?“

Helio’s question sounded almost innocent, distant from any terrifying words used to describe him—tyrant, warmonger, cold-blooded, or degenerate.

“Do you ‘quite like‘ me too?“

“I…”

‘I love you. You’re beyond special to me. I want to kiss you always, and if I could stay with you, I’d be willing to change fate.’

The passionate confession was lodged in her throat, unable to come out. She hadn’t yet earned the right.

Liliana patted Helio’s back gently, whispering.

“I can’t tell you yet.”

Helio, a man who seemed to know everything in the world, was clueless about emotions. With words like these, he would never understand her feelings.

And indeed, Helio looked at her with a gaze full of discontent.

“…Not yet?“

“Yes, not yet.“

“What a troublesome woman.”

Helio sighed deeply, lamenting. Releasing Liliana from his embrace, he firmly grasped her wrist.

“Just don’t talk about leaving.“

“Where would I go?”

Liliana covered her mouth, laughing brightly as if she’d just heard something amusing.

Yet Helio felt an inexplicable sense of unease. It was as though Liliana might someday leave for somewhere very far away.

No—more precisely, it felt like he had already let her go once before.

Was this irrational fear simply a byproduct of his feelings for her?

Helio looked at Liliana repeatedly, trying to calm the anxiety that surged up inside him. But her bright, smiling face only seemed to intensify his unease each time.

* * *

When the two returned from the royal cemetery, Ternz came to report on the commemoration ceremony.

Surprisingly, Duke Gabriel still lingered in the royal palace even though the ceremony had ended.

“How repulsive…”

Liliana made a disgusted face, and Helio covered her ears, promptly heading toward the Emerald Palace.

“Do not, under any circumstances, give him a room.“

“…Will that be okay?“

“Of course, it will.”

Reassured by Helio’s firm response, Liliana agreed. There was no longer any need for the royal family to make Duke Gabriel feel secure.

Even the nobles who attended the council on his recommendation weren’t entirely on his side, so there was no reason to fear him.

The ceremony hall, emptied and frigid in the dead of winter, must have been bitterly cold, but Duke Gabriel was likely too busy fuming to notice. The thought of it made Liliana smile.

The frontier development project under the Rhenia trading company also progressed smoothly, preventing Duke Gabriel’s family from monopolizing politics or the economy.

Liliana held Helio’s hand tightly. He looked at her as if to ask if something was wrong, and his gentle expression made her heart flutter.

Helio, we’re almost there.

‘If you give me a little more time, I’ll tell you before it’s too late.‘

‘I love you more than you love me.’