Chapter 18 – Part 5
“I’m telling you, I’m willing to do as you wish.”
“…”
“Don’t resist so much unless you’re eager to throw yourself into the gutter.”
“…”
“Of course, just because I’m offering to make you the Crown Princess doesn’t mean I like you, nor does I regret discarding you. I’m simply doing it because I need you.”
Cedric stubbornly clung to his pride. He knew it was contradictory to say he wanted her by his side now when he didn’t even have feelings for her.
“You’re not being honest. It’s written all over your face that you regret it, Your Highness.”
“…”
Cedric was taken aback by her audacious words.
Yes, he did regret it.
Until he kidnapped her, he could deny it, but now he couldn’t. He couldn’t help but regret it.
‘If I had gone along with what fate had planned for us, things wouldn’t have been so troublesome…’
But it hurt his pride to admit to Eliana that he’d developed new feelings for her. He had spent his life accustomed to insulting her.
“Fine. It’s actually better this way. I don’t want Your Highness’s regret. You should pretend the wounds you inflicted on me don’t exist.”
“Eliana… you’d better understand what you’re saying.”
Cedric’s voice came out roughened.
“I know perfectly well. And I’ll repeat it—I have no intention of entering the Imperial Palace. I would refuse even if you offered me the Empress’s position or even the entire palace.”
“What could you possibly dislike so much?”
“If it involves Your Highness, I dislike it all. So don’t change your attitude toward me now; it only makes you look more pathetic.”
Cedric’s face turned as cold as ice at her words. Yet, somehow, this coldness was different from before. Although it seemed time for harsh words, Cedric shook his head slowly.
“That’s harsh.”
He spoke as though wounded.
“It’s not, compared to what you’ve done to me.”
“…”
Cedric, if he were human, couldn’t deny it. His actions toward Eliana were truly beyond repair.
“Why are you still making this offer to me with Rachel in your life? You once loved her so passionately.”
“I no longer love her.”
It was an unexpectedly candid answer. He had said he didn’t propose to Eliana because he liked her, so she had assumed he would claim he still loved Rachel.
“You once acted as if your love for her would never fade. How fickle you are.”
“It’s not because I’m fickle. I’ve simply realized who I truly need. That’s you, Eliana.”
It was as good as a confession.
“You discard and replace based on your needs. If I lose my ability, you’d turn elsewhere. I refuse.”
“Eliana.”
Cedric sighed as he called her name, caught in a predicament where he was proposing to someone he never imagined he’d need, only to be met with an unyielding wall.
‘You truly want me?’
If it had been in her past life, his words to stay by his side would have thrilled her beyond belief, but now, they meant nothing.
Cedric sprang to his feet and moved to sit beside her.
“I need you. I’m telling you, I need you!”
“I don’t need you, Your Highness.”
Eliana’s blue eyes flashed as she returned his words back to him.
She no longer wanted to talk to Cedric. Even if she behaved insolently toward him, bowing to no one, and ended up permanently locked in prison, she had no regrets.
Eliana tried to rise from the sofa as if to escape. At that moment,
“I apologize for certain things.”
“…!”
Eliana turned to look at him.
“I regret how I acted toward you excessively.”
All the past moments rushed through her mind. Cedric, who had never once apologized to her, now expressed regret. It seemed to be a difficult admission, as his jaw tightened slightly. After finishing his words, Cedric waited for Eliana’s response.
“It’s too late.”
‘To have crossed the bridge of death and come back again….’
Time had passed too slowly, and now Eliana was no longer the person Cedric once knew.
“What exactly am I supposed to do?”
Cedric’s patience finally wore thin.
“If I can’t hold you here or beg, then what do I have to do to place you in the position of Crown Princess again?”
He shouted out, sounding frustrated with himself.
“You’re relying on someone, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Are you still thinking about Calix Vartica? Do you believe he’ll come to save you?”
“Yes, Calix will come to see me.”
When speaking about Calix, a spark came into Eliana’s eyes. The blue eyes that hadn’t reacted to Cedric’s offer of becoming Crown Princess or even his apology suddenly lit up at Calix’s name.
Cedric felt an urge to crush that hope.
“Stop indulging in fantasies. He’s not coming. By now, he’s probably dead.”
Cedric’s golden eyes gleamed with cruelty.
“No, that can’t be.”
“It’s the truth. By now, he’s been torn apart by monsters so badly that there won’t even be a body left to find. The choices in front of you are exactly as I’ve told you. No one else will set foot in this palace.”
