Chapter 5

“Heila, I heard you had woken up, so I came as soon as I finished my duties. Are you feeling any better?”

Without hesitation, Kersian approached and gently cupped Heila’s face.

With his warm thumb, he brushed against the corner of her eye.

Meeting her gaze up close, he asked in a gentle voice,

“Why were you crying?”

His slightly sharp features looked the same as she remembered, yet he appeared more like a nobleman than a young ruler.

He had always been someone noble and radiant, like a cold and elegant moon.

But now, seeing that same face did not stir admiration or excitement—it sent chills down her spine.

“Leave. Right now.”

Heila spoke in a trembling voice.

Hearing the anxiety and fear in her tone, Kersian looked puzzled.

“Your Grace?”

Just then, Marlin returned, quickly grasped the situation, and spoke.

“It seems Her Grace had a nightmare. It would be best to give her some time so she can calm down.”

“I’m worried, so I’ll wait outside until you settle down.”

With a reluctant expression, Kersian stepped outside.

Heila gave no response, and until he left the room, she didn’t blink once, glaring at his retreating figure with wary eyes.

Only after the door fully closed did she finally look away.

Even then, her heart continued to pound wildly.

Heila hurriedly washed her face with cold water.

After that, the swelling in her face subsided a little.

But her mind was still clouded, as if shrouded in thick fog.

She remained blank for a long while, then looked at the clock—two hours had already passed.

After staring out the window for a moment, Heila soon made up her mind and opened the door.

Just as he had said, he was waiting there.

Upon seeing her, Kersian asked with a concerned expression,

“Have you calmed down now? If you’re upset with me about something, tell me.”

At those words, Heila’s eyes reddened again.

Kersian had always responded to her so generously like this.

That was why she had never doubted that he loved her.

But now, because the memories of before resurfaced, that handsome face filled with concern looked unnaturally artificial, as if it were nothing but a façade.

“Do you remember the vow you made on our wedding day?”

At Heila’s sudden question, a subtle expression crossed Kersian’s face.

But he quickly answered as if nothing was wrong.

“Of course I remember. I said I would cherish you more than myself, love you for the rest of my life, and protect you. That answer is still valid, isn’t it?”

“Of course. As long as I’m alive, it will remain valid.”

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in his reply.

Heila sneered inwardly.

“Are you still not going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“I just had a nightmare.”

“I’ll stay with you today, so don’t worry. If it seems like you’re having a nightmare, I’ll wake you right away.”

As Kersian pulled her into an embrace, Heila stiffened.

After she said she wanted to be alone to calm down, he left shortly after, but the sensation from earlier lingered, making her stomach churn.

It felt as though insects were crawling all over her body.

After sending even Marlin away, Heila gazed out the window, and her eyes met the moon.

She watched it for a while when suddenly something flashed through her mind.

She quickly set down her brush and put on a coat.

It was already dark outside, and the servants would have gone to sleep, but she quietly slipped out of the room without even carrying a lantern.

It had been about a month since she arrived here, and there were still places she had yet to explore.

Yet Heila walked with complete familiarity.

Her steps stopped at the greenhouse.

Without going inside, she stood still and looked toward it.

Inside the glass greenhouse, two shadows were visible.

A very tall man and a woman with a curvaceous figure.

They had placed a lantern on a table set a short distance away, and were locked in a heated embrace, kissing each other.

After pausing briefly, Heila silently stepped closer.

The surroundings were very dark, and the two were so absorbed in each other that they didn’t seem to realize someone might be watching them from the shadows.

On the table, the reddish glow of the lantern illuminated the luxurious gold embroidery on their clothes.

The jewels sewn into the fabric sparkled even in the darkness as they caught the light.

Under the soft moonlight, she could see the woman’s pale, rounded shoulders, as white as the moon, her red hair flowing in waves over them—and Kersian’s face buried against that shoulder.

Heila lifted her gaze to the sky.

It was a new moon, and there were hardly any stars in the sky, while a faint breeze stirred.

In the still darkness, the woman’s coquettish laughter gradually turned into soft m*ans.

Heila clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

It was exactly the same as before.

It hadn’t even been a full week since the wedding.

The man who whispered love to her during the day while treating her gently was now secretly meeting another woman at night.

“Ha….”

A hollow laugh escaped her.

