Chapter 3 – Part 4

“I apologize, Your Highness. It’s my fault. Please forgive me.”

Although he had done nothing wrong, Noah begged for forgiveness.

“I have committed a grave sin, Your Highness.”

The physicians also apologized. As the two physicians approached Cedric to begin their examination, Eliana turned to leave. Noah hurriedly tried to stop her.

“I’ll call a carriage to take you back, Lady Leiberte.”

“I’ll go by myself. I just want to get back quickly.“

“No, my lady. I must…”

“Let her go! She thinks she can avoid this situation by running away because she didn’t see His Majesty today.”

Cedric reacted sharply.

“But nothing will change, Eliana. You’ll soon be shattered.”

His harsh words left Noah flustered.

“Your Highness…“

“Tell her to leave. I can’t stand the sight of her.”

The situation had deteriorated since he left, as the argument continued in his absence.

“I’ll be leaving. There’s no need to follow me.”

Eliana stepped out into the corridor. The hallway of the west palace was adorned with magnificent statues and antique paintings, but to Eliana, they were no different from stones cluttering the path.

“Have a safe journey.”

At the back gate, the guard recognized her and greeted her. It would take at least ten minutes to catch a carriage from there.

‘I don’t want to come here anymore.’

After quickly glancing around the palace, Eliana left home without hesitation. She suddenly remembered something as she was about to flag down a passing carriage after leaving the palace.

“Oh, no…”

She recalled leaving her purse and other belongings with Mila before entering the main temple.

‘I forgot that I don’t have my bag.’

Eliana turned back to look. The palace was already distant, and she had no desire to return. She hadn’t flinched before Cedric’s threats of punishment and annulment, but being stranded without a penny was slightly daunting.

‘I can’t walk all the way, so I’ll have to rely on a passing carriage.’

Knowing the direction to the Leiberte estate, Eliana started walking again. She could quickly identify whether a carriage belonged to a family that could help by the emblem on it.

But reality didn’t match her thoughts. Carriages zipped past, oblivious to Eliana’s presence. She didn’t even have time to check their emblems.

‘D*mn…’

Despite her confident start, Eliana’s steps began to slow under the blazing sun.

‘Cedric would be thrilled to see this. He’d probably throw a celebration if I die from the sun.‘

Thinking that gave her a burst of energy. She started walking more energetically towards her home. Just then, a carriage speeding past her suddenly slowed down.

‘Who is it? Could it finally help?’

Eliana turned towards the carriage excitedly. It was a sleek black carriage, its grand size indicating it was no ordinary vehicle. When she noticed the royal emblem on the side,

‘Royalty…’

Of all things, it was a royal carriage.

‘I really don’t want help from royals, whoever they are.’

Before she could turn away, the carriage door swung open. A tall man stepped out and caught her eye.

‘It’s Prince Elesio.’

The man standing before her was the second prince, Elesio Kynes, Cedric’s half-brother. Cedric had two siblings, and Elesio was not born to the empress.

‘Half-brother…’

Thus, he was marginalized in the royal family, and Cedric despised him. Cedric never acknowledged him as a brother.

“A man with impure blood.”

Cedric never missed a chance to belittle Elesio.

“A woman of low status and only good looks gave birth to him.”

That was Cedric’s opinion of Elesio’s mother, Layra. He always said that Elesio hid a knife behind his kind smile, making Eliana somewhat wary of him.

“Lady Leiberte, isn’t it? Meeting you here.”

He greeted her first. Elesio’s voice was low yet very gentle. With his golden hair and green eyes, his voice matched his handsome face. Elesio was known for his striking looks, rivaling even the beauties of the empire.

“Hello, Your Highness, the second prince. It’s a surprise to see you here.”

As soon as Eliana replied, Elesio stepped out of the carriage.

“What are you doing alone on the road?“

“Well… my schedule got a bit mixed up.”

Eliana didn’t want to elaborate and gave a vague answer.

“Schedule?”

Elesio glanced in the direction she had come from.

“So you’re coming from the palace?“

“Yes, that’s right.“

“Why are you walking without a carriage? Did Prince Cedric send you out without one?”

Elesio asked, his expression indicating he found it hard to believe. He had guessed the situation correctly.

