Chapter 100 – The Chapter Began With You, And It Ended With You

After getting off the carriage, moving the luggage they would use during their stay, and waiting for the attendants who followed to arrive, almost an entire day passed busily.  

Seilia consoled herself by saying they would officially start sightseeing tomorrow.  

Since the trip was planned for about five days and four nights, there was still plenty of time to enjoy.  

From the villa Leo had purchased, the bright blue sea was clearly visible. Spending the day talking with Leo, eating cake, and passing the time until sunset, Seilia decided that, despite most of the day being over, she wanted to see the sunset over the sea on the first day.  

And on the last day, she wanted to watch the sun set again.  

How could everything line up so perfectly?  

The shimmering seawater reflected the sunlight as it sank beyond the horizon, sparkling like cold jewels one might want to touch.  

Having only seen such views through large windows before, Seilia, together with Leo, headed toward the sea.  

Without attendants or guards—just the two of them.  

Standing directly in front of the sea, the scent was far more vivid than the one she had smelled from the carriage or the villa.  

Was it because she had lived so stifled for so long? Or perhaps because she had been consumed by troubling matters?  

Seilia felt an urge to remember every detail of this moment—the scent in the air, the scenery filling her eyes, and the atmosphere surrounding her—down to the last bit.  

Leo was already smiling with satisfaction.  

From the moment he had agreed to Seilia’s suggestion to travel, to this moment where they stood before the sea, all of it brought him joy.  

“Stop just smiling and look at the sea.” 

Seilia said, lightly tapping Leo’s arm as he stared intently at her instead of the view. She glared at him as if to demand his attention.  

“When I’m with my wife, it feels like I see the sea every day. What difference does it make seeing it here?”  

Even if it was just sweet talk, she liked it.  

She didn’t know when such feelings might fade.  

Love doesn’t last forever.  

But Seilia was determined to turn such uncertain predictions into complete uncertainty.  

Leo, who was still gazing at her with a smile, must have felt the same.  

At this moment, they let go of everything—emotions, worries, all of it.  

And simply existed, watching the sea together with the one they loved.

***

The four days spent in Bonita were filled with nothing but joy.  

Leo and Seilia, temporarily setting aside their roles as Emperor and Empress, decided to think of this as their ‘final’ trip and simply enjoy all the things they had wanted to do as an ordinary noble couple.  

The first day, they had spent awkwardly getting settled. On the second day, they toured the city of Bonita, immersing themselves in sightseeing.  

They visited a famous seafood restaurant to taste local dishes, browsed jewelry made from rare shells and other materials, and explored the market.  

Despite concerns from others, they had decided to travel without attendants for the duration of the trip.  

Thus, to others, they appeared as nothing more than a newlywed noble couple on a honeymoon.  

This was why the man who acted rudely toward Seilia didn’t realize that the hand he had grabbed so carelessly belonged to none other than the Empress of the Empire.  

Seilia looked down at her hand, which had suddenly been seized by some rough force.  

From the moment she felt the unfamiliar grip, she suspected it wasn’t Leo.  

Leo had never grabbed her hand so harshly. Of course, if he had intended to hold her hand tightly, it wouldn’t have been this awkward force—it would have been enough to break her hand altogether…  

Instead of looking at the person holding her hand, Seilia stared at the hand gripping hers, confirming it wasn’t Leo.  

While walking and sharing a sweet cherry ice cream, she had bumped into someone, causing a bit of ice cream to stain the front of her dress. Leo had gone to fetch something to clean it up, but there was no way he could have returned this quickly.  

Moreover, her husband’s hands weren’t this unattractive.  

“…Which bastard dares to grab my hand?”  

She wanted to speak only kind words, especially for the sake of the child growing inside her.  

But holding back in such a situation wasn’t setting a good example either.  

Her child needed to take after her to some extent.  

Of course, they would also learn from Leo.  

But if such a situation arose, Seilia would teach them to show fists rather than tears.  

“What? Bastard?”  

The crude voice echoed loudly, grating against Seilia’s delicate ears.  

“Do you know me?” 

Seilia asked politely, taking a step closer.  

The rough-looking young man, stunned by the dazzlingly beautiful woman smiling brightly at him, momentarily lost his composure.  

“Uh? Oh, no, I don’t know you.”  

But he was well aware of her beauty.  

Every word he spoke was unsightly. Everything about him was unsightly.  

But if she pointed this out directly, he might become aware of his ugliness, fall into despair, and even take his own life.  

So, Seilia decided to deliver her words in a slightly more considerate manner.  

No, perhaps it was more like a stroke of divine luck—a once-in-a-lifetime heavenly opportunity.  

“If you don’t know me, could you kindly remove your dirty, ugly hand? And don’t speak informally.”  

“What? What the hell?!”  

The words coming from this pretty woman made his knees weak.  

Honestly, when he met her soft gaze head-on, he felt like collapsing.  

He had thought of himself as someone who lived in the shadows, yet here he was, overwhelmed by the presence of a small woman, his heart pounding so loudly it felt like it was being eaten away.  

