Chapter 5 (Part 1)

Theodore had been anxious every day since returning to the Grand Ducal residence.

He worried about whether Meia at the Mage Tower was doing well, and whether other men were approaching her.

What if she found someone she liked?

He couldn’t concentrate on anything other than Meia. She occupied his thoughts entirely.

Even though they had only spent a short time together, she had taken up more space in his heart than he had expected.

His growing feelings for her became more painful each day.

He found himself writing down his feelings for her on a letterhead.

According to Physician Worst, he was in the terminal stage of lovesickness. 

Was I going to die?

He spent his days thinking only of her, living like a terminally ill patient who could die at any moment.

Would I feel better with time? What if this pain never went away?

Why couldn’t I control my own heart?

The reality of not being able to sit face-to-face and talk with Meia was excruciatingly painful.

Even when tears blurred his vision, her image remained vivid.

“I want to see you again. I really want to see you.”

He wished someone could take out his heart and heal it.

The pain was unbearable, and his heart was filled with emptiness.

“Please look at this document, and then the picture frame, Your Grace! Please do your work!”

“Alright, Aethon.”

Even in his busy moments, looking at the small portrait frame on his desk was as precious as reading a letter from Meia.

Every time he saw Meia smiling in the frame, he felt as if only a blink had passed, yet so much time had gone by.

“I miss you, Lady Meia.”

She was the only one who could make him lose track of time.

He just wanted to spend the whole day lying in bed, staring at her portrait until he fell asleep.

That was until he received the report that a wizard had been sent to the Diamond Reception Room.

The Diamond Reception Room was reserved for the most important guests visiting the Grand Ducal residence.

Why had they sent the guest to the Diamond Reception Room instead of an ordinary one?

“The guest must be very important to me…”

Theodore’s dark eyes wavered at the sweet thought that crossed his mind.

His heart pounded heavily with anticipation.

“Venable…”

“The guest is important enough to be received in the Diamond Reception Room.”

“Just the fact that they came from the Mage Tower makes me hopeful.”

Venable smiled and said to Theodore, 

“You can hope, Master.”

After changing into his best uniform, Theodore sprinted to the Diamond Reception Room.

“Master, please don’t run! Running is against etiquette unless there’s a war.”

He heard Venable’s words as he chased after him, but his body didn’t listen. No, he didn’t want to listen.

He knew he shouldn’t run, but something more important had come up.

Stopping in front of the Diamond Reception Room door, Theodore asked Venable to check if his hair and clothes were disheveled. Venable meticulously fixed the slightly tousled hair and clothes from the run.

“Whew…”

“Master, don’t be nervous.”

“My heart is pounding so hard it hurts.”

Despite saying it hurt, Theodore’s face was so full of life that it seemed like a flood of emotions.

“Smile, Master. I’ll knock.”

With a resolute expression, Theodore nodded. As Venable knocked on the reception room door, Theodore entered with a broad smile.

“Ah…”

Theodore unconsciously covered his mouth.

He saw silver hair flowing like a waterfall under the moonlight.

And she turned to look at him.

It was really her. 

The blue eyes that resembled the sea, which he had longed to see, met his, and he realized this was reality. This couldn’t be a dream.

“It’s not a dream.”

As soon as he entered, Theodore’s eyes reddened, and tears began to flow.

Feeling the tears, he quickly wiped them with his sleeve, but Meia had already seen them.

“You always cry so easily.”

“Yes.”

“And your face is still as red as ever.”

It’s not a dream. This is not a dream. It’s reality.

Theodore felt like his legs would give out.

He wanted to rush over, hug her tightly, and show her around the mansion, overwhelmed with joy.

“Grand Duke Theodore, are you not pleased that I came?”

At Meia’s words, Theodore hung his head.

No.

He was so happy that she had come to the Grand Ducal residence that he felt like he was going crazy.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you not glad to see me? Hmm… If you don’t want me here, should I go back to the Mage Tower?”

Go back? After leaving me in such pain?

You, whom I missed and longed to see every day, are here… and you want to go back?

Theodore lifted his head and, with a desperate and earnest expression, said to Meia,

“I can’t let you go. No, I won’t let you go.”

Meia couldn’t hold back the smile that tugged at her lips.

“I have no intention of leaving either.”