What exactly had she been hoping to confirm?

Her heart had long since rotted away.

She felt pathetic for coming here.

Even though the situation had changed, Uriel still visited the ducal residence, called Kersian out to the greenhouse, and shared intimacy with him there.

It was her way of acting out, dissatisfied with his marriage.

And Kersian, fully aware of it, chose to let it slide.

In her previous life, Heila had felt that just a day after the wedding, Kersian’s attitude had subtly turned formal.

After agonizing over it for several days, she had gone to find him to ask about what had happened the night before, but he was neither in the bedroom nor the study.

By chance, she saw a carriage bearing the crest of the Bettia Count family on the first floor, and her unease grew, leading her to search for him—only to witness the same scene as now.

Heila looked at the two with a cold gaze before turning away.

Her tightly pressed lips trembled faintly.

Now that even the last fragment of hope—that it might have been a dream—had shattered, it felt as though she had finally awakened from a deep sleep.

Returning to her room, Heila changed into her nightgown and sat on the bed, gazing out the window.

As if rain were about to fall, clouds had already covered the moon, leaving the sky in darkness.

***

The next day, Heila gave an order to Marlin.

“Call the daughter of Count Bettia around noon. Tell her I wish to see her personally.”

“Her Grace, what are you planning to do?”

“If I let something like that pass as if nothing happened, how ridiculous do you think people will see me?”

There was a chilling coldness on Heila’s face.

In the past, she had only listened to Kersian’s words, unable to confront anything, and simply endured in silence.

Even after causing that disturbance at the wedding, Uriel had faced no consequences, proving to everyone just how much favor she held with Kersian.

And she herself had become someone so insignificant that she could be openly insulted by the daughter of a mere count and do nothing.

No matter how much she endured, they would never be satisfied.

“If I think about the life ahead, I can’t just let something like this slide.”

“If that is your will,  Your Grace, then I understand.”

When the time came, Heila headed downstairs.

Kersian was there.

“Heila, why did you come down instead of resting more?”

“I just woke up early. Are you heading out now?”

“I’ll probably be late.”

Though he wore a kind expression, his gaze was cold, filled with annoyance.

“I see.”

Kersian was about to leave when he paused to ask,

“Did you get some sleep? You don’t look well.”

At those words, Heila looked at him.

It was only natural—she hadn’t slept a single moment all night.

In contrast, Kersian’s face was bright, as if glowing like the full moon.

Seeing his face made the scene from the night before resurface, and she felt like she might retch.

But unlike the first time she had witnessed it, she did not feel anger or disappointment.

“I had another bad dream.”

“I’m curious what kind of dream it was. May I ask?”

“In the dream, you abandoned me and went to another woman.”

At those words, the smile on Kersian’s face disappeared for the first time.

“That could never happen. I love you this much.”

Kersian said with a smile again.

But that smile was more unnatural than before.

“Who was that woman I saw at the wedding? She seemed close to you.”

“Her name is Uriel. She’s the daughter of Count Bettia. Her parents passed away early, so she grew up close to the Bettia family. Like family.”

“…”

“She’s always been mischievous and prone to jealousy since childhood, but she went too far that day. I’ve already scolded her enough, so there’s no need for you to worry about it.”

People assumed that Heila had been so shocked upon seeing Uriel at the wedding that she had collapsed.

Yet even so, such a careless excuse—wasn’t it even more insincere than before?

Perhaps he was blaming her for ruining the wedding.

Even so, trying to brush everything aside with a single remark that there was no need to worry—no woman could easily accept that.

Unlike before, Kersian’s smile felt distant, and instead of warmth, there was a strong sense of pressure behind it.

Still, it didn’t feel as frightening as when he had been emperor.

“I know.”

Heila nodded calmly.

Kersian raised his brows.

“You know?”

“Actually, I was concerned, so I asked a servant. They said you grew up together, like siblings.”

It was the same excuse the people of the ducal house had used in her previous life when she tried to keep Uriel in check.

With that justification, Uriel had freely come and gone from the ducal residence, while she had endured it in silence even after witnessing everything.

Looking back, she had been utterly foolish.

“Kersian, even if it was just a dream, I feel uneasy, as though I’ve insulted you.”

Despite her frown, her voice came out flat and devoid of emotion.

“You’re not someone who would so easily betray trust… right?”