Side Story 3. First Meeting (3)

Aster wandered around like a lost child. The unfamiliar street felt like a goblin’s den, even in broad daylight.

For a 14-year-old boy who still needed care, the whole situation was terrifying.

Aster hid beside a flowerpot at the alley’s entrance.

If he went back to the castle immediately, they might blindfold him and abandon him next time. It was better to pretend he got lost and return late, to avoid Paris’s wrath.

It was a calculated move to kill time. Yet deep down, he hoped someone would come looking for him.

How long had it been?

“That’s my spot.”

A voice suddenly demanded, claiming the spot as theirs. Aster looked up.

And saw the beautiful girl he had seen at the banquet, now dressed as a commoner.

Aster blinked, unsure if he was dreaming or awake. The girl was even prettier and more lovable up close. A noble child so highborn, unreachable for someone like him.

“I’m Camilla. What’s your name?”

She was asking for his name. No one had ever called his name.

Even the servants called him ‘hey, you, over there,’ as if saying his name would bring disaster.

Of course, it did bring trouble. The Duchess of Blanche’s hysterics were well-known.

In the Blanche castle, he had to live like a ghost, avoiding the Duchess’s wrath.

‘Francis and Blanche are like enemies. If it weren’t for Francis, our family would be much higher.’

The Duke of Blanche often said this. Francis and Blanche were enemies.

So, maybe Camilla would dislike him if she knew he was an illegitimate child of Blanche.

I don’t want that.

Aster didn’t want her to hate him. Even though everyone else did, he didn’t want her to.

That’s why he pretended not to know her identity, even though he did.

“Aster.”

He deliberately hid that he was an illegitimate child of Blanche.

“Aster. What a pretty name. Like a hamster.”

Aster felt like crying after hearing his name after so long. So he grabbed onto her words to control his emotions.

“I’m not a hamster.”

“You look like a hamster with sunflower seeds in your cheeks right now.”

Unable to control his emotions, Aster stood up abruptly at Camilla’s witty joke.

“N-no!”

He felt like he would burst into tears if he stayed. He didn’t want to be misunderstood as crying because a strange child said he looked like a hamster.

But fortunately, there was no misunderstanding.

“Shh! Be quiet. We’re playing hide-and-seek.”

Her sudden action made his tears disappear. His heart pounded at their sudden closeness.

Aster couldn’t say anything and just stared at Camilla. His startled reflection was in her blue eyes. Her soft pink hair brushed his cheek.

His heart felt like it was malfunctioning. Aster didn’t want her to know he was aware of her, so he moved back. But Camilla kept following him, leaving him no place to go.

Why is Camilla Francis wandering around dressed as a commoner?

And without a guard?

Paris hated commoners. But Camilla was acting friendly with him, who looked like a commoner.

It was fascinating. He thought all nobles were arrogant, self-centered, and did whatever they pleased without consequence.

“But why are you hiding here alone? Are other kids bullying you?”

But Camilla seemed not to care about such things. Her face was full of kindness. Hearing her warm words after so long, Aster unknowingly spoke his mind.

“Just…. I have nowhere to go.”

He didn’t say it expecting anything. He was going back to the Blanche castle anyway. He just had nowhere to go right now.

Then Camilla empathized as if it were her own experience.

“Shall I stay by your side then?”

How comforting those words were.

“Whenever you have nowhere to go, let’s meet here. But you have to go back before sunset. How about that?”

She didn’t pry into the situation. She just offered to stay with him.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

Only then did Aster realize why his heart was malfunctioning. Francis was different from Blanche. They had the dignity and responsibility of nobles. They were very different from Blanche, who only sought rights.

That must have been why he felt so small at the banquet.

He secretly wondered what it would have been like if he had been born into a family like that. But now, he thought it was fortunate he was an illegitimate child of Blanche.

Because it allowed him to meet Camilla. Although it was by chance this time, it opened the way for him to see her whenever he wanted.

“See you again.”

Aster returned to the Blanche castle only after the sun had set that day. The Duchess of Blanche locked him up, saying he had run away on his own.

But he was no longer afraid. That was the first and last time he was grateful to Paris.

After that, Aster went to that alley to meet Camilla. It became his only sanctuary.

* * *

In the quiet evening, Raphael quickly fell asleep listening to Camilla’s lullaby. Camilla kissed the forehead of the sleeping child and returned to the bedroom.

Aster was waiting there.

“You’re back?”

Aster spread his arms, waiting for her to come to him. Camilla slowly approached and hugged him. She asked affectionately,

“Did you wait long?”

“Not really.”

Aster replied briefly and wrapped his arms around Camilla’s waist. The comfort of his large, firm arms made Camilla smile softly.

Even though they had been married for a long time, the couple always went to bed together. The conversations they had before sleeping were too precious.

“About what we talked about earlier.”

When Camilla started, Aster tilted his head. Somehow, her eyes were moist. Surprised, Aster asked,

“Is something wrong?”

“Not at all.”

Camilla swallowed her tears and cupped Aster’s cheeks.

She was upset about their first meeting, which she had just learned about.

Around that time, they had invited each other to their castles to show the Emperor that the rift between their families wasn’t deep.

She never imagined that a young boy had sneaked into the banquet hall.

At the time, the existence of an illegitimate child in Blanche was something adults whispered about, so Camilla didn’t know.

Even now, she couldn’t fully grasp the sense of loss, loneliness, and fear young Aster must have felt. She might never fully understand his solitude.

But she was grateful that she had been a comfort to him then. She was glad she had gone to that alley.

“You’ve gone through so much, my dear husband.”

“Gone through?”

“I think I married the right man.”

“You’re saying what I want to say.”

Aster planted a deep kiss on her palms.

“Why do you only say such sweet things? Makes me want to hold you.”

Then they naturally sought each other’s lips. Camilla let out a low moan as something hot and soft pushed into her mouth.

It was fascinating that what she thought was their first meeting was actually their second. That Aster had known her from the beginning was also surprising.

Was this what they called fate? It seemed like the saying about meeting again no matter what was made for her and him.

“Aster.”

“Yes?”

At Camilla’s sweet confession, Aster smiled like the happiest man in the world.

“I love you.”

“I love you more, Camilla.”

Then, as if making a tender confession, he pulled down her negligee below her shoulders. Understanding his intent, Camilla lifted her waist to make it easier to undress.

“Then hold me as much as you love me.”

Her cheeky provocation was a bonus.

* * *