Chapter 17

Meanwhile.  

‘Please come back, Sabrina…’  

During the week without her, Chase made his own resolution.  

No matter what it took, even if he had to meet every condition she set, he would ensure Sabrina stayed by his side.  

‘I didn’t realize how big the void would be.’  

Every time Chase noticed Sabrina’s absence, he felt an inexplicable unease.  

How sick was she? What was she doing now? Had something else happened during the diplomatic tour?  

The questions piled up like a mountain.  

The problem was that work was piling up just as quickly as his longing.  

Watching Avery and Henry run around frantically, Chase realized just how much work Sabrina had quietly handled all this time.  

‘No wonder she got sick.’  

With Sabrina gone, her contributions became glaringly obvious. Chase finally understood how much he had taken her efforts for granted.  

‘I’ll need to reorganize the workload. We might also need additional staff.’  

The moment Chase felt Sabrina’s absence the most was during his weekly breakfast meetings with the Emperor.  

“Is Lady Sabrina still not back? How much work did you pile on her? If she’s your aide, you should have taken better care of her.”  

The Emperor’s constant scolding made Chase wonder if His Majesty cared more for Sabrina than he did.  

After a long, long week.  

“Oh, it’s good to see a familiar face again!”  

The Emperor greeted Sabrina with a hearty laugh when he noticed her return.  

Sabrina returned his greeting with a bright smile.  

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”  

“Chase was so worried about you. Now that you’re back, he finally looks a bit more alive.”  

When Sabrina glanced at Chase, she noticed his ears, usually pale, were slightly red with embarrassment.  

‘Could it be true?’  

Her gaze shifted from Chase, who looked as fresh as ever, to the Emperor beside him.  

Unlike Chase’s clear and healthy complexion, the Emperor’s face seemed slightly ashen.  

‘He doesn’t look well…’  

Though his eyes were still sharp like a lion’s, he seemed noticeably weaker than the last time she saw him.  

‘Why does this feel ominous?’  

A sense of foreboding crept over her, as if the story was inching closer to its starting point.  

Why do my uneasy premonitions always come true?  

During the cheerful meal, just as everyone was about to rise.  

“Ugh…!”  

The Emperor clutched his chest and collapsed.  

“Your Majesty?”  

“Father!”  

“Call the imperial physician immediately! Clear the surrounding area!”  

Chase quickly caught the Emperor’s head before it hit the ground. His hands trembled uncontrollably in the sudden chaos.  

While directing the palace staff, Sabrina reached out and placed her hand over Chase’s trembling one.  

“Your Highness.”  

“…Sabrina.”  

“You need to stay calm. Breathe.”  

Sabrina gently patted the back of Chase’s hand. Gradually, his erratic breathing began to steady.  

Sabrina stayed by his side until the Emperor was moved to his bed and Chase’s trembling subsided.  

***

“That was a close call. If not for your calm response, who knows what might have happened.”  

“So, is His Majesty alright now?”  

“For now, he’s stable, but the next three days are critical. We’ll monitor him closely.”  

On the third day after the Emperor’s collapse.  

Chase replayed the conversation with the physician in his mind countless times. Just remembering it made his heart sink and his blood run cold.  

“Call the imperial physician immediately! Clear the surrounding area!”

“You need to stay calm. Breathe.”  

If Sabrina hadn’t responded calmly in his place, the chaos could have been unimaginable.  

‘It’s already been three days…’  

Except for urgent state affairs, Chase spent every waking moment, even cutting into his sleep, by the Emperor’s side.

Seeing his father, who had always been a great and strong figure, in such a weakened state, Chase felt as though something inside him was crumbling.  

As he lowered his head and ran a hand over his roughened face, a gravelly voice broke the silence.  

“…A man shouldn’t act like that.”  

Chase’s eyes widened at the sound.  

“Father!”  

“I’m not deaf.”  

The Emperor, who had been lying as if lifeless, opened his eyes. Although his speech was slow, likely from exhaustion, his consciousness seemed remarkably clear.  

“Shall I call the physician…”  

“Don’t bother. I just want to stay quiet like this for now. Don’t I look fine enough as it is?”  

Stubbornly refusing the physician, the Emperor began speaking more as if to prove his claim of being alright.  

“You take after your mother more than me. As you grew, you resembled her even more—especially those eyes.”  

“For that, I am most grateful.”  

At Chase’s dry joke, the Emperor let out a hearty laugh.  

“Yes, it’s a blessing.”  

The Emperor, who had been gazing at Chase with an unreadable expression, suddenly spoke.  

“Standing at the boundary between life and death, I found myself longing for your mother.”  

“…”  

“I thought I had buried it all, thought time had dulled it. But it seems I was wrong. In the darkness, only Violet’s youthful face came vividly to mind, and I felt an overwhelming desire to follow her.”  

Hearing his father’s words, Chase’s brow furrowed slightly. He replied in a deliberately curt tone.  

“Why would you say such things, Father?”  

But the Emperor continued speaking calmly.  