Every word she said made his heart flutter.

His heart kept racing and stopping, but Theodore didn’t mind.

Meia stood up and approached Theodore, who was standing by the door, and gently placed her right hand on his left cheek, speaking with concern.

“Why have you lost so much weight? Your complexion looks bad too. Have you been very busy?”

There were many things he wanted to say if he ever met Meia again.

But nothing came to mind.

The fact that Meia was touching his cheek and worrying about him was more important to him.

Theodore lowered his face further so that his cheek could press deeper into Meia’s hand.

“I’m fine.”

‘Now that you’re here, I’m fine.’

“You really don’t look well.”

Meia looked up at Theodore, who was gazing down at her with intensely masculine eyes, and stroked his gaunt cheek.

And the heat radiating from his face, as he rubbed his cheek against her hand, felt like it might burn her. But she didn’t want to take her hand away from his cheek.

Theodore’s face, showing various expressions upon meeting her, was something she hadn’t imagined.

He looked sad but happy, desperate rather than smiling, and though he cried, he seemed joyful.

It wasn’t the face she had imagined, but she quite liked these expressions.

“Thank you for coming, Lady Meia.”

“Thank you for welcoming me, Grand Duke Theodore.”

This man, who always cried when he saw her. She had been curious about what expression he would have when they met.

It wasn’t the expression she had imagined, but she definitely wanted to see this face more.

Head Maid Hannah brought various refreshments and strawberry tea into the reception room.

“Hmm? It’s strawberry tea?”

“I asked them to prepare it.”

“Thank you, Grand Duke Theodore. You remembered that I like strawberries.”

Whenever she praised him, Theodore always made a flustered expression and shifted his eyes.

Seeing this, Meia smiled.

“I have something I’m curious about, Lady.”

“Yes?”

“If you came on a request from the Mage Tower, does that mean you registered as a wizard there?”

“Yes, I had a reason to, so I registered.”

“A reason?”

Seeing Theodore’s curious face, Meia decided it was better to be honest about why she came and began to explain her situation.

“I didn’t want to become a Princess.”

The happiness on Theodore’s face shattered at her words.

“Did you say Princess?”

“Yes, a servant who was like family at the Ducal residence sent me a letter. Prince Demian is coming to the Mage Tower to make me his Princess.”

She could have stayed comfortably at the Mage Tower, but to avoid the Prince who was coming to make her a Princess, she registered as a wizard and took a request to come here!

Of course, he was very happy that she came, but hearing the reason made him angry.

“I really dislike meeting Prince Demian. I could hide at the Mage Tower, but… Prince Demian won’t leave until I come out.”

Theodore’s grip on the teacup tightened involuntarily.

A proposal from the Imperial Family would be absolute. Even as a noblewoman, if the Imperial Family pushed for the marriage, she would have no choice but to become a Princess.

How must she have felt, fleeing to find him to avoid someone she disliked? She must have been very upset.

Theodore stared at the teacup with a wounded expression. He did this to avoid crying again when looking at Meia. His heart ached terribly. He kept biting the inside of his mouth to endure the pain.

He felt like erasing the Carpen Empire from the map would ease his mind.

However, Meia coming to the Grand Ducal residence meant she needed his protection.

He thought it would be nice to erase the Carpen Empire from the map and gift her a beautifully wrapped new map, but since it was her homeland, he decided to erase it only when she wanted.

“I will protect you, Lady Meia.”

Meia gazed steadily at Theodore’s face as he spoke.

‘Yes, this is the face.’

Meia wanted to see the sadness in his dark eyes, visible between his furrowed brows, become more poignant, and watch anxiety spread across his face.

“Prince Demian will not give up on me. He was obsessed with me even when I was the Crown Prince’s fiancée. I really hate that obsession.”

Perhaps he would be just as obsessed if she were alone, and if she were engaged or married to someone else, he would be just as obsessed.

Demian would use his status to trample on anyone in any way he can.

However, there was a ‘Free Marriage Contract’ that she had exchanged for the position of Crown Prince’s fiancée.

That contract was notarized by the temple. Both she and Luman had to abide by it.

Thanks to it, marriage was just an option. She didn’t know what would happen in five years, but by then, she could drive Luman out and take the Duke’s position.