“Well, it’s similar. It’s a long story, but somehow, I ended up leaving the palace like this.“

“Unsurprisingly, he didn’t provide a carriage to take his fiancée home. I would have ensured you were safely escorted home if it were me.“

He wasn’t wrong. Elesio was known for his kindness and closeness to women. Eliana looked into his green eyes. He seemed willing to help if she asked.

‘Should I explain the situation and ask Elesio for help now, or should I keep walking and seek help from another family’s carriage?‘

“Lady Leiberte.”

Elesio called her, interrupting her thoughts.

“You seem to be in quite a predicament.”

Elesio spoke again.

“Judging by your willingness to converse with me, you must be exhausted. It must have been tiring just walking from the palace to here. Please, get in my carriage. I may not be my brother, but I will take you home.”

Eliana hesitated to accept his offer so readily. It felt a bit shameless to her.

‘We were never close. We only exchanged formal greetings at best. Whenever he approached, I would greet him and then quickly withdraw.’

As a well-mannered prince in social circles, Elesio often made skillful social comments to Eliana. But in her past life, she never responded much, thinking Cedric would want her to.

“But I’m not sure if I should accept your kindness…“

“It’s dangerous to walk alone like this.”

Elesio spoke kindly, sensing her hesitation. Just then, another carriage sped by, kicking up a cloud of dust. Eliana raised her gloved hand to cover her face.

“Cough, cough.”

As the dust settled, she couldn’t help but cough.

“D*mn.”

When the coughing ceased, the sun seemed less intense than before.

‘What…?’

When she looked up, Elesio had taken a step closer to her.

“Don’t overthink, just get in. What if you encounter a robber? Even near the palace, there are always those looking for money. To them, you’re not just a well-dressed person but a valuable target.”

“……“

“Unless, of course, you find me more frightening than a robber.”

There was no longer any reason to avoid someone Cedric disliked. The road was filled with speeding carriages, and another carriage seemed unlikely to come to her aid.

“Alright.“

“Then, take my hand.”

Elesio extended his hand to escort her into the carriage.

Eliana decided to accept his help and got into the carriage. As expected of a royal carriage, the interior was spacious and well-decorated in shades of gray. Nobles also spent money on their carriages, but nothing compared to the extravagance of royalty. The comfort was unmatched.

“Thank you for the ride.“

“Don’t mention it. To the Leiberte estate.”

At Elesio’s command, the carriage began to move, quickly picking up speed compared to walking.

“You always seemed on edge, but today’s treatment of you by the Leiberte family is quite extreme, making you walk alone under this scorching sun.“

“……“

“Surely, Prince Cedric didn’t order you to walk home?”

Though he posed it as a question, his tone suggested he was half-sure. Everyone in the palace knew how poorly Cedric treated Eliana.

“It wasn’t an order. But, indeed, he didn’t care how I got home.”

Eliana answered without sugarcoating it.

“Cold-hearted. To treat someone so dedicated to him like that.“

“……“

“Well, it’s not surprising.”

Elesio spoke disparagingly of Cedric, seemingly unconcerned that his words might reach Cedric through Eliana.

“You don’t seem to think highly of Prince Cedric?”

Eliana responded.

“Is there any reason to?”

He countered.

“Everyone who frequents the palace knows how he treats me.“

“……“

“I see no reason to sugarcoat it for you.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Still, I can oblige if you’d prefer to hear more polite, insincere comments. I’ll refrain from speaking ill of him.“

“No, there’s no need.”

Eliana cut him off. Elesio’s beautiful green eyes sparkled for a moment.

“This is quite interesting.”

He looked at her with curiosity.

“It seems something significant happened with my brother in the palace. You’re unusually candid today. I’d like to hear more about it on our way to the estate. Please, do tell.”

His soft voice sounded almost seductive. Having never had a long conversation with him, Eliana hadn’t realized how genuinely curious he was about her and Cedric.

‘Is he trying to learn something from me…?’

Thinking this, Eliana didn’t respond immediately. Instead of pushing her, he waited patiently. She could remain silent all the way to the estate, but now that she was in his carriage, she chose a different path.

“There was a fight. A huge one.“

Elesio’s eyes deepened with curiosity. It wasn’t surprising; she had always avoided looking at him directly, let alone engaging in conversation.

“A big fight?“

“Yes, we had quite a significant disagreement on several issues,“ Eliana replied.

“May I ask what those disagreements were about?“ Elesio lightly stroked his chin. Eliana’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“You seem very curious, Your Highness.”

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.