‘He was killed by monsters?’
Eliana’s blue eyes visibly wavered. Cedric’s arrogant expression was enough to confirm he wasn’t lying.
“That can’t be!”
The thought alone seemed to drive her to madness, and now her emotions finally showed as her eyes filled with tears.
Cedric didn’t want to see her like this. She had only reacted to him once, but now that wasn’t the case anymore.
“Don’t cry; I won’t allow it.”
Cedric grasped Eliana’s face, wiping away her tears.
“Get away from me!”
The more Eliana tried to push his hands away, the tighter Cedric held her. He looked at her tear-stained lips, wanting to silence her so she wouldn’t ask about Calix anymore.
Just as he was about to kiss her forcefully,
“Your Highness! Prince Cedric!”
Outside, Noah called for Cedric loudly, his voice uncharacteristically tense and urgent.
Cedric roughly seated Eliana back on the sofa.
“Stay here.”
After giving his command, he threw open the door and stepped out.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s urgent. The troops stationed in Vartica territory are advancing toward the capital.”
“What? They’re advancing?”
Noah, pale-faced, reported the outside developments. They had received intelligence that a massive military force was approaching the capital.
“The Duke of Vartica is dead. Are his soldiers rebelling?”
If that were the case, it wasn’t unmanageable. Their leader was dead, so no matter how much they stirred, they wouldn’t have cohesion.
“It’s not that.”
Noah’s face twisted with dread as though he were on the brink of death.
“Then what is it?”
Cedric pressed him.
“It’s none other than Duke Calix Vartica himself leading the army.”
A flash ignited in Cedric’s eyes.
“What? He died to the monsters; how can that be?”
“I don’t know either. You must hurry to His Majesty the Emperor. He’s asking for you.”
Cedric found it impossible to believe what he’d just heard.
‘There must be some mistake. Perhaps someone is merely impersonating him.’
After all, it was unthinkable that Duke Calix could survive amidst hundreds of monsters without a single weapon.
When Cedric had gone back to inspect the site, he’d found it ravaged, corpses strewn everywhere with no distinguishable features. He had assumed Calix was among them, which had left him feeling deeply satisfied.
“This is insane.”
Cedric hurriedly went to meet the Emperor.
Emperor Davon was shouting at the ministers in a fit of rage. The Empress, Elesio, and Princess Cynthia were already present. Princess Cynthia looked pale with fear.
“Your Highness…”
Cynthia called Cedric with a look and pleaded for help. Ignoring her, Cedric approached the Emperor.
“Is it true that they’re advancing on the capital?”
The Emperor raised his voice in demand.
“It… it’s confirmed. A massive number of troops are on the move.”
“What were you all doing until now for this to happen? Why are we only learning of this now?”
“We’re assessing the situation, Your Majesty. Please don’t worry too much; they won’t reach the capital.”
One of the ministers hurriedly replied.
Everyone was confused over the sudden advance of Duke Vartica’s troops. Calix’s forces had never made any significant moves toward the capital before. This could only mean one thing: rebellion.
Initially, Emperor Davon had wanted Cedric to gain various experiences on the battlefield, but that was one of the last things Cedric wanted. When he was unwell, it was difficult to cope in combat situations.
“How is the northern front faring?”
“My troops are defending it.”
“Very well, just continue to hold the north. It may not compare to the significance of what happens here in the capital, but handling what happens there will be a sufficient burden for you.”
Cedric had left most of the northern command to Calix, while the central, western, and southern regions were each assigned to different commanders. When the commanders occasionally gathered at the palace, Cedric would observe them talking amongst themselves. The other commanders often consulted Calix about strategy.
“Duke Calix Vartica seems to know everything. He doesn’t falter no matter what we ask him,” the southern commander remarked sincerely, admiring Calix. Cedric sneered.
‘Well, he can rot away and die in the north as he knows it all so well.’
Cedric had taken it too lightly, which meant that none of the royalty or ministers truly understood war.
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ReadingRainbow9266
It’s about d＊mn time. I’m fed up. I want Cedric to die already. No, not die. But watch as everything is slowly taken from him, then they should lock him up, and t＊rture him daily. Let commoners walk all over him, spitting on him, and making fun of him. Let him suffer every day of his remaining life. I don’t remember the last time I hated a villain like him. Blond crown princes always piss me off, but he really exceeds expectations