Chapter 68: A Rabbit Caught in a Snare

His uncle, the Marquis of Riche, had begun pestering him that it was time to find someone to marry and start a family. He even went as far as to gather portraits of noble young ladies and present them to Damian.

Among those portraits was one of Edelweiss.

Strangely, out of all the many noble ladies’ portraits, hers was the only one he remembered.

He could still clearly picture what she had been wearing.

A somber dress that gave off a calm impression, her silver hair gathered to one side and draped down, her posture facing forward like a doll.

The moment he saw Edelweiss step out of the Shubrets atelier wearing her coming-of-age dress, it felt as though the portrait had come to life and touched him.

As if the figure within the painting was now alive and breathing in the same space.

He had never once in his life desired to possess anything.

It was the first time he had felt such an emotion.

What frustrated him the most was not knowing why he felt that way.

Maybe that’s why.

At their first meeting at the Riche estate, even though he knew she was stalling for time, he let her be.

Because she stayed silent the whole time, he found himself curious about what her voice would sound like, and deliberately provoked her.

He told her to stop gawking if she’d seen enough.

Even though she trembled like a rabbit caught in a snare, trying not to show it while squaring her shoulders—that, too, had intrigued him.

If it hadn’t been Edelweiss who tried to bargain with Charlotte’s life, he probably would have killed her on the spot.

Sometimes he laughed at himself—at how the mercy he showed her came from instinct, not reason.

He had caught a glimpse of desperation in her eyes and wondered what she might say.

And then, what she blurted out was—of all things—a marriage proposal.

At first, it was so absurd he simply thought she was a strange woman.

He assumed she was driven by shallow revenge against her illegitimate half-sister, hoping to become the Grand Duchess by marrying a legitimate imperial prince.

It was a relationship they’d both discard after taking what they wanted.

He had accepted her proposal because he liked how clean and straightforward it was.

But the Edelweiss he had come to know always defied his expectations.

Though she often looked as though she would collapse at any moment, she always got back up in the end.

Her unexpected actions continued to surprise him—and because of that intrigue, he wanted to look deeper.

He found it fun to tease her, especially because she always reacted.

Every time, she’d glare at him with eyes full of disgust… and then end up smiling anyway.

There were times he found his eyes drawn to the dimples that formed in her cheeks.

That small detail had lingered in his mind ever since.

He found himself recalling her face again.

Her sharply defined eyes, the neatly fanned lashes, the pale cheeks tinged with the hue of a peach.

Her vivid green eyes stirred in him a longing to touch.

He thought of the first night he held Edelweiss.

Though he had been tipsy, he hadn’t completely lost his senses.

But once he held her, a desire welled up—to keep doing so for the rest of his life.

So he clung to her all night.

Even though Edelweiss was now his wife—

Just thinking of her still left him parched with thirst.

He had watched countless people die, and at times he even wished to be buried with them.

Sometimes, just being the one left alive was suffocating.

But now, for the first time, he felt a desire to survive and return.

It was all because of Edelweiss.

***

Gentle waves rolled in. Edelweiss stood with her ankles submerged in seawater. She didn’t know when she’d come to this place.

Far beyond the horizon, a shadow swam toward her, cutting through the waves.

The figure moved with sleek, fl*id lines before stopping in front of her.

A small body rose calmly above the surface.

It was a young orca, marked with beautiful white patterns.

The orca lifted its head slowly, as if greeting her—almost as if to reassure her not to be afraid.

It nudged its forehead lightly against her fingertips, circling around her.

Edelweiss remained silent, simply watching the white foam bloom where it surfaced.

Then the orca sank back beneath the water.

Oddly, she wanted to touch it again—she reached out—

And woke with a gasp.

In her hands were documents reviewing the Blossomweaver business.

Had she dozed off for just a moment?

Realizing the scene had only been a dream, she lifted her head.

“I should go downstairs.”

The clock’s hands were already pointing to dinnertime.

A strange chill crept over her.

Come to think of it, Edelweiss often caught colds around this time of year.

Maybe she wasn’t feeling well because of that. Her body felt heavy.

She touched her forehead and felt a light fever with a trace of cold sweat.

When she came down to the dining room, Princess Charlotte was already waiting.

“Sister!”

“Lady Shasha, did your visit to the palace go well?”

Today, Princess Charlotte had gone to spend time with the Emperor.

Perhaps that quiet absence was why Edelweiss had fallen asleep.

“I couldn’t find Elba earlier, do you know where he was?”

“Where?”

“You won’t believe it—he was sleeping inside a cup! I almost didn’t find him. I don’t know who he takes after to be such a troublemaker.”

Just having Charlotte there brought warmth back into the room.

She chattered excitedly about everything that had happened that day.

Soon, the food was brought in one dish at a time.

Clearly hungry, Princess Charlotte gripped her knife and eagerly sliced into her steak, stuffing a large bite into her mouth.

“Lady Shasha, you’ll get indigestion. Please eat slowly.”

“I was soooo hungry! I can’t eat like this in front of Father, you know!”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t like it. Mother apparently ate very little, so he doesn’t like it when I eat a lot.”

Edelweiss gently wiped the sauce from Charlotte’s lips and gave a bittersweet smile.

She felt sorry for Charlotte, who must’ve constantly been walking on eggshells before the Emperor.

“Aren’t you eating, Sister?”

“I think what I ate earlier didn’t sit well. My stomach feels a bit heavy. Please, eat plenty, Lady Shasha.”

Just watching Princess Charlotte eat was enough to make Edelweiss feel full.

And truthfully, it wasn’t a lie—her stomach had been uneasy. For some reason, the smell of food made her nauseous.

After the meal, strawberry cake—Princess Charlotte’s favorite—was served for dessert.

Edelweiss didn’t feel like eating much, but fruit was manageable, so she slowly nibbled at the strawberries.

The tart sweetness helped ease the nausea a little.

“Sister, ah!”

Watching closely, Princess Charlotte picked up one of her own strawberries with a fork and held it out to Edelweiss.

“Lady Shasha, I’m really fi—”

“Come on! Ah!”

It didn’t seem like she’d pull the fork away until Edelweiss ate it, so she had no choice but to open her mouth and accept the strawberry.

The juice coated her tongue with a burst of sweetness.

“Thank you, Lady Shasha.”

That Princess Charlotte, who loved strawberry cake so much, had offered her a piece… it touched Edelweiss deeply. She felt a small lump form in her chest.

“Should I ask them to bring more strawberries for you?”

“………No, this is enough.”

“You look tired. Brother’s not here to bother you, but you still can’t sleep properly?”

“…There’s no need to worry. Oh, right—Lady Shasha, I had a dream earlier, and there was an orca swimming toward me.”

Seeing Charlotte’s brows droop with concern, Edelweiss felt the need to change the subject.

So she brought up the orca she saw in her dream.

“An orca?”

“Yes, it was really small and beautiful.”

“That’s so strange! My nanny once said that when Mother was pregnant with Brother and me, she dreamed of an orca!”

“…Really?”

“You’re not pregnant too, are you!?”

At Charlotte’s excited flailing, Edelweiss quickly shook her head.

It had been shorter than usual, but she had definitely had her period as expected. There was no way she was pregnant.