“I was a strict father to you, wasn’t I?”  

“…”  

“There were times I wanted to spoil you, to raise you with nothing but love. I wished for the bright and mischievous boy you were to grow up just as you were.”  

A faint smile appeared on the Emperor’s lips.  

“Even so, I was strict with you because you were destined to wear the crown.”  

Chase slowly nodded.  

“I understand.”  

“I always pushed you hard, but Chase…”  

In the dim room, the Emperor’s eyes met Chase’s.  

“You will be a better Emperor than I ever was.”  

At the Emperor’s plain yet heartfelt acknowledgment, Chase’s eyes wavered slightly.  

“I didn’t criticize you because I was dissatisfied with you. You have always been a son I’m proud of. I have no more advice to give you.”  

“There’s still a long way to go.”  

The Emperor lightly patted Chase’s knee with his large hand.  

“You, unsure as always. The only thing I want to say to you now… is simply what I’ve always wanted to say as a father.”  

The Emperor, his eyelids growing heavy, slowly closed and reopened them. His voice grew softer, tinged with drowsiness, as he began an unexpected story.  

“The least Emperor-like thing I ever did, the most reckless decision I ever made, was marrying your mother. It was the first time in my life I followed only my heart.”  

“…”  

“The best thing I ever did, the choice I’ve never regretted, was also Violet.”  

Chase silently stared at the Emperor’s face, which somehow felt unfamiliar. His father had never spoken of the late Empress before—it was all so strange.  

“As an Emperor, I should tell you to find the most advantageous match. But as your father, I want to say something different.”  

The Emperor moistened his dry lips and firmly met Chase’s gaze.  

“When you find the one you’ll spend your life with…”  

“…”  

“At least then, I hope you’ll look into your heart first. That choice will make your life bearable.”  

The Emperor extended his hand toward Chase and asked,  

“Can you promise me that?”  

Chase, after meeting his father’s gaze for a moment, slowly placed his hand on the Emperor’s palm and replied,  

“I promise.”  

“Good. Now I can rest easy.”  

And that night, the Emperor passed away peacefully, as if falling asleep, returning to his beloved.  

The sun of the Empire had set.  

***

The Emperor’s funeral was held with solemnity and grandeur. All of Belfort mourned his passing.  

“This morning, envoys from Moesen and Tebere are expected to arrive. Everyone, make sure you’re prepared. Focus on your respective tasks.”  

The Emperor’s chief aide, Aaron, coordinated the operations of the Secretariat, which bustled with relentless activity. Sabrina, too, found herself running tirelessly all day, working at several times her usual pace.  

Though there was little time to feel sadness or grief amidst the workload, Sabrina couldn’t help but worry about Chase.  

However, when Chase finally appeared at official events after the Emperor’s passing, he showed no signs of faltering.  

“He’s always been so composed, even as a child. It’s a relief he’s regained his composure so quickly.”  

“It helped that he had time to prepare himself mentally. He’s always been a strong person.”  

Even those who had observed Chase for a long time spoke with admiration, shaking their heads in disbelief.  

“Sabrina, are you overworking yourself again these days?”  

“I’m managing fine. Did you get any sleep last night, Your Highness?”  

“A little.”  

Whenever Sabrina managed to exchange a few words with Chase amidst their busy schedules, he even showed concern for her well-being. The Chase who smiled at her with ease seemed no different from usual.  

But Sabrina vividly remembered the expression Chase had worn the moment the Emperor collapsed.  

“Your Highness.”  

“…Sabrina.”  

“You need to stay calm. Breathe.”  

In that moment of turmoil, when it seemed his world was falling apart.  

‘Is he truly alright?’  

It seemed Sabrina had developed a habit of closely observing Chase’s face, as if trying to gauge the emotions hidden beneath his composed exterior.  

His refined expression on a calm face—it made her wonder what feelings lay beyond.  

Walking half a step ahead, Chase noticed Sabrina’s gaze and turned his head.  

He smiled faintly, as if to ask why, and spoke.  

“I’ve been thinking about something.”  

Matching her pace, Chase continued.  

“In the past year working with you, I’ve made more memories with my father than in the previous ten years combined.”  

“Oh.”  

“It used to be difficult and uncomfortable. I hated being scolded every time we met.”  

As if recalling something, Chase chuckled softly and asked,  

“Do you remember? The time we ended up having a meal together because of my lie.”  

Sabrina nodded with a laugh.  

“It was the most nerve-wracking meal of my life.”  

“It was the same for me.”  

The two of them laughed quietly as they reminisced about that awkward and uncomfortable meal.  

“Still, it’s true that after that day, the distance I felt between my father and me lessened significantly. If it had been just the two of us, that gap might never have closed.”  

Chase’s steps slowed slightly.  

“If that had been the case, I don’t know what I’d be thinking now. Or what memories I’d be reflecting on.”  

In the corridor bathed in the red light of the setting sun, Chase met Sabrina’s gaze and said,  

“I wanted to say thank you. Always.”