He couldn’t believe it. That’s why he shouted louder, his voice trembling with humiliation.  

Seilia, barely paying attention to his yelling, knew better than anyone how to resolve this situation cleanly.  

How had she dealt with someone who harassed her during her days as a young lady?  

She had slapped him squarely across the face in front of many witnesses.  

However, as someone who now needed to set an example for her unborn child, she decided to take it a step further.  

Clenching her fist tightly, Seilia took a step back.  

Seeing this, the young man, thinking she was scared, sneered mockingly.  

But that sneer was soon wiped off his face by a well-aimed punch.

***

Leo couldn’t remove the hand covering his mouth.  

The cloth he had brought earlier had already been carried away by the refreshing sea breeze.  

Unable to erase the look of shock from his face, Leo soon felt a chilling sense of satisfaction.  

He had been watching the entire situation unfold from the beginning.  

Although he didn’t like the idea of Seilia’s clean, small hand being even slightly tainted by such a wretched man, it had saved him from causing a bloody incident.  

Leo had been slowly approaching the young man, planning to start by “twisting his neck” and then carry out a series of violent acts. But Seilia’s punch had prevented all of that.  

“Seilia. Come here.”  

Hearing Leo call her, Seilia, who still carried an air of ruthlessness, quickly turned and ran toward him.  

“You should have just let me kill him.” 

Leo murmured, gently stroking Seilia’s hand to check for any scratches or bruises, all while glaring at the young man.  

He made sure to remember the man’s face.  

So he could deal with him properly later.  

Seilia, understanding Leo’s ominous intentions, whispered for him to save it for another time, then turned him around.  

“I like it when you throw punches sometimes. But you might need to restrain yourself a bit more.”  

As expected, Leo began to lecture her.  

“I was setting an example for our child.”  

“You’re teaching quite well, aren’t you?”  

Leo shook his head and let out a small chuckle.  

“After all, aren’t you going to teach them too? You’re worse than I am.”  

“I’m well aware of that too.”  

This side would teach not to show a fist, but rather to show intent to kill.  

***

The great commotion of that day soon became a forgotten memory as time passed rapidly.  

The second night in Bonita passed, as did the third.  

And then came the last day here.  

Although they had planned a 4-night, 5-day itinerary, they still had the rest of tomorrow until nightfall to enjoy themselves.  

However, the sightseeing ended far too quickly, earlier than expected.  

In the end, the two agreed to depart back to the Imperial City early the next morning.  

Having picked out all the delicious foods and items they liked at the market, the two enjoyed their dinner and spent that night in laughter and joy.  

And then, the time to depart arrived.  

Seilia, with a hint of regret and emptiness evident on her face, went out with Leo at dawn to see the sea for the last time.  

The final item on Seilia’s bucket list for Bonita was about to be crossed off in about thirty more minutes.  

“In about two hours, everything will return to normal.”  

There was a tinge of regret and sadness.  

Leo kissed Seilia’s plump lips with a loud smacking sound and smiled brightly at her.  

He was now getting used to smiling not faintly, but brightly.  

“We’re going home. When our child can walk and say ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad,’ let’s travel to an even more amazing place. I promise.”  

“It’s okay to come back here again, or we could go somewhere farther, or even somewhere closer. As long as I’m with you, it’s all fine.”  

Because it’s with you, it was good. Just good.  

“Now that our family has grown by one more, we’ll need to prepare a bigger carriage.”  

“If we leave you out, there’s no need for that.”  

If the carriage gets too crowded, I’ll just make you get off. 

Seilia muttered this toward the sea.  

Hearing this, Leo sulked and began walking along the beach.  

“Where are you going? I was joking.”  

“I’m coming here because the view is better from this side. It’s definitely not because I’m sulking or angry.”  

Not sulking? Yeah, right.  

Holding back the urge to retort, Seilia walked toward the spot where Leo had eventually stopped.  

But was it really just an excuse? Standing here, it truly felt like being in the exact center of the beach.  

With a nervous heart, she stood silently beside Leo, waiting for the sunrise amidst the blowing wind.  

About five minutes passed, just enough time for the anticipation to build.  

The still-dark night sky began to blaze red, and in the distance beyond the sea, it looked as if the sun was rising.  

“The last item on the Bonita bucket list has been crossed off.”  

Seilia murmured this as she faced the dazzling morning sunlight, her face calm yet perhaps slightly bright.  

“There will be plenty of new items to add, so don’t worry.”  

That’s how it would be.  

The beginning was with you, and the end would also be with you.  

In all the things I want to do, you will be there with me.  

After watching the sunrise for a long while, the two left the beach and prepared to return.  

To their home.  

Seilia, feeling the strength in her hand as she walked ahead, glanced down at her hand once again.  

But this time, the broad hand looked truly beautiful.  

This is my husband.  

Seilia tightly gripped the hand she was holding and prepared to lead Leo home.  

There was no need to think of it as the last time.  

For there would always be new beginnings ahead.  

Leo, with you.  

With you.  